It’s officially winter … even if Green Country’s weather doesn’t always cooperate. It may be cold, snowy or icy as you read this, or it might be in the 60s. But no matter the actual weather, winter is the perfect time to warm your soul and if need be, your body, with a bowl of steaming hot, tasty goodness offered up in the area’s many local restaurants.

What’s truly neat about ordering a bowl of food is that in one smooth, round, delightfully compact container, you can potentially enjoy all sorts of cuisines and all kinds of meals. Imagine light broths and home-brewed soups, like pho and miso, for those times you want just a snack or light meal before or after a party. Picture a hearty bowl of chili or chowder on days when you need something that sticks to your ribs. Ponder the delights of rice bowls, ramen noodles, egg scrambles, oatmeal on steroids.

Imagine it all — and then rejoice, because the 918 offers it all. Whatever your favorite meal in a bowl, you can find plenty of options to warm you up from the inside out.

With your taste buds in mind, we’ve gathered a list of the best bowl meals you can find around Tulsa and the surrounding towns including soups, stews, bisques, chilis, pho and more. We’ve found it and categorized it so you can just head to one of these restaurants anytime and dig in.

ou may call it kaffee in Berlin, caffe in Rome, or kofi in Nigeria… You may like it black or with cream, strong or bright, hot or iced, drip or pour over, French press or cold brew… You may want that rush of caffeine or prefer a decaffeinated version. But there’s one thing you can count on, no matter where you go. The power of coffee to wake people up and bring people together is so universal, it might just be the one drink every culture has in common.

Given the throngs of people filling coffee shops morning, noon and night, it’s a wonder any of the offices in town are occupied at all. The phenomenon speaks to our sincere love of java.

To call this energizing drink popular is an understatement. Americans drink an estimated 146 billion cups of it each year. According to the National Coffee Association (NCA), 59 percent of coffee cups consumed daily are classified as gourmet and out-of-home consumption reached an all-time high of 46 percent in 2017.

And sure, you can brew a quick cup at home, but there are so many other options out there to explore, especially here in Green Country.

Tulsa and its surrounding towns offer an impressive variety of coffee houses, brewing styles, bean sources and more… meaning that if you haven’t explored our rich coffee scene yet, you are sorely overdue for an experience that will charge you up and get you going, day after day.

Some coffee shops are like a cozy home away from home, others ideally sparse. They can be a place to recharge with a good book and a steaming drink or to chat up a friend over that perfect pastry. The best spots have a bit of magic to them: ambiance with no pretense, friendly baristas, and of course, delicious coffee.

Whichever reason you’re on the lookout for a cafe, the options are limitless — which is why narrowing down the best coffee spots in Green Country is a daunting task. Here are 25 of the area’s best coffee houses (many of which roast their own beans), from hotspots to hidden gems.

March Madness is here, and you want to watch the games, right? Well, you’re in luck because the 918 has no shortage of ways to watch all the dunks, dimes, game winners and heartbreaking losses. So put on your dancing shoes and let the madness begin.

While there are some who prefer to watch the games in the comfort of their own homes, the general consensus is that the best place to watch the action is inside a sports bar or restaurant.

And of course, once the madness is over, it’ll be time to get down to business with baseball. NFL action might be over for now, but preseason games will be back before you know it. Throw hockey, golf, MMA, UFC, horse racing and basketball in the mix and you have yearlong reasons to know where to enjoy the best food, drinks and sportsbroadcasts.

And it just so happens that we love putting together lists of our favorite go-to places. So, while you’ve been contemplating your Elite Eight and Final Four picks, we’ve been compiling our own 38 selections.

All you have to do is skim through our list and choose where you want to meet your favorite guys and gals. Not to mention, you’ll also have plenty of shoulders to cry on when your bracket gets destroyed after a few upsets.

Comfort: a feeling of relief or encouragement, contented well-being, a satisfying or enjoyable experience. This is the perfect description of how a good comfort food meal should make you feel. It settles you down, fills you up, and reassures you that in a crazy, hectic, stressful world of everyday troubles, you can find moments of total peace and pleasure.

Good comfort food shares a few key characteristics that make it special. It’s a traditional meal prepared in a traditional style. It’s often high in carbs — the sugars, starches, and fibers in food that give us a good mood boost (which is why we often crave them). There’s a nostalgic or sentimental appeal about comfort food too, perhaps reminding you of a simpler time when you were young and had no cares in the world. And it’s typically flavorful, easy to make, and easy to eat, which makes it a perfect meal when you need a little encouragement without putting a lot of energy into cooking.

Of course, one of the best ways to indulge in comfort food is to have someone else cook it for you. After all, isn’t it a relaxing, nourishing treat to have someone care for you and feed you? And if that’s what you’re craving — a little pampering as well as a tasty, happy meal — then Green Country has you covered, because this area of the state is renowned for its comfort food offerings.

Yes, you can indulge in any comfort food you want in Green Country. We’ve compiled our list of favorites to get you started. Chow down at these spots, and enjoy some of the best meatloaf, mashed potatoes, chicken-fried steak, homemade biscuits, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, and other nostalgic, hearty meals that send your mood soaring and satisfy your belly in the cold winter months.