The Reuben sandwich at Diamond Jack's. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World
If you have a hankerin' for a Diamond Lil, Diamond Jack or an Italian Richboy sandwich, you better get a move on.
Diamond Jack's, 7031 S. Zurich Ave., last day to serve its popular sandwich fare will be June 29, owner Nancy Zankel said of the 47-year-old restaurant.
"Without my husband here it isn't the same," Zankel said. "He was the heart and soul of the place. It was his dream to own Diamond Jack's, and he loved being here."
Larry Zankel died last August. The Zankels purchased Diamond Jack's in 1989 from the founders, Ann and Jack Appleton.
The Appletons launched the restaurant with the 1880s saloon motif in 1965 in Country Club Plaza at 51st Street and Harvard Avenue, and two years later added a second restaurant in Southroads Mall, 41st Street and Yale Avenue.
The Zankels closed the Country Club Plaza location in 1990, and in 1994, when their lease was not renewed at Southroads Mall, they moved to 3609 E. 51st St.
The widening of Interstate 44 forced them to move Diamond Jack's to its current location in 2008.
The decor always has featured gold and burgundy flocked wallpaper, gilded mirrors, simulated gas wall sconces, milk glass chandeliers, a piano and a curio filled with antique dolls.
Some will remember when the waitresses wore long dresses with ruffled sleeves, but that practice was dropped a few years ago.
"We are fortunate to have had so many loyal customers over the years," Nancy Zankel said. "The people of Tulsa have been great to Diamond Jack's."
Diamond Jack's is difficult to spot from a main street. It sits a half block off the northeast corner of 71st Street and Yale Avenue.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.
