Courtesy Lindsey Snow

A sports bar in a city with fewer than 50,000 shouldn’t be this legendary. Located in the rural college town of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Eskimo Joe’s globally punches well above its local weight. Let me count the ways.

Two standing U.S. presidents have endorsed the restaurant’s famous cheese fries. Sports Illustrated previously praised it. And millions of Eskimo Joe’s promotional t-shirts have been shipped and sold worldwide, with one unverified estimate pegging it as the second best-selling t-shirt design after Hard Rock Cafe.

Whatever the truth, I can tell you this: the cheese fries, shakes, atmosphere, service, and t-shirts all live up to the hype. On a recent visit with my wife, we devoured the entire plate of half cheddar, half Monterey Jack topped house-made fries, made even better by make-shift fry sauce (half ketchup, half mayo).

We sampled every shake flavor and both agreed the hand dipped strawberry was the best we have ever had. The chocolate was a close second. Like the affordable prices, the service was superb. While the classic and Oklahoma onion burgers both looked amazing — like seriously amazing — the flavor and texture fell short of the good looks.

Not bad. Still four out of five star burgers. But not as remarkable as the fabled cheese fries and shakes. (And if I’m really being honest, not quite as flavorful as Braum’s, another Oklahoma icon.)

But again, Eskimo Joe’s has no business being this good. I cannot recommend it and the lovable town and state it calls home enough. All three aren’t just exceptional by “Oklahoma standards.” They are exceptional on an a national, if not international, level.