MAHT
Words by Dave Cathy / Photos by Rachel Waters
Chef Kevin Lee’s new Uptown Korean steakhouse concept, MAHT, is the toughest reservation to land in Oklahoma since it opened late 2025—due, in part, to the power of television. The real draw, however, is a matter of taste.
Lee was born in Norman, where his dad was a student. The family returned to Korea for a few years, but most of Lee’s youth was spent in Seattle where he graduated from high school. He later attended the University of Nevada in Las Vegas and graduated with a degree in hospitality management. While there, Lee found a part-time job at Sushi Wa that turned into two years of training under chef Joon Choi. Then he joined Mizuya in Mandalay Bay and became executive chef at 21.
Looking for his own opportunity, Lee moved to Oklahoma City in December of 2009 to partner with his cousin Andrew Hwang on Robinson Renaissance food court’s Burger Rush. Two years later, he joined the Coach House apprenticeship program to train under Kurt Fleischfresser. After graduation, Fleischfresser named him sous chef at Vast, where he eventually spent three years as executive chef.
Lee opened Birdie’s Fried-Fried Chicken in 2022 and began making appearances on various Food Network competition shows. A regular on Food Network, he appeared on “Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions” for the third time in March 2026.
After Lee earned the nickname “dragonslayer” during his first stint on “TOC,” he renamed his restaurant Birdie’s by Chef Kevin Lee. Switching from Korean fried chicken to a premium steakhouse enriched by Korean culinary tradition, the reinvented Birdie’s (which will move to the former Vecina at Lake Hefner Parkway and Memorial Road by the end of the year) exploded in popularity and created the opportunity to build the restaurant of his dreams.
“Growing up, my dad owned a steakhouse in Korea, like an American-style steakhouse,” he says. “For me, steak has always been that meal I turn to when I'm celebrating. I think a lot of people feel the same way. Now, I'm taking those steaks and putting my spin to it. When you see our menu, you'll see all the familiar things you see at a steakhouse, but when you try our food, it's gonna be a whole different experience.”
MAHT builds on the success of Birdie’s, adding a premium raw bar and seafood to go along with the emphasis on Korean flavors. What separates MAHT is the setting: Lee made a deal with A Good Egg Dining Group to take over the former home of The Drake in Uptown. Glass and concrete come together with clever lighting to generate an energy that propels service.
“The moment you walk in, you kind of forget you're in Oklahoma City—you’re transported to a different city and having an experience you never had before. Not just with food, but the wine, the service, the cocktails.”
Lee’s culinary partner at MAHT is executive chef Josh Valentine, a veteran of various high-end and creative OKC restaurants. Not to be outshone by Lee, Valentine finished second on season 10 of “Top Chef.”
MAHT’s menu is geared toward communal dining, but it also offers a variety of entrees diners can enjoy on their own. Bibimbap, a traditional Korean hot pot with beef and veggies topped with a fried egg, leads the way. Gochujang-glazed lamb ribs and a rigatoni with perilla pistachio pesto follow close behind. If you’re wondering where the variety of banchan can be found, it’s with king salmon, soy-braised short rib or half a roasted chicken.
Lee designed the craft cocktails at MAHT to reflect Korean flavors and modern cocktail innovation. Take the Prilaman 2.0: Brewing in its blue vessel is a blend of Ki No Tea Gin, Accompani Flora Green, Fair Trade Ginger Liqueur, honey, lemon and cinnamon.
As he did at Birdie’s, Lee’s menu is founded on premium cuts of either USDA Prime or Wagyu beef. Options range from an American Wagyu flat-iron to a tomahawk ribeye with five different sauces to consider. The chimichurri is made with perilla leaves, kimchi infuses the bearnaise, and the peppercorn sauce is inspired by traditional galbi. Grilled shrimp, lobster tail, and Crab Oscar are available as add-ons, which embrace traditional steakhouse style. All together, MAHT is the ideal place to choose a steak, with a host of sides for the whole table at the end of a succession of starters.
Lee’s spin on the classic Korean scallion pancake is a dream, thanks to jumbo lump crab, an uni-infused ranch, and soy-caramel sauce. Impossibly crunchy thanks to chickpea flour, the pancake is a must. The gochujang aioli-kissed steak tartare, topped by fried shallots to balance the lush beef with crunch, will be an immediate hit with raw preparation fans. MAHT also brings back Lee’s passion for Korean fried chicken, and the tuna tataki with garlic ponzu is another option you don’t want to miss.
From the raw bar, Lee offers a showstopping seafood tower that includes a scallop crudo made with a jalapeno yuzu kosho, crab legs, shrimp cocktail, shrimp carpaccio in kumquat mignonette, lobster tail, and oysters. Each item is available individually for less ambitious diners.
Korean inspiration finds its way into the Caesar salad, which leans on fish sauce rather than anchovies and a chickpea chili crisp instead of croutons. The wildly popular salad from Birdie’s makes the trip to MAHT, bringing its Perilla Green Goddess dressing with it.
MAHT offers an eclectic mix of sides to saddle up with steaks, including kimchi risotto, snow crab mac & cheese, and kimchi collard greens for culinary adventurers. Simpler palates can reach for French fries, onion rings, or mashed potatoes with crispy potato hay.
Lee spent his career learning to craft a dining experience and the response, he says, is humbling: “It’s been a life-changing experience.
“Looking back five, 10 years ago, I'd never even imagined or dreamed of owning a restaurant like this. I just wanted a small restaurant,” he says. “Now I go to Thunder games and OU football games and people are screaming my name across the crowd, ‘How can I get a reservation?!’”
MAHT, 519 NW 23rd St., OKC, 405-784-4896, mahtokc.com
