Family Pho and Rolls

Family Pho and Rolls follows a popular trend in serving both Vietnamese food and sushi (at least the style of sushi that includes California rolls, etc.). Outside of a couple of Chinese restaurants I think this is the only Asian restaurant in Weatherford, so I think it makes sense for this restaurant to provide any other dishes they can that would be popular in this small college town.

While Chinese food tends to become more Americanized in smaller towns, Vietnamese food has tasted pretty much the same everywhere I have tried it (but the menu choices are more limited in small towns). This is good for me because I love what most Vietnamese restaurants are serving, and these tend to be reliable choices even where Chinese restaurants are not. Family Pho was exactly as I thought it would be–good food but with a rather small menu.

After my comments about Chinese restaurants I need to point out that I have liked the ones I have tried in Weatherford. My favorite place in town, Young China, has closed, but the people at Family Pho told me the owners have now opened the Hibachi Buffet.

Vermicelli Bowl

House vermicelli

The type of dish I was wanting happened to coincide with what seemed to be the restaurant’s special dish, the House Vermicelli. This did not come with my normal choice of chicken, but the pork they served had a very good flavor and is another type of meat I like. It had the added benefit of an excellent spring roll. The fish sauce was very good, and I especially liked the chile sauce (which can be seen in the small bowl on the lower right side).

Two things I normally like in a vermicelli bowl were lacking–peanuts and mint. Everything else was good enough that it pretty much made up for these deficiencies (I can say for sure that the spring roll was more satisfying than the peanuts would have been). Overall this was definitely a very good vermicelli dish.

Tea
I was disappointed that they did not have any hot tea, but iced tea was available. I would say this made the restaurant somewhat Americanized, but the food was good and it did not have a great impact on the meal.

An Assessment
Everything I had was good, but the negative aspects were the things I was not able to have (peanuts, mint, hot tea, etc.). In spite of this I would not hesitate to come back. At restaurants I usually like to order things again that I enjoyed previously (in this case it is the House Vermicelli). They do have other types of vermicelli bowls, though, as well as other items (mainly the pho and rolls implied by their name).

RATING: 23

Asian Food Details

Tea:	Iced Tea
MSG:	No
Buffet:	No

 

Special Ratings

House Vermicelli

Sam’s Southern Eatery (Closed)
7011 W. Hefner Rd.
Oklahoma City, OK

Sam’s Southern Eatery at Hefner and Rockwell

Sam’s Southern Eatery is a rapidly expanding chain of Cajun style restaurants based in Shreveport, Louisiana, and which has recently opened several locations in Oklahoma with more planned. My first visit to this location and one in Shreveport were within a two week period, and as a result I was able to compare the recently opened location in Oklahoma City with a well established one.

I believe this location was still working out some of the details when I went, and the fact that the staff admitted this to me makes me more anxious to return. Probably a restaurant’s honesty and transparency is the most important factor to me other than the food itself, and the staff here left a very good impression on me.

As for the food, I didn’t think it matched what I got in Shreveport, but certain items were nevertheless very good. In case you wish to have a review in a nutshell, I will just say to do yourself a favor and order the red beans and rice (it is worth going just for this).

Gumbo

Gumbo, fried roll, red beans and rice, cole slaw

Mostly wanting to know how the food here compared to Louisiana, I ordered a bowl of Gumbo. Whether it is very authentic or not, I thought it was flavorful. The shrimp tasted as if it had been frozen and there were not many vegetables, but still it was enjoyable. The most striking thing I thought was noticeable was that the broth had a very light color. Overall the gumbo was fine but not exceptional.

I thought the Red Beans and Rice was exceptional, and the recipe was successfully transported from Louisiana. It had a good smoky flavor, and I think this is the best item at the restaurant (that I have tried, at least).

The Cole Slaw was fine and better than at many of OKC’s barbecue restaurants, with the cabbage being noticeably fresh. The flavor was strong on the vinegar but not too much so.

The Fried Roll tasted very good but after the meal was the only thing I was tasting, so I probably do not want to repeat this experience (I think they offer a choice of either the roll or cornbread, and if so I will take the cornbread next time).

Other Comments
Each Sam’s restaurant is individually owned, and the food varies from one location to the next. The chain does give them the recipes and I believe supplies the ingredients (so that the food quality is constant). In comparing the Shreveport and Oklahoma City locations I found that the recipes for the gumbo were different (although the quality of the shrimp used was the same), the Shreveport restaurant ran out of red beans and rice when I was there (the Oklahoma City restaurant had plenty of everything despite being packed with customers), and each restaurant has its own “extras” (the Shreveport restaurant had home made cake for dessert).

The biggest seller at Sam’s is the shrimp. I did not try the fried shrimp at this restaurant, although the shrimp in the gumbo was equivalent to the one in Shreveport. The fried shrimp comes in very large pieces (my dining companion and I shared an order of 8 shrimp in Shreveport and we really thought 6 would be enough for the both of us).

Almost everything at the Oklahoma City location was good, but I think the lesson with the fried roll was that you shouldn’t fry something that is already good before you fry it (the Shreveport restaurant didn’t serve this item, perhaps for a good reason).

RATING: 21

Cuisine: Cajun
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: I do not believe so, but I’m not sure

Most Recent Visit: Nov. 14, 2017

Number of Visits: 1

Best Item: Red Beans and Rice

Special Ratings

	Red Beans and Rice
	Gumbo
	Cole Slaw
	Fried Roll

Menu (Nov. 2017):

 

Grand House Express

The previous restaurant at this location was Zen Asian Dining, a “fusion” restaurant with different cuisines whose menu has partially been retained at the new Grand House Express. The original Grand House is one of the anchor restaurants in Oklahoma City’s Asian District, being one of the largest and longest running restaurants along Classen Boulevard.

Zen was primarily a Thai restaurant, and several Thai dishes have been carried over to the new menu at Grand House Express. I thought their Thai food was overly sweet, but not having tried it at the new restaurant I really do not know how it would be now.

Dining room

I did find out, though, that the new restaurant appears to be true to the food of the original Grand House in its Chinese menu. More specifically, it is true to part of the Grand House menu, because Grand House has a regular menu which is largely copied here and a “Chinese” menu which is absent from the selection at Grand House Express. My take on the two Grand House menus is that both are actually Chinese, but the “Chinese” menu has some more interesting items that appeal to me more. For instance, the Express restaurant does not have clay pot dishes, and generally it excludes everything that takes longer to cook than the standard stir-fry dishes served at Grand House Express.

Some Vietnamese dishes on the menu also come from Grand House, and the result is a “fusion” restaurant representing food from different Asian countries, but I think done better than I found at Zen Asian Dining.

Lunch Specials
There are several lunch specials served Monday through Friday that I would find appealing, partly because the price is a little lower but mainly because lunch portions at restaurants are more in line with my appetite. I would probably pick the items that come from Grand House (Chinese and Vietnamese) over the Zen holdovers (mainly Thai).

Stir Fried Dishes

Chicken stir fry in XO sauce

The Chicken Stir Fry in XO Sauce was my first chance to try this sauce since I had another dish with XO Sauce at the original Grand House. Although this was not a lunch special, the price was good and the sauce was still good. XO sauce is something I would describe as having a very intense flavor and is something people will probably either love or hate (I think it is rather smoky and is the Chinese version of chipotle sauce).

While I am not necessarily recommending this sauce for everybody, I did get a sense that the stir-fried dishes and the food here in general is very good. One thing for sure is that Grand House Express has items on the menu that will not be found at many other suburban Chinese restaurants.

Other Details
To me it is a good sign that the restaurant did not have what I really wanted to order, yet I still enjoyed the meal. There are probably at least a dozen other menu items that I think would be equally appealing, if not more.

I think the other Thai restaurants in Edmond are far too good for me to purposely come here and try this type of food, nevertheless there are some Thai menu items for anyone who wants to try them.

The original Grand House is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city, and adding their food to this restaurant is a huge deal, in my opinion. It is too bad they could not include items like their clay pot dishes, but what they do have appears to be some of the best suburban food in the OKC Metro.

Probably the issue most people will have is the price, but for me it was not too bad (the menu is included below with the prices at the time I went to the restaurant).

RATING: 23

Asian Food Details

Tea:	Jasmine (bags)
MSG:	No
Buffet:	No

 

Special Ratings

Stiry Fry in XO Sauce

 

Menu (Oct. 2017):

Gloria’s Mexican Kitchen (Closed)
5801 N.W. 50th St.
Oklahoma City, OK

Gloria’s Mexican Kitchen

Gloria’s Mexican Kitchen (or just “Gloria” on the sign) is a venture of two former employees at Ricardo’s which used to occupy the same space. One of the owners was the cook at Ricardo’s, and he has continued the same cooking style as before (and I think this is a very good thing!). I thought of Ricardo’s as Mexican style cooking of dishes that are popular with Americans, and I think the same thing is true at Gloria’s.

In defining “Mexican style,” I would say it is very simple preparation of authentic ingredients with an emphasis on bold flavors. Some readers may feel comfortable with Tex-Mex style dishes with lots of cheese on top (much of the food here has cheese, but it does not overwhelm the dish), chips and salsa (they have that here), and a familiar menu (Gloria’s has made a point to do this). I am so impressed with what Gloria’s has done that I can almost guarantee that people will like it, even if they are reluctant to venture to new restaurants.

Gloria’s has continued many of the menu items from Ricardo’s, but expanded it in 2017. Also of note is that they now have daily specials on weekdays (the specials are offered all day).

Enchiladas

Gloria’s red and green enchiladas

The enchiladas here are genuinely good and genuinely Mexican style. Perhaps more importantly, they are unlike the ones I have found at any other restaurant. The red and green chile used remind me of the ones served in New Mexico, but not as spicy. I would say the recipes probably come from somewhere in the northern part of Mexico.

Traditionally I prefer red enchiladas to green ones, but in Oklahoma City this has been reversed because most restaurants serve tomatillo flavored green sauce that is more spicy and authentic tasting than the red. At Gloria’s, though the Red Enchiladas are the spiciest of the two, and they really have everything that satisfies my enchilada cravings.

The Green Enchiladas are very good also. It did not have the same flavor I find at other restaurants (this is not a good or bad thing, just an opportunity to try a new flavor). I really liked both enchiladas equally, but on future trips I would likely order the red ones because these have been so lacking at other restaurants.

The Beans were very good, and had a traditional flavor (they may be made with lard but I did not ask). The Papas were very good, but the amount of cheese on top detracted a little bit for me.

Guisado

Guisado with chile rojo

The Guisado with Chile Rojo was as impressive as the enchiladas, and I liked the fact that the chile was at about a four out of five spice level (hotter than the enchiladas). I recommend the rice with it since they are very flavorful and just just filler (you do have a choice of other side dishes such as the papas I had with the enchiladas).

Street Tacos
I had a sample of the Street Tacos, but I thought the flavor was not as good as at Abel’s Restaurant across the street. Still, I thought they were good and probably authentic.

Chips and Salsa

Chips and salsa

The Chips and Salsa are both excellent, but in addition to the salsa they also serve queso and guacamole dip. These are also excellent for take-home provided there is any left. What is good, though, is that each person gets their own personal dips.

Additional Comments
Some Internet sites (such as OKC Talk) have commenters who indicate that they enjoy authentic Mexican food but have a hard time finding restaurants in Oklahoma City that meet their standards. This is the kind of person that I think would especially appreciate Gloria’s. I think of it as a restaurant that is as good as the ones in El Paso, but with a different style of food (Gloria’s has food that is more interior style than is normally found in El Paso).

Gloria’s is small, but is a sit-down restaurant with all the service you get at larger restaurants. The prices are about average for OKC Mexican restaurants, but if you get the daily special this is a real windfall for your pocketbook (as of September 2017 they were Quesadilla Dinner on Mon.; Tortilla Soup on Tue.; Crispy Tacos on Wed.; Guisado on Thu.; and Fish Tacos on Fri.).

For a long time Abel’s across the street has been my “go to” place for Mexican food. I find Gloria’s to really be better than Abel’s for most things, although the tacos are better at Abel’s and Gloria’s does not have as many menu choices.

I don’t think their horchata is home made, and at least from what I saw I thought it would be better to order the tea. Other than that it is hard to find any negatives here.

RATING: 24

Cuisine: Mexican
Cost: $$
Hours: Open daily except Sun. evening and Wed. evening
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking

Most Recent Visit: Sep. 28, 2017

Number of Visits: 3

Best Items: Red Enchiladas, Guisado, Beans, Rice, Chips and Salsa

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:

 

Special Ratings

	Red Enchiladas
	Green Enchiladas
	Guisado
	Street Tacos
	Beans
	Rice
	Papas
	Chips
	Salsa

Jim’s Diner (Closed)

6317 N. Meridian Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK

Jim’s Diner in northwest Oklahoma City

Note: This Jim’s Diner is closed but the original restaurant at 7950 N.W. 39th Expressway is still open.

Although many are familiar with Jim’s Diner on Route 66 in Bethany, there is now a second location in Oklahoma City at N.W. 63rd St. and Meridian Ave. There are a number of reasons people have continued to patronize Jim’s over the years, but I think two of the most important are that just about everything is on the menu and the prices are reasonable.

My visits to the Bethany location have been exclusively for breakfast or for a late night dinner and conversation with friends (both locations are open until 10:00 pm, but the Bethany restaurant used to be open through midnight–the latest time I can remember being there).

When I went to the Oklahoma City location it was not nearly as busy as the Bethany restaurant usually experiences, but I believe people are now discovering the new restaurant and that business has picked up. This restaurant is not on Route 66, but the food seems to be the same.

Salad

Salad at Jim’s Diner

Salad is not my idea of one of the restaurant’s big draws, but it is available for those who want it. I could find nothing either particularly good or particularly bad about the one I tried (except for the fact that the tomatoes were actually red and the lettuce was actually green).

Fried Chicken

Fried chicken

I sampled the Fried Chicken, so I know how it tastes but not if this would be classified as a very filling meal or not. At least the pieces seemed to be as big as in most other restaurants.

The flavor of the dark meat was excellent, so I would have to say this was a big hit with me. The white meat was dry, though, and disappointing (but still not bad). For my taste the dark meat would be well worth ordering again.

The best item I tried, though, was the Mashed Potatoes that came on the side. These were excellent potatoes and excellent gravy. I really do not think very much about mashed potatoes until I try them at the numerous restaurants that do not do them quite the right way (in contrast, I think Jim’s shows how it should be done).

Banana Nut Pancakes

Banana nut pancakes

One good feature of Jim’s is that you can order breakfast all day. One drawback I discovered was that the cook at dinner was not very familiar with the breakfast menu, leading to the fact that I only got one pancake (the one pictured) when I wanted to make a meal of them (which comes with four pancakes). They cooked the other three for me, but there was a good wait because these pancakes are made from scratch and cannot be prepared quickly.

I gave them four stars because of the fact that at home I try to use a more healthy cooking oil, so I get somewhat of a rude awakening when I eat them in most restaurants. Still, though, I liked the bananas, the syrup, the flavor of the pancakes (other than the oil), and even the margarine spread they had. The pecans tasted stale, though (this was not a big factor in the overall meal).

Desserts

The pie display at Jim’s

I am mentioning desserts only to show this photo of their pie display, but so far I have not tried any of the flavors.

Additional Comments
For diners, I think Olde Orchard in Bethany seems to have a better flavor for me. I think Jim’s has more menu options, though, particularly if you want to order breakfast at dinner time (something I believe Olde Orchard does not do).

The closing time of 10:00 pm at Jim’s is considered late night dining for Oklahoma City, so this is a good option for many people (I have not confirmed the hours of this location but they are the ones posted on Yelp). The posted hours also say they open at 6:00 am every day (probably not something I would ever desire to check out for myself).

Update Aug. 2017: After visiting Olde Orchard again I wish to amend this section of the review. Olde Orchard does serve breakfast items at dinner (it is only during lunch hours from 11 am to 1 pm that they are not available). In addition I wish to revise the statement about Olde Orchard having a better flavor overall, and I would have to say it depends on what you order (both restaurants are good at certain things).

Opas Restaurant: Jim’s at N.W. 63rd and Meridian is now two restaurants–Jim’s Diner and Opas Mediterranean Restaurant. Opas has a separate entrance on the east side of the building (on Meridian) but you can also enter at Jim’s. Both restaurants use the same dining room, and you can order from either menu or both.

RATING: 18

Cuisine: American
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily (6:00 am to 10:00 pm)
Accessible: Yes (but there was only one handicapped space)
Smoking: No smoking
Special Features: Serves Breakfast

Most Recent Visit: Jun. 29, 2016

Number of Visits: 1

Best Item: Mashed Potatoes

 

Special Ratings

	Fried Chicken
	Mashed Potatoes
	Salad
	Banana Nut Pancakes

Menu (Aug. 2017):

Kamps Cafe (Closed)

3325 S. Boulevard
Edmond, OK

Kamps in Edmond

The name 1910 keep showing up in connection to Kamps, noting the year when Bill Kamp’s Meat Market first opened in downtown Oklahoma City (Kamp’s Meat Market is currently operating at 7310 N. Western Avenue in OKC). Kamps Cafe in downtown Oklahoma City with a second location in Edmond are an outgrowth of the market, but they have a larger menu than would be expected at a regular meat market and deli.

I have only had a chance to try the restaurant one time, and this was at the Edmond location. I got an idea of the overall good quality of the food, and it is a good sign when I am happy with an item I order at random from the menu (in this case it was the grilled chicken pesto).

The dish I really wanted to try was the Hobo Pie (chicken pot pie with green chiles). It is listed on the menu as a special dish with the suggestion to “Get it while it lasts.” Unfortunately it had run out when I was there in the early evening, but I assume they have a fairly good supply if you go around noon or the early lunch hour.

The dining room was a little bit like a fast food restaurant. This is a place where you order and pick up your food at the counter, so it is a good restaurant for people who do not have a lot of time for a meal but they do want one of good quality. Other than sandwiches, though, the menu is mainly limited to salads and soups.

Kamps is popular for breakfast, and opens at 7:00 a.m. (7:30 on Sat.). It is open for dinner, but menu items are mostly the type of thing people like to have for lunch. It seemed that a lot of people were there for the WiFi, and they have a good Barista selection.

The Food

Grilled chicken pesto

With a large variety of sandwiches available, I thought my choice of Grilled Chicken Pesto worked out well. It was not spicy, but the parmesan pesto ranch dressing gave an interesting flavor to the sandwich. The chicken breast had more flavor than many I have tried. The size of the sandwich was pretty good for those who want to make a dinner meal out of the food here (side dishes are relatively inexpensive).

I did not think the Pasta Salad really stood out as being special, but it was solid and was better than the side dishes at quite a few other places.

Comparisons with Other Restaurants
This was more of a straight sandwich place than other restaurants such as Cafe 7, Saturn Grill, etc. I thought the quality of the sandwich was comparable to other restaurants I have tried, and the chicken sandwich was interesting in terms of getting something fairly healthy that also tastes good. Kamps would be in my rotation if I ate enough sandwiches to have a rotation, and it seems to have unique sandwiches rather than just giving different versions of the same ones.

RATING: 23

Cuisine: Sandwiches
Cost: $$
Hours: Closed Sun.
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: N/A

Most Recent Visit: Jul. 26, 2017
Number of Visits: 1
Best Items: Grilled Chicken Pesto

Special Ratings

	Grilled Chicken Pesto
	Pasta Salad

Menu (Jul. 2017):

 

 

Oklahoma Station Bar B Q (Closed)
4331 N.W. 50th St.
Oklahoma City, OK

Oklahoma Station BBQ

Although Oklahoma Station is one of the oldest barbecue restaurants in Oklahoma City, a change of ownership in 2015 not only prompted me to start over with a new review but more importantly, I think the food is quite different than before. The menu is the same and on the outside everything looks the same, but I have noticed marked differences in the items I have ordered.

In some cases these differences are good. For instance, the smoked turkey not only seems better than before, it is also my current choice as the best in Oklahoma City (this has been the case the three times I have gone to the new Oklahoma Station, so I don’t think this is likely to change).

The outside smoker

Some items are about the same as before, and this is a good thing. Included on this list are the okra, sweet beans, creamy cole slaw, and most of all the incomparable banana pudding (at least I have not found any others that match the pudding at Oklahoma Station).

Some other meat items pose quite a mystery to me as to why they could be so good before but so forgettable at the current restaurant (especially when the turkey has been consistently good).

The Barbecue
The first thing I should point out is that there are more meat items available than are listed in the review, and as is the case with most barbecue restaurants, I have not been able to try them all. You can get a head start, though, with the three meat combination dinner (shown in the next two photos). Both of these served as a meal for two people with leftovers to take home, but your appetite may vary.

Brisket, turkey, ribs, creamy cole slaw, Texas toast, okra

The Smoked Turkey has seen a marked improvement over the ones I tried at the “old” restaurant. The gentleman in the serving line included it in his list of recommendations, and based on this I would say asking the employees is a good starting point if you are not sure which items to order.

I thought the turkey had everything required of good barbecue– it was cooked well, it had a good smoky flavor, and the meat was high quality. I recently had the opportunity to order the turkey at Swadley’s (another contender for the best turkey in the city), and I would say Oklahoma Station was the clear winner.

Pork tenderloin, ham, turkey, creamy cole slaw, okra, apple cobbler, sweet beans

The Pork Tenderloin was one of my favorite items before, but the one I had recently was dry. In fact, dry meat was a common theme with many of the meats I have ordered here. The Brisket had the added problem of being tough, but it had a better flavor than many of the others.

The Pork Spare Ribs have been my biggest disappointment at the new restaurant, with the texture and flavor of the meat seeming so wrong I was wondering if they just had a bad day.

Ham is an item I have only tried at the new restaurant, and I thought it had an excellent flavor but was dry. Somewhat inexplicably a piece I took home as a leftover was much better, so based on this I am rating this as one of the better items at the restaurant.

Side Dishes
The creamy Cole Slaw was one of the best in the city at the old restaurant, and I think it is the same now. They have two types of cole slaw, and I have always found it best to stick with the creamy one (rather than the vinegar based version).

The Sweet Beans were excellent.

The fried Okra has been excellent two out of three times, with a good flavor and texture. Like all the side dishes they frequently put out fresh batches, but if you happen to be there when they do not look fresh out of the oven I would advise ordering something else.

Several other vegetables and side dish choices are available, and I think the selection here is unmatched by any other barbecue restaurant in the city. Generally the items are fresh, but in the case of the okra they will tell you if it is not right out of the oven (and therefore you may not want to order it).

Be sure to check the “relish bar” in front of the restaurant for pickles or other appetizers (customers can take whatever they want).

Desserts

Banana pudding and cherry cobbler

The Banana Pudding was my favorite dessert at the old restaurant, and is still available. Somehow they have found the secret to making the best banana pudding I have found anywhere, but I think the secret is just keeping it simple but making sure everything is fresh and follows the recipe correctly.

There was a great variation in the cobbler, though. The Apple Cobbler was excellent, but I thought the Cherry Cobbler was bland.

Additional Comments
I have discovered that high quality iced tea is an integral part to the full enjoyment of a barbecue meal, and the fresh brewed tea here is among the best (sweet tea is also available).

The trouble with the new Oklahoma Station, compared to the old one, is that only a few items have impressed me as being standouts. If you are looking for turkey and banana pudding, I would say this is the best restaurant in town. Some other items are solid, including the ham and several of the side dishes. I had one fairly good experience with the pork tenderloin, but it was not up to the standard I found at the old restaurant. The brisket and ribs are certainly letdowns compared to what the restaurant served before (in my opinion, of course, but I do owe it to readers to give you my best judgment).

RATING: 18

Cuisine: Barbecue
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily except Sun. Evening
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: No

Most Recent Visit: Jun. 24, 2017
Number of Visits: 3
Best Items: Turkey, Sweet Beans, Cole Slaw, Banana Pudding

Special Ratings

	Turkey
	Ham
	Pork Tenderloin
	Brisket
	Ribs
	Okra
	Sweet Beans
	Cole Slaw
	Banana Pudding
	Cherry Cobbler

Margarita’s Mexican Restaurant (Closed)
7801 N. May Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK

The new Margarita’s on the west side of May Ave.

The original Margarita’s had been a landmark on the east side of May Avenue just south of Wilshire for a number of years, and was so popular that it many times tested the limits of the old diner/drive-in style building. The owners served Zacatecas style specialties from their family recipes along with many Tex-Mex style favorites to a public that probably did not care very much whether their food was authentic, but they did appreciate good Mexican comfort food.

In 2013 I made my first visit to the “new” Margarita’s across the street from the original location. I immediately noticed a larger dining room with more comfortable tables, and there were several indications that it had changed ownership. It turned out that the couple who had run the restaurant for years had retired, and their daughter had opened the new restaurant. I think the daughter added some items to the menu, but the “Specialidades de la Casa” and other Zacatecas style dishes were still there.

At the new restaurant I have seen decorations on the wall from Aguascalientes (a neighboring state to Zacatecas). They have added new items to the menu, so my take is that they have retained many of the elements of the old restaurant but are branching out to include additional items that customers will enjoy. Some of the new dishes I have tried have been the Calvillo style of food (from the state of Aguascalientes) that I have found in various restaurants around OKC, so I think this is the main focus of the new dishes.

My review of the old restaurant describes some of the dishes I tried before the restaurant moved. Those dishes for which I have a before and after comparison seem to be the same at the new restaurant, with the exception that I do not remember the meat being as tough as it was in a few items I have tried recently.

Set-Ups
Like most Mexican restaurants, Margarita’s gives you a “set-up” of Salsa, Cheese Sauce, and Chips. Overall I was not very impressed by these items, but they are better than at some other restaurants. The tortillas did not come with real butter (but instead there was some kind of spread), and I would guess that they were not home made.

Habanero salsa can be requested

A pleasant surprise, though, was the tastier than average Habanero Sauce I ordered, which was also a larger serving than average (and came free with the meal). This was not fiery hot, but was spicy enough to be very good, and to satisfy my craving for something more authentic than the first set-ups had been. A bonus was that I was able to take home the leftover sauce, and it was very good there as well.

Guizo

Guizo de puerco with red chile

The Guizo de Puerco with Red Chile was one of the first dishes I tried at the new restaurant, and was one reason I became very encouraged about the new restaurant. In contrast to many similar dishes I get in other restaurants, this one reminded me of the kind of food I would find in Mexico. In fact, other than the meat being a little tough this was just about as classic an example of this dish I could find. It is listed as being “with red chile” because customers can order either red or green (another sign that this is authentic Mexican food). The heat level of the chile was about four stars out of five, and was at the level I find comfortable. I also thought it was at about the level it would be served in Mexico, and that was lacking the extreme spiciness that would only be appreciated by dyed-in-the-wool chileheads. As one of the dishes listed under “Specialidades de la Casa,” this is one of the Zacatecas style family recipes that have been carried over from the old restaurant, and I think it is a very good choice.

It should be noted that the order normally comes with rice and beans, but I asked them to omit these items. The fact that they will do this and I can have a more reasonably sized meal is another reason I like this restaurant (it is also a little bit less expensive this way).

Mole

Zacatecas style mole

Margarita’s Mole (also listed in “Specialidades de la Casa”) is a very good dish that I have enjoyed at both the old and new restaurant. The chicken seemed a little dry at the new restaurant, but it had a very good red colored mole sauce (I think this is one of the “must order” dishes of the restaurant). To get the full flavor I recommend getting it with the rice and beans, so this makes quite a substantial meal (and is the reason I do not order it very often).

Tacos

Pastor (pork) and chicken Mexican style tacos with papas (potatoes)

Mexican Tacos are similar to the Calvillo style tacos served at numerous restaurants in Oklahoma City. The tacos are good because they are authentic, and you can order the amount you want to fit your appetite. Out of the two types tacos I tried the chicken was better, with the pastor meat falling a little flat compared to the tacos I get at Abel’s.

The Papas tasted greasy to me, and I thought I could have gotten a better side dish.

Quesadilla

Quesadilla with beef fajitas

The Quesadilla was another example of the type of food I thought was better at Abel’s (and some of the city’s other Calvillo style taco restaurants). The main problem here was the the fajita meat tasted gristly.

Costillas
Costillas Zacatecanos are another specialty of the restaurant that I think are quite good. They come in a huge serving, though, and I have not ordered it at the new restaurant (so please refer to the review of the old restaurant for a photo).

Enchiladas

Enchilada with chile verde

The Enchilada with Chile Verde is among the ones in OKC that I consider to be quite good, and the beans were above average as well (the rice was about average). The green chile had about a “4 star” spice level (out of 5). This was about right for me–spicy but not fiery, and it had an authentic Mexican flavor.

An Overview
The “Specialidades de la Casa” are generally the items I like best here, and I believe they are made from authentic family recipes from Zacatecas. This is not the reason I like them, but rather it is because of the sauces such as the mole and the sauce used in the guizo. Many of these dinner are huge, though, and I do not order them all the time simply because I do not normally have that kind of appetite.

Some of the “Tex-Mex” items I tried at the old restaurant did not seem to match up to the ones at other restaurants (fajitas and cheese enchiladas are examples). I thought the guacamole and tortilla soup were quite good (I classify these as Tex-Mex as well, although I do not know their origin. A chile relleno I sampled was much better than one I had at the old restaurant, and several items seem to be better than before.

The third type of food I have found here is the Calvillo style tacos, quesadillas, etc. (street food). Overall these have been a disappointment compared to some other restaurants, although I would still take them over the Tex-Mex food which is still served at many restaurants in OKC (particularly restaurants in the north side suburbs).

The main issue for all the food at Margarita’s is the price. The street food is pretty reasonable, but everything else seems higher priced than anywhere else in town unless you go to a restaurant such as 1492. When restaurants charge more I expect higher quality, and I have had issues such as dry meat, etc. Still, this has not been the case with everything I have ordered, and this is one of the few places in the city where I feel that the sauces taste like they do in Mexico.

I have seen a lot of negative reviews for Margarita’s on various web sites. My conjecture is that it has more to do with what you get for the money than it does with the food itself. I have pointed out both the positive and negative I have found with the food here, but the bottom line is that I really do love their sauces (which to me is the heart of Mexican food).

RATING: 22

Cuisine: Mexican Zacatecas
Cost: $$
Hours: Open daily except Sun. evening
Accessible: Bathroom is not accessible
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: Beer

Most Recent Visit: Jul. 9, 2017

Number of Visits: 7 (many more at the old restaurant)

Best Items: Chicken Mole, Enchiladas with Chile Verde, Guizo de Puerco, Habanero Sauce

Mexican Food Details

Chile Index:

 

Special Ratings

	Enchiladas with Chile Verde
	Chicken Mole
	Costillas Zacatecanos (from the old restaurant)
	Guizo de Puerco
	Chile Relleno (from the old restaurant)
	Mexican Taco (chicken)
	Mexican Taco (pastor)
	Quesadilla (Beef Fajita)
	Refried Beans
	Borracho Beans
	Rice
	Guacamole
	Chips
	Habanero Salsa
	Horchata

Menu (Jun. 2015):