Tacos El Rinconcito
4705 S Braden Ave
Tulsa, OK 74135
(918) 576-6087
Okay — while only a 2 of the 6 people coming up with the restaurants for this list had actually been to Tacos El Rinconcito, they were a vocal enough bunch that we were convinced this place deserves a spot here.
Hailed as one of the better authentic Mexican restaurants in Tulsa, Tacos El Rinconcito takes classic dishes like street tacos and pretty much just nails them.
Other dishes like their “super nachos”, tamales, and gorditas were all mentioned as “must-eats” next time you find yourself around LaFortune Park.
El Rancho Grande
1629 E 11th St
Tulsa, OK 74120
(918) 584-0816
The crown jewel of 11th and Utica since 1953, El Rancho Grande has perfectly fine food, but the stand-out feature for us is that they offer an all-you-can-eat buffet at lunch.
For this reason, El Rancho Grande is extremely popular with nearby hospital workers and downtown office dwellers alike, but service is still lightning fast here.
This place leans hard towards the Tex-Mex side, but it’s worth it. Don’t try to go do manual labor or play sports after eating here.
Cancun International Restaurant
705 S Lewis Ave
Tulsa, OK 74104
(918) 583-8089
Cancun is another JustTulsa, but before we get into the details of the food, we want to mention that they don’t take credit cards and they aren’t open on Wednesdays.
One reason that we wanted to put Cancun on the list is because they’re one of the only restaurants that we’ve been to in Tulsa that we’ve been to that sells chivo (aka goat).
Cancun has also built a reputation on extremely polite and professional customer service, which shines through with every visit.
Baja Jack’s Burrito Shack
9521 Riverside Pkwy, Ste A
Tulsa, OK
(918) 209-5858
Drive south on Riverside and you’ll eventually find Baja Jack’s Burrito Shack. Sporting a salsa bar that is as good (if not better) than Calaveras, we often spend too much time trying new salsas (Team Tomatillo, right here.)
While Baja Jack’s is definitely more relatable as a fast food restaurant, don’t confuse it for anything remotely similar to Taco Bell or Taco Bueno — Baja Jack’s is much better than that.
Build-Your-Own-Burritos, piles of nachos like we’ve never seen, and a bevy of savory tacos make Baja Jack’s a near-routine stop for those of us in South Tulsa and Owasso (home of their second location.)
Ted’s Cafe Escondido
7848 S Olympia Ave W
Tulsa, OK 74132
(918) 301-8337
Seeing astounding levels of success in Edmond and Broken Arrow, the Tulsa Hills location opened up and has never slowed down.
It probably goes without saying that Ted’s isn’t some kind of super-authentic, hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint, but that’s not to say that it’s without its own good qualities. Ted’s customer service, atmosphere, food quality, and sheer value make it worthy of this list.
Like we said, they’ve never slowed down, so expect a wait if you plan on eating dinner at Ted’s. This isn’t always the case, but it doesn’t hurt to plan that way.
El Guapo’s Cantina
332 E 1st St
Tulsa, OK 74120
(918) 382-7482
Located in the Blue Dome District at 1st and Elgin, El Guapo’s is our second awesome place to grub on some delicious Tex-Mex inside the IDL.
Delicious house specials include some of the best fish tacos we’ve ever had (the offer 2 varieties of this dish), chaliquiles, salmon glaseado, and bistec y papas. These are some of the great classic plates that El Guapo’s puts their own tasty spin on.
On top of all this (literally), there is a patio dining area with a million dollar view. If you’re hungry and you also want to see downtown Tulsa up and personal, get down to El Guapo’s.
El Rio Verde
38 N Trenton Ave
Tulsa, OK 74120
(918) 592-2555
Where do we start with this place? This might be the “popular choice” from our group — we all love eating at El Rio Verde.
El Rio Verde sits back off of Admiral, tucked into a tiny little neighborhood just north of 244 and to the west of Utica. It might be a little harder to find, but you know it’s good when a restaurant as isolated as they are is so popular in Tulsa.
These are my personal favorite tacos in T-town (served with a radish, naturally), but others have mentioned El Rio Verde’s variations of a wet burrito as an equal favorite.
Come hungry, leave happy. That’s it.