One of our favorite things about Tulsa is the assortment and diversity of its restaurant scene.
In an era of great local food blogs and websites like TulsaFood and Edible Tulsa, it hasn’t been too hard to sift through the mediocre and get right to the good stuff.
Today — we want to tell you about 15 of our favorite Mexican (and Tex-Mex) restaurants and what we love about them.
(Note: These aren’t ranked in any particular order, but they were pooled together by the JustTulsa team and a few close friends. Your mileage may vary.)
Elote Cafe & Catering
514 S Boston Ave
Tulsa, OK 74103
(918) 582-1403
elotetulsa.com
Although we’ve never used the “Catering” side of Elote, per se, we all agreed that the “Cafe” side of Elote simply had to be on the list for multiple reasons.
If the sound of their signature puffy tacos (available in chicken, steak, veggie) don’t sell you on this place, consider their Luchador Scoop Slam:
“Layered black beans, white queso, free range chicken, tomatillo salsa, crema fresca, pico de gallo, jalapenos, and guacamole. Seved with House fried corn tortilla chips.”
Now tell me that doesn’t sound good. With their huge emphasis on local and organic foods, Elote gets high marks for quality. If you somehow still need a reason to try out Elote, just come downtown on one of the nights when they host luchador matches (Mexican-style wrestling.)
Neives’ Mexican Grill
10309 E 61st St
Tulsa, OK 74133
(918) 893-1595
Leaning pretty hard towards the “Tex-Mex” side of the things, Neives’ actually sits right off of Highway 169 at 61st St. If you know where the All-Star Sports Complex is (think: the old Gilligan’s Island putt-putt course), you know where Neives’ is.
One of the fan favorites on Yelp, their patrons go on and on about the freshness, flavor, and quality of Neives — and for good reason.
Calaveras
2326 E Admiral Blvd
Tulsa, OK 74110
(918) 592-1771
Quietly tucked into the Kendall-Whittier district (at Lewis and Admiral), you’ll find this casual little restaurant has Tex-Mex and more authentic Mexican-style dishes.
With a salsa bar loaded with options from fire-roasted to guacamole salsa, it isn’t hard to see how Calaveras ropes in their customers, but the pork verde, California quesadilla, and pozole verde are what keep us coming back!
Molcajetes
1125 S Garnett Rd
Tulsa, OK 74128
(918) 894-2204
Over on the east side of town, you’ll find Molcajetes — an unassuming little Mexican restaurant serving dishes that you’d typically find on the southern side of the border.
Their mole had our mouths’ watering on a recent trip and we all enjoyed the food thoroughly. We also give Molcajetes high marks for really good value for the dollar.