El Guapo

I do love Tex-Mex food (and yes it's different from Mexican food), but sometimes the restaurants seem to serve the same things. When I dined at El Guapo in downtown Tulsa, I was surprised at what I found. It's apparently a hotspot at lunch during the week, but on the weekends it was pretty quiet. Since we were celebrating the end of a great weekend, I ordered a margarita. It was quite a bang for your buck, as it was much bigger than some of the ones I am used to getting. It was really tasty. It wasn't too sweet or sour and had a nice almost slushy like consistency, so that it didn't get watered down. They are known for their tacos which sounded pretty good, but I was pleasantly surprised at how different their menu was. El Guapo serves regional Mexican food, so it was definitely not your average Tex-Mex place. They had the basics, but then they had things like a burrito bowl, different types of burritos, and tortas! A torta is a sandwich that usually comes on a bun that is similar to a hamburger bun, has some type of meat, and sauce. They are simple, but absolutely delicious.

So I'm sure you can guess that in the end I opted for the torta (which they surprisingly don't serve at a lot of places down here.) I chose to get the chicken tinga, which is shredded chicken in a mild red chile sauce. It was topped with a red chili aioli, lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, and cheddar cheese and served with french fries. It was absolutely amazing. The flavors blended together so well! The smokey flavors in the red chile sauces and the aioli weren't spicy like you would expect. The bun was light, but didn't get soggy or tear and the creaminess of the avocado added a freshness to the sandwich. I ordered it with french fries (I know. Who does that at a Mexican restaurant?), which were actually really good. They were crunchy and salty, though not overly tender in the middle. This has definitely made it on to my list of top Mexican restaurants, it's just a shame I am not closer or I might become a regular. If you can make it there, make sure you take a moment to sip a margarita, enjoy their rooftop patio, and sample their yummy cuisine!