Anyone been to Mama Rojo Mexican Kitchen in the old Bahama Breeze location? I noticed a "NOW OPEN" sign on Friday.

I attended an event last Monday (2/2/2009): The food was OK - typical Oklahoma Tex-Mex, but nothing to write home about. It underscores that you go to East Wharf restaurants (Louie's, Red Rock and Lakeside/Pearl's) for the view and convenience, but not the food.

That disappointing. They have a great location and a great building. Like you said, your paying for the view and not the view. Ill give them a try and hopefully they are better than average...

I attended an event last Monday (2/2/2009): The food was OK - typical Oklahoma Tex-Mex, but nothing to write home about. It underscores that you go to East Wharf restaurants (Louie's, Red Rock and Lakeside/Pearl's) for the view and convenience, but not the food.

I agree that the Lakeside restaurant and Louie's are just average but to me Red Rock has always served great food.

The husband and I went Friday night with another couple. We thought the food was great. I'd say that it isn't exactly your "typical Oklahoma Tex-Mex". We started with the layered queso which was actually quite tasty and very different from your run-of-the-mill queso. I also had a chicken enchilada with sour cream sauce with the black beans as the side and thought they were wonderful. I'm looking forward to going back - next time I'm going to try the pork chops which looked promising.

The room that faces the lake/boats had the walls removed and replaced with windowed garagedooresque (anyone who knows the proper term, please fill me in) structures. When the weather is nice, the walls can be raised to turn the room into a covered patio. Trust the Krafts to create a dining experience that combines the perfect atmosphere with delicious food and exceptional service.

What is the "layered queso?"

I went tonight and it was wonderful... fajita beef enchiladas with chili con carne... and then I tried the "cheesecake" burrito for dessert... and I'm sorry, but it just did not cut it for me, although the strawberry sauce, fresh strawberries and cream was a nice addition to an otherwise bland dessert. However, the entree with rice and beans was TOP NOTCH --- and congratulations on the accomplisment of the Krafts --- the place is well done with many finishing touches that really make the decor a good experience. I will definitely go back and try some other stuff, as well.

What is the "layered queso?"

It is a queso with a little something extra (sour cream maybe?) topped with fresh guacamole, sour cream, sausage (I think), and maybe some tomato/pico stuff. I didn't eat much out of restricting calories, but the couple bites I did make made it very difficult to not go back for more.

How are the prices? Are they typical oklahoma tex-mex prices or lakeside prices? Anyone know who the GM is?

I had lunch there on Tues. the food and service was OK, it's not a place I would drive across town to eat, but if I'm in the area, I go again.

How are the prices? Are they typical oklahoma tex-mex prices or lakeside prices? Anyone know who the GM is?

$10-13 for the average entree. You have to pay for Queso which is around $6 for a bowl. You get 3 different kinds of salsa.

You can also get a side of queso for I think $2.00. Abuelo's does the same sort of thing. You can get up to FOUR kinds of salsa, if you ask for them.

As Stinger says, average entree price is $10-13, some more and some less. You can get whatever you want and the quality is better than Ted's. The GM's name is Kurt, and Sabrah formerly from Lakeside next door is the Assistant GM. Both Kurt and her worked together at Lakeside, and all of their management has prior experience, both inside Hal Smith's company, and in some cases, from outside the company as well. I found the management, service, and food top notch and next to Abuelo's, they are my favorite. Well, Abuelos has Manjar, and they do not. So that is what makes Abuelo's number one. But its really close. Really really close.

How are the drinks? :redface:

Anyone know if they have a website yet? I'd like to look at a menu, etc. Googling yields nothing so far.

We ate at Lakeside last night and Mama Rojo's was booming with business.

UPDATE:
I just called Mama Rojo's (405-302-6262) for hours on Sunday (11-9). They said no website yet - it is under construction. They also said salsa is free but queso is $6, fajitas for one is $15, fajitas for two $25.

I have heard sales figures for the first 2 weeks...amazing to say the least!!

Probably won't make it very long though if they are counting on a lunch crowd...Not exactly convenient for a quick in and out lunch

Easy180,

I do NOT think they are counting on a lunch crowd. Sure they will get some from the businesses on East Wharf, esp. the Progressive Insurance people. However, I think their main business will be dinner time crowd, esp. on weekends, and esp. once the weather significantly warms up.

Its a great restaurant. And I cannot wait to return there for my 2nd visit.

Who are the Krafts?

How is this different from Ted's?

Hank Kraft has an executive role in Hal Smith's organization. He chooses the menu, the decor, etc., for several restaurants owned by Hal Smith. Lakeside, Red Rock, Mama Rojo are all Hank Kraft restaurants. Ted's is owned by Hal Smith, but Hank Kraft is not involved with that.

Mama Rojo is better than Ted's. They use more premium ingredients and the food simply tastes better. Many of their recipes are different, as well, e.g. Ted's has a soupy refried beans, and Mama Rojo has a drier refried beans recipe. The only negative is that Ted's DOES have better tortillas and queso. However, that's not why I go anywhere.

Mama Rojo is NOT better than Ted's. I can't think of one thing I ate last night there that was better than its counterpart at Ted's. That's not to say it's not QUALITY food, because it is. (It is way more spacious, better decorated, and comfortable than Ted's though...)

HOWEVER= it's more than decent (black beans were pretty dang good, although a tad watery), and combining the food with the reasonable prices, enjoyable ambiance, and being on the lake, I think they'll have success.

Had the pollo burrito. Nothing to get excited about.

I don't really think comparing it with Ted's is practical. Teds is more of an unrefined (but delicious) dining experience where I thought Mama Roja's to appeal to a slightly more upscale experience.

I don't really think comparing it with Ted's is practical. Teds is more of an unrefined (but delicious) dining experience where I thought Mama Roja's to appeal to a slightly more upscale experience.

They both serve TexMex. This is the foodcourt.

As I said above, Mama Roja's definitely has the edge when it comes to a more comfortable atmosphere.

My wife and I ate their during their first week of opening. The service from a standpoint of keeping drinks refilled, refilling chips, serving and clearing dishes, everbody helping everbody was top notch! Where they failed was getting orders wrong and items on our ticket that were wrong as well.

The food was good and the atmosphere was fantastic. I thought the prices were a little steep for Tex-Mex. I suppose you are paying for service and atmosphere which was very nice. The black beans were good but almost had too much spice (not hot) in them and I like flavor.

My personal opinion is that I would go back for fun with a group of people for an evening out with drinks and dinner. If I truly want tex mex food I can think of many places that do it better and cheaper.

I don't really think comparing it with Ted's is practical. Teds is more of an unrefined (but delicious) dining experience where I thought Mama Roja's to appeal to a slightly more upscale experience.

I compared them because they have the same ownership and I wanted to know why they have separate similar concepts.

Has anyone heard that Kurt, the Gm, left this past weekend? I was wondering if anyone knew the circumstances? Just my own morbid curiosity.

Asta2,

While I cannot comment on the reasons why, I can only say that he was not a good fit.

I cannot disclose this source except that it was from someone on the inside of Hal Smith.

We just ate there and it is some of the worst food I have ever had. The rice was cheap box rice and had a chemical taste. The borraco beans were ranch style beans. We ordered kids tacos for our daughter and the chicken was some cheap pre-seasoned compressed chicken from wal-mart. The kind they sell in big frozen bags. The view is nice and it is a decent place to have drinks. But in terms of the food you would be better off at taco bell or mayo.

Mama Roja's is on this friday's Bite of OKC. $25 for a $50 GC. I am going to get one to try it out with the kiddo :)

I absolutely agree with everything ookkcc said....especially about the rice. The service I had there was terrible as well. It took us about 20 minutes to get our queso appetizer. Also, take your wallet for drinks; Coronas and other imports are $4.25, which seemed a bit steep.

I thought the queso was good, the salsa was pretty good (although neither of the two--one kind of "smoked" and one normal--were very spicy), and the atmosphere/decor is a plus.

So.. evidently this place has made a turn around.. My parents just ate here with family and they said it was the best Mexican they have ever had... The wait staff was friendly and FAST. She said every time her soda got half-full, the waitress refilled it. They said the salsa and queso were really good too. Every time the waitress brought out queso refills, they were piping hot!

They brought me leftover Fajitas and mmmmMMMM THEY WERE GOOD!

So.. evidently this place has made a turn around.. My parents just ate here with family and they said it was the best Mexican they have ever had... The wait staff was friendly and FAST. She said every time her soda got half-full, the waitress refilled it. They said the salsa and queso were really good too. Every time the waitress brought out queso refills, they were piping hot!

They brought me leftover Fajitas and mmmmMMMM THEY WERE GOOD!

Glad to hear it. It's always refreshing to hear of a place making a turn around rather than just tossing hands in the air and hoping for enough pass through to stay off closure.

DH and I think its the best Mexican food we've eaten in OKC. Fajitas are very tasty, and the flank steak is wonerful. Hands down better than Ted's. And if one more person tells me to try Chelino's I'm gonna scream. That place disgusting and food is flavorless, which is what we've found with most Mexican food in OKC.

And if one more person tells me to try Chelino's I'm gonna scream. That place disgusting and food is flavorless, which is what we've found with most Mexican food in OKC.

You might try Casa Pericos. They have very flavorfull dishes and service is great

You might try Casa Pericos. They have very flavorfull dishes and service is great

Thanks for the recommendation. We'll give it try. We're always on the lookout for good Mexican food. Do you have a location preference?

Here's my review:

Never Again!

As I walked into the restaurant, I was immediately skeptical. The cheap, tasteless decor evoked the vibe of your average chain Mexican restaurant. While the view of the lake was hard to beat, I could not help but feel as if I was sitting at an On The Border. After waiting fifteen minutes for the virtually nonexistent waiter, I finally ordered the street tacos, hoping to enjoy a "street vendor's special." What came to the table were two flavorless tacos with a side of overly salted black beans. Why pay $9.79 for this trash when you could go to Tacos San Pedro for top-notch tacos at half the price?

I went a couple of months ago and I thought the food was good. I had the fish tacos and they were great. I like their salsa variety too. It's good food, but I wouldn't make a special trip all the way across town just to eat there.

Thanks for the recommendation. We'll give it try. We're always on the lookout for good Mexican food. Do you have a location preference?

The one on N Penn and 122nd has never let us down!

Here's my review:

Never Again!

As I walked into the restaurant, I was immediately skeptical. The cheap, tasteless decor evoked the vibe of your average chain Mexican restaurant. While the view of the lake was hard to beat, I could not help but feel as if I was sitting at an On The Border. After waiting fifteen minutes for the virtually nonexistent waiter, I finally ordered the street tacos, hoping to enjoy a "street vendor's special." What came to the table were two flavorless tacos with a side of overly salted black beans. Why pay $9.79 for this trash when you could go to Tacos San Pedro for top-notch tacos at half the price?

Funny, I had a quite opposite experience a week ago. And, they were extremely packed, which impressed me more when we had good service. Enjoyed the street taco as well... Weird.

I had the pleasure of taking my family out for what was, personally, my first visit to Mama Roja's Mexican Kitchen last night - and it was wonderful.

Now, let me say first that I am not any Mexican food expert, and I don't even begin to get into the Tex-Mex, Authentic Mex, Authentic Tex, Texican, (insert all other permutations here) wars. Don't even begin to get into those. All I know is what I like, and I have to say that my supper last night was just one of the best Mexican dinners I've had anywhere.

I had the Fiesta Platter with a Pork Tamale, Chicken Enchilada, and Carne Asada Taco, with rice and black beans. My dinner was served *scorching* hot and absolutely delicious. The black beans were awesome and voted "best beans" at my table (which included my daughter, wife, and mom). The tamale was thick and flavorful, and not "cakey" the way some tamales are - which my wife advises me is usually due to improper mixing of the cornmeal, but whatever - this was a wonderful time, a wonderful meal, and I think MamaRoja's just earned a "favorite" spot for us.

Thanks, MamaRoja's!!!

I'm a huge fan of their street tacos and patio. Sadly, they did away with Taco Tuesdays where the street tacos were $2 a piece.

Never made it up that way with Alfredo's nearby. What are the prices like?

I lived in SoCal for around 10 years...And I've always been supremely disappointed with the Mexican food in OKC. That said...I love Mama Roja's. I prefer it over Ted's by quite a margin.

Ask for the different salsas...They'll bring you a fire-roasted habanero-based one that's served warm and HOLY CRAP IT'S AWESOME.

Also...They have a brisket burrito.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i199/imawingnut/drooling_homer_zpsd9acb186.gif

Mama Rojas was suppose to be Los Cabos , and at the last minute the guy pulled away from Hal Smith group. Thus Mama Rojas was born, which IMO was a huge disappointment because Los Cabos is the best in the state and it belongs to Tulsa.

I ate at Mama Roja's in October while visiting OKC. Loved it.

Never made it up that way with Alfredo's nearby. What are the prices like?

horrible, the wife and I split fajitas and has one or two drinks and we paid like $50 before tip for very poor service and below average food, I guess since they have decent location people keep them in business by overpaying for mediocrocity.

The double order of fajitas was smaller than the single at most any other place i have been

Never made it up that way with Alfredo's nearby. What are the prices like?

They are a Hal Smith restaurant, so their prices are just about always going to be a jump higher than average. They are definitely higher than Alfredo's.

For us, we are very much fans of Alfredo's and given that there's one in Moore drastically closer to us than MamaRojas, we would consider MR's a special treat/once in a while trip.

I realize my visit is only a single instance, but our service was excellent and, as noted, so was the food. Can't speak to the negative experiences of others. The tab for three of us, including two fiesta platters (choose 3 items) and one enchilada platter, plus a guacamole appetizer, came to $51 with tax, $60 with tip. We were seated and served promptly, and we were repeatedly checked to ensure everything was satisfactory.

As I said, we're also huge fans of Alfredo's, too - very good food and very economical. We are less enamored of Ted's and have been for a long time.

Yep prices are high, won't lie to you, it pains me to pay what I do for 2 street tacos, but at least the flavor is there.

Service there has always been top notch. Plus, you really can not beat that patio, always packed in the summer.

Yep prices are high, won't lie to you, it pains me to pay what I do for 2 street tacos, but at least the flavor is there.

Service there has always been top notch. Plus, you really can not beat that patio, always packed in the summer.

Yup, they're higher - and I"ve been to some Hal Smith restaurants where that price was not justified, but I can't grump at all about MamaRoja's.

horrible, the wife and I split fajitas and has one or two drinks and we paid like $50 before tip for very poor service and below average food, I guess since they have decent location people keep them in business by overpaying for mediocrocity.

The double order of fajitas was smaller than the single at most any other place i have been

Sounds similar to Chuy's in Norman. Wife and I had queso, double fajitas and waters and plunked down $40 for lunch. Their chicken fajitas are excellent btw

Chuy's in Norman is way better in service and food quality for the prince than Mama Roja's. I would much rather drive to Norman and get Chuy's than drive to Lake Hefner and get Mama Roja's.

Guys, no disrespect, but I really didn't post this with the intent of starting a Mexican restaurant flamewar. I just wanted to give props to a really nice suppertime my family had at MamaRoja's. We see so many complaints and grumping around here about things going wrong and restaurants and businesses that suck (myself included), I just wanted to post something positive. Can't we keep it positive?

If you don't like MamaRoja's fine, whatever, that's your prerogative, but geez....

I lived in SoCal for around 10 years...And I've always been supremely disappointed with the Mexican food in OKC.

I'm in SoCal often because my brother has lived there for about 40 years. I've had Mexican there often and it's just a different brand of Mexican, which doesn't mean it's better or worse. I did really like the food at Red O Restaurant by Rick Bayless, though.

I lived in SoCal for around 10 years...And I've always been supremely disappointed with the Mexican food in OKC. That said...I love Mama Roja's.

You and me both. I have lived here for 15 years and I still haven't found a Mexican restaurant that serves a FRESH Chili Relleno. A neighbor told me if I was serious about Mexican food, then I needed to take a trip out to Hatch, NM.

6876

Mama Roja's may be my favorite place overall in Okc. The service is 2nd to none. They do an excellent job here. They also have dish's you can't get anywhere else around here. Oh and ask for their secret sauces they have like the green sauce, smokey sauce, and habanero.

You and me both. I have lived here for 15 years and I still haven't found a Mexican restaurant that serves a FRESH Chili Relleno. A neighbor told me if I was serious about Mexican food, then I needed to take a trip out to Hatch, NM.

6876
Chuy's in Norman has a good stuffed Chili Relleno. The best Chili Relleno I ever had was in a small Mexican restaurant in Etter, Texas back in the 70's. Etter was a widespot in the road north of Dumas. Had a Mexican restaurant and grain elevator. People from all over the panhandles made the trip to eat there. I often wonder if it is still there.

Guys, no disrespect, but I really didn't post this with the intent of starting a Mexican restaurant flamewar. I just wanted to give props to a really nice suppertime my family had at MamaRoja's. We see so many complaints and grumping around here about things going wrong and restaurants and businesses that suck (myself included), I just wanted to post something positive. Can't we keep it positive?

If you don't like MamaRoja's fine, whatever, that's your prerogative, but geez....
The wife loves Mama Roja's. It is worth our drive and time to go from far sw OKC there periodically. The prices are a little more, but, the quality and quantity of the food is outstanding.

I lived in SoCal for around 10 years...And I've always been supremely disappointed with the Mexican food in OKC. That said...I love Mama Roja's. I prefer it over Ted's by quite a margin.


I'm guessing that's because what you get in most of OK, at least as my wife and her mom tell me, is TexMex, not "pure" Mexican, for whatever that's worth. They tell me most "conventional" Mexican dishes are simpler dishes that reflect the more realistic availability of ingredients in most mainstream Mexico homes, and they based that on their multiple years of mission trips to various parts of Mexico back when my wife was a kid. Lots of interesting insights.

My mother-in-law made tacos for the kids at a Seattle-area church back in the 70's and, back then, it was a revelation for them - virtually no Mexican food of any kind in that part of the country back then. They went nuts over them :)

The wife loves Mama Roja's. It is worth our drive and time to go from far sw OKC there periodically. The prices are a little more, but, the quality and quantity of the food is outstanding.

Figured it would be a little pricey given the location. Wife and I don't get to go out very often so might skip over Shogun (normally head there if we are up for a drive) next time and try this place out.

I'll give Mama Roja's and Chuy's a try. Thanks!

Figured it would be a little pricey given the location. Wife and I don't get to go out very often so might skip over Shogun (normally head there if we are up for a drive) next time and try this place out.

Wife and I LOVE Shogun's, especially since we don't have a Benihana's here in OKC. Would LOVE a Benihana in OKC.