Sign has received neon elements:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cultivar031016.jpg

From trash to treasure.

Does anyone know if they are going to have full-service or will everyone go through the service line? From the pictures and walking by it seems to have a nicer feel than a fast-casual restaurant.

Does anyone know if they are going to have full-service or will everyone go through the service line? From the pictures and walking by it seems to have a nicer feel than a fast-casual restaurant.

It will be like the Garage: You go through the line to order but then you will have table service from the bar.

Such a huge addition. Still think the N Broadway/Auto Alley strip has a much potential as anywhere except for maybe 10th St. from Broadway to Walker through Midtown.

Opening date yet!!?

They hope to open next week. I'm going to a soft opening this weekend and will report back and takes lots of photos.

This place is bomb... Images from the Cultivar Instagram feed:



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cultivar031116a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cultivar031116b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cultivar031116c.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cultivar031116d.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cultivar031116e.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cultivar031116f.jpg

Does one get invited to soft openings or is it right place at the right time?

Does one get invited to soft openings or is it right place at the right time?

I know the owner because I broke the story and covered it every step of the way, including meeting him at the site a couple of times.

Does one get invited to soft openings or is it right place at the right time?

It's generally invite only... I've been invited to a few through my blogging.

Can't wait. I hope this place is as good as it looks.

Saw somewhere that they're opening Monday!

Yes, was there tonight and they confirmed they are opening Monday.

Food was very good. I'll have a full report soon.

Here is a quick photo of 4 different types of tacos: grilled shrimp, fried catfish, salmon and duck.

All very good and they make their own corn tortillas in house. Also, their chips are those thick type that I particularly like.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cultivar031116g.jpg

They also have their own hot sauces as well has Sriracha and some others... The habanero was really, really good:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cultivar031116h.jpg

From the menu would you say its more like torchy's/velvet taco or more like big truck?

From the menu would you say its more like torchy's/velvet taco or more like big truck?

Here's the menu from their website... Really doesn't seem like either one of them.

Our Menu ? Cultivar Mexican Kitchen (http://www.cultivarmexicankitchen.com/menu/)

lovley the fresh made trotillas, but are u saying like $18 for 4 tacos?

hate to be the critic, but carnitas and barbacoa only show up in the 'burrito or bowl' section fo the menu, i always try stuff like thaat in my tacos.

this place will kill it

At the risk of detracting from the topic. Why can't there be a simple, honest, authentic, cheap taco joint somewhere near the core? Can I just get dos tacos con carnitas w/ un ladu de verde? Is there just no money in it? I'd even be okay with a torchy's if that's what it takes. Tacos San Pedros...bricktown????

^

Fuzzy's.

lovley the fresh made trotillas, but are u saying like $18 for 4 tacos?

hate to be the critic, but carnitas and barbacoa only show up in the 'burrito or bowl' section fo the menu, i always try stuff like thaat in my tacos.

this place will kill it

They are also in the taco section.

I love the fact that there are several vegetarian options on the menu. It looks like with the size of those tacos I will only need one for a good meal. I am a small woman so take that as you will. I only get one taco at Big Truck when I go and it is plenty for me. So that makes a meal for $5 or less. I'm not complaining. Plus it is only a few blocks from my office. I am looking forward to going there next week for sure.

Went again last night and having now sampled a fair number of their menu items, I can tell you their food is excellent.

Due to slightly higher price points and the progressive nature of some of its dishes (duck and seared scallop tacos, for example) it won't be for everyone. But everything I've had is very fresh, tasty and at least slightly inventive.

The fried catfish tacos are perhaps my favorite. Perfectly and lightly battered and fried moist pieces of fish with complementary cabbage and sauce. A few dashes of the habanero sauce and that is a really nice dish.

And for a simple item, their chips are house made and really good; nice and thick and served with an excellent salsa or really good guacamole.

For desert they served this chocolate and banana quesadilla that was delicious.

I also really liked the house margarita and others liked their sangria. Look forward to trying more of their drink menu.


This is not a place where you get a monster burrito or a huge plate of tex-mex covered in cheese. The flavors are brighter, the portions are not necessarily massive and the place is gorgeous.

any impression as to whether or not this place will be call-in friendly? really want to ty this place out but tend to get my food to go at lunch. -M

Went again last night and having now sampled a fair number of their menu items, I can tell you their food is excellent.

Due to slightly higher price points and the progressive nature of some of its dishes (duck and seared scallop tacos, for example) it won't be for everyone. But everything I've had is very fresh, tasty and at least slightly inventive.

The fried catfish tacos are perhaps my favorite. Perfectly and lightly battered and fried moist pieces of fish with complementary cabbage and sauce. A few dashes of the habanero sauce and that is a really nice dish.

And for a simple item, their chips are house made and really good; nice and thick and served with an excellent salsa or really good guacamole.

For desert they served this chocolate and banana quesadilla that was delicious.

I also really liked the house margarita and others liked their sangria. Look forward to trying more of their drink menu.


This is not a place where you get a monster burrito or a huge plate of tex-mex covered in cheese. The flavors are brighter, the portions are not necessarily massive and the place is gorgeous.

Did you try both the tacos and burritos? Which would you recommend trying first?

I did not try the burritos.

Reminder, they open today. This image is from designer Larry Pickering on Instagram... He did absolutely fantastic work throughout.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cultivar031416.jpg

went for lunch today... they have kind of a weird setup where there's one line for tacos and another for everything else. seems to me that makes mixed orders difficult. the place was a little loud to the point that it was hard to hear what the person behind the counter was saying. i ordered a burrito since the line was shorter. the setup on the burrito side is very similar to many fast casual 'mexican' restaurants where you choose your ingredients like a sandwich shop. obviously, they're still ironing out some kinks so the process could have used a little refinement. first, choosing items seemed to be made unnecessarily complicated... on a burrito it had to be explained that you could get a protein and something like four other ingredients without any additional charge. vegetables, cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc. each count as an ingredient so it was a little confusing... and for a burrito that's a bit north of $8, you probably shouldn't have the additional hassle. the second thing was that there wasn't enough staging area next to the register to handle people's plates. it seemed that the payment process took a bit more time than the ordering process so the plates kind of stacked up so the person managing that ran out of room. that was caused by the payment process (imo) taking a bit longer than it probably should. the person at the register had to hand me a receipt to sign where i had to add a tip, etc. i'm not against tipping or anything but it seems like since this is counter service (where you even fill your own drink) you should probably not have to worry about signing anything... that would certainly speed up the process.

while i may seem like i'm griping alot, overall the experience was decent. the interior is really nice and the food was delicious. the ingredients were really tasty and seemed super fresh. the chicken in the burrito was good, but could have used more seasoning for my taste. the chips and queso were awesome... the chips were extra thick strips of corn tortilla that had been fried and seemed to be made in-house. the queso was really delicious, i can't identify the cheese but it had a nice tanginess to it that i enjoyed... it was way better than the mix that they serve at most places.

and to answer my own question above, they did provide a printed menu with a phone number and fax number so i'd guess that phone-in orders are welcome. however, there doesn't seem to be a way to skip to the register to just pay for what you ordered.

all-in-all, this place was really good especially for their first day. i think it's a great addition to the area and i can't wait to try them again. -M

Heckuva crowd there tonight - hope to see more reviews!

I'm going tomorrow night... I expect it to be pretty packed, especially this first week. They've done a great job building the hype.

Okay, so I'm pretty in love with this place now.

Sat at the outside bar/window for several hours on this beautiful evening and met a lot of nice people, enjoyed the drinks and really like the food.

And it was packed right up until when I left at 10:30.

As I walked home after a great evening...

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cultivar031416b.jpg

As would be rationally expected, there were borderline laughable service issues, but this is a great place. The margarita was very, very good, and the tacos I had were excellent: I tried the catfish, barbacoa and carnitas tacos. The house-made, bottled sauces (roja, verde, and habanero) were very good complements to the super-fresh farm ingredients comprising the scrumptious tacos. Despite the silly service issues, the vibe was relaxed and sophisticated without an ounce of pretension or stuffiness. The weather was ideal, and the open-air streetside bar -- as well as the opened garage doors ( which, strangely, weren't opened until about 9 pm) -- made for great ambiance.

I went last night, and overall it was a great experience. We got there around 7:30 and while the place was packed, the line went quickly and we were able to immediately get a seat (although not outside). I had read about the line being confusing and even knowing that it took a second to make sure that I wasn't cutting half the people in line to get to the taco line. We ordered three tacos, chips, tortillas, salsa and queso (~$35). I had the carne asada and carnitas tacos, and while both were great the carne asada stood out as my clear favorite. The salsa and queso were both really good and I loved the thick corn chips. They had a few first week problems (i.e. running out of lime juice for margaritas which had to be squeezed by hand), but overall it ran as smoothly as I could have expected for their first week. I look forward to going back and trying more of their menu, and I think that if you decide there's one meat that you like the best, the burrito may be the best bang for your buck... they looked pretty big for ~$8.

^

That queso and those thick chips are enough to keep me coming back. Different and better than any other I've had.

I think they've been completely overwhelmed by the business. Not only are they brand new with an ambitious, complicated concept, they have been slammed since opening.

At first I was a little worried people would resist due to pricing, but once you figure things out and realize their food is incredibly fresh and pretty inventive (i.e. not just typically gloppy Tex-Mex) you recognize this is a pretty great place.

^^^^^^^
Not to mention that in the tacos they are pretty generous with the proteins, some of which are also pretty rich. I went last night (3rd time in 2 days :) ) and had tacos for the first time. Got four - which ran me around $20 - and was stuffed. Could have gotten by with three, or even two if I were eating light. I had duck confit, pork, shrimp and carne asada, and they were probably ranked in that order for me. The duck confit was ridiculously good.

On Moday at lunch, I had a burrito with chicken, black beans and jack cheese, and didn't care for the blandness, even with hot salsa. But the tacos I had last night were very flavorful, even though they lacked the outright spiciness that I usually hope for.

Regarding the line, I think part of the problem could be solved with some sort of divider and signage or some other method that clearly defines "burrito line" and "everything else line." Honestly, eventually I'm likely to only order straight from the bar, which is where I'll usually sit I'm thinking.

And as far as the bar is concerned, it will eventually sort itself out. I think right now they have some very inexperienced bartenders (and some experienced ones), combined with an ambitious cocktail menu. Combine that with lime juice issues and there have been some ridiculous waits. I plan to stick with beer for a while. Other than being behind people with fussy lime juice cocktails, popping a cap is quick. I've discovered the Laugunitas Lil Sumpin Sumpin is probably going to be my go-to.

The lime juice problem needs to be solved quickly. Both nights I have been in, multiple groups I knew were frustrated with cocktail turnaround times, and universally it was due to being out of fresh-squeezed lime juice. The problem was compounded by the fact that a bartender was doing nothing but squeezing limes, so effectively one less set of hands behind the bar. Admirable that they are doing the fresh-squeezed thing, but it can't be at the expense of everything else. I think if they persist with it they need to reevaluate their prep. Perhaps dedicate a kitchen or bar back type person to do nothing but prep lime juice during busy times.

^

Agree with all of that.

And to demonstrate how they are still learning as they go due to all the things they are trying to do, when I was there on Saturday night for the soft opening, Larry Pickering (the designer) said that as soon a everyone left he had to tear out the serving line for burritos and salads because they discovered it was a bit too high to see the food as you came through.

So, he was starting work late Saturday night and when I was in there for the Monday grand opening, I noticed the work had been completed.


I think OKC has arrived at the point where a lot of people don't mind paying a bit more when the food quality is very good and the operators have made a big investment in their space.

It's nice to have the cheap-with-huge-quantity places -- and we have a ton of them -- but this is different and there is plenty of room for that as well.

So here now grabbing lunch. It's virtually across the street for me. People are piling in. Word has definitey gotten out.

Had a custom made burrito. Delicious and under $10.

Also had a glass of wine. There wasn't a drink menu although one was promised to be in the near future. The wine was $12.00 which was a bit more than I wanted to spend at lunch.

I think this is my new go to lunch spot minus drinkage.

Yes, some elements of the service were laughable. But they are just now finding their way. They need a full time ambassador for the first month or so to engage patrons as they come in and as they dine to answer questions. It is diverse and the arrangement is confusing. Best to just jump in with no preconceptions.

The bartender did say you can order directly from them if you don't want to stand in one of the lines.

The spread of ingredients is absolutely gorgeous! But, the Subway ordering format makes it difficult to make an intelligent selection in the minute you have between first glance at fifty available items and moving on in the line. A labeled "map" of items on the line located to allow time for considered selection and labeling of the items on the actual line would be most helpful.

That said, this place is wonderful in so many respects, and provided they've done their math correctly, it will be a complete success for a long time to come.

Couple other notes... By the time I had left just now, there was a line out the door, down the hall, and nearly to the sidewalk.

I saw several OKC Talk posters there with coworkers. Either they have really good marketing or OKC Talk works!

The Front of House manager told me that they will start taking the Keep it Local card soon. Good news.

^

Just to clarify the complex matrix of ordering options, you can indeed order from the bar but only 1) if you can get the crazed bartender's attention; 2) they remember to place the order after telling them; and 3) burritos and salads are excluded, as you have to go through the line to select your ingredients.

BTW, their best advertising is that patio and walk-up bar on Broadway.

Sitting at that outdoor bar on Monday evening, I watched hundreds and hundreds of cars heading north out of downtown, and most were slowing down to check it out.

It's pretty crazy to think that apart from Red's small outdoor area, there has not been one patio along Auto Alley. Yuzo will soon add there own a few doors down from Cultivar as will Hatch, but really Water's Edge Winery, Hideaway and others should clue in and jump on the opportunity.

I have to say it's a very big city feel to Cultivar in general but especially sitting outside with the skyline to the south and all the AA neon to the north.

I don't understand how it's legal to block the right of way with the sidewalk patio seating. It seems like the business waits to close out the building permit. Then just sneaks a barrier out there. In the case of cultivar it's just a concrete planter that needs to be moved. Out in front of Red Prime it's a light pole. Same as the case in front of Empire Slice House, which is downright comical until you see someone having to backtrack then roll down in the street behind the parked cars. You literally can't get a wheelchair past it. I'm not crying out for ADA, in fact I hate ADA code and it's ever encroaching revisions. But just to be able to wheel a chair down the pedestrian right of way doesn't seem like too much to ask.

That being said I had lunch here today and it was STELLAR. The lamb taco and shrimp taco were the star of the show so far. love those house made tortillas.

There are a few strange mistakes though that I wouldn't think would be made by a seasoned and vetted restauratuer. Does anyone know who owns it? Does it have Hal Smith money? He's kinda going underground these days. 1st., I'm 6'2" and had to duck under the garage doors. 2nd. The chipotle line and the taco line intersect at the same place. So I skipped everyone in the chipotle line to get tacos, then had people holding salads in dog food(my affectionate term for restaurants that sell salad in mixing) bowls waiting behind me to order and pay just to they could pay for the food they were holding and had already stood in line for. 3rd the tequila looks like it's serving life in prison. If you see it, you'll know what I mean.

All said I think it's a great concept and a welcome addition to the OKC scene. I will frequent this place. Plus we're already scheming takeout diner of the half rotisserie bird + sides from the chipotle line. I will say though that for a casual lunch 2 tacos, side of chips w/guac and a soft drink came to $20 and change before tip. Hefty, but delicious.

Been meaning to mention that on Saturday they were giving out small samples of several things and they gave us a few scoops of something that was delicious but I wasn't sure what it was.

Looking at their menu, it had to have been the Mexican Street Corn... I think the corn was just largely disguised because of the Mexican crema and cheese (feta maybe?) and various spices.

I really want to try all the sides because they look interesting but the corn was pretty fantastic.

Well I was really excited about this place and broke my rule about new restaurants and went Monday. I get it was opening day and knew there would be kinks to work out - was really willing to look past it and give it a try any way. I must be the only one with a bad experience here. Went with my husband and we each ordered 2 tacos - took 50 minutes after we ordered for them to arrive. Would have been willing to overlook that and pay it to the game but the pork tacos really didn't have any flavor and my husband's cheeseburger taco came out with all the meat burned. I did order a barbacoa that was pretty good. Also, they only had one busser cleaning tables the place was packed and he wasn't moving very fast - again something you can look past for a new place. The last thing that annoyed me is one of the... i dont know what they are because they weren't servers... came by and asked how we were doing - i asked her about the margaritas and she said they were only serving beer and wine that day however I saw tons of people with cocktails and what looked like margaritas, so I just had my soda and decided I wouldn't be back for a few months and even then would probably just order a burrito.

^^^^^

I'm actually baffled as to why they don't have servers. The chipotle line makes total sense as you need to go down the line and specify. But the tacos and everything else could be done by table service. Now...I get that the new, hip way of service is all counter service because of the substantial reduction of staff and labor cost. But while we sat there and soaked up the sun and the cool breeze drinking our anthem uroboros. We kinda wanted another one...but were too lazy to get up and wade to the bar to get one. In the end we just ended up camping on an otherwise empty table for about 20 minutes. If someone had come by and offered us another round we would have had another, and probably another nother after that. Then just shut down the office for the rest of the afternoon and ubered home half drunk at 5pm yelling SPRING BREAK! But none of that happened. I eventually did have to go back to the bar because the bartender was so inundated she opened us up a tab rather than ring in the beers and tender payment. Cocktail service is one thing I enjoy greatly. America!

PS I also encourage people to jump outside the steak/chicken/carnitas box as the real standouts were the adobo lamb, duck confit, and mango shrimp. I hope they consider expanding the menu to quesadillas as creative as the tacos.

PPS I'm also still begging for a taqueria somewhere withing the box of 10th st, 23rd st/robinson ave, classen. Not white boy tacos but greasy, few frills, street food.

PPPS The sauces were cool, old school pepper/salt/vinegar sauce. But what's even cooler is you don't need them. The sauces, dressings, and accouterments that came on the finished product were super tasty.

Been meaning to mention that on Saturday they were giving out small samples of several things and they gave us a few scoops of something that was delicious but I wasn't sure what it was.

Looking at their menu, it had to have been the Mexican Street Corn... I think the corn was just largely disguised because of the Mexican crema and cheese (feta maybe?) and various spices.

I really want to try all the sides because they look interesting but the corn was pretty fantastic.

I think Mexican cooking uses queso fresco to crumble on things, not feta, but feta's related... As much as you eat/have eaten at Abel's, I figured you'd know queso fresco quite well. ;) Unless Cultivar's going way outside the box cheese-wise, that is.

From Cotija to Queso Fresco: A Mexican Cheese Primer - Bon Appétit (http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/mexican-cheese-types-cotija-queso-fresco)

They do use feta as well. Similar to Fuzzy's. It's got a bit more flavor. But the cheese on my taco was cotija. Then there's 5+ cheeses on the chipotle line including bleu and cheddar. I think they're using an arsenal.

I have been to this place 2 days in a row. The first time the two lines confused me, but i knew what was up this time. The oxtail and duck were unbelievably awesome. We got guacamole and queso that were very good. The thick chips were incredible. Agreed on the lack of cocktail servers but figured its because of it being new and what not. Really excited to have this place downtown and to chill on that patio. Prices are a tad high but you can taste the quality in their ingredients.

They do use feta as well. Similar to Fuzzy's. It's got a bit more flavor. But the cheese on my taco was cotija. Then there's 5+ cheeses on the chipotle line including bleu and cheddar. I think they're using an arsenal.

Wow, good to know, pretty nice... We plan on hitting there in a month or so, when they have it a bit more together.

Had a couple of tacos there tonight plus a couple of my now go-to Lauginitas Lil Sumpin Sumpin. The bar is simply getting DOGGED. They had a couple of veteran bartenders tonight, but probably needed 4, especially with the fussy (and I assume good) cocktails. The good news is that with the bar being that hot they will probably very quickly have some new bartenders knocking down their door. They may have had a tough time getting them initially, because what pro wants to work at what they probably assumed was just another Chipotle? It obviously is NOT Chipotle, that much is obvious now.

Tonight I had the duck confit and the pork, and two were plenty, like I figured they would be. Honestly though, what keeps bringing me back is the setting.

Went tonight, my thoughts, FWIW.

The dual ordering line is untenable, unless you want to stand in line twice for your food. If you have multiple people on the same tab, I'm not sure how well that will work. Settled on tacos only, to solve the dual line dilemma. Duck confit was flavorless. Shrimp was horribly over cooked and rubbery. Oxtail was great. Tacos were small and pricy. 3 tacos, a side of beans and chips w/ queso were $30. 3 tacos for 2 people came out on the same taco holder. Not sure if you can request an additional plate or not. Chips and queso were good as previously mentioned. At the checkout, I inquired as to cocktails, was told to order at the bar. The bar was deep with people, fortunately our "server" was available. No cocktail menu, just some notes she had scribbled on a piece of paper. 2 tap handles, Pacifico and an Anthem product. Bottles? Yeah, I think so but not sure what. What cocktails do you have? Any specialties? Just some meaningless descriptions with no knowledge of ingredients, serving manner, price, etc.

There are some curious decisions regarding the layout of the place, especially with regard to the dual opposing pairs of garage doors, but I'm not a restaurant designer, so what do I know.

Wish them well; won't be back anytime soon.

Went tonight, my thoughts, FWIW.

The dual ordering line is untenable, unless you want to stand in line twice for your food. If you have multiple people on the same tab, I'm not sure how well that will work. Settled on tacos only, to solve the dual line dilemma. Duck confit was flavorless. Shrimp was horribly over cooked and rubbery. Oxtail was great. Tacos were small and pricy. 3 tacos, a side of beans and chips w/ queso were $30. 3 tacos for 2 people came out on the same taco holder. Not sure if you can request an additional plate or not. Chips and queso were good as previously mentioned. At the checkout, I inquired as to cocktails, was told to order at the bar. The bar was deep with people, fortunately our "server" was available. No cocktail menu, just some notes she had scribbled on a piece of paper. 2 tap handles, Pacifico and an Anthem product. Bottles? Yeah, I think so but not sure what. What cocktails do you have? Any specialties? Just some meaningless descriptions with no knowledge of ingredients, serving manner, price, etc.

There are some curious decisions regarding the layout of the place, especially with regard to the dual opposing pairs of garage doors, but I'm not a restaurant designer, so what do I know.

Wish them well; won't be back anytime soon.

Based on your description I can only conclude they are a new concept that has just opened.

Went tonight, my thoughts, FWIW.

The dual ordering line is untenable, unless you want to stand in line twice for your food. If you have multiple people on the same tab, I'm not sure how well that will work. Settled on tacos only, to solve the dual line dilemma. Duck confit was flavorless. Shrimp was horribly over cooked and rubbery. Oxtail was great. Tacos were small and pricy. 3 tacos, a side of beans and chips w/ queso were $30. 3 tacos for 2 people came out on the same taco holder. Not sure if you can request an additional plate or not. Chips and queso were good as previously mentioned. At the checkout, I inquired as to cocktails, was told to order at the bar. The bar was deep with people, fortunately our "server" was available. No cocktail menu, just some notes she had scribbled on a piece of paper. 2 tap handles, Pacifico and an Anthem product. Bottles? Yeah, I think so but not sure what. What cocktails do you have? Any specialties? Just some meaningless descriptions with no knowledge of ingredients, serving manner, price, etc.

There are some curious decisions regarding the layout of the place, especially with regard to the dual opposing pairs of garage doors, but I'm not a restaurant designer, so what do I know.

Wish them well; won't be back anytime soon.

It amazes me how many people unabashedly complain about restaurants the day/month that they open....chill out they opened three days ago.

It amazes me how many people unabashedly complain about restaurants the day/month that they open....chill out they opened three days ago.

Exactly. Everyone knows that new restaurants will assuredly have a number of issues to work through. Maybe not jump online and write off a brand new local business on day 3. I've had some bad experiences at new restaurants that turned out fantastic. There's a process...

3 tacos, a side of beans and chips w/ queso were $30

That is not a small amount of food.

Based on your description I can only conclude they are a new concept that has just opened.

I literally laughed out loud at this comment.

Then I reread it and realized what I read was not what you wrote.

What I read was "Based on your description I can only conclude that you are a new concept that has just opened". I died laughing.

What I like about it (and seems others felt the same way) is you immediately want to come back and try the rest of the menu. There are so many different options that eating there once is really only a teaser. It will be even better once they open their rooftop.

I went last night with some friends.

The good:
The decor is great, they had the doors open to the street, and it was very lively. It was busy, and people seemed happy. There are a few TV's, but not the best place to watch a game.
I had a duck taco and a oxtail taco, and both were great. Well seasoned, tender, good balance of ingredients, and tasted very fresh. They're a bit small, but I think worth the price. The chips are the thick ones that don't break when you scoop a good helping of guacamole with them, and they're clearly fresh also. The guac was good, but needed something to make it pop. I might mix in a touch of hot sauce next time. A couple others got salads, and they're quite large salads, and my friends liked them a lot.

The bad:
Everything else.
The lines are confusing, and the burrito/salad line moves MUCH faster than the taco line. You can order sodas and water at the checkout, but to order a beer, which I wanted, you have to get it at the bar or wait for a server. I paid for my tacos and found my table. It took 15 minutes for a server to come to the table, and she didn't know the drink list. It took 10 minutes for her to come back with a list. I ordered a beer. She said it would take a while, but told me not to get one from the bar because that slows down the bar and the servers from getting their drinks. My wife ordered a sangria. I waited another 20 minutes, no beer, no sangria, no water. I went to the bar, the bartender was very much dazed at what was going on, but I finally got a beer. That took 5 minutes of the bartenders ignoring me. I went back to my table, still no tacos. The friends that got salads and burritos were almost done with their food, but never got their drinks. Server finally brings my tacos 5 minutes after I get back from the bar with my beer, and the beer I ordered followed maybe another 5 minutes later. Overall, it took about 50 minutes to get tacos, 55 minutes to get a beer. I know it's early, and I am sure they'll make some changes, but the service there was a dumpster fire. It will get better. BTW, my wife's sangria was awful and it was sent back.

TL;DR, don't go if you want a beer with your meal. Wait a few weeks and let them work out the service issues. Food is really good, though.

I literally laughed out loud at this comment.

Then I reread it and realized what I read was not what you wrote.

What I read was "Based on your description I can only conclude that you are a new concept that has just opened". I died laughing.

I initially just read the first line of your comment was feeling very proud of my apparent comedic genius. Then I read the rest of your post and realized that I am only accidentally hilarious. Ah well.

"She said it would take a while, but told me not to get one from the bar because that slows down the bar and the servers from getting their drinks." This is actually true but she's shouldn't have told you that. Tickets that come up with a drink order on them lets the bartender make the drink and set it on the mat without having to interact, answer questions, act courteous, and tender payment, leaving these processes to the cocktail server. However, ignorance is bliss, and if you want to get up and go to the bar you're entitled to do so.

"Duck confit was flavorless. Shrimp was horribly overcooked and rubbery." What I tend to see in grand openenings is the chef works about 100 hours per week in the week leading up to, and first week of business. They just get ground down and can let things slip, what makes it even worse is he's the only guy that knows how to cook it properly. So if he had to go home and crash at 8 after the rush then the guys who watch him make the food are now making the food. And they don't have enough to practice. I'm also a bit confused by the duck confit comment. It's duck cooked in its own rendered fat, and one of the richest/tastiest proteins out there. I don't know how it could be screwed up, unless they ran short on fat.

Anyway. I wish I knew who the owners are. I'm inclined to think they're small. Even the moderately sized local groups like chris lower or good egg have far smoother openings. But I think they will get it ironed out. I'm way positive on this place. And I can get a 2,000 calorie salad from the chipotle line, but I'm still eating kale so that makes it okay!

PS the dual garage doors are so they can air con the indoor space while having the vetabule space open and also have the option to go open air on nice days. I've seen it at, and I'm not trying to rag here, chipotle. NOW who's the comedy genius??? ;)))

PPS I'm not sure why the doors are so low that I hit my head on them though. Also, once a smart grackle(bird) figures out that there's a Mexican smorgasbord on display in an open kitchen. It'll be hard to get him out. Chipotle also has this problem.

All the chipotle references aside this is totally NOT a chipotle. And it is damn tasty. Even if the service right now is comparable to flaming garbage.