Chelino's

[ctchandler]

I can't agree, at least not with regard to the S. Robinson location. Never had a bad meal there, although I have had any number of bad tex-mex, okie-mex, etc. elsewhere. If Tarahumara wasn't in Norman, I'd be at Chelino's S Robinson far more often than I go.

Kevin,
South Robinson is where Chelino's started. He then opened up a small place in an old Dairy Queen on Southwest 36th and Walker. That's the first one I went to but I soon started going to the one on Robinson. Good TexMex.
C. T.

[Roger S]

Kevin,
South Robinson is where Chelino's started. He then opened up a small place in an old Dairy Queen on Southwest 36th and Walker. That's the first one I went to but I soon started going to the one on Robinson. Good TexMex.
C. T.

Actuqlly his first was in the old Dairy Queen at Walker and Grand.

[Martin]

Actually his first was in the old Dairy Queen at Walker and Grand.

at walker, grand blvd and sw 36th are basically two names for the same thing. -M

[Roger S]

at walker, grand blvd and sw 36th are basically two names for the same thing. -M

Right but I'm pretty sure all signage says Grand Blvd....... I was clarifying which location was first.

The Robinson location, which was opened for overflow from the Walker location, was managed by Marcelino's brother Juan.

[Roger S]

I'd be at Chelino's S Robinson far more often than I go.

This Chelino's is actually owned by his brother Armando. Marcelino has always just allowed him to use the business name.

I know a lot of people have always gone there because Armando's customer service was over the top since he only had to run the one restaurant while Marcelino was spread out amongst the stores he owned.

[Roger S]

dupe post deleted.... site hiccuped on me

[Martin]

uggh... haven't had coffee yet. just saw "old dairy queen on 36th and walker" and thought you were responding to that. yeah... the signage says grand, but i know lots of people who call it 36th and also refer to i-240 as 74th. -M

[Roger S]

uggh... haven't had coffee yet. just saw "old dairy queen on 36th and walker" and thought you were responding to that. yeah... the signage says grand, but i know lots of people who call it 36th and also refer to i-240 as 74th. -M

Yep Yep..... I'm one of those people that still refers to the Cox Center as The Myriad also.... Old habits are hard to break. ;+)

[ctchandler]

actuqlly his first was in the old dairy queen at walker and grand.

nm

[ctchandler]

Actuqlly his first was in the old Dairy Queen at Walker and Grand.

OKBBQEA,
I was backwards, I went to the DQ location, they were packed and recommended that I try the Robinson location. By the way, as the posts say, Southwest 36th at that point is also called Grand Boulevard. I was born and raised one block South of 36th and everybody called it 36th even though the Grand Blvd name probably happened in the 10's or 20's. It didn't preempt 36th it was just a street that supposedly surrounded OKC. I think most addresses on Grand Blvd are S. W. 36th. I know I had friends that lived on 36th and that's how they received their mail.
C. T.

[thunderbird]

Didn't see an existing thread. Noticed today that they are going in to the old Hudsons Hideout location just East of Western off of NW 67th street. Normally this spot is hard to miss but they have painted THE ENTIRE exterior sea-foam green.

[Pete]

I took this a few weeks ago (before the paint job) and never posted it:

[Zuplar]

Are each of these restaurants independently operated? Reason I ask is because I feel like there is a huge difference in food quality. In general I'm not a huge fan of their's, but I will say the one downtown seems to be better than the rest. Maybe 6 months ago I went to the one in Yukon, and had I not felt bad about how few people were in there, I would have asked for my money back. Some of it was inedible.

[sooner88]

It's been years, but we would go to the original (I think?) on Robinson near Capitol Hill and it was always much much better than any other location I had been to.

[Martin]

unless chelinos plans to make all of their money off of the area lunch crowd, i don't see how this location is going to be successful... from western, you'd pretty much never know that this place existed.

[barrettd]

Are each of these restaurants independently operated? Reason I ask is because I feel like there is a huge difference in food quality. In general I'm not a huge fan of their's, but I will say the one downtown seems to be better than the rest. Maybe 6 months ago I went to the one in Yukon, and had I not felt bad about how few people were in there, I would have asked for my money back. Some of it was inedible.

I agree, but the one by my house, near Hefner and May, has always been good for us. Occasionally it's not as good as normal, but it's still always pretty good. And the staff knows my family pretty well by now, so they take good care of us. Feels like a neighborhood joint instead of a chain.

[Pete]

The same group that bought this Hudsons then converted it to a Chelino's also recently bought the Hudson's on 2nd (east of Bryant) in Edmond.

[OKCretro]

why wouldn't they just wait for the hideaway building to open up once they leave? seems like a lot better place on western

[thunderbird]

why wouldn't they just wait for the hideaway building to open up once they leave? seems like a lot better place on western

I agree but I bet rent is 3x as much in that building. I'm really crossing my fingers for something good in the soon to be old Hideaway.

[rezman]

It's been years, but we would go to the original (I think?) on Robinson near Capitol Hill and it was always much much better than any other location I had been to.

Same here. Back in the 90's, we used to hit the original on Robinson, then the one on Walker & Grand. Both were always consistently good.
Then there was the on up at 58th & May Ave. After moving, we would hit the one on Boulevard in Edmond, but that's when the quality for us was going down hill. Haven't been back to any Chelino's location since.

[u50254082]

The one in Moore is nearly invisible unless you know the spot, but the few times I've been by in the evenings they seem to do well. Texmex in general seems to be in constant demand in Moore for some reason.

[ctchandler]

Not a big deal, but I am quite certain the first one is the one at Walker and Grand, an old Dairy Queen building. I ate there in the early days, then they opened the on on Robinson and 42nd and it was larger so I started going there.
C. T.
p.s. I could be mistaken, but that's the way I remember it.

[rezman]

C.T. You could be right. I first went to the one on Walker around '91-'92, and then to the one on Robinson, but around that same time frame. I always thought Robinson came first. Either way, it definitely was Chelino's early days. The Walker store always had a line when we went.

[Roger S]

Not a big deal, but I am quite certain the first one is the one at Walker and Grand, an old Dairy Queen building. I ate there in the early days, then they opened the on on Robinson and 42nd and it was larger so I started going there.
C. T.
p.s. I could be mistaken, but that's the way I remember it.

You are correct CT.... First location was in the old DQ at Walker and Grand. 2nd was on South Robinson which. Robinson location is now owned by one of his brothers.

Are each of these restaurants independently operated? Reason I ask is because I feel like there is a huge difference in food quality. In general I'm not a huge fan of their's, but I will say the one downtown seems to be better than the rest. Maybe 6 months ago I went to the one in Yukon, and had I not felt bad about how few people were in there, I would have asked for my money back. Some of it was inedible.

It's a family thing.... Chelino doesn't still own all the restaurants but the ones that he doesn't are owned by his brothers. You aren't the only one that notices the difference in food quality between them either.

[Zuplar]

You are correct CT.... First location was in the old DQ at Walker and Grand. 2nd was on South Robinson which. Robinson location is now owned by one of his brothers.



It's a family thing.... Chelino doesn't still own all the restaurants but the ones that he doesn't are owned by his brothers. You aren't the only one that notices the difference in food quality between them either.

Good info. You wouldn't happen to know which ones are owned by which family member would you? I'd be interested to see if the ownership is the same or different on the ones I like better.