Ted's Cafe Escondido

[~~*DarlingDiva*~~]

Well folks call me sheltered or just stuck in a rut with the same out to dinner locations as always.But Anyways The family and I ventured out to this restaurant tonight and it was GREAT!It was totally worth the 30 minute wait and I must say I see why all my friends are Raving about it and the parking lot was jam packed.The food is unbelieveable!I highly recommend this for your dates or just for a treat for yourself If you like Mexican food you will LOVE teds!

[Midtowner]

It's overrated IMHO. Pepe's of Edmond or Laredo's around 63rd & Western are almost exactly the same for a much better price. The only place I think Ted's has a slight edge on the other two are their salsa selection.

Ted's is definitely not worth the wait though.

Neither location.

[Patrick]

Hey DarlingDiva....I do agree with you. Teds is excellent. It's one of my top 5 favorite Mexican restaurants in town. But as Midtowner suggests I don't think it's worth waiting 2 hours for. Maybe 30 minutes like you did though. 30 minutes is actually pretty good for Teds. I had a friend at UCO that worked there and he said the average wait was 1 hour on weekdays and 2 hours on weekends. I've waited up to an hour, but probably won't do it again. I try to do take out now if I do Ted's. That seems to work best.

Anyways, I know Ted's has other locations now, but I still like the original off N. May.

Midtowner......I've actually been wanting to go to Laredo's for sometime now. We always drive by there, and my fiancee always comments on how cute it looks! I guess we'll have to check it out.

We've also been wanting to check out Mamasitas, just down the street from Laredo's. Have you ever been there?

When Keith and I usually go to Bricktown we usually go to Chelino's. With Chelino's it all kind of depends on the location and time. I've always had a good meal at the Bricktown location, but I ate at the N. May and NW 59th location recently and it was horrible. I won't go back to that location.

Generally, I try to stay away from chain Mexican restaurants like On the Border, El Chico, Don Pablos, etc. I prefer the authentic. San Marcos has no atmosphere but they have some of the better Mexican food I've ever eaten. Definitely not a place to take a first date, but good food anyways.

[Midtowner]

Chelino's is greasy and uses too much cheese in my opinion.

Pepe's and Laredo's are owned by the same two guys.

As for Mamasita's, I ate there once, probably about 15 years ago. Didn't stack up.

Pepe's/Laredo's have great margaritas by the pitcher (strong).

[Patrick]

Thanks for the info. Midtowner. We'll definitely check out Laredos.

[mranderson]

If Laredo's is like the one in Dallas I visited a few years ago, then you might get a bit of practise with your medical studies.

I ate some ribs that gave me food poisining. To top that, the waiter had the perfect name. Rudy. He was quite rude. I will not go back to any of their locations.

[Midtowner]

Completely different.

I've been eating at both since I was very, very young.

I've never heard of anyone having trouble there.

[Patrick]

Are they both owned by the same person???

[Midtowner]

Same people. Pepe and Manuel. Not sure what their last names are.

They're two of the hardest working people I've ever seen.

[MasterWolf]

Went out to Ted's with my wife.. It was great. Don't have a whole lot to say about it besides that it was great. lol.

[Patrick]

Which location did you go to? I don't think they matter much. I've been to all of them, but of course I still have a special liking for the original.

[~~*DarlingDiva*~~]

Hey Patrick,
We went to the one on the south side.On south Western I guess its where Hollies used to be but they tore it down and buit the restaurant.Again I will add with the parking lot being as packed as it was and the time we got there probably 6:30 or so I was Very surprised when they said 30 mins ,By God we were seated in 30 mins.I loved it I still cant shut up abou the place.In fact after our Passion Parties meeting at Hooters tonight in Bricktown,I suggested that we hold next months meeting at Teds,Everyone jumped on my band wagon so I was a happy girl!
Talk to you soon,DD

[tc4542@cox.net]

Hi all,

I'm new here. Thanks for all the comments. I will say since we have 3-restaurants now it's much easier to get in. The old "2-hour wait" story is a myth. Usually it's only 30 minutes except maybe during the holidays. If you ever want to have the meeting there just let me know and I'll get it setup for you, we'd love to have you. If you ever have any food or service issues get a hold of me too. I will definately take care of you.

I'm glad to be a board!

Thanks,

Ted Curtis
Ted's Cafe Escondido.

[downtownguy]

Welcome to the board! You have an excellent reputation in this town, and it can't be too bad if you're suffering from the old saying "they're so busy nobody goes there anymore."

[tc4542@cox.net]

Thanks,

We've tried very hard to maintain the quality. I really hated to make people wait like that for those several years but I wasn't about to expand until I had my ducks in a row. You have to be ready or you will ruin it when you expand. Hopefully now it's a lot easier for everyone. South has taken quite a bit of pressure off 68th street. It's actually pretty easy to get into now. Thanks for allowing me on the forums. If you have any questions, comments, etc.., fire away.

Thanks,
Ted.

[downtownguy]

In another thread on this board, Patrick talks about the importance of local restaurants, and not chains, coming downtown - especially to Bricktown. Have you ever considered diving in, or are there too many Mexican restaurants there already?

[mranderson]

There are WAY to many Mexican restaurants in this city. Also, we are getting to the point the same could be said for Chinese. We need something different. What it would be is anyones guess, but we need more variety.

[MasterWolf]

There are WAY to many Mexican restaurants in this city. Also, we are getting to the point the same could be said for Chinese. We need something different. What it would be is anyones guess, but we need more variety.

I definitely agree with you mr anderson. I do think we need more variety in this city.

[Keith]

Have you ever noticed that chinese restaurants are usually attached to animal clinics? Just kidding...At least their food is "fresh." LOL

[metro]

mmmmmmmmm ted's

[sdsooners]

Mr. Curtis,

Have you ever considered putting a Ted's in Norman? I know there are already lots of Mexican restaurants here, but with the housing boom occuring on all sides of town it seems there will be an even greater demand in the future. I'm sure a restaurant with food as good as Ted's could be a success anywhere.

Thanks.

Scott

[Midtowner]

Have you ever noticed that chinese restaurants are usually attached to animal clinics? Just kidding...At least their food is "fresh." LOL

Along those lines, I did notice the other day that the Asian district doesn't have any kind of animal control problem... Can you say self-policing?

[Ms.Relaxationstation]

Well crud, it's 12:45am and I forgot to eat tonight and suddenly I'm craving nachos! Maybe you should open up an all night "Ted's To Go."

[soonerguru]

Ted,

I have been very disappointed the last two times I went to your restaurant.

First, it seems that you have raised your prices. Obviously that's not hurting your business, so congatulations! But 11 to 12 bucks for a plate of good but not exceptional Tex-Mex enchiladas is more than I care to pay. If the enchiladas were first rate, I would be willing to pay more.

Second, we were served chips that were broken into tiny chunks, obviously from the bottom of the box. The pico de gallo was runny and lacked any zest (hardly any greens, just wilty tomato chunks). The guac was not very good.

The service was very good, and I have to commend you for finally opening additional locations. When you just had the one, I refused to wait in line.

Have you considered really going for it to make some of the best Tex-Mex in the world? I love your tortillas and all of your food is good but it doesn't compare with the best Tex-Mex places in Texas, such as Maudie's in Austin, Mi Tierra, etc. I'm saying that as a lifetime Oklahoman who is very proud of this state, but also someone who knows food quite well.

Is yours more of a regional cuisine, a la Okie-Mex?

[tc4542@cox.net]

First of all,

I'm very sorry about your recent experiences. I'm already all over it as we speak. We'll deal with it immediately. You have a PM with my call back info in your box. Will you please call me asap so I can discuss this with you and ask a few more questions so I can troubleshoot? As for the prices, everything has gone through the ceiling in the last 8 months due to transportation costs. We hated to raise them but we refuse to lower quality of food or service to make up for it. I still believe it's a great value considering the quality and amount of food received and for the level of service we provide. Both cost us a lot more than the other restaurants around town. I look forward to speaking with you soon. Thanks a lot for the feed back, it's really appreciated. We'll take care of you.

Thanks,
Ted.