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!

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.

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.

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).

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

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.

Completely different.

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

I've never heard of anyone having trouble there.

Are they both owned by the same person???

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

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

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.

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.

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!:D
Talk to you soon,DD

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.

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."

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.

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?

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.

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.

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

mmmmmmmmm ted's

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

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? :D

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.":bow:

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?

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.

Ted This is Darling Diva~

I just want to let you know this is one wierd occurance above here.Majority of people still love ya!I know I do.I do not think you are ripping people off and I also KNOW every time we go we get nothing but the best service and food at the north and south locations.We the Mods here at Okc Talk continue to have our monthly meeting at your north locations and we are always more than content.just wanted to let you know that SOME of us think you always have and always will do an outstanding job!!

DD

Ted,

Thank you so much for the immediate and overwhelming response. I'm extremely impressed.

My girlfriend and I visited your south location and were treated to a wonderful meal with exceptional service. The quality of everything: chips, salsa, quac, entrees, was twice as good as our ill-fated last visit. We dined in the Annex that time, if that has any relevance.

Your hospitality and attention to detail and world-class customer service have literally blown me away. You do things the right way and I guess I just was unlucky and hit you on a freak night the last time I visited.

We really enjoyed the layout of your new location. Great staff, clean, comfortable dining room. Convivial atmosphere, music, etc.

The food was very, very good tonight as well.

I would recommend to anyone who has not done so yet to visit the new Ted's on South Western.

Ted, I suppose any restaurant can have its "issues" if you go at the wrong time, but I know you're always a pure perfectionist when it comes to running your restaurants, and I applaud you for that. If there is a problem, I know it doesn't take you long to get on it. I'm sure the experiences soonerguru had were purely a mishap, but as always, I appreciate you for getting on top of the issues.

DarlingDiva is right...the mods (myself included) had our meeting at your northside restaurant again this past month, and the food was great. Even moreso though, I must say the service is second to none. Never have I been somewhere and the cheese, salsa, chips, and tortillas keep coming out like at Ted's. Other restaurants tend to skimp on those offerings.

I don't deny anything soonerguru said....I'm just saying the way you typically run your business, it was probably merely a mishap.

By the way, I've also noticed that your prices are higher than other restaurants. For example, a plate of enchiladas at your restaurant runs $11-12 whereas you can get the same thing at Pablano or Chelinos for $7-8. But, I really don't think their service compares to yours. Also, as I said, you don't skimp on the extras, whereas other restaurants do. I think the extra price is worth it for what you're getting.

Keep up the great work.

I'd also recommend the Edmond location. The northside location seems more casual, and quaint, (great after along day) whereas the Edmond location seems more upscale. I've never been to the southside location, so I can't comment there.

Seems like all 3 Ted's restaurants offer a sligtly different atmosphere.

I am glad there are still some business owners who address complaints.

It seems whenever I lodge a complaint, I get the brush off. All this causes is for me to never return. When I complain, be it about the fact some rude person hogged the parking lane, stalling traffic for 15 minutes (it has happened more than once) just to get that space ten feet closer to the building, or a rude employee, or the time I got food poisining at a Dallas area restaurant, I want to be heard, and I want proof of the action taken. I do not accept a person saying "I'm sorry, I'll take care of it." Show me. Prove it. Earn my return. However, by all means DO NOT IGNORE ME! I will never be back if you do. And if the problem reoccurs within a short time, I will not be back.

I applaud you Ted. :congrats: I usually do not do Mexican because I do not like cheese, but if you serve something without, I will certainly try your place with the confidence that if I run into a problem, it will be addressed... And I proudly boast about the people on this board. I have told people of Ted's membership to OKC Talk on more than one occasion.

:tiphat:

I remember some friends at church bragging about how good Ted's was and then after reading the forum, I decided to give it a try. The decor was nice and everything about the food was top rate. The most pleasing surprise was the service, the last time I had service that good was at Mickey Mantle's. This was at the north resturant and now I can fully understand all the praise everyone is giving them. I'll definitely be back.

I remember some friends at church bragging about how good Ted's was and then after reading the forum, I decided to give it a try. The decor was nice and everything about the food was top rate. The most pleasing surprise was the service, the last time I had service that good was at Mickey Mantle's. This was at the north resturant and now I can fully understand all the praise everyone is giving them. I'll definitely be back.

I think what makes Ted's so good is that Ted is a pure perfectionist. If you ever have a complaint with one his restaurants, simply tell him, and you'll not only get a free meal, the problem will be dealt with immediately. You can't say that about a lot of restaurant owners.

I'll admit, Ted's isn't the only Mexican restaurant I eat at....I like several. But, the service at Ted's and the quality of food offered there is always superb.

Keep the cheese, salsa, chips, and tortillas coming please!

Since I split the thread, here's the post mydalmationis8 made on Ted's and mexican restaurants:


There are a number of decent Mexican restaurants in OKC. Ted's Escondido, Abuelo's, the south side Chelino's, etc. If you want a variety of salsas, try the Iguana Lounge on North Western (north of 63rd). OKC's best undiscovered Mexican restaurant is, IMHO, The Adobe Grill at 51st & N. Shartel (in the Shartel Shopping Center).
Although Ted has not replied to the question, I suspect he has serious reservations about opening a Ted's in Norman. You can't swing a stick in Norman without hitting a Mexican restaurant. The numerous competitors for dining dollars may make Ted's not as competitive, pricewise, as the other restaurants even if the quality is better.

The Nino's at S. Western is now offering coupons. I always hated that place. I have only been to the new location on the south side of town once, as opposed to the NW Expy for lunch everyday nearly,but both are just as good. How good is that?

Mexican-food-so-good-it'll-make-you-cry good.

Have to say I agree w/ Midtowner about Ted's. It's good, but it isn't worth waiting 2 hours for when you have Laredo's or San Marco's (off 39th and May) within a few minutes drive. Both Laredo's and San Marco's equal Ted's quality--just w/o the hype. And I hate hype :)

The anniversary party was the first time I had eaten at Ted's. Thumper had eaten there about four times before.

To be frank, I found the food to be no better than the other Mexican places. However, the service was very good.

Will I eat there again? Probably.

Ted's is awesome. I've eaten there for years and when family comes to town that is where they request we go eat - every time. I have family members on the east coast raving about the food there. :)

With that aside, has anyone tried Poblano Grill on NW Expressway? They have a decent lunch and its not too long of a wait to get in. I've become addicted to the corn they serve as a side with the burrito lunch. MMMMmmmm...

I really like Ted's.

Ted's is also the only place I indulge in the guilty pleasure of filling out the comment cards with all sorts of hilarious tomfoolery. I always wonder whether anyone actually reads the comment cards, and if they do, if they enjoy my jokes as much as I and those eating with me do.

Ted's is good, but I don't think anything is good enough to justify the wait. Love the Adobe grill and Las Palomas on 23rd and Meridian. Las Palomas has NO atmosphere, but just lots of really good food and great service.

Hey Ted, rumor has it that you were going to open a restaurant in the Tulsa area. Any truth to that? We love coming to your place whenever we get down to the city.

Now what? According to this week's Gazette (the "Best Of" issue"), Ted's Escondido Cafe is no longer owned by Ted. Is this true of all of the Ted's locations? Is Ted out of the restaurant business? Can anyone shed any light on what's going on?

Ted's is a great restaurant, however I really enjoy the small, family owned establishments when craving Mexican food. Cocina Marin, on NW 10th and Tulsa, and Casa Perico, on NW 122nd and Penn, are two of my favorites.

The tulsa location is true. It is in BA at 71st and 129th they started construction on it a month ago.

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't been around in a while, been very busy... No, I'm still involved with Ted's. The Gazette ended up up having to print a major re-traction the next week correcting that mistake. I did take on partners over 3-years ago but that is very old news. All is well and Tulsa is indeed up and under construction finally. It took forever to work out the land issues up there. Then we had to wait for roads to be built into the area at 129th and 71st before the city of Tulsa would let us break ground. It was quite a pain and put us 8 months behind. However it just gave us more time to train and prepare so it's a good thing.

I will try to be around more to chat from here on out. If you ever need anything or have any issues don't hesitate to e-mail. I will be all over it. I appreciate all your comments and feedback thus far. I think all in all the restaurants have done a good job being consistent and we will continue to to work very hard to keep it this way. You will have problems from time to time but we will fix them I can tell you this for sure. We have a good team of people who really care.

Best,
Ted.

My family LOVES Ted's. In fact, we are having my parent's anniversary dinner there this week. The food is excellent and top quality. The service there is the best I've ever had.
I'm getting hungry just thinking about it....yummmmmm.

I like Laredos and Pepe's too. I am looking forward to when the new Laredos opens up.

Hey Ted, My son and I ate at your Norman restaurant last week. Friends from Pauls Valley have been raving about it. We were very impressed with the food and service. We will be bringing friends and family in the near future to see for themselves. It was awesome! We were talking with one of the managers (teddy I believe his name was) and he just chatted and visited with us -it was really nice. Thanks for coming to Norman!
Sincerely, Jeanette

I used to think Teds was great, I went to it because everyone was always raving about it. But through friends and work, I started going to other mexican restaurants and no offense Teds, but I haven't been back to Teds since!! San Marcos is now my favorite. Acapulco was my favorite, it was in a really bad location though so it's closed, but man it was good food. Anybody else go there when it was open? It was right off I35 on Hefner.

Talking about reviving a dead thread, 3+ years. I used to think Ted's was just okay, slightly above the others. My wife and I went a month or two ago and it was awesome! I'm not sure if it is what we ordered or just the food has improved. I definitely need to make another trip over there. Now if we can just get a Ted's downtown in the CBD.

Ted's in Bricktown would be great. Probably put Chelino's out of business. :D

eww. not Bricktown. Bricktown has enough mexican. Put it in the CBD. Midtown has/is getting a few already, the CBD needs a good sit down Mexican restaurant.

I used to think Teds was great, I went to it because everyone was always raving about it. But through friends and work, I started going to other mexican restaurants and no offense Teds, but I haven't been back to Teds since!! San Marcos is now my favorite. Acapulco was my favorite, it was in a really bad location though so it's closed, but man it was good food. Anybody else go there when it was open? It was right off I35 on Hefner.

When my wife and I first started dating, we went to Ted's regularly. I am not a huge Mexican food fan, but it was good, the service was very good, and so it became a de-facto favorite. Now, about 14 years later, we finally gave up on Ted's as their portions shrank and their prices went through the roof. We looked forward to the lcoation on S. Western, but finally got to the point where we looked at the prices on the menu and couldn't justify it anymore. There are other very good places for less money. No offense to any Ted's fans here, of course; we've just made a different choice.

We might still go there once in a very great while, but it simply is no longer a family standard as it once was. When *my* wife* won't go to a Mexican restaurant, you *know* something is out of whack :D

sd

I am not a fan of Ted's. Do NOT understand the raves that it receives. Funny story.......well, I think it is.

DS and GF usually suggested Ted's for special meals. We would go because we thought they really liked it and did not want to miss out time with the.m After the 3rd or 4th meal there...we finally started talking and found out..they thought WE really liked it and that was why they suggested the place as they were not that fond of it either!!! Needless to say, we no longer have that place on our list of places to eat our special meals!

:sofa:

I like Teds, especially their salsas. Speaking of Chelino's OKCMallen, I was in Bricktown last weekend for the Rush concert and we ate at Chelinos prior to that. I haven't been there in about a year, but I was very disappointed. The service was never speedy, but this time it was awful. It took 10 minutes to get our order placed and my glass went empty for long periods of time. After we were done we sat waiting for the check for a solid 15 minutes. The waitress was very busy and apologized for the long wait (which saved her tip), but the whole experience has soured me on Chelinos and the food isn't enough to overcome it.

I like Teds, especially their salsas. Speaking of Chelino's OKCMallen, I was in Bricktown last weekend for the Rush concert and we ate at Chelinos prior to that. I haven't been there in about a year, but I was very disappointed. The service was never speedy, but this time it was awful. It took 10 minutes to get our order placed and my glass went empty for long periods of time. After we were done we sat waiting for the check for a solid 15 minutes. The waitress was very busy and apologized for the long wait (which saved her tip), but the whole experience has soured me on Chelinos and the food isn't enough to overcome it.

You should never, ever, under any circumstance go to the Bricktown Chelino's. Horrible food & service. All their other stores, especially the 'original' store, are great (for Chelino's).

I've been underwhelmed by Chelino's for so long that I just prefer to not go. I'll stay in before going there...I'd rather go out to eat half as much but go to Ted's or Abuelo's instead.

I've liked Ted's and many others that have come and gone. But, my favorite? El Chico. Love their enchiladas, chips and salsa, all that good stuff. But, it's a chain! OMG! Seriously though - I love El Chico.

Ted's isn't bad, but they're over priced IMO.

We live a few blocks from the original Ted's and we just love the place. The food is always good and the wait staff is attentive and you never have an empty glass. I also like Pepe's in Edmond and the old Laredo's, but Ted's is #1.

I like El Chico, I don't care if it's a chain, but I've really been wanting to try Teds. People I know go on about how good it is.

The Chilenos in Bricktown and Norman are nasty!!!

we've been huge fan of Ted's (the man and his original location) since the early 90's. My wife and I have been monthly customers since then. We've never had to wait longer than 45 minutes. The prices are very reasonable (as they've always been) for the quality and quantity. The service has always been great.

Ted catered a friend's wedding a few years ago, and it was incredible.

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS! Visit your hard working neighbors and let them show you how hard they work.