Casa Del Tequila Fine Eatery is a splashy new restaurant in south Tulsa, featuring a lengthy menu of standard Mexican fare and a wide variety of margaritas.
It is in the former Cardigan’s space in London South shopping center and has been completely renovated with a bright, sleek new look and covered patio.
It has been open about a month and already has found a following. The bar area, dining room and patio were nearly full on a recent weekend evening, so some may choose to visit when it is less busy.
Unless you have your sights set on a particular dish, it can take a while to navigate the menu. It includes a range of appetizers, soups, salads, burritos, chimichangas, enchiladas, seafood, fajitas, nachos, quesadillas, tacos and specialty dishes.
We chose a guacamole appetizer ($5.49), enchiladas de camaron ($11.99) and a three-item combo ($11.99) of chile relleno, tamale and beef chimichanga.
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Guacamole apparently is custom-made because we asked if we could have it with only avocado, tomatoes and onion. It arrived perfectly with a bowl of smooth avocado dotted with diced tomato and just a hint of onion.
Casa Del Tequila has its own tortilla maker. Our tortilla chips were warm and crispy, but a good portion of them had been broken into small pieces, making it a bit more difficult to dip the guacamole. Complimentary salsa had a tomatoey flavor, a touch of cilantro and a little delayed heat.
Our entrée portions were large and came out piping hot. The enchilada plate included three enchiladas filled with a generous amount of chopped shrimp and topped with a tasty sour cream sauce. Other topping choices included salsa roja, salsa verde, cheese and ranchera.
The combo required two plates, including one for the chile relleno that featured a very large, almost flat poblano pepper filled with ground beef and melted cheese, then topped with a cheese sauce. The pepper was mild, but the dish was so temperature hot I had to let it cool a bit before digging in. A good thing.
The long, slim chimichanga was filled with a good amount of shredded beef (chicken also was an option). The tamale was thick with masa at the ends, but more meat showed up toward the middle. It also was topped with seasoned ground beef and cheese and overall delivered a pleasing flavor.
Most entrees come with rice and a choice of ranchero, black or refried beans. The black beans were well-cooked, and the ranchero beans included bits of beef or pork, onion and cilantro.
A lunch menu, served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday, includes 14 entrees ranging from $7.99 to $10.49. A menu for ages 12 and younger includes a choice of burrito, enchilada, quesadilla, chicken nuggets, corn dog, hamburger and mac and cheese with two sides for $5.99 each.
Casa Del Tequila has a selection of domestic beers, five Estancia wines and all of the common Mexican beers, but the stars here are the cocktails, especially the selection of 20 margaritas.
One margarita, Rock N Roll Mangonada, is prepared with Rock N Roll tequila, margarita-flavored mango, chamoy (chile sauce made from pickled fruit) and tajin salt (chile peppers, dehydrated lime and sea salt) with a lime on top. Rock N Roll tequila is made in Jalisco, Mexico, and the primary owners are Oklahomans, including former University of Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops.
All of the drinks, from water to cocktails, are served in pretty, clear glassware accented with blue swirls.
The dining areas include dark tables, black and white booths, tile floors and white brick walls with black and gray trim. A semi-enclosed area in the center of the room has two-person booths and is separated from the main dining room with stained glass-like partitions. The bar has a huge, multicolored light fixture.
The patio is on the south side of the building and faces south, so the sun isn’t a problem most of the day. It is decorated with hanging baskets of flowers.
Televisions in the bar and dining room were tuned to baseball and soccer. Servers wore smart-looking starched blue shirts and black pants.
Cuco Flores is co-owner, general manager and sometimes bartender. Another owner, Hector Macias, lives out of state.
Flores said he has been in the restaurant business for 20 years and has worked in other Mexican eateries in Tulsa. This is his first restaurant as an owner.
“We looked at different locations for the restaurant, and this one was right for us,” he said through an interpreter. “It took six months to remodel, and the response has been very good.”
Throwback Tulsa: Tulsa’s Woodland Hills Mall mall opened on this day in 1976
Throwback Tulsa: Tulsa's Woodland Hills Mall opened on Aug. 4 in 1976
Woodland Hills Mall

The size of Woodland Hills Mall complex at 71st Street and Memorial Drive is indicated by the immensity of the Sears Store shown here in August 1975. Steelwork is up on the west end of the structure as workmen continue to pour concrete on the east end. This photo was taken toward the southwest. Sears opened on July 15, 1976 before Woodland Hills Mall opened. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

This aerial photo, taken from an unknown date, shows of construction of Woodland Hills Mall facing south toward 71st Street.
Woodland Hills Mall

Interior finishing of Woodland Hills Mall progresses in May 1976 in anticipation of the mall’s opening In August. This photo shows the tubular ceiling sculptures. Three major stores were to help occupy the mall in 1976. They were Sears, John A. Brown and Dillard’s Brown Dunkin. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Shoppers on the lower level of Woodland Hills Mall on the opening day of the mall on Aug. 4, 1976. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Shoppers investigate the new stores and glass elevator at the newly opened Woodland Hills Mall on Aug. 4, 1976. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

This view of Woodland Hills Mall shows what the surrounding properties looked like in August 1977. Tulsa World File
Woodland Hills Mall

This view of Woodland Hills Mall, looking north from 71st Street, shows what the surrounding properties looked like in August 1977. Tulsa World File
Woodland Hills Mall

Aerial view of Woodland Hills Mall on the northeast corner of 71st Street and Memorial Drive in 1982. Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa
Woodland Hills Mall

Shoppers search for the perfect gift amid the Christmas decorations at Woodland Hills Mall in December 1986. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Emily Jones, atop Chloe, was the 500,000 rider on the Woodland Hills Mall carousel in January 1992. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Crowds hurry past GiGi Graham, 15, in Woodland Hills Mall just before Christmas in 1996. Graham stared in the malls comercial as a 2-year-old. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Shoppers crowd Woodland Hills Mall on Nov. 29, 1996. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World
Woodland Hills Mall

Woodland Hills Mall is decorated for Christmas in 1996. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
Woodland Hills Mall

Tara Moffett (left) and Beth Lawyer look over clothes at the Eddie Bauer store in Woodland Hills Mall on Nov. 29, 1996. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Santa Claus awaits visitors at Woodland Hills Mall just before Christmas 1996. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Alex Powell, 3, gives Santa a kiss after delivering his Christmas wish list Monday afternoon at Woodland Hills Mall. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Colette Gall has her arms raised in victory after winning the musical chairs contest on Jan. 18,1997 in honor of the Tulsa Centennial and sponored by Kool 106. The winner received a $1,000 gift certificate to Woodland Hills Mall. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Recent Charles Page High School graduate Jamie Spencer shows her excitement after drawing the winning key to the 1997 Chevrolet Cavilier RS at the giveaway held at Woodland Hills Mall. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Regen Hufman, 2, watches a train travel around a Christmas tree as Kaylynn Dill shops for Christmas ornaments at Dillard's in Woodland Hills Mall in 1998. The store has already placed holiday items in the store. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Woodland Hills Mall shoppers line up outside the Kay Bee Toy store and wait for their chance to shop on Nov. 27, 1998. The line to get in began at 6 a.m. The company went out of business in 2009. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

People stand in line at Chick-Fil-A at Woodland Hills Mall food court on July 9, 1999. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Christmas shoppers wait for the Disney Store to open at Woodland Hills Mall Nov. 26, 1999. Thousands of Christmas shoppers got an early start Friday, with some Tulsa stores opening their doors at 6 a.m. and customer lines forming at 4 a.m. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Shoppers are shown at Woodland Hills Mall just before Christmas in 2005. Mike Simons/Tulsa World
Woodland Hills Mall

Matt Swaggart reacts as he enters the new Apple Store to buy an iPhone at Woodland Hills Mall in 2007. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
Woodland Hills Mall

People wait to enter the Cheesecake Factory at Woodland Hills Mall on Aug. 21, 2007. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Several shoppers convened on Woodland Hills mall on Nov. 23, 2007, the day after Thanksgiving. Tulsa World File
Woodland Hills Mall

Peri Rehm, a customer at the Apple store in Woodland Hills Mall, holds an iPad, on April 3, 2010. Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Thanks to plowed parking lots, Woodland Hills Mall opened for business Feb. 3, 2011 after a snow storm. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World file
Woodland Hills Mall

Rachael Evington (left), Bare Escentuals' business manager inside Woodland Hills mall, and Linda Layman Agency model Anabella Pope smile at the Bare Escentuals-Bare Minerals counter, after Evington applied "Snow Leopard" make-up to Pope. Tulsa World File
Woodland Hills Mall

Apple Store employees high five customers as they enter the store to purchase an iPhone 4s at the Apple Store in Woodland Hills Mall on Oct. 14, 2011. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
Woodland Hills Mall

People shop at Woodland Hills Mall on Nov. 12, 2012. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World
Woodland Hills Mall

Cousins Maricruz Muñoz,15, (left) and Monica Murillo,15, sleep on a break from shopping at Woodland Hills Mall in 2012. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
Woodland Hills Mall

Rohan Shrestha, 9, rides a mechanical bull on Aug. 3, 2013 at Woodland Hill Mall. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World
Woodland Hills Mall

Macie Gibbs (left) and her sister Quincy Gibbs (right), both of Broken Arrow, shop with their grandmother, Jane Myers, of Baxter springs, Kansas, inside the J.C. Penney store at Woodland Hills mall, on the first day of tax-free weekend in 2013. Tulsa World File
Woodland Hills Mall

Craig Milliken, product adviser for Microsoft, sets up merchandise for the store opening in Woodland Hills Mall in 2014. Tulsa World File
Woodland Hills Mall

As her sister Skylar Sharp, (left) 14 months, cries, Cassie Sharp, 5, from Beggs poses with Santa Claus at Woodland Hills Mall on Nov. 5, 2014. Tulsa World File
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