Casa Blanca Cocina Mexicana — Restaurant in Norman

We ate with friend here last night. I had high hopes but was left disappointed. I'm going to line out the night.

Wife ordered a Margarita and asked for Casa Mingos vs house tequila. Waitress brings Margarita with a shot glass of Casa Mingos. Says the margarita already had tequila but my wife could add the shot. After we explained she wanted it made with Casa Mingos we go the right one. This was a sign of things to come.

Place has way too many tables to cram as many people in as possible and it's loud. So tight the waiters and waitresses can't move around or even move the guacamole cart around.

We waited 55 minutes and still no food. After I asked, the waitress brings our neighbors food but not ours. She finally comes with a double order of combination fajitas which my wife ordered combination but not a double. We told them it was not ours. After sitting in front of us for 5 minutes and then figuring out it wasn't ours, they picked it up and moved it to the table behind us. Leaving a plate of rice and beans I guess for my wife to snack on. She didnt want it by itself though she wanted it with her fajitas.

We wait longer and by this time our friends are done. They finally bring my wifes fajitas and her beans and rice are cold.

They bring my food about 5 minutes after my wife's. I ordered shrimp ceviche and the bacon wrapped jalapenos. They only brought the ceviche. It was gray and not done correctly. Basically raw which I know ceviche is cooked in marinated juice but it should be white and firm not gray and raw.

I never got my jalapenos. I finally asked for the manager. He apologized and told the waitress not to charge us and asked if I wanted something else. I asked him what was quick. He said a Chimichanga. They brought it out and it was just OK. Really a bit undercooked.

I had high hopes this would be a high end mexican restaurant. The building looks like it could be but they seem to have WAY too much on the menu and way too many people. If they were to cut down on about 1/3 to 1/4 the tables and overhaul the menu to an more upscale menu then this could be a great place but I fear it won't be around long. It's trying to be a Tarahumara's(menu type) but without the service/quality.

There are very few high end mexican restauraunts in OKC and this place would be a great location. I am used to MiCo Cina's, Masero's, Christina's in DFW being from there. Dare I say even Uncle Julios is a higher end place with a more varied menu. Otherwise its the same stuff with less quality that you get at every other mexican place in OKC.

Really looking forward to Masero's when they open here. We may be back but it won't be...

It’s a nice looking restaurant with tons of windows that provide a great view of the I-35 Service Road. The booths are as uncomfortable as they are tall, but the table will move to allow you to split the space between you. The fatal flaw with the tables is the cola colored streaks in the otherwise white plastic meant to look like marble. I kept catching the streaks out of my peripheral vision, and every time I did, I had a mini panic attack, thinking that my drink was spilling.

The menu is something I would’ve expected if The Cheesecake Factory decided to go Mexican. It’s a spiral bound book with multiple sections. Somewhere towards the back, but not all the way, is the lunch menu, and it’s not intuitive where lunch ends and dinner resumes.

The chips and salsa were chips and salsa, with nothing exceptional or repulsive. The chips were on the thicker side, and I prefer the thinner variety, but that is simply a matter of taste. The salsa came in a small bottle capped with aluminum foil, giving us the opportunity to pour as much as little as we wanted. It had a good flavor and wasn’t too spicy. There is no complementary queso. The small bowls start at $5 and the large bowls start at $10. Unless you’re by yourself, you need a large.

I ordered a super taco off of their combo menu, and it came with rice and beans. My friend got the chimichanga. Both of these were supposed to be fried flour tortillas. I don’t know what happened, but they were anything but fried. If you ever set a flour tortilla on the kitchen counter and ignored it for a few days, you’d be close to what we received. They placed my taco on top of my refried beans, which resulted in a soggy experience, at least on half. Speaking of the beans: They had a good flavor, but nothing should come out of the kitchen looking the consistency and color of a newborn baby diaper. Every bite was a challenge, and I have eaten many questionable things. The rice was really good, probably the best item on my plate. Fluffy and flavorful.

Nothing about my experience inspires me...

We tried Casa Blanca for the first time tonight. Upon entering we could see a bright, cheerful, and mostly white decor. But when we sat down in a booth everything went south. I noticed I could feel salt or something on the seat that wasn't wiped off. The table was narrow for the two of us so I don't think 4 ppl would fit on this Four Top. The booth itself was quite tight and the seat backs weren't slanted at all. If you don't have perfect posture, it's not comfortable at all! They brought us unsalted corn chips, which were hard and tasted store bought and some red sauce. We had to ask for queso and when it arrived it was way too hot with jalapeño. (It's supposed to be mild cheese sauce.) My wife ordered her favorite - Steak Fajitas and I decided to try the Shrimp Chimichanga. Both were disappointing. The tiny dollop of guac and runny sour cream were dropped on unnecessary lettuce leaves on the plates, and the guac was covered in diced salsa. By the time I scrapped off the salsa there really wasn't any guac left to speak of. The refried beans were a strange orange color and were tasteless as well as the rice.

But the worst thing was that my wife's Fajita Steak was shredded! Think, shoe string fries or shredded lettuce size! We were expecting nice, thick, chunky slices. We both tasted it and it was tough, and didn't taste like any fajita seasonings we've ever had. (bad) I found the manager and he did offer to remake the fajita plate with bigger pieces this time. They were more tender and tasted better but they were only on the top. The tiny slivers were found again on the bottom. My Chimi wasn't cooked enough and the tortilla was mushy and wet. When we got sopapillas they looked very high class! 4 Little triangles over a drizzle of chocolate, 2 flowers of whipped cream with cherries on the top. Unfortunately they looked pale, we're undercooked, weren't warm, and didn't taste good.

We paid (for both dinners - no comp or discount or anything) left a 20% tip and left.

But we...