El Mexicano — Restaurant in Perkins

The restaurant is hidden on a side street in Perkins. It is not a recent cartel startup. The waitress said El Mexicano had been in business for over 15 years. They advertise as authentic Mexican and they are, with what I would call a little TexMex added in here and there.

It was and excellent find for us. Two of the best plates of Mexican food that we have had, in small town Oklahoma restaurants. Nothing bland from the salsa to the beans, excellent spicy flavors.

My wife had the Fried Tamales. Two fried until golden brown, topped with tomatillo salsa verde and queso blanco, garnished with diced tomatoes and cilantro. Served with rice and beans. For me the Papa Poblano. It was a different presentation of my favorite Mexican food items. An amazing combination of a deep-fried cheese filled Chile Relleno rolled up in a slab of fajita beef, topped with sauteed shrimp in a creamy mushroom chipotle sauce, garnished with diced tomatoes and cilantro. It is difficult to explain how delicious this combination was. The creamy cheesy spicy chipotle sauce made the meal. On the side, the perfect charro beans, topped with fresh chopped jalapeno, tomato and onion. These 5-star meals you have to try. They favor TexMex in presentation and spiciness.

A great Mexican restaurant, attractive décor, comfortable chairs and booths, with small town friendly service. Beer and Tequila is available. Their menu can be found online.

If you are looking for other Mexican restaurants in the area, check out my reviews in my collection "Jalapeno Highway" on Yelp. I've...

The wait staff was very friendly. We were seated in a timely manner. Chips and queso was brought to the table quickly and our order was taken promptly. Not a long wait for our food either. But, the tables appeared to be packed in the room tighter than 6ft apart.The food was a little less than desirable. The yellow queso tasted like it was made with fake cheese and was not palatable to me and it was a little thin. I ask the waitress if they had any other queso she told me they had some white. I assumed they were just going to bring some and swap me out. Although the white queso was good. I was charged for it unknowingly. I ordered the godfather with chicken. It was spicier than most dishes I have had that compare to this so I informed the waitress.. she told me that it was probably just the jalapeños in the pico. I reordered another entree this time tacos. It was okay. Not wonderful. When I paid they ask how was everything. I told them how it was. They made the same excuse about the pico. No apology no I'm sorry that your experience wasn't the best and no concessions were offered for having to wait for my dinner twice. Plus I was charged for the queso I thought she was exchanging because the yellow queso was nasty tasting to me. Probably will not return for a...

There are maybe two or three dishes on the menu that come close to being "Authentic" from a Mexican kitchen. Having said that, and as the title of this review states, it is still excellent food. I had the Chili Verde. Pork cubes simmered in a spicy tomatillo and green chile sauce. They also chopped some arbol chiles and added them to the sauce which made it a bit more spicy than with only green chiles. As it should have been, the sauce was not pure, bright green. It was a muted greenish-brown color. Perfectly seasoned and the pork was tender. Mom had the Enchilada Trio. Beef, chicken and cheese enchiladas each with their own sauce. I had a bite of each and they all had great flavor. My only gripe was that the corn tortillas were very soft (almost to the point of being 'gummable'). Both dishes were served with rice and beans (you won't find that in Mexico, unless you're at a tourist trap). Another thing you won't find in Mexico, chips and salsa. The salsa at El Mexicano was excellent. Fresh, spicy, and a nice balance of cilantro and acidity. Overall, I would highly recommend El Mexicano if you're ever in...