Mariscos El Viejón — Restaurant in Tulsa

This is the first time I had to go to a restaurant two times before writing a review. The first time, I wasn’t sure if I was being fair. I love seafood too much, and sometimes I like it even when maybe it’s not that good. So I wanted to come back, take my time, and really see how this place is—la neta.

The first visit was on a Friday night. The place had live music, ambiente bien chido, and honestly I got distracted from even thinking like a reviewer. I just had a good time. That’s why I knew I needed to come back—solo, on a regular day, dressed in my work clothes. That’s when you see the real service and what kind of attention they give you when you're just another customer, not someone who looks like they’re going to spend big.

Let’s talk about the food first. As I said, seafood is my weakness. You almost have to mess it up really bad for me not to like it. But here? The food was delicious. Presentation, flavor—todo bien. One little detail, though: my dish came super spicy. I was expecting some spice, but this one came in hot. I liked it, but for someone who’s not used to it, that can be a problem. They should say on the menu when a dish is extra spicy, para que no agarren sorpresa.

Now, about the service… Honestly, this part disappointed me. During that second visit, I only saw my waitress three times: once to give me the menu, once to bring my drink, and once to bring my food. After that—nothing. No refill, no “how’s your food,” nothing. Maybe it was my look that day, maybe she didn’t think I would tip well. I don’t know. But I did notice other waitresses being more attentive to their tables, so it’s not like they were too busy. Maybe I just got unfortunate, but still—it’s not a good feeling when you feel ignored.

El ambiente? Muy bonito. Even before walking in, the outside of the restaurant looks clean, modern, like they put effort into it. Inside, same thing. You can tell they care about the experience. That Friday night with live music was awesome. The second visit didn’t have music, but they had soft background music and some soccer playing at the bar. It was chill—perfect for a relaxing lunch.

The bathrooms… mmm, ahí sí falta un poco. Not terrible, but compared to how nice the dining area is, the bathrooms don’t match. First time I went, they were messy. Second time, they were clean and no smell, but just basic. Also, there’s no space between the bathroom door and the tables, so when you walk out, you’re basically right in someone’s eating space. I think they could fix that to make it more private, but I get that maybe it’s not easy without remodeling.

So, final thoughts: This spot? It’s my new favorite place for Mexican seafood—in all the state. I haven’t had seafood like that anywhere else. Both dishes I tried were fire. Even with the not-so-great service that second time, it’s not enough to keep me away. The food, the music, the vibe—todo está en su punto.

Fierro, pariente! Nos...

When we walked in at 11:30 we were the only diners in the restaurant. The waitress only spoke very limited English and we speak no Spanish. So it is point at the menu to order. No Iced tea. No problem, water works. I pointed at the Camarones on the menu and prepared with the Nayarit sauce (whatever that is). My wife pointed at the Carne, and somehow my wife understood that the waitress was asking how she wanted it cooked. Medium Rare!

The meal starts with a small bowl of ceviche, crackers toasted corn tortillas, and screaming hot orange colored and green colored hot sauce. I am guessing the two were made with habanero and Serrano peppers. They were hot, but good, as was the ceviche.

The food was spectacular and generous. The camarones came in a delicious red sauce with onions and the plate included, rice, a salad, fries, and toasted garlic bread. It was great! The carne came with a tender carne asada steak, rice, beans, fries, salad, a cheese enchilada, tortillas, grilled onions, and of course…a “chili toreado!

The restaurant has a stage set up for a band. It is big inside and is laid out like a big music hall / sports bar. I am thinking that in the evenings this place is shaking. I’m glad we went for a fairly quiet lunch.

The prices seemed a little high, but after seeing the quality, freshness, and quantity of the food, I felt it was fairly priced.

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

We went on Saturday night after seeing a TikTok about the restaurant. It was busy, however we stood at the door for over 20 min waiting for anyone to acknowledge us. We eventually get seated and place our order. There was 5 adults and a child. One adult meal came out with the appetizer. Our waitress did not come back for an hour when she realized we were still waiting on food. She explained that the kitchen was busy and the rest of the food would be out in 10 min. Ten minutes later 2 more adult meals came out. After another hour, the waitress and her manager comes over. The manager explains that the kitchen is busy and they are trying to get our food out. Keep in mind every table that came in after us is eating their food. The manager says, "only Hispanic people come there and we are not used to serving, you know, no offense, white people". I didn't realize Hispanic people and white people ordered and were served differently. Her remark was very insulting. About 20 minutes later the last 3 meals came out. We were there for over 3 hours. Everything about this experience was terrible and I would advise anyone that is not Hispanic not frequent this restaurant as you wont be appreciated as a...