Ted’s Cafe Escondido

It was ok. The frozen goblet of beer with salt and lime was cold but NOT frozen. Disappointed. I had enchiladas with the tamale and taco. I substituted the ground beef with the fajita meat taco. Bleh… so Yuck all I could taste was grease no cilantro taste. My boyfriend ordered a chicken tamale and I ordered beef. We both got beef. I ordered double rice and got rice and beans. I think ultimately the waiter should check his ticket against the food in the cooks area before he delivers it. He got a 10% because of not caring about his customers. Our sopapillas were served in to go boxes with no honey because the waiter said they were changing the water in the dishwasher? Gross!!! We won’t be back.

We finally made it back to Ted’s for lunch!!! Great service. We had lunch specials. The fajita burrito and taco/​enchilada combo. The tacos were my fav!!!

While traveling home to Phoenix from Chicago we visited Ted’s and were very impressed! Thin, crispy, warm chips and made on-​site tortillas with several salsas, queso, and pickled vegetables were offered free with an entrée. After that, we were almost too full to eat the delicious chicken tortilla soup and enchiladas. We try this soup everywhere we go and would place it in our top three. We couldn’t resist splitting one cinnamon sugar sopapilla, also served warm. Yum!

Food was good, just good, which was a disappointment because it is normally way better than good. And I ordered takeout, arrived 30 minutes later as instructed and waited an additional 15 minutes-​on what was not a typical busy Saturday night. All 3 people waiting were waiting for take out, there was no wait for a table. Maybe I should have dined in. And for every time I order atomic sauce with my take out the take out person has to return to the kitchen to get some — every time. Why? And Why if you have a line for take out is there only one person to handle orders? The manager (?) at the front could not help, he was too busy texting and laughing at what he was reading on his phone. Not cool or appropriate.

Easily the best Mexican food I’ve had in more than a decade or even longer perhaps. This was such a great find and it happened accidentally by using Google Maps this evening. I was on a business trip in Oklahoma City and decided to try some Mexican food. The nachos with shredded chicken and the hard shell taco with shredded chicken were both excellent. The atomic salsa really added a lot of great spice. Be sure to ask for it. The freshly-​made, authentic tortillas were not thin like they are at some places. The light, thin, but not weak, chips (and salsa) came with complimentary queso and at the end of the meal, you get a complimentary sopapilla, which is beautifully made. Laura was excellent and really made my meal pleasurable. She’s a real asset to this restaurant. They have a large and attentive staff and the ambience is very welcoming and fun. They also do catering and have a banquet room across the street. If I didn’t live so far I would eat here very often, but I live in Dallas and the drive is probably a bit too far. For people in the area this is a real gem of a place.

Will be back! Great value for all you get!!!
Mixed drinks are great! We tried Thunder (blue drink) and the perfect margarita. I highly recommend the perfect margarita!
The «best tacos» are fantastic.
Don’t forget to get yourself some free sopapillas for dessert!
Tortillas with butter and honey are to die for. Their tortillas are hand made fresh! Try to save room for your food too!

I don’t know if this is the location I ate at, but I’m assuming they’re pretty much alike. I had the tamales which were EXCELLENT. My favorite thing about this place is the variety of sides that you can have with your meal. NOT just the same old rice & beans! The same goes for the chips and dips they bring out beforehand. It’s not JUST salsa, but queso and spicy vegetables and ATOMIC salsa! And then if that’s not good enough, when you get ready to leave, they’ll give you more of these chips and dips to take HOME!!!

This was my first visit here and I fell in love instantly. Fromthe moment you enter you are greeted warmly and seated promptly. I ordered steak fajita enchiladas. The meat was very flavorful and well seasoned. It came with pico already inside the enchilada, so if you’re not a fan of tomatoes, this may not be for you.
We received our entrees fast and our waiter was awesome. You even get free chips with queso and salsa along with sopaillas at the end of your meal!

Very good Tex-​Mex, I do like the thin chip and the salsa is good, not spicy but good flavor. My favorite thing to order at any Mexican restaurant is the Chili Relleno, Most Tex-​Mex use poblano peppers, non-​Tex-​Mex use Anaheim or Hatch peppers. I ordered the shredded beef stuffed in a poblano pepper lightly fried in a egg flour batter, topped with ranchera sauce and jack cheese. Very good, the beef was tender and tasty. The bean were a little thin and runny, but again had good flavor and also had guacamole and sour cream on the side. My friend order Chicken Chimichangas which is burrito stuffed with meat, cheese and salsa and deep fried. What can I say «FRIED» YUMMY this was delicious and I’m not a chicken fan. This was also topped with ranchera sauce and sour cream and bean and rice. Hand made flour tortilla’s served fresh and hot. We had this as a «to go order», when I called in the order a very polite person told me it will be about 50 minutes for the to go order, this I did appreciate knowing exacting when our order would be ready and hot, not sitting under a heat lamp. When I got to Ted’s and gave my name, within 5 minutes the waiter came out with my order in a large bag, he took everything out and opened each container showing me exacting what I ordered, mine no rice. Great service on the go order.

This a fabulous find! Our server, Logan, knew we were new and recommended two perfectly fabulous dishes. Definitely spend a little more money for the marinated meat choices as they are extremely tender and flavorful. The creamed corn and grilled mixed veggies were out of this world. Extremely generous portions. Free homemade flour tortillas, chips and salsa and optional relish are served complimentary with every meal. No liquor at this establishment so no margaritas. They do have beer though. The quality of the food more than makes up for it though. Will definitely visit this gem when we are in town again.

Still very busy as usual. Thankfully we did not have to wait too long this time. Still love all the complimentary items flour tortilla, chips and salsa, queso, relish and spicy salsa– very well done. I had tamale today with cream corn and grilled veggie. love them all. Grilled veggie was a bomb. Definitely coming back for more of that. Megan was very tentative and with smiles at all time. Another great experience with great service.

AMAZING. I’m in town on business and this restaurant was a suggestion from a local. I am so glad we stopped! Their cheese sauce, which you get when you sit down is amazing, the best part is you don’t have to share, everyone gets their own bowl. Our dinner was so flavorful and the homemade tortillas are heavenly! Our waiter Dave was funny and attentive but not over the top. I will most definitely be back the next time I’m in town.

Fine service. Very welcoming and had our food out to us quickly. The Mexican food here is different than what I’m used to, so I can’t comment a lot on that. I had a fajita that was pretty good, but I am just not crazy about the queso and how it is made in almost all of the restaurants in OKC. Besides that it was a great experience!

Ate here twice while visiting OKC. 1^st server was Junior and he was prompt, friendly and knowledgeable. Unfortunately we had a family emergency and had to leave before we could tell him. Junior and the management handled our emergency with compassion and kindness which was greatly appreciated.
Aye there again last night and it was CROWDED and I think our party of 4 kinda got lost, or or server was experiencing her 1^st dinner rush ever. Our order didn’t get put in, so our plates were really late getting to us.
Food was still amazing and fresh as always. Only problem was by the time the food got there we were stuffed on the great chips, salsa and extras.
Management as well as the server acknowledged the mess up and were very good about it. The actually comped ½ our meal for the unusual wait which was appreciated.
The food was as amazing as always. I will be back and think what happened was just a fluke.
The 1^st visit was on March 29^th with Junior as our server and the 2^nd visit was April 2^nd. I unfortunately don’t remember our servers name or the Mgr working that night. The food was really really good!
I’m from OKC (living in Ca now) and try to make it in to Ted’s on each of my visits. I will continue to visit Teds as usually the service is prompt and fun, with the food speaking volumes!

I am not sure what the rage is for Ted’s. Salsa was okay but the chips were good and light. I ordered Mexican tacos — chicken. They were bland. Side of pintos — zero flavor and needed longer cooking. Rice — well, from reading my previous reviews I am not a rice person so it was good for rice. Our hostess and waitress were great. Attentive. It was clean and the parking lot was packed. It just didn’t do it for me but in Texas — everything has more spice and we are spoiled for excellent authentic and/​or Tex Mex.

People in Oklahoma rave about Teds and think it’s the greatest thing since soft tacos. I, however, disagree. As a self proclaimed Texas-​bred Tex-​Mex/​Mexican food snob (there is a difference), I am suspicious of their free queso. Queso under no circumstances should be free unless you are at a work function, party or a significant other or significant other prospect is paying for it. I’m sorry, the best things in life actually aren’t free, especially if it has to do with cheese. The rest of the food is fine, but nothing special. I’ll pass and wait until I go home to Dallas where I will happily pay $ 5 for my melted cheese.

I am giving Ted’s 4 stars. It is one of the best Mexican restaurants I’ve been to in a long time, if not one of the best ever.
Complimentary appetizers include your choice of queso, salsa, and atomic salsa with tortillas or chips. You can have all of the above if you want, and we did. I wasn’t personally crazy about the queso, just wasn’t my thing (my dad liked it), but the atomic salsa was fresh and delicious.
I ordered a Dos Equis Amber in a frozen glass with lime and salt on the rim. I recommend trying one as that is pretty much the perfect way to enjoy a Dos Equis.
I got the marinated steak fajitas with homemade tortillas, and it did not disappoint. The steak, peppers, and onions had excellent flavor, and the homemade tortillas were light, soft and fluffy. Easily the best tortillas I’ve had in a long time.
Lastly, to address the Mexican versus Tex-​Mex issue since several reviewers seem to have a problem with the fact that Ted’s is actually Tex-​Mex (which it is). Folks: it is widely accepted in our society that «Mexican» is either Tex-​Mex or has Tex-​Mex elements. MOST restaurants that call themselves Mexican are Tex-​Mex. Ted’s doesn’t bill itself as «Authentic Mexican,» so I am fine with what they do. If you aren’t smart enough to grasp how that works, you shouldn’t be reviewing restaurants. Don’t be a ding dong.

#1. NOT Mexican. Tex-​Mex
#2. Service was HORRIBLE. We had to ask for glasses for beer (never came) refills on Coke (brought Dr. Pepper 15 minutes later) and 1 basket of chips for a table of 8? And our 8 diners were crammed into a table for 6. Most uncomfortable meal I’ve had in quite some time.
3. No manager presence, or I promise we would have complained!

Our family has come to Ted’s for many, many years! It is always very good, never a bad meal. Our favorites include Tacos Al Carbon, Escondido Special, and Enchilada/​Tamale Combo. Chips, Salsa, Queso, Tortillas are included.
Be sure to bring your friend on their Birthday so they can be totally embarrassed in front of the whole restaurant. :-)
Come early so you don’t have to wait. Yep, it’s that good!
Our fav. waitress is Laura. Yea!!!

So glad we went to Teds today. It’s a really nice Mexican restaurant. It’s colorful and well spaced with a nice ambiance. It’s a busy place because they do it well.
We were greeted and shown to out table immediately. Our waitress greeted us and brought out a setup very quickly. She asked us if we wanted atomic salsa. The atomic salsa was so very good as was the rest of the set up. You could tell that it was all fresh.
I asked if I could have a Margarita. This is the only Ted’s that doesn’t make drinks. However, they made me a wine cooler Margarita that was outstanding and truly a very good drink.
We ordered the Fajitas and they were excellent.
I look forward to coming back here again.