first I am big fan of local family owned businesses, and believe in supporting them, when they provide good food or product at a fair price, and good customer service. sadly, el gallo loco, was sooo disappointing in sooo many ways. 1) after reading the reviews, called and lady answered, started to talk and she hung up on me. called back and the same thing happened again, she hung up on me again. because of good reviews, drove there to enjoy some "authentic mexican food". 2) walked into the restaurant that is combination restaurant/grocery store. the back, where the menu is on the wall, (no table-side service), the entire menu is in spanish, but with u.s. dollar prices listed for each item. since I only spoke english, come to find out that "only one lady spoke some, very little english". after some awkward attempts at communicating, I understood there was an entree offered, comes with beans and rice, and choice of 2 meats (choose from the variety of items in metal warming trays, behind the plexi-glass in front of me, choices were 5 or 6 that were pork based, 1 beef, and 1 asiago steak, 1 zucchini based, and 1 potato based. but "no chicken" offered, none. ("never" been to any mexican restaurant that did not offer at least 1 kind of chicken dish, usually more than 1 kind of chicken dish) so got the entree, got extra portion of rice to substitute out for the refined beans, got the zuchini, and the beef (since, there was "no chicken", and don't eat/like pork), cost $12.99 3) the food review. sat down to enjoy my plate of food at a table. the rice was very bland, no flavor at all, the zuchini was overcooked and too mushy, the beef was extremely dry (like was old, or been cooked way too long) and beef had no flavor. asked for glass of water, and the lady took me to a sliding glass door cooler, and handed me a bottled water. ok, maybe all the water glasses were dirty. 4) the customer service. this was very weird and bad service. here's what happened, went to use bathroom 2nd time, came back from using the bathroom, and to my shock, my plate with 1/2 of my food left was gone, and so was my 1/2 bottle of water. all completely gone. they had cleaned off my table and dumped my food. what makes me sooo angry, is they saw me go to the bathroom, knew was still there, cause you pay for the food after you eat and get ready to leave. (good restaurants, never clean off your table, that still has food on it, when they know you just went to the bathroom. good restaurants, always wait to make sure the customer or customers have finished eating, and left their restaurant, "before cleaning off your table") so went to the cashier, she rang up and charged me for the entree for $12.99, and handed me ticket/receipt for total $17.95. why is it $17.95, the entree was $12.99, why charged extra $4.95? came to find out they charged me $2.99 for a regular "wal-mart size" bottle of water, the rest was tax. there is "no complimentary glass of water". (the bottle of water cost them 50 cents at the most, probably less, much less, cause you buy the bottled water in packages of 40 bottles each per pack. I know what it costs them, cause I buy bottled water, same size of bottled water) they are charging $2.99 for bottle of water that costs them, say 50 cents. that means they are MAKING $2.49 PROFIT ON EACH AND EVERY BOTTLE OF "WALMART SIZE" BOTTLED WATER THEY SELL. absolutely ridiculous, to be over-charging for bottle of water, and taking advantage of people". 5) final overview. I ended up paying total of $17.95, for "authentic mexican food" that had no flavor, can get better tasting food for lot less money at "taco bell". (NEVER been to any sit-down at table restaurant that did not ever offer "free complimentary glass of water") all "authentic mexican food" family restaurants that have been to in tulsa, oklahoma area, have made the effort and gone to the trouble to learned to speak enough "english", so as to be able to communicate with their "english speaking" customers. (if you are going to move to oklahoma, and going to live and work here, it is your responsibility to be able to communicate with those living here. if that means, you don't know how to speak "english" then you find ways to teach yourself to speak "english", to be able to communicate. sadly, "el gallo loco", family-owned business, does not offer good food, does not offer good value, and has horrible customer service. I will never go back to eat at "el gallo loco" restaurant again. sorry for the very long review, but wanted to be thorough, since the reviews are 4, 5, and 6 years old reviews. possibly save you from having the same frustrating, horrible experience like I had, and possibly save you from wasting $17.95 customer beware, and stay far away from this supposedly "authentic mexican food" restaurant. read more

Went here on the fabulous recommendations of Yelpers and ended up throwing away half a plate of food. Nothing is in English and there aren't signs that tell you what meat is which so I had a two item plate and just pointed. I ended up with what looked to be red beef and green pork. There was no giant portion of anything like others mentioned. I opened my to go container after going not even 1/4 of a mile back to work to find everything mixed together and leaking into the bag as if it had been put in sideways. The beef was okay, no complaints, but what I suspect was pork had a dirty tripe taste and was very chewy. So chewy and unappetizing that I threw the rest of the plate of food in the trash. read more

El Gallo Loco - two trucks parked in front of a restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Tulsa, Oklahoma

We love the quesadillas, they are delicious. Don't let non menus scare you. This place is a working persons place. The steak and chicken quesadillas have the freshest tortillas. read more

See all

My family resides in Arkansas but when we're visiting Tulsa, we always like to stop by this place! It's difficult to find authentic Mexican food-- and this place delivers! Not to mention their freshly made tortillas (huge by the way!) So good! read more

El Gallo Loco - Fresh off the comal tortilla - Mexican Near Me - Tulsa, Oklahoma

El Gallo Loco is legit. The carne asada is slammin. Get it on a plate with rice and beans or have them make you a quesadilla. The birria and pork (chili verde) are also very good, but the pork is definitely spicy! Rice and beans are wonderful. They make huge homemade white corn tortillas that are thick and delicious. Give them a try even if you're not a corn tortilla fan. read more

El Gallo Loco - Birria and Pork! Warning: Pork is spicy but good! - Mexican Near Me - Tulsa, Oklahoma

This is the only place I know of that serves traditional Mexican mole. However, they don't serve it all the time so call ahead if that's what you're after! It's helpful to know Spanish here read more

I don't even want to give this place a star at alll the meat wasn't cooked right and I found a hair in my damn food this place is trash

This has to be the most authentic Mexican restaurant in Tulsa, at least it is the most traditional I have found yet. You better know Spanish or bring someone that knows it. You might be able to get by without it, but knowing what they have to offer would be nice. There is no menu, there are 12 options, including rice and beans. 6 of us went and got quite of bit of different stuff which everyone liked. Even our friends from Mexico were impressed on how traditional it was. When you walk in, go to the food line and have them fill up a plate of different stuff, i had the pork with green sauce and the pork with red sauce. They also have beef, chicken, and even veggie items including cactus. After you have your plate full of food grab a drink, and your freshly homemade tortillas and enjoy. Some how the total was $8, not really sure why either :) read more

If you like nacho cheese sauce from a can poured all over your enchiladas, mildly spiced plastic food that vaguely resembles Mexican food if you squint at it, or funny drinks with umbrellas in em - this ain't the place. But if you enjoy authentic "home-cooked" Mexican food full of flavor and spices, fresh tortillas, a plate full of food at a decent price - look no further. This is the good stuff. They're not gonna come out with a sombrero and sing happy birthday, but they'll fill you up with some great food and have you walking out the door already planning your next trip. read more

This is the finest Mexican food in the world, bar none!! I have traveled all over Mexico and the world eating Mexican food all my life. I was married to a Mexican woman who cooked very well. This is the best you're going to ever find. read more

Amazing! We had the "pick 2 items" dinner which came with a massive amount of rice and beans BESIDES massive amounts of the two entrees it came with. I had the pig ribs and the beef. THEY WERE SOOO GOOD! We had just gotten back from South Texas where we had just eaten authentic Mexican cooked food while crossing the border in Progresso Mexico. Believe it or not, this food was just as authentic and just as good. The corn tortillas were made from scratch as we watched the gal make them for us and were served up warm as could be. Lots of leftovers for the next days lunch! We visited this place early evening, but wouldn't feel safe going there later. It's not a fancy place, but most hole-in-the-wall places like this aren't and normally are the ones that are the diamond in the rough. We would definitely go back if in the area again. read more

Seriously though, it's good stuff but dont expect the kitchen to know english. Lady at the counter didn't seem to have any patience for our non spanish nonsense, but the friendly gentlemen who helped us out made it less uncomfortable. Rice and beans are point! read more

Good Mexican meals. Stuff hardly speak English but their attitudes were quite politely.

Yum yum. Es muy bueno! The green pork is delicious and homemade tortillas were very good. They have mole but I didn't try it this time. I will definitely be back. As Lance L. said, don't wait to be seated. Just go to the counter, get what you want on your plate, grab a real sugar Coke and sit and eat. Pay when you are done. If you like meats in spicy sauces, this is the place for you. read more

Stumbled across this place and discovered a super legit mexican food place! Wonderful, fresh tortillas being made right on the line and excellent selection of authentic mexican fare including pigs feet in a spicy sauce, mexican prepared squash and cactus served a couple of different ways. As for those who complain about no signage nor English speakers, make a friend in line to help you out or perhaps there was a conflict in character as the user's previous reviews seem to indicate a difficult customer, and proud of it. When we were their, the nice lady at the cash register walked us through the entire ordering process and gave us a brief description of each dish. Pretty straightforward affair, 2 proteins and 2 sides for $8.50 and 3 proteins and 2 sides for $10.50. Nice little condiment bar and plenty of mexican sodas to choose from. Enjoy and don't be intimidated, all there were very friendly although we did hear the occasional "gringo" floating through the air. Made me confident we were in the right place! read more

Awesome food, the beans and rice are as authentic as they can get and so are the hand-made tortillas. I would recomend ordering a quesadilla with your choice of meat ,also the caldo de rez which is a beef stew with vegestables is delicious . not a place for tex mex eaters this a place with authentic mexican food. read more

Best Authentic mexican food in town. They have fresh tortillas and it is like a buffeteria. They have more varieties on the weekends.

Amazing real mexican food. Buffet with plates filled up of your choice and delicious tortillas made by hand.

This is my "go to" for Mexican food! The place is authentic for sure... don't expect "Salsa and chips" here. True, most of the employees do not know English, but they are quite kind and patient and all you gotta do is point to what you want. The (usual) lady at the cash register knows English and is a big help. I've even had children waiting in line do translations for me! (And I paid them for their services!) The food is really good... love the quesadillas with fajita beef or chicken. Rice and beans are good too. One quesadilla with rice and beans is plenty... They also have a soup that's very simple and delicious. If you're looking for authentic Mexican food at a very reasonable price... THIS is the place to go. read more

I had a great evening meal. Walked in without realizing what I was getting into. Spanish is the lingua franca here. Helpful staff and another customer and me not being such a baby about remembering my Spanish got me to the table with a couple of corn tortilla quesadillas with chili verde. Amazing. Authentic. Tasty. Inexpensive. read more

Ive been going to this place for a bit, the food was great until my aunt told about when she use to work here she seen rouches on the meat they use to cook and they always use meat thats about to expire first so it doesn't go to waste. I didnt believe until now when I went to get chicaron and discovered a roach head in my food. I quickly got up and told the lady I'm outta here and didnt even have the appetite to eat all day. So watch carefully on how fast your eating read more

Love this place. Its not pretty to look at, but once you taste theyre food you are hooked. I recomend their Quezadillas. You can put whatever you want in them. I recomend putting in some Carne Asada delicious. read more