Hacienda? Well, it is a big building on a big lot, set up to handle a big crowd…read more
A shock to my system. Imagine if you will the small town of Tahlequah having a large clean new Mexican restaurant; Hacienda Vieja. It is nice. The owners' spent a few bucks to build out a large, nicely decorated restaurant, inside and out. Big parking area in the back. I believe it is associated with one of the Oklahoma based Mexican restaurateur cartels, that operate a chain of restaurants you would recognize by name. They advertise as authentic with excursions into TexMex cuisine. Looking at the menu I would say it's basically OkieMex, with some nice upgrades. To find the menu Google, Hacienda Vieja, then click on the "Order on Line." That will take you to a useable version of the menu.
The lunch menu is a deal! My wife went with the Sophia Special; two spinach enchiladas covered with red enchilada sauce and cheese sauce, served with rice and beans. The filling for the enchiladas was delicious. A mixture of fresh onions and spinach, grilled. The combination of red enchiladas sauce and queso worked well as a tasty covering for the enchiladas. I had the Special Lunch 1. A chili relleno, taco, refried beans and guacamole. Plenty of food, check the picture. Everything was mildly seasoned. A little help from the good salsas was needed. The guacamole was too salty, even for my taste, and a little bland.
Let's not forget the chips and salsa and a special dip! The red salsa good and green salsa; an excellent fire roasted jalapeno salsa. It had heat, but mild enough that my wife ate almost as much as I did. Then there is this thing in the appetizer section called NSU Dip. I would describe it as bunch of Mexican food left overs, thrown together as a midnight snack, after getting home from a late night at the bar. Maybe that is its origin, invented by a NSU student. Who knows? It was a conglomeration of chicken, ground beef, beans, Pico de Gallo, jalapeño slices and cheese dip. Surprisingly damn good!
The service was very good start to finish. The restaurant has a nice outdoor dining area for those few Oklahoma summer days, when you can stand to be outside. Clean and modern inside! The lunch menu is a bargain. We had two filling meals, an order of NSU dip, chips and good salsa, iced tea and a water. All coming in for a bill of around $27 without a tip. That is a good deal!
Try it!