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Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant
1718 E. 2nd St.Edmond, OK
(405) 348-1800
When I attended college in Edmond I literally ate at every Mexican restaurant in town trying to find
anything that resembled the Mexican food I had found in Texas, but everything was so "dumbed down"
that all I could stand was one, or at most two visits to any one restaurant. Los Arcos is better than
the restaurants I found at that time, but in some ways I found it to be as dissimilar to true Mexican
food as the meals that were served to me in my college days. Fortunately, though, a few of the
items I tried were pretty good.
I let too much time pass before writing down my observations, so unfortunately I do not remember
much about the set-ups (chips, salsa, and queso). I take it from not remembering having a bad
experience, though, that they must have been good.
I certainly remember the home made style Lemonade that was served, though, that turned
out to be one of the best I have had in Oklahoma (or anywhere, for that matter). This was the thin,
not too sweet type of fresh lemonade I have found both along the border and in Mexico. I thought I
remembered the waiter saying they had horchata also, and now that I know how good the drinks
are, it would be a tough choice to decide between them.
The Chicken Tampiqueña was not on the menu, but they genersouly offered to substitute
chicken for the steak tampiqueña that was normally served. I suppose I should not complain too much,
then, when it did not turn out quite like I expected. The chicken seemed to be made with the spices used
for fajita meat, but I thought it was missing something. The meat was good, though, so the spices were
not that big an issue.
The thing that surprised me, though, was the topping. The menu said it came with a tomato and
green pepper sauce, so this made it sound as if it would be a dish similar to the ones served in El Paso
or other places that I have had authentic versions of chicken tampiquena. It turned out to be pico de
gallo, though, and this had little resemblance to the sauce I was expecting. I am sure there are
many ways to prepare a tampiqueña steak, but this was not one of the better ones I have tried.
The Guacamole was good, and this can probably be counted as a big improvement over the
Mexican food I used to find on the north side of the Oklahoma City metro.
I will have to say that Los Arcos does not really claim to be an authentic Mexican restaurant, but
serves Tex-Mex style food. Even by this standard, though, the Cheese Enchilada that came
with the tampiquena was a huge disappointment. The enchilada is pictured at the top of the
plate, with a brown sauce on top. Even though this was supposed to be a "chile con carne" sauce,
it did not come close in flavor or texture to ones I have tried in Austin and San Antonio. I do not
know what kind of cheese was used inside the enchilada but I did not care for it enough to eat
very much of it.
Since going to Los Arcos I have found out that the guiso dishes are supposed to be very good.
Although several things about the chicken tampiqueña disappointed me, the meat was good, and I think
the chicken fajitas probably would have been pretty good. I hate to think, though, that people have to be
so careful about what they order or they might get something as disappointing as the cheese enchilada.
Home made style lemonade at Los Arcos
Chicken tampiquena at Los Arcos
RESTAURANT DETAILS
RATING: 17
Cuisine: Mexican Tex-Mex
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No Smoking
Alcohol: Beer, Margaritas
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Most Recent Visit
Sep. 19, 2008
Number of Visits: 1
Best Item
Lemonade
Special Ratings
Chicken Tampiqueña: 
Cheese Enchilada: 
Rice: 
Lemonade: 