Cantina grill

Stopped in this little cafe for lunch. They have a nice layout. The menu has lots of interesting choices. I almost tried the mango chicken. But opted for the Oologah Bowl. It looks amazing but I was a little disappointed the flavor was a little bland. The steak was a little chewy. Chicken in dish was good. Shrimp was excellent. I think it just needed to be less watery, the queso and spinach flavors were thinned too much. The salsa was just fair. Food wise I would give it a 3.5 for the dish I had. But I could see other dishes being 4+. My bigger reason for the 3 star was service. The waiter was friendly but very inattentive. I had to wait for 5 minutes before he brought me menu and took drink order. Albeit part of the problem was he was letting an indecisive customer hold him up. He should have left the customer to decide and tended to the two tables waiting. This happened again when I went to pay and stood at the counter for about 5 more minutes while I heard him talking in back. He was friendly just needs to pay more attention.

Cantina Grill, located in the heart of downtown Ooglagah on West Cooweescoowee Avenue. It is easy to find from Highway 169. Just look for the longest street sign. My best guess is that the word is a form of profanity meaning "something went wrong." My initial impression of the restaurant prior to the visit, was formed from the menu found on their Facebook page. Queso and lots of it. Available on everything. I didn't want a plate of queso; so, I went with the fall back, and usually fool proof, carne asada. This is usually a safe selection; like ordering a club sandwich at an unfamiliar diner, when you are not too sure how good the food is. The carne asada was not spectacular, but also not disappointing. Several medallions of very thin lean steak, probably sirloin, well-seasoned, grilled to a char on the outside, with a helping of grilled onions. The beans and rice were fantastic; both flavorful. Cooked by an expert. This is not quite what I would call a standard OkieMex restaurant. Authentic though. It has a smaller menu and a couple of unique menu items. One of them, the Mango Chicken, which my wife ordered. So then, "Mango Chicken." Not particularly attractive on the plate, but captivating in flavor. She raved about the taste. Strips of wonderfully seasoned grilled chicken breast and shrimp, mixed and grilled with chopped mango, peppers and tomatoes. A mouth filling mixture of flavors. Spice, shrimp, chicken, sweet mango, a little bitterness from green peppers and the tartness of the tomato. Add a side of the tasty beans and rice. She rated the meal very high on her list of favorite Mexican meals, "I would come here again for this Mango Chicken!" The unique and refreshing taste of this is worth a try; unless of course, you have your mind set on a queso smothered something. Good chips and salsa. The salsa picante is brought out in little plastic cups, (individual adult dosage size) with lids, for your safety. Real HEAT! It should be kept in child proof containers. It was good!A jolly, pleasant, friendly, young lady took care of us. Great service. Laid-back small-town atmosphere.

It might not look like much from the outside but the food is fire and the service is lit! I'm new to the area but already know this place is going to be my go to spot on town. Love the freshness of ingredients and the portion sizes won't leave you waddling out. Servers were attentive and very friendly. 10/10 would recommend.

Resent visit, The food and drinks were great and the wait staff was very accommodating and kind.Glad to have this business in our town.

I don't like leaving a bad review and especially in these days when restaurants are busting their ass to make a dollar but El Gavan in Oolagah needs a wakeup call and the wake up is to hire someone who cares about your business as much you care about it.We were on the road from Kansas back to Tulsa, we saw a sign in Talala for El Gavan and decided to stop and have dinner.We walked a in and were greeted with only a question of "How Many?" The answer was two and the hostess pointed to a back corner and said "There is a booth". We had a seat and she came by for our drink order and left menus. She delivered our drinks along with a basket of chips and some salsa. My wife asked if the chile rellenos were hand made and she answered "Yeah they make them back there" She left and we didn't see her again. We waited a while then decided we would just wait until we got back to Tulsa for dinner, left money on the table for our ice water and tea and walked out. It probably took her a while to notice we were gone. We don't get to Oolagah often but this place will definitely be on our bad list. Hopefully the owners can make a change for the better.

This place is great! They have a vegetarian section of their menu which offers different veggie friendly combos which is awesome! A small few Mexican restaurants have this, so many just offer 2-3 veggie options pox marked through their menu so I was super stoked they had this. Their chips are fresh and their salsa is thick which is how I like it. Their prices are also very reasonable. All in all it's a nice local joint.

Great food and service. The menu is the same as El Maguey. Good salsa and a huge variety. Very reasonable. Steak tacos were a little tough but they come with a plate of extras like guac and pico to slather on them. Nice new bar area. Booths, tables and outdoor seating also.

We stopped here for lunch and thought it was excellent! Great service, delicious food and tasty salsa. Great lunch prices... my husband and I ate for $13 and left full! I'm not sure why there are only a few stars... we are glad we took the chance!

The food and staff are great! Highly recommend! The Oologah bowl is something I could eat everyday!!

Wanted to go to a 4 star just could not get there. Went for lunch and had grilled chicken strips covered in queso and a side of rice. Lunch was very good by hang up was the chips and salsa. Chips were pretty hard and not sure how fresh they were and the salsa almost tasted like out of a jar. Food I would give 4, chips and salsa a 2. This my overall score of a 3.