Tarahumara’s Mexican Cafe & Cantina

Before we could all make it to our table, we had chips, salsa, queso waiting for us. We had enchiladas and Pancho villa which were very tasty. I wanted tacos al pastor, but they didn’t have it. Instead, the waiter suggested their pork dish with chorizo. it was delicious!

This is one of my favorite Mexican places to eat at when I’m in Norman. The service is always good and you can’t even hardly sit down without them bringing you some hot chips and salsa. I would highly recommend this place to anyone that wants a quick and hot meal!

So I checked in here for the first time, stating I had hopes. Actually, it was more like false high hopes because it seemed too good to be true based on all the great reviews. I’m a pretty big Mexican food snob. There’s Tex Mex (that most people here call Mexican) there’s actual Mexican, there’s also sort of southwest/​New Mexico type Mexican food. Either way, there’s a difference between all of them.
Tara’s surprised me. Majorly. Any place that serves tortillas, salsa and cheese sauce is usually a no-​go in my book. This set up at Tara’s is still a no-​go for me, but the entrees make up for it. I don’t like watery cheese sauce, the salsa was kind of sugary, the escabeche was straight from a can and the tortillas were not homemade, which should be a sin.
The actual food however is bomb dot com. They have a ton of authentic Mexican dishes with a southwest flair. Lots of guisada, green chile meat stews and chile colorado, which I ordered. Insanely tender pork chunks, no gristle or fat with potatoes braised in a delicious spicy red chile sauce, served with rice and beans. I would go again, skip the salsa set up and just eat the pork.
I have to say as far as authenticity, Pepes still wins by a notch, but I would make Tara’s a regular stop for sure!
Also, it was on a wait on a Tuesday night and apparently it’s that packed every night! Good for them!

First time here, but will certainly come again if in the mood for Tex-​Mex the next time we’re in Norman. Huge portions and delicious food.

One of my Norman favorites! You’ll never find another place where you have chips/​salsa/​queso/​tortillas in front of you within 60 seconds of sitting down. This place really has customer service & speediness down to an art. I love that the menu has pictures (and they look exactly how your food comes out) so you have a better interpretation of what you’re in the mood for. They also have a wonderful low-​carb selection if you’re looking to stay healthy and still eat mexican food. I usually opt for the Chili Rellenos & **occasionally** a small margarita. You really can’t go wrong with anything you order here. The drinks are amazing, the food is amazing & the service is top-​notch. If you’re coming here on a weekend evening, be prepared for a long wait. The good news is that they’ve added a cover to their patio, so you can wait in warmth when the general waiting area gets full.
Because this is a local, family-​owned & operated restaurant, I have to come out and say that Tarahumara is much better than Ted’s.

WOW! Service here is amazing! We were seated right away and immediately after, our sever started bringing hot chips and tortillas with many complimentary dips to go with it (queso, salsa, guac, pickled carrots/​jalapeños) — the server kept coming back to refill our dips. And to check on our drinks which are large! My boyfriend orders a tecate and was very pleased by the chilled glass with lime it came in. We decided to order the big boy platter and it was more than enough to share between the 2 of us. The food was good but not great. The chile relleno was extremely greasy! We originally ordered it with chicken but it came out with only cheese so they brought us another one which was more of a plate of oil. We would definitely Come again and maybe try something different on the menu.

Hands down favorite Mexican restaurant in the metro area. Live in Edmond and drive to Norman to eat here. Phenomenal food and service. We love the steak fajitas.

I have eaten Mexican and Tex Mex for over 40 years from Cancun to St. Paul, MN. I always judge a joint by their guac and Tara makes a great one… almost as good as my Mexican Ex Father-​in Law. Their treatment of seafood is outstanding and is as good as anything I have had on either Mexican coast. I personally recommend the Cerveche… good stuff… Now if they could just get rid of all those other people when I want to eat… life would be perfect.

Tara’s is a great place for good Tex Mex in Norman. It’s one of those places people always want to go to if they are coming back to Norman to visit. There are few times I’ve been here when it hasn’t been crowded. The servers are great though– fast and friendly. You never have to wait too long. All of the food is great– I like anything with steak and the sour cream sauce on the enchiladas! You really can’t go wrong with what you order.

OMG!!! This place is the best place I have ever been. Blown away at the service here! I don’t even know who to tip because 8 different people have been so helpful on making us satisfied! Filling up my queso bowl before its even empty! «I’ve never been so baffled by a restaurant staff in my life” — Claire

Busy busy busy night for this restaurant, took a while to get our food but my beef fajita plate, my wife’s deluxe multiple types of Mexican seafood soup, son’s Carna Asada tacos, and my little one’s deluxe loaded taco and rice rocked! This restaurant could teach Teds Mexican on south western a thing or two! This place is absolutely spotless, you can eat off the floors, no dust dirt or grime anywhere floor to ceiling, including very clean well maintained restrooms! I did not see one stain, grain of rice, or wet floor anywhere and the servers hustle and the bar puts out quality cocktails. NO CARPET, nicely done tile everywhere! I just don’t understand Teds or some others using carpet in a Mexican restaurant! Very friendly staff. Not the sexiest place for a first date, it’s a bit loud but they play the most romantic Mexican music on the planet and the cocktails are loaded! …so maybe a second or third date once you remember her name, shoe size, cocktail of choice, and where she’s from! The people watching in this Norman establishment is second to none being in the University influence and if it’s one thing we love it’s diversity! It’s also fun watching non University Okies staring at the University influence! Once President Boran finds out the Okies are not going to approve a penny tax on top of the state funds he gets now he’s probably going to attempt to tax this restaurant… JUST KIDDING! We will be back!

Tarahumara is one of the better Mexican restaurants in Norman. It’s been better than this most recent trip, though. Service was spot on and the food came out fast and was sizzling hot.
First, their Salsa and queso dip is just ok, is nothing special, but the chips are pretty good. Me and my wife ordered a double of the chicken fajitas, and they were really good! I would point out that the onion to pepper ratio was heavily in favor of the onion though. If that’s your thing, cool, but I would prefer a little more green and red pepper but still very flavorful and the chicken was cooked nicely.
The Margaritas were a little off tonight. They were pretty strong and weren’t mixed well at all. My first couple sips were straight tequila, and you could tell the mixer was cheap.
If you’re familiar with OKC, I feel Teds and Mama Rojas are better for the same price range.

Excellent service
Jose our waiter was awesome
Huge servings
Quality steak
Good salsa
Will definitely come again

Great flan, service, and mole.
Too loud in the restaurant itself, though, and lines can be long.

Blah! I ordered pork carnitas tacos. The meat was lacking flavor and it was tough. The soft flour (not traditional corn) tortillas had a lot of salty season all type seasoning all over them. I didn’t care for them. Chips were stale. Not impressed. Sad when Chilis makes a better pork carnitas. I am a Taco Don Nachos fan so TexMex doesn’t impress me
Efrain,
Yes I was there the night I wrote this review. Sorry I didn’t have better things to say.

This place has been in Norman for years. I had been a few times over the years, and every time I disliked it greatly. I tired it again about two years ago and really liked it though. Now it’s been our go-​to Mexican food restaurant. Hubby gets a variety of items and really likes them all. I mostly stick to enchiladas, but I’ve had some of their more traditional Mexican dishes and it was also good.
The service is incredibly fast. The servers run around like crazy. I can’t believe I’ve never seen someone fall or a try of food go to the floor. They do team work, so you’re never left without chips, queso, or drinks. At times, it feels like they are forcing it on you. I find it easier to just waste a bowl of queso than to keep declining every few minutes when someone tries to put it in front of me.
The atmosphere can be annoying at times. It’s always loud, but on weekend nights, they have a guy who walks around singing and playing the guitar. Personally, I’m just not a fan of that sort of thing. When they have birthdays, it gets very loud. Usually someone has one, and then other tables realize and request it, so you get a rash of loud celebrations. It’s very difficult to hold a conversation on a regular night, and when it gets like this, it’s impossible.
Also, the restaurant is super crowded. It’s difficult to walk to your table, but once you make it, you can sit back and enjoy the food. I can’t recommend the margaritas. They taste like they came from a jug of flavored syrup, and I’m a light weight, and I could not detect the liquor. Stick to the food!

We had wonderful service and great food for a great price. They had plenty of options for what to eat whether you’re on a budget or not. We had their enchiladas and they were amazing! Free queso when they seat at your table and they also provide free flour tortillas! Great ambiance and fast service. Our drinks never got low and neither did our queso, lol.
I would definitely recommend giving this place a try. It is definitely worth the wait if there is one!

If you have to wait, do it. It’s worth it.
Portion sizes are giant. And the flavors are bigger. Even though it Saturday night and packed our service was spot on. Will make this a must stop every time in Norman

My girlfriend has been raving about Tarahumaras for months, but we’ve never got around to going when we are in Norman. Alas, we made it on our last trip to Oklahoma.
Disclaimer: I am a Texan, so my standard for Tex-​Mex/​Mexican cuisine is high. The restaurant itself is relatively small. There’s no bar, but you can walk up to the area where drinks are made and place orders. There is an outdoor seating area as well, in addition to a small waiting area in the entrance. We waited for 20 minutes on this particular day, but I was mentally prepared after reading previous reviews.
When we arrived to the table, it was already set with silverware, water, chips and the various dips (the bus staff moves at NASCAR speed). The server was highly attentive and efficient.
Everyone at the table ordered enchiladas. I will admit, the food was up to par. Wasn’t the absolute best, but I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. I honestly have no complaints about the entire experience. For Oklahoma, this is a solid Mexican restaurant. In Texas, it would be average at best.

I love eating here when I’m in Norman. Which kinda sucks because I should try other places in Norman when I’m there, but I keep coming back to Tarahumara’s. Plus it’s fun to say ;)
My two favorites are their carnitas and the chicken mole. The mole is different than any other I’ve ever had, sweet and complex flavors. I have no idea how authentic the food is and I don’t rightly care. It’s effing delicious and that works for me. Also really enjoy the margaritas and big, frosty beers.
Be sure to get some of the green salsa, it’s delightful, especially slathered all over the carnitas. And may want to try to go on an off time because there always seems to be a wait. I went last Saturday at around 230pm and had to wait, but they do move people in and out quickly so we didn’t have to wait too long.