Review Cheleno - Oklahoma City

We had a going away party with over 100 people. The menu was limited, as expected for big group. Service was outstanding and there were plenty of helpful, courteous staff working our event. The food came out at the same time and we were there almost 3 hours. The staff earned their tips that day, they did a great job. Food was good.

Very nice staff. Food was excellent!

Went during lunch, quick seating, fast service, good food...I would go again

We ate there about two weeks ago with a group of women from our Church, after Joyce Meyer event...... the waitress was very friendly and very helpful.. the food came quickly and was very good!!! Going back today with relatives from Louisiana. ..... I'm sure they will love it too! It's worth driving 35 minutes to get there!! :) :) :)

Everytime I've been for the last year I've ordered more than 10+ entrees at a time for group of people to go and every single time they have made it easy! The food was amazing had everything was ready to pick up when I arrived. Absolutely great service. They would even bring the food out to the car.

Chelinos is a great Mexican restaurant. Everytime I have eaten here I have gone away well satisfied. I think you will too. The place is neat and clean, the service is fast and friendly, and the food is absolutely delicious, serve piping hot. I also like the atmosphere here. They must be doing something right, because they've got 13 places around the metro area.

Quiet Monday evening dinner with friends. Quick delivery of food and since it was an unusually quiet eve in Bricktown we weren't pushed along to leave. We had a great visit. Food was good. We each ordered our favorite dish.

OMG! The most amazing Mexican food I've had in quite some time!!! Did I mention the food was EXCELLENT!!! It was so packed and busy but didn't have to wait long for a seat and when food was ordered didn't take long for it to make it to our table hot and delicious! Full bar awesome!! Reasonably priced and family friendly!

The food was great, went here twice within two weeks. Service was quick and very friendly. The only criticism I have is some staff would bunch up together standing around together chatting. Otherwise very pleased with everything.

Awesome chili relleno plate. Place was crowded and had a wait, when we left there was still a wait. Everyone loved the food. Cheese dip that was brought out with the chips was so tasty. Would definitely go there again if in town.

I LOVE Chelinos. I always have great service here and I love the food. So many options! It's nothing gourmet, but it's soooo yummy. They need to open up the outside patio! We would love to eat out there during the summer.

This place is a solid 4 star. Good steak and shrimp fajitas. Homemade tortillas. I would definitely come back again. I was here during the day so Service was good. I can't speak to the rush. Legit

This is just like every other Tex-Mex greasy spoon you have been to. There is nothing on the menu that screams Eat Me Eat Me!!! The service and atmosphere are what keeps this place in business. It's a decent enough place to start an evening. <br/><br/>BGS

This location offers the best atmosphere for this restaurant in Oklahoma City but the food and service pales in comparison to the location on North May. It is really easy to access seating at this location but I don't know why anyone would recommend it.

One of many in the local chain. The decor is nicer than some of the stores, but the food is, if anything, a bit less. Perhaps some of the smaller stores can spend more time on the cooking.<br/><br/>

Extremely slow service and extra charges if you don't order enough food. We ran out of chips and water long before the drinks came and had to ask for menus.<br/>

Tasty food, nasty staff. I think the food tastes great and is full of flavor, but the last time mom and I went to the S. Western Ave. location I asked one of the waitresses a simple question, "do they serve black beans there?" Basically the girl gave me attitude and a rude look when answering....I was so shocked and taken back. I have never had someone have a hard time answering a simple question. We haven't been back since and I don't see myself going to that location in the near future. I should give Bricktown location a try.

Good food at a good price. Just had a good dinner and it was good and at at a good price with good service at 7 pm .

Edmond, OK Location has amazing service and best Mexican outside of the desert southwest. My husband and I are from So. Cali and we grew up eating authentic Mexican - not from Mexican restaurants, but from our Mexican neighbors and friends. When we moved to Oklahoma, we despaired of ever having any decent Mexican food, until we found Chelino's in Edmond (this review doesn't apply to the other locations as we have not found them to be as good). First off, the service at Chelino's Edmond location is great, despite being packed all the time. After eating there close to 50 times, we have never once had bad service. Now the food.... Great, authentic Mexican, but do yourself a favor and stay away from Tex-Mex dishes like Fajitas, or the typical gringo dishes served at all Mexican restaurants like, tacos, enchiladas, and such. These dishes are fine, but where Chelino's shines is in the myriad of authentic dishes like, El Gordo (my personal fav), Tacos El Carbon, Chile Relleno, or Puerco Lindo. Try anything on the "100% Estilo Mexico" pages - you won't be disappointed.

Yum yum yum!!. I went to Chelino's for the first time and was very impressed with the food and service. I ordered Allan's Especial and it was soooo delicious! It came with shrimp, beef and chicken. The meat was perfectly seasoned and it was tender. So far, it was the best Mexican dish I had had in Oklahoma. I will go back again!

Decent food. This place is alright depends on what u order but sometimes the service stinks.

Don't waste your money. For whatever reason the restaurant has taken a nose dive. This office has been here 10 years and we all loved the place. Food quality has gone down the tubes. Wait staff is doing just that - waiting around. Ruben was extremely rude. There are several choices for mexican food in the Bricktown area and Chelinos is no longer one of them,

This will be my last visit after going there almost weekly for years!. Wow, no more Chelino's Mexican Restaurant. The manager is a jerk - his name was Ruben. They suddenly changed everything. We order to go or eat there once a week and it's always been the same – for over 4 years! Today he tells us they have always charged to get hot salsa or relish with a to go order, yet we have never been charged before. When telling him that, his response was ridiculously racist, and I quote, "I'm Mexican, but not that KIND OF Mexican." They aren't doing daily specials any more, he tells me when I get there after calling and ordering 4 of the daily specials. He also tried to charge me for getting corn tortillas on some orders instead of flour, which I've never had a problem with before. I guess from now on, it's straight to Abuelo's Mexican Restaurant. I was perturbed by the way he handled taking my order and it just got worse when we picked it up. Our setups were also all messed up - some people got 2 salsas, some got a salsa and a cheese like usual, one bag had no salsa or cheese. Totally nuts!

We went to eat at Chelino's last night for dinner for the first time. There food was recently priced, the tortillas you get right away were excellent, the drinks were good, and the food came out right away. However, the food was not good and flavorless. The make homemade tortillas that are pretty good yet they do not use them with any of their dishes. The service was good but the food was nothing to write home about.

Sangria swirl tasty, but not the Mexican I was looking for.g. Growing up in Texas, I was used to great Tex-Mex. After living in Iowa, I was hoping I could find something better during a work visit to Oklahoma. Sadly, this was not it. The Sangria Swirl was great and the servers were nice, but... The cheese sauce was odd, the salsa was runny, and while I liked the taco and cheese enchiladas, the tamales were unusual and the beans and rice were common. Great view of the river walk though. It's just not a place I can recommend for a displaced southerner looking for good Mexican while visiting this beautiful area. Glad I tried it, though.

Not very good. I did not have a good experience at this restaurant, the food was mediocre at best, and the staff was not very attentive. I have never seen more employees standing around doing nothing as I did at this restaurant. Everything that was fried tasted like the oil has not been changed in weeks. The chips were stale, the tortillas were out of a plastic bag, and the queso was a funny brown color and very lumpy.

Chelino's is a very nasty place to eat the servers are very rude the cashier is very nice the managers are rude and they speak no english

Very Unfriendly Manager/Terrible People Skills. Let me start by saying I have had many events at the Chelino's in downtown Oklahoma City; company parties, my bachelorette party, etc and WAS FLOORED at how the head manager treated me on the phone recently...<br/>I called a week and half in advance to reserve an area or tables for 30-40 people for an event. The first time I called I spoke with someone who seemed very confused and was unable to help me and said I needed to "call back and speak with the manager who handled reservations". He didn't say when to call back so I waited 2 days and called again. I was then told to "call back on Thursday" as that is when the manager would return. I called back on Thursday to speak with a guy that claimed to be the manager, but sounded like the same person I spoke with before. He proceeds to tell me they no longer reserve the upstairs area unless you have 100 or more people. (We had our company Christmas party there 3 years in a row, so this must be a new rule). Anyway, I told him that I preferred upstairs but if we were unable then tables to accommodate us anywhere in the restaurant would be fine. He then says "we don’t do that". Umm, "you don’t do what?" I said. "You can’t make reservations". WOW. After waiting a week to speak someone and my get together is in a few days, now they tell me. Chelino's manager was very unaccommodating, they wouldn't work with me at all whatsoever, so if you have a party of anywhere from 1-90 or so people, you cannot give them guaranteed business. He was rude and said nothing positive the entire conversation. He never said "I’m sorry that we can’t help with upstairs but let me see what else I can do...NOTHING. Very disappointing! I won’t have events here again. I will take my business elsewhere!!!! Ted's Cafe Escondido and Margaritas in NW OKC both have better food and they love to see returned customers. I guess this location thinks they can treat people any way they want because they are located in bricktown and will get business anyway. NEVER AGAIN

Disappointed. Amazing how Chelino's in Bricktown has fell since last visit. It's been over 10-years since I was in OKC and for years have raved about how good Chelino's was to friends and family. While in town for the Big-12 Tourny in May-2013 we went there with family that hadn't and wow! was it bad! Cold chips, salsa sucked and I could not even recongnize much less finish my chili rellano! So disappointed and embarassed to have taken family there for such a let down. Obvious that they have forgot quality and are nothing more than another eatery on the tourist trail! What a shame.

I've had two good meals here and one subpar. Was Dissapointed with the canned jalapeños on my platter. Meanwhile my buddy ordered a side of jalapeños and was treated to fresh roasted. I was like WTF! Plus my meal was cold. However the first two meals I ordered on previous dates were outstanding. It's always packed here. Hit and miss

If you're looking to get a full tummy, it'll do. We got the chips & salsa/cheese dip, you probably couldn't tell the difference blindfolded. Onto the sampler platter...more bland food. With table salt on the beer glasses and canned veggies, we are now moving on to another place for dinner.

It makes me sad to read all the bad reviews of Chelino's. I eat at the Meridian location often and of all the times I have dined there, only once was I unhappy with a meal. It was the tamales on the dinner I ordered that I could not eat. My server noticed I did not and he brought it to the attention of the manager. They both apologized and comped my dinner. Which is exactly what we as patrons expect but no one includes that in any positive or negative review. I will continue eating at that location on meridian and say I do enjoy the food , the entrees the appetizers and the table setup. I find the salsa and queso incredible.

TERRIBLE!!!!! Went to eat.... TERRIBLE!!!!!<br/><br/>Went to eat at Chelinos Tuesday evening before the Thunder game and I was extremely disappointed. The service was horrific but not as bad as the food. Never got a refill on anything my Tacos Al carbon were ok but the rice and beans were nasty! My girlfriend got 2 cheese enchiladas and the tortillas looked all dried up like they have been sitting under a warmer for to long. It was disgusting and due to the 1 hour wait on the food we decided to eat a part of it and leave the place right away. I will never return to Chelinos in bricktown ever again. Who ever is running this place should be ashamed of themselves for letting this happen. I also got very sick the next day. I advice you to not waste your money here!!

Horrible experience. Took the family to chelino's for lunch. The food was horrible. I was expecting great tasting food. I realize different mexican places prepare dishes a little different this was horrible. My dau got sick when she went back to work. My wife called the restaraunt when she got back home and asked to speak to the manager. The person who came to the phone spoke spanish, my wife asked if they spoke english and they said a little. She asked was there another manager on duty they said all the managers where gone. SHe hung up the phone.

I was very dissatisfied with my lunch today! I usually live this place. The service was good. I ordered a beef chimichanga and they brought a dried out chicken one. I chose to keep it rather tha wait. I also got a sopopia that was dry and crunchy. I was very disappointed in this usually reliable brick town favorite.

Not good. Service outside was horrible and beef was very tough.

Horrible experience!. We had a large group there this last Thursday night and for many, it was there first exposure to Oklahoma. It took a solid hour to get food, (which was not that good) and when we did get it, it came in spurts. Then we were made to wait an additional 30 mins for their computers to come back up to run the card for the $200 dinner bill! NO ONE apologized or offered anything, instead we were given MAJOR attitude by the girl at the register. When I brought her poor service to her attention, she gave more poor service. I am not one to write reviews, but I couldn't let this one go! Even with all this crap, the waiter still received a nice tip as it wasn't his fault, but the manager and lady at the cash register were rude and unapologetic which is simply unacceptable. We will not return to any Chelino's location.

Bad meat. My wife got a beef dish, and I got chicken. Both were terrible. The meat was not trimmed at all.

15 years ago my dad ate here and called it, " One of the best Mexican food places I've ever had." I've been eating here for 30 minutes and can tell you it's one of the worst. The salsa and chips ( staple Mexican cuisine) SUCKED! The warm tortillas and cheese dip were ok. The TINY $5 portion of guacamole was fair at best. The cheese enchilada was ok. The margarita was good, but at this point I would have sold my brother for some tequila based product. I was also not<br/>Impressed with paying for parking. Overall apparently some things do not get better with agree especially this place.

Not good anymore. Went there before the Thunder game last Tuesday and the food is not what it used to be. Enchiladas do not have the flavor neither do the chips and salsa. It was awesome when they used to have the tortilla machine but it broke and they decided not to fix it. Possibly the worst out of all the Chelinos locations as far as the food quality.

Bad Food.. We moved away about 10 years ago and had missed Chelino's food, so we went yesterday for Fathers Day. The food was expensive, cold, and incorrect.

Just OK. The food is ok. You could probably make it at home, and I usually don't mind at their other locations, but the service is very slow here. Had to wait 15 minutes to even see a waiter, and that was only because a fellow patron flagged him down for me! I didn't get chips and salsa until halfway through my meal. I also had to go to the register to get my check when I was finished, and ended up getting my own to go box (the service was so slow I had to eat most of my lunch back at work). I wouldn't go back to this location.

Good, inexpensive, great location. Nice deck overlooking bricktown canal. Service was generally good. Super busy on weekends. Margaritas just OK.

Go to Abuellos downtown instead. The downtown location has suffered severly. It was good five years ago but not anymore. They need to do some serious updating to the facility as well as a refresher course in customer service for their waiters. The food is bad as well. The last few times I been there (3 times in last year) have been bad. I won't return.

Thumbs up. Chelino's is what I expected from an authentic mexican restaurant. The food was good, but don't expect impeccable service :) I'll go back for sure.

The service is terrible. Ordered food at 6:30pm and an hour later still have not received food. No drink refills and when they finally bring food it's the wrong order.

Try the burrito loco! Great friendly service. Busy place on weekends, but well with the wait.

SO GOOD!

Horrible food, good service and lots of drunkards.

Tried it anyways.. I tried this place after a co-worker said it was good. So, even after reading the other reviews, I tried it anyways. I now can add a don't like just like a whole lot of others. The food was slop. My enchilada dinner was thrown on the plate and was not even very tasty. How hard would it be to make something tasty? Apparently they don't care and just run a food mill. Yuck.

They cannot handle parties of more than 5 we had a party of 40 they gave us one waitress and she sucked I didn't even get a drink or order food at all I left hungry

Mediocre Food, Crappy Service. I don't plan on ever going back - cheapo food, surley wait staff and very ineffective management.<br/>Great location, though. Too bad it's wasted on such a substandard establishment.

Avoid the tourist trap; Seek the original.. Stay away from the tourist trap Chelino location in Bricktown. It is just not good. The two original Chelino's are awesome on the south side of the river. The best one is on south Robinson, 4221 S Robinson south of the Capitol Hill area..

Still waiting on chips and salsa! Surprised we even got drinks here the service is so slow!!!

LOVE. I really don't understand the horrible reviews. Aside from Los Vaqueros this is one of my favorite restaurants. I've never had any negative experiences and the food has always been fantastic. You can't judge a restaurant just because a handful of people didn't like the food because if it was up to me no one would eat at Mama Rojas.

FILTHY!. This place hasn't seen a mop job since it opened. I tried to eat the chips and salsa, but when I found a wadded straw wrapper in the bowl, I gave up. We cancelled our entrees and left. I have eaten at other Chelino's and find their chimichanga to be pretty good, as is most everything on the menu. Nothing spectacular, but solid Americanized Mexican food. This location was so dirty I didn't want to chance it.

Deceptive Menu Prices. We wanted a nice weekend get away in Bricktown. Hampton Inn recommended this place so we went for lunch. Menu price showed $7.49 for most of the lunch items, served till 5:00. It was 4:30 when we sat down. When we got the bill, another $1.50 had been added to every entry. When we questioned the cashier, she said they had (in very small print at the top of the menu) that they added another $1.50 for Sat & Sundays. When we said we would not pay it, the manager was called over. He refused to do anything about it... very poor customer relations practice. The food was medocre, the menu prices misleading, and if you want Mexican Food in Bricktown, stay away from this horrible place. We recommend Abuelo's!!! It's better food, they are honest & really take good care of their customers!!!

Wouldn't hold our reservations. Rude managers. And to top it all off it was a party of thirty. They lost a lot of business.

Gross food, still had to pay. I ate there for lunch a bit ago and got the Enchilada Tamale combo meal. The Tamale was alright, but the Enchilada had rubbery cheese and the tortilla wrapping it was grainy and gross. the Beans were liquidy and i did not even try those. the rice looked old and lots of bits were stuck together.<br/>I asked the waiter if i could return it and not have to pay for it, so he went to get his manager. When I told the manager, Ruben, i did not like the food he said that there was another order ready, a number 21 that he could give me. 1st off, i don't want more gross food from a place that obviously can't make decent food. 2nd, how long had it been sitting there and who's was that supposed to be? 3rd, i had ordered a 12, not a 21. So he wanted to replace my food with some other food that wasn't even what i ordered<br/>I told him i would like to just not eat anything here and they can take back the food. he kept looking at the food window like anohter dish would pop up that would suit me or something. After i realized he wasn't going to do anything i told him that i would just pay and not eat the food, which he asked if i was sure, then nodded and left. <br/><br/>I wish i had said I am not paying, but i was angry that the manager would not just let me return my food. I will never eat there again, at least not in downtown

Terrible experience! The tortilla chips were hard, none of us liked the taste of our meals, and waitress did not return until we were done and waiting on the check.

It was good food. The staff seemed more interested in the telumundo program on tv. But over all it was a good experience.

First review. I travel all the time, being a pilot. After installing Urbanspoon on my iPhone, I decided I try it. I wanted Mexican, but the reviews for this restaurant seemed discouraging. Upon arrival, I was greeted with smiles and a friendly staff. The restaurant atmosphere is nicer than you would expect seeing the outside if this building. Large, open, clean. The menu has a good selection and the prices are reasonable. For those that complained about being charged for chips and salsa, order food. Then it's free. Great chips, nice and warm thus fresh. The salsa is sweet and mild. I've had better. The queso dip is a nice bonus, but nothing special. I ordered 2 ground beef enchiladas and one taco. It took less then 5 minutes to get my plate. And what a plate! The ground beef was nicely seasoned, and the sauce(red) was ok. In all, I've eaten at 100's of Mexican restaurants throughout and this food was average. Not bad considering the bad reviews. I would come back here next time I'm at the Renaissance hotel

Never Again!. Never again will i eat at this place. Food and wait staff is bad. the only thing they have going for them is great drinks and the location so if you just want a good drink and people watch go for it but they will charge you a "set up fee" if you dont order any food. my advise skip this place and go somewhere else. You'll be happy you did.

Likes it. Awesome food. places is pretty clean. service is always good for us. nothing to complain about at this time.

Decided on Chelinos for a pre Christmas family get together 2 days before Christmas. Made reservations for 6:30. For 19. The first thing we were told, "we could not be seated until 6:30 as some from out of town arrived at 6:25. We all stood around the bar until they decided we could sit at 6:43. We had one wait woman. She was not only not friendly, she was rude. She had taken everyones order except one couple. They advised after she took their menus, you have not taken our order yet. She quipped, "I'll get to you"! Our food arrived after 45 minutes. All normal stuff, nothing off the menu. Everyones dinner was cold. Two dinners were so salty they could not be eaten. To tell you how cold, we all picked up our cheese from the beans, it was in one piece. No drinks were refilled. The food was awful, and cold. They had the gall to add a gratuity. Two family members that never ever complain, told the manager of our plight. The best they could do was remove the gratuity. They were overheard making it look as though we were bitchy. We are all 40's and up, business owners, military. Two teachers. We were not loud nor rude. The food at taco bell was much better. We had a similiar incident a few years back at bricktown. We've learned our lesson. Our family eats out for birthdays and always over tip when service and food is worth it. We generally have 10-20 for dinner. CHELINOS is off the list as of now especially Sooner and Reno. BAD FOOD...WORSE SERVICE. save your money, eat off a taco truck, at least it's hot.

Bad service. Ask for chips or napkins and get rolling of eyes by an old waitress. This lady didn't even understand english, seriously, only a few words...it is hard to communicate what you want!

Awful food and service. Since when does a restaurant charge you a set up fee of 4.95 for the chips/salsa, queso and tortillas that they bring you before you order. Then just ask for an extra plate and it will cost you a dollar. Someone is not eating they will charge you a set up charge of 4.95 for them just for sitting there. The queso was so bad it would even stay on the chip it was like watery cheese. Very overrated they need to move off bricktown.

The only thing that Chelino's in Bricktown has going for it is the location. Otherwise, the food is bland, the is service bad and the floors are filthy. No thanks!

GROSS and OVERRATED. Everyone likes the style and atmosphere of this place since its in bricktown with a patio but really its dirty with terrible service. Food wasn't good either. Way better Mexican food in Oklahoma City (Casa Perico & Cantina Laredos)

Good drinks, lame food. Great place to drink and look out over the canal, but the food isn't to die for or even to be craved.

Great Burro Loco. Huge!!!! Service was decent once we over came the language barrier.

West Texas Style Tex-Mex?. Whatever, this place is plain old nasty. I'm from West Texas, and if anyone tried to get away with serving this disgusting fare, they would surely be out of business in no time. I can't imagine how it stays open, except for that its in Bricktown, and has leagues of tourists who don't know any better. Salsa is watered down, chips stale, enchiladas are way too greasy. Pass on it if you go to Bricktown, Abuelo's is better.

Bricktown location sucks. I like chilenos but this one just plain sucks, i guess its for tourist only because the food and employees are so americanized its god awful, if you want a cheese encilada or how ever you spell this american dish then this is a place for you.

I wouldn't feed this to my dog. This has got to be the worst, most overpriced food I have ever eaten, and it's not just this location, all of them are the exact same. Nothing is fresh, the chips are like stale cardboard, the salsa and queso are a watered down mess, and that's just the setup. The meat they use in their entree's is disgusting, and they drown everything in sauces to try and cover the flavor. Not only that, but it has to be the greasiest place I've ever eaten. Even the chicken tacos have so much grease in them, they are literally floating in it. Their only saving grace is their drinks, they have really good Margarita's and beers dressed with salt and lime. I guess they figure if they get you drunk enough, you won't notice how bad the food is, or how much you spent on it.

Not the best Chelino's.

Average food. Great Blue Margaritas

Standard Mexican. I like the shredded beef enchiladas, although everything I've had here is respectable. Nothing that would blow your sombrero away, but always good.