Over the past few decades—four of them, in fact!—I have avoided most restaurants around Northwest Expressway, simply because they usually promise boring, casual dining at staid chains like Applebee’s, TGIF, or, God forbid, Golden Corral.
But with many of those chains closing and more locally owned spots popping up along the metro’s diagonal thoroughfare, I decided to finally put my Expressway demons to rest and check out Dulce Vida Tacos & Tequila at 4825 Northwest Expressway.
Meaning “Sweet Life” – something I was hoping to experience myself – it’s a newish, locally owned neo-Mexican restaurant that’s taken over the old Applebee’s location (and a few other failed concepts before it).
Dulce Vida is far more modern than other restaurants on the strip—Mexican or otherwise—brilliantly mixing old-school Mexican cooking techniques with new flavors that, to be sure, had my mouth watering as I showed up with my wife for lunch last week.
As soon as we walked in, the host met us at the door and took us swiftly to our table, past the bunches of iconic Catrina skulls along the bar, next to the oddly shaped shrubs around us, and right by a grand mural of their minuscule winged mascot taking flight—something I felt drawn to.
As our waitperson brought a couple of Mexican Cokes ($3.99 each) to quench our thirsts, I already knew what I wanted for an appetizer. Dulce Vida is known for different takes on their “Signature” Guacamoles, so I ordered one, the tried-and-true Classic Guacamole ($11.99).
While they offer more exotic guacs like the “Holy Guacamole Shrimp” rolled with bacon, and the “OMG Guacamole” presented with bite-sized flautas, the Classic version was made in a glass molcajete and served chunky with tomatoes, onions, peppers and various spices.
Accompanied by a basket of hot, freshly-made tortilla chips, this was some of the best guacamole I have encountered in Oklahoma City—definitely the best on Northwest Expressway. We ate the whole thing, with my fingers greedily scooping up the last of it.
While digesting the guacamole and basking in a lazy moment, our lunches arrived, starting with my wife’s Torta Cubana ($15.99). Served with fries, this grande torta had ham, egg, pork, chorizo, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and, of course, mayo—and plenty of it.
Everyone knows how much I love tortas, and within the first bite, I knew that this was going to be one of the greats. While the bolillo roll was perfectly buttered and toasted on la plancha, the farmer’s basket of ham, pork, and chorizo, as well as the perfectly scrambled egg surrounding it, delivered an ideal sandwich that would work for lunch or dinner.
And probably breakfast too, I reckon, if Dulce Vida ever gets one of those started.
While we said “no” to tequila today—this is a work lunch, after all!—I wanted to try another specialty Dulce Vida is supposedly well-known for: the tacos.
Specifically, I ordered the exquisite Cowboy Tacos ($15.99), a way-out-West take, featuring grilled steak topped with guacamole and pico de gallo, as well as a grilled cambray onion, nopales (or, if you prefer, diced cactus), and a pair of sweet corn ribs.
More than just a basic taco, Dulce Vida shows even the most ill-informed Northwest Expressway runner what a high-end treat a taco can be. With the soft corn tortillas and perfectly grilled steak doing the heavy lifting and pico and slivers of nopales rounding it out, this meal beats anything you’ll find up or down the strip.
Having finished our lunch, a table nearby had their birthday girl loudly celebrated in song by the staff of the restaurant, and after the applause commenced, she was presented with the Caramel Lava Cake ($7.99) on a plate surrounded with caramel popcorn.
I felt inspired to order the same dessert myself, and even though this run-of-the-mill weekday offered no official cause for our celebration, once they brought our cake out, I felt like it was my birthday! Good stuff!
As we were leaving, I will admit that I was a bit stand-offish about NW Expressway dining before our official introduction. But, with an asombroso menu and world-class ambiente, this place has really impressed me and I plan to take my guests—any guests—to experience high-class Mexican without the high-end price tag.
Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
