Dusty's Mexican Grill and Cantina

[Ed W]

Location(s) Being Reviewed: Dusty's Mexican Grill and Cantina in Owasso
Date/Time of Visit: 11AM, Sunday, July 20
Quality of Food (1-5): Unknown
Menu/Food Options (1-5): Average at best
Quality of Service (1-5): Poor
Atmosphere (1-5):  Nice, except for the radio blaring commercials
Overall Rating (1-5): 2, at best. It needs a lot of work.
Price ($-$$$$$): Higher than average
What makes this restaurant unique: It's located in the "black hole" where restaurants go to die, formerly an Italian place, a pizza joint, and other iterations of Mexican food.

Tell us about your experience: Go there soon if you want to try it 'cause it won't be in business for long. We were seated quickly in a less than half filled dining room, then waited 10 minutes as the waitstaff studiously ignored us, walking purposefully between the hostess station and their own work station. Finally, a waiter dropped by your tell us that their food was unique - totally unlike any of the other half dozen Mexican places in Owasso. Right. I believed him. He took our drink order and returned in a few minutes with them and the compulsory chips and salsa. We ordered entrées and waited....and waited...and waited. I watched as people came in and we're seated in the lobby presumably to wait for tables, but remember, the dining room was half full. Seeing this, some got up and left. Twenty minutes went by. The waitstaff continued hiking back and forth while accomplishing little. I got up and approached our waiter at the workstation and told him to cancel our order. The manager (I assume) tried to molly me, offering to hurry our order. I said they'd had their chance but they blew it.

We won't be back.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Sounds like they spent more time on bar/booze/TV's than anything else. How many other places in Tulsa serve west coast style gringo fare?

http://www.tulsaworld.com/communities/owasso/news/business/dusty-s-mexican-grill-cantina-offers-gringo-style-fare-atmosphere/article_73e40d80-0ce5-5bca-b529-446d9b7d746e.html

[AngieB]

Date/Time of Visit: 11AM, Sunday, July 20

Did you go there in the future? 

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Did you go there in the future? 

Didn't notice that. The last July 20th that was a Sunday was 2014, and the next one won't be until 2025.

[Ed W]

Sorry, I gorfed the date. It was today, July 17, 2016.

[Ibanez]

Sounds like they spent more time on bar/booze/TV's than anything else. How many other places in Tulsa serve west coast style gringo fare?

http://www.tulsaworld.com/communities/owasso/news/business/dusty-s-mexican-grill-cantina-offers-gringo-style-fare-atmosphere/article_73e40d80-0ce5-5bca-b529-446d9b7d746e.html

There is one in Bixby, Dos Banditos or something like that. The wife and I went there once. We won't be going back.

[Conan71]

There is one in Bixby, Dos Banditos or something like that. The wife and I went there once. We won't be going back.

"Dos Banditos"...basically two white guys who know dick about Mexican food?

[Ibanez]

"Dos Banditos"...basically two white guys who know dick about Mexican food?

Difficult to say. Everyone we saw working except for one waiter were Hispanic. While the menu items were different from your typical Mexican place around here we found the food to be underwhelming. We had a bad feeling when the chips and salsa were served and the salsa was watery thin and sweet. We each ordered something different, for the life of me I can't think of what either of us had, and we both thought the food was bland. It was also served lukewarm.

Service there was also poor and we noticed that one waiter, the lone non-Hispanic one, kept making a big deal about praying for people when he delivered their food. The people at the table next to us had him as a server and when he delivered their food he placed one hand on each of their shoulders and started off with a "Oh lord please....something something something..." and it was obvious the couple were uncomfortable. After the waiter left the guy in the couple looked over at us and said "what the hell was that all about?"  I have since heard from other people that they experienced the same creepy behavior out of that waiter and said even if the food were good they wouldn't go back.

My wife and I have noticed when driving by that the restaurant is not nearly as busy now as it was the first few weeks it was open. I would be surprised if they make it to 2017.

[Breadburner]

I stopped at "Owasso"....

[Conan71]

I stopped at "Owasso"....

Do you know the Oakleys are related to Bill or Ed, or are they complete outsiders to the Brownie's family?