By Curtis D. Tucker, Enid Buzz | September 24, 2012 | Updated August 2, 2016
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NOTICE: This article was first published in 2012. The Tia Juana location was demolished and has recently been replaced with a Pizza Inn. We are reposting this just for fun.
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ENID, Okla. - As we reported earlier this year, the end of an era is near. The Tia Juana restaurant will officially close the doors on September 29, 2012. Located at the corner of Grand and Willow, the Tia Juana is a bit of an anomaly. The name, along with many websites on the Internet, would lead you to believe that this "out of the way" eatery might be the best kept secret for Mexican food in Enid, Oklahoma. Quite the opposite would be true. The two signs on the door say it all, "No Mexican Food!" It is the Tia Juana not Tijuana after all.
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The Tia Juana has become an Enid institution for locals that enjoy steaks, chicken fry's and hamburgers, all served up in a roadside diner type of atmosphere. Not much has changed at the Tia Juana over the past few decades including the actual building itself, the paneled walls, stained carpet, the gravel parking lot or the fact that you cannot pay with a check or credit card. From the outside, the building looks old, run down and almost scary. Add to that the fact that the restaurant sits almost at the edge of nowhere and is directly across from the cemetery, you might not have ever suggested your out-of-town friends go there alone.
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Locals have loved the restaurant for years and stop by just for a cup of Joe. In fact, after doing a survey on EnidBuzz.com it was decided that the Tia Juana restaurant is the oldest eating establishment still operating in Enid. With the help of old city directories we could trace it back to the mid 1930's. The 1948 directory listed the business as the Tia Juana Sandwich Shop at 2327 N. Grand. The eatery most likely has survived all these years on its loyal clientele more than its much ballyhooed food.
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Specialties not only include the chicken fry but also the t-bone steak and the famous garlic salad dressing. Many a customer has loved the food but complained about the service. The waitresses actually add an element of color that cannot be had at any other restaurant in town. The diners wait staff range from kind and helpful to bordering on being the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. Whether you love them or could live without them, they sure bring charm to the old place much like the old pictures on the wall.
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The current owner, Kenneth Buchanan, has been working at the restaurant for 65 years. He's finally reached the point in his life that it's time to retire. Due to the lack of updates and modernization there is not much hope of selling the restaurant and keeping the tradition alive. Buchanan will auction off the contents and sell the land after the doors have officially closed.
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What's the secret to their world famous chicken fried steaks? Here's the recipe we found posted online straight from Glenn Buchanan.
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"My grandad, Art Wampler, bought this restaurant in 1944. My mom and dad and sister and I still work here. No one believes how simple our recipe for chicken fried steak is. We don't add any special seasonings. The whole deal is in starting with good beef."
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• Special trim beefsteak
• Milk
• Eggs
• Flour
• Oil for frying
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Use choice steak. Tenderize it by pounding. Dip it in a milk and egg batter. Press the flour into it. Deep fat fry in oil that is 350 degrees just until it begins to crisp, about 2 minutes. Finish cooking on a grill or in a skillet. Serve with gravy, if desired.
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That's the not-so-secret recipe! If you have not had a Tia Juana chicken fry you had better head on out there this week because it will be your last chance. Enid will be hosting the classes of '65 and '82 reunions this weekend and this would be the perfect spot to spend a little time reminiscing.
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Although not the most well known restaurant in town, we'll miss the Tia Juana and appreciate all of the years it has served Enid. We bid a fond farewell to the best Mexican food restaurant that never was.
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The Sun Sets On The Tia Juana
Several years ago, I dined at the Tia Juana with my grandmother and mother. My grandmother, Mrs. Louis S. Morell, Enid’s mayor in the mid 1930s, said she hadn’t been there since my mother attended Emerson Junior High. That would have been in the late 1920s! Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by regular patron Harold Groendyke, who remarked “Mrs. Morell, I didn’t know you ever came in here.” She replied, “Its been a long time. I hope the food is still good.” Here in DC in 1979, when the Oklahoma State Society hosted a National Press Club dinner honoring newly inaugurated Governor George Nigh, we served chicken-friend steak following the Tia Juana’s “recipe.” My thank-you letter and the evening’s program were framed and hung on their wall. Maybe its still there.
Louis Priebe
EHS, ’59
Springfield, Virginia
PS: I’m one of those “gone but not forgotten” former Enid residents who was born and raised in the best place in America. Reference http://enidnews.com/localnews/x915997960/Trio-are-recipients-of-2012-Pride-of-the-Plainsmen-award
Thanks for the great memory Louis.
My husband Alan White told me that his dad helped build this restaurant
I miss the place my family grew up eating there the owner is related to us somehow on my dad’s side of the family. I remember going with dad to get our order at times it wasn’t quite ready yet and the cook and dad talked when I could as an adult go and get a 1/2 Chicken and I would do it to take some home for another meal without taking a cab back. I remember those lamps on the wall and when they expanded. They had a line of people waiting to go and eat or pick up something there last night. I have pictures I took of the inside I will share when I can I took the last time my mom Lorretta Chase. When she came in to Enid and we ate there in 2010 the December that year she died from cancer. I will always miss it and love all who owened and worked there they will always be family and friends. Love Julie Chase
Did anyone ever know the recipe for the garlic salad dressing? It was so good.
I’ve always loved this place. Everytime we’d visit my cousins here in Enid back in the 70’s we’d always eat here. I live here now and married since 85′ and brought our family many times they loved it to. Sure have missed the awesome food and that garlic dressing, it’s one restaurant we won’t forget. To bad it had to go but, I’ve had fond memories and good times here for sure! ????
My aunt, Edna Wenick, was friends with Art Wampler back when I was a little girl in the 40’s and 50’s, maybe more years than that. Not sure if she ever worked there or not, but every time we were in town (from West TX), we went there and ate. I sure miss those times. Sorry it’s gone.