Taste Of Oklahoma: Homemade Birria Tacos And More At 918 Maples

A taco restaurant and catering business has made a name for itself by making some of the best birria tacos in Tulsa.

But 918 Maples Cantina and Catering offers much more than its staple and promises customers that fresh, homemade food and quality will always be put first.

It's called 918 Maples in honor of the Maple tree, which is a symbol of branching out to the community and giving a sweet gift without taking.

The owner says it's been a long journey but one that's now very successful.

Whether you’re dining in, walking up to the restaurant on wheels, or sampling 918 Maples' catering, one thing stands out: consistency.

“We bring the same dish every day,” Jose Bamaca said.

Bamaca is the owner and operator of 918 Maples.

“It started all the way to Mexico when I was 13, 14,” he said. “My first job was cooking.”

Jose moved to the USA in 2003 and worked for a catering company before opening his own in 2018. Once COVID hit, the business almost went under.

“It was a tough, tough, tough moment,” he said.

But with perseverance and creativity, he kept going.

“It wasn't a day off because I don't want to die with my dream,” said Bamaca.

Now, he runs a dine-in location near 3rd and Utica, along with the catering business and cafe at 21st and Memorial and the food truck.

“We want to do a fresh menu here,” he said. “Anything from the tortillas to the meat, margaritas, everything I want to make fresh.”

Homemade tortillas are formed and pressed all day long and toasted to be served hot and fresh with tacos.

The most popular menu item here is the birria tacos.

“It’s almost like the pot roast,” Bamaca said.

Birria is slow-cooked beef cooked in dried chiles and spices. His recipe makes for tender and juicy birria. The fresh tortillas are fried in the beef fat and layered with melty cheese, red onion, and cilantro.

You can also order a birria pizza, which is basically a giant version of the tacos layered between three large tortillas. It gets sliced and decorated with limes and radishes.

It's definitely not a meal for one.

The birria tacos and pizza come with a consomé for the perfect dip.

Salsas are all house-made, too, and so are the thick, crispy chips.

Aside from the birria, all the other meats for tacos are cooked to order with special seasoning blends.

“I create my own steak seasoning," said Bamaca. “We have chicken tacos, steak tacos and pastor tacos.”

918 Maples has an expansive menu and offers non-Mexican food staples like burgers and chicken. Jose wants to make sure there is something for everybody and rarely says no to an opportunity.

“So far, we’ve been successful,” he said

Jose says seeing the positive reception makes everything worth it.

“The journey has been almost seven years.”

Seven years of hard work, and now customers reap the benefits.

You can find 918 Maples locations at 317 S Trenton Ave STE A, 8151 E 21st St c2, and their food truck near 15th and Lewis by Good Cause Brewing.

Email Kristen.Weaver@griffin.news for recommendations, or follow @kristeats on Instagram for behind-the-scenes.