We Review OXO Bar & Grill

Never one to shy away from Mexican food, I was delighted to check out the Latin-inspired OXO Bar and Grill (2550 S. Campbell Ave., Suite 800, Springfield, MO, 417-306-9808). I’d seen posts on social media that had me intrigued; OXO’s food looks delicious, but the sports-bar-meets-restaurant appears to hit its stride on Friday and Saturday nights when much of the restaurant transforms into a lively Latin dance floor.

I’ll check out the party on another visit—this time I’m in it for the food. My husband and I showed up for Taco Tuesday, and as fate would have it, we sat down just under the wire to take advantage of $5 happy hour margaritas, queso  and chips. The House Margarita—on the rocks with salt—was delicious and not too sweet. The chips were thin and salty just like we like ’em, and the queso and salsa were tasty, though they could have been a bit thicker in consistency. I made a real drippy mess eating it, but hey… a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

We couldn’t resist trying the aguachile starter, which is ceviche-style shrimp cured in lime juice sitting atop a cucumber slice. These delish little discs are topped with red onion, mango and cilantro and drizzled in verde habanero sauce. They were a nice cool start to a flavorful, spicy dinner. We also sampled the OXO Loco cocktail, with tequila, tamarind vodka, lime juice and a splash of Jarrito. It was served with a spicy chamoy and Tajin rim with gummy rings.

For dinner, my husband chose the OXO Burrito with a side of curly fries. He enjoyed it, but wished it had less rice and more meat inside. I opted for the garlic-chimichurri shrimp because you had me at chimichurri. The shrimp were grilled perfectly but, in my opinion,  could have been seasoned with more chimichurri because I’m a freak for that stuff. It was served with rice and avocado, and I wouldn’t hesitate to order it again.

Since it was Taco Tuesday, we figured we owed it to ourselves to try some street tacos. We chose chorizo and, per our server’s suggestion, pork belly. The pork belly taco stole the show, with nicely fried chunks of pork nestled in a corn tortilla and topped with red onion and an addictive cilantro sauce. If you’re a texture person, you’ll love the contrast of the crunchy pork belly inside the soft tortilla. The chorizo taco was nothing short of divine also.

I gotta say, I’m so intrigued by this menu I can’t wait to get back there and plow through more of it. Next on my must-try list is the Jackie Maru-Chan, which is a cup of Maruchan Noodle Soup topped with elote on a tray surrounded by Doritos and more corn and cheese. Seriously, I can’t get this off my mind. And speaking of Doritos, OXO does some wicked things with a bag of chips—sort of like walking tacos on steroids. The menu is as authentic as it is whimsical, and it’s going to take a few trips—and a couple extra pairs of stretchy pants—to experience it all.