The Worst Jarred Salsa At The Grocery Store Comes From A Beloved Restaurant Chain

If you're planning a tasty taco night or whipping up some cheesy enchiladas, you'll need some salsa. And while making your own salsa at home is probably the best idea, not all of us can spare the time to hack up all those tomatoes. There's no shortage of jarred salsa on any supermarket shelf, but as a Chowhound reviewer found, they're certainly not all made equal. Our critic ranked 15 popular jarred salsas, and has a firm tip for which one to avoid: Chi-Chi's Restaurant Style Mild Salsa.

It's affiliated with the Chi-Chi's restaurant chain, which served Tex-Mex dishes in a kitschy dining room until a severe food poisoning outbreak led to lawsuits and the chain shutting down in 2004, only to be revived in late 2024. And while the supermarket version of its salsa won't poison you, that's perhaps the best thing that can be said about it. Our reviewer's negative experience started before she even tasted it, noting that the look and smell is comparable to "baby vomit." A small silver lining is that it didn't taste like vomit, but instead, was just completely devoid of seasoning — no heat, not even enough salt. It's less salsa, and more just canned tomatoes with a few stray onions and peppers thrown in, and an oddly crunchy texture for a food that's typically much squishier.

It's not too hard to find other concurring opinions on Chi-Chi's salsa: One take is that it's an old-school recipe that just hasn't been updated over the years, relative to its competitors. While some reviewers haven't had quite so many issues with the salsa's look and smell, its lack of flavor is a relatively common criticism: Sure, it's meant to be mild, but that doesn't mean it should taste mostly just like canned tomatoes. Its sparse ingredient list backs up this criticism, with jalapeños and garlic listed as the only additional flavorful ingredients beyond the tomatoes and onion. Reviews from shoppers make similar conclusions: "watery" is a common description, although there are folks out there who find it strikes a nice balance of sweetness and tangy acidity from the tomatoes. For the record, other Chi-Chi's salsas (like the medium) haven't had great showings in head-to-head rankings either.

If you do make the mistake of buying Chi-Chi's salsa, at least you won't overspend, since it costs a modest $2.99 for 16 ounces. However, that's still not an incredible price considering that the top-ranked sauce, Newman's Own Mild Chunky Salsa, goes for $3.24 a jar (although you may have to buy it in packs of two).