I know very little about Chuy's other than it's a Texas chain. I went with very little expectation and ordered the baja fish tacos (2 per plate) and a side of 2 ground beef soft tacos. First, the fish extends the length of the tortilla and is also wide, so lots of fish. Second, very crispy fish crust but moist inside. I tried to look up what they use as the crust and I found a reference to using tortilla chips (I was guessing either potato chips or corn flakes). Third, there's a little bit of cabbage and a nice tangy dressing that gives the whole thing a nice flavor. I tasted the rice but didn't touch any of the beans as I also had 2 beef soft tacos to eat - those were okay - supposedly ground sirloin with lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheese ($7 for 2). A friend reported a 90 minute wait on weekends for lunch...
Chuy's is from my hometown. It is well loved, classic Austin Tex-Mex. I actually don't think the food there is notably good, but if I say that at home, people will probably try to hurt me. I'm not really partial to Tex-Mex anyway, but Chuy's is much better than a lot of places where all you can taste is cheese and grease. So definitely check it out if you enjoy Tex-Mex.
It is a fun place to go as a group. It's the type of resto you would want to go for a group birthday dinner out where they will sing you "Happy Birthday," (making you wear a sombrero) and the food is much better than Olive Garden or whatever other chain restaurant where that sort of birthday ritual takes place. Also fun for families. The inside is kitschy and loud. And yes, even in Austin with multiple Chuy's in such a comparatively small town, there is a very, very long wait on weekends. Lunch hour tends to be packed during the week back home, too.
Sounds like worth a try with a group of friends
Thanks for the report. The one in Springfield Town Center is opening soon so I've been curious.
Jason, dcfud.com
I had a large bowl of tortilla soup at Chuy's Fairfax today. It was enjoyable. The chicken broth wasn't especially rich, but it wasn't totally flat either. I squeezed some lime juice and a drop of Tabasco sauce into it and it was good to go.
I shared a bowl of queso compuesto (a cheese dip) and it was very tasty. The tortilla chips were nice and thin, but very slightly greasy.
My friend had the chicka chicka boom boom enchiladas...chicken enchiladas smothered in a green chile-cheese sauce. It comes with rice and refried beans. (No lard in the beans.) I had a bite of this and it was very rich tasting.
We went at 3 pm to avoid any lunch or dinner crowd. It was still busy but we got a table straight away.
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