We just got home from having the boom boom enchiladas and the steak burrito.

I had heard that Chuy's is all about the sauces and that is absolutely true. My enchiladas were basically boiled white meat chicken wrapped in a tortilla and the steak burrito was basically steak and a little cheese, wrapped in a tortilla. Very bland, in and of themselves, but with the sauces they were pretty tasty.

The rice was decent but the refried beans were excellent. Try mixing the Ranchero sauce with the beans. You can thank me later. ;)

The house salsa was excellent. Fresh, tangy and just the right amount of spice. I really loved the Ranchero sauce, which is served warm and is smoky and sweet. I would buy a jar of it, if they sold it. My wife said the spiciest green chili salsa was very good and it was spicy, by American standards (not by hers, though). The jalapeno ranch was good, but Alfredo's is better. The taste was very similar, but Chuy's was runnier and less creamy.

We ordered the tres leche cake to go and just discovered that the piece we got is huge, maybe 6" x 6" and almost as tall. Very sweet and very good.

The to-go bag also contained a bag of chips, a tub of their house salsa, a tub of jalapeno ranch and a tub of Ranchero sauce. I don't know if they always do that or if it's a "just opened" type of thing to build good customer relations.

At the end, I asked my wife the verdict. I said I would be willing to come back but there are other options I would prefer. She said she would be unlikely to come back, on her own.

I have now been twice since their opening...Food has been great, service has been excellent. Massive fan of their queso and flautas, but I'm pretty basic.

One thing I wanted to touch on though in particular, this place is small for a Chuy's. I've been to some in Texas and the one in Norman and man, this place is absolutely tiny in comparison. You walk in and the bar is maybe 10 steps in front of you. I have felt super crammed both times I've gone, but it was not in a sense just because it was busy. Their waiting area is very tight, so definitely use the outdoor patio area to the left so the front isn't as crowded by the host stand!

I don't know what it was about today, but my experience was very off-putting and I think it was mainly due to the after church crowd and partially due to the size of the restaurant. After waiting for 45 minutes, we were texted and called to the front to be seated. My wife went in and was immediately cut by 2 other tables who were also texted and arrived AFTER us. I say we were cut because it was just kind of a logjam at the host stand and nobody was really forming a line, because well, there wasn't any room. On top of that, one of the folks who cut then also complained that a hostess was helping a customer buy a shirt (facepalm). Then, when that unhappy person went to get sat, they just told the hostess they wanted the nearest booth (so inconsiderate after a 45 minute wait). Then, once we were sat at a high top in the bar area, we had THREE different groups get offered to sit at a high top behind us and tell management they wanted a "normal table". Ugggghhh I can't stand people sometimes, society continues to not know how to act in public. This will continue to be an issue until they let people know that options for seating are fairly limited as it's extremely busy. When we were done, I felt bad because our waitress said "thanks for being so nice," pretty low bar being set when all we did was quickly order, eat, pay and get the hell outta there. Be nice as they work out the kinks!

^^^ A lot of places that have varied seating options ask at the outset what kind of table you prefer, and then list them off and put down your preference on whatever type of list they have (dry-erase sheet, ipad screen, whatever). And yes, booth and low-top have longer wait times, bar, high-top, and "don't care" are quicker.

My wife and I tried yesterday. I'd come for the vibe (made me feel like I was somewhere in southern CA or Florida) but not for the foods, I prefer San Marcos Mexican Restaurant at North Rockwell and 122nd.

The Chuy's in Norman has been my go-to lunch spot for years when I absolutely have to eat out (which I don't do much anymore). The flautas are great and definitely check them out in August when they do their Hatch chili festival. Good stuff.

Ate here Friday evening at around 5:45pm. The wait was 45 minutes. Following this project on OKCTalk, I thought the plans for this seemed small in size. It was even more noticeable in person, especially compared to the Norman location. I feel like retail and restaurants underestimate OKC sometimes. Other than that, the food and service were good. I can't get enough of the Jalapeno Ranch dip.

We went today at about 11:30. 20 minute wait. Drinks were good, food is OK but no better than a dozen other TexMex places in OKC. Iguana Grill still beats it by far.

Chuy's has been sold!

Olive Garden Owner to buy Chuys for 605 million/ (https://kfor.com/news/national/olive-garden-owner-to-buy-chuys-for-605-million/)

Chuy's has been sold!

Olive Garden Owner to buy Chuys for 605 million/ (https://kfor.com/news/national/olive-garden-owner-to-buy-chuys-for-605-million/)

welp... that's the end of Chuy's being good

And of their prices being decent.

Sad day.

welp... that's the end of Chuy's being good

Wait…. Chuy’s was good?

welp... that's the end of Chuy's being good

Chuy was never good, I went to Chuy's twice and each time I was disappointed so I never went back

Chuy's has been sold!

Olive Garden Owner to buy Chuys for 605 million/ (https://kfor.com/news/national/olive-garden-owner-to-buy-chuys-for-605-million/)

Technically speaking the company that owns Olive Garden bought Chuys. It runs some of its other companies better than Olive Garden.

welp... that's the end of Chuy's being good

Darden, based in Orlando, Florida, operates over 1,900 restaurants and has 190,000 employees. It also owns Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s and Bahama Breeze.

ruth's chris and capital grille seem to run just fine under the darden umbrella .. ?

Darden, based in Orlando, Florida, operates over 1,900 restaurants and has 190,000 employees. It also owns Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s and Bahama Breeze.

ruth's chris and capital grille seem to run just fine under the darden umbrella .. ?

that's fair. i was certainly making a generalized statement

Darden, based in Orlando, Florida, operates over 1,900 restaurants and has 190,000 employees. It also owns Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s and Bahama Breeze.

ruth's chris and capital grille seem to run just fine under the darden umbrella .. ?As with most chain restaurants, the individual locations are only as good as the management team. I've eaten at several Cheddar's and haven't been disappointed yet.

Chuy's was so much better before it became a chain.

I believe it's always been a chain?

I believe it's always been a chain?

Per their website it appears they started as a single restaurant.

Chuy’s opened on April 16, 1982 in an old, aban*doned Texas Barbeque joint on iconic Barton Springs Road in Austin, TX. There was seating for about sixty, a women’s restroom the size of a broom closet and a men’s restroom that was, well, outside. Founders Mike Young and John Zapp had a vision of a fun and funky Tex-Mex restau*rant that served authen*tic and fresh food in an atmos*phere that appealed to everyone. From these humble begin*nings Chuy’s was born.

I would think almost all chains start out as a single restaurant.

Ate at the original with my cousin back in the early ‘90s…he said at the time that old-school Austinites who’d moved away for whatever reason would commonly make Chuy’s their first stop after leaving the airport or otherwise arriving in town. First place I ever drank a Shiner, BTW, on that visit. Shiner was ALSO better before they grew too big.

Nm