Chuy's

[Pete]

[rizzo]

The new location on Memorial is now hiring.

I would guess they will be ready to open in early May.

6/6/2023 is the scheduled opening.

[Pete]

[Bill Robertson]

Their "New Mexican style" chile dishes taste nothing like New Mexican food, and their Tex-Mex is off. I remember it being great back in the day with the location in Dallas Uptown but it's not what it once was.

Reading this made me remember the ex and I going to Santa Fe skiing. New Mexican food was different from Mexican food I'd had before. Very, very good but different. And very spicy. The other thing I remember was fast food places having red or green salsa available. Not packets. Bowls of salsa with spoons.

[Pete]

Austin-based Chuy's is set to open Tuesday, June 6th.

Located just west of Chisholm Creek at 1700 W. Memorial Road, the chain is known for its Tex-Mex cuisine and lively bar scene.

Hours: Open 11 AM every day; close at 9 PM, 10 PM Friday and Saturday.

[soonerguru]

At one time I would have done backflips for a Mi Cocina in OKC, but I ate at an Irving location a few years ago and wondered what the heck happened to it.

A lot of these places try to jazz up their Tex-Mex to be trendy and end up straying from the good stuff. Certain foods are classic and don’t need to be changed: New York pizza, New Orleanian Creole cuisine, Northern New Mexican cuisine, and, obviously, Tex-Mex. It’s great as is — don’t F with it.

I used to visit the original Chuy’s in Austin and the first one in Dallas Uptown. It was great! Now that it is branching out into other markets it’s added a lot of things that stray from its roots.

[catch22]

At one time I would have done backflips for a Mi Cocina in OKC, but I ate at an Irving location a few years ago and wondered what the heck happened to it.

A lot of these places try to jazz up their Tex-Mex to be trendy and end up straying from the good stuff. Certain foods are classic and don’t need to be changed: New York pizza, New Orleanian Creole cuisine, Northern New Mexican cuisine, and, obviously, Tex-Mex. It’s great as is — don’t F with it.

I used to visit the original Chuy’s in Austin and the first one in Dallas Uptown. It was great! Now that it is branching out into other markets it’s added a lot of things that stray from its roots.

Casa Bonita in Denver is making this mistake. They are re-opening right now and they completely gutted the entire Tex-Mex menu. I agree the quality of the food there was lacking severely and was in desperate need for help, but the menu options were classic Tex-Mex. I wish they had kept the same menu but just with better ingredients.

[Swake]

Casa Bonita in Denver is making this mistake. They are re-opening right now and they completely gutted the entire Tex-Mex menu. I agree the quality of the food there was lacking severely and was in desperate need for help, but the menu options were classic Tex-Mex. I wish they had kept the same menu but just with better ingredients.

You can have Casa Bonita food at any time. It's available today at Taco Bueno. The two chains were the same company owned and founded by the same man, Bill Waugh.

[catch22]

You can have Casa Bonita food at any time. It's available today at Taco Bueno. The two chains were the same company owned and founded by the same man, Bill Waugh.

True, but that's not the point. And there are no Taco Buenos in Colorado, anyways.

[FighttheGoodFight]

At one time I would have done backflips for a Mi Cocina in OKC, but I ate at an Irving location a few years ago and wondered what the heck happened to it.

A lot of these places try to jazz up their Tex-Mex to be trendy and end up straying from the good stuff. Certain foods are classic and don’t need to be changed: New York pizza, New Orleanian Creole cuisine, Northern New Mexican cuisine, and, obviously, Tex-Mex. It’s great as is — don’t F with it.

I used to visit the original Chuy’s in Austin and the first one in Dallas Uptown. It was great! Now that it is branching out into other markets it’s added a lot of things that stray from its roots.

I love the Mi Cocina in Plano. Great food and great spot.

[warreng88]

I went to the Chuy's in Norman years ago and left unimpressed. What have people gotten there that they really liked as I am sure I will try again sometime?

[FighttheGoodFight]

I went to the Chuy's in Norman years ago and left unimpressed. What have people gotten there that they really liked as I am sure I will try again sometime?

I haven;t liked it as much since post-covid. The menu used to be about twice as large.

Queso Compuesto and Chicka chicka boom boom chicken enchiladas, stacked enchiladas or the steak burrito used to be the go to.

[ManAboutTown]

You can have Casa Bonita food at any time. It's available today at Taco Bueno. The two chains were the same company owned and founded by the same man, Bill Waugh.

Bill Waugh also founded Crystal's Pizza and Burger Street, which still operates today. I know there was one in Tulsa for a long time but not sure if it's still open.

[Swake]

Bill Waugh also founded Crystal's Pizza and Burger Street, which still operates today. I know there was one in Tulsa for a long time but not sure if it's still open.

Crystal's was in the same shopping center as Casa Bonita and has been gone for decades. Burger Street still has several locations.

[warreng88]

Crystal's was in the same shopping center as Casa Bonita and has been gone for decades. Burger Street still has several locations.

Mmmmm Crystal's... I used to love that place. Lived at 15th, just across the street from that private school and Crystal's was our celebratory dinner place. Until it burned down years ago...

[Pete]

Reminder that Chuy's opens today.

I'm anxious to try it as I've never eaten at any of their locations.

[rizzo]

Reminder that Chuy's opens today.

I'm anxious to try it as I've never eaten at any of their locations.

try the boom boom enchiladas

[ManAboutTown]

My daughter and I had lunch here yesterday. We arrived around 11:15 and sat at the bar, and the restaurant was full rather quickly. The bartender served us promptly and the service was good. Their salsa is one of the best in town and is spicy without being overpowering. We shared a double order of fajitas, which was too much food for us.

But they were some of the best fajitas I've ever had. The steak was a perfect medium-rare and the chicken was seasoned well and very tasty. The tortillas were fresh and there was plenty of guacamole, sour cream, cheese, etc. for the meal. Their beans and rice are very good as well.

By the time we left, there was a line out the door and the wait was 20 minutes. This location will do very well, in my opinion.

[Pete]

^

Thanks for the review!

I'm looking forward to trying it.

[ManAboutTown]

^

Thanks for the review!

I'm looking forward to trying it.

You're welcome! It's only a couple miles from my office and is on the way home for me, so I'm sure I will eat there regularly. Good stuff!

[corwin1968]

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.

[mccoolio]

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!

[TheTravellers]

^^^ 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.

[Oski]

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.

[Midtowner]

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.