Chuy’s is the best Tex-Mex restaurant in town

Michelle Mirelez and Natalie Murphy

Corpus Christi being a small city means that the food options can start the get stale after a while. Foghorn News editors Michelle Mirelez and Natalie Murphy headed over to Chuy’s to try out the newest Tex-Mex option in town. Here’s what they had to say:

MICHELLE MIRELEZ
I walked into Chuy’s Restaurant thinking it’s a typical Mexican restaurant; little did I know I was so wrong.
Greeted by the group of hostess standing at the end of the entrance walkway, I was shown to my two-person booth.
Taking but a minute for my waitress to get to my table, I tried to soak up as much of the atmosphere as I could. With the acoustics echoing everyone’s conversation I couldn’t imagine being able to eat in peace, especially since the music was almost completely drowned out. The scenery was amusing and very different with big palm trees lined against wall to separate the entrance and walkway.
My eyes widened in shock as soon as I open my menu, as the prices were just more than what I’d ever paid for in a Mexican restaurant. After pinching my wallet I chose to try their Stacked Enchiladas that entailed a tomatillo sauce and homemade blue corn tortillas, with a side of rice and beans.
Alexis, my waitress, walked up to my table with the biggest smile and asked for my drink order, plus brought a basket of chips and two small bowls of dips. One was a traditional bowl of salsa; the second bowl had what they call “Creamy Jalapeno.”
As soon as I ordered my drink, I gave my order for my curious taste buds.
I waited at most 10 minutes before my order reached my table; with their quick and friendly service I was definitely a happy customer. But when I laid eyes on my plate I wasn’t so sure about my taste buds.
I received a plate that on the left had beans and rice in the center top had a glob of cilantro, sour cream and pico de gallo. Than to top it off I had this huge green glob to the far left of my plate with sprinkled mozzarella cheese on top. I honestly was horrified. But what’s doing a food review if I don’t try something.
But I’ve got to say, when my mom said, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” I never realized it applied to food too. I freaking loved it! After I smeared the sour cream over the green tomatillo with a dash of salt, I fell in love.
Unfortunately the big chunks of shredded chicken had me chewing like a cow.
I really underestimated the dish itself; it had a soothing taste and the tomatillo added a consistent rich flavor to the chicken.
If I had the time to go out and enjoy a dinner with my family I would most definitely be willing to spend the extra money to take them to Chuy’s Restaurant and see myself trying something else on the menu.
Rating: 5/5
Cost: $13.08

NATALIE MURPHY
I grew up in the greater Austin and San Antonio area, where Chuy’s is a local favorite and I fucking LOVE it. I moved to the Coastal Bend almost seven years ago with my husband and have since missed a lot of my favorite places to eat.
So naturally when I heard that Corpus Christi was getting its very own Chuy’s, I felt elated. I have since waited patiently for the restaurant to open and to have a chance to check it out when I didn’t have to wait an hour.
As soon as we sat down we were brought a bowl of bright, fresh salsa and a basket of chips. We ordered some of their queso (famous where I’m from), and because they have big pots of it ready to go at all times, it came out within about two minutes, piping hot.
In spite of the fact that it’s been years since I’ve had Chuy’s, or maybe because it’s been years, I knew exactly what I wanted to eat.
I ordered a “Big as Yo’ Face” burrito with seasoned ground sirloin with the green chili sauce on top and some of the creamy jalapeno on the side. It came with rice and beans and some silly garnish of what may have been an attempt at pico on a piece of green leaf lettuce; honestly, it was completely unnecessary.
The food was just as I expected — amazing. The burrito filling was hot and full of flavor, the green sauce spicy, and the rice was perfect. I only had one bite of the beans, but they were pretty good.
The thing about the burritos from Chuy’s is that they are huge! Honestly I could only eat half of the thing and the rest went home with me. I would say that maybe I ate too much queso but that’s just a silly statement.
Overall the experience was awesome. The food was great, it came quickly and everything was well cooked. I give it an A all around.
Rating: 5/5
Cost: $17.19

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