Chain serving “big as yo’ face” burritos & other Tex-Mex dishes in kitschy, eclectic settings.
praveenpno
Finally made it back to this restaurant after a long time — and it was absolutely worth its. The ambience was warm and inviting, and the service was top-notch. Our server, Cutter, went above and beyond to ensure we had a great experience.
We were welcomed with fresh, hot chips that set the tone for the meal. I ordered the Green Chile Combo with chicken enchiladas, and it was flavorful, well-balanced, and satisfying.
The restaurant has a large seating capacity.
… moreTrina Shih
I should have guessed that it was an American-style Mexican restaurant. The decor is interesting and beautiful. There were a lot of people, and we had to wait for quite a while to get a seat. The food was definitely worth the wait, with Texas-sized portions and flavors that Americans love. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to come back after some time. The nearby parking spots are reserved for takeout, which suggests that many customers order to-go or place their orders online. So, if you’re planning to dine in during busy hours, be prepared to find parking.
… moreSteve Takata
Chewy‘s is a long-standing Austin original chain. This is not the original restaurant, that’s the one on Barton Springs near the lake. They have great Tex-Mex food and margaritas, unfortunately, some of the things that were my favorites are gone, like the blue corn, enchiladas, and the Molay enchiladas.A lot of chewy’s have great happy hours, although I’m not sure about this one. They’re probably the same as the others though. This is nothing too fancy, is a casual, fun Tex-Mex restaurant born in Austin many decades ago.
… moreJamileh Roberts-Nadelmann
Phenomenal experience every time we go. We’re from out of town and this was our first Tex-Mex experience. Tasty food (especially the boom boom sauce), fast service and cheap prices! Highly recommend as part of the Texas experience!
… moreChloe
I’ve been going to this Chuy’s location since about 2004, and it features heavily in my childhood memories of visiting family in Austin during my summer break. This was my first visit since 2016, and I was pleased to find my experience was as awesome as ever.
Food is always delicious, with my personal favourites being the enchiladas and quesadillas. I would absolutely go here just for the chips and delicious queso. Portions sizes are large enough to take home leftovers, and they keep well in the fridge.
It’s a fun place to go with both kids and adults, and they always have fun branded shirts available for purchase, one of my favourites being the ‘Juan Solo’ print mixing Tex-Mex with Star Wars. The decor is super nostalgic for me, with different areas featuring themes like classic cars and pet photos. Service is good at the bar and in the dining room, and the wait is not bad from the time you order until food arrives steaming hot at your table.
… moreB.J. Gober
Great Tex Mex food. The Spanish Rice is a little too bland. Then on one plate the rice was hot the other cold? All the other items were good. The restaurant was not that crowded lots of tables and booths. The lady took us to a table in the very back corner. Never asked if this was good just walked away. Poor staff not well trained at all. The experience started off wrong and nobody likes cold food.
… moredletv
I’ve been to Chuy’s Arbor Trail multiple times, and unfortunately the service continues to go downhill. Servers consistently come across with an attitude, as if basic customer interaction is an inconvenience. There’s no sense of urgency, friendliness, or accountability—just indifference.
What really sealed it for me was having food dropped off at the table while dirty dishes from previous courses were left sitting there. Plates weren’t cleared, no apology was offered, and no one bothered to come back and fix it. That’s basic table service 101, and it shouldn’t have to be requested.
Good food can’t make up for poor service and an unprofessional staff. Until management addresses the attitude problem and trains servers on fundamentals, I won’t be returning.
… moreMindy Sue
I was excited to order tacos al carbon. The fajitas and tortillas did not taste freshly made. They tasted like the ready-made, fully cooked, frozen, prepackaged kind you can get at the grocery store. My son’s enchiladas were much better than my dinner. However, he thought the rice and enchiladas were sub-par. Disappointing.
… moreMike Hoff
Chuychanga
I have been a Chuy’s fan for many years, it’s an Austin main stay. Chuy’s has a unique and fun atmosphere, from the dog photos to the wooden fish and bright Mexican paintings, it’s a fun place to eat. I love the creamy jalapeno salsa, if you don’t automatically get it, you can request it with your chips. This location is a bit nicer than the others with a nice garden like outdoor seating area. They also have some interesting interior features like metal palm trees.
Another distinction is Chuy’s rice and refried beans. The rice is a bit more peppery than your typical Spanish rice and the refried beans have a unique flavor. It’s likely the flavors are different because they are vegan, meaning no animal based fats are used, this can be a bonus for those with dietary restrictions.
I’m a fan of the chuychanga, basically a chicken chimichanga. Had one recently and have to say I was a bit disappointed. Flavor was about right, but was much smaller, less juicy and with less cheese than I’m accustomed to.
Upon my 2nd visit I had a larger chuychanga but a bit less cheese than expected. I guess there’s a consistency issue. First time in many years I’ve had one like this, but could be due to the recent impacts of inflation. I’ll have to try again to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. My daughter had the tacos al carbon and she was satisfied with her meal.
Didn’t have it this time around but the queso is also a bit different from the typical. It’s a chicken broth based queso and the flavor and consistency comes through. It’s worth trying, but personally I like a cheesier flavor.
In end, Chuy’s is unique among TexMex restaurants and worth the visit.
… moreMuthu
We decided to try this highly-rated restaurant after a friend recommended. We were fortunate to get a table promptly in spite of the crowd. The staff was very friendly and accommodating of our dietary preferences. Once we were seated, they served chips, salsa fresca and a tempting creamy jalapeño dip (which were complimentary). We ‘re on vegan diet and missed out on the dip but it looked enticing. We opted for a side of guacamole for the chips and we ordered vegan enchiladas and vegan quesadilla (they were just the regular ones without cheese. They did not have vegan cheese). While everything tasted good, I wouldn’t label them as extraordinary. I’m sure the dishes would have tasted a lot better with the addition of cheese. However, their guacamole deserves a 5 star. It was simply delicious.
… more