In a world with a place like Chela's, why would San Antonio rave about mass-market stuff like Velvet Taco or Torchy's? This is authentic, simple and delicious. No gimmicks. No BS. Just great food that's cranked out by Chela herself... A woman who has worked her way up from food trucks and opened stand-alones throughout San Antonio. I know that I can order something as easy as huevo con papa and it's going to be delicious. The tortilla is right. The fillings are moist and hot. Great homemade salsas. Mas picoso if you want. They open early and are closed by 3pm. Call your order ahead. read more

Haven't been here in a long while but stopped in to break a long fast by having a chicken fajita taco and a chipotle chicken taco. Everything was like it always was except the big menu board was replaced by electronics and sadly, the serve yourself salsa bar was no where to be found. Nevertheless my food was delicious and just as I always remember it and the service was friendly. I'll keep them on my short list of places to get a great taco fix. read more

I bookmarked this joint some time ago; I can't remember why, but I can all but guarantee I saw it on some list of "best breakfast tacos". I've now been twice in the last handful of days, and somewhat glad I don't live closer... Let's be honest: most of the time - breakfast tacos are breakfast tacos, right? That's somewhat true - but then you hit a place and think to yourself, "ahhh - this place is different". That's exactly how I felt about Chela's. They make their corn tortillas in house - and even though they don't make their flour tortillas in house - you'll think they did. I was particularly impressed with their egg and chorizo taco. You wouldn't think it hard to find good chorizo around, but I think it is. Their taco has just the right amount of spice - I highly recommend it. It's a cute - quaint little place with easy ordering - good prices - and some of the best salsa I think I've ever had. My wife and I literally took some to go and told the lady working they should bottle it, and sell it - it's THAT GOOD. This may have just become a place I'll aim for when I can justify being just a tad late to the office. So, why not the fifth star? Parking. This little strip center is easy to miss coming down the road, and all the parking indicates it's a one way kinda deal, but there are no one way markers. So, although a tad annoying - it's not a deal-killer. read more

I love their tacos, but my experience here wasn't as great as I would have expected. We came here for a lunch get together, and there was plenty of room to eat inside. It was clean and fairly well lit. There weren't any wait staff. You order at the counter and the same person brings you your food. I ordered a lot of food (surprise). I ordered a caldo de pollo. It was loaded with carrots and celery slices. It has plenty of shredded chicken in a flavorful broth. It's filling all by itself. I also ordered Chela's Combo plate, which comes with rice, beans of your choice (whole or refried), a stuffed taco, a tostada, and a spicy ranch chicken enchilada. The tostada and enchilada were good, and the stuffed taco was very good. I'd opt for the refried beans. The whole beans I tried were dry and lacked flavor. It was a good time, but I might stick to their awesome breakfast tacos. read more

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The food was great and so was the service...I had the best fresh tortilla soup ever ... I am looking forward to going back for breakfast.. read more

Chela's Tacos - Tortilla soup - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I got the Huevos Rancheros and I don't say this often but the ranchero sauce was amazing. Definitely a new stop for me. Staff was very friendly and the restaurant was clean and friendly read more

I don't want to make a review without eating first, but my first impression is that it's nice and quiet. Maybe because it's 25 until closing time. We ordered the la costra chela. His has asada, and I have mole chicken. It cost $27 so it must be pretty big. The server was nice. I like the ambiance because it's not overwhelming with too many decorations. And since Fiesta is on the way, I appreciate the brightly colored flags on display. They have a variety of food to choose from. My husband's was delicious. We had well seasoned asada and chicken. Mine was mole, and it was flavorful. The grilled cheese hit the spot! It collaborated well with the other ingredients. It's awesome and we want more! Until next time. read more

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I was looking for a nice hot bowl of menudo early on a Saturday afternoon when I came across this little restaurant on Broadway. I had passed it numerous times and never stopped in before it became intrigued after I saw all the great ratings and compliments. The restaurant had an order counter and the restaurant was about 1/3 full when I arrived. I confirmed that they had menudo left and also ordered a carne guisada taco, which I often rate mexican restaurants by. I had a seat and only had to wait around 10 minutes for my order to be walked to me at my table. In that time, I had a chance to survey the interior of the restaurant. The big menu board displayed a great variety of dishes and tacos, but I noticed the dining room was a bit uncared for, as displayed by the napkins on the floor - which also could have used a good sweeping. Also, not all tables had napkins or salt/pepper or salsa on the tables. That included my own. The restrooms were clean, which was a good sign, however. Grade: C My first impression of the food I ordered was good. The cup of menudo was a nice size, and included limes, spices and onions on the side for me to add to my bowl as I wanted. It also came with two warm handmade corn tortillas which were very good. Unfortunately, the menudo itself was a bit underwhelming. While it had good flavor, it wasn't as seasoned as I normally like and the ratio of tripe to hominy was way off. In fact, there was far too little tripe and an excessive amount of hominy. The temperature was perfect, however, and it certainly filled my desire for a hot cup of menudo on a cold winter day. Grade: B- The carne guisada taco I ordered was a nice size, although the flour tortilla was just a bit undercooked than I prefer. The meat was mostly tender, although there wasn't a lot of gravy in the taco and it tasted like it had been sitting for a few minutes longer than it should have. It could have used a bit more pepper in the seasoning as well. Grade: C+ While the service was friendly, it wasn't over-the-top friendly. Perhaps it was just a rough day at the restaurant. Grade: C Overall, the value of the meal was okay totaling out at just over $15 which included a beverage. While it satisfied my hunger for a warm meal, I was expecting just a little more from most aspects. Maybe I'll stop in a little earlier next time at another location. My order arrived read more

Chela's Tacos - Cup of Menudo and Carne Guisada taco - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

A huge variety of texmex food, so many tacos to choose from! It's very cozy and we went on a rather cold day and it was perfectly toasty in the restaurant as well. The ladies are so sweet and helpful! They cook FRESH and HEALTHY! I know how all natural beans look when I see them, I mean the food is delicious yall! pls visit!! Love the prices too! read more

Chela's Tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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We had a great lunch. The food was great and the atmosphere was very pleasant. Service was quick and the server was great. Small little place not too far from Fort Sam Houston. I highly recommended this place! read more

Chela's Tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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This is the saddest review I've written. The tortilla soup here used to be one of our favorite things to eat in the city. The broth was flavorful, and it was full of carrots, potatoes, celery, zucchini, etc. Today, I picked two bowls up for take away. Imagine our dismay when I poured them into a pot at home to reheat, and the soup looked like this. And it tasted as poor as it looks. The broth tasted like store-brand Campbell's, but watered-down. And there was not a single vegetable to be seen. I hope it was an epic mistake in the kitchen, and not a change by the apparent new ownership mentioned in a previous review. They also left out one of the three tacos in our order. Two stars only because one child reported that her carne asada taco was good. read more

Chela's Tacos - Tortilla Soup Tortilla Soup - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Passing thru and Yelped this place on my stay in S.A. Food was good (egg/bacon taco, carne asada taco), very favorable, quite satisfying. The salsa both green and red, along with a spicy creama was so-so but overall I'd certainly eat her again. The service was great and the ambiance was very simple. read more

The food was ok. We had Heuvos Divorcesdos and Asada taco plate. Over medium Eggs were runny. Tacos were just kind of tough meat inside a corn tortilla. Beans & Rice were better. No service, just order at a counter and not much ambiance. We were visiting SA and saw 4 star rating so were a little disappointed. read more

Absolutely LOVE Chelas! The food is always so delicious. Cooked with amazing spices that make the flavors phenomenal. The food comes out fast. The workers are very sweet. They're always On top of everything! The place is always clean. It is a small space but has just a nice cozy ambiance about it. We don't always come here since we don't live close so this place is like our little special treat. read more

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A quick stop for excellent breakfast tacos. Each taco runs about $2-3 depending on if you are getting meat or meatless tacos. There's a sign asking that you sanitize your hands before entrance and also a note that due to rising prices, tacos will meat are now $1 more. I was a little surprised, but thankful for the warning. I ordered the barbacoa and sausage and egg. It came neatly packed in a to go bag with two green salsas and one red salsa. The portions were more than generous and very, very good. Normally I order two tacos but one was plenty! The barbacoa was tasty, soft and melted in my mouth. Also included was cilantro and onions with lime. Such a perfect addition to tacos and not something you get everyday at your local chain taco restaurant. I'll definitely be back and the only question will be... do I have barbacoa again or try something new? read more

Chela's Tacos - Great breakfast tacos - barbacoa and potato and sausage - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Always great tasting food and friendly service! Vegetarian tacos and tortilla soup are my favorite.

Ive been coming to Chela's for a while, more often when they had their food truck by UTSA all of those years ago! I recently ordered from them from their By the Pound menu. I love their Cilantro Chicken so I was pumped that I could get a whole pound of it! The food is delicious as always and the service as well. I look forward to coming to dining in once the restaurants fully open again! read more

Chela's Tacos - Chicken Cilantro Taco - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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I've been wanting to try out puffy tacos for a long time, and Chela's was perfectly situated on my route into San Antonio. After trying them, I have to admit that I don't particularly care for them: they're too cornmeal-y and kinda bland. While the fillings that I got at Chela's were decent--pork and salsa verde, cochinita pibil--I just didn't care for the puffy taco. I'd probably stick with corn or even flour next time. As for the fillings themselves, I thought the pork in the pork and salsa verde was a bit dry at times. Cochinita Pibil was good. I really liked the salsa verde that I was given at the table. Less thrilled about the manager assuming that I wanted a taco platter even when I said all I wanted to do was to try a few puffy tacos. That said, the prices are excellent and everyone in the restaurant wear masks. read more

Chela's Tacos - Puffy Taco Plate with Pork and Salsa Verde and Cochinita Pibil - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Back at my old job, my favorite days were when Chela's Tacos was the food truck of the day. They were (and still are) one of a handful of places that make cochinita pibil tacos, surprisingly not as common as you might think. The tacos were always great and it's one of the very, very few things I miss about my old job. But that all changed once I realized Chela's has a brick and mortar storefront. While looking for some tasty food while driving down Broadway, I veered into Chela's parking lot, like a gravitational pull. While I'd been on a massive menudo kick, I noticed they also had pozole, so I ordered a small bowl of that, and also a chorizo and egg taco to take home and have later. The pozole was very good! Not scalding hot so where I'd burn my tastebuds off. It was the perfect temperature. The pork was tender enough to cut with a spoon, and the broth was not overly salty. Overall, an excellently crafted bowl. It came with two super fluffy and fresh flour tortillas. I wish I buttered them up. The taco I saved for later was also good, even cold. The tortilla was still soft and pliable, normally they're hard as rocks by this time. Above all, the service was also great. Everyone was very friendly and accommodating. Overall, no complaints. It's a solid spot that honestly feels a little out of place in Alamo Heights. It's so down to earth and reminiscent of The Valley. Regardless, glad the '09 has a tasty, humble spot to keep them in line. read more

Chela's Tacos - Pozole - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Came for a quick lunch grab wasn't a huge huge fan. I paid decent money for not a whole lot of food. The flauta that was on the combo plate was all tortilla. There is maybe one piece of chicken in it and it was very dry the rice and beans were good and the Asada that was in the combo plate was amazing, however I wasn't a huge fan of the guacamole. It tasted a little stale the queso you could tell has been made way long before I ordered because it was starting to separate and it tasted gritty and bland as if it was heated and reheated multiple times. This also had no flavor no heat. I'd probably come back just for the asada. read more

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Went there this morning with my daughter and grandson. Chelas's is a small, clean, authentic Mex-Tex cuisine experience . Service was friendly and efficient. Would highly recommend for a causal luncheon with family or friends. Food very delicious, I had the Barbacoa taco! WOW!! read more

From the fajita plate across to the tortilla soup is really good! Service is also great sweet ladies also have a bar so if your feeling a quick margarita real chill and subtle atmosphere read more

Everything was made fresh and was so delicious! The restaurant was clean and the service was exceptional! We ordered an array of breakfast tacos, beans and cheese, machacado, sausage and egg, bacon and egg and barbacoa everything was delicious and servings were generous! I would definitely recommend Chela's Tacos! read more

Never again. I paid $15 (including tip) for this meat on a tortilla, I ordered an asada taco, and some very runny queso. This placed is over priced. I keep trying to like Chela's but always end up disappointed. read more

Chela's Tacos - Asada "taco" - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Freshly made tacos. Menu has lots of choice Mexican fare. Friendly service. Order ahead if in a hurry.

My boyfriend's coworker recommended this place so we decided to give it a try. We called in on New Year's to see if they were open and was greeted so warmly by an older lady there. The food was great and we're glad we started off 2019 with Chela's Tacos! We ordered the Deshebrada, Carne Asada, Pastor, and A La Mexicana, and an order of chips and salsa. The tacos came with just the meat and you top it off yourselves with the condiments and sauces located at the refrigerated bar against the wall. Our favorite out of the four was the Pastor! Really flavorful and the texture wasn't too dry. I liked the deshebrada but it was super messy, wet, and leaked everywhere. The Asada taco was good in flavor but a bit too dry. But all of the tacos were good and we weren't disappointed. The chips and salsa were good too. Overall, we think that Chela's is a solid place for good tacos if you're in the area. Simple and delicious! Next time we're gonna try to get on their wall of Chelfie's! read more

Chela's Tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

New owners two weeks ago. Not a good business model to hike up prices and lower the quality of the food and half the menu is blacked out with tape. This was our go to lunch spot in AH. It was empty when we went in today and now we understand. Tacos were smaller and hard as if over cooked on a grill. Warned by employee to try the tortilla soup before ordering bc they had changed the recipe. They had some of the best tortilla soup in the city and now it is a watery enchilada sauce base. Glad I was given the heads up at least before ordering.They have to figure this out or this great establishment will fail. read more

We were looking for somewhere quick and close to my husband's work so we could grab breakfast. We decided on Chela's. I ordered a bean and cheese with bacon taco. The beans were pale. Almost white. It was weird. My tortilla was cold. It wasn't bad just bland. Lots of salt and pepper. We ordered the trio with queso, salsa and guacamole. The queso was good, the best part of the meal. The salsa was flavorless. The hubs said the guacamole was good. He got two machacado tacos and an al pastor. The al pastor tasted strange. It had notes of cinnamon, which was odd to me. I asked the hubs how the machacado tacos were and he and answered with a resounding "meh...". They were clean, quick and friendly but the food lacked for flavor and temperature. read more

Great place for a quick bite. The salsa bar is excellent with so many options for customizing and order. Lots of cilantro for a cilantro lover like me. The pico and green also are also favorite of mine. Great choices for breakfast tacos and the chiliques are very good. On my last visit I tried the tortilla soup and enjoyed that very much. A very nice neighborhood eatery. This is what great food truck grow up to become. Do it read more

Chela's Tacos - Tortilla Soup - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

How am I just now finding out about the wonderfulness that is Chela's Tacos?! Having just finished running the Witte Museum's 5K our team was ready for some food and after taking to Yelp we stumbled upon Chela's Tacos. Kudos Yelp, as once again; you didn't steer us wrong! Walk in and make your way to order at the counter. They have a large menu on the wall behind the counter, handheld menus you can peruse through, and photos of their awesome taco offerings along the back wall by the salsa bar. Once your order has been placed you'll receive a table number and you can find your seat. Be sure to head to the salsa bar for a handful of salsas, onions, pico, etc to customize your tacos to perfection. After a brief wait our table was filled with a variety of amazingly tasty food. I went for three tacos: huevos a la Mexicana, Papa Ranchera, and migas with guacamole. All of them were fresh, hot, flavorful, and totally hit the spot! Our table also had cilantro chicken (both as plates and as tacos) and while I am NOT a fan of cilantro, my two dining partners couldn't get enough of it and loved them both ways! The food isn't the only amazing thing they offer here at Chela's as there is also the service! Every staff member was friendly, accommodating, and willing to do whatever it takes to make our dining experience a stand out (and kudos to them as it worked). If I had to offer up any complaint it would be that I wasn't really a huge fan of any of the three salsas they offer, but to be honest, the tacos were so good, I didn't really need or miss having salsa on/in them! Thanks Yelp for pointing us in the right direction and welcome to our taco rotation Chela's as your amazing food and top-notch service has not only made you a must-do but also a place we will be bringing friends: both out-of-towner's and locals alike. read more

When I lived in the UTSA area, I would visit the Chela's Tacos food truck at least once a week. Their tacos were always fresh and their salsas were homemade and delicious. Since I moved to the downtown area, I was excited to learn that they had a second location in Alamo Heights, but I was very disappointed to realize that the quality isn't the same. I order the mini tacos al pastor, and they were cold, flavorless and simply blend. Yes, in the picture they might look red and yummy, but don't judge a book by it's cover. My recommendation for everyone would be to visit their food truck in the UTSA area and taste the real Chela's Tacos. I bet you won't be disappointed. read more

Chela's Tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

My lover and I celebrated our anniversary in San Antonio and our first stop was to get some tacos. It didn't disappoint. Portions are large and flavorful. I recommend getting the chicken cilantro and chochinita. The pastor wasn't bad either. read more

Chela's Tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Food was okay. Had the bacon,egg,cheese, bean taco. The tortillas are hand made,No photo added. Also had the Papa Ranchero taco. The taco was good! read more

Chela's Tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Good service at opening time. Solid barbacoa tacos in Álamo Heights Price is moderate.

I had a breakfast omelette with a side of potatoes and two fresh made corn tortillas. The food was tasty and they have more vegetarian friendly offerings than you usually find in a taqueria. I like the self-serve salsa and pico bar which was fresh and replenished when we were there at about 10:00am on a Friday. They have a self-serve soda fountain with Coke products which is a plus since I like alot of refills. read more

I never back! The food is bad, tje cashier went always on the cellphone when I started to say my order, the cook prep only laugh of me when back with is on my food, cooker speak Spanish bad words. I know what they said read more

Great food always consistent and friendly service. There is a lot of variety of tacos and authentic variety to choose from.

FANTASTIC!!! Literally just walked out the door. Been a lil under the weather but I was craving good breakfast tacos and I've passed this place for months and decided to try something new. Walked in and right away noticed a lady in the back corner making flour tortillas with her hands like my grandmother did. Settled for a simple ham and egg with refried beans, a simple easy dish but If made right it definitely tastes great. Sure enough I get the taco within 7 minutes and notice show stuffed it was!! Poured some green and red salsa and took my first bite.....as soon as I took the first bite the tortilla started melting in my mouth and I was taken back to my grandmothers kitchen in Cuidad Juarez. One taco filled me up along with a refreshing Topo Chico!! This place is fantastic and I recommend this place!! Good Job Chelas read more

Chela's Tacos - Ham and Egg Taco with refried beans and salsa - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

The good: seating was quick even at 12:30pm The bad: The service was extremely slow. It took 41 minutes to order and receive food despite being relatively empty The ugly: The food wasn't good. My wife, my mother, and I gave Chela's a try to see if it was any good. It wasn't busy so we quickly got seated. One waitress took our order for drinks and never returned until another waitress came to our table about 10 minutes later. We ordered a chicken huarache, carne asada huarache, and tacos with salsa and pork. From that moment, it took 41 minutes to receive the food despite being relatively empty. Only 4 tables (including ours) were occupied and 2 of them (again including ours) were waiting for the order. I can understand worker shortages, but as I stated before, the restaurant wasn't busy when we arrived nor did it pick up when we left. We were right about to leave when the food came out, and unfortunately it wasn't worth the wait. The chicken huarache was mostly onions and had very little chicken (see the picture). The chicken was bland as it had no seasoning not even salt. The carne asada huarache had a little more meat, but it was VERY salty. The pork and salsa tacos had two tiny pieces of pork and a lot of salsa. The huaraches cost $8 each, and they were by no means worth it. They were rather small, and the the poor taste didn't help. One thing I noticed when I left is that this restaurant charges you an extra $.25 to take your drink to go and $.50 to take your food to go. Way to nickel and dime your customers. The palty amount of chicken + high prices for bland chicken and salty carne asada = a bad time for everyone. Unless you're purposely trying to make people mad at you, never come to this place. read more

Chela's Tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I like going there because I love their soft flour tacos. Each time I get a different one and they've all been great. Service also very good I recommend to anyone to go there also read more