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

Great tacos!!!Chicken Cilantro T aco awesome im sure it's all good everything I've tried is excellent read more

You should eat here now. I'm in the middle of eating my breakfast, and just had to take a quick break to let you know that I am presently enjoying the absolute best omelette that I've ever eaten. I actually just got up to compliment the chef, and when I was sitting back down thought I should post here too. The egg is thin, light, & fluffy, with a subtly strong eggy flavor. Inside is a generous mixture of veggie goodness that is cooked perfectly. The delicious omelette came with sides of beans, bacon, and potatoes, which were all also delicious, but the omelette will knock your socks off. You should eat here now. read more

Chela's Tacos - The Veggie Omelette is muy delicioso, and the best I've ever had! - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Chela's Tacos is truly a unique restaurant that offers delicious taco creations that has captured the attention of various publications. Menu items are prepared with natural ingredients & offer many healthy options. Whether your taste buds are craving Tex Mex, Asada, Shrimp, Pastor, Yucatán, Fajitas or Michoacán, you certainly can be adventurous at Chela's! Every menu that I've tried has been very enjoyable. Many times I've been "wowed" & impressed with some of the flavor. Taco portions are usually generous, so one taco is usually enough for me! Chela's offers a nice ambiance that creates a very pleasant dining experience. The salsa bar is adequately stocked & maintained. The staffing is consistently friendly and strive for superior customer service. read more

Chela's Tacos - Ham & egg breakfast taco. Requested light oil & flour tortilla crispy. Mmmm - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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Chela's Tacos are our favorite tacos anywhere. The handmade flour tortillas are delicious, and inside the tacos are fresh ingredients. My favorites are the shrimp tacos and the chicken fajita tacos. My kids like the bean and cheese tacos and the bacon and egg tacos. The menu has so many good surprises--keep ordering new ones and see what you discover. The only downside is that sometimes I get a craving when the restaurant is closed. read more

Chela's Tacos - Chela's Tacos: chicken fajita taco and shrimp taco - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

We have been here many times. My boys really like it and the tacos are always fresh, not too skimpy and delish! It's in a little strip center, and parking is not good. (I think of it every time I look at the little ding in my car.) But, it's in a nice, cute part of SA, so park somewhere else and walk over. It's worth it! read more

Delicious. I got the chilaquiles plate with corn tortillas and whole beans and it was fantastic. Came topped with two slices of very crispy bacon, which is how I like my bacon, so I was really happy. Love the comfort food vibe and local ambiance. Service was quick! I wish I had more room to finish it; the plates are big, so come hungry. They also have tacos, which I tried a long while ago through DoorDash. I remember them being great. Will come back! :) ¡Múy delicioso! read more

Chela's has easily become a go-to stop for me. You walk in to the small restaurant and are greeted like you have been friends with the staff for years! I have tried many things on the menu and highly recommend the Cilantro Chicken tacos. If you stop in for breakfast, try the chilaquile plate. Everything in this place is simple. There is no fancy service or frills. It is casual, local, good food. read more

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

One of a kind tacos. Chela's FLAVORS, y'all! Unlike the truck, the location also has plates. The chilaquiles were so gorgeous I had to try them...but I also had to have chicken cilantro and cochinita pibil tacos to go - partially because I dream about the flavors in Chela's tacos...but also because Chela brought out some chicken cilantro on a chip while I was waiting, luring me in with her spice sirens. Delicious she-devil! Order at the counter, get your number, find a table in the small dining room, and get your fixins at the salsa bar. Admire the penny table tops for the few minutes you'll wait for your delicious to arrive. No Big Red to go with my chilaquiles, but no shameful Red Flash, either: Topo Chico, Jarritos, beer, tea, Coke products (including orange Fanta). I personally can take or leave the salsas, but Chela's tacos don't need much help in the flavor department... Heard they'll be moving to the old Joseph's Storehouse off St. Mary's, so get your Alamo Heights fix now! UPDATE: Sadly the *truck* closed.. but Broadway *and* St. Mary's open ! woo ! read more

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One star because the staff were kind but it stops there. As I was getting ready to put my uneaten cochinita taco in the trash, the cashier swooped in, and asked if I'd like a to go bag. I told her I didn't like it, so rather than throwing it away for me she TOOK IT BACK TO THE KITCHEN on the counter and it looked like she was either getting ready to eat it or put it back with the rest of the meat! No offer for another kind of taco in exchange, a drink, or anything. The backstory. I was looking forward to this place as an avid taco enthusiast and had heard good things. I went with the chicken cilantro, steak, al pastor, and cochinita tacos. All of the meat was tough and over cooked. The chicken cilantro seemed to be unseasoned pulled tough chicken mixed in with some warm mayo or ranch sauce. The steak was bland and mixed in with pick de gallo that had been heated up. The al pastor was chunky pork with a good bit of seasoning but could have been passed off as beef jerky. And the cochinita was dry, way too sweet, and slightly sour, which tasted nothing like the cochinita in the Yucatán it was advertised as. I could barely eat it thus free taco for the cashier. read more

Chela's Tacos - Chicken cilantro and Al Pastor tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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I got a plate mole enchiladas. The rice is not cooked and the beans are not cooked as well. Will not recommend this place.

This is truly a San Antonio hidden gem. The posole is fantastic and the tamales are the best from Texas to New Mexico - one is a meal. Pork or chicken. The chef is a little grim but the food is magnifico. read more

Ordered online. Mine was delish. Other was not as appealing. Service is attentive. ambiance is nice

Wow! Alamo Heights has a pretty legit little taco gem in the hood now. Quite delicious too! The Chiliqueles taco is very good and they offer a excellent salsa along with the tacos as well. Everyone makes their Chiliqueles tacos slightly different around town,different strokes for different folks but I like the way they do them here.Perfect! As a San Antonio native I know what good tacos should taste like in our part of town and these fine folks are doing it right. I was happy to be brought taco takeout by my boyfriend,I have yet to eat at the actual location. Unfortunately when I had tried to pull in during my lunch hour their opening week were having some kind of plumbing issue that day.I hear its a cute place.Take out or dine in,I will becoming back to support this place.Its not like we have a taco place on every corner in the Heights. ;) read more

Chela's Tacos - Salsas,red onions and lime. - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I really enjoyed my experience here. The service and food were great! We tried several things off the menu and we're delighted with every dish. My favorite things being the cilantro chicken tacos. I also loved the Peruvian white bean dip which was ohh my gawd amazing, and they have that kind if beans in their bean and cheese tacos, yess please I'll take a dozen! Lol y'all that's a must try when you go! Don't forget! The owner Marty and his wife are friendly and accommodating. They gave great service, and I'll definitely be back! Did I mention theirs a bar, so grab a mimosa or/and michelada! read more

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Great service. Tacos are amazing. Nice clean family environment. Will be back for more.

So we originally had gone to taco taco... But they just seem so busy... They had one server and we sat down waiting for her to take our order and she went and served other people before us so we left and came here! I had actually seen this taco truck before. And I was really impressed with this place! The service was really great, the place was really cute, and I had a better time here than I would've had a taco taco. If you look at the pictures you can see how good the food was! There was like a whole layer of cheese on mine and I'm lactose intolerant and I still ate it anyway! But I guess nobody is really serious about their lactose intolerance LOL! If I still lived in San Antonio I would definitely visit this place again! :-) read more

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Their Chicken Cilantro taco is a must get. The tortillas (flour) are pillowy and soft topped with a generous portion of shredded chicken in a luxurious creamy cilantro sauce! I'm not a super big cilantro fan, but this will make you fall in love! We also had the Trio Dip appetizer and the queso and guacamole were very good with super crispy chips. For dessert we tried their new offering of Flan which was excellent! Slivered almonds, a light chocolate drizzle, and perfectly textured! The service is also very quick and the staff is very attentive! read more

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My daughter and I were in the mood for some good tacos today. As always I turn to my fellow Yelpers for great suggestions. Had heard if Chela's Tacos for a while, but had never made it down. Today was my day to see what all the good reviews were about. This is a family owned restaurant and everyone was friendly when we walked in. They have their menu up on the wall? But also have regular menus you can sit at a table and look at. Since I had come for tacos, that was going to be my meals. I chose Pastor, Guisada, and Steak a la Mexicana for my lunch. They were stuffed and the tortillas were homemade. Add some onions and pico de gallo and they were awesome! I'm used to a guisada taco that has more of a sauce to it, but it still had that full, bold flavor. The pastor was good in its own right and the Mexicana was taken over the top with the addition of some green salsa and pico. My daughter's 2 taco plate with potatoes and beans (boiled not refried), looked inviting to the tastebuds. She chose migas and barbacoa tacos. I took a little bit of the barbacoa and what can I say . . . nice flavor! They have a condiment bar do the salsas, onion and pico. They definitely keep it at a nice, refrigerated temp, cuz it was cold when I lifted the lid. That's keeping things safe. Good job. Great first experience with Chela's. Keep it up! read more

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Good tacos a little expensive but quality food. Love the guisada tacos Love that the owner is always there waiting on customers The red salsa is delish read more

These tacos are literally incredible. If you don't know what to get, get the cilantro chicken taco. These are big tacos I would recommended 2-3 per person max. The guisado and Barbacoa were phenom. Also if you don't know what things are -- they have pics of each taco on the wall. Since I am way too Caucasian, I appreciated this. read more

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

Cheap. Delicious tacos. Great service. What more can you ask for? Ambiance - The inside was fairly typical with sort of a rustic look which was pretty cool. The walls were lined with photos of tacos that made my mouth water and the high table I sat at was made of pennies! How cool was that? Service - We were greeted the moment we walked in and the staff was very friendly. We were even given a sample (decent size too!) of the chicken and beef while browsing the menu. Food - I had two tacos and that was enough to fill up my stomach. The meat inside was really good and the tortilla was puffy! So so good. It was fresh, warm, and definitely tasty. Also, I totally missed it, but there's a a little bar/steel cart thing with all the sides you can add on such as onions and such! Unfortunately, I finished my tacos before realizing it was there. Pricing - Total was ~$8 with tax. Not bad for two filling tacos. Cheapest lunch I've had in a long time. Overall, I'm so glad I found this Chela's Tacos. Now I know where to go in SA for some fairly cheap, satisfying tacos. Recommended and will be back! read more

I've always enjoyed going to cella's in Alamo heights. I especially used to like the chicken cilantro tacos and gorditas but the last time we went it didn't taste the same and there was an extreme amount of oregano which negated the cilantro taste and frankly was very strange tasting. Also I ordered a bean and cheese taco which look like the the thinnest spread of refried beans and like a tablespoon of cheese. Pretty disappointed.Chicken Cilantro Taco MOBean and Cheese Taco read more

Chela's food is great. The service is prompt and friendly. The atmosphere is casual and welcoming. I go often.

In my quest for the perfect puffy taco, I found this little place. Wow! I need to come back just to try the other styles of meat to fill what was a perfectly fried shell. No grease running out on my plate, but not dry either. Great texture and it held up well to my choices of meats (which were super moist, if not downright juicy). I had a trio of tacos and an iced tea. The tacos, in order of preference were Pastor (it always shocks me a little to bite into a morsal of pineapple), Cilantro Chicken, and Cochinita Pibil. All three were covered in lettuce, tomato, and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese. I availed myself of the salsa bar, and tried three wonderful flavors from there. The only thing I'd do differently is downsize to 2 tacos (I'm totally stuffed), and get an order of chips and guacamole, which would serve to temper the richness of the meats. I will be back tomorrow morning to try a breakfast taco! read more

Chela's Tacos - Three puffy tacos! - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Always flavorful, fresh and home made! In my opinion, the best mexican restaurant in San Antonio. I love the deshebrada and cochinta pibil. read more

Best Tacos ever! Great service, nice "salad bar" with taco trimmings, and all the tacos were great. The cod taco, asada and shrimp were my favorites but everything was great! Thank you Luciano! read more

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Great lil hole in the wall place. Great customer service. Unfortunately we didn't WOWED by the food. The food was very bland and common. No real restaurant taste and I don't mean it in a complimentary way.. We order a Hurache which cost 10 bucks. It was really small. Nothing came with it either. If you have had a real Huarche, don't order one here. You will be disappointed. Ordered a combo plate. Alot of lettuce on it. The lettuce was not fresh. Like I said the food was just not of restaurant quality. Chips and green salsa we good though. They have the right concept though . Hopefully they work on the food to wow the customers. Doubt we will be back to dine in. read more

Salsa was different than most places. Tacos were ok and my buddy had some carnitas that made him feel bad later. Real nice folks though. Two locations. read more

Tried something different today, the chicken chipotle taco and was not disappointed. Spicy and delicious. It's never too busy, even at 12:30, the tacos are filling (I usually get two) and the service is always fast. read more

Chela's Tacos - Cochinita Pibil and Chicken Cilantro - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Taking the high ground looking below, Chela's Tacos were okay at best for me. For the rest of the items that were not tacos on the menu I will not speak for, but I decided it best to judge a taco shop... by... well, it's tacos. It's unfortunate to have to come back with a review like this, but I feel honesty and openness is what the general public deserves. As always, my opinion should always be taken with a grain of salt.... Or something to add flavor to it. Stopping by out of curiosity and that ravenous hunger that sets in sometime between 11am & 2pm, Chela's Tacos popped up coincidentally convenient seeing as it was on my list of places to explore flavor wise. Being located on Broadway means that it is a prime location for customers and therefore should bring the heat when compared to other places in the area. This is the expectation set and especially after seeing the reviews on Yelp from other people giving this place such high praise. Parking generally is not much of a problem, although, it can get crunchy with larger vehicles so never a bad thing to keep in the back of your mind. Connected to various other businesses, you do have options for both ice cream and bubble tea or boba drinks, depending on where you hail from. Walking in, the restaurant itself seats quite a few people, groups ranging from 2-5 can sit rather comfortably. It's nice also checking out the menu and seeing how the food is prepped so there is lots going on around you the entire time. So sweet, the lady who took my order at the front was helpful kindly answering my questions I had about recommended food items and portion sizes, it felt hopeful and exciting for a new place. The salsa bar was fully stacked and no complaints there, ingredients were freshly diced and the entire place was kept clean. Between booth seats, table seats, and a high chair, I chose the high ground to keep it personal and just enjoy my Sunday afternoon. I decided to go with three tacos, 2 reliable go-to's, asada and barbacoa, and 1 that the restaurant is known for, the chicken cilantro. Referencing the photos below, I would like to point out my initial thoughts on the matter when my food came out. Now first of all, the service was perfectly fine, nothing to really point out other than they were good and quick to bring the food out. The issue was how basic the tacos were. Simply opening up the tortillas to see the meat items laid inside with nothing else felt kind of... lacking. Each taco was just that, a tortilla and the meat inside and I did kind of feel like there was too much missing. BUT, benefit of the doubt, I know better than to just judge a place by the way their food looks (I mean, would I have ever tried curry if i was so uncomfortable with appearances?), so i went ahead and took a happy bite into my barbacoa taco. What left that bite with was a solemn look and feeling of contempt. The problem? There was no popping flavor. The flavor of barbacoa, from get togethers at friend's houses back home in San Diego, along the border of TJ, any mexican restaurant growing up as a child, has had flavorful bite fulls of flavor. I felt that this was more watered down, honestly a struggle to find something for my tongue to latch onto. Where were the spices and herbs and chiles? Moving onto the next taco, which should have been the most reliable in my opinion, was the asada and that first bite was a bite of regret I can never take back. You know that feeling of biting into a cracker as a kid, expecting salty goodness to consume your taste buds but then realizing it's your grandma's unsalted crackers she accidentally slipped you? Yeah, I can't remember a time I've ever just stopped eating any asada based taco because of the lack of flavor. If I was a person traveling and hunting for food and happened to not have spices, then ok, but I'm not and that's the problem. The only saving grace I have to mention, is that the chicken cilantro had a juicy, flavorful bite the first to the last. Not that dry shredded chicken but nicely cooked and evenly seasoned meat. If I had to go back, that would be the taco I would reliably eat again. The surprise for me, is the amount of Yelp reviews that spoke so positively for this place when you have taco shops around San Antonio that are on such a higher caliber like Erick's or Taquitos & Panaderia that define what 4+ stars means. Is it people's taste buds? Is it lack of knowledge of what flavor is? I can't give that answer for everyone, but my answer is that this place didn't fail me, the mass reviews given by the people failed them. read more

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Today was my first time here. I ordered the Steak a la Mexicana with the flour tortilla. Tortilla was very fresh and tasty. I felt the filling was definitely on the lighter side of portions especially for 3.50. Can't say this was my best choice. The taco overall lacked flavor and I felt the meat was greasy. The fresh salsa bat is nice. I added plenty of pico and cilantro - I enjoyed both. I also asked them yo add a little lettuce. The picture is the "dressed up" version. The restaurant itself is cute with penny covered tables. It is clean and they have 2-3 small tables on the sidewalk to enjoy beautiful days like today. Staff seemed fine although I had very minimal conversation. When I commented that I hadn't been there before; I got no response so I simply ordered. read more

Chela's Tacos - Steak a la Mexicana - Mexican Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Some of the best tacos I've had (and I've had a lot of tacos, y'all). We got the mole, al pastor and cilantro chicken tacos and a chicken tamale. The service was awesome- when they saw us struggling to decide what to order, they gave us a a sample of two of the meats. Drool. That cilantro chicken.... I need to know how to make it asap. I keep salivating when I think about it. So. Delicious. read more

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

One of the best authentic Mexican restaurants at this time in SA. Barbacoa is excellent, especially with a Mexican coke. Service is great. Inviting and relaxing place read more

I love Chelas! The service is quick, they are very sweet! Great Tex-Mex breakfast tacos and their Horchata is delish.

Had lunch here today because I was in the area and had bookmarked it to try. We ordered a beef quesadilla, chips and queso, and three tacos. All of the food was very good. The portions were good sized and the flavors were spot on. Service was great and the place was clean. We will definitely be back! read more

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Terrible service, got an order to go. Essentially, the plate was made up of rice, beans and lettuce. I got a total of seven pieces of meat, and when I tried to call back, they kept hanging up. My order came out to $17. It's ridiculous. Also food isn't all that, there definitely is better out there. read more

Had to come in and try a quick lunch, so I went with familiar- Chicken Quesadilla on corn tortilla. Wow! It was delicious.. Tortilla was substantial- didn't crumble like some corn torts do.. Fajita chicken was perfect with the cheese and side garnishes- s/c, pico & lettuce. Next time I come here I'll look over menu more & try something new.. Good stuff! read more

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

Excellent tacos and great service!! Loved the softness of the tortillas. Very fresh!! Salsa is very tasty!

11/10 customer service Super friendly family owned taco shop with great food I tried a few tacos but will highlight the shrimp taco. If you are undecided, go with the shrimp taco. If you are craving one of the beef tacos, get the shrimp taco. If you don't want tacos, get the shrimp taco. You get the point. Awesome place to get filling tacos. read more

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