Delicious crab and shrimp enchiladas and queso birria tacos, AMAZING! Every bite left us wanting more, so much more that we came back later for nachos, delicious as well! Very cool, clean, and hip place with friendly and fast service read more

Chicali Cantina - Real crab and shrimp enchiladas + queso birria tacos - Mexican Near Me - Welches, Oregon

What a find! We have been staying in Welches for years, we saw this place open up and finally went last weekend. The people, place and food is amazing! Such a treat to find this place in the back of a Thriftway parking lot! You felt instantly in another place, greeted by friendly staff and the diced guacamole with the chips! So good! True to their word, we altered the enchilada a little more to our liking (chicken in place of beef) and they happily obliged. The homemade smoky sweet salsa was so good we had to ask to take some to go with us! Highly recommend and we will be back soon! read more

Always a winner, a must stop for anyone, best mexican food I have ever had, always fresh, chips made daily, magaritas are amazing!

The place was really busy and we had to wait for a while to get our food. The food was good and tasty. FYI the burritos are huge, it can easily feed two people. read more

What a wonderful surprise. The atmosphere was clean and beautiful and the foos was amazing. Don't let the strip mall location fool you... this is a must if you are in the area. read more

Some of the best food on the mountain, hands down. Awesome staff, great menu items, laid back and classy at the same time. You should go here. read more

Holy cow. Best tacos I've ever had, get the Birria you won't regret it. Also, some of the most hospitable and kind staff I've come across in a long time. They helped our party get seated quickly during a busy time (there were 5 of us!), and they went above and beyond when checking on us throughout our meal. I will make the 1hr drive to get those tacos and that hospitality often. Thank you guys!!! read more

Chicali Cantina - Mexican Near Me - Welches, Oregon

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This isn't really Mexican food. It's Mexican-esque. Their salsas range from ok to full-on astringent and strange. They have dishes that are a total win, but because of that, they are often sold out of those. Some of their other dishes are a little weird, with strange sauces and flavor profiles. The location is great. The decor is adorable. The staff can be frazzled and inattentive. If you are waiting at the door, and they're busy, they won't even acknowledge you. They have a closing time posted, but they don't really adhere to it; meaning they will not seat you if it's half-hour to their posted closing time. They just want you out by then. They will go through all the closing procedures around you while you're eating just so you feel uncomfortable enough to hurry. The prices are a little high. It is a decent place compared to the bar-food in the area. But Burro is better and more authentic. read more

Fresh food, fun staff and family friendly. The interior is open and light, with a pretty tiled bar in the center. Basket covered lights were strung the ceiling. We had the choice of indoor or outdoor seating. We sat inside and started with the chips and salsa flight, recommended by our exceptional waitress (she was also running the bar.) We had 6 uniquely flavored salsas and made from scratch chips. We also had the coconut shrimp. They were the bomb! Big, tender shrimp with a crunchy coconut coating and served with slaw, mango and a slightly spicy, almost smokey sauce. The people at the table next to us saw the shrimp we ordered and they ordered some too. I ordered the chipotle cream chicken enchiladas with vegetables and my mate ordered chicken tacos. It was way more food than we needed. Plenty leftover for lunch tomorrow. The servings were generous and did I already say the food was fresh and delicious? We will go back for sure. read more

Chicali Cantina - Chicken tacos, chipotle cream chicken enchiladas, coconut shrimp, chips and salsa flight. - Mexican Near Me - Welches, Oregon

Great Mexican place we found while staying in a cabin out here. High quality food -- especially the asada street tacos -- with nice atmosphere inside and out. My family really enjoyed this place, but there's also a bar if you're also looking for drinks. read more

First, a $25.00 burrito is offensive, by any standard. Never seen a burrito that expensive anywhere, and I have travelled all over the U.S. and world. It is good, but unless filled with freshly caught Maine lobster, it's not THAT good. The tacos are done as well as a solid food truck, and priced as they should be $7-8. Al pastor had the best flavor although too much sauce and not enough marinade. Chips are freshly made and delicious. Salsas are excellent. Margaritas are good, although I sent my Cadillac back twice because they got the ratios all wrong and put in way too much Grand Marnier. Overall, tasty dinner. Way overpriced for what it is. read more

Wonderful!! Highly recommend! The food was fantastic, and the service was just as great. We loved the outdoor seating area. Very comfortable, and just perfect for the doggos (make sure you order something for your furry friend on the pup menu- such a good idea)! We will be back again for delicious margs and tacos. Such a great addition to Welches! read more

Legit! We have tried just about everything on the menu now, and this place is delicious. Drinks are on point. Food is amazing. And the vibes and service are perfect. Thanks y'all! read more

I really wanted to like this restaurant, and was looking forward to trying good Mexican food after reading positive reviews. It was such a disappointing experience. The bar tender was not attentive or friendly, sitting at bar- it was not very busy. Had to get his attention for every single thing. The food was lacking in flavor, small portions and not worth the money. Haven't gone back since. read more

Yesterday my mom and I popped in for a quick drink and app after finishing a rainy hike. To say we were pleased is an understatement!! From the delicious mojitos, fantastic guacamole and amazing service. Our time and money was well spent. The owner Robin came out from behind to kitchen to chat with us, telling us they have only been open for a short while. Well Robin, my mother and I would like to say thank you because we had a wonderful time at your establishment. Also, the salt scrub in the bathroom is a great touch! Next time I'm in the area I will stop by again and will refer to anyone who will be in the area xo read more

Great food and drinks, combined with very nice outdoor dining patio with dogs welcome. We will be back!

I went there during opening weekend finally a nice place to go to with atmosphere and great food really has a nice vibe to it great margaritas tasty salsa my favorite place to go for great tasting tacos and more I definitely recommend chicali read more

Grand opening week and literally everyone in Welches was there to support this new business. Of course waits were long, but they had a lot of employees working and service was quick and nice. We had Jennifer who was Incredibly nice. Food was good - was it the best Mexican We have ever had - no, but it was still tasty and I would recommend going. Opening week is tough for every restaurant- keep up the good work - work out the kinks - and we will continue to support this restaurant. read more

First of all, being from Texas doesn't mean you "know Mexican food" so that reviewer is ridiculous. It's just obnoxious when someone comes from another state and says "I'll tell you how it's done". No thanks! That being said, the food here was amazing! My husband and I loved the Chile relleno and the salsa was perfect! Welches has needed another Mexican restaurant for quite a while and we will definitely be back soon! read more

This is a great little restaurant in a beautiful setting. If we get back to Mt Hood, this will be a go to spot for lunch and dinner.

We ordered the combo burrito, 2 carne asada tacos, 2 carnitas taco, and one chicken taco. We did not receive any carnitas tacos, two chicken tacos instead, so one taco fewer than what we ordered. The burrito didn't have sour cream and the red sauce had a weird taste. The carne asada was not flavorful in the slightest. read more

Drinks were strong. Food was not good. Everything out of a can. Do not recommend this place at all. Make it at home.

Update... Plain and simple, finding good staff can be a large challenge in the service industry. Most of the employees in most restaurants are a little whiny haha. If they don't admit it they're just lying haha.. Moving on. I've now eaten here I'd guess 65 times. The owners are nice and probably and really do care about what's going out to the customer. The staff is personable and very nice. The food, yeah I've never had a cold taco since that first time.. If anything is out of place, they make it right, but it's usually spot on right out the gate. Simply put, if you want the best Cali Mexican food or Mexican in general, this is your place. I've been all over Oregon and haven't had Mexican this good.. Chicali is the place for delicious drinks and food, period. read more

We really appreciate the addition of Chicali Cantina to the local Mt. Hood Villages food scene. It is welcome and definitely worthy of a visit. The interior is decorated quite nicely (note other reviewers comments about the surprise waiting in an ordinary mini type mall). There is an exterior, covered and enclosed, dining area in the back on the parking lot, and there are also outdoor tables in the breezeway that goes through the "mall" toward the back parking lot (these tables are under rather harsh, extremely bright white lights that are not attractive and also glaringly light up tables immediately inside the windows facing that direction). The U-shaped bar counter is hopping and welcoming (even with two huge TVs that face either direction). We have been twice, and it's been pretty busy both times. Service was spotty, but there is surely a shortage of help working in the restaurant to take care of the number of visitors-- We can excuse that for now in the pandemic. For example, we were never offered water, and when we did ask for water it took a long, long time to arrive. Of course, by that time we were slurping down the margarita faster than advised due to absent water. The food is pretty good, but some things are better than others. Starting with the chips: They are good, quite good, but you have to buy the "flight" of salsas if you want salsa (the chips and salsa come together). The salsas come in a minuscule amount in a tiny cup, so if you like salsa or eat all your chips, you'll definitely run out and are faced with buying more (not acceptable-- please have a "house" salsa, that you can offer without a charge). If you happen to order the guacamole (we ordered the "diced avocado" variety, which was good but everything in it comes in really large diced chunks-- We mashed ours up some, so it would go on a chip), then you don't automatically get salsa. You have to buy salsa for $2 for a dab of salsa in a small bowl. The salsas are good, just scant. The margaritas are very good-- Nice and completely homemade. Yum. Oh, the menu: The menu listed on their website is slightly different than the one you see in the restaurant. Or, at least the "dinner specials" were not on the menu. The grilled baby gem salad is very good. The enchiladas (beans and rice) are okay, and the tacos are good. The enchiladas have been a bit on the dry side both visits. The "street" tacos come with a tiny cup of habanero salsa that is good but makes you wonder why the stinginess with salsa otherwise. The burria is good, but the "consommé" that comes with it is not so good (or is it supposed to be a salsa?). We will look forward to going back again, though! read more

We just had dinner at this place. From start to finish, FANTASTIC. The salsa flight was plentiful and delicious, and the quesa birria was over the top. Fun cocktail menu--the cranberry and blackberry margaritas were generous and tasty. Our server, Morgan, couldn't have been more helpful and friendly on a busy Friday night. Highly recommend this place! read more

This is a wonderful place with AMAZING food, margaritas, and salsa. The al pastor tacos are out of this world! The salsa flight is so fun and yummy. Just do it-- you won't regret it. And the house margarita is so delicious! Also they have some great Oregon beers on tap to enjoy. The staff and owners are really thoughtful and attentive. Also they have a great patio that is kid and dog friendly-- all year round!! The patio is for a family or someone with a dog a bonus. Thank you so much for being a great restaurant and having an awesome space. It made it one of the nicest meals for us with our toddler in a long long time. read more

Love the new Kale and Cranberry salad!! Try it with a couple street tacos for a tasty lunch! Great spot to hang with the puppy (and a margarita) on the patio! read more

Nice fun atmosphere! Great food, the birria sauce is awesome! Great service and we'll definitely be back again.

So very disappointing. Been waiting all summer for this place to open. Went on their 3rd night. I have never ever been to a Mexican restaurant that did not serve chips and salsa. And the wait! I would think on a grand opening they would pull anyone and everyone in to serve customers to make a great impression but...nope. I expected from all the social media hype this was gonna be some spectacular food. Nope. Not at all flavorful food. And it was only lukewarm-not hot at all. That is inexcusable. No spice to it whatsoever. And I will never know what was served with a $4.50 "taco". If it was salsa, it wasn't. It was red oily water. Weird. Servings of rice and beans were small and blah. The birria beef was just plain chunks of beef-not really shredded and definitely not seasoned or marinated in any chiles. And to top it off it was an expensive meal. The other person with me got carnitas to compare his to theirs. Not even comparable. Just a "meh". I thought well maybe give it 3 months to iron out the wrinkles and terrible wait and service but the food-we got what their food is and it was not worth the hype for sure. Was hoping to have a great Mexican food place to go to since the other one in town is not any good like it used to be. So I guess the best Mexican food around is still at home. read more

Amazing food. Fun place, great staff. Staff really went out of their way for us. Authentic homemade mexican food. Chips and salsa were made there. read more

What a gem! Best Mexican food we've had in Oregon (we're from Texas)! Fabulous food, so reasonably priced for what you get! The six dips on the salsa flight were all wonderful! Red chili enchiladas amazing. Pork carnitas burrito delicious and massive! Don't miss the house or other margaritas! So thrilled to find this great restaurant up here -- do yourself a favor and EAT HERE. read more

Very good. Really good price for what you get. Service was great. Really impressed. Would love to go back anytime

Great new spot in Welches. Wonderful atmosphere and good food. We've come a few times since they've opened and things are improving with every visit. The quinoa salad was delicious, the guacamole is a family favorite - must also admit I enjoy the margaritas! We've had several of the tacos and the enchiladas- all were yummy. We have some dietary restrictions and the accommodations were met each time. Of course being new, there are some kinks, but I'm excited to welcome a new local spot and will continue to enjoy a fun night out. read more

Service is spotty. The food is good but small portions for the prices. House margaritas are adequate.

What an unexpected gem! The food was amazing, big portions, and very tasty. The service was excellent. Staff were friendly, helpful and attentive. We all enjoyed a rather huge slice of the rum banana cake and two days later, I am still thinking about it! The Christmas lights inside added to the chic ambiance. We will be back! read more

Fast, friendly, quality service with good drinks and nice menu. Really liked this place. You'll forget you're at mini-mall as soon as you get inside. Highly recommend. read more

Absolutely the best Restaurant on the mountain! Kind and ready servers. Delicious food. Best Margaritas I've ever had. I go twice a week, every week. read more

My favorite place to eat on the mountain! Love the food and the atmosphere! Also the live music when they have it is a really nice treat!

Okay so I said I would review this again. Waitress was excellent. I ordered something different, chili relenos it was hot and excellent. The shrimp and crab burrito that my partner ordered was still only warm so it might be this particular dish. Foods and service excellent. Still bothered that they don't offer free chips and salsa. For god sakes just slip it in the check. Interio is beautiful. read more

Charging $5 for stale chips and salsa? Happy hour ends at 5 so your $6 margaritas jump to almost double. We want to support local though so a suggestion would be to extend your happy hour to 6. Offer better chips with salsa free for first round. Or just free. This could really be a great locals hangout because the margaritas were pretty good! And there is that fireplace! Good luck! read more