ALLERGY Warning: Chuy's is NOT an ALLERGY-friendly restaurant. If you have ANY food allergies, you should completely AVOID this restaurant.
Food: 2 out of 10
Wait Staff: 7 out of 10
Managment: 0 out of 10
Atmosphere: 2 out of 10
Parking: 3 out of 10
Upon being seated at my table, I requested an Allergy Menu or a list of ingredients in their tacos. My waiter apologized first, then handed me a white piece of paper with around 4 menu items listed on it. I then explained to him that I have food allergies wanted to know what ingredients were in their taco's and to see if their chips were gluten-free. The waiter had the Manager(?) assist me. I explained my allergies in detail to him then asked what ingredients were in the tacos and in the chips. He was trying to be helpful but had trouble explaining the taco ingredients to my satisfaction. I opted to "play it safe" and just get a bowl of guacamole to eat with chips and salsa. I confirmed 2 separate times (with the manager) that the chips were gluten and wheat free. He stated that they were made fresh in-house and they were made from Corn Only, not wheat. Within 20 minutes after my first bite, I started to get a migraine (this is a direct indicator that I was having an allergic reaction to gluten, my other allergens have a different indicator.) This later turned into a severe migraine event that lasted 3 immensely torturous days.
I still feel like I should give a review of the food and service for those Do Not have or Are Not Yet Aware that they have food allergies. So, here it goes...
About the Atmosphere: The acoustics in this restaurant makes it difficult to have a normal conversation without raising your voice. It looks like a themed "Diner" with tall ceilings, open rooms and with very large decorative palm trees in-between the tables. There are booths and tables. But the tables are set very close together. It is very difficult for patrons and staff to navigate the room without bumping into your chair or walking uncomfortably close to your food while you are eating. There is outdoor seating which may be a better seating option for anyone that wants to have a comfortable conversation. When I visited, less than half of the restaurant was occupied and I was uncomfortable.
About the FOOD: I ordered Guacamole and a Sprite/Mist Twist. The chips and salsa were "complimentary." The CHIPS (not gluten-free) were thin, both flexible and crispy (about 50/50) in texture, somewhat oily and didn't have any flavor except for salt and oil. The SALSA was below average. It was over-chopped into very tiny pieces, very watery, on the "spicy" side and desperately needed onions and cilantro to balance the flavor. The GUACAMOLE tasted more like "smashed avocado" and should have more chunks of onions and cilantro. One scoop of Guacamole was served over a bed of chopped lettuce to give it the illusion of abundance. Instead, it added an unpleasant over processed lettuce/chemical flavoring. The chips, salsa, and guacamole are made fresh so I'm sure that the quality and flavors will vary daily.
About the Service: My waiter was very nice and refilled my drink often. Although it did take around 10 minutes for me to get my check.
I'm not a very picky eater, I just like to be detailed when writing an explanation. Since the basic ingredients required in my food were not there, I would find it hard to believe that anything else on the menu would taste better than "Average" at most. This combined with the noisy and uncomfortable atmosphere AND the fact that the Manager misinformed me about the ingredients in my food thus causing a serious allergic reaction... I would RATE this place a ZERO if it were possible.
There are much better restaurant choices within walking distance. read more