Chuy’s

I used to go to Chuy’s whenever I visited Austin, and was really excited for them to open a restaurant in Virginia. The food here is flavorful and plenty. They also have the best guacamole I’ve had anywhere.

I have had the chicken fajitas the two times I have been and they have been good. The tortillas seem a bit thick and have a strong flour taste but nonetheless they are good. Service has been quick and good. Definitely a good place to bring kids

Let’s just say that my Dad loves this place even though he’s not a big fan of Mexican or spicy foods. Apparently this place is famous in Texas, so I’m glad we have it in Virginia. Their food is always fresh – they don’t need to put much in a refrigerator because they have fresh food delivered daily. I absolutely love their tres leches. Most Mexican restaurants are not known for great desserts, but Chuy’s changes the game. The waitstaff is also excellent. Our first waiter was a really great guy who had served in the military and was really great with customer service. However, since it’s so popular, make sure to get there early, like 5PM instead of 6PM. The place is affordable too, so expect to run into a lot of families with kids. Their merchandise is also a lot of fun for those with a sense of humor.

Not in this area too often, seems this area is over run with ho-​hum chain restaurants. Turns out this place is a chain as well, but not a bad one. Not the best tex-​mex I have ever had, but pretty good.
This place is incredibly brightly colored with tons of unique and fun décor. They also have a fun variety of t-​shirts availed for purchase in the front. We were warmly greeted and brought to a table.
They were a bit busy, being a Tuesday and a snow day, many people were there with their kids for lunch. Service was a bit on the slow side, but not too bad.
Their menu is huge, almost overwhelming for first timers. But after spending some time to navigate it we saw many things that sounded good.
We were pretty hungry so we ordered their super nachos to start. They also brought out chips, salsa, and their creamy jalapeño sauce (AMAZING!).
I ordered custom enchiladas with the sirloin topped with their Ranchero sauce, very yummy.
And my hubby got their big as yo face steak burrito with the creamy jalapeño sauce.
Their portions were huge. We shouldn’t have gotten an appetizer, our eyes were WAY bigger than our stomachs. But it was all very yummy.
We also ordered a tres leaches to go. The tres leaches was incredible! Will go back for that!
$ 41, before tip for all that food, so cheap for how much food we got!
Again, not the best Tex-​mex ever, but good and affordable. Honestly I would go back for the creamy jalapeño sauce alone! Worth checking out.

My initial experiences here were not so great, but the awesome happy hour keeps me coming back. I especially love the margaritas with housemade mixer. The food has grown on me, although it is not the tex-​mex style that I most love. Tortillas and sauces are fresh made which I like, and my go-​to menu items are consistently good. The stacked enchiladas are my fave and the stuffed avocado is good too. We will continue to come here as there is not a better tex-​mex restaurant in this zip code.

Just WOW! I’ve never been here before so my fiancé recommended the steak burrito and jalapeño ranch dip. Amazing! It’s quite large so come hungry! The server was very attentive and rarely left an empty glass. I’m very picky about quesos and typically ask for anything white, which they did not have, but the queso was delicious and addictive! The margaritas are on point, as well! I wasn’t a fan of the charro beans, but I was too full after the burrito and three bites of rice, chips, salsa, and queso. Very happy customer here and will definitely be back with friends that have never been!

PLEASE — I beg of you — do not write Chuy’s off as just another «On the Border» or (gasp) «Don Julio’s»…and it’s definitely better than Uncle Julio’s! I implore you to look beyond the cheesy (but fun) interior décor and focus your eyes, ears, and nose on the food! Oh, and if you’re in to fun and pun-​filled t-​shirts, you will LOVE their shirts available for purchase; they’re so fun!
Chuy’s really goes beyond the «chain» Tex-​Mex places, in my opinion, by offering consistently great service, a cleaner environment, fresher chips (not too thin/​salty/​greasy), better-​prepared and executed entrees, and a whole SLEW of amazing homemade sauces with which to smother your enchilada, burrito, tacos, etc.
You must also look past the fact that this Chuy’s location is in a building that used to house a Chili’s. The only thing Chuy’s MIGHT have in common with a Chili’s is the fact that back in the day, Chili’s used to be known for pretty damn good fajitas… and in my book, Chuy’s takes the fajita crown from ALL the Tex-​Mex places in the Mid-​Atlantic Land!
Sizzling, steaming, fresh, flavorful, tender, and super-​affordable; do the chicken and steak combo! Best of all, you don’t have to pay extra for cheese, sour cream, guac, rice, beans, and tortillas. You also have your choice of made-​right-​away super-​fresh flour tortillas or a flour-​corn blend (note to gluten-​sensitive friends that their corn tortillas are not 100% corn).
Okay, so you all know I LOVE authentic Mexican food, but I also have a special place in my heart for the legit Tex-​Mex cuisine. They are two different things. Don’t get it twisted. You can love and appreciate both types of Southwestern and South-​of-​the-​Border goodness, alright? Chuy’s is definitely the Tex-​mex route, so don’t come here expecting «street tacos» with lengua or pastor, or more Central American dishes such as pupusas or lomo saltado. What you can expect is some honest-​to-​goodness nachos, queso dips, homemade and delicious hatch green chile and tomatillo sauces, enchiladas, smothered burritos, quesadillas (also great for kids), and the aforementioned fajitas.
All of these tasty items are served up in a fun, friendly, and affordable environment. Plus, I’ve heard that if you sit at the bar, you can help yourself to unlimited chips and multiple salsas from a fun serving vessel fashioned out of a vintage Cadillac!

As a native Californian, I never knew what Tex-​Mex was. Since real Mexican food is so hard to find around here, we figured we’d try Chuy’s. I’m glad we did! I had to remove my expectations of Mexican food, and just take it at face value. As soon as I saw and tasted my food, I thought «OH! So THIS is what Tex-​Mex is!» It makes sense — it’s Mexican food, with a huge slant toward … Texas (I’d have to assume). If there was a high-​end Taco Bell, this would be it.
Their creamy jalapeño chip dip is so yummy! Different, but yummy.
The restaurant is LOUD! People are crammed close-​ish to each other, and there’s a lot of volume.
The nacho bar wasn’t all that great. It’s something I could put together at home without much effort.
Their margaritas were excellent! Squeezed citrus instead of synthetic/​chemical-​laden sweet & sour.
Because my family deals with food allergies (gluten & dairy), I googled … while our allergic person was eating the chips… and realized the chips are cross-​contaminated with gluten. Dang. :-(
When I mentioned my family member’s allergies to our waiter, he admitted his ignorance (good first impression) and checked with the manager about our attempt of an order. We find that fajitas and tacos tend to be a safe bet in Mexican restaurants. We realized their meat is marinated in beer (gluten). But thankfully the manager said he’d make sure the chef used non-​marinated meat. And we got corn tortillas, which are made in the restaurant (yay!). It worked out perfectly!
The next time we went back, our waiter didn’t admit any ignorance, and he promised to follow our request (from what we’d learned the previous time). Unfortunately he delivered marinated meat and flour tortillas. :-(
So… I give this 5 stars as a Tex-​Mex restaurant. And if you’re dealing with allergies, I’d suggest going elsewhere (as we are now choosing to do, when we have our allergic person with us).

Chuy’s is Tex-​Mex that Texans love. The chain is a Texas institution — in some towns, Chuy’s is THE place to get queso, enchiladas, and margaritas. I was introduced to the chain in Houston a while ago and have been pleasantly surprised to see them expanding outside of the Lone Star State. Northern Virginia isn’t too close to home, though, so it took a while to finally visit one of these new «local» locations.
This Chuy’s is true to the chain in décor — they’ve got the «busy tchotchke-​filled restaurant» theme down pat, complete with their trademark room with a hubcap ceiling. My dining partner was also intrigued by the Escher-​inspired floor tiles, which are probably dangerous when you’re drunk. I only had one margarita (a delicious pomegranate one with a salt rim), so I didn’t test his theory.
The menu is pretty overwhelming at first, because everything sounds great. The place that Chuy’s really shines is sauces — there’s a whole menu flap dedicated to them, and many dishes let you pick which sauce (s) you want poured on top. In proper Tex-​Mex fashion, plenty of these are unhealthy (and therefore delicious). Others are spicy (and therefore delicious). Take the «boom boom» sauce, for example, which is basically queso with chile peppers. DOUBLE DELICIOUS.
The free chips are crispy and they’re happy to refill them tableside from a giant scoop whenever you need more. The salsa is very fresh and spicy, but their chile con queso is a classic Chuy’s starter and arrives nearly instantly after you order it. If you like queso, try it at least once. I’m a big fan of their chile rellenos, which are made with Anaheim peppers and therefore vastly superior than other chains’ ones (usually made with Poblanos). The enchiladas are all tasty but I don’t really recommend the ones with plain chicken inside — it can be dry and flavorless.
Special shout-​out to the tres leches cake — you probably won’t have room for it after your epic meal, but get a serving to go. It’s basically a huge piece of delicious cake, soaked in sweetened milk and topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Have half later that night and the other half for breakfast the next morning. Trust me.
I still prefer «real» Mexican (or other Latin American cuisines) over Tex-​Mex, but when you need a queso fix, check out Chuy’s. Just watch out for the trippy floor.

Amaaazing. So there’s free nacho bar during their happy hour which is super exciting. I wish they marketed the nacho bar being for more than just the bar area because we had waited so long for a table to get up though. We ended up sitting in the dining room and our server told us we could grab nachos too if we wanted.
Their drinks are pretty good, and they have good HH prices too. They also serve chips and salsa. The service was quick and everything was really well portioned. There is a lot of seating and room in the dining area, the bar is more cramped though.
Definitely wanna come back!

When a friend told me «I found a Mexican restaurant we haaaave to try,» all I could do was sigh. Growing up in the southwest and learning to cook Mexican food from my mother and grandmother has made eating «Mexican food» on the east coast painful and disappointing. I looked at the menu and found it wasn’t my Sonoran Mexican food, it was Tex Mex (historically blech.)
Wow did they prove me wrong!
Chuy’s competes with the rare Tex Mex places I enjoyed in Texas. Although Tex Mex is defintely not Sonoran, I was enthralled by their enchiladas, my favorite, and imo opinion the food it seems all restaurants on this coast go out of their way to destroy.
Walking in I could smell the smells of a true Mexican kitchen. The cumin, the chilis, the garlic and those subtle hints of background and the smell of fresh, homemade stuff. There have been so few places I’ve visited where I get that first waft and know to turn around and walk out.
On the way to our table we passed a woman making fresh flour tortillas. I could feel my heart strings, and stomach, tugged with hope. Granted, corn is the way to go for Mexican food, but Tex Mex uses flour for most of its stuff.
Oh! Their salsa, that ‘welcome to our restaraunt here’s your preview of what’s in store for you.’ It was a ‘we know salsa’ kind of wonderful.
I decided to be daring and ordered the #2 Elvis Presely Memorial Combo #2 (Beef Tex-​Mex enchilada, cheese Ranchero enchilada, chicken Tomatillo enchilada, a seasoned ground sirloin crispy taco & homemade tostada chips dipped in chile con queso.)
Basically three different enchiladas, each with a different one of their homemade in batches each day sauces, beans, rice and a hard shell taco. This combination, quite reminiscent of the combos I used to order back home. A lot of restaurants here do enchiladas with the rice and beans, but never the taco.
My food came out and it came out and looked lovely despite the the kitchen failing to wipe down the plate for presentation, so some of the sauce was on the edges, (but really, a totally aesthetic thing, nothing that affects taste or anything, just my picture.)
Taste wise, my stomach happy and memories flooding back. Throughout I was surprised that an east coast finally had enchiladas I would return for, even if they are tex mex. The taco was a taco, definitely not taco bell, but still same theory (hardshell, meat, lettuce, tomatoes, good flavor) but nothing special.
The sides. The beans, I found a bit lacking. They were unimpressive. Although frijoles are easy to make, that also translates and the slightest things making them not right. So the imbalance between gobble me up enchiladas and take it or leave it beans was weird.
The rice, also unimpressive. Ok seasoning, but nothing special. It was also so dry it was hard to eat. Spanish/​Mexican arroz should have just enough moisture to stick together a bit when eating. Eating Chuy’s rice was a grain by grain affair.
The side of queso though was a fun, unexpected treat. I’ve never seen that as a included side. I’m not usually a fan of queso; too many bland and tasteless ones since moving here. It was nice to be wrong. That stuff disappeared like a well versed magician.
The fantastic enchiladas combined with mediocre sides made for a bit of a lopsided meal.
I had a Margarita. I was happy to see a real version. One made with real ingredients rather than that nasty Kool Aid concoction most use. I was glad to have that choice, but found the drink too sweet (too much agave, but that is personal prefernce and easily fixed by me asking them to lay off the agave.) The main thing was that there wasn’t much tequilla.
Mind you, I’m a cheap date when it comes to alcohol. 1 glass of wine and I’m giggling, a shot or two of something and my anxiety melts to release the social goddess inside of me. This drink just didn’t have the booze. No buzz, no giggles, nothing. I can smell and taste a half shot of vodka in 20 oz of orange juice. This, I could have just downed like it was lime-​aid. It may have been who the bartender was that night, or it could just be how they are always done.
I shall have to return and order more margaritas. Of course, that would be all in the spirit of research!
The ambiance was eclectic, funky and fun. Our waiter was helpful, friendly and surprisingly attentive considering how busy it was on a Friday night. We were seated almost immediately, but it was only two of us in a slew of larger groups and families.
I’m definitely returning. There were a slew of menu items I want to give a go.
The picture of Chicken Tortilla soup alone cries ‘come back!‘
And of course, I must have some more of those fresh tortillas.

The tortilla soup is the star here. This is an amazing bowl of fresh ingredients tossed in just before being served and very warm and filling. You can totally taste the love in that bowl. Everything else I’ve had here is just okay. The chips and dips are addictive and I could hang out just eating chips all afternoon. The margaritas are über sweet, but delicious. They have NO draft beer which instantaneously drops the star count on this one for me.
So, to be fair, I’m not really a tex-​mex fan mainly because of the spice factor. Practically everything on the menu is just a little too spicy for me, even the supposedly not so spicy stuff. That is why my go to is the tortilla soup and I’m good with that, particularly seeing as how my colleagues enjoy coming here so frequently.

solid tex-​mex!
i came here with friends last winter and came back last night because i was craving fajitas and chips!
the restaurant is decorated kinda wild but it’s fun. we had a really nice and efficient server both visits.
the servings are VERY generous and we left feeling like we were going to explode. the food is tasty. i love how the salsa heat lingers in your mouth.
bonus points for their punny t-​shirts!

I like Chuy’s down in Texas but something seems to have been lost in translation this far North. However, after our extraordinarily early morning flight for work, my coworkers and I kind of just stopped at the first place we found that was near the office we were heading to. We recognized Chuy’s, so it was the choice. Unfortunately, this location has very slow service, our waiter didn’t know the menu, and we all spent most of the meal trying to flag someone down to refill our drinks.
My coworker’s dinner came out with the wrong sauce on top, my other coworker just said hers had no flavor, and mine was made wrong the first time and had to be remade, but because our waiter kept disappearing I didn’t get mine until about 10 – 15 mins after my coworkers got theirs. Fortunately, the chips are free and they were able to tide me over until I could get my own mediocre meal.
We were glad we weren’t starving anymore, but that was pretty much the only comment in the positive column as we were leaving.

Loving the monday special of chicken stuffed avocado which is then panko crusted and fried… on hatch green chile with a drizzle of sourcream. Its crusty, creamy, a touch spicy, and altogether for me yummy!

Deeeeelightful Tex Mex food! We first went to the Chuys in Springfield Mall and realized there was one about 10 minutes away from us in Fairfax. Go figure! It’s located where Chili’s use to be off of Lee Highway right before Walmart and Big Lots. A lot of parking though, which is great. This place does get pretty busy. I’ve gone all different times here and it gets busy around ⁶³⁰⁄₇ on a weekend.
Everyone here is friendly. On one side of the restaurant is the bar area and the other is family dining. I heard HH is pretty good here too but haven’t had the chance to go yet. They have a nacho bar with a variety of salsas, queso and warm chips for free I believe. I will have to say you must try the creamy jalapeño dip here, just ask for it when they give you your chips and salsa. You will be hooked and will put that ish on everything. I actually ask for some small to go cups and pour that sauce in there. Crack sauce.
They make tortillas fresh here, you can watch them make it through the window! I also love how the chips are always warm. The best kind of chips. And the salsa is always fresh and cold.
–Burritos are huge and they are filled with a lot of meat, veggies, rice and beans. It’s a bit bigger than a chipotle size burrito. Can barely eat half of it! My favorite is the steak burrito.
–Elvis Platter is a good choice if you want to try a little bit of everything. Three different types of enchiladas, beef taco, Mexican rice and queso on the side. Yum! The taco is my favorite, the beef is flavorful. The different sauces on all 3 enchilada are fun and I love that they are all different but compliment each other.
–Chicken Tortilla Soup, not a fan of. The soup is too runny for my liking, I wish the consistency was a bit thicker. Also all the cheese is on the bottom so unless you know that you’re going to be like why the hell is there so much cheese on the bottom.
–Fajitas are delicious. Steak and chicken is the best of both worlds. The soft flour tortillas stuffed with steak, rice, beans and sour cream. Always flavorful steak and chicken.
–As far as drinks go, I’ve only tried the margaritas which are only $ 6 bucks! Good amount of alcohol for both the frozen and on the rocks drinks. Yum!
As for service, they are really awesome here and accommodating, especially when I ask for more creamy jalapeño sauce every 15 minutes. I’ve never had a problem here with service or food so let’s hope they stay this way!

One of my favorite restaurants in the area!
(This is kind of a lame review, because I always get the same thing-​Obsessed with their chicka chicka boom boom enchiladas!!)
The sauce they put on it is so good, if i could, i’d have it on everything. it’s spicy, but also flavorful (I feel like a lot of spicy foods lack actual taste.) Their jalepeno ranch dip is super yummy. Their quesadillas are pretty good, and their margaritas are delicious. Happy hour is great here, so take advantage of it. They also have a frequent customer card where you eat 5 times, you get an entrée on the house!

I’ve been waiting for a good Mexican restaurant to open up near my house and Chuy’s definitely answers the mail. When you pull up, you know right away that you’re at a good Mexican restaurant that isn’t over the top, but good, quality food. Right as you walk into the restaurant, you see workers hand making tortillas which is always a good sign. They start you off with chips, salsa, and ranch dip. I was a bit skeptical about the ranch, but it’s actually really good with the tortilla chips. The menu is fairly big, as with any good Mexican restaurant, but that just means you have lots of good choices. Also, if you want to try a certain meat or something, they will bring it out in a little dish for you prior to ordering which is nice.
We’ve been here twice and both times have had the same waiter. The first visit he was very attentive and on top of his game. I felt like our drinks were never empty and he brought us what we needed before asking. As for our second visit, we felt pretty neglected, which becomes even more frustrating when you see him taking care of other tables. We ordered drinks and when we finished our first round he never asked if we wanted another drink. He didn’t come to fill up our chips and salsa. He didn’t ask if we enjoyed our food. And he brought our checks before even asking if we were finished and wanted dessert or something else. Since he was good during our first visit, I’ll let this slide as if he was just having an off night, but the service definitely needs to step up because I won’t continue to go to a restaurant if the service is bad.
On to the food… very tasted and fresh. My husband got the fajitas both times and loved them. The steak was tender and cooked perfectly and the homemade tortillas really make a difference. Our first visit I went for a combo platter of a taco and enchilada an loved it, although it was a lot of food. This last visit I had the chicken flautas and they were pretty good. I wish the chicken mixture on the inside had a bit more flavor to it.
This is a place that we’ll plan to go to a lot to get our Mexican food fix.

Since this place opened a while ago, I have been meaning to come here for a meal. I finally had a chance today. My wife and I tried to do lunch dates over other Friday, and I finally convinced her to eat here.
First, I really enjoyed the décor and atmosphere. It is fun, the colors of the walls are pink or some other light pastel color. The employees are incredibly friendly, greeting us as we came in.
Second, the menu is huge! So many things to choose from! I ran into a little bit of analysis paralysis with this menu, but that is a good thing. I rather have a lot to choose from instead of very little.
Third, the table comes with free homemade tortilla chips and homemade salsa. They are both delicious! The salsa is slightly spicy and is made with fresh tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and lime. It is a tangy flavor and incredibly refreshing to eat. the chips were thin and crispy, and warm if they had just taken it out of the fryer. Together, heaven. Our server ensured that the bowl of salsa is never empty for too long and the chips kept coming. I loved this because some places do not take care of their customers this way.
Ultimately, I chose the Elvis Combo Plate for my meal, which includes a taco, several enchiladas, and a cheese dipped taco shell. I enjoyed it all! My only complaint would be that I wish the ground beef in my taco was a bit more flavorful, but I am not nitpicking. It was still a delicious taco. The enchiladas were great.
This is a Tex Mex restaurant, and it is not ashamed of it. If you are looking for authentic mexican, this is not it. However, Tex Mex is another category of food that is amazingly done here. I would come again.
I am so glad Chuys opened here. I’m coming back again soon!

G and I came here for dinner the other day.
We arrived at around 5 pm and were seated immediately. As it got closer to 7 pm, the restrauant started to get really packed. The hostess are super sweet. Our server, Karen was wonderful. She was knowledgeable, attentive, and had a lovely personality.
Their Happy Hour is on Mon-​Fri from 4 – 7 pm. All you can eat Free Chips, Salsa, Queso, Taco Meat, and Pulled Pork. Sweet! Gotta love queso. Their Frozen Margaritas are delicious. Our meals were well prepared, seasoned perfectly with generous portions. Tres Leches was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal. Good company and good food. Love the laid back ambiance of this place and the décor is awesome. The pictures of dogs everywhere at the bar area is too cute.
Will be back!