Chelly’s Cafe

Waldo is seriously lacking in Mexican food, so that is the only reason we eat there. My family insists on it, and I go along for the ride. Food is mediocre and service is slow. Not HORRIBLE, but nothing special.

My wife likes Mexican food, but she’s not exactly the eat a street taco from a taco cart kind of a gal.
She’s more the chips and salsa starter, Espinaca, and ground beef taco kind of gal.
Well this is that kind of place. Very clean, friendly staff, standard Americanized Mexican fare. Thin-​crispy chips and standard salsa that kept coming.
Prices are very fair. We got out of there for under $ 20 including tip. (We both had water)
Im inclined to go 3.5 stars, but that’s not an option so in giving 4 based the good food and really good prices.

My son and I have eaten at so many different Mexican food restaurants in KC it’s hard to remember them all but we both agree Chelly’s is in the top two. I agree the service may be a bit slow but if you interact with them they are always friendly and fun. Order one of the shrimp dinners, alhambres or chile rojo and you will not be disappointed.

Been going to Chelly’s for years and it is solid Mexican food. Only real complaint is there is too much cheese on everything. The Fish Tacos are great because they use grilled instead of fried fish and a coleslaw topping. I also really dig the shrimp fajitas and the cheese dip. Like all Mexican restaurants chips and salsa are complimentary and brought to the table when you sit down. Ask for the spicy salsa. When it is made right it is just the right amount of heat and smokey chipotle. Sadly, it is hit or miss as to which salsa you will get.
After all of these years I’ve noticed that the quality of food during the day is not nearly on par with the evening fare. I can’t figure out what the difference is. The portions aren’t bigger or anything. It just tastes better in the evening.

Food EXCELLENT! We were traveling from Branson to MCI airport & looked for good Mexican food on Unilocal.This one was great & positive reviews on Unilocal were the reality! Only reason this wasn’t a 5 star was the bathroom could have been cleaner & remodeled & only had one server on the floor at lunch on a Saturday. Ordered the Queso Fundido fabulous cheese dip! With 6 in our group we tried just about everything from guacamole, cheese enchiladas, chile rellano, beef tacos, and chicken fajita salad. Waitress very cheerful & efficient. Just running her legs off being the only server. Would definitely go again if I’m the area.

Taco shell was old and chewy. Service was horrendous on a slow night with less than half the tables full. I’ve been here many times with varied results but this is the first time it has been bad enough to drive me to write a review. They need to not take their local clientele for granted and at least make an attempt to satisfy guests!

This is our neighborhood restaurant, so we probably eat here at least 3x/​month. It’s a family restaurant where you’re very likely to run into someone you know if you’ve lived around KC for long enough, and it attracts a fairly diverse crowd. There is little staff turnover here, which I think is a good sign, and service is warm and friendly. During lunch and dinner service, the owner is almost always working behind the bar, and I believe that this has a lot to do with the restaurant’s maintaining its integrity. There are a few TVs, usually mutely showing sports, or Saturday cartoons. Once in a while there is entertainment, but I like to go there to talk. They never have seemed in a hurry to have us leave.
Yes, there is a sign asking for you to allow someone to seat you. Lately, I think that they have been transitioning to a payment system of having you pay for your meal at the cash register near the front bar, but they can be inconsistent about that, so ask your server.
The salsa that is delivered to your table with warm corn chips when you are seated is made in-​house, and so a little different each time it’s made. Monday is $ 2 margarita night (it still packs a punch). All of the entrée servings are extremely generous, and I almost always have to take some leftovers home.
We go for breakfast frequently on the weekends. My boyfriend always gets an omelette; there isn’t one that I wouldn’t recommend. I like the corn cakes. They include an egg on top that has been whipped with something sweet & creamy and a green, piquant, peppery sauce, and it’s a nice mix of sweet and peppery flavors that mixes well with the corn cakes.
I’ve ordered the soft tacos a few times, and they have been hit-​and-​miss, but I don’t think that’s the specialty of the house (I’d never seen anyone else ordering them) and even when they haven’t been stellar they’ve been pretty tasty. I have a friend who always orders alambres, and it looks/​smells awesome. They have a fajitas platter for 2 which will still leave you with leftovers. They used to have a wonderful chicken tortilla soup, and I hope that they bring it back sometime, since it’s my all-​time-​favorite comfort food.

I can walk to this spot from my house, but that’s not why I love it. They have amazing food… Some of the best tacos I’ve ever had and their chips and salsa are spot on. Strong and reasonably priced margaritas.

My daughters and I LOVE this joint. The food is authentic, as are the employees and it tastes fresh every time. I will say, sometimes, the service is a little slow, so if you are in a hurry it may be a problem.
A good choice if you are looking for good Mexicano’!

Used to go here at least 2 times a week, now not so much. It seems that the food quality and the portions have decreased in value.
The staff is wonderful! A

Being a chef, and a Mexican food lover, I had to try Chelly’s Café on the recommendation of a friend. I used to think the best Mexican restaurants in KC were on the Blvd, but now I know better. This place is spot on. The service was great from the moment we walked in. Great drinks and spicy tasty salsa. They really know how to use chiles to give good heat and taste. The salsas with chile de arbol are top notch. Very reasonable prices, great atmosphere, friendly people running the place, and real deal authentic Mexican food. I will never go to the Blvd again for Mexican food. I recommend Chelly’s to anyone looking for a great Mexican meal.

I went back and forth between 2 stars and 3 stars. I settled on 3. Which may be generous. Average food. Average service. Decent prices. Salsa is plain and chips are boring (which is saying a lot because tortilla chips in general are not exciting)

Used to live near this place and ate there on occasion. The food was nice and our server was always very gracious. I was in the neighborhood recently and decided to visit once again. We happened to have the same server (ok he probably owns the place too) and he instantly recognized us and said «welcome back». That of course made me feel right at home.
The food to me is good homestyle cooking with nice little differences like whole beans served instead of refried beans. The menu is more of the typical suburban version of Mexican food with lots of big burrito plates and I don’t remember seeing any of those «street» tacos that you find in those great KCK Mexican joints. If, however, you can overlook some of the more obvious americanized dishes and look at the Mexican Plate section, there are some choices that aren’t something you find at On the Border, like the Alambres plate and carnitas. Oh, they have decent fajitas too that are served sizzling like they should be (that’s a hint, El Patron). Bottomline, this is just a down to earth neighborhood family friendly Mexican restaurant I am happy to eat at.

Moved to KC from LA and searched for a place like this! LOVE IT! Eat there probably once a week… occasionally more! Our LA family also must hit Chelly’s when in town. We’ve used them to cater parties and everything is always perfect. Some favorites: Chili relleno, burrito enchilada style, guacamole, chimichanga appetizer, SOPES and well, everything else! Everyone is very friendly… I’m going tomorrow!

The food, service and atmosphere are okay. The chips and salsa were very good and the crispy beef tacos were also descent. The enchiladas were borderline terrible with very little sauce, dry meat and an abundance of cheese. I tried to get our server’s attention four separate times to get more enchilada sauce but I finally gave up. She never checked on us or refilled our drinks. Overall, I’d advise steering clear of this place as there are far better Mexican restaurants with much better service all over town.

My go to Mexican restaurant ! Everything I’ve ever ordered has been delicious I have no complaints! Friendly staff and very affordable!

When I moved to the area I was really disappointed in the lack of taco joints, specifically a good street taco place. Many people suggested Chelly’s. To start off, Chelly’s is not street tacos. It is Americanized Mexican food.
Service is terribly slow. When you enter, it isn’t really clear if you are to seat yourself or if someone will seat you. There is not a hostess stand and a bunch of people running around the area, but no real direction. After asking, someone got a menu and seated me. I ordered a drink upon being seated, another employee delivered it, and it was a good ten minutes before my waiter returned to take my order. I ordered one of the lunch specials which being a special I would expect they are prepared for and it would be quick, but it was a good 15 minutes to get my meal. I was done with my meal and it was a good amount of time for the waiter to bring my ticket. I immediately gave him my card so I didn’t have to wait another 10 – 15 minutes for him to come back. Due to having one phone line for calls and running cards, it took a lengthy amount of time to process my payment because they kept getting calls. At least 45 minutes of my hourish visit was spent waiting to be helped in some way. Not good for a lunch visit.
The food…
The salsa is very heavy in cilantro and has no heat. Although I liked it, it needs a lot of work. The chips were cold and no flavor.
I had a mango strawberry margarita. The mango and strawberry was good, but the lack of tequila was very disappointing. I would even question if it had any as you could not taste it at all.
I ordered the number one lunch special, a taco, a tamale, beans, and rice. The best part of the meal was the taco. The ground beef was greasy, but it did have good flavor. The taco was small. The tamale was pretty bland. Both the meat and masa really didn’t have much flavor. The beans and rice were the same. I was excited that the beans were whole beans and not refried, but they had absolutely no flavor.
Although the service was horribly slow, I will give kudos to the team work. If something was ready it didn’t sit waiting for the actual waiter to bring it out. This is probably a really good thing as my drink and food order was brought by someone else or probably would have been sitting for a length of time if depending on my waiter.
Overall, the area is terribly lacking in Mexican alternatives. This is really the only reason I can see for the appeal of Chelly’s, although there is a much better place just up the street, but that is it. Someone could make a killing if they came in with some authentic Mexican dishes or dishes featuring tastes of South America. Personally, I will take the time to drive a little further for good Mexican food.

Filthy kitchen. I accidentally walked in when
Looking for the bathroom. We immediately left. There were flies everywhere and it’s December. HOW do you have flies in december? Open meat packages on the floor. That’s how.

A hidden gem. I’d lived in Waldo for 5 years before I tried Chelly’s. Since then, 5 years later, I’ve been frequenting this authentic Mexican restaurant ever since.
Why they say «See you tomorrow» when I visit:
*Great Food
*$ 2 margaritas on Mondays
*Homemade tamales
*Locally owned — AWESOME STAFF
Ask for the hot sauce when they bring the chips and salsa. Its complimentary as well.
You won’t be disappointed.

I came here for lunch on a Friday. It was relatively crowded, but not packed.
I was seated right away and given warm chips and salsa. The salsa was too mild for my taste, I expected it to be a little spicier at a Mexican place. It was free though, so I shouldn’t complain.
I ordered the #9 lunch special. Only $ 5.50 for an enchilada, a tamale, rice, and beans. My meal was brought out pretty quickly, probably in about 10 minutes, and the portion size was pretty huge.
I ate everything and it was very delicious. I would definitely come back to try more dishes. My waitress and everyone I interacted with at the restaurant was very nice.