Kansas City's Newest Mexican Restaurant Is Open For Business

Chuy's Mexican Food is now open on the Plaza!

With eclectic decor, fresh signature dishes, and a relaxed atmosphere, Chuy's Mexican Food is a fun and quirky addition to the Kansas City Plaza restaurant scene.

As soon as you walk in, you realize this is not quite your typical Mexican 

The Elvis Shrine

restaurant.  

Brightly colored wooden fish hang from the ceiling, an Elvis shrine occupies a spot near the front (there is an Elvis shrine in every Chuy's location), and seemingly mismatched Mexican art covers the walls for as far as the eye can see.

The "Hubcap Room"

I happened to visit Chuy's at lunchtime.  I was greeted at the door by friendly staff, had no wait for a table, and was seated in a room with a hubcap ceiling (another Chuy's decorating tradition.)

Our waitress was friendly and seemed very familiar with the menu.  She also gave us free samples of Chuy's well-known creamy jalapeño sauce and the boom boom sauce, which is used on their Chicka Chicka Boom Boom entrée.

As far as the menu, there was quite a variety of items to choose from.  They had the usual Mexican restaurant items like tacos and enchiladas.  They also had several signature dishes including the "Elvis Green Chile Fried Chicken" and "Big As Yo Face Burritos."

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom 

Most entrees ran between $6 and $11, came with green chile or Mexican rice and refried or charro beans and were made with your choice of seven sauce selections (including ranchero and deluxe tomatillo).  For $4.50, they also offered six menu items for children.

Chicken Chuychanga

The wait for our food was about average, maybe 15 minutes, and when our order arrived, it was piping hot and quite tasty.  I ordered a chicken chuychanga, which was $9.29, and my dining companion ordered the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom for $9.99, which was an enchilada filled with fresh-roasted hand-pulled chicken, cheese, New Mexico green chiles and more.  The size proportion of the entrees was fairly large and thoroughly filled us up.  

Making fresh tortillas

As for the history of Chuy's, it was started in Austin, TX, in 1982, and now has more than 40 locations throughout the U.S.  Their "claim to fame" is that they pride themselves in making everything fresh - from their Salsa Fresca and tortillas to their signature sauces and margarittas.  

Their food philosophy is to "bring you the best, healthiest Mexican food on the planet," and their business plan is to "continue expanding and dominate the Mexican restaurant food scene across the U.S."

Inside Chuy's Mexican Food restaurant

Open since October, Chuy's address is 209 W. 46th Terrace, and their phone number is 931-2783.  

They do offer curbside service, and their hours are:

Sunday - Thursday 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.  
Friday - Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Happy Hour at Chuy's runs Monday - Friday from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m., features a fully-loaded nacho car (yes, it's a car), House margaritas for $4.25, House Texas martinis for $7.50, and domestic beers for $2.75 each.  

While Chuy's doesn't "reinvent the wheel" in Tex-Mex food or "south of the border" cooking, it is a fun dining choice, and if asked if I would dine there again, my answer would definitely be yes.  

Diners enjoying Chuy's