Chuy's Review

Last night my dad came into town for business. Usually when he comes Matt and I try to think of great restaurants to take him to which we hope he will love. We decided last night to recommend a new restaurant here in Birmingham called Chuy's. It's a Tex-Mex restaurant that is located at the Summit. The location is fantastic and it sits on the top of a hill overlooking Birmingham and Highway 280. We tried to eat here a few weeks ago after hearing great reviews, but the wait was 2 1/2 hours long at 8pm on a Friday night so we ended up going elsewhere. I have heard strangers as well as people I know talking about how this is by far the best Mexican in Birmingham so that must be why they are so busy! We thought a Tuesday night would be a slower night to try it, so we made plans to go there last night. We got there early hoping to beat the crowds, and at 6pm there was a 35-40 minute wait. We arrived a little earlier than dad, so we decided to wait it out. The great part is that while you are waiting, there are tables outside you can sit at that are specifically for people waiting for their tables. They have servers who bring you drinks to these tables, but do not serve any food to them. Its a good idea on one hand because you can sit and get some cold beverages while you wait, but on the other hand there are a lot of these tables and if they were used as regular, full service tables wouldn't the wait time be shorter? So anyways, they have this car (literally, it's a car) inside the bar that is a serve yourself chip and dip station. The have fresh, warm chips, 2 different types of salsa, ground beef, cheese dip, and re fried beans you can eat for free. This was a great deal! You could make nachos have a few drinks and be full! The cheese dip was great and so were the chips and salsa. The salsa was very fresh, and had chunks of tomatoes, onions, cilantro, etc. You could tell it was very fresh. They give you baskets to put all the stuff if so you can take it outside or eat it anywhere you want.

We finally got a table after about 35 minutes waiting, which wasn't bad thanks to the free chips and dips and getting a few house margaritas (on special for $4). Our server was great and was very friendly and accommodating. Everything on the menu looks great and is reasonably priced, most entrees around $7-9. They have burritos they claim are "bigger than yo face". I got the chicken quesadillas and both dad and Matt went with the enchiladas. They have numerous sauces they make in house, and you can pick and choose if you want any on your meal. They also have different types of beans and rice you can choose from, so your not just stuck with the refried beans and Mexican rice served at most restaurants. Our food came quickly and was just as tasty. We all enjoyed it. The amount of food is huge so I would definitely recommend sharing something with someone else unless your starved.

All in all it is a great restaurant, with a great view, and a great atmosphere. The only down side is how busy it gets and the wait but they do try to compensate for that with the free chips and dip and drink service. I would definitely recommend going to Chuy's, just go early!

Here's a couple pics I took from my iphone of the outside. The tables with the umbrellas are the tables you can sit and wait at with service for drinks from the bar.

Did I mention the view??!