Chi-Chi's

my mother and i went for a birthday lunch, about 1pm. we were seated right away. water and chips at the table within minutes! Our drink order was taken and delivered quickly. the staff was all friendly and helpful the entire time. the food was awesome! the chips and salsa taste just like we remembered from 20+years ago! the beef enchiladas were awesome, and plenty of food, enough for leftovers (not for a college age boy tho)!!! We ordered the chips and queso which was really good. i would definitely order it again. the chips are so light and crispy and just enough saltiness! yum. 😋 my mother had the original margarita and loved it, she said it tasted the same as she remembered. overall, great experience! we’ll take my sister for her birthday lunch next month. i hope they continue to do well! we missed Chi-Chi’s!!! 🍋‍🟩🥑🍅🌶️🫑🧄🥩🫓🌯🌮🌮🌮🌯🫔🥗🍨🍹🍽️ P.S. the fried ice cream was AWESOME, again, like we remembered! 🥰

We had lunch at Chi Chi's last Saturday. I grew up going to Chi Chi's as a kid. Walking in the food smelled great. It smelled just like when I was a kid. The chips and salsa were great. Our server was amazing. We had an order of guacamole. It was flavorful and the toppings on it were a unique touch. It had papaya and pumpkin seeds along with cilantro, pico, and onion. I had the chicken chimichangas and they reminded me of what Chi Chi's food tasted like when I was a kid. It tasted great. My husband has the fajitas and they could have been a little more flavorful. It is good to keep in mind this is Tex-Mex food and not authentic Mexican food. It was really great Tex- Mex but does taste different than authentic Mexican food. We loved it and will be back!!

Excellent. Salsa is not good but we loved everything else. Need reservations well in advance. Place was busy but they have a small army of staff and service was excellent and food came out fast and hot.

The food is delicious here. The ground beef is seasoned perfectly, and the birria taco meat is fall apart tender. I do wish the dining room wasn’t reservation only right now but I’m sure it’s because of how popular the restaurant is given its history in the twin cities. We will be back for sure. Also Jason the bartender is fantastic! Super helpful with drink recommendations.

We greatly enjoyed our lunch of chimichangas and queso with tortilla chips. Our waiter, Brian, was very attentive and gave quick service.

Came here to celebrate daughters birthday on New Years Eve. Everyone knows it's one of the craziest days of the year for restaurants. Made a reservation and was seated immediately. Staff was attentive, polite and happy. A great place for a group of people or date night.

Ignore the haters and give it a try! As long as you go in with the right expectations, I think you’ll have an enjoyable experience. Chi-Chi’s isn’t intending or pretending to serve gourmet or fully authentic Mexican food. It’s a revival of a casual, Tex-Mex restaurant and in my opinion, it lived up to its past reputation. Food/Drinks: The complimentary chips and salsa were decent but we really enjoyed the chips best when paired with the queso starter. My Chi-Chi’s Original margarita was quite tasty and I’d probably make it a jumbo next time. Everyone in my group enjoyed their entrees but we all agreed that the braised short rib chimichangas I ordered were the standout. I wasn’t too impressed with the Mexican style rice but enjoyed the sweet corn rice, which I believe was a carryover from Rojo. We ended our meal with the famous fried ice cream, which was just as delicious as I remembered! Atmosphere: It’s definitely not a 1990s retro remake of the original Chi-chi’s interior but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. The place has a light, airy, modern vibe with some nice nods to the past mixed in. Overall, I enjoyed that it felt a bit more upscale than the original and I liked the overall layout with the open kitchen. Service: The restaurant was quite busy but we had a reservation so got seated right away. Our server was prompt, friendly, and attentive. I appreciated the consistent refills of our chips/salsa. She was also more than happy to split up our bill at the end of the night. Value: It’s 2025, the year of shrinking portion sizes and inflated prices so it’s tough to compete with the prices and portions from 20+ years ago. Most items were under $20 and I thought the portion sizes were decent and filling. Not an amazing value but not terrible in today’s economy. Overall, my group had a great time and I’d personally go back again, probably to check out the happy hour specials next time!

So excited to have Chi Chi's back in town. Love the hanging ferns and assorted plants. Cool lanterns in the dining room too. Our server provided exceptional service. Pretty paper towels in the women's restroom. Great varied food menu and drink menu. Market pricing, generous portions. Will return again.

My parents were extremely excited to try the new Chi Chis and planned to go on opening day. Unfortunately my dad passed before they were able to have that experience so I ended up going with my mom on a Tuesday evening. It definitely had a “trendier” feeling but still held true to its roots. The place was PACKED, thankfully we had a reservation. My mom noted the chimichanga did not taste/ feel like it did before but the fried ice cream brought back the nostalgic feeling she was looking for. I will say I think the food was slightly more expensive than anticipated but the drinks were reasonable. Overall a great experience.

Mens room VERY clean. Chi-Chi's house Lager good. 🍺 Seafood Enchilada excellent. I sat at the bar. Bartender fast and courteous. One downside: Zero close parking. I parked in the underground ramp. Several above ground ramps available. Regardless of where you park, there is a walk involved.

Griffin waited on us for a table of 3 and he was one of the most UPBEAT and super fun servers, we’ve had in a LONG time! Our food was phenomenal, it came out fast and we decided to buy the $100 in Gift cards he suggested, because right now you get the free $25 for buying $100!! Who doesn’t like margaritas and queso?? Hello!We will absolutely be back and bring our friends! We will be requesting to be seated in Griffins section again as well 😊 Thanks for a super fun night of great food and nostalgic ambiance! 😍

We made reservations ahead of time and were seated right away! The server was extremely friendly, and fast considering how busy they were. The food was absolutely outstanding, we had the cheese enchiladas, the shrimp fajitas, and the chicken enchiladas. The shrimp ceviche was ok, but their margaritas were 10/10. Highly recommend coming here

We went on Valentine’s Day and it was total nostalgia. The food was how I remembered it. I ordered the Chicken Chimichangas and we just had to share the Mexican Fried Ice Cream

It is just as good as the old Chi-Chi’s, actually, dare I say, it is indeed better. FRESH flour tortillas, the exact same chimichanga and salsa are here, it’s so much fun. It’s good food even if you didn’t have a chance to go to the old Chi-Chi’s.

I went on a Friday evening and it was super busy. But I would highly recommend the guacamole!

I don't write many reviews, however, my experience at Chi-Chi's is deserving! Food was superior - The best street corn I've tasted and my Meatloaf was phenomenal! Service was very good as well. The ambiance is super unique with hanging plants, which I love. Now I understand all the hype!! I'm excited to return!

Visited the new Chi Chi’s tonight. Food was delicious, carne asada tacos & chimichanga. Strawberry margarita was so good & strong! We will be back.

Was seated quickly in the bar. Cadillac margarita was fantastic and so is the Chi Chis lager made by Modist Brewing. Had the braised short rib tacos and they were unbelievable. Service was on point, super friendly and attentive. The new design is spectacular. Looks modern but still gives you some of that old Chi Chis flair. Definitely will be back multiple times!

So glad Chi-Chi's is back! Have been to the newly reopened location twice and both times the food and service have been excellent. Make sure to make a reservation if you want a table as they do get very busy and full. Hope they stick around for a long long time!

We frequented chi chi's when they were here eons ago. We were excited it came back! Overall very nice experience! Our server Sade was lovely and provided fabulous service. Some of the chips were quite over salted but some were really good. The Strawberry Margherita was really strong but as I let it sit it I could taste the strawberry lol. Overall food was reported as good. I got the chimichanga and it was good. Chicken was flavorful and tender. Atmosphere was upbeat and lively!

Good ol' classic Chi-Chi's. Very very busy and crowded on a Monday night. Reservations recommended. Ohhhhh the endless chips and salsa. Hands down my favorite part of Chi Chi's. The tomatillo salad was ok. Do not order it with braised short rib. The meat is very tender and savory BUT it became a plate of meat with a little lettuce. I ended up taking my leftovers home and making nachos. I'll try something different next time! Fried ice cream is an absolute must. Brought me right back to the 90s with my first bite!

Stopped in for drinks/dinner with some friends around 4pm on a Sunday. We did not have a reservation but were able to get 3 seats at the bar with little wait time. They were good busy with a nice buzz in the restaurant. The service was pretty good, but had room for improvement. The bar was busy and we had to ask to order more drinks, or put in our food order. The food was very good. The complimentary chips and salsa were fresh, and chips nicely salted. The main dishes came out quickly and were very good. The rice was flavorful and the meats were well seasoned. Absolutely would recommend if you are thinking about trying Chi-Chi’s. I’m looking forward to another visit.

Mostly came for nostalgic reasons and the fried ice cream, which did not disappoint! The taste brought back visions of the old days during my high school years. Chi Chi’s was where everyone hung out. The chips were light and crispy with just the right amount of salt. Salsa was good…not too chunky and not too watery. I enjoyed my margarita. My son and my main courses were “fine”. My husband’s enchiladas, however, were cooked too hot on a cast iron skillet, causing the bottoms to burn and stick to the skillet. 🫤 The ambiance was nice and mostly full of Gen Xers like me. 😆 It was fun to see people excited about the place. Noise level was no issue. Don’t expect the old school version, it’s definitely modernized. Same with most of the food. No wait, as we had a reservation. Parking aplenty in two adjacent parking garages, although it would be difficult to unload people from your car due to the busy corner that it’s on. We’d come again sometime, sure, but I don’t see us coming regularly.

A blast from the past! We had a mexican pizza for our appetizer and it was delicious!The chimichanga was excellent but the Queso Burrito was not my favorite. The chicken inside had no seasoning or flavor..and the queso tasted like marshmallow fluff?? Hubby loved the Fried Ice Cream. Bring back the Seafood Chimichanga!

Reminiscing the former days of this restaurant. Solid performance in many areas. Food menu seemed pared down from its heyday but still options exist for all tastes. Drink menu is extensive. House margarita was $11. Wait staff was great, very attentive, prompt, and concerned to make our visit great. Atmosphere is nice, not overly done in ethnic decor. High ceilings & open format contribute to a high noise level. They had a table for us with no wait at 6:30 pm. Free underground heated parking lot or above ground ramp nearby. We will return!

This restaurant was a blast from the past. Up on visiting Minneapolis this weekend I couldn't resist stopping buy a restaurant that left my city decades ago. This visit was nostalgic and fun at the same time. We landed there during happy hour and the Margaritas were great. The food was pretty good as well. We had queso with chorizo. We also had a couple of tacos. But the star the show was the fried ice cream a chi chi's original and it was so good!

Everything was pretty good, but I was super disappointed that they didn't have the orginal Chi Chi's cheese queso dip. Other tables were disappointed as well. Tried the new cheese they have, it was okay. Please bring back the original Chi Chi's queso dip! The fried icecream was amazing, and the same I remember as a kid! We flew in from Arizona to bring back the taste we had as kids.

We got there around 5 on a Saturday without a reservation, 1.5 hour wait they said but we ended up finding seats at the bar in about 30. I really wanted to love it because it was my favorite back in the day but the el grande ground beef burro had no seasoning and wasn’t hot, I should have sent it back so that’s on me. The chicken enchiladas were hot and much better. The guy next to us had chicken tacos and when he was trying to eat them, juice/liquid was pouring out with each bite, his plate looked like he spilled water on it. Guacamole had way too much lime. We liked the sweet rice much better than the Spanish rice. Beans and the little bit of corn cake were good although needed seasoning. Fried ice cream had a lot of whole cereal flakes instead of all crushed but it was frozen solid and perfect amount of honey. The free chips and salsa were good as was the margarita. Service was attentive and friendly even though they were really busy. I don’t think we’ll be back.

Honestly, meh. I was excited to check this place out and we had a variety of dishes and drinks. Queso was pretty good (more of a pungent taste which was surprising but tasty), chimichangas were decent (some sort of a gravy topping vs. queso), Quesabirria tacos were tasty, and ceviche was okay. Fried ice cream was good! Service was slow but friendly. Wish I took more photos but was y planning on leaving a review until end. Don’t see a real reason to be back, other smaller Mexican spots are better.

nostalgia factor aside, there is better Mexican around. not bad, not great

Definitely not the Chi Chi's I remember, it is more expensive and lesser quality. It was a fun experience though and my friend got free fried ice-cream for her birthday 😊

This was my favorite restaurant before the closed down. I was ecstatic to learn they were coming back and was finally able to go. Upon arrival I asked for a booth for one and was told because I didn't have a reservation the only availability was the bar or a hightop table in the bar area which was not the atmosphere I was looking for but because it took me 40min to get there I took a table. The tables are extremely close to each other because of the limited space within the bar area so you couldn't help but hear the conversations around you which was annoying. I was able to order fairly quickly the taco salad which was my only reason for going although it was made different than what I was use to but got it anyway. I'm so glad I did because it was even better than b4 but extremely expensive 😫 for the salad and a Pepsi it was $30 ($25+$5tip). Overall the excitement of getting my favorite restaurant back definitely diminished by the time I left😞

I came here with some friends to celebrate my birthday and enjoy our monthly happy hour - girls night. I don’t know if they do anything to celebrate birthdays, but it would have been nice to be asked what brought us in or get a few food recommendations from our server. Not knowing what to get, we ended up just getting a bunch of appetizers and margaritas. The guacamole with the pepitas, fresh cilantro, jalapeños, lime, and fruit was delicious! The queso was good but I remember the original Chi-Chi’s queso having more flavor. We had to look for our server multiple times for more chips to finish our apps. My friends and I were bummed to not see the classic Chi-Chi’s corn cake/bread on the menu. Supposedly the sweet corn is meant to replace it. The spicy strawberry margarita was delicious and easily worth the $12.50. The sangria was just alright and the classic jumbo margarita definitely brought up some old memories- though we definitely miss the old 90’s prices. Overall, the experience was okay. The restaurant was busy for a Thursday night, but that might just be the excitement for their return. I’ll likely come back in a month or so to see what has changed or improved before I write it off completely.

Like many, I was excited to check out the “return” of Chi-Chi’s. Unfortunately, fun atmosphere couldn’t make up for decidedly average food and ambivalent service. Food was decidedly average and neither better nor worse than what Rojo had when it was here. Margarita was large and strong, which was a pleasant surprise. I’m sure Chi-Chi’s will be a hit, but nostalgia can only go so far.

I hate to say it but I was disappointed after my recent visit to the newly re-opened Chi Chi’s restaurant. The “host” at the front entry was low-energy and acted a bit bothered or disinterested to help us to a table. My chopped salad with chicken was soggy and wet. It was nothing like a restaurant quality salad should be, in my opinion. It tasted like a bunch of stuff was dumped on a plate and then covered with way too much dressing. My bowl of chicken tortilla soup was okay, but nothing I would ever go out of my way to have again. I appreciated the complimentary chips and salsa. The glass of sangria was good and our server was pleasant and efficient. Honestly, I was surprised at how busy the restaurant was given my experience (although it was a late Friday afternoon, so maybe that explains it…). Maybe people don’t care that much anymore about the quality of food for the price, or, maybe I just had an “off” experience that’s not the norm. For now, my search will continue for good quality Mexican food in the Twin Cities. I’ll keep an eye on reviews before I make a return visit to Chi Chi’s. Thank you for the opportunity to share my opinion.

Service was slow and inconsistent, food was not good at all it had no flavor and was barely warm, portions of sour cream, guacamole and rice were baby sized and overall it was nasty. The fried ice cream and chips were about the only thing that tasted good. We had the chicken chimichangas( tasted like boiled no seasoning chicken) , elote corn( way too much lime squeeze and needed more flavor). I say this reinventing was a fail.

Food had no flavor. We sat the the bar and the skinny margarita had so much sugar in it my stomach hurt. My husband's beer was warm. Other customers returned their beer as well. We got the queso dip and after running out of or initial basket of chips, I had to finally raise my hand to get the bartenders attention, as he was busy chatting with other employees. The restaurant was filthy. Chips all over the floor, tables not cleared off with customers waiting for tables and the manager sat behind the bar eating chips while he could have been helping clean the establishment. Only good thing was the basket of chips and salsa. Will not be supporting Chi Chis...which sucks, because we were so excited to go here.

So back in the day, Chi-Chi's was a second home for my family. If we could we would live there. When I heard you guys coming back I told them all. Well after months I finally went with some people and it wasnt the same. It was so different from what it all. The food menu was only one side. The food wasnt the same, yes it was good. The fried ice-cream wasnt the same at all. I knew it wouldn't be the exact same. The atmosphere was amazing. I guess I'll keep my memories with me, i had in the pass forever. See my cousin and i started young at chi-chi's.. 🥰

This was absolutely not the Chi Chis I remember. What a complete disappointment. My coworkers and I were genuinely excited to revisit what used to be a fun, reliable place from the 90s and early 2000s. We thought we had found a new go to happy hour spot. Instead, it turned into one of the most frustrating outings we have had in years. I arrived when the restaurant was not busy and let the hostess know that we would have seven or eight people. She assured me we would be fine and pointed out a table along the wall. She told us that once the customers next to it left, our group would be seated together. She suggested we wait at the bar until then. When those seats opened, they were immediately given to someone else. So the group arrived, and instead of sitting together as promised, we were scattered around the bar with no communication or care from staff. The bartender acted as though serving guests was a burden. He was short, dismissive, and visibly irritated. Multiple coworkers commented on his tone without me even prompting them. When I went back to the hostess stand to explain what happened, there was a different hostess, and I had to start over. We waited nearly an hour, and when one of the tables finally opened, a few of us sat down so we could start getting settled. The original hostess had already clocked out and left by this point. Then a man who appeared to be the manager approached us and chose to lecture us in front of the dining room about how we were not allowed to take a table and needed to speak to the hostess. I tried to explain, but he did not listen and treated us as if we were in the wrong. Eventually he dragged over another table so we could sit together, but the tone was already set. The food was mediocre and bland, nothing like the Chi Chis we remembered. The service was awful. There was no hot sauce on the table in a Tex Mex restaurant. We asked once. Nothing. We asked again. Still nothing. On the third request the server finally brought two random bottles long after the food was cold. Her frustration with even that request was obvious and unnecessary. We ended up with nine guests instead of eight, and the manager made it very clear that we were not welcome to bring in any more people. This entire experience felt chaotic, disorganized, and unwelcoming. We have been doing happy hour once a week for seven years, and this is easily the worst experience we have had anywhere. We left disappointed, frustrated, and honestly a little sad. We came in hoping for nostalgia and good vibes. Instead, we got rude staff, broken promises, lack of basic service, and food that was forgettable at best. To anyone local who remembers the original Twin Cities Chi Chis, let me save you the trouble. This is not the Chi Chis you remember. Not even close.

Flavorless, burnt food in an underwhelming environment. Half the restaurant was empty waiting for reservations while they crammed everyone else into the bar. They could have flipped the tables twice if they would have sat customers on both sides. After we waited over an hour to be seated we were looking forward some spicy salsa- wrong there is only one variety salsa, which is the exact consistency and flavor of ketchup and inedible. After waiting another hour for the food to arrive the enchiladas were burned to bottom of the pan. The other dish was soggy when it arrived and the only thing that could revive it was repeatedly asking for raw jalapeños since they didn’t have anything else with spice. The server was friendly and tried but was overwhelmed in the bar while servers on the other side of the restaurant had few customers.