This week our search for the best tacos in Chatt Town brought us to Chuy’s Tex-Mex on Gunbarrel Road.
Last Tuesday I took my mom to have an eye procedure done at a surgical center in that same vicinity. On the way there, I caught this colorful looking building in my peripheral vision. I glanced over quickly and saw a place called Chuy’s Tex-Mex.
This past weekend I was Christmas shopping at Hamilton Place Mall and decided I would pop into Chuy’s to check it out.
I glided through their rotating circular entrance, like I was entering a fancy New York Hotel, and found the interior to be as bright and colorful as the exterior. One room was pink with bright tiled floors in a Herringbone pattern of red and brown.
Where I was seated the tiles were a diamond pattern of white, red and black, with green booths and pictures of old Cadillacs and classic Chevrolets on the wall. The roof had a lamp that shined against a collage of hub caps on the ceiling. I liked the eclectic vibe happening throughout the restaurant.
Let me start by saying, since this was my first visit, I didn’t realize they didn’t serve Mexican Street tacos, but I still love tacos and was happy to give this place a try. Of course, their menu was colorful as well and had all the usual suspects like burritos, fajitas, enchiladas, appetizers and a few house specialties.
The server brought me chips and salsa and another sauce.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Creamy jalapeno Ranch,” she replied as she handed me a Sprite.
“Awesome,” I said.
I ordered guacamole and their crispy tacos; three American style beef tacos served with rice and beans.
Within minutes this monster size plate was placed before me with three of the largest tacos I’ve ever seen. Seriously, these corn shells were WIDE, like the stand and stuff taco shells made by Old El Paso and sold in stores. Except these were made fresh in the kitchen. Even with my big mouth, there was no way I could fit that into my jaw without squeezing the corn tortilla and cracking the shell.
Ground beef, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese dripping down the side and back on my plate as I took my first bite. I took another bite and more of the shell collapsed. I looked at the crumbled taco on my plate and the creamy jalapeno Ranch sauce and immediately thought – taco salad anyone?
I poured some of the sauce over the deconstructed taco. That punch of heat accompanied by the creaminess of the dressing put a smile on my face. I picked up the second taco, crushed the shell together and turned it sideways. I poured a little sauce on that and took a bite – CRUNCH! This shell held together a bit better, so I poured a little more dressing and kept at it until the remainder of the taco was on my plate, along with the beans and rice.
I poured some more dressing on what was left of the tacos and chowed down happily. The beans were sturdy and delicious. The rice was flaky and tasted great. But seriously, those tacos were massive. I ate the two and bagged the last taco as well as most of the rice and beans and the remaining guacamole to-go.
I know I’ll be coming back. I need to try their queso compuesto. It’s their melted cheese sauce with seasoned ground beef, guacamole, pico-de-gallo, green Chile and Ranchero sauced add in the cheese.
It seems they are also well-known for their Boom-Boom Sauce. It might be time to try their roasted chicken burrito drowned in that sauce.
Chuy’s Tex-Mex is a fun, colorful, family friendly place for great Tex-Mex food made fresh daily.
Chuy’s Tex-Mex
- 2271 Gunbarrel Road, Chattanooga, TN
- (423) 710-3007
- www.facebook.com/ChuysChattanooga
What’s your favorite taco place and why? Send me an email at Pattyl@brewermediagroup.com