Unique combinations and traditional favorites done to perfection make this a must-visit restaurant when you visit Torrey.

High expectations from the other reviews but we found the experience weak at best. Service was unattentive and the food was sub-par: carne asada fajitas were solid but the tacos were no bueno, especially the octopus option. Wish I had better things to say, and a better meal, but that's life. Perhaps others who've eaten here have opinions skewed by a long day in the desert or were just luckier. read more

No frills Mexican spot that was just what we needed after hiking in Capitol reef. A burrito I would order again and again, wish it had some heat and some sides that were more exciting but I was definitely happy with it. The chips and salsa are nice too but try not to fill up on too many because it's very easy to do. read more

Chak Balam - California Style Dried Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Torrey, Utah

The food her was delicious, the waiter was so kind and attentive. Our meals were hot and service was really fast. 100% recommend this place if you're staying locally read more

See all

Aside from the name that seems more like an Indian name, we thought this place as A-OK and we enjoyed our meal. We are from San Diego. We sold our house in San Diego to be digital nomads and travel around the US. I am super snobby about Mexican food, and so I don't really expect much outside of SoCal. I mean, seriously. I saw a review on Trip Advisor for this place. The reviewer was also from Cali. They were outraged and gave it 1 star. It's definitely not that, in my opinion. Here's what worked for us: We took out food to go. They got the order correct. Weird thing to even have to acknowledge, but it is beyond often people get things wrong in our order. The food was hot when we arrived back at our campground The sauce on the fajitas was good. I had mixed proteins. They were all fine. The flan was quite nicely done Big parking lot with ample parking The food was done when they said it would be done Order online and just go in and pick it up Here is what did not work: The outdoor seating left a bit to be desired, so we decided to take our food to go. There are a surprising number of Mexican food options for a town that has less than 300 total in their population. We'd likely try another one during our short stay here vs going back to this spot. read more

Don't let the outside fool you. Food is good. We came between lunch and dinner had to wait for someone to come out. Once ordered food came out quick. I had the grill shrimp tacos. Shrimp was very tasty but the tortillas fell apart, bummer. My husband the pork tamales with verda sauce. The sauce was tasty with a hint of cinnamon. He likes shredded pork this was chunks. read more

The Asada had a bit more black pepper than I expected. Most of the food was good but in my opinion under seasoned (except the asada). Looks sketchy on the outside but inside was clean and cool- much appreciated. read more

Amazing food and service. I had the bistek and a delicious beer. My son had the carne asada taco and he demolished it. I'll come back

Just not good. Waiter seemed like he didn't have time for us even though it wasn't that busy. Had high hopes based off reviews but it wasn't great. Rice meh, tacos ok, Mexican salad blah and not good. for the $ Taco Bell would be better and I absolutely hate Taco Bell hah read more

We had the cheese chili rellenos which were delicious. Guac was very good. Margaritas terrible- no lime flavor, zero alcohol, just melting ice. Busy on a Tuesday night. Quick service. read more

Chak Balam - Terrible margarita/ zero alcohol zero flavor- not even lime! - Mexican Near Me - Torrey, Utah

Upon pulling up to the restaurant, my husband turned the car around and we almost left because it did not look very much like a restaurant, however we were both very glad we stayed. Chak Balam has some of the best food in the area. Great quality food and service was great. Everything was very fresh and they had good vegetarian options. They don't serve alcohol, but they had fresh Horchata and various sodas available. They made the salsa fresh when we ordered and our food was quick to come out and portions were good. It's a small but charming space and would absolutely recommend for anyone looking for a good meal. read more

See all

Amazing service, good food, and such fun atmosphere! We stopped for a lunch on our way home from Escalante, every dish was delicious. The grande nachos were divine. read more

Not many places to eat but this place was busy. Chips & salsa were good. I had the mole chicken wrapped tortillas. Can't remember the name but were good. I don't get mole often as rarely do I think it's good. Hubby had the chicken flautas and they were very good. Wait staff was nice and helpful in making selections read more

1. Courteous service 2. Vegetarian dietary needs options 3. Good preparation 4. Honest interactions read more

Not sure all the issues about the restaurant looks. It's super clean and has an understated industrial style with raw wood walls and corrugated metal ceiling. I actually loved the ambiance and told the owner that. The industrial look is actually pretty much one of the trends and the norm in bigger cities. Also I tend to eat with my palate and not my eyes, unless a place is looking like tales from the health department. In my opinion, places that have genuinely good food don't have to window dress it. What actually drew me here was the name was not cliched like Guadalupe, Mariachis, etc. Also Mexican was on my bucket list on our travels out West. There are many Mexican restaurants nearby but the seemed vacant and menus looked very Chi-Chi's ish. I knew with such an unique and regional sounding restaurant name, the food was more likely to be authentic, and I was not disappointed. The owner of the restaurant is so sweet and we had a conversation of what the restaurant name means. (I think the name means something in Mayan, along the lines of Red Jaguar.) We had fajitas and chicken mole. So they seem to offer you a good variety of Mexican food that is familiar Tex-Mex and some that might be more Mexican and less familiar. Food here will easily appeal to those palates who want traditional Tex Mex to those whose want something more Mexican than offerings elsewhere. The food was so plentiful and good, we took 2 boxes of leftovers to go on way to Las Vegas and I enjoyed them the next day. If you're visiting like us, this a definitely a good stop to eat wherever you're going. Besides good food and portions, the windows are nice and big which lets you enjoy the beautiful landscape nearby and the service is very attentive and friendly. It's definitely good place to recharge and refuel. If I was local this would be one of my places in rotation for eating out and I'd be sampling from their many choices on their menu. read more

See all

Visited Chak Balam on 3/27/2021. We ordered a California chicken burrito, two pastor tacos, two asada tacos and queso. The queso was delicious!! The pastor tacos had canned pineapple chunks which is different. My husband said it was okay. The California burrito was okay but needed a LOT more filling. I felt like I paid $15 for a grilled flour tortilla. I would rate the food 2.5 stars and gave it 0 stars as the restaurant is NOT Covid compliant. The person who took our to-go order did not have a mask on. (We observed only one person working there with a mask on.) And, the restaurant was packed and tables were 2 feet apart with no one wearing masks. There is a mask mandate in the state of Utah and social distancing requirements. read more

Chak Balam - California burrito with chicken. - Mexican Near Me - Torrey, Utah

See all

It's rare I give 5 stars but this place desirves it. Go here for food, not ambiance. Ignore the building and surroundings. I grew up in Arizona with tons of great, real and americanized, Mexican food. I'm very picky and I cook better than most high end restaurants. The main dishes here rival the best I've had. The rice, beans and "salad" (aka, not a real salad, just a lot of garnish) are basic and nothing to care about. But... The rest was nearly perfect. Chimmi with pork, with green sauce = 4 stars. If this had a little more sauce it would be 5 stars. Chili relleno with chicken... Perfectly cooked. Solid 5 stars. Would like to see if they'd do this stuffed with pork instead, would be a 6 stars! Enchiladas with barbacoa = 5 stars. All the dishes, including the meat inside (super important) were cooked perfectly. And the flavors are exactly what they should be. Balanced with spices and the other items so you can taste the meat, the spices, and the other ingredients (tortillas, chillies, etc) read more

Off the beaten path, but after 5 days on the road and too much fried American food, this was haven. Cordial and quick service, excellent guacamole and salsa. Had fish and asada tacos, both very very good! read more

After being seated, Efrain greeted us, provided some recommendations - and he was right. The mole was the perfect balance of spice and chocolate. The cheese dip flavorful, nicely spicy, and plentiful. If you are looking for a great meal after a long day in Capital Reef - this is it! read more

I did not think the Food was particularly good. Palatable maybe. They apply 10% to online orders and then ask for a tip. Get there earlier than they recommend as ours was barely warm upon pickup. read more

Food really wasn't great. Rice and beans tasted bad, can't put it any other way. Main courses were ok but honestly would rather not have eaten them. Service was nice and the horchata was very good! Ambiance was nice too, interior decorations were cool! Food just was a big miss. read more

Food was amazing..all 5 meals for my family were very good. Service solid. Ambiance perfect for a small roadside Mexican restaurant!

Don't let the outside fool you! We travel extensively and we love Mexican food- so we know of what we speak. This place has some of the best food we've ever tasted. The ingredients are fresh and flavorful. My husband had the fish tacos (both types). I had to stop him from licking the plate! I had the enchiladas, which were divine. This is a family owned business obviously run by people who love food. If you are staying in, or driving through, Torrey, UT, stop and eat here! read more

The menu, the music, the server from Chiapas..... authentico . Ate dinner take out one night and breakfast in the morning. read more

I tried this place based on the good reviews. Unfortunately, it fell short. The salsa needed salt, and the queso was fairly bland. I ordered three tacos (asada, pastor, and barbacoa) and they were okay, but nothing special. The menu said it was supposed to come with green sauce, but it did not. The homemade hot sauce lacked flavor as well as heat. The service was good, except that I asked the waiter for some napkins and he gave me one when i could have used a couple. My husband's horchata was very good and probably the best part of the meal. read more

Food was excellent, service was great and you can't beat the view. Doesn't look like much from the outside but don't let that dissuade you from giving it a try! Inside is cute and bright! Our party of 3 ordered the chicken flautas, a fish taco, the California burrito and the Bisteck a la Mexicana. Everything was hot, fresh and delicious. The crushed margaritas were frosty and fabulous. If you're traveling through the area make sure to stop! read more

See all

Wow, really good food, the carne asada fries were awesome flautas and carne asada special were on point.. Staff was extremely friendly read more

This place is the epitome of "don't judge a book by its cover". The outside of it is.... Rough.... BUT, the interior and food was . I got the mole enchiladas and they were awesome. The food came out quickly and was very flavorful. Definitely stop in if your in the area! read more

Chak Balam - Lingua taco - Mexican Near Me - Torrey, Utah

A very delicious hole-in-the-wall place with excellent views! I was really impressed by the efficient and friendly service- we were promptly seated, given water and chips/salsa, and the orders arrived promptly and were correct. I'd definitely recommend the tamales with red sauce. Just be aware that they don't come with rice/beans. read more

I was on a 1500 mile road trip and ate out for one or two meals a day each day. Driving home through Utah we saw this spot, passed it by and then thought wait a second that looks pretty good. We turned around and I'm glad we did. The outdoor patio is an ideal selling in the desert to enjoy a break from driving through Utah. I am from California so I figure I'm a pretty good judge of Mexican food. The burrito I had was perfect, and didn't skimp on avocado. The other dishes coming out of the kitchen to other tables looked tremendous. It was funny to see a plate of perfectly sizzling nachos get served to a plastic table in the desert. The soup at the other table looked as good as anything you would find at a high-end Mexican restaurant in orange county. I remarked to the waiter that this was possibly some of the best food that we had on our trip. Should I ever find myself back near Capitol Reef National Park I will certainly stop by. read more

The food was delicious and the service was great! Definitely a great find in this little town!

Hello, the service in Chak Balam was very exquisite. They were very friendly. The food was very delightful, I enjoyed my green enchiladas with pollo, cooked to perfection. The Ambiance was very welcoming. It was very clean, and the bathrooms were nice. I totally recommend you get comida (I learned that word today) from the restaurant in Torrey, UT read more

Chak Balam - Granny Rita enjoying herself in the restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Torrey, Utah

Not many places were open when we arrived in Torrey. With recommendations, we ventured into Chak Balam. Restaurant was clean! Server was delightful and aimed to please. Food was yummy and ingredients were fresh! read more

We went here for our one and only dinner in Torrey. Our choice was based off of yelp reviews. I knew to overlook the outside which looks very bad. Ordered a marg and beer and Efrain brought me the beer and a young lady brought the wife her drink. I ordered the mix fajitas and wifey ordered a chili rellano. I have no doubt this is the best Mexican restaurant in Torrey read more

See all

If this restaurant was located anywhere other than this small town I dont think they would make it. Prices very high and flavor lacking. We tried the shrimp taco which was very good. Complimentary chips and salsa. Chips very good, salsa mild with no real flavor. Then tried barbacoa chimi. Meat full of large chunks of fat and no seasoning. Chimi comes with a "salad " which is nothing more than some shredded lettuce and pico on top. Positives: staff friendly and open on a Sunday evening. read more

During our multiple visits while staying in Torrey, we were wowed by the delicious food and cocktails and great service! When we got back to Salt Lake to catch our flight to Ohio we met a lad heading to Torrey and told him to be sure to check out Chak Balam for some amazing eats! Passing the good word along! Yum!! Can't wait to come back. That hot sauce is fire! read more

Stopped in for lunch today and highly recommend the queso taco. Absolutely delicious. Quick, friendly service.

We always order fajitas. Everywhere we go. These were hands-down the best ever! Great service, friendly, fast, fun! We all had a great meal, Good margaritas too. highly recommend!! read more

Excellent familty-run spot with a fine view of the Red Cliffs. Margs are awesome, as is the queso and fresh made salsa, we went back the next night we enjoyed it so much. Entrees came out quickly, friendly service. There's not one thing to not LOVE about this place. Fairly priced. I live in tacos-aplenty San Diego, and I wish this place was closer. Enjoy. read more

This place was great! Service was friendly and the food was amazing! The carne asada was seasoned perfectly and the salsa's were all very good. Not much of an exterior but don't let this drive you away! read more