Very traditional Mexican food. We are from NJ and found this place to be hands down better than the popular chains. Staff was attentive. Loved the upbeat music and overall vibe. read more

We just finished eating a wonderful take out lunch here. The staff were very friendly, they even gave us a basket of chips and salsa while we waited for our order to come out. Now about the wait. Keeping in mind they were just featured in an AnnArbor.com article it was an exceptionally long wait - almost 40 minutes. They were likely unprepared for the onslaught. The food is touted as Mexico City street food. It may well be but I can tell you no one in Mexico City is waiting 40 minutes for their taco or torta, it just ain't happening. I do hope the owners read this and tighten up their system getting food out much faster is the only fly in their soup but a significant problem in need of immediate attention and a solution. Putting a few strips of carne asada or barbacoa and some onions on a tortilla just can't take that long, it just doesn't. The food was very, very good. I had the carne asada and barbacoa tacos which were served in double soft corn tortillas and were great. My partner had a a veggie torta, a potato/poblano pepper taco and a bean taco. The torta was colorful, substantial and delicious. The poblano and potato taco was bland, with little texture and completely unsatisfying. The bean taco, well what can you say about a bean taco? Anyway get the bugs ironed out in the kitchen and you'll thrive in a foodie's city with surprisingly few authentic, cheap and high quality Mexican restaurants. I consider Ann Arbor to be Mexican food desert. You want great, cheap Mexican food and fast then go to Lansing or Dos Hermanos grocery store in Ypsilanti. We hope to come back to Chela's since it's just down the street but are hesitant because of the excessive wait. We'll likely try it again. Oh and stay away from the hot sauce unless you have your days affairs in order. It burned hard going in and likely will burn........ If not for the wait we would have given it 5 stars. read more

I ordered the veggie burrito loaded!! Best choice ever. I loved the rice and black beans. I will definitely be back again.

I love getting tacos at chelas. I always order the al pastor and elotes. Their guac is kinda pricey considering that it's alright. I would give it 5 stars but these are not authentic Mexican tacos, a little more Americanized but still so good!!! Also love supporting their business considering that ugly racist saline man...I hope they are getting more business and support read more

I had the Barbacoa tacos and they were tremendous. I also had a pork tamale, which was good, but paled compared to the tacos. I will definitely be coming back to try more items. read more

Hidden gem! We have been searching for a great torta in Michigan and as it wasn't perfect it was better than most...small inside but has nice family feel..I really enjoyed the experience. read more

Some of the best Mexican food I have ever had. In the couple times I have been there, I have ordered the chipotle chicken quesadilla, which was outstanding. Prices are pretty reasonable too. Entree was $7 plus tax. The seating area is a little small, so it might be tough to get a table if coming in with more than 3-4 people. I will definitely continue coming back to Chelas. read more

This is the best Mexican restaurant in Ann Arbor! I thought there weren't any and then I fell in love. So good!!!!!!!!

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in the area. The price is so worth the amount of food you get and the deliciousness. It's probably the restaurant I go to most because it's quick, easy, cheap, and yummy. read more

This is our go to Mexican taco shop. The tacos are very traditional of North Mexico flair. The ingredients are always fresh. They even have gluten free options. I like to have their breakfast chiliqueas with egg. The are rather spicy so make sure you are prepared. They are also delicious and keep me full until dinner. My wife loves the Carne Asada taco special with rice, beans and a drink. We have eaten here at least 10 times and always have a fantastic meal! read more

All three of the locations this family own are great. Simple food, no frills in the two Ann Arbor locations but a family friendly full service restaurant in Dexter. Service has been consistently top notch too. One of our favorite places. read more

Delicious authentic food made with fresh local ingredients by a very sweet family!

Food was poor quality, and very overpriced. 3 slices of a quesadilla was $6.50. The tacos were dry and the horchata was like watered down milk read more

Chela's has been open for a couple of weeks now, and we have eaten in or taken out tacos out 5 times. Am I proud? No I am not proud. But that is how good and cheap ($1.50) the tacos are. I particularly like the chorizo, al pastor, and campechana. The potatoes with chili poblano has potential but the filling was a little too soft. All of their food comes with a side of spicy, pickled vegetables, which is a nice touch and makes it feel more like a meal. The cauliflower is especially good. Unfortunately they have stopped serving pinto beans and rice because they said black beans were more popular, but maybe they will bring them back. The environment is low-key and friendly--a good space to bring kids for a quick meal when you are too exhausted to cook and wash dishes. I thought the quesadillas were too expensive for children so they added a $2.50 kids' quesadilla. How is that for customer response! Overall we are thrilled with the new "taco alley" on W. Liberty (Taco King is a block away). Welcome to the neighborhood, Chela's! read more

The carne asada tacos is the best thing on the menu. We always make sure to stop in at this little gem while we're in Ann Arbor.

Came here for a first date last night having never been here before and I was impressed by the quality of the mexican fare. Authentic Mexican taco's can be had here for little money and quick service. Ordering is easy with menus right by the register. After ordering is complete, you give them your name and then go over to get your drinks. Fountain pop as well as water and tea are available. Once they have your order ready, they call your name and you go get your food. I had the al pastor taco and the carne asada taco and my date had a fish taco. All were very good renditions of things that have been had before. It's a smaller place and when we got there at 6 p.m. it wasn't busy but by the time we left it was packed with no tables sans the one we were vacating. Seems quite popular to be that busy on a Tuesday. I'll be back to try some of the other things on their menu! read more

I've been going to various Chela's locations for a long time - always great food. I had a carry out order today. It was given to me by the manager, so I assumed it was complete. When I got home, part of the order was missing. I called in and they said they had the missing part in the restaurant and were sorry they did not include it. OK, stuff happens. The incredible part was, they refused to refund for the missing part of the order, saying that refunds could only be done in person, cash only. Since I am 15 miles from the restaurant, I passed. Never again. read more

I had some of the most delicious tacos that I have had in a long time here. There was just something about the tortillas that blew away any other tacos i have had. They were corn, i believe and grilled to absolu]te perfection. The filling was delicious and flavorful. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. I was a little disappointed that my order of beans was whole beans and not mashed up, but the guac was delicious and made up for it. Great meal. I would go back often. read more

The best tacos! Just moved from California where Taco Tuesday is a staple. These are the best tacos ever. The potato tacos are definitely my favorite topped with the complimentary hot sauce with sour cream. My husband and I do take out for dinner here weekly. We have brought friends and family here and it's always the same reaction. The staff is kind and helpful. Love love love having them down the street from us. One day I'll venture and try a burrito or quesadilla. But for now the potato tacos are everything. read more

Great authentic Mexican food. Plenty of options for vegetarian and meat lovers. All fresh ingredients very tasty. $18 for two adults, 3 tacos, 1 tamale, chips and guacamole and a soda. Plenty of food! read more

Not only is the food absolutely delicious, but the staff is made up of hands-down the nicest people who ever owned a restaurant. The owner is wonderful and so sweet. Definitely a local gem! read more

At 6:30pm, I realized I needed to feed 15 people at 7pm. The staff at Chela's handled my large order very efficiently and I was able to order, pay, and pick up within 15 minutes. Everyone at the party liked the food! Thanks, Chela's. read more

I just got home from Chela's and had to write about my awesome lunch. We were greeted by the owner the moment we arrived. He expressed his disdain for fake "authentic" Mexican food while explaining what constitutes real Mexican food. Chela's prepares each dish as fresh and healthy as possible without sacrificing flavor. I ordered two pepper and cheese tamales with a side of pico de gallo. They were very filling and not bland, as tamales can sometimes be. The pico de gallo added some much-needed vegetables to the plate. It cost $3.00 for a large container, which is more than a tamale, but there was enough to cover my plate plus leftovers for later. My husband ordered the campechana burrito, which includes house-made chorizo and steak. It was very large for the price and featured better than average ingredients, such as black beans instead of refried beans and cilantro rice. Two homemade salsas are available for free. The green one is mild and flavorful. The orange one is crazy spicy--it tastes like habanero peppers. I always overindulge on extra spicy hot sauce, much to my stomach's dismay. If you like greasy Mexican food smothered in canned tomato sauce and bag cheese, Chela's is not for you. If you like fresh, healthy Mexican food made by people who care about their product, choose Chela's. read more

The best "Ann Arbor" Mexican food in Ann Arbor. You know, it's good, authentic, but not too authentic. It's cultural, but very safe. The service is designed to accommodate the '1st time having real Mexican food customer.' That said, the nice thing is that the flavors are good and the food is very clean tasting. For instance, they don't have random chunks of fat in the asada or pastor, and the chorizo is comparably lean. This makes the taste less real, but I must admit it's a very pleasant eating experience. (The fat is the flavor, but I don't love those, random, fat only bites) They also have amazing lime.... drink, but if you have a sweet tooth it's awesome! Super nice staff, nice clean food, this place is definitely worth the couple extra bucks you pay to be in Ann Arbor. read more

Chela's is good! Get your tacos here. I also love the cantaloupe juice they had at one time.

Order just about anything and you will be pleased. Best Mexican food in town. Rivals what you can get in Mexicantown. Always friendly and welcoming. read more

This is the real deal, delicious Mexican food that is not expensive. The selection of tacos is amazing. My favorite are the Fish and Barnacle. It makes my mouth water just thinking about them. The homemade hotsauce is great. read more

And they now have the menu online....so when co-workers ask, "Mary, what are you eating? Looks delicious! and interrrupt my quiet lunch with "What do they have there? How much?" I can direct them to their website and give them directions to walk there so I can eat in peace and enjoy my food. :) read more

First experience, last night, quite excellent. Delicious chicken burritos and a friendly staff who cares.

ooey gooey burritos aside, Chela's has the friendliest service in Ann Arbor, by far. I mean... the guy giving me my change flipped the coins up in the air like I was at a carnival or something. and he caught them. FIVE STARS. read more

We've been to Chelas about 5 times now and are enjoying exploring the menu. So far, the burritos are our favorite. The black beans in the burrito are excellent, as are the fillings. I only knocked off a star as the fillings can be a bit inconsistent. My favorite is the burrito with vegetarian filling. This can range from sauteed red peppers (great) to some peppers and zucchini (good) to almost all zucchini (hey-not good) so it just depends on the day. My husband likes all of the meat burritos, his favorite being the shredded beef (barbacoa?). Tacos are also tasty. The potato filling is particulary good-I only wish they would create a fish taco. They provide all the sides like hot sauce, tomatillo , and sour creme. You can purchase guac or pico di gallo. The family that owns Chelas is always very friendly and available on site. It is our favorite Mexican food in the Ann Arbor area for sure! I'm not sure what is going on behind the scenes at this restaurant, but the inconsistencies with the food compelled me to knock off a star. On our last burrito adventure, not only was the vegetarian burrito labeled as meat (resulting in my husband consuming half of it before I bit into the actual meat one), but the fillings, which have always been inconsistent, were downright lousy. Both burritos were a good 70% rice. Nothing over 20% rice is acceptable-we felt that we could make a better burrito with the leftovers in our fridge than we got that night. I think that's exactly what we will do next time-sorry chelas... read more

Yummy! We had tamales and a fantastic potato and poblano taco. Great place for vegetarians. read more

Chela's - Mexican Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

We went to Chelas for lunch after an exhausting day moving. The people there were extremely friendly, and joked around with us, reviving our lagging spirits. The place is very clean and well lit, with some good decorations up already and signs of more to come. When we got our food, it was fabulous. The quesadilla had abundant cheese and meat. The chorizo tacos were great, with a nice, smoky, chorizo flavor. The tamale is the best I've ever had in the midwest (and I've lived in the midwest for years now). The salsas are really fresh, and the guac was top notch. We'll definitely be coming back again soon! read more

Best tacos I've had in Ann Arbor. Wide selection of flavors, counter service and laid back atmosphere. Highly recommend the al pastor or barbacoa tacos. And I really dig the spicy salsa at the counter. read more

Pros: One of the best customer service EVER! I have always seen customers come past the closing time and have not seen them get turned away. From Vegetarian aspect, the food is well-seasoned, plenty of veg options...bonus that I rarely see - veg tamale!!! Husband's a meat eater - he says they have one of the best fish tacos he has had! Definitely a hidden gem-type restaurant. Cons: I wish they had complimentary chips and salsa! I guess with the affordable price of tacos, you can spend extra money on chips! Overall: It is a yummy mexican fast-food food joint. Definitely will return as usual! From food aspect, I'd give it 4/5 stars but the customer service definitely kicks it up to 5/5! Chela's---please keep this up and don't slide as time passes!!! read more

Excellent Mexican street food! I had the fish tacos and everything was fresh and so simple but flavorfully prepared! Don't expect gourmet dining. 110% of their effort is in their food! I wouldn't have it any other way! read more

I'm SO happy I found this place! It's a tiny little place that doesn't stand out much from the road but MAN was their food good! As authentic as it gets for mexican food in Ann Arbor. I've been to so many mexican food joints in this town, and NONE have seemed authentic. I got three tacos, and chips and guacamole. Everything was perfect. I'm from Los Angeles so I know what real mexican food tastes like, and this is as close as it gets. Chela's offers great prices, flavorful food, perfect size portions and fast service. read more

I really love Mexican food, but I'm not a fan of the chain restaurants that serve it. So when I came upon Chela's, it was solely because of the reviews I saw on Yelp that raved about it. And I have to agree. It is a small place, in a small little plaza, where you might quickly overlook it. But I encourage you to give this place a try, especially if you want to really enjoy authentic tasting Mexican food and not something that comes from Costco or GFS or Sysco.... read more

I had a hard time finding good Mexican food in Ann Arbor, but then I discovered Chela's. I've been about half a dozen times now and I've had a consistently good experience. The food is great and is prepared quickly. The service is excellent, with very friendly staff. While I'm not vegetarian myself, they do have several veggie options, which I can appreciate. read more

Chela's is awesome. The chipotle chicken, al pastor, and carne asada tacos are delicious. I ordered 2 of each and split all with one person. Both the mild and medium salsas are bitter and can be improved. The atmosphere is friendly and Adrian Iraola is a great manager. read more