Chula's is a pretty good Mexican spot. If you don't want to read my full review, here's the short…read moreversion: I recommend giving it a try at least once. We left wanting to come back, but not everything was perfect.
First, the atmosphere is fantastic. The restaurant is very clean, modern, and relaxing. They seem to be aiming for a more upscale dining experience, and some of the menu prices definitely reflect that. I was also surprised by how busy it was. We stopped in on a Monday around 12:30 PM for lunch while I was on PTO, and the place was packed. The crowd was mostly older adults, likely retirees or people wealthy enough that they don't need to work on a Monday afternoon. There was also a mix of people on lunch breaks and a few families with kids.
Service was a little slow, likely because of how busy they were, but everyone we interacted with was friendly and welcoming.
My wife ordered the $16 Pink Señorita. I'll admit it was very good, but I'm not sure it was $16 good. The glass was fairly large, though, which helped justify the price a bit.
One disappointment was that there are no complimentary chips and salsa. If you want chips, you have to order them. We decided to try the Chips Trio, and overall, it was very good.
The chips themselves were excellent, although some were oversalted while others needed a little more seasoning. The guacamole was unlike any I've had before. It was extremely chunky and very lime-forward, but both worked.....surprisingly, well. It ended up being some of the best guacamole I've had in a long time. Just be prepared that it's very chunky and LIME.
The queso was good too. It's hard to mess up queso, and while it wasn't anything extraordinary, it was tasty.
The pico de gallo was also excellent, though I wish it had been mixed better. One scoop was loaded with jalapeños and extremely spicy, while the next barely had any. Not a huge issue, but it could have been more consistent.
My biggest complaint with the Chips Trio was portion size. For the price, I expected either more chips or significantly more dip. My wife and I finished the entire thing ourselves, so if you have more than two or three hungry people at your table, you may want to order two. There simply isn't enough queso, guacamole, or pico to go around.
We also ordered the pork pepper appetizer. It was enjoyable for the first few bites, but after that, I found myself losing interest. It wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't something that made me want to keep going back for more. We ended up taking us home for leftovers and I'm excited to be able to reheat it for a few bites.
For my entrée, I ordered the Sonoras for $11. This thing was fantastic and something I would absolutely order again. I've never had anything quite like it. My only complaint is the size. For $11, I was expecting a much larger hot dog. It was basically standard hot dog size with lots of toppings. Delicious, but I wish it had been bigger.
My wife ordered two tacos. I tried her Chicken Tinga taco, and honestly, it was probably the weakest thing we had. The chicken was a little dry, and the flavor didn't compare favorably to other tinga tacos I've had. That said, my wife enjoyed both of her tacos, so your mileage may vary. We were both impressed with how much meat was packed into each one.
The bigger issue was the price. The tacos are about $7 each (don't forget tax and tip!), and that's all you get. No chips, no side, no salsa, nothing. $7 for a single taco feels a little steep.
Speaking of pricing, Chula's definitely offers some higher end menu options. Interestingly, the online menu doesn't list prices. If you want to see what things actually cost, you need to go into the online ordering section. Maybe that's strategic, maybe not, but we all know restaurants aren't exactly hiding the cheaper items (Management, we know what you're doing. Just put the prices on there *wink*). There were a few dishes that caught our attention, including the lobster and some of the $75 entrées. Those might be worth trying on a future visit. Maybe we split one, or I take out a small 2nd mortgage.
After tip, our total came to about ~$86. That's certainly not cheap, but it also wasn't outrageous considering we ordered an alcoholic drink, the Chips Trio, the pork pepper appetizer, and entrées.
The highlights were the atmosphere, chips, pico de gallo, guacamole, and Sonora Dog. The low points were the pricing, the tinga taco, and the lack of complimentary chips and salsa. Also slow service but yeah, I get it. It's busy.
Overall, I'm giving Chula's 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the experience, and I will likely be back. But I'm not rushing there anytime soon.