Chula's is a pretty good Mexican spot. If you don't want to read my full review, here's the short version: 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. read more

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I was disappointed with my experience at Chulas. We ordered the Topopo Salad and chips and dip. The Topopo Salad was a very sad-looking nacho-style dish. There was no dressing or condiment to bring everything together-it was essentially just shredded lettuce, chips, and beans. It felt very underwhelming and lacked of flavor. The chips and dip were okay, but the chips tasted like they were a bit old or stale. The margaritas were definitely on the stronger side, but they could have been better balanced with more flavor. They tasted more like straight tequila than a well-balanced margarita. Overall, the food and drinks were disappointing, and I expected more from the experience. read more

Chula's - Topopo Salad, Chips and Dip, and Margaritas - Mexican Near Me - Prior Lake, Minnesota

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I wanted to love it and was excited for a more upscale Mexican restaurant in the area but it fell SO flat. We walked in a little before 5pm with no reservation on a Tuesday and they were able to accommodate us in a booth right as you walk in. The place is small. They have an upstairs but it still feels so small. We started with the cheese dip (added chorizo) and the cheesy corn nuggets. The chorizo was so greasy it ruined the cheese sauce for me. The cheesy corn nuggets are basically a 1/4th of a mozzarella stick rolled in cornmeal and lightly fried. Really no taste to them and the fancy sauce didn't add much. For our main, we got the Indian Taco and the Chile Rellenos (beef). The Indian Taco itself was fried nicely but one again the pork green chile was so greasy that it made the dish unpleasant. The Chile Rellenos weren't much better. I ended up only eating the inside beef and rice for a few bites as the outside was not pleasant, like eating an omelette covered pepper. Even the inside was lacking as it was just rice and beef. I took the horchata tres leches home to enjoy later and that also was a bummer. The texture was more like cornbread. I want to give it a few months and come back to re-try! Hopefully it'll be better! read more

I wanted to share my experience at this new restaurant. The bartender was great, very friendly, attentive, and a true social butterfly. He truly went over and beyond to make me feel welcome. I only had a beer and a shot, so I can't comment on the food, but the service at the bar was excellent. Unfortunately, what left a bad impression was the way the manager (or person in charge) spoke to the staff. I overheard several interactions that felt disrespectful and inappropriate. At one point, a staff member said she was having trouble understanding him because he was mumbling, and his response was extremely rude and demeaning - clean the sh** from your ears! I also noticed how another employee was treated when taking a short break - it was like he went to hunt down the employee. Regardless of the circumstances, employees deserve to be treated with respect. A positive workplace culture matters, and this type of communication creates an uncomfortable environment for both staff and customers. I hope leadership takes a closer look at how employees are being treated. I appreciate the good service I received from the bartender, but based on what I witnessed, I do not feel comfortable returning. I wish the staff and the restaurant the best moving forward. Gracias. read more

I took my friend out for belated birthday dinner. I told him about this new restaurant my coworker was bartending every weekend. Nice area, quiet, near the lake. There's a big parking lot across the street. Small patio area in front of the restaurant. I'm surprised they have 2 floors, we sat upstairs. Decorated with stars on the ceiling and bright lights. Downstairs is the bar and also dining area. We ordered a variety of food, I wanted street hotdog, my friend wanted the tamales, which were ok. Pork chop was good, grilled chicken lacked flavor, and ceviche was surprisingly fruity, like more mango than shrimp. read more

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5 stars for the decor.... And the service on night 2 was all smiles and inviting. We are going to trust they will get some of the hiccups corrected and give them some grace for their opening weekend. The great: my wife's margarita flight! The bar is working well and pretty much every table had a marg flight. Deliciosa! Lots of runners up and down their steps (whew!) and all the staff were smiling and welcoming. My street tacos were very tasty - lived the shrimp and the Barbacoa, while the Al pastor didn't measure up to my faves from Playa, but was still tasty. Tip: I wish I had a side of salsa, as I think it would have added to them. The hiccups: Remember - this is night 2, so let's be patient. Kitchen isn't keeping up with the rest of the house. Two hours from seating to paying the bill. We wanted chips and 3 dippings... but they said they had run out of queso?? Heard another table was told they didn't have their "Chula Wings" (which sound delish). Our reservation was before 5pm on night 2, so that's some challenged inventory planning out of the gate. Note - They were indeed FULL - lots of demand for Chulas. And our server got my order wrong - I ordered the Bocadillo sandwich and two street tacos. She either ordered me a barbacoa taco instead or the kitchen missed it. She didn't offer to correct once it came out and knowing the kitchen delay, I didn't push it. While I didn't get my ordered as originally requested - given the back up, it didn't make sense - it all was tasty, even the barbacoa taco. Note - My wife loved her steak salad. Ultimately, while we were there for two hours, I'm not taking it off the 5 rating as we will give them some grace - it's opening weekend. Did I mention the decor? It's amazing. (Thought bubble: Those poor servers running the steps!) read more

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Yesterday was our second visit to Chula's in Prior Lake. We loved our first visit for lunch, so decided to come back with friends to try Supper and it was even better!! Our server Julien was exceptional and recommended some show stopping, innovative drinks, and flavor packed appetizers and main courses that knocked our socks off! The atmosphere is fun, comfortable and non-pretentious. Getting these flavors in the South metro is such a treat, we highly recommend! read more

It was my second time here, and I brought some friends who had never been here before. It was to celebrate my birthday. I arrived first my friend had made a reservation, and I stated her name. The hostess said she could seat me right away. There wasn't very many people in the restaurant when I got there. So when she brought me back to a table right next to the very loud kitchen, I asked if it was possible to be seated in a booth or upstairs. The hostess said no because there was other reservations in those spots. My friends arrived, and they too noted how loud it was by the kitchen, so my friend asked to be seated elsewhere. They begrudgingly accommodated us upstairs. We had the margarita flights the chips Trio for appetizers, and we were disappointed in the amount of chips given and noted that other Mexican restaurants have bottomless chips., the margarita flight was disappointing. This time the last time I had it it was fantastic this time there wasn't much flavor in any of the drinks. For a main course, two of us had the Carne Asada and one other person had the tamales and elote. The Carne Asada was very good. The tamales were less than desirable. My friend said they were not made correctly and we're way too thick. We had the churros for dessert and they were terrible unable to eat them. We found it quite interesting that we were first turned down at a request to change tables because of all of the reservations that were booked. But while there, there were more open tables than occupied tables. We also mentioned that it was my birthday, but they didn't acknowledge or do anything. I didn't need any recognition, but did think that it was quite odd. They just seem to be wanting to free up our table when there were plenty of other open spots. We were not impressed with the food and frankly pretty disappointed unfortunately, it was so bad that it is unlikely that we will return. I had high hopes for this place as I know, they worked hard for the last couple of years to get this opened. It seems that they are going through a bit of an identity crisis as I know they are trying to cater to what people like but it seems like they keep changing things. read more

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The Barria Tacos were amazing! The Chicken enchiladas were soooo good! The wait staff is efficient and very friendly. The decor is beautiful. They have a new menu just this last week and there are so many things that I want to try. I will definitely be back and I highly recommend trying it out with the new menu! read more

The food was adequate at best. We ordered the chips and queso and it was lukewarm with barely salty chips. After we got our drinks one of the managers came over and were rude to us. Then we heard her yelling at an another person for pretty much nothing. I will admit that the restaurant in its entirety was beautiful. Overall the food was okay and some of the staff were rude. read more

I stopped in on a Wednesday evening after leaving The Wilds and grabbed a seat at the bar. The bartender was friendly and accommodating throughout my visit. I ordered the pork tamale, shrimp taco, and the Fandango cocktail. The food was decent, and the Fandango...recommended by both the bartender and another customer, was especially refreshing. They also have a small patio out front for outdoor dining. read more

Chula's - Pork tamale and shrimp taco - Mexican Near Me - Prior Lake, Minnesota

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Menu and service were very good. Only open four days. Will go back soon. Ambiance is amazing. read more

The ambiance, decorations, seating, and the patio looks great. The drinks looked fun, bar was poppin. Service and staff were friendly, polite and inviting. BUT if only the food was as good as all the stuff I listed above. We got the chips and salsa, queso and guacamole. Upon eating this and prior reviews I got worried :( Chips were a bit stale, I'm not saying yall have to fry your own chips etc but at least taste stuff. Check quality etc. Guac, way under seasoned, queso was good. I guess you call the Pico De gallo "salsa" but it's not salsa, again needs salt. Steak Arrachero, kinda meh. Did not get tortillas with mine for some reason. Steak was under seasoned. How do you serve any sort of Mexican dish without salsa?? Offer salsa!!? Walleye taco was ok, seemed not fresh or too crispy, packed with way too much cabbage and red onion El Pastor Taco, great flavor, same issue with the cabbage and onion, great amount of meat. BUT again.... WHY NO SALSA!? I think this place would be amazing if the food was good. Your chefs or menu creators need to taste the food before it's served or added to a menu. Taste the food! Salt and spice is your friend. Oh and salsa? read more

I would definitely make reservations especially around dinner time if you don't want to wait or sit at the bar. It's can be very busy and noisy too. The service was great. The old fashioned with tequila smelled and tasted like gasoline for some reason. The tacos were good but didn't care for the quesadilla. The wings were just ok. A little dry and when even though the bartender said the roho dry rub wasn't spicy, it was. lol read more

Atmosphere and service is decent. If you don't have a reservation on a weekend you are going to stand around with 15 people in an area appropriate for 5. Very awkward. Front of house is disorganized and was arguing about where to seat customers. Food was well below average. Topopo salad was recommended by our server as the "best on the menu" but it was basically shredded iceberg lettuce with stale chips underneath, with a tablespoon of refried beans and a couple bites of unseasoned chicken. The lady that cleared the table asked if she could clear this "rabbit food" from the table. I would say that rabbits would be less than impressed. Chips with guacamole, salsa and cheese dip was one of the worst I have had. Salsa tasted like pizza sauce with cumin and black pepper added. Walleye taco looks nothing like the photo submitted by the business. All meat was extremely overcooked and had less than typical "Minnesota bland" flavor profiles and seasoning. This is not a good "Mexican-Latin" restaurant and honestly anybody that says so should get out more. I can't think of a reason to come back. Sorry, but slower service and table times is reasonable for a new open, but bland overcooked food is not. Vibrant, flavorful, and well seasoned is the opposite of what you will find here. Disappointed as it appears they spent signifiant money on the ambiance and vibe and spent very little on quality of food and people that could prepare it well. Hard pass for me. There is much better around the south metro. read more

Jordan was very attentive and took good care of us. Drinks we AWESOME, food came out quickly and was tasty, fresh and hot!! Portions were sharable and easy to eat. Atmosphere was like being on vacation, it downtown Mpls! Recommend Chula's highly, with a reservation or there will be a wait. read more

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Excellent food, great options on the menu & good prices. Our server, Melissa, was very friendly & helpful. Beautiful restaurant overall. Need to go back soon to try more items on the menu. Great experience! read more

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Had a great time visiting Chula's for their opening night! The food was delicious and the staff was incredibly friendly. Can't wait to come back again soon! read more

Chula's - Mexican Near Me - Prior Lake, Minnesota

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We had the chance to visit Chula's in Prior Lake during their soft opening, and everything felt fresh, creative, and full of flavor. This is not your typical Mexican-Latin restaurant fare. My husband adored his steak tacos, and the Topopo salad was amazing: crisp, bright, and so unique. I also caught myself envying everyone who ordered the margarita flights, which I will absolutely be trying next time. read more

After second time in and trying more items we're really excited for this new addition! Giving lots of grace for a newly opened restaurant-it takes some time for it all to come together. Service-really great! Some kinks to work out like making sure we had silverware and bar speed but nothing that ruined our experiences. Food-bocadilla shrimp sandwich was on a hot dog bun, not baguette and that is not an acceptable substitute. I assume they hadn't had their bread order come in. The tacos, Cochinita pibil, wings, esquites were great-the corn tortillas were tender and perfect. I would like to see more flavor and spices however. I understand if you are trying to appeal to MN spice levels but I'd respect authentic spice more! read more

Margarita flight was great! Loved the presentation, delicious. Definitely will come back for this item! The food is quite average. Our sever recommended the Topopo salad saying it had great reviews. The plate was unfortunately a huge pile of iceberg lettuce and chips, no flavor and barely any other toppings, no dressing. We had a person with celiac in our group. We were very excited to see so many GF items labeled on the menu. We placed our order for GF celiac. Our server then came back later to tell us the tamales, plantains, and elotes was not gluten free cause it shared a fryer with everything else. We were very pleased that our server was took time to be mindful of this! Just disappointed that the menu listed so many GF options that are truly not GF. The taco was the only safe item? Hopefully this can get cleared up. read more

Such a beautiful restaurant! I loved all the greenery! The margarita flight was a so delicious and a great way to sample different flavors. I ordered the lobster mofongo and was in heaven! The lobster and its sauce were absolutely delicious. I'll definitely be back to explore more of the menu! read more

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We had dinner on the patio at Chula's last night! The food was wonderful and beautifully presented. The team was really friendly and welcoming. The margaritas were especially delicious Would definitely recommend! read more

Chula's - -Melty Queso Blanco, Tortilla Chips & Salsa Roja w/chorizo -Beef Barbacoa w/Avocado Salsa -Chularita Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Prior Lake, Minnesota

Gorgeous space, bright and beautiful with color, decor and atmosphere that'll keep you eating, drinking and enjoying friends! Food was excellent. Chips, salsa, queso and guacamole all very fresh and crisp. Sonoras dog was ridiculous good! Tacos were delicious as well. Will be back for sure to try cocktails soon. Staff were attentive, great attitudes and fast. GREAT place to go for lunch or dinner in the South Metro! read more

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I have heard the mixed reviews around town. We went to Chula's yesterday with another couple. Our food, service and ambiance were all 5 stars. The food is a really nice mix of unique items and various latin flavors. My wife is Latina. I have traveled in Latin and South America. Consequently, I have been exposed to many different country's foods and flavors. This isn't a chain like ChiChi's or strictly traditional Mexican. As a completely new restaurant and concept, there are always some initial bumps. They seemed to be smoothed out yesterday! I am hoping to support Chula's for many years to come. read more

Great service and ambiance, food is just passable! 2nd time there, nice flight of margaritas and quesadilla looked good, party of 6 but that steak dish that's cut up was very tough and the tacos unremarkable! Need more incentive cooking! read more

From California visiting for a hockey tryout. This is the best Mexican food we have found when visiting the mid west . Margaritas were excellent . The Elotes roasted corn was very good. Service was excellent . Ambiance was fun and very clean. We had chicken and shrimp tacos that were very good . A lot of flavor and finally good salsa . read more

We stopped at 8:15 on a Sunday night, everything states that they are open until 10pm. We walked in and waited at the front door for minutes without anyone greeting us. When my husband finally went up to the bar to ask to be seated the bartender was rude and said they are only serving drinks. Meanwhile two girls were sweeping around us without a word said or letting us know they weren't going to help us. Such a shame, we were looking forward to it. read more

Went for lunch and was disappointed. We had 6 people at the table and the food came out one at a time. The last person's food took so long that the rest of us were finished eating. The food was not very good. Ordered a taco and that was all you got on a saucer size plate and it really wasn't very good. Very overpriced read more

We had delicious chips and salsa, yummy tacos, and the Indian Taco was fabulous! All of our drinks were tasty too! We can't wait to go back!

The building is absolutely stunning. Love the vibe. Host and server were friendly and attentive. The elotes was outstanding. Topopo Salad was bland and looked nothing like the picture shared by the restaurant months ago as the first featured menu item. Walleye and shrimp tacos were both bland. The chorizo had wonderful flavor and my daughter loved the tamale. I'm not giving up yet because I know the place is new but I'm hoping for significantly better flavor next time I visit! Good luck, Chula's crew! read more

The menu seems to be trying too hard, but barely delivers. The margaritas were great but the chips were stale. The Bocadillo sandwich was shrimp and slaw on a cold hot dog bun NOT a garlic toasted baguette. The machaca pulled pork taco had no chicharrones and tasted like BBQ pork. Not great. The server was very friendly and prompt but the food was only very so-so. read more

Incredible new Mexican spot in town. Every dish we tried was bursting with flavor, and the vibrant décor makes the whole place feel alive. Great service, Great food, Great energy! 10/10 read more

Great choices on both the drink and dining menus. Our party tried 5 of the cocktails, each were all delicious. The chips and chorizo queso was amazing. We had the walleye entree and tried 3 types the tacos all very good. The service was fantastic for having been only open a week. I expected more bumps and bruises in the experience, however drinks and food came out very timely. Our waitress was very attentive, checking back with us frequently. The building decor was very cool, modern with attention to detail. It was a beautiful evening so the big garage doors were open, making it a very enjoyable MN evening out. read more

We made a dinner reservation for date night on opening night. We arrived 15 minutes early for our 8:30 reservation (walked in with a whole group of people waiting in the hallway to the building) and were told that the wait time for a table for two would be a 2 hour wait (even with a reservation mind you!) and we were told they were overbooked due bad weather (when there are hardly any outdoor tables) even if we had a reservation. We also were not reached out to about this and made the trip over to find this out when we arrived. We decided to leave but were told that the owner would be reaching out to us and if we made a reservation in the future that we'd be somehow compensated for our next reservation misshap (spoiler alert: we weren't). When we were being seated the staff were arguing about what table to seat us at. We decided to go ahead and give it another try and this time we got in. We were seated upstairs towards the garage doors at the smallest table in the restaurant. We ordered the chips, guac, queso and salsa (the chips were stale, the queso bland, the salsa was good and so was the guac) as an appetizer and the table was so small the plate practically engulfed the table after adding the app plates and our drinks. The table we were seated at was way too small for our drinks plus a single appetizer let alone full dinner (and when we had dinner our plates went over the end). The table we were "seated" at was a side table on the second floor and not an actual table for dinner, at best just for drinks. We had to put our drinks and silverware on the ledge just before garage door because of lack of space. My girlfriend did not have a place for her purse and had to place it on the floor, where there was food on the floor left from earlier in the day. Overall the high chairs and "table" we were seated at were extremely uncomfortable. The glassware for our waters had some kind of water stains on them. There was a table for two in the center of the restaurant that was empty the entire time we were there that we 100% would have preferred to be at than the table we were sat at. Our alcholic drinks didn't have flavor. We had the grilled chicken and walleye. Both were bland. Overall, we were highly disappointed in our experience. read more

We loved our lunch at Chula's today! Manny came up and introduced himself and thanked us for coming, he made us feel welcome right away. We sat on the patio and enjoyed the fresh air. The building is fabulous! Beautifully decorated and inviting. We ordered the Margarita Flight and I am so glad we did! The Pink Señorita was my favorite, it was light and refreshing. The Fandango was so fresh with the mint and cucumber and was delicious. The Chularita and Vero Mango were very good but next time I would ask for no salt, which is just my personal preference. The food was great. We had the wings and the pepper pork appetizers. I loved the unique flavors of the pepper pork and it was so special to try Manny's dad's recipe! The wings were cooked perfectly and had a great dry rub on them, but I would have loved a dipping sauce for them. For our entree we had the Arrachera. The skirt steak had wonderful flavor and we will order this again. A light sauce on the side would really make the dish go over the top. We are so happy to have Chula's in town and can't wait to go back again. read more