I've been to Chuy's three times now (not counting to-go!) and for the most part, 'wow!' is what best captures my feelings on the joint.
Even walking up to the front door for the first time, the muzak impressed me as quirkier and having a lot more character than any other chain restaurant I've visited. We're talking Velvet Underground b-sides, y'all. The patio is also very bright and lively, and more often than not packed full of people. There's no smoking on the premises, including the patio, which non-smokers will certainly appreciate.
Walking into the building is almost an assault on the senses, as busy and visually stimulating it is. There are themes to each room, but my favorite is the car room: the ceiling is *covered* in hubcaps from American model cars, and there are paintings of classic cars on the walls. There are Easter eggs hidden throughout the building, literally eggs that are VERY cleverly disguised. I was almost more entertained by finding them than the kids in my party. There are thousands of wooden fish hanging from the ceiling, these really cool corn husk (maybe?) chandeliers in one room, and ladies rolling fresh tortillas behind a plexiglas wall. That makes me feel like I'm looking at animals in the zoo, though, I always avoid it.
The food I've had so far is AWESOME. The Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is my favorite at this point, although the steak burrito is super yummy and enough for 3 meals for me, and the Elvis Presley chicken is unlike anything I've seen around here (in a good way!) Make sure you try the creamy jalapeno ranch appetizer! I don't believe any entree is above $10, which is great during this FUBAR economy.
During happy hour (Mon-Fri 4-7, I think) there is a free nacho bar in the engine compartment of another classic car - I can make a meal out of that alone, as it has multiple salsas, beans, beef, and queso - yum!
Their signature drinks are super good, but honestly unless it's a birthday I tend to just stick with beer, so I have no opinion on that.
The only thing I'm not impressed with is the service there. As Brandi noted, it seems like a bunch of kids who have something better to do with their time. There's one girl I had the pleasure of being served by twice and she was AWESOME, if you get Anna then you've lucked out, she seems to be on top of her game.
I would stick to late afternoon if you want to go eat without waiting an hour, until the hubbub dies down. But definitely go if you haven't already!
-- Something amusing I learned from their Wiki: Chuy's is the restaurant the Bush twins were arrested at in back in the early 00s! And what I learned after asking a bartender about it: No Chuy's has draught beer anymore, almost immediately after the Bush girls' incident all kegs and taps were stripped from Chuy's locations. Inneresting! :) read more