Jose R.
Yelp
I'm SO glad that I didn't look at the reviews before going to eat at Chago's Cantina. I would normally never go to a mid 3-star restaurant, but I am SO GOAD that we did. Please read this entire review to learn more about this phenomenal restaurant:
What we ordered:
The Queso Dip was an absolute WIN. Normally, every "cheese dip" you get at a Mexican restaurant is a carbon copy of the next; however, this cheese dip had A LOT more flavor than everybody else's. And, the chips (freshly made at the restaurant) were very good. I HIGHLY recommend!!!
Next - I was pretty hungry...but my 12-year old has a habit of ordering and not eating. So, I didn't go big and ordered a simple cheese quesadilla and added shrimp. I figured that I'd eat at least half of his meal. But, the quesadilla was HUGE and I left Chago's completely full.
Which brings me to my 12-year old ... he can be picky, so he ordered the Chicken Sandwich. Admittedly, he would eat Chick-fil-A three times a day, so this was a safe bet. The sandwich was HIGE & he ate every single bite. He polished off the fries and even said that the Chicken sandwich was his new favorite! That is a tall compliment from this kid.
Next up was my veggie (pescatarian) wife. She ordered a Mahi Taco and a Mushroom taco. She also asked if the black beans had animal fats in them & ordered that, too, when she learned that they did not. She said that the flavors of both "popped" in her mouth and she left very happy. Truth be told, I took a bite of each after her first bite of each because she enjoyed them so much - and I could have ordered both and left extremely happy. Don't get me wrong, I'm usually a pretty big carnivore, so the veggie options will not disappoint.
Finally, my 16-year old...like my 12-year old...has a pretty limited palate. He ordered a cheeseburger (Happy Hour special) with fries and there was nothing left on his plate. In fact, my 12-year old looked over halfway thru his meal and asked, "How do you eat so fast?" because the plate was already empty.
TIP #1 OF THE DAY:
The Chicken Sandwich came with a Chipotle Mayo. While my 12-year old was a little too "vanilla" to try it, my wife and I used it with our meals and it was amazing. So, if your meal doesn't come with this special treat, I'd ask for a side of it because you will not be disappointed.
SO, WHY DOES CHAGO'S HAVE SUCH A LOW RATING?
We asked, and it turns out that there has been a recent change in management. The new GM treats his employees amazing and the entire culture of the staff has improved tremendously. So, happy servers create a far better environment across the entire restaurant. And, topped with flavorful food that does not disappoint, I expect Chago's rating will SOAR.
TIP #2 OF THE DAY:
This did not apply to us, but we heard that Belmont students (Belmont University is literally across the street) can use something called "BELMONT BUCKS" to eat here.
Man, when I was in college, that would've been the BOMB because I always had to eat at the University Center at my college. So, BELMONT STUDENTS.
AND - the food costs less towards the end of the night - so if you have a late-nite-craving, why would you "make a run for the border" when Chago's is so close?
Enjoy!