El Chihuahua Restaurant

This is my all time favorite restaurant! I’ve celebrated nearly every birthday here and other major life events were capped with a trip to El Chihuahua. The Chile Verde is second to none. Get it in an enchilada or burrito combo and you can’t go wrong. My 2nd favorite dish is the Chile Relleno. The salsa is mild that they being our initially, but if you ask, they have a hot version of salsa that will cover any heat lovers need for spicy. Believe it or not, they have best chicken fingers and fries in the valley. Fresh cut fries are cooked to perfection every time. I was sad when my kids stopped ordering off the kids menu and I wasn’t able to steal any of the fries any more. So now we occasionally order a side of fries just to scratch that itch. I love EL-C for their food, but their Death Stars are what brings in the crowds. You can have one or two, but that’s the state limit. Any game day, EL-C is a great place to watch your team! They have plenty of TVs to watch the game. El-C is a family run restaurant, and it won’t take many visits before you feel part of the family too.

Food and service were good. The water cups were small and I ran out of water multiple times during the meal. They need to get bigger cups or give the table a pitcher.

Not sure how there are any negative reviews for this place. Growing up in the south, I was very accustomed to Mexican and TexMex. I have been to so many Mexican restaurants in the state of Utah and aside from a select few, I usually leave disappointed. I somehow have missed out on El Chihuahua in the years I’ve lived here. But, a couple days ago I was finally able to check it out. Not only was I impressed with the cleanliness of the restaurant, and bathrooms. I was so happy with the service we received. Everyone working there was helping each other and happy to help any of the patrons. I asked our server what she usually ordered, and told her that is what I wanted. Exactly how she ordered it, since I was brand new and there were just too many choices! I was not disappointed! My meal tasted perfect and took me back to where I grew up. It tasted like home. We also each ordered one of the “Duckie Death Stars” and they were all dangerously delicious. The cute little ducks as a souvenir were just too cute. By the time we left we had multiple servers, bussers, and chefs come to check on us. It’s probably a good thing I don’t live close to this place or I’d likely eat there every day! The food was so fragrant and yummy that I completely forgot to get pictures of our plates! Cups and ambiance will have to suffice for now.

Love love love El Chihuahua! We go often. Food is always fresh and yummy. Fast and amazing service. Dirty hand to compare size of dish lol. Chile Relleno here is my favorite!

Awful. Food came out quick, although I wish it hadn't. Wife ordered a coronarita and it had a bunch of brown stuff in it and in the bottom of the bottle. They said it was normal, but I don't think so. It's pretty sad when the best thing to eat is the chips and the salsa was just okay. The pork was incredibly hard and flavorless. And what's the deal with the 80s pop music? Stupid, I feel stupid for coming here. Stay away

Being not from here, we wanted to have a really nice supper, & this was an amazing place! The service! The atmosphere! The food! It was all a great experience! If we are ever back in SLC. We will come here! If you should come. Make sure you ask for Roxy. She is make your experience feel like home!

Loud and fun atmosphere. Lots of parties with large groups. Careful with the ducky drinks. They’ll get you in trouble fast!

This place is great. The food is devine, and the service is wonderful i got the death star drink which claims to be a strong string and you can only have 1 per person but yet in only has 2.5oz of alcohol in it which doesn't make for a drink any stronger than anything else you can really get but it was nice, I had the chili Colorado which was supposed to be spicy but actually wasn't, it was very tasty however for the size of the bow an 18 dollar price tag was a bit high.. their regular salsa tasted like it had an overpowering amount of Lowrys seasoning salt, but the spicier salsa was great. My gal had chimichanga, and she said it was pretty darn good.. got the baby a bean and cheese burrito with French fries, and for a kids menu meal, it definitely was a lot. The atmosphere was fun, and the servers were all friendly and attentive.

Not sure how there are any negative reviews for this place. Growing up in the south, I was very accustomed to Mexican and TexMex. I have been to so many Mexican restaurants in the state of Utah and aside from a select few, I usually leave disappointed. I somehow have missed out on El Chihuahua in the years I've lived here. But, a couple days ago I was finally able to check it out. Not only was I impressed with the cleanliness of the restaurant, and bathrooms. I was so happy with the service we received. Everyone working there was helping each other and happy to help any of the patrons. I asked our server what she usually ordered, and told her that is what I wanted. Exactly how she ordered it, since I was brand new and there were just too many choices! I was not disappointed! My meal tasted perfect and took me back to where I grew up. It tasted like home. We also each ordered one of the "Duckie Death Stars" and they were all dangerously delicious. The cute little ducks as a souvenir were just too cute. By the time we left we had multiple servers, bussers, and chefs come to check on us. It's probably a good thing I don't live close to this place or I'd likely eat there every day! The food was so fragrant and yummy that I completely forgot to get pictures of our plates! Cups and ambiance will have to suffice for now.

The food was good, but it didn't stand out like other restaurants. I had the Chihuahua combo, and it allows you to sample different dishes: enchilada, chile verde burrito, and the chile relleno. The rice and beans were the shining star of the dish. The nachos were okay, but they could be juicier and burst with more flavor. The fried ice cream was weird. It tasted like Frosted Flakes or fried oats around the ice cream with a caramel sauce. While the restaurant was just, my water was empty for the majority of the meal. I saw other tables with a different sever have their waters topped off frequently. The slow service was disappointing. The ambiance was fun and lively, but there wasn't anything that stood out.

Grandma's tacos! Yes, please. So much food I could have shared with a friend. Service was just right. Ambiance felt like we could have stayed a while, and we did. It was great catching up with friends over a margarita! If there was one complaint it is that the drinks are too big and margaritas are too sweet.

Me and my friends recently came here to celebrate graduation and we had a blast. The service was quick and the ambiance of the restaurant was bumping as well for it being a Friday night. We all ordered a meal, but to be honest I can't remember as we mostly came here for the ducky drink. I got a coconut lime ducky and it was fantastic. The little duck that came on top was super cute too. Me and my friends had a blast and I can say we all loved our drinks. This place is the place to be if you're in college, I can't wait to come back next time I'm in town!

This restaurant is a staple in the community and the reason is apparent! Offering good food at reasonable prices along with fast service is always a win. Their salsa is one of the best I've ever tasted. It rocks celery and chunks of onion that make it fresh and delicious. This most recent visit I noticed the salsa was watered down more than usual. I hope it was just for this evening and look forward to giving it a try again soon. The a la carte options work for me as I have a limited diet for health reasons. They offer plenty of protein and fiber (beans and meat) which help balance the carbs. If you want extras such as a scoop of sour cream or guacamole it does cost. The portions are great!

My friends and I were visiting from out of town and were in search of a place for drinks. Our Uber driver suggested El Chihuahua, which are known for their "duck bowls." We decided to give it a try and put our name down for a party of 10. Upon first impressions, we noted that the bar/restaurant is located in a pretty big plaza, so pick-up and drop off for our ubers were easy. The restaurant is definitely lively, with colorful decor and many novelty items up on display. Our table was ready pretty quick, so we got seated while we waited for the rest of our friends to arrive. We were sat in a room that seemed to be for private parties, which was cool for the added privacy, since we were a big group. After everyone arrived, our server came and gave us a rundown of everything. One thing that is very important to note is Utah's drinking laws. In order to even get a drink, you must also order an entree, which was a bummer because we had just come from eating elsewhere and were only wanting drinks. After some confusion with our server, we all got an entree to share on top of getting a Death Star or Duckie Death Star. They also brought out chips with salsa + guac for the table. It was nice until we realized the guacamole tasted like store bought guac and was super wet and watery... Our food came out not long after and I shared a taco bowl and duckie death star with my bestie! My group's collective opinion was it's a decent meal with big portions, but it was either too salty or not even salted enough. On top of our food being mediocre at best, the server was practically arguing with us half the time LOL, it was so weird. There were disagreements with him on what we ordered, extra charges, bringing out the wrong orders, what the final bill was-- we were so confused on why he was acting like that. I even got charged for flavoring for my duckie bowl that I didn't want, but he had suggested it to me and hadn't even told me it was an extra cost like...? I will say though, that their duckie bowls is probably the most valid thing about this restaurant. Overall, it gets a 3/5 stars from me. Can't say I'd come back but at least the drinks gave me a buzz???

Haven't been here in years bc the food isn't great, but someone invited us so we went back to give it another shot. We were sat at a table then ignored for a long time while 5 servers leaned and sat against a counter chatting bc it wasn't that busy. Finally someone took our order. After a long wait, someone dif brought it out. The food sucked. Nothing was good. No one checked on us and we had another long wait to get the check. We won't be back.

I was SO excited to try this place, but my expectations fell flat. My food was incredibly bland and desperately needed salt. I was surprised there wasn't any on our table, and I was waiting for my server to return to ask him for some, but he never came back to check on us while we were eating; which is a shame... because a little salt would have went a long way. My experience was definitely not worth the cost, and I'm super disappointed, because I really wanted to like it here. I went with a group of 4 others, and they all shared/expressed the same sentiments. Their salsa and drinks were great (hence the 2 stars), but sadly, nothing else was:/

This is the worst Mexican food in all of Salt Lake City. It's bland, often under or over cooked and it usually makes you pretty sick after. But that's not what anyone has ever come to El Chi's for. You come for the duckie. There is not other option. The duckie calls to you, even if you know you're gonna be faced in under 15 minutes or that you're going to wake up with a pounding headache tomorrow. You've got to earn your rubber duck. (And justify the 10$ worth of food you had to purchase to get a duckie) Also bravo to whoever figured out the loophole in Utah Liquor laws that allows them to make these.

The food was delicious and the service excellent. They were able to seat us (group of 10) in a very fast way. We always have a great time here.

One of my fave mexican restaurants for its authentic and flavorful food. The service is usually good for the most part and its also pretty quick even when it is busy. Love the duck bowls which is hands down my favorite part because they are really good drinks for Utah! I dont say this lightly at all. 10/10 recommend. This is always on my go-to for restaurant suggestions and in my rotation at least a few times a year.

Coming from Southern California, where Mexican restaurants are a dime a dozen, we were VERY pleasantly surprised at how delicious and reasonably priced this restaurant is. We ordered the spicy bean dip, spicy burritos, chile rellenos, and grandmas tacos. All of our food was delicious! Be sure to try the cheesy zucchinis, that was a hit among our whole party. Our party shared a range of the ducky drink, a margarita, and some beers. Everyone left full, happy, and tipsy. Great experience over all.

The food was really good and tasty! The portions were large and filling. They gave great service for our party!

Came here for the famous Duckies and also tried some of their food. The grandma's Tacos with shrimp were the best food I have had in this restaurant! They were truly tasty and well- cooked! My friend tried the Grandma's tacos with mashed potatoes and those were surprisingly delicious as well.

The ducky margarita is huge! I saw this place on social media and wanted to come here when visiting Salt Lake City. I would say to note that they are a restaurant so everyone must order food along with their drink. I ordered a ducky margarita and taquitos. I expected the taquitos to be small but they are a large portion that come with sour cream and guacamole on the side. They were actually crispy, deep fried and tasted delicious. I would recommend this place for food if you are in the area.

We are frequent visitors and have tried almost everything on the menu. Though basic, and probably overlooked, their steak quesadilla is the best in town. My fiancé and I have even made a quest to try one at every Mexican restaurant we visit and nothing beats El Chic's. We originally came for the duckies but now we find ourselves always coming for the dilla and order the app every time we visit. Honorable mentions: Mole Chile relleno French fries

Food was pretty good, wasn't sure if it was because I had a lot of ducky lol. Taco salad was amazinggg, I loved the outer shell, the carne asada quesadilla was also really good. Duckies are amazing as always :) Servers were kind and conversing with us, made us feel like regulars. The space was loud and lively which made it more fun to be with friends and hangout!

Wow... 1.5 hours is not nearly enough time to finish a $14 cocktail chalk full of liquor. The timed tables seem like a bit of a money grab. I got the steak fajitas and they were good. But I def couldn't finish them after having chips and salsa, queso and a giant cocktail. Come here for the fun. Our waiter was nice. The wait wasn't too long but it all leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Def a gringo running this joint.

I came here for the duckies drink and I wasn't disappointed! Food portions are generous and the restaurant has a really fun vibe. My only complaint is that the service is pretty slow. It was hard to find our waitress when we were ready for the check and to go boxes.

This place is really fun! I loved the ambiance, its much bigger on the inside than you think and its a great atmosphere. Staff is super quick considering how many people there are on weekends. The portions were massive and the price was more than fair, the flavors were ok but if you're getting that much food i'm definitely not complaining. Be warned, the salad is bigger than your head and you won't be able to finish it. Also be warned, you'll see a lot of people drinking the fish bowl drinks and that is A LOT of drink. I don't drink but I didn't see a single person at our table actually finish their meal + the whole drink.

My family and I had such a fun time getting dinner here! Our server was friendly and provided us with some great advice on what to order. The restaurant was busy, but we were seated right when we arrived. The decor in the restaurant is so colorful and provides a fun ambiance. The chips and salsa were tasty and fresh. The margaritas were fantastic, a great balance of alcohol and flavor. I had the chicken burrito and pork tamale with rice and beans. The burrito was a bit dry, but the tamale was perfect. We will definitely be back!

This is what I would call meh Mexican food. We've been back a few times to see if our first experience was an outlier, but each time is been fine. Nothing to write home about.

Food was good however I ended up with norovirus after eating here 2 days later. The cause of norovirus: When you eat food or drink liquids that are contaminated with norovirus When you touch surfaces or objects that are contaminated with norovirus particles and then put your unwashed fingers in your mouth When you have direct contact with someone who is infected with norovirus.

Second time coming here and overall it wasn't too bad. Last time I didn't remember the food but this time my entree was surprisingly better than I expected. Wait wasn't too long since we had a reservation. They have limited the time you can dine in to 1.5hrs. Service was great and on top of it. My husband god the chimichanga he wasn't too fond of it. Not bad but it was whatever's to him. Wasn't a fan of the rice it was okay. I ended up getting the Tamales which was smothered in Chile verde. The flavor was great! Had a nice little kick to it but the cheese helped calm it down. The tamales itself had a lot of meat inside and didn't taste dry! I really liked them. Beans were good and again rice was okay. Overall I enjoyed my dish compared to my husband. And drinks of course is always the main reason to come! Overall it was good!

Food is just okay but we go here once a year just for the novelty of it. Ducky death stars are just fun to get. Food this time was actually a lot better than usual.

Love this place - old school Mexican food with a plethora of fun cocktails, I had enchiladas with the chile verde sauce - it was very good. The chips and salsa also rocked and they give you a large bowl of salsa which I loved. I also ordered the Death Star - that thing will kick your butt. Maybe split with your friend!

Okay. One word: Celery???!!! What the???? Never have I EVER had celery in any sort of Mexican food. EVER!!! And let me say I'm not a fan of celery. Celery should only be eaten raw with peanut butter. Period. Despite the celery debacle I'm rounding up to four stars and being a complete Yelp liberal - acknowledging star inflation. (Everyone gets a trophy folks. Everyone!). The sole reason is because the Chile verde burrito was pretty good. Oh, and I love the notion of Sinner's lunch. Perfect fit for me as among sinner's I am chief.

So yummy and the seasoning makes it 100 times better. Came hungry, and left happy. EL Chihuahua SLC boiiiii

First time okay second time food poisoning April 3rd 2024 I feel so sick just had enchiladas and a ducky black cherry drink was definitely over done on the spice but I'm not drunk I'm sick! After a hour of eating there constantly vomiting. This has never happened to me I'm sad and upset I gotta call out tomorrow

With LOTS of seating available, TVs with sports on, and drinks galore, El Chihuahua seems like an awesome place to get together to celebrate in the evening or on weekends. The food here was meh--not a lot of flavor in the tacos. What the food lacks, the drinks make up for. This place has a big selection of drinks, many of which come in enormous glasses. I got a strawberry and mango frozen drink that was delicious. For me, I think I'd come back here for a happy hour--the food wasn't good enough to return for, but I definitely would come to get a drink and chill with friends.

We come here for the novelty of death stars and duckies. However your management does not seem to understand the official UDABC rules. As long as you order an appetizer and or some sort of food you are entitled to order a drink of your choice hence alcoholic. With the increase in menu prices, the very bright intense lighting & the extremely insane loud music you're almost making me never want to come back for a fun Thursday night .

I'm from Texas, so it's hard to find quality Mexican food outside our state. We had a reservation & were seated promptly. While the food was average, the service was responsive. It seems like their biggest hit is the fishbowl sized mixed drinks with the rubber duck inside. We had the jalapeño margarita with Tantaeo jalapeño tequila. It was amazing.

The service was great! Our waitress Ana was so nice and answered all our questions and the food came quick! However the food wasn't good. If this place didn't have their giant drinks I dont think they would be open. My favorite thing about a Mexican restaurant is the salsa and theirs was not good. The tomatoes are the roasted canned tomatoes you can buy at Walmart with celery. We got the quac and it was bland. They really just mashed avacados with a few tomatoes and called it good. The chile verde burrito okay. The sauce looked questionable but have good flavor.

I always have a good time coming here, maybe it has something to do with their giant cocktails... I think the food is at best okay and sometimes upsets my stomach afterwards, but I come here for the vibes (and collecting rubber duckies). Parking can be difficult and wait times get long, so definitely come early, especially on the weekends - and carpool if possible. Like some others have said, definitely a place to drink and not to satisfy a food craving.

This is the type of place you go to get very buzzed on their Ducky Death Stars, definitely not the place to fulfill your Mexican food cravings. The large fishbowl of sweet jungle juice will definitely keep you well buzzed for the rest of the night, but they otherwise require you to spend at least $12 on an entree to order it. The place is typically pretty busy and packed but the service is still really good and accommodating. The biggest downside is that the food is not great and way too expensive for what you're paying for.

New employees in the kitchen? Last time we came here the food was decent. This time three of our dishes had sauces that tasted mild initially but quickly felt like battery acid. Hot for the sake of being hot. My young adult kids and husband are like garbage disposals that can pack away literally anything, yet the enchilada sauce was incredibly spicy, and the tamales were excessively spicy. So strange, because the salsa was as mild as tomato juice, with chunks of celery and other veggies in it. Unfortunately we left two of the meals uneaten.

Beat margarita consistently. My favorite Mexican restaurant! So good. Give it a try! The staff and food is great

We came on a Saturday night, it was super busy. Call ahead and get on the wait list. I ordered the Tamales smothered in chili verde. It looks a hot mess but don't be fooled, it tastes better than it looks. The drinks are huge and sooo good. Warning they have more alcohol in them than you think. I always bring a DD with me. You're gotta come here.

Their drinks will get you drunk within minutes. It's deadly because their drinks are so good you can barely taste the alcohol and next thing you know it hits you. Their food was okay. You must order food if you order a Death Star. I got the fish tacos and they weren't bad. Make sure to arrive early. They are busy and you will probably need to be on the waitlist.

The drinks.... Wow! I had a Death Star and the alcohol content was superb. I'm definitely going back to try the Duckie. The service was great. My server was attentive and checked on me frequently. There was clear teamwork in place and the atmosphere was enjoyable. It's rare to find great Mexican cuisine in Utah that resembles Texas but they are close. The guacamole wasn't a favorite of mine.

Tacos and Duckies and Death Stars! Girlfriends celebrating the end of a legacy and the beginning of new ones (2021). The location made it challenging for parking, as it was pretty busy and a smaller shopping center with limited parking. Get there early or maybe call ahead? The food was good, but the best part was the drinks! I went for an alcohol free Duckie, but my gal pals got the fully loaded ones (and/or Death Stars).

If I could give this place no stars I woulld. Good grief!! 4 days after I posted this I get a text from someone named Ana. After I have dropped all of this and moved on. She tells me some story and I have no idea where she is getting this information from because it is not correct. I have already moved on from this issue. You would thinks a small bussiness would try to make an issue correct instead of twisting things around and pointing fingers at the customer but that is what the text implies. She then, in my opinnion was quite rude in her ending text to me. I find this whole thing quite ubelievable and a bit disturtping that a resturant with have the guts to send that kind of a text to a customer. Never, ever will I darken this establishment doors.

Had the best lunch on Sunday. This will be a new favorite go to for Mexican food. I ordered a chicken chimi and the boyfriend ordered a bowl of pozole and a crunchy beef taco. The food was so good. It was like a fiesta for your mouth. The Mango Duckie Death Star (pictured) was so freaking refreshing! I was the driver so I only took a sip of the boyfriends but man it was tasty. Holy cow the chips and salsa. The chips...yeah we ate 2 baskets of them and am not ashamed of it. They were so good. We got a good chuckle because the table behind us didn't and couldn't comprehend what chili verde was. Sorry but the waitress literally explained it 4 times to the guy and when his food arrived he wasn't sure that what he wanted was what he ordered. The waitress went above and beyond and was super nice the entire conversation. I'm just glad my boyfriend stepped outside to smoke during this because he would have lost it and laughed. Just as we did hearing the guy order. Good times...great food! Highly recommend you try this establishment.

I absolutely love this place. I've never had to wait too long for a table and the service is always fast. They have amazingly strong drinks and equally delicious food. Perfect place to start a ladies night or bring the family, you can get the Duckie drinks without alcohol.

We have ordered door dash delivery 4 times from here. These deliveries are in sealed bags when arriving at our door. 2 of the 4 orders have had missing items. The food is great and so was the delivery drivers!! Sure wish this mishap wouldn't be a worry when placing order. But having this happen with 50% of my orders...I'm not willing to continue using El Chihuahua Restaurant as our go to Mexican Food Restaurant!!

Maybe I'm a Mexican food snob? For me, the best Mexican food in Utah is at Chile Tepin downtown, Don Pollo in West Valley, and also Lone Star Taqueria in Cottonwood Heights. We had heard good things about this place, but mostly about the alcoholic drinks, which we didn't try. Our food was all decent; nothing was terrible by any means. Our server did a good job. But I felt that everything was really overpriced, especially because tortillas, beans, and rice are not exotic food items. Honestly, I don't know if we'll come back. It's a little out of the way, and just didn't blow us away for how much it cost.

Every time we come here they have delivered great service and great food! Very rare these days. We had a birthday party here last night and our server (jorge) I think... did an amazing job and our food and drinks came out quick! We had so much fun because the wheels in the El Chihuahua machine work. No wonder these guys have been around so long- they know how to treat their guests!! Take heed new and "trendy" restaurants.

LOVE this place. The rice and beans are amazing and salsa is so delicious that it's hard not to fill up on. Food is always hot and crunchy. The servers are good but sometimes take a little longer to refill waters but nothing horrible. Highly recommend!

The service was okay. The food wasn't worth the hour plus wait on a Friday night. They messed up my friend's dish. It was crowded and loud but that was to be expected on a Friday night.