Chi-Chi’s is back. The Midwestern Mexican restaurant opened Monday at the Shops at West End to an onslaught of diners eager for fried ice cream and chimichangas, and curious about whether reality can live up to fond memories.
Reviving a once-popular brand that’s been gone for 20 years is a calculated bet on nostalgia for better days, when complimentary baskets of chips and salsa were the standard. The reality is a little trickier. When the original Chi-Chi’s opened in 1976, it was an introduction to Mexican cuisine for a lot of Minnesotans. And it came with tacos, giant margaritas and sizzling trays paraded around a dining room, leaving behind perfumes of charred onion and green peppers. Now, the cuisine is engrained in American culture.
In the interest of journalism, we went on opening day with a table of diners who both grew up on these dishes and those who had never encountered them before. Here’s what to know before dining at the new/old restaurant:
Free chips and salsa: The basket arrives heaping with warm chips that are shatteringly crisp. The blended tomato salsa is more flavorful than memory, but still Minnesota mild on spice. Our basket was promptly refilled when chips ran out.
Chimichangas: Magic that happens when a flour tortilla hits the deep fryer, and Chi-Chi’s has always wielded that power well. Fillings are offered, but we stand by the tender, braised beef short rib as the only correct answer. We’re also happy to see it topped with sauce, not processed cheese sauce as other Midwestern Mexican restaurants are known to do.
Salty margaritas the size of your head: Why does it come with a straw? Get your frivolous questions out of here — it’s a giant margarita! Available in several flavors and an NA version, all served either blended or on the rocks.
Sizzling fajitas: It sizzled, even if it came direct from the kitchen with minimal fanfare. Plus, the seafood enchiladas arrived with an active molten bubble in its own cast-iron vessel. It’s food theater at its finest.
Make a reservation or plan to wait: At lunch on Monday, the host was quoting a two-hour wait for a table for two. People are really excited. However, that table was seated about 30 minutes after our arrival when a reservation failed to show. So, there is hope for spontaneity.
It’s bright in here: Our memories of Chi-Chi’s come with a distinctive 1980s haze. But this room has been given a Shea design refresh with white paint on the exposed ceiling and an open, airy feel. The bar is gorgeous with modern fixtures. And while there are the nods to the past, the decor fits the modern mall vibe of the Shops at West End.
Was that … spicy? The guacamole had a bite to it and there are chile peppers found around the menu. While it’s easy to stick to Minnesota mild safety zone, there is zestiness to be found.
There are new dishes: In addition to taco salads and the like, the restaurant has a few more modern dishes and the bar menu to explore, as well as some Rojo holdovers. A churro-topped cocktail might be a good place to start.
Fried ice cream wrap-up: Because memories can be cruel, we were expecting a more heavily breaded fried ice cream dessert. Instead it was tucked into what seemed like a wonton-like wrapper but really was a thin layer of crushed corn flakes. I was also probably 12 last time I ate at Chi-Chi’s, so maybe the memory went wrong.
We settled our debate over spoonfuls of cinnamon-laced ice cream and surmised that maybe you can’t go home again. But you can go back to Chi-Chi’s.