Chimichanga Mexican Grill & Tequila Bar

With so many restaurants opening and closing, I’m often saddened when one expires before i get the chance to write it up.
Not so with Chimichanga, a two-​location chain outfit that recently went bloated-​belly-​up.
I looked forward to it’s arrival. Toronto offers world-​class Italian and Chinese cuisine, in all price ranges and in most parts of the city. Mexican restos are tougher to come by. For the most part, they’re still neighbourhood fixtures; none has yet broken out of the pack to become a real destination. I love El Trompo, but it’s too far a trek to Kensington Market, especially when it’s cold and dark outside. Sure there’s plenty of burrito joints, but what I really want is something accessible in terms of location and cuisine. If Chi-​Chis was the Olive Garden of Mexican food, I’d just ask for something a few steps up. And no deadly food poisoning.
These were my hopes when Chimichanga arrived on the scene. Hopes that like my dreams of main-​eventing Wrestlemania, were cruelly dashed at birth.
Chimichanga was a long, black room accented with garish liquor ads and a fully stocked bar. Seating options included small, uncomfortable chairs or a small uncomfortable bench. You would lean forward, elbows on table to better hear your date, and to redistribute your weight so your buttocks didn’t fall asleep.
Servers pressed extensive cocktail menus in your hands on arrival, and decided whether they wanted to keep paying attention based on whether and how much you drink. Ask for a diet coke, and you could still be there now.
Food seemed like an afterthought. Competing mini-​chain Milagro offers authentic mid-​grade mexcian, executed to varying degrees of success. Chimichange never made a pretense of authenticity, or food quality, but charged exorbitantly. Dishes seemed vaguely pan-​latino, in the manner of the Pickle Barrel. Throwing a handful of wilted cilantro and a couple of peppers into the mix does not make a dish Mexican.
An order of ‘fresh’ guacamole allegedly prepared tableside (it was once, but never again) cost over $ 8 for mealy under-​ripe avocadoes pounded into sludge. Burritos clocked in over $ 15, the cheapest mains on the menu. Chimichangification (ie deep frying) cost an extra $ 3. Better carnitas could be had across the street at Chiptole for less than half the price. Better margaritas, too. Chile Rellenos lacked pop; stuffed with plastic cheese on top of greasy sauce; the dominant flavour in all cooking was salt.
Coffee was bleh; desserts uninspired. There may have been mexican fried ice cream. If there was, it was unmemorable.
Chimichanga was a first-​date spot. Central location, plenty of drink options, easy getaway if necessary. I don’t know of any couples who made it to a second date.

The only thing that this place has going for itself is the ambiance, though forged solely by its dim lighting. First romantic-​feeling Mexican restaurant I’ve never been to, though nothing else about it is actually romantic.
As a large group of people, we have learned that
1. You do not get to order from a regular menu but a small, pared down version on a piece of white paper.
2. Though the menu says 15% gratuity is charged automatically, it was 17% on our bill.
3. Of course, no separate bills.
Other things I’ve learned:
1. the food takes forever to come
2. the servers aren’t very friendly
3. the only food that I’ve had that was more bland was from the ground beef I made in home ec class in 10^th grade, before I knew the existence of spice and salt.
Notes:
— the mojito ($ 10) was no good
— the burrito must be eaten with a knife and fork as it is smothered by cheese, the only flavour that came with this $ 15 dish
— The guacamole ($ 9…seriously!!!) is the only redeeming food item for this restaurant, at an insanely wrong wrong wrong price.
Summary:
EXPENSIVE, FLIPPANT SERVICE, BLAND FOOD.
What am I missing here that’s making this place so busy?!

If a restaurant is consistently packed, it’s usually because it has good food, good service and a good atmosphere. But there’s always that anomaly, that one black swan that simply cannot be explained, like how the Raptors drafted Rafael Araujo over Andre Igoudala in the NBA draft.
Chimichangas is that anomaly. It is, in short, like Rafael Araujo, terrible. The only good thing I have to say about it, are the chips which come with the salsa or guacamole are nice and crunchy, though the salsa and guacamole are both ordinary and overpriced.
Everything else about the place, and I really mean everything, is terrible.
Mexican food is about big, bold and rich flavours. Spices cut with citrus. Chimichangas misses badly on this.
Service is, in part, about timely, and capable servers who get your order right. Big miss on that as well.
Ambiance? OK, I’ll give it a passing mark.
Our party waited at least 45 minutes for our food to arrive. Come on, it’s Mexican food. 90% of the food is already prepared. You just put the darn burrito together! And it didn’t help that they got a bunch of dishes wrong and had no idea who had what.
None of the food is spiced well, the proteins are bland, the «chipotle» burrito has no heat whatsoever, even the beans and rice downright suck. The mole sauce (which they claim is made from 50 flavors) does not resemble any type of decent mole sauce I’ve had before, it’s not chocolately, it’s not rich, it tastes like beans.
You want some novelty and «chimichanga» your burrito? Save the $ 3. Deep frying your burrito does absolutely nothing, it still tastes like garbage.
To add to that, the food is ridiculously priced. $ 15 for a burrito? Really? $ 18 for enchiladas? Are you kidding me?
Sorry for the harsh review, but I really just don’t understand why this place is busy, and why there are some good reviews on Unilocal.Fellow Unilocalers, am I blind here? Or do Torontonians just like bad Mexican food?! Maybe this is just one of those things that are destined to baffle me forever.
And by the way. Since Chipotle is across the street, do NOT waste your time @ Chimichanga if you have a hankering for Mexican fare.

After a movie, three of us headed over here for a late dinner. Mojitos off the bat were a must — two of us tried the mango, one the coconut. There was satisfaction all around, although I didn’t taste the mango in mine as much as the others did. That didn’t have a negative effect though since it was still mighty tasty!
After perusing the menu, the orders were Newyorican Chicken Burrito, Quesadilla, and Lamb tacos. The person ordering the tacos doesn’t eat gluten, and asking them to put it on lettuce alone was not a problem at all. The waiter was very gracious about it — even when he came back to announce that they were out of lamb, and she had to change her order to Carnitas pork instead. When the orders arrived, we were especially impressed with the presentation of her dish — it wasn’t just pork plopped on top of lettuce, there had actually been some care put into it even though it was a special request. That goes a long way in my mind. My burrito was huge and delicious… I can eat a good amount, but I couldn’t finish this. The quesadillas though were a little smaller than we expected, especially since they were at the same price point as the burrito.
I really enjoyed the décor in this restaurant too, it’s got a chill lounge vibe going. The seats were comfortable, it was casual, the service was good… I enjoyed it! Yes, the prices were maybe a little higher than they could have been, but all in all I think it’s a great place and I’d be happy to go back. I would say 3.5 stars, but based on the accommodation of our special request, I’ll round up.

I really enjoyed my trip to Chimichanga’s for 2 reasons — the company I was with and their made to order guacamole! It took every ounce of self restraint in me to not eat it by the spoonful. It was creamy, zesty and had the right amount of heat. I could have just ordered that as my meal.
Other than that, everything was just OK — it tasted great, but nothing to write home about. I ordered the shrimp burrito. The portions are big but the shrimp was a tad dry and the shrimp to burrito ratio was on the low side. The service was also slow, and there were a few times we’d ask our waiter for something (water, the bill) and we saw him serving another table afterwards and they would get their items before us. This became more annoying as we were waiting for the check and were ready to go.
I think I’d come back, but moreso because of the lack of decent Mexican food options in the city… and the random guacamole craving. This place is more on the pricey side than you would expect… has the price of tortillas, rice and beans gone up??? any reco’s for somewhere new?

Terrible. I don’t get why people like this place.
It’s super loud and expensive. And when i say expensive, i just mean its not worth it.

Well, from what I can see from other peoples’ reviews, this place has been getting a bad rap because of service. Since I have been several times and never had a bad experience, I can only give my review of this place based on what I have experienced.
That said, it seems like so many people have experienced bad service, that even I am wary of this place now. I have never been during «peak» hours, which may account for more attentive service.
As mentioned, I have been to this restaurant several times and really enjoyed myself. I love Mexican food and there doesn’t seem to be enough good Mexican restaurants around, so I get excited when I find one with food I enjoy.
I have had their nachos, two types of tacos and a burrito at this place and enjoyed all of them. When I went with a girlfriend, we were advised to get two taco plates and share them, since they give you a few, small tacos on each plate. We did this and really enjoyed both dishes.
The nachos were also great, having been piled high with toppings, not just your grated cheese and some tomatoes.
Drinks were also good. I guess my one criticism would be the price, which I do think is a little high given that Mexican food is quite cheap to produce. I am guessing that the extra cost goes towards the atmosphere, which is trendy… but I gave this same review to another Mexican restaurant I went to in Florida and it looked like someone’s kitchen, so I guess it’s all in the eye of the beholder.

I came here with a few girl friends on a Friday night and we were kept very happy all night long.
It is an absolute MUST to order the fresh cut salsa and homemade nacho chips. For $ 2.99 the portion is massive and they are absolutely delicious.
I see from other reviews that a lot of people think this place is a bit pricey, but if you’re an average sized person, with an average sized appetite, most things they serve on this menu should be shared. The portions are absolutely ENORMOUS. I split the enchiladas with a friend, each of us finished one, leaving one left over and we were stuffed! The same thing goes for the portions of those burritos.
There is another Mexican joint just across the street but what this one has going for it that the other doesn’t even come close to is the atmosphere. It’s dark, cozy and fabulous.
They also open their front right up in the summer so you get that warm summer breeze all through the restaurant. Their margaritas are what you’d expect from a Mexican restaurant, great!
I am actually really looking forward to bringing a date here sometime soon.

Steak tacos and chicken fajitas are good. The drinks are good too but a bit on the pricey side. Food is inconsistent. The guacamole that came with one of my dishes was delicious but the order I got separately was so awful I sent it back and asked them to remake it. It was really bland, over salted, and had barely any of the good stuff in it. They made a much better version the second time around once I brought it to their attention. They were very understanding and polite about my request too, which is awesome.
Service is slow but friendly. They’re polite when you send stuff back. I usually go here once a year for a friend’s birthday and they’ve improved the service over the years. It used to be absolutely awful but has improved. Even though they’re not the fastest when it comes to service, and not the greatest at making guacamole the first time around, everyone is friendly.
I give them a generous 4 stars because their service has improved over time, and the drinks and food are always delicious. Price can be a bit steep. Not the best value, but great taste. The burritos are gigantic and you basically cut it in half and take one half home. This place is maybe a 3.5 but the nice enough ambiance, friendly service that has improved since the last time, and lack of other options in the area make me give it 4.

Lively atmosphere with great Mojitos but the food could be better.
I had the San Francisco Burrito, a big portion with your choice of red or green sauce (or for a small charge, both). It was a little bland. Could use more spices. The guacamole was great. They make it right in front of you.
I suggest making a reservation. The place can get quite packed at night.

This place tends to get a lot of bad reviews — mostly based on service.
Go during the week, they are less busy and more attentive.
food can be inconsistent, but i have had good experiences Tues-​thurs — and be realistic, it’s tacos after– all.
they do make good Mexican drinks, with good tequila and have a good variety — stick to that and keep the food secondary and you’ll have a fine time.

Waaaayyyy too expensive for Mexican food. Especially for food that is mediocre. The guacamole made at your table is great, though they forgot to make it for us. They eventually gave us some lame excuse made it for us, and gave it for free… but by the time we got it we were half way done with our meal.
The trendy décor also throws me off. This place is trying to be too cool. And failing.

Ate here with a large group (12 of us) on a Saturday night. We called in advance to make a reservation, which they ended up screwing up, and we had to wait for a table. They ended up giving us possibly one of the worst tables in the place, right by the door. At this point I was so hungry I was lightheaded, that I could have been seated on the floor for all I cared.
Soooo our waitress comes, and suggests a pitcher of margaritas, and we said yes. Little did we know this pitcher was $ 30!!! More than my entire meal. Anyways, we ordered 4 orders of nachos as appetizers and then ordered our meals.
When the nachos arrived, a few of us didn’t have forks. Wow. I must have asked 30 different servers, a bartender, the hostess, and anyone else who looked like they could have possibly worked there for a damn fork, only to be told «sure no problem.» The 3 of us sat there for what felt like an hour waiting for our cutlery. Oh and we also didn’t have napkins. These nachos were VERY messy, otherwise I wouldn’t have cared.
One thing that stood out in my attempt to ask for cutlery was when I asked a waiter and was told «we’re working on it.»
Finally we got our stuff (after we finished the appetizers) and got our mains. The food was borderline gross, and the last straw for me was when I bit down on what felt like a rock in my burrito. I spit it out, and complained to the manager and was told it was an «uncooked bean.» They took my puney excuse of a meal off the $ 500 bill, and apologized.
Not only would I never return here, I would never recommended this place to anyone who likes eating GOOD food, and who would like to keep their teeth intact.

I came here a little while ago on a first date.
It was raining outside and right by my place. A coworker of mine told me it was a fun place to go on a date and thats how we ended up their.
When we got their it was around 8pm on a Saturday night and the place was FILLED with people.
The seating arrangements are horrible. We were squished elbow to elbow with the couple next to us. and every table was like this.
And the chairs were EXTREMLY uncomfortable!
The food was alright.
The music they were playing was probably they best part.
Service horrible.
Atmosphere really nice.

The first time I visited this place, it was an awful experience. The service was THE WORST I have ever had at a restaurant. Just one example: I asked for a Bombay Sapphire martini and they guy says «we don’t have that, we’re really more of a margarita bar». Whatever. I saw gin sitting on the shelf when we walked out! I have a feeling this guy was just inexperienced and had NO idea what I was talking about. On the plus side, the food was very good.
Anyway…
It was about six months until I went back. I had to be dragged back to this place, but I’m glad I went. We sat at the bar and the bartender was phenomenal! We stayed longer than we planned, ordered food, AND he made the best Bombay martini. This was a guy who knew his stuff, and I henceforth became a regular at his bar.
Then he left. And some of the other good staff left. And I have never been back since.
A note to the owners: take care when hiring new staff. Reward the staff that provides the best service, and cut the hours of the staff who are crap. And you have a LOT of crap staff. Do you hire only based on looks? because there’s a lot of pretty people there — pretty, but dumb.
A note to readers: if you have good service here, take note and specifically ask for that server the next time you are in. Otherwise, you are in for a disaster!

Looking for a place to have a quick app and some drinks, my friend and I dropped into Chimichanga’s given how packed it was at 8 on a Tuesday. I’d now like to take you on a trip of what my mind was going through during this encounter…
First note, bitchy server that wouldn’t check to see if there were any seats further into the restaurant and placed us right by the door on a –17 degree night.
Second note. what’s with all these heater fans everywhere? Oh wait this place STILL doesn’t have proper heating! WTF
Third note, oh this is the menu? On… normal paper with centered text printed straight from word and taco stains everywhere? I thought this is supposed to be a nice place…
Okay whatever let’s order some food and drinks. Food? Overpriced but tastes pretty good… drinks? $ 12 Mojito that tasted like limeade. Well so much for the night! Cost us $ 60 for the both of us for 2 appetizers and 2 drinks, I probably won’t be back.

Oh well I am not sure where to start…
Randomly we decided to go to Chimichanga’s tonight because we haven’t been here in awhile. Yes the service is poor at best but we knew what to expect… Well we thought we knew.
There is no heat in this restaurant, it was freezing cold inside! Their answer was «we don’t have someone coming until Tuesday» I don’t even know if you are allowed to run a restaurant without heat?
We decided to try and cope with the cold. My boyfriends coke had lip stick marks on the glass and it’s hard to see in this place as lighting seems to be an extra option, but he noticed big lip stick marks so the manager I assume changed it.
When it came back I took a little tip and it tasted very strong of lime, but wait there is no lime with this pop? Inside you can see little lime pieces from squeezing the lime in the first pop, he just changed the glass!
After that we just walked out, we were willing to pay to stay in a cold restaurant and pay 3 dollars extra to have a chimichanga when the restaurant is called Chimichanga? I still wonder why someone would call their restaurant a name and then charge extra if you want what the restaurant is suppose to have.
Overall, I have gave this place too many chances. Poor service, no one seems to care, the place isn’t very clean to begin with, pricey average food and heat and lighting seem to be optional these days!

Mexican food is usually not my first choice but it was for a friend’s birthday so who am I to raise a stink? Gotta say though, the food was really good. The service… not so much.
Good luck A) getting the server’s attention to ask for a drink and B) actually GETTING said drink.
We were seated upstairs which is a small yet spacious area right by the bar. No reason for the server, who seemed dangerously under-​aged to be serving drinks in the first place, to be unaware of the table of 7 he was waiting on. Is it safe to say maybe he was having a bad night? Hell, perhaps with midterms just around the corner, he was pre-​occupied. Whatever the reason, it does not encourage repeat business.
When he was paying attention, he was very rude so midterms or not, that also doesn’t encourage repeat business.
Other annoying bits:
* Pitcher of mojito serves 4 as oppose to 7 as stated
* One thing I never mention in most reviews is the importance of getting the bill when the patrons ask for it. This may be just as crucial as taking their orders. Asking for the bill proved to be just as difficult as asking for a drink.
* No debit. And not a «we were never equipped with it» but «we got rid of it». Wow, you guys REALLY don’t want people coming into your establishment, do you? Well, if you insist…

I really hate to have to do this but I cannot give this place a good review even though the food was pretty decent. Kat’s review pretty much sums it up for me so no need to repeat the details.
Clearly who ever owns this establishment is more concerned with making it look hip and cool rather than providing a good guest experience. I’m not sure how you can justify having rude and incompetent staff, especially when they are serving multiply large tables of 10+ people.
No need to ever go back here. Do yourself a favour — spend the 10 minutes it’ll take to find a better establishment to spend your money at. That’s what Unilocal is for :-)

Our unconvincingly-​legal-​aged server had apparently just partaken in a Susan Powter workshop entitled «Learning How To Say No», because every request made of him last night was denied.
FOOD: Deserving of five stars. Yummy, yummy breaded cabo fish burrito with black beans, roasted red sauce, homemade sour cream, (instant) rice and mild guajillo sauce. My Pink Cadillac cocktail was also delicious, if overpriced. There was a decent wine list but most wines were only available by the bottle, not by the glass, which further pissed me off.
PRICE: Highly overpriced for Mexican food. $ 16 for a fish burrito is too much. $ 9 for guacamole and chips is too much. I make guacamole on an almost daily basis and I know what one avocado mashed up in a bowl looks like. What we paid $ 9 for wasn’t even one avocado’s worth — it was mostly chips. $ 12 for a tequila cocktail pre-​made from a mix by someone who’s barely of legal drinking age is also too much. Website’s menu prices are inaccurate. We also ordered a mojito pitcher ($ 49) that alleged to serve seven people, which would work out to $ 7 a glass (not bad) but were unable to squeeze even four full glasses out of it. So more like $ 12 per glass.
SERVICE: Amateur hour. Not 24 hours prior a group of 20 of us ate at Gio Rana’s, where they handled our table like champs and gave us absolutely no trouble. Chimichanga’s wasn’t even close to as busy and could hardly handle our table of 7.
In almost every review I read about the fresh guacamole made at the table with mortar and pestle. I was so looking forward to it, until our server told us that they only do that on the first floor. We were saddled on the second floor so we were SOL. And honestly, that was the general mood and attitude of the servers all night: «Guess you’re shit outta luck!»
I was excited about the fresh guacamole because I normally can’t eat it due to an onion intolerance. When I ordered my burrito I was told that the guac in the burrito isn’t fresh (when exactly is it made?) and that they couldn’t accommodate my no onion request. When I asked if they could take a spoonful from the fresh batch and dump it onto my plate the server said no. The concept of a food sensitivity or allergy was apparently foreign to this boy because he told me I should just get it anyway since «you can barely taste the onion.»
KAT: So I guess I’ll just get the burrito without salsa and guacamole?
SERVER: I guess.
KAT: What kind of Mexican food is that, with no guac?
SERVER: Dunno.
KAT: So I guess I’ll just do that then. No salsa, no guac.
SERVER: *shrugs*
Then, when I went to leave early and asked for my bill, I was told they don’t do separate bills, and there was no way he could calculate my portion separately. I busted out my iPhone calculator and tabulated my drinks and burrito plus 13.5% tax and went up to the bar to get some change so I could leave a tip.
But guess what the response was when I asked for change?
SERVER: We don’t do that.
KAT: ?? But it’s for your tip.
SERVER: *slams pitcher and fumbles way around cash register, looking for change* (I asked for two fives and a ten on $ 20 — I wasn’t asking for laundry change here). [to other server] «Do you have change?» *shaking head all the while and rolling eyes*
I’m sorry — since when does asking for change incite eye rolling and pitcher slamming? Is this not a simple request? Is life really that hard?
Needless to say I did not leave a tip. It’s a shame because the food was delightful, but the service quite amateur. If I was managing a restaurant I would put my best, most experienced staff on Friday night shifts, but that’s just me.
Not recommended for groups.