Chilangos Restaurant

So sad that this place is closed!

Closed. A damn shame. Por que, Ernesto? Por que?

Great Mexican food, but very small portions. Small restaurant with loud, ear deafening «music» that makes conversation impossible. We’ve eaten there 5 – 6 times, and been shorted a food item twice. They do not give you any receipt, so we had to argue with the short-​hair thin-​guy both times. It really spoiled our experience. Much better when the lady/​owner is handling orders.

This gets 5 stars in Helena most places would be 4 stars.
I always joke you gotta grade ethnic food in Helena on a curve. When this place opened it raised the curve. The previous options for Mexican food in town were pretty bleak and bland. They seemed to operate on a philosophy of the only flavor enhancing ingredient you could use would be more black pepper.
This place is good and never heard anyone complain about it.
While it is cheap to get a small lunch it may get a little expensive if you have a mighty hunger as portion sizes are smaller (compared to most Mexican food places) and you order each piece individually.

What would be a 3 star review if I were home is bumped to a 4 star review in Helena because there’s *nothing* else like it in the area. I was surprised to hear that there was an «authentic» Mexican joint in the town I remember as having a pseudo-​Chinese buffet and Dominoes as your «fast» lunch options.
Choices are fairly limited with tacos, quesadillas, and sopes as your menu, and you get to choose between a couple different types of meat (go with the pork, I wasn’t terribly impressed with the steak) and various toppings. Avocados and guacamole seemed to be on every dish here, so I hope you like that (I do) because it didn’t look like you had any other choice. Both the pastor (pork) and asada (steak) were seasoned well, but the steak was definitely chewier than it should’ve been so I preferred the pork.
The place runs on the small side, but when we were there around noon (ish) yesterday there was plenty of seating for us to choose from. I was pretty much on the starving side when I met a couple friends yesterday having just done a 9 mile training run for the NYC Marathon, and even after 2 orders of the tacos, I ended up walking down to Firetower afterward for a breakfast order and coffee.
Like I said, would’ve been 3 stars if I was in NYC, but I like that Helena is trying to diversify its dining options, so 4 stars it is!

This is a very small place, but this was one of the more entertaining lunches I have in a long time. It is Mexican as i have never had it before. If more Mexican places served food this way, I would eat it more often. i am just sorry this place is not in Portland so I could go more often. The food was great, the service was good and I enjoyed a culinary adventure. Great combination. I will make sure I go here again the next time I get to Helena.

So delicious! Serving sizes are small, but, I think that’s an advantage here. Excellent!

Hands down my favorite restaurant in Helena. If you didn’t know this place existed you would likely walk right past it and never know. No sign outside, no advertising, nothing. You just sort of hear about this place from other people.
The menu items are around 3 dollars, but word to the wise, I usually have to order at least two items as they are not the size portions that we are probably use to. I usually go with the pastor sope, and the pastor tacos. They serve all the food on frisbees, but the food presentation, especially on the sopes, looks like something you would pay top dollar for at a high end restaurant.
I have tried a lot of the menu items, but find myself drifting back to the pastor as it is just so darn delish, so I definitely recommend you trying the pastor as one of your items.

lots of vegetarian options! delicious homemade tortillas. loved it :)
super cheap too! everything is around $ 3

Excellent food and excellent options. The tortillas are made fresh while you wait. The place gets a little overwhelmed at lunch rush, but it is worth the wait. It’s nice to have Mexican street food so close to the Helena walking mall.

Love, love this place. Chilangos never disappoints. Everything here is so full of flavor, the meat is tender and the veggies and sauce are always fresh. By far, my favorite is the pork al pastor. Flavor galore! I dream about having a big bowl of that stuff and scooping it up with tortilla chips ;) I’m also a big fan of the calabacitas (sauteed squash and zugcchini) and appreciate that their vegetarian options go beyond the normal bean burrito or plain quesidilla. The sopes offer great texture and something unique that you won’t find in any Mexican restaurant in Montana (and probably beyond). I do wish it was a bit cheaper, because I always walk out feeling like I want more!

The food tastes great, but the staff is overwhelmed by a lunch crowd of 19 (yes, I counted.) They had no idea what food was going to which table, and different people’s orders came out on the same plate. Some people at our table had to wait so long for their food that a server encouraged the rest of the table to just start eating before it got cold. In short, confusion abounds. The placards they use to match an order with a certain table lie flat on the table and are difficult for the staff to see, so they went from table to table asking if anyone recognized their order. If you don’t have tons of time and patience, keep on moving on to the next eatery.

I love this little place! The food is fresh and flavorful. Two things and a beer are usually enough for me – my go-​to item is the chicken sopes. My only caution is to not go if you are super super hungry as the wait for food is usually long. Another pro tip: everything is gluten free!

So relieved to find this little taco joint in Helena!
If this were in any major city I would maybe rate it a bit lower, but if you are in the mood for simple and well prepared tacos… there is nothing better in town. Absolutely fabulous.
The ingredients are amazingly fresh and lovingly prepared, and the tortillas are made on site.
I’m looking forward to my next visit.

We apparently looked overwhelmed when we walked in the door, because Cezar immediately offered us a great orientation to the menu. Portions did seem small, but after eating some chips and salsa and one sope, I was actually really full! A great meal and great atmosphere!

Really good, authentic Mexican food. The portions are a little small for the price, so you have to order several items. Sopes and tacos are delicious, as are the fried plantains. The people who run it are super nice.

Tiny tacos! Perfect place for lunch and prices are very reasonable. Great food.

The food is the best Mexican in Helena… by far! I could go for some more choices on the menu. Currently there are only tacos, sopes and quesadillas. All are very good and there are option for those 3 items. But a simple addition of Chips & Salsa or Rice & Beans would go a long way. Also the dining area is always cramped. This is because the food is so good!

This is the finest Mexican food i have eaten anywhere in Montana. A great addition to Helena’s dining options. Prices are reasonable. Portions are smallish, but the perfect size for lunch. Try the Taco Pastor!

I probably would have given this place 3 stars (good food but a little spendy), but I’m giving this place the benefit of an extra star, mainly since it’s adding to the diversity of food choices in Helena.
I know when I lived in Helena, I missed having access to Vietnamese food, taquerias, Indian buffets, etc.
Fortunately, Chilangos is adding some choices, and is a solid taqueria.
The décor is full of bright colors. You walk in and order on the right, and there’s a long galley of seating. The menu is simple, with tacos, sopes, and quesadillas. The meat choices include your standard asada, and pastor. The chicken was not what I’m used to getting in Reno, but instead a tinga. I was also impressed to see some vegetarian options, including calabasitas (sauteed squashes, onions, corns, and peppers) as well as nopalitos (cactus, avocados, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime, and salt).
Beer choices included both Tecate and Sol, as well as some others I don’t remember.
My only real complaint would be with the price, but this may be since I walked in here starving. Tacos were 2.50, sopes were 3.50, and the beer was 2.50 (not sure what the quesadillas ran). Since I was ravenous, I ended up order two tacos (asada and tinga), a pastor sope, and a Tecate. The tacos were what you’d expect from a taqueria, small, and sitting on two tortillas each. The toppings were plentiful, with generous servings of tinga and asada. In fact, the toppings were plentiful enough that I had a friend who split her tacos in half, using each tortilla to make smaller tacos. Being the glutton I am, I consumed the tacos in two or three bites each.
The beef was very flavorful, and while I’d never had tinga before, I was impressed with it — very moist and tender, with the chicken having a slow-​cooked, flaky quality to it. The sope was good, if small.
The owner was there, and encouraged me to salt the top of the can, as well as rub the lime on the rim. Very friendly and welcoming. I did ask why no tortas, as it seemed like it would be a great fit, but it may be a bit much for Helena…
I was still hungry at this point, so splurged on two more tacos, so my damage for the evening was close to $ 20 (figuring in the tip) — and that’s my only real complaint. I’m used to going into a taqueria and spending no more than $ 10 and walking out full. While the tacos were generous, they still seem expensive at 2.50 each.
All that being said, if I still lived in my old apartment on the Walking Mall, I’m sure Chilangos would be a regular stop for me, and a welcome addition to the lunch options in downtown Helena.