Chula Vista Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

Wow, what happened to this place? Ate there a year or so ago and it was pretty good. Went tonight and it was terrible. Really bland. The super nachos were lousy. There was no chicken in my chicken tamales. My partner’s combo was about Taco Bell quality, she said. Oh, and they charged us almost $ 5 for a diet coke. On top of that the bathroom was filthy. Worst Mexican food I have ever had: No lie. There are many places just down Robert Street that are really good, so avoid this sad place and try someplace a bit closer to downtown Saint Paul.

Chula Vista makes Mex-​American food similar to what you’d find made in your mom’s kitchen – granted she’s not a chef, Mexican or both. The food is cheap and good, but it isn’t a place you’d take the mayor of Guadalajara. With that said, it’s probably not a place you’d take your first date, either. The setting is hokey and the furnishings worn, but that’s what I look for when seeking out cheap eats. Happy hour is a great deal. You can walk out with a full stomach and buzz for less than ten dollars.

Yes, this place could use a good scrubbing and a new parking lot but the food is decent and pretty inexpensive. My partner has been going to this place for years, love the carrots in the salsa and the Mr. Pibb. Last time I was there, I forgot my IPad there, thankfully after the movie I called and it was in the manager’s office! We will certainly be back. Don’t forget the are on that RESTAURANT dot com website for coupons.

My husband and I have been eating here for years. The place is looking pretty run down these days — needs some paint inside and out — ceiling tiles are water logged and stained — but the food and the service are consistently good and really affordable.
We stopped in this past week and happened to hit the right night to get Fajitas for Two on Special. We got the Shrimp Fajita and the meal was more than we can eat. Plenty of shrimp for the two of us and the taste was really good.
Would love to see them clean the place up a little — but we will keep coming back regardless.

My wife and I eat here at least a couple times a month. The food is good and the service is friendly. My wife gets the chicken pollo loco and I get the grande burrito. The best part is the chips and salsa.

Their food is pretty good – it’s certainly not the BEST Mexican food I’ve ever had, but it does the trick when you want some of those olé’ reliable standbys. The 32oz. Dos Equis is $ 5.95, which is pretty damn good!

Whenever I’m up in Minnesota visiting my cousin and aunt, they always take me here, which I look forward to immensely.
There is a pretty good variety of food and drinks. They are always prepared well. The servers always check up to see how the food is, if refills for drinks or chips and salsa are needed, etc. I like how they serve chips and salsa until the entrées come, since it’s nice not having to wait for food on an empty stomach. However, it does take a while for food to be served – about 20 minutes or so, even when the places is almost empty. The portions are very nice, though, and the food IS hot.
For the price, though, I think that this place is pretty good. (I personally recommend the beef chimichangas.)

I like the variety of food that they serve on the menu as opposed to some place like Taco Bell. The atmosphere, the drink menu, the wait staff, and food were all to my liking. One of the few places that still serves fried ice cream! (For those of us that miss Chi-Chi’s).

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later: my first 1-​star review…
My brother and I went to Chula Vista this weekend as we were in the mood for Mexican food. Paul had a coupon for a free entrée, so it was a good chance to try something new with limited risk. ;)
First impressions: the parking lot was rough and in a bit of disrepair. The sign, which has an area for a custom message (ie: Best Tacos in Town, or something similar) was blank. Once inside the restaurant, I was encouraged. It was quiet and bright colors and some murals lined the walls.
We received the standard chips and salsa after sitting down. Now, I’m a big chips and salsa fan (see other reviews if in doubt) — and this place sorely let me down. Sorely. The chips had an odd flavor to them and the salsa tasted like I was simply biting into a big tomato. No seasoning, no spices, no taste — other than tomato. I did not enjoy the chips and salsa at all. I thought they were terrible.
Whew. Now that I’ve got the chips-​and-​salsa debacle out of my system… Let’s move on to the main course. The menu has a lot of options: a page of apps, another page of combos, a page of specialties, American choices, a kids menu and some desserts. I chose to go with the #7 combo — which started with two stuffed peppers (think jalapeño poppers) fajitas and a cheese enchilada with rice and beans. I wanted to get something that allowed me to try a variety of things.
The stuffed peppers were served on a plate sitting atop a bed of shredded lettuce and served with ranch dipping sauce. These were tasty, however, the outer shell was a bit burnt or the oil had not been changed in some time. Paul really enjoyed these — they were his favorite part of the entire experience.
The fajita mixture was served on the side of a large plate which contained everything else. Hmmm… Interesting presentation. No sizzle. I can live with that though. What I can’t live with is the fact that the mixture consisted of slices of chicken and onion. No peppers, no color. And the taste… it was the most bland fajita I have ever eaten in my entire life. There was no flavor. My brother had to use the ranch dipping sauce they served with the stuffed peppers to dunk the fajita into for flavor. What a disappointment!
The cheese enchilada wasn’t much better. It was very bland and the cheese was hard on the inside; it was almost as though it never got to the point of being melted.
The rice and beans, for me, were the saving grace of this dish. The beans were flavorful, and the rice, mixed with some of the sauce from the enchilada was moist enough. Sad that the rice and beans were the highlight of this dish.
After the lackluster experience, we decided to try and salvage some of the meal by ordering the fried ice cream dessert special (each day, the place has various specials — on Saturday, the fried ice cream was 1.75). This was my favorite part of the entire experience. Although, it is pretty tough to screw up ice cream! ;)
Overall, I’m glad we had a coupon for a buy-​one get-​one entrée, however, the taste-​per-​dollar-​spent ratio was certainly not in our favor! As we left, my brother said to me «Most places I’ll give a second chance to, you never know if they just had an off day. But this place, I just wouldn’t ever come back.»
I have to agree with my brother on this one. I can cross Chula Vista off of my list of places I need to visit again. Unilocalers, I’d recommend passing on this one for sure.
Final notes:
Daily specials and happy hour; Mon-​Fri lunch specials; several types and sizes of margaritas (cannot comment on as we had soda); kid-​friendly cocktails; large menu; bland food all around