Chuy's Beavercreek celebrated their ribbon-cutting at 2717 Fairfield-Commons Rd. Dec. 15, 2015 with the Beavercreek Chamber of Commerce. Photo source: Facebook
Our first taste of Chuy's back in March landed it as one of our top places to eat in Austin Landing. But as their motto goes, "If you've seen one Chuy's….you've seen one Chuy's…" and between sampling different dishes and drinks and checking out the localized decor, we got a whole new experience.
What’s the same
Pictured: Fresh produce in the walk-in kitchen, a small freezer containing only ice cream and French fries, and the kitchen assembly line all impress at Chuy's Beavercreek. VIVIENNE MACHI / STAFF
Same fresh, delicious food: Chuy's, which originated in Austin, Texas, prides itself on being always fresh, never frozen. And on our kitchen tour Monday night, they proved it to us: While many restaurants have both a walk-in fridge and freezer to keep their fare fresh, Chuy's only has a walk-in fridge — packed with barrels of crisp-looking vegetables, from carrots to peppers to cilantro — and a regular-sized freezer, stocked only with ice cream and French fries. As a former restaurant employee, that's an impressive sight to see.
You can rest easy knowing that your meal never came out of a frozen packet — everything from the tortillas, to the specialty sauces, to the mac n’cheese for the kids, is made in-house. We watched the employees hand-pull the chicken like the pros they are.
Pictured: The variety of Chuy's Tex Mex handmade sauces and dips, the steak burrito with churro beans, and the Sangria, all available at Chuy's Beavercreek. VIVIENNE MACHI / STAFF
We gave you a few of our favorite menu items already, but to add a few more to the list, you have to try:
- The queso: Seriously, it's a thing of beauty. Happy hour at Chuy's involves drink specials and an all-you-can-eat-nacho bar with refried beans, meat, and queso, so you have no excuse not to indulge in this rich, cheesy goodness for hours on end. Like all of Chuy's sauces and dips, it's made in-house with freshly grated cheese.
- The Chicka-Chicka Boom-Boom enchiladas ($10.99): These are consistently one of Chuy's best-selling items, and it's hard not to taste why. Flavorful hand-pulled chicken wrapped in a fresh flour tortilla, smothered in cheese and covered in a green-chile, tomatillo, green onion, cilantro, and lime cheesy sauce has a warm heat to it, though not overpowering. If you love chicken, cheese, and a little kick, this is the dish for you.
- The steak burrito ($11.49): A house specialty, and our new favorite steak burrito, for real. If you're not a fan of spicy foods, you can sub the hatch green chile sauce for a milder choice. If you can handle the heat, then you will love the dark green sauce made with fire-roasted New Mexican green chiles, fresh beef stock, and caramelized onions. That combo makes it perfect to go with the freshly char-grilled flank steak morsels, wrapped with cheese in a toasty fresh tortilla. All we can say is "yes, please!" The plate comes served with a mildly spicy green chile rice and beans, which you can also sub out for Mexican rice for less kick.
- The Sangria ($5.95): Not your kitchen-made Sangria. This 9-oz. glass is sweet and oh-so-easy going down with el Jimador silver tequila, red wine, Triple Sec, fresh fruit juices and topped with Monin Blueberry and a Maraschino cherry. If you're wanting to step outside of Chuy's (sumptuous) margarita list, this is a tasty alternative that you can order on the rocks or frozen. Chuy's is also a top local joint for a killer piña colada.
What's different
Pictured: The bar area at Chuy's Tex Mex Beavercreek, with local dog photos on the walls, and the main dining room area. VIVIENNE MACHI / STAFF
Same philanthropic ties, different organization: Chuy's commits itself to partnering each store with one local philanthropy: The Austin Landing location raised money to benefit Dayton Children's Hospital; while Beavercreek's location has paired up with the Fisher/Nightingale Houses of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. All of the sales from Monday night's media/VIP sneak peek went to benefit the organization, which provides comfort homes for military and veterans' families to stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment on base, and patrons can donate on their way in and out the door for dinner. Dine for a cause.
Same wacky decor, with local touches: Chuy's is known for its bright, bold and a little wacky decorations — where else do you find a hubcap-covered ceiling? — but you'll find that no two Chuy's are exactly the same. One great way they embrace their community is with some familiar faces hanging around La Chihuahua Bar: For a $5 donation, dog lovers can see their four-legged friends' mugs framed on the wall. Chuy's already held one photo shoot, and the bar area is lined with adorable pooch pictures, but you can still bring in a photo anytime to be framed.
If you haven’t made the drive down to Austin Landing yet, well, you have no more excuses. Welcome to Beavercreek, Chuy’s!
For more information, visit Chuy's Dayton on Facebook.
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