The original Chuy’s opened in 1982 in an abandoned barbecue joint in Austin, thriving as a local institution near the famous Barton Springs Pool. The chain grew to 15 restaurants by the late 2000s and opened its first location outside of Texas when it leapt to the Nashville suburbs in 2009. It quickly grew and is now the largest full-service Mexican food chain in the U.S. by volume of sales, with 111 restaurants in 15 states.
The menu is pure Tex-Mex — fajitas, enchiladas, and chimichangas (which it calls a Chuychanga). The chimichanga, essentially a deep-fried burrito, is believed to have originated in Arizona, but became a Tex-Mex staple. At Chuy’s, it is stuffed with roasted chicken, cheese, cilantro, and green chilis. It comes smothered in your choice of sauce, but Tex-Mex purists would suggest opting for queso.
Chuy’s is almost as famous for its eclectic and colorful decor as its food. It credits Jose Cuervo as the decorator, who littered the original location with hubcaps, carved fish, and other oddities out of necessity more than design. As it expanded, it kept the eclectic touches but attempted to bring uniqueness to each location. Or, as the website says: “If you’ve seen one Chuy’s, you’ve seen one Chuy’s.”