los chilitos taco and tequila house

a real mixed bag, some good and some bad. we really had a mixed bag type of experience, so i'll try to seperate the good and the bad.

the good:
- great atmosphere and great patio. we actually sat inside and were very comfy, enjoyed the music and didn't feel like we were in downtown calgary.
- service was good 'at first'. drinks came quickly and our order was taken quickly.
- enjoyed the gringa, comes with al pastor style pork and pineapple. the best thing we ate, the meat was really good.
- we also ordered the six appetizer tacos autentico. the beef taco and the al pastor were very good.
- the tacos and platters we ordered came with very good pico de gallo and assortment of sauces...they were all very good.
- nice sides of refried beans and rice.

the bad:
- service was non-existent after order was taken and food came a hour after we ordered. our taco appetizers actually came after our main courses.
- the burrito we ordered with carnitas was very dry and tasteless, almost as if it had been sitting around for a while and not cut just before serving.
- four of the six tacos had very dry meat and like the burrito seemed like it was sitting around and had been cut for a while.
- sauces while excellent were small and didn't last through the six tacos we ate.

conclusion:
i'm going to give los chilitos a lukewarm thumbs up and really hope they can improve their service and handle their meat better. i think this place has great potential but i'll give it a couple more months to perfect things.

i'll post some pics when i get a chance.

casual - food holds promise. i'd never had authentic mexican beyond having mole sauce with a chicken quesadilla at a cancun resort, so i didn't know what to expect (therefore, i have no standard to measure against). my husband and i went for lunch this past sunny sunday, and though we couldn't get a table on the patio, we go the next best thing - a table right by the open "garage door-style" window. the floors are scuffed painted wood, the walls are simple, decorations of carved wood, colourful wooden birds and terra cotta art appear throughout. the music is either mexican or latin american (i can't tell). it's a simple, comfortable place - almost feels like a roadside establishment not on 17th.

i had a nice mexican-made lime soda, and my husband had the 1 oz margarita - i'm no fan of tequila and i thought his drink was quite palatable. we then had tacos - i had the chicken, he had the adobo pork. the soft flour tortillas were nice - tasted fresh, anyway. the meat was a bit drier than i would've thought you get, but then again, i said i never had authentic mexican, so maybe that's the way it's normally done. the seasoning on the meat was nice (and tame, for those who can't do lots of heat - get the jalapenos if you want heat). the rice was pretty blah (parboiled, it seems, with some bits of corn, peas, and some kind of reddish flecks - cayenne or paprika? indiscernible to my taste buds, anyway). the refried beans tasted fine to me, but again, it's not my area of expertise. the salsas weren't too bad - i had the verde and arbol. my husband has the pico de gallo (i like my weber recipe better... it may be a sin to say this to any mexican purist, but that's just how i like it), and the chipotle. i wasn't fond of the chipotle salsa, but i suspect this might've been the first time i taste a 'proper' chipotle sauce.

all in all, the food was alright and the price reasonable. service was also good - he checked in on us twice to ask how things were going. i think i have to try other mexican places in town first to figure out where i need to set the bar. i've heard good things about el bombazo.

yay. great patio. very authentic. service was not so great but good if u can pay with a credit card only. pico de gallo was great with a little heat. i had a mango margarita with my soft carne asada tacos that were very over done, dry and kind of flavorless. my friend had a quesadilla that was good but i think that was a case of anything with cheese is good.

just finished my second visit to los chilitos. having lived in mexico, i've had "authentic" tacos. these are the closest i've had. this visit, i tried the quesdillas. i ordered mine without meat and they were good, although i felt they were a little stingy with the refried beans ( being a vegetarian, i do need to get a decent amount of protein). also ordered the tortilla chips and guacamole with a 4 salsa sampler. very good! while i agree with other reviewers that it is strange not getting served chips and salsa upon being seated, i have to say i understand why you are charged here. the chips are obviously made on premises as they are crispy and fresh,not the stale gfs chips served elsewhere. i also had a margarita, lime on the rocks. one of the best i've had since moving to calgary. i found the service a bit choppy. another table that arrived after my party got their food before our starters hit the table. the place is rather small and i noticed only one waiter taking orders,while several staff seemed to stand behind the bar. i hope they tweek their efficiency. overall, i'd return with more friends. if you like mexican food and hate julio's barrio, this is a place worth trying.

insulted. was not bad until he came to collect the bill, was there with a large group and he proceeded to insist on counting the cash at the table, then telling us we had to pay a mandatory 15% tip (that he forgot to include on the bill) even though we had already left well over 20%. very insulting...good way to chase away return business.... will not be back

lettuce and cheese do not belong on tacos! chillitos gets it right!. please ignore the last review. married to a montrealer's only experience with tacos has apparently been at taco time. real tacos do not have a speck of horrible lettuce filler and if they every do have cheese it's a tiny sprinkle of queso fresco. los chillitos is the first place in canada where i've had tacos autenticos- they need to expand their menu to include options like fish and lengua, but for the time being i pray that they ignore misinformed criticisms from people who clearly have no idea what a "taco" is.

not the best food.. tried this and was not particularly impressed. like most mexican restaurants in calgary (juan's being the great exception), no tortilla chips to start your meal. one strike.
general decor is nice - really a bar decor though, including the cash machine beside our table.
we order the shredded chicken tacos and the beef tacos. although probably authentic, the lack of "extras" on the tacos, such as lettuce or cheese was not a good thing. the beef was full of gristle and not tasty. the chicken was bland. the amount of salsa (two choices per dish) was not enough.
the accompanying beans and rice, though, were excellent.

very impressed. ate here for the first time on the weekend. i wasn't expecting much, as i haven't really found great authentic mexican food in calgary before.

all i can say is that i was blown away. the tacos were fresh, with all of the sauces homemade. the meal was very filling for 12.99! it reminded me of lots of the food i ate while backpacking around mexico.

i hope this place keeps up the great quality food, because i will keep coming back!

calgary's most authentic tacos!. these aren't your run-of-the-mill taco bell burritos. they're closer to the real enchilada (pardon the pun) - the street snack that's popular in mexico. the lunch deal is a little too expensive for everyday visits ($12.99 for three tacos, rice and beans), but overall it's well worth the price. you can also get individual tacos for $3, or 6 for $18.95 including a selection of salsas.