Chungas

If you are a big fan of Mexican food, Chungas is a great place to go! It is in the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah, and a family owned business. This smaller sized restaurant is take out as well as a sit down and eat place. Chungas can look a little sketchy at first site, as half of the restaurant is outside, but it is very safe and the design allows the restaurant to fit in with the community.

Chungas has a variety of menu options of typical Mexican food. Salads, burritos, tostadas, tacos, bowls, and even quesadillas fill the menu. There are many options to choose from including kids menu items as well. Chungas typically doesn’t have a long wait time, however, if you go on a Saturday at lunch time (around 11-12 ish), you will be waiting for your food for a while. I happened to stop in just after 11 from a prior activity, and the restaurant was very busy. To no surprise, all types of people come and enjoy Chungas. Wealthy businessmen were having meetings outside in the sun while enjoying their food, families were all outside eating, a sports team was inside eating, and many couples were inside eating.

The outside of Chungas looks a lot like how an island restaurant looks on the outside. Lots of steel coverings and wall paintings of the ocean decorate the outside portion of the restaurant. There is a small garden you can walk through while you wait for your food, but it is very small. The inside is often very crowded with people as the restaurant is not that big to begin with. The employees are all very nice at Chungas and they check up on you often to make sure you are satisfied. The particular day that I went to Chungas, I had to wait a while for my food because it was super busy that day, and the waiter gave me 4 different baskets of chips and salsa to enjoy for free while waiting for my food.

People around me also enjoyed several baskets of chips and salsa as well. The waiters happily serve their customers and all seem very happy.

When my food finally arrived, it was absolutely delicious! I can honestly say that it is the best Mexican food I have ever had. And that is saying a lot because I don’t love Mexican food to begin with. I love Café Rio which many will argue is not Mexican food, but Chungas is amazing and super fresh and great to enjoy. I got the chicken burrito with rice and salsa, and it was very spicey. But so good! The burrito was massive and actually took me three sittings to sit and eat the entire thing. I would say that the burrito is bigger than Café Rio and other similar places.

I would highly recommend Chungas to anyone and everyone. It is a relatively cheap place to eat that is fresh and delicious.