Don’t Let The Outside Fool You, This Mexican Restaurant In Utah Is A True Hidden Gem
By Catherine Armstrong|Published January 07, 2019
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
Utahns love Mexican food, and we have so many incredible Mexican restaurants here that it would take years to try them all. While you can find excellent, authentic food everywhere from roadside taco trucks to fancy restaurants with table-side guacamole, sometimes the best places to get Mexican food are hiding behind unassuming exteriors. One example is El Chihuahua in Salt Lake City. Take a look:
Manuel and Dolores Quinonez brought their family recipes with them from Mexico to Utah, and opened a restaurant in 1978, with the hopes that they and their children could work hard and live the American dream.
Fast forward to 2019. You'll have a hard time finding a parking spot in front of this unassuming restaurant located in a strip mall in Holladay, because the food is so good that people flock here to dine. El Chihuahua doesn't look like much from the outside, but don't be took quick to judge...
Can't decide what to get? Try one of the combination plates. You'll soon have a favorite dish that you'll crave every time you think about Mexican food.
Pair your Mexican food with the most popular drink here - the Death Star. The regular Death Star comes with Rothchild vodka, Everclear, and 151, and you can order it in more than 20 fruity flavors. It's served in a glass the size of a fishbowl, and they'll only serve you two Death Stars during your visit.
The Ducky Deathstar is the same as the regular Death Star, only they also add a Bud Rita or Wicked (and a cute duck that you can take home as a souvenir). They'll only serve you one Ducky Deathstar, and you'll want to have a designated driver or call Lyft for a ride home after one of these - it will certainly put you over Utah's new legal limit.
El Chihuahua is open seven days a week, and you'll often find a long line of folks waiting to get in - even on weeknights. Be patient - it's well worth the wait.
Visit El Chihuahua’s website to see the full menu, and follow the restaurant’s Facebook page to see the latest specials. Have you visited El Chihuahua? What’s your favorite menu item, and what’s your favorite flavor of Death Star?
