Chili’s Grill & Bar Review

We recently had dinner at Chili’s Bar & Grill. I’ve never been to Chili’s before so I was looking forward to trying someplace I hadn’t been. We went on a Saturday night and expected a wait, but were pleasantly surprised to be sitting at our table in under ten minutes.

When we take Kora & Logan out to eat we always make sure to order their food right away. This way they have a little time to color on the kids menu and their food comes out pretty promptly. Kora & Logan take a long time to eat so this usually works out well and we are all finishing up around the same time.

The kids wanted the Pepper Pals Macaroni & Cheese and the adults in the group ordered the Bottomless Tostada Chips. The appetizer and the kids order came out in just minutes. The kids were thrilled to have their food so quickly and we were happy to munch on the chips right away.

We were all impressed with the Bottomless Tostada Chips and were surprised to find they were only $2.99. They were light, airy, and had just a hint of salt. They were very addicting and because they weren’t at all greasy we happily enjoyed the entire basket between 3 adults and didn’t feel overstuffed before our food arrived. While the salsa was a bit too spicy for my mother-in-law and I, Tired Dad Dave thoroughly enjoyed it. I wasn’t the least bit disappointed about not being able to eat the salsa, I’m not a big fan of it in general so I didn’t feel I was missing out on anything.

The Pepper Pals Macaroni and Cheese was a big hit with Kora & Logan as well. It was a bit different than the typical restaurant mac & cheese which is sometimes hit or miss with young kids. Chili’s version was the small elbow noodles and a mix of cheeses to give it a bit of a gourmet flair but not enough that kids wouldn’t enjoy it.

The kids menu came with a variety of choices for sides from mandarin oranges to broccoli to celery sticks, the healthy selections were impressive. Kora & Logan love oranges as much as french fries so we opted for the healthier choice and everyone was happy.

Part of the reason I’ve never been to Chili’s is because I’ve always assumed everything was very spicy and while on occasion I enjoy spicy foods, I really have to be in the mood for them. However, once there I was very happy to see that the menu provided a lot of variety and not everything was spicy.

I ordered the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich. It arrived and it was the perfect size. Sometimes restaurants go for the enormous portions but I thought this sandwich was just right. I took my first bite and knew I had selected an incredible sandwich. The pork was tender and the Shiner Bock BBQ Sauce was slightly sweet. The amount of sauce was ideal as well, it wasn’t sloppy and overabundant. It was topped with a wonderfully melted gouda cheese as well. In fact, I would say this was one of the best pulled pork sandwiches I’ve had.

Tired Dad Dave ordered the Jalapeno Smokehouse Bacon Burger. It came with applewood smoked bacon, smoked cheddar, tortilla strips, red onion, mayo, jalapenos, and jalapeno-ranch dressing. As you can see, my husband likes his food spicy. He thought his burger was pretty good but after sampling my BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich he said he wished would have ordered that instead, but he did finish the Jalapeno Burger and was pretty pleased overall.

My mother-in-law came with us as well and she ordered the Big Mouth Bites which were four mini-burgers topped with applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, sauteed onions, and Ranch dressing on sesame seed buns. It was also served with crispy onion strings and jalapeno-ranch dressing. She really liked her burgers and thought the onion strings were unique and tasty. She enjoyed them both enough to take her leftovers home for the next day.

Overall, we had a wonderful dining experience at Chili’s Grill & Bar. While we thought the dining room was a little loud and made it difficult to hear, it won’t put us off from coming back to enjoy the delectable food. Our service was great too. Our waiter, was prompt, attentive, pleasant and made our dinner all the better. When the bill came we were very pleased to see that for the five of us including the appetizer it only came to $41. I thought that was a great bargain for such delicious food and good service.

Chili’s is currently running a contest called “Shout Out to Eat Out.” You can win a gift card every day from now until August 30th, 2010.

To enter, upload a 10 – 30 second video telling Chili’s why you don’t want to cook tonight. One winner each day will be selected at random. Good luck and I hope you enjoy Chili’s as much as my family did.

Thanks to Chili’s for providing a gift card for this review. No compensation was received.