Chili’s Grill & Bar

Unfortunately my tacos came out cold as ice (literally). The plate was extremely hot.
Not sure if they microwave their food? I took one bite, returned them and left.

Came in and the place is dead, 20 minute wait. A family came in 10 minutes after us and they sat down and ordered their meal. Took additional 10 minutes to seat us. They weren’t on the wait list, they just decided to seat down and the staff didn’t do anything. No tip to the server as he’s their server too. Taking 30 minutes to cook appetizer. Still waiting on food. Taking 30 minutes on that and we ordered simple.

It took 40 minutes for food after waiting 15 minutes (not unreasonable for a Saturday night). To and insult to injury our food was cold when it arrived.
If not for the good food and ambience they would get a 1 star.

We waited 45 minutes for a table. While we waited, we watched several tables go empty and not be bussed. Two tables, side by side, took 15 minutes to be cleared. As I sit here, we are waiting for our food which is taking way too long and my drink has gone dry… twice. While I eat here semi-​often, I’ll think again before coming again on a Saturday night. Very poor service and experience.

Chain restaurants exist for a reason. They are supposed to provide a consistent experience for a diner every time. That can be a very good thing. Chili’s is a fine choice for a dinner with friends as long as you don’t choose this location. It’s like a bad reality show that is out of control. I was waiting for Gordon Ramsay to come in and kick a table over.
We went here for dinner before the traditional dinner rush started. I suppose we should take some responsibility for not leaving during the long wait period it took for anyone to come to the table after we were seated. The next clue would have been when the server could not tell us what red wine choices they offer (it turns out the grand total is three). The next issue was getting salad and apps out in the correct order. I know; we ignored the clues and plunged ahead to our own dining demise.
My personal failure was to order a steak here. I should have known anything beyond a burger was a pipe dream. My medium rare steak came out medium well at best. I am not sure from personal experience what the consistency of the Beggin Strips that I buy for my dog are but this steak was certainly a contender when considering the chewy aspect. I asked for a replacement. The replacement came out inedible as well. The excuse for everything? A new cook.
All of the wait times here were unacceptable. The worst was the long wait to pay which is a personal hot button issue for me. When I looked at the check, I noticed that both steaks (which had gone unconsumed) were on the bill. They were eventually removed and that added more time to the wait. The drive thru at (insert restaurant name here) would have been a better choice.

This Chilis used to be one of my favorite places to go eat, the food & service used to be on point but our last few trips here have been less than satisfying. For one, the place was a wreck– dirty tables everywhere, napkins on the floor, etc. Waited 15 mins for a table, probably because they were all dirty. Our waiter was nice, but couldn’t get our order right. The table next to us ended up getting up and leaving. Very disappointed in this place now

They’ve revamped their menu to be more tex-​mex and subsequently, there are less things than I would normally see that I can eat. I do not do spicy. It seems like everything on the menu is spicy! Of course, they can hold the jalapeños so you can just get some regular cheese fries. Those come out on a skillet and are deleeeshious. I ordered a combo of baby back ribs and a sirloin medium rare with mashed potatoes (I wanted the salmon but they had «spicy» in the description) and I’m not gonna lie I was pretty disappointed. My steak was well done and had zero flavor. Like, no seasoning at all. The rubs were okay and the mashed potatoes obviously were mashed potatoes but I was so reminded of hospital food with the steak that I felt nauseous and couldn’t eat. The manager was very nice and comped part of the meal, after offering to try another steak. I had some of my boyfriends burger which he loved. Maybe I’m ordering the wrong things? I’ll try the «spicy salmon» next time and update!

Not a huge fan of Chili’s in general, and I could probably count the times I’ve been on one hand. But it’s where my sister wanted to go for her birthday, so off we went, and I’ve got to say that it was my best Chili’s experience to date, and a pleasant surprise.
We got chips and salsa and some panko breaded onion rings as apps, and they were pretty standard. My brother-​in-​law described the rings as larger versions of what you get at Burger King, and he’s pretty much spot on with that assessment. The ranch they served with them wasn’t very flavorful and it was kinda thin/​watery. Pass on those. The chips were fried fresh, and apparently bottomless. The salsa wasn’t great, but the chips were crispy and light, so I ate waaayyyy too many of them. Chips are addictive.
Carnitas, though. That’s what made this trip worthwhile for me. They weren’t as good as any decent Mexican spot’s, but they were miles and miles better than they had any right to be coming out of the kitchen at a Chili’s. Tender, juicy, and a little fatty in the best possible way. You can get them as fajitas, or in tacos, and I went with the latter. Three huge tacos come with an order, along with sides of black beans and cilantro lime rice. I’m sure you could probably make substitutions there if you liked, but I kept it as is, as I was kinda feeling the Tex-​Mex vibe. The black beans were very liquidy, more like a black bean soup. I’m guessing that’s how they intended them to be though, because they served them in their own little cup on the plate. The rice didn’t really pop on it’s own, but when you dumped them in with the beans, they married together into something pretty good.
Our server was great, always on top of keeping our drinks full. A separate gentlemen brought out our food though, and he wasn’t nearly as pleasant. He was clearly very hot, sweating profusely, and I think it was affecting his mood. No smile, and everything he said was very curt. I mean, I know everybody can’t be bubbly all the time, but you’re (supposed to be) a professional, right? If you need to take a break and grab a sip of water, do it, don’t be all disgruntled. It reflects poorly on your establishment.
Everything but the carnitas were ‘ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh’, but they were good enough to be a saving grace. I don’t know if I’d go back again just to get them, but if you ever find yourself at a Chili’s, they’re definitely worth having.

I normally enjoy Chilis for the occasional meal. It’s the typically chain, but this location is shabby, and in need of a good scrubbing. The wait staff for lunch in an almost empty restaurant was slow and not friendly. We ordered the fajita lunch special, but after we finished our drinks and it still hadn’t arrived, decided to bag it up and take it home. The waiter seemed very put out that he’d have to bring it out bagged. Took another 15 minutes of waiting.
When we did finally get to eat it, the food was just… meh. Small portions and entirely unremarkable. With so many other chain options in this price point, we won’t be back.

We had great food great drinks. This location is well great.

Starting this review with a statement of the obvious. It’s a chain and some things are to be expected across the board at all Chili’s. This location is a bit dated and could use a good scrubbing in the corners (especially the hallway leading past the kitchen to the restrooms)
After waiting our promised 15 minutes, we were seated in the bar area, even though there was a table in the restaurant we could see from the waiting area. Whatever — it was just a casual lunch, using a gift card and we were hungry. Our waitress was nice enough and took our drink order quickly and returned shortly to take our food order. I ordered the Classic Bacon Burger minus tomato. I took the chance on the special sauce (think Big Mac sauce) and won’t do that again — it was runny, messy and the bits of what I think were relish (maybe onions) were chewy and it was just not good. The plate came with the Chili’s garlic pickles which were also on my burger (I must have misread the description as I would have left those off too) these are serve with huge pieces of garlic in it, like slices of whole cloves. Yeah, no. That’s not going to work for me either. Fries were the standard side, which was fine, but mine were lukewarm if even that. Bummer. The waitress came back once to check on us, not giving us a chance to say I needed more water, even though I had an empty glass while she was there — I ended up swiping some of my husband’s to wash the rest of my meal down so we could get on to the rest of our afternoon.
I can’t really fault them for standard bar food — this is what they serve — but overall look and feel of the place was just, as my two stars rate, meh. We were instructed to use the table top checkout kiosk which had a problem with our card and then had to wait for the waitress to finally make it back to us to run the card the old fashioned way — oh the horror!
Anywhoo, we will one day go back I’m sure due to a gift card or group selection, but this location will surely be at the bottom of my list to revisit in Gastonia.

Ants on table– cold rice on hot dish? Don’t bother!!! Gross. Manager never came over after informing server. Food– beef quesadilla s looked nothing like photo. Very disappointed.

My husband and I love this restaurant. It’s our favorite! Our meals are always correct whenever they arrive and we’ve never had any problems with the staff. They are always friendly. Also — you can’t beat the 2 for $ 20 deal. Score!

Our waitress was fine– but the others wouldn’t stop gossiping. The food was horrendous and please do yourself a favor and avoid ordering the vinegar loaded buffalo wings.

Its Chilis… come on…

I’m just not a fan of Chili’s. Arrived on a Sunday afternoon and the place was hoppin. Got a table for 3 in less than 10 minutes. The restaurant was very loud, crowded, and looked trashed. Service was very slow and the food came out even slower. Those are the cons.
On the bright side, our waitress was really friendly. The classic margatita was only $ 5.00 and was delicious. I got the shrimp tacos and found them to be really good considering I’m at a Chili’s. The shrimp tacos were not spicy as advertised, but they were tasty. I wasn’t expecting large, succulent shrimp and I was right, but still tasty. Again, this is taking the fact that I’m eating at Chili’s so I have lower food expectations.
My mom got the raspberry margarita and found it to be too sweet. They also served it with a sugar coated rim instead of salt, they just shouldn’t do that anymore.
My vegetarian husband ordered the smokehouse burger without the bacon with a black bean patty instead. The burger looked really tasty and moist. You are substitute any burger with a black bean patty if you are looking for a healthier option.
Ended our meal with a chocolate chip cookie a la mode. The cookie is served in a mini skillet and was cooked perfectly so it’s warm and a little gooey. I don’t like my cookies crunchy if being served with ice cream.
If I ever go back to Chili’s, I wouldn’t go on a Sunday afternoon. I would also order a classic margarita and the chocolate chip
cookie dessert. If I were starving, I would get the shrimp tacos again.

Not a fan of this particular restaurant location at all. Have written to management due to the horrible service, messed up orders, problems in general with the food, etc. It was topped off by the waitstaff gossiping right behind me throughout the meal. I just gave up and won’t bother going back.
Save yourself the heartache and find another one of the MANY restaurants in Gastonia to eat at. Seriously.

The food was great especially for a chain restaurant. I had a burger that was absolutely exploding with flavor. The boys love the spinach dip and chips. The service was a bit slow, but definitely friendly.

Of all the similar chain restaurants (TGI Fridays, Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, etc), Chili’s is definitely my favorite. My addition to mashed potatoes dictates many of my menu choices, so I often get the Monterey chicken with mashed potatoes.
Unfortunately, I’ve had some painfully slow experiences at this Chili’s. Sometimes it takes forever to get seated. Then it also takes a ridiculous amount of time for your food to come out. The staff is usually pretty apologetic. One time the manager brought my friend and I a free cake dessert (um, to share) to make up for the long wait. It was a nice gesture, but we would have preferred a discount since we had already taken way too long of a lunch break.

OK, this is probably one of my favorite chain restaurants & this location is the one I’ve visited the most.
I’m a big fan of the chicken crispers & usually this is the meal I get. I know it’s a really unhealthy meal, especially the ones coated in sauce, but they’re just so good. The atmosphere at any Chili’s is the same, being a family friendly place that’s usually pretty noisy.
This location is always packed during dinner hours, but if you can catch a seat in the bar area, then you can bypass the wait most of the time. The bar area here can get cramped though, especially if you have a group of 4 or more.
I love Chili’s even though it’s a chain & that I get the same meal every time I go there.