Chapala Authentic Mexican Restaurant

Dinner was great and the service wonderful! Will be going back again! We did not know that owner is the same as the Burrito Express in Athens. So happy they came to Madison.

Being a frequent visitor I wanted to make sure we give credit where credit is due…
Food — We are, or I am, always trying new dishes and I’ve never been disappointed. My wife always goes with the grilled chicken quesadilla and loves it. She says besides the size and taste, they are never greasy like you find at most places. Today I had the lunch combo with a chicken enchilada and suiza enchilada with beans and rice, muy bueno.
Staff and facility — Staff is always very attentive and friendly. Today we had Fidel and he was great. Facility, since the new owners have updated and brightened up is very clean and neat.
Overall, I’d recommend Chapala for lunch or dinner to anyone who likes great Mexican food.

Great food. Fast service. Under new ownership, same food as burrito express in Athens.

We enjoyed this restaurant. The service was quite good and they were very accommodating to our small children. However, I would not classify this as authentic Mexican food, it’s good and typical of this area but not authentic.

This is our go-​to place. Always good, always fast, always friendly. All the dishes are great. Shrimp cocktail is the best in town. Can’t lose with any dish.

Awesome food especially the shrimp dishes! Hot and spicy! Great margaritas!!! Great people and very friendly!!!

came here for lunch! got the tamales and retried beans and it all was amazing! got my food in less that 15min!

We LOVE it there! The food is wonderful and large servings! The margarettas are super! The service is fast and friendly also! This is the place for you if you are on a budget! :)

Who in the hell doesn’t serve pico and sour cream with fajitas? I’ll tell you who, this place. Would rather have had a taco bell burrito than these fajitas… beef taco and salsa were ok, though. Mediocre at best overall.

I really enjoyed the service and the food. They made an exception for me. I wanted a steak chimichanga that wasn’t on the menu and they made it for me anyways. The food came out quickly and it was nice and hot. I usually need Valentina sauce (which they had). The overall quality and taste of the food was great! My wife loved it (and she is picky).
Only slight drawback is the décor. It was kind of flat and feels a little bit like you are eating in a room as opposed to a dining room. Small detail though.

For some reason I’ve never heard of this place until today. It was really good though. They did forget my taco al a carte, but the portions are so big there wouldn’t have been a chance I could finish it. The salsa is spicy, and really good. Tamales were the best I’ve had from a Mexican restaurant in a while.

Awesome place, awesome food and awesome people!!! My favorites are the tampiqueña and the chimichanga with fajitas beef meat. Now I’m hungry

I eat here very frequently and it is very dependable in terms of quality. Not the best Mexican food I’ve ever had but it is super close by and they have Dos Equis on draft.

Love their salsa, eat there pretty often very casual and prices are ok make a strong margarita

I really wanted to like this place — it is in a nice shopping area and close to me. Well, now I’ve tried it.
The area I was seated in was not close to the restrooms, but the air had a faint scent of those white deodorant cakes that used to be used in service station restrooms. I was debating leaving, but a waiter promptly delivered a basket of chips and large dish of salsa dip, so I decided to stick it out. The chips were slightly burned but otherwise tasteless. The salsa dip was mostly a thin liquid and tasted like watered tomato paste.
I ordered the chicken flautas with refried beans, rice, and guacamole salad. The flauta unflavored chicken was edible, but rolled in a paper-​thin tortilla that tasted more like paper than food and had been so overcooked that I could barely cut it with a knife. The tasteless white rice was mushy, and the guacamole salad was a large serving of dripping-​wet lettuce bits with a teaspoon of guacamole on top. I did like the refried beans.
If this place is Authentic Mexican, I’m amazed the culture has survived. The restaurant has a great location, but I’ll wait until I see an ‘Under New Management’ sign in the window before I try it again.

Their food is probably the best Mexican food in the area. Their prices are reasonable. The service from the male waiters is very good.
We used to be regulars (going at least twice a week) until they starting cracking down on their coupons. They have become very meticulous about their coupons. Recently, we ate with some friends and had two separate checks. We each had our coupon from the Huntsville coupon book. At the end of the meal, the manager refused to let us each use our coupon. He turned over the coupon and said that it was «per table» and not per customer or per check. It is for this reason that we no longer go here with friends; that stupidity has cost his business a few hundred dollars in revenue from us and our friends. I hope he thinks it was worth it.
One word of caution. There is a female waitress there who will usually mess up your drink order. When you ask for the correct drink, she will then proceed to argue with you and say that you are wrong. When you ask for a manager, the manager will come out and back up the waitress.

Yes, this is not authentic like some of the taco trucks you will find around town, but this is a great option for your typical neighborhood «Americanized» Mexican food restaurant. My wife and I have always had great, friendly service and the orders have always been correct. Food is good for what it is and the salsa is excellent… lots of cilantro and onions which I love. Also, they have great drink special during Happy Hour! Another perk for us is it is within walking distance (especially helpful after those $ 10 margarita pitchers).

Poor Service? Inconsistant Quality! We have gone to Chapala a few times, mostly for take-​out since we have an infant at home. 3 of the last 4 times we got home with issues with the food. I took the food back this time and the manager told me «I guess you should check your food before you leave…» I told him I guess that means that I should just not come back…

A solid bet for good «authentic» Mexican food. Basic Hispanic atmosphere. Good prices.

Great food at a great price. Service is friendly and fast and the portions are big!