I love Mexican food!  Coming from Colorado, it’s something I grew up with and rarely get on the East Coast now.  I miss it terribly!  So whenever I have the opportunity to find a Mexican restaurant, I love to go and check it out.  So, I was thrilled to be invited* to  Chevys Fresh Mex to check out their food while in New York City this week.

I had visited Chevys Fresh Mex before out west and remembered it fondly.  But, I’m always hesitant to go to chain restaurants, especially in Times Square, because they tend to be tourist traps.  My experience has been that the prices are outrageous, service practically nonexistent, and the food is sub par, if you are lucky.  But, we were willing to look beyond past experiences in chain restaurants in touristy areas and give Chevys Fresh Mex in Times Square a try.

Chevys is located in a very central location  42nd Street and 8th Ave,and it’s easy to spot.

Walking through the doors of the restaurant, it is open and airy, welcoming, and has a festive atmosphere.  One thing I notice right off the bat is that there is space inside.  Not small cramped tables, typical of Times Square, but large enough tables to accommodate larger groups.  This is important to me, since I have a large family.  I hate feeling like there isn’t enough space inside a restaurant, when we want to sit, relax, and have a good meal.  Another very important thing I observed–a smiling, happy hostess greeting us as we walked in the door.  Now, that may not seem overly important, but it sets the tone for the visit, and again, in New York City, can be a rarity.

There is seating both downstairs and upstairs, as well as a bar area.  There is a ton of room in this large restaurant.

We were taken to our table, where we met our server, Stephanie.  She took our drink order and placed freshly cooked chips and a delicious salsa in front of us. I always know what to expect from a Mexican restaurant by the chips and salsa they put down.  Based on the freshness and flavor, I knew we were in for good things.

I love when you are offered chips right away, as you peruse the menu.  Speaking of menus, Chevys offers so many options.  Appetizers, entrees, and desserts–everything looked amazing.  We ordered our entrees and we opted to order guacamole for an appetizer at the recommendation of our very attentive server.  We were surprised to see that it was to be made at our table.

It’s always great to see very fresh ingredients used in your food.  It was fun to watch Stephanie make the guacamole right on the spot using avocados, limes, tomatoes, peppers and some special seasonings that combined together created the most delicious guacamole I’ve ever had.  It was so flavorful!

Next, and quite quickly I might add, our entrees arrived. Wanting to try a few options, I ordered a Fresh Mex combination that came with rice and beans, mini chicken chimichanga with a queso sauce, cheese enchilada with a meat sauce, and  salsa chicken tamale with a green tomatillo sauce . A scoop of their famous sweet corn tomalito comes with every plate and it is heavenly. It was a huge amount of food, not a chance I could finish it all, but so good!

My son picked a combination meal, as well, of cheese enchiladas with a red sauce. He loved it (again, too much food to eat at once, but you can always take it home!).

Everything we tried was really delicious and made me happy.  Did I mention I really miss having Mexican food nearby?

Even though we didn’t finish our entrees, we knew we wanted to try some dessert.  We ordered fried ice cream and flan.

Flan is my most favorite dessert ever.  I rarely get it.  Sometimes, I will find a restaurant that has it and I order it hoping it will be good.  I’m almost always disappointed.  The consistency is wrong or the flavor is lacking.  Chevys had it perfect, even topped with cinnamon whipped cream, which I’ve never tried before! Seriously, the best I have had in the last 14 years.  It was so good, I ate the whole thing–no regrets.

My son got the fried ice cream, which is ice cream rolled in a crispy batter and deep-fried, placed on top of crispy cinnamon tortilla strips, topped with homemade caramel and chocolate sauces and the cinnamon whipped cream and more crispy cinnamon chips.  It was also amazing!

Our entire experience from start to finish was fantastic. The restaurant is under new management and are definitely doing things right! Great food, exceptional service, and we left very satisfied and happy.   And wanting to go back again very soon!  Thankfully, I visit the city just enough and it’s right in a central location to make it easy for me to do it as much as I would like.  I highly recommend a visit to Chevys Fresh Mex in Times Square when you are in the area!

I am thrilled to see and share with you that Chevys Fresh Mex is honoring those that have and do serve our country this weekend.

This Saturday, Chevys is showing their appreciation to all veterans and all active military personnel!  Show up on Saturday, November 11th, 2017 from 11am to 10pm in uniform or bring your proper identification and you will receive a complimentary Fresh Mex 3-Item Combo. Create your own from a selection of enchiladas, soft or crispy tacos, tamales, flautas or chile relleno. All combos served with Fresh Mex rice, our signature sweet corn tamalito and your choice of homemade beans a la charra, refried beans or vegetarian black beans. This is valid at all participating Chevys Fresh Mex locations. Check your local Chevys for details.

 

*I was invited to visit Chevys Fresh Mex to facilitate a feature, all opinions are my own.