Chita's
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
20 Reviews for Chita's
By far the worst Mexican place experience I have ever been through! Believe me I am very light critic. As I read through the other reviews I am wondering if in deed it's the same place I went to. In short, the food was decent, everything else was horrible. We go in, it takes a while before we are greeted in the mean time the cook is in her pijamas and surfing through Craig's List. Are you kidding me? The one good thing in that whole experience was the salsa! I don't recommend it at all!!!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
I have driven by this place countless times when I lived in Sacramento, but only recently discovered it on a trip back to visit friends. All my usual taqueria haunts were closed so a friend recommended this place, which is around the corner from his apartment.
The menu is kind of unique with lots of vegan/vegetarian options. I don't think it's overpriced as some people are claiming, but I live in the Bay Area so overpriced might mean something different.
Burrito was good, but definitely very different. Some kind of sauce inside added a flavor that was unique. It's not something I would crave, but I certainly did enjoy it.
On the negative, the service took a long time. There were only a handful of people around (and only one person ordered before us) and our two burritos took 10-15 minutes to be ready, when most taquerias can get it done in 5. Not sure what the hold up was, but I was hungry!!
I've only been once on a deserted night, so I'm reserving a 5th star for my next trip...so far I like the 'hole in the wall' vibe. After enduring some mild heckling from the cook's boyfriend (who I suspect had just visited Benny's for a couple, many rounds), I ordered tacos with carnitas and a side of pinto beans. The carnitas were spicy and savory without crossing the line of being too greasy. To my disappointment, the pintos were really refried but nevertheless delicious.
Chita's rocks! I eat here almost once a week. They have one of the best salsa bars around with a selection 8 types of salsa. The chips are made on the spot and served hot out of the fryer. My favorite item on the menu is the chimichanga (always made to order) and the adobada beef is awesome! They are open late too.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
* First cpl times here I was unimpressed but its close to my office
* Last few times here its been great, the gal at the grill is friendly and she knows her stuff
* The Chimichanga and Chicken Burrito are really really good, their queso that they will drench on top is marginal, go without
* Fresh fried tortilla chips while you wait and fo free
* Their housemade salsa wont WOW! you but they are good, the Habanero Hot is the best one
Terrible, Terrible, Terrible.
I would like to enjoy this place but I can't. It's only a few blocks from my shack and it is open when I am drunk. So is Safeway.
Over priced and not very good. Both times I have eaten there I have felt ill afterwards.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (4)
Cool (1)
I am slowly working my way through the Chita's menu and love it. The fish tacos are fantastic and so are the chips. The service is very friendly, especially the Duena that seems to be the main one in charge. She remembers customers and their favorite dishes and will talk with you about how she fixes each dish.
I have fallen in love with Chita's, and not just because it's next door to Benny's. I dine in, and order to-go at this the little place too, too often. Their carne asada makes me drool. I frequently crave their carne asada Super burrito, and that delicious avocado salsa - thee best of that type IMO, in the area. Their habanero salsa is also delicious and meets my inner Scoville Scale nicely.
Chita's has strange hours. They were just one of the very few open on New Year's Day in midtown, yet they were closed on a recent Tuesday night.
I've always liked Chita's. But my love for them was sealed when I asked about the chips with my to-go order. . . . free chips, mind you. Who does that anymore?
A few chips thrown in my bag is much appreciated - and I didn't dirty up a table, so I should get some free chips (my lil' rant at other Mexican restaurants that want to charge $$$ for a scant amount of to-go chips but, are only free if I stay and dirty up a table).
Recently, since they had just opened that day, there weren't any chips made yet. Yes, I said "made". . . As in freshly fried! She asked if I had a minute and she would fry some up for me! Oh, I love you.
That is something that I've never, ever, hear uttered around here. Not only are the chips free with your to-go order . . They're usually damn hot, right outta the fryer.
They also offer a fairly large selection of breakfast items, a few vegetarian items, and a hamburger of some sort.
What a beautiful little section of Q street - with Benny's and Chita's arm in arm together. . . I want to be their little love-child. The Obama HQ is, so there ya go.
People thought this was:
Useful (6)
Funny (2)
Cool (5)
Ever want good mexican food for less than 6 bucks...this is your place. i have traveled the north american continent enough to tell you that mexican food on the eastern seaboard sucks...in DC i could not find Tapitio or Cholula suuce....anyways, back to Chitas....good food, great service, great location....oh, try a mexican coca cola COKE...they are smoother and have more flavor than US formula....try it. Go there hungry because they are generous with the servings. Okay Panzons!!!
love this place!!! Thank you Chitas!!!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Chita's is not great. It is also not a "grill," as someone else pointed out. It is a perfectly adequate taqueria, and that is all. It reminds me of one the thousands of non-descript taco shacks in and around LA that have the big, friendly "B" in the window. It says "yeah, County Health found some sh*t. But the tacos are cheap. Shut up."
Tacos are okay, burritos get boring about halfway through. The salsa is - again - adequate. There is no ambience to speak of, but there isn't supposed to be.
Keep in mind, everything on the menu will taste a lot better if you are one of the many who stop by on the way home from Benny's or some other drink-to-get-drunk bar. If you are not one of those people, you might want to try somewhere else.
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
A prime example of a insignifigant little shithole that provides an above average product. actually ,all things considered, I like this place better than Ernestos/Zocolos. true enough that the place is, in fact, a shithole(meaning no plasmas and the dining areas bout the size of my bedroom) But damn this place got a tasty ass super burrito. I had the chicken, thank you, and the shyt was nice. Did'nt fall apart or anything when I Commenced to scarfing. That is a rarity in most "fast" mexican places these days. Also, give it an extra star for being next door to bennys (that place ain't EVER gonna be able to shake that handle) All in All a solid place to eat when in midtown. The only bullshit is they close @2AM. kinda shyt is that. they must know thats when most ppl, wanna eat after they can't drink anymore. WTF?
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
The food is only average. I wish them the best.
4 stars? Really, 4 stars, but with qualifiers. (1) I've never actually sat down to eat, so I cannot intelligently analyze the ambiance, table service, or overall dining experience, and (2) Both times I have consumed Chita's luscious tacos, the condition my condition was in didn't resemble that of normal, sober, ambulatory human beings, so I could've easily missed something.
Here is what I do know: Chita's makes good tacos. My first trip to Chita's followed an evening out with friends and a few adult beverages that ended next door at Benny's. After that experience, I called on Chita's to make 35 tacos for an elegant soiree that I hosted at my grandiose estate. Safe to say they were prepared on time, with sufficient variety and taste that pleased even the most haughty of my compatriots. The staff are dilligent, hard working, and friendly. The younger woman working there was cute, too.
In the highly competitive market for downtrown drunken eats, I would recommend Chita's just after Ink and Tapa, but higher if you haven't the time, willpower, balance, or behavioural disposition to manage a sit-down situation while the evening's libations gurgle in your guttywuts. Although I have not yet written my review of Pieces, I will counsel you against that unless you enjoy punishing yourself for your sins. On the taco scale, I would put them only behind Zocalo's tacos cazuela, roughly equal to Vallejo's, and above Emma's and Chipotle. However, the savvy taco investor on-the-go will appreciate the late hours and timely preparation. Only Chipotle is faster, but getting Tacod up at Chita's instead carries the additional benefit of shopping small and local.
My four star rating is mostly attibutable to the limits imposed by the Yelp rating system. I cannot honestly say Chita's competes with a four star sit down place. If Yelp had half-stars, or a separate rating system strictly for drunken eats, then I could be of more service to my fellow peeps.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (4)
Cool (4)
I'm bestowing 4 stars on Chita's for the tacos, as they're the best I've had so far round these parts. I always get a one item combo plate with the 2 baby tacos - usually 1 carnitas and 1 adobada (I think this is what the other reviewer mistook for adobo). Generous helpings of beans and rice are included. Some of the other menu choices can get pretty pricey, but my combo plate comes to $4.30 after tax. The only drawback is that it's so close to my house, and the late hours are so convenient that I fear I will get fat and broke from eating here everyday.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
This family-owned joint is located across the street from the Sacramento Bee building. Though it is small in space, this newly opened grill is big in choices. Their popular Fish Tacos are very delicious and well seasoned. Out of their "Traditional" choices, I love their Sope- deep fried corn masa filled with your choice of meat. And if you're really feeling hungry, their burritos are the way to go- they are generous in portions. Grab some Horchata or Tamarindo with your meal and you're set. I suggest checking out their Daily Specials as well. Chita's is expanding their menu (and hopefully their restaurant) in the near future... so stay tuned.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (2)
I am not quite sure why Chita's fashions itself a "Mexican Grill," save that this more distinguished appellation affords them the opportunity to charge "grill" prices for "taqueria" quality food. I don't mean to impugn Chita's motives or question her honesty, and certainly do not want to imply that I didn't enjoy my meal, because I did.
Yet, the prospect of a return trip to Chita's fails to excite, and I think that is partially because this new establishment has something of an identity crisis: it isn't quite a restaurant, but wants to be something more than a little taqueria. Everything about my experience here bespoke a certain bipolarity, a desire to be all things to all people. Maybe Chita's can negotiate this delicate balancing act, but I wonder if trying to stay in the in the middle of the road only makes you more likely to get run over.
Enough preliminaries. I ordered two tacos---one fish, the other carne asada---and a soda. The total came to $6. That's by no means unreasonable, but it isn't exactly cheap, either. The salsa bar is self-serve, but they bring you chips. The chips disappointed me (they were neither warm nor salted), and the salsa was of uneven quality: the pico was delicious (if a touch watery), but the spicier options were neither spicy nor enjoyable. The sodas are sold by the can--no free refills. Thank God. At this stage in human development, it seems clear that no one, to answer Jerry Seinfeld's question, really "needs that much Mountain Dew." I still wonder sometimes: what IS the deal with the big gulp?
The tacos were quite good. The carne asada was tender, and came topped with onions and fresh cilantro. I added a bit of pico and was off to the races. It was smallish for the price, though. The fish taco was also very good (I requested it without tartar sauce): the fish came grilled and very nicely seasoned, but I had to request lime. Again, I had hoped to pay a bit less (almost $3), but I guess that's true of everything I've ever purchased.
Having said all this, I doubt I'll be returning. Chita's certainly surpasses Taco Loco and the other hybrid taquerias in the grid, but the opportunity cost of going back is too high. If you want the same food for less money, go to Angel's. If you want considerably better food for only marginally more money, go to Tres Hermanas.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Nice little taqueria joint. Service is always friendly. The dining area is really small but the decor has a homey feel to it, however it can be really noisy since the kitchen and dining area is one open space. I've only a few things on the menu and tend to cycle through them on a regular basis.
- Bean burrito. Chita's makes some muy delicioso frijoles. Soooo smooth and creamy you'd swear there was lard in it, but there isn't. They're 100% veg. Bean burritos comes with a nice vein of melted cheese and onions if you ask for them.
- Adobada burrito. The adobada is a stewed beef and it's tasty!
-Adobada soft tacos.
-Carnitas flautas. They're like little mini fried carnitas burritos. Served on a bed of lettuce with pico de gallo, sour cream, and guac.
They give you a basket of chips with your order and if you're lucky they'll be the ones fresh out of the fryer. If you are so lucky, be careful those lovelies are napalm hot! There's also a self-serve salsa bar. The salsa is less than stellar. I hold to a belief that salsa should not be whipped to frothiness inside a blender. That's just wrong.
Overall a decent lunch place near work and it delivered us from the evilness of the wretched company caf, however I wouldn't drive out of my way to eat here since the food is just average and a little pricier than my usual taquerias. That's one of my few issues with this place is that some of their stuff seems awfully expensive for what it is such as the breafast offerings for $6-7, maybe that's why I don't veer from my usuals.
i like chita's, but i wish they were a bit faster around lunch time. i work only 2 blocks away, but i rarely go there, as i usually have to eat my food in 5 minutes so that i can walk back to work without being late. also, i ordered the supernachos (which are delicious by the way) with no sour cream, and it was covered in sour cream. as i was on a short lunch break, i did not have time for them to remake it, so i did my best to eat around the sour cream. i love the flour tortilla chicken tacos, and the enchiladas are pretty simple but good. also, they are open late which is great if you are not so into hot dog carts after a night at the bars.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
As a disclaimer, I should note that Chita's only opened for business yesterday, but when you open the door you should be ready to go. Chita's has opened in the old Fog Mountain Candy building, which significantly limits the number of tables they can fit around the kitchen. A sign outside indicates that they are offering a limited menu for the first week, which consists of soft tacos, burritos, nachos, and a taco salad. Meats include beef, chicken, carnitas, and adobo, which is not something I am used to finding in a Mexican restaurant. Upon entering I was greeted but left unsure as to whether I should sit or wait to be seated. Since no one offered, I found a table and slid into a black plastic patio chair near the door. I recommend sitting as far away from the door as possible, since the air conditioner blows furiously, making reading a magazine or paper virtually impossible and stealing the napkin off of your lap. I received a condensed menu quickly and placed my order. My drink arrived but alas, no chips accompanied it. I then asked for and received a basket of cold, yet crunchy chips and directions to the salsa bar. The salsa bar contained four salsas, lime wedges, and some red cabbage bits (fish tacos in their future?). While somewhat flavorful, none of the salsas were what I would consider hot. When my carnitas burrito arrived, it was hot and generously filled. Unfortunately, the generous filling had very little taste, either from the beans, the rice, or the virtually flavorless carnitas. Generous dollops of the most promising salsa helped, but the burrito paled in comparison to other carnitas creations I have enjoyed before. One hopes that more spice will find its way to their menu soon. Once their complete menu is in place I will make another visit and update this review.
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Top Restaurants
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Hot and New
- La Bonne Soupe Cafe
128 reviews
Sacramento, CA
- Sargent's House of Coffee
8 reviews
Sacramento, CA
- Restaurant 55 Degrees
31 reviews
Sacramento, CA
- Masullo Pizza
8 reviews
Sacramento, CA
- Moxie Restaurant
23 reviews
Sacramento, CA