Los Chilitos on 17th Ave SW es Muey Bueno

Los Chilitos on 17th is Great

Tonight’s dining out plans were a mess and eventually got derailed, so completely by accident we ended up trying out Chilitos on 17th Ave SW. Our unintentional visit turned out to be a blessing as we enjoyed one of the best Calgary restaurants we have yet to visit. Here’s how the night unfolded…

We were out of the house running errands and from the distance could see the Calgary tower all lit up downtown, which inspired us to take a detour and travel down Centre street to look at the lights and enjoy the view. While driving through downtown we noticed that the pubs on Stephen Ave were looking lively and there was a reasonable number of pedestrians, so we thought we would park and go walk 8th Ave until we found a Calgary patio restaurant that looked inviting.

Downtown Calgary Is a shit show. There’s hardly a single block that doesn’t have lanes closed, sidewalks closed, parking obstructed, it’s pure chaos. We circled the area 3 times looking for some street parking, we watched the city transit almost crush 2 cars and we witnessed multiple taxi cabs take whatever shortcut they could to cut across lanes and up alleys. It was ridiculous. To make it worse, there were frequent random meth zombies wandering across the streets regardless of traffic or whether they were at an intersection. 15 minutes of that zoo was enough, we won’t bother trying to go back anytime soon.

Our journey to escape downtown took us south to the beltline neighborhood eventually end up on the nightlife center of bars on 17th Ave SW as a suitable second choice. We quickly pulled up along the curb and were right out in front of this busy little cantina called Los Chilitos. The outdoor ground level picnic tables were all empty but the upper patio level appeared to be completely full and there was only a couple empty chairs on the cozy inside of the trendy restaurant. We walked in and were seated immediately, the vibe of the place was decent and the crowd all seemed to be enjoying it.

The menu at Los Chilitos was authentically Mexican food and the Spanish speaking staff I assume was all family members. While not in specific uniforms, the ladies working the restaurant were all dressed in identical outfits which oddly enough I found to be a nice touch. They were very attentive and service proved to be excellent all evening.

Tequila!

The drink menu features a lot of Mexican beverage specialties. There was traditional Mexican brand beer available, tequila cocktails, wine and of course a variety of margaritas. The fishbowl size with 3oz of elixir in it were on special, so that was a sign. Cool to note that for the non-alcohol drinkers they also offer Mexican Coca-cola which is sweetened with cane sugar, it reminds you what Coke tasted like when you were a kid.

For our meal we had too many good items to choose from on the Los Chilitos menu. I decided I had to have the Enchiladas Barbacoa and my partner had the old reliable Nachos, both sticking to the theme of the restaurant and generally being big fans of most Mexican dishes we have ever tried (excluding anything that swims…) here in Calgary.

The enchiladas were good. The shells tasted home made, there was lots of slow cooked pulled beef inside, and the cheese on top was not cheap bulk crap cheese. The light amount of green sauce had a kick to it, the rice and refried beans helped to temper it. Portion size was good for the $18 it cost on the menu. It was all I could to eat it all, party due to the fact that I did steal a few of the cheesiest nachos from across the table. Shhhhh.

Total Bill for the night was something like 70 bucks, which with the booze was to be expected. The liquor was good and the food quality was top notch, it was clear that they were using homemade and higher quality ingredients throughout. Not everyone would notice this, but it made a big difference in the quality and authenticity of the food. The atmosphere was cozy and active, even though it was crowded it wasn’t terrible. The ladies serving were excellent, always on top of things and very pleasant. They looked fantastic and the outfits topped it off. I’m trying to think of something to say that would be more neutral or negative just so my review doesn’t sound over the top good, but honestly there wasn’t a single bad thing I can think to say about the dining experience at Los Chilitos. We will definitely be back to eat and drink there again, next time with some amigos por favor.

~ King Calgary