Chilitos Taberna — Restaurant in Calgary

My boyfriend and I have been wanting to try Los Chilitos for a while now and got a chance to sit on the patio yesterday! It was packed when we got there and very understaffed. The servers were seating and cleaning off all the tables. They should definitely hire a host or busser. The server we had was nice but completely overwhelmed. We ordered our food and drinks together and waited about 30 minutes. The food came before the drinks which was frustrating. We ordered Flautas de Papa to start, it was burnt and tasteless. We also ordered the $17 dollar plate of quesadillas to share. We assumed that the plate would be a decent size because of the higher price. Sadly there were 3 small pieces of quesadilla, 6 tortilla ships and some salsa/ guacamole in little shot glass sized cups. It was a smaller plate than even the first appetizer we got (which was $10 dollars). I asked the server if there was anything missing from the plate because we honestly weren't sure, she said she didn't think so. She also said we should have told her something was wrong before we started so she could take it back (making it seem like it was some how our fault). Finally our drinks came out 40 minutes after we ordered them. We got a Margarita jug to share. More than half the jug was filled with ice. For $32 dollars we had a jug of ice with some diluted margarita mix. This was one of the worst experiences I have had in Calgary. Overall we paid $76 dollars for a burnt plate of Flautas de Papa, laughable portion of quesadillas, a jug of ice and the slowest service in the world. Restaurants can definitely have off days but from what we heard around us we weren't the only ones...

Ok. So there's nothing like showing up to a place with your hungry family to be told that they don't let minors in after 9:00.

But Los Chilitos does have great food & did redeem themselves regarding this experience in the end. And I also learned that the AGLC forces certain liquor licenses on restaurants based on how the establishment is accessed. Who knew?

UPDATE:

OK. Now fast forward a couple years and it’s back to the original BS.

I called in prior to 7 PM to check on availability. I was told there was availability but it was a bit of a wait. I was then asked if there was a minor in the group. I said yes. I was then told I would not be able to get in tonight. Which was confusing; based on the time of day.

I happen to be nearby so I physically went to the restaurant to see if I could do a walk in. Keep in mind this is just after 7 PM. Initially I was told there would be room and I would just have to wait, but then upon seeing my son they told me we wouldn’t be able to get in tonight. Even though it was hours prior to the 9 PM cut off.

Where applicable the AGLC law is no minors allowed in “after” 9 PM. So as long as they’re through the door prior to 9 PM all is good. You don’t kick out all the minors at 9 PM. Or try and time it so they all finish eating and pay the bill before 9. Obviously. This is common knowledge.

But not here. Apparently…

Definitely not a family friendly restaurant in my experience.

I’m not supporting this business anymore. It’s a waste of my time. Literally. There are also a lot of other great restaurants around too, more & more...

I don’t like giving negative reviews but this place needs some constructive criticism. My husband and I were really hungry and we chose to go for dinner. The environment was nice because we sat on the patio and it was a nice evening. I had no problem with the plastic colourful chairs because they were comfortable and just suited the environment.

The food was edible but desperately lacking in flavour. We ate everything because we were super hungry but it wasn’t tasty. We ordered the Mexican fries to start and they were underwhelming. They seemed to be frozen fries from a bag that were deep fried with some ketchup, sour cream, and a very tiny bit of nacho cheese sauce drizzled over them. They would be so much better if they were fresh with some Mexican seasoning on them.

I ordered the beef enchiladas and the red sauce was watery with very little flavour or heat. The beef was tender but It had no taste. It desperately needed some spices or a marinade. The rice tasted good but it was the tiniest little portion. The refried beans were fine.

I ordered a virgin lime Margarita and it had a very strange taste to it. Kind of a floral perfume taste.

My husband had been there before a few times and liked it but he was also very disappointed. He thinks the menu changed because it’s not how he remembered it.

Hopefully my feedback doesn’t offend. I hope it can help make it better. The food just needs a lot...