Chubby's Tacos Raleigh — Restaurant in Raleigh

I've waited to write this review. My wife and I used to frequent this location(at least once a week) for the past two years. About three months ago something changed. The food has severely lacked quality control. The first bad experience we wrote off as them having an off day because every other visit has been great. My wife and I both work in hospitality and I actually manage a restaurant in downtown Raleigh. I totally understand having off days.

That being said, the second visit we had a few weeks later was worse. Served under cooked chips, my wife's nachos came out with no cheese on them. After waiting about 15-20 mins for the food. The manager came out to tell us they where out of the chilie relleno tacos(only thing I ordered). At that point I was pretty turned off to the whole experience and just got my money back. The manager made a comment at this point saying "sorry we are training an entire new kitchen today". I get that I've been there, but if that is true, why are you not back there making sure the food is going out properly? She was just standing behind the counter the whole time talking to the FOH staff.

The last time was the final straw, as we where waiting to place our order. The manager(same one as before) and a FOH employee where talking about some guests and how bad they where for pushing some tables together for their families and how it was creating a fire hazard (it wasn't). I understand having challenging guests to deal with, but to bad mouth them in front of other guests is crazy and unprofessional. On top of that the food was just as bad as before. My quesadilla was soggy, my wife's nachos where missing the cheese again. She pointed this out to the server who took them back and just poured the hot queso all over the lettuce and toppings rather then making a new batch. And my chilie relleno taco came out with no meat. I was honestly so flabbergasted by the whole experience we just left without finishing anything.

I understand something must have happened and you had to hire a whole new staff. But the old staff was honestly 100% better then the new one. I get they are trying and its hard starting from scratch. I just feel the current management you have at this location is lacking and not the right fit.

I hope one day I can return but at this point I'd rather drive 40mins to the other locations. I've thought about going back multiple times because how good it used to be. I'm just expecting to be disappointed at the point.

Side note: There have been a ton of bad reviews recently and I also think it's strange the ones the owner decides to respond to and the ones they do not...

I see a lot of recent reviews lamenting how this place has changed. And I have to agree. I used to live close to here so I would go all the time, and I pretty much always got the same tofu & grilled veggies burrito since I don’t eat meat. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten that burrito and enjoyed it.

I’ve noticed a drop-off in quality for a while the last few times I went: size of the burrito got smaller, tortilla wasn’t as good, chips weren’t as good, salsas were more watery and had a bitter aftertaste…. Also there were many long-serving regular staff members who I knew and recognized, and who recognized me and seemed to care; but they are all long gone.

Still, I kept giving them more chances whenever I would happen to be hungry and in the area. I can tell the owners have put a lot of work into decorating the interior and making the bar a thing, so I keep hoping they’ll come back around to taking some pride in the food again like they’ve been taking pride in the appearance.

But this last visit was the last straw. The tortilla tasted exactly like the cheapest store-bought tortillas you can get; the rice was dry and flavorless; and the burrito was filled with more rice than anything else. And the price had gone up! I used to pay less than $9 (before tip) for a massive delicious burrito, but now it’s more like $12.50 for a cheap tortilla and cheap rice and a small dollop of beans and maybe six chunks of unseasoned tofu.

I couldn’t finish it, so I sat there for a while at the table being sad and pushed it away. The manager walked by me multiple times and never asked me how my meal was, despite the fact that there was a less-than-half-eaten burrito sitting on the tray untouched for some time. She was wearing an earbud in one ear so she clearly had her mind somewhere else.

I am actually in hospitality myself, and I can’t imagine wearing earbuds on the floor, or not at least stopping to ask how the meal was—much less when the customer had clearly stopped eating it. Managers here used to always ask how you were doing!

Eventually I had to get up and just tell her how bad it was. She offered to refund my money, which I gladly took. Don’t think I’ll ever be back. I was gonna just write an email to their corporate office about my experience, but I searched all over and couldn’t find any contact info on their website or anywhere else online. So they can see it in a Google review, I guess.

If y’all are trying to do the big growing corporate chain/franchise thing now, it’s gonna fail miserably if your food is...

Oh no no no no, this is not food. It is my displeasure to assure you that the food I had been served had no resemblance to Mexican food, nor any food for that matter.

Here are the following things that I found: -Lack of flavor across the board in every aspect of the dish -Dry fish that was layered with a rancid odor -Portion sizes were incomprehensible with price -Burritos were practically empty, save for the stinky fish inside and salt-less refried beans -Teenagers in the kitchen and behind the counter were incapable of taking an order already on the menu, as well as serving correct orders

The biggest disappointment in the grand scheme of things was that, not only was the food flavorless and simply bad, the price was much higher than other places of the same caliber. Paying $28 for two child-sized burritos filled with air and rancid fish, with a side of 3 tortilla chips and a tablespoon of guacamole is absolutely unforgivable. Not only that, but the service itself was bad as well; the teenagers serving and cooking couldn't get the orders down nor serve them correctly.

Furthermore, the fish that we had was foul-smelling and simply dry. Whether this fish was sitting in the freezer for three decades, or simply a cheap cut from the dollar store, that doesn’t matter at this point; the point is that the fish was terrible, and had no business being on any plate, let alone something you dared to call a burrito. The dry rice inside was meant to be Mexican rice, and I can assure you that it was nothing of the sort. With a slight red tinge, it could have been colored with blood for all I knew; it, too, was flavorless. The chips and guac on the side were an additional cost of $4, and I needed a microscope to find them on the table; I was served three tortilla chips with a dollop of something resembling guacamole. The most incredible part of the meal was that you somehow managed to become the first establishment to make refried beans bland; it is a true accomplishment of yours, the only one that I found.

I am amazed this place still exists, let alone has more than one location. Please, if you enjoy food of any kind, don't go here unless you like throwing money down the...