La Chimichanga Cantina — Restaurant in Scotts Valley

Our visit to La Chimichanga Cantina, nestled in the northern part of Santa Cruz, was unfortunately met with mixed feelings. As a group of seven, we appreciated the welcoming ambiance of the restaurant. It was just a short walk from the Hilton we were staying at and seating was spacious whether inside or at their patio. However, our dining experience was hindered by several issues. Three individuals in our party received incorrect food orders, resulting in prolonged wait times for the remakes of their meals. Additionally, some of the salsa offerings fell short in terms of flavor... the orange salsa (perhaps habanero?) had an unusual fishy taste which worried me. Glancing over at their workspace, it was evident that the restaurant was understaffed, likely contributing to the confusion with our orders.

Despite these setbacks, the cozy atmosphere of this restaurant with cultural art surrounding the walls provided a pleasant backdrop for our gathering and staff were very kind and welcoming, just overwhelmed. Additionally, the small parking lot could pose a challenge during peak hours due to its size. I couldn't imagine how staff could juggle a full restaurant which would inevitably cause further congestion for customers and waitstaff in ordering and meal preparation. It's definitely worth a try to judge for yourself, but I wouldn't recommend visiting during...

It wasn’t clear in Google Maps that this is actually just a fast food restaurant, not a sit-down family restaurant. We walked in expecting to be seated and stood there for a while watching one employee eating while staring at her phone. After a while we interrupted her to ask if we seat ourselves. She stood up and got behind the register without saying a word, implying we were to order and seat ourselves I guess? I ordered shrimp tacos assuming they would be grilled shrimp tacos . The shrimp was boiled with no flavor and the toppings were largely chopped lettuce and tomato, truly bizarre. I’ve never had such a terrible taco- bland, no flavor, and boiled meat. Still cringing thinking about it today. The chicken tacos that were on the taco Tuesday special at $2.50each were actually pretty good and had normal toppings of onion & cilantro. Regardless, we would not recommend this place to anyone. I’d go to Taco Bell before returning here. (& I don’t...

Summary: La Chimichanga has the same awesome vegan menu with lots of options. The best bit is their next level jalapeños / salsa at salsa bar. Best in town i claim!!

Ok so, Question: What could be better than an entire vegan menu in a tex-mex restaurant?

Answer: A vegan menu with faux meat proteins.

La Chimichanga is one of the few good ones who understands the vegan clientele. We really appreciate you! :-)

also, they have weekday offering of happy hour from 2 to 6 PM which I believe is like one dollar off drinks

surface is usually pretty fast although it’s usually just one person who is also dealing with drive-through. The lady, I talk to has been working here three years and had worked here when it went under other names such as “habaneros” and “salsas”!!

Ambiance: mexican music with lots of frickin accordians.

They are pet friendly and have a nice patio outback that is fenced in where you could bring your yapping little...