Chiladas, a family owned company, officially opens its second location today on Lovers Ln. The first is located in Plano at 6145 Windhaven Pkwy.
Owners Night Keyes (with Williamson Family Investments) and Katie Day greeted customers and media members at a preview yesterday, and encouraged them to try everything on the menu as they stepped up to the counter to order. I was invited as a guest.
Keyes and Day said they chose this location in order to appeal to the surrounding neighborhood. Located right off the Dallas North Tollway, the colorful and inviting patio is sure to draw in customers from the high traffic area.
“All of our concepts so far have patios, and we offer happy hours and we have a great kids’ menu,” Day said. “We’re a lot about the community and bringing people together. We want to be a place that people can come together.”
Williamson Family Investments, which also owns the regional chain TaMolly’s, has been in the Mexican food business since the 80s and has stayed true to the method of always cooking from scratch. The fast-casual concept of Chiladas was developed in order to continue serving the freshest ingredients, but in a smaller and more accessible environment.
Chiladas prides itself on knowing the source of the produce and has developed a menu, with the help of Chef Chris King, to offer guests thought-out dishes with complementary pairings.
“We chop all our own vegetables and we take our own flank steak, trim it, and marinate it in house,” Keyes said. “We are very proud of our menu.”
Compared to places like Chipotle, Chiladas provides each guest with chef-prepared dishes instead of the experience of walking down the line to pick and choose the meal. It might not sound as fast-casual as Chipotle, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quick and friendly service. I’m a big fan of Chipotle’s chips and guacamole, but Chiladas’ loaded guacamole with bacon was definitely the highlight of my experience.
Although the restaurant is modern and taqueria-style compared to the traditional chain TaMolly’s, Chiladas’ menu doesn’t fail to include authentic, hand-rolled enchiladas. Choose three of the four options: brisket, carnitas, chicken, or cheese for $7.75.
Sauces and salad dressings are homemade from scratch including an avocado buttermilk ranch and toasted cumin and cilantro vinaigrette. Chiladas also offers delivery services to surrounding areas and a catering menu.
Marley Dablo is the culinary intern at D Magazine. She will be an online journalism senior at the University of Oklahoma this coming fall. She plans to attend culinary school upon graduation in hopes of combining her writing and kitchen skills to ultimately have her own cooking show one day.
