Chuy's Brings Tex-Mex From Austin to Westminster

Homesick Texans will soon have another option for finding a taste of the Lone Star State right here in Colorado. Chuy's, an Austin original, will soon open a branch at 6595 West 104th Avenue in Westminster. Chuy's was founded in 1982 and has since expanded to more than eighty locations in...

By Westword Staff

February 14, 2017

$The Elvis theme at Chuy's carries through to the fried chicken.$

The Elvis theme at Chuy's carries through to the fried chicken. Courtesy of Chuy's

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Homesick Texans will soon have another option for finding a taste of the Lone Star State right here in Colorado. Chuy's, an Austin original, will open a branch at 6595 West 104th Avenue in Westminster.

Chuy's was founded in 1982 and has since expanded to more than eighty locations in sixteen states, with several more stores in the works. The Westminster Chuy's will be the first in Colorado when it opens this June; it will be located in a new building in the Westminster Promenade shopping center. A second Colorado Chuy's is also planned for Belmar.

Local Chuy's owner/operator Steve Treacy explains what makes his restaurant's brand of Tex-Mex different from the Mexican food most Denverites are used to: "It's where our recipes come from in the border towns of Texas and Mexico — family recipes from small towns."

Those recipes have been modernized with twists that reflect the kitschy aesthetic of Chuy's. The original Austin Chuy's has displayed a black-velvet Elvis Presley painting in its dining room since the day it opened, and customers eventually turned the display into a shrine. Now every Chuy's has an Elvis shrine, and certain menu items — like the Elvis fried chicken, made with a potato-chip crust — pay homage to the King.

Treacy notes that the Texas-style green chile is pork-free. It's one of eight sauces to choose from at Chuy's; others include traditional tomatillo and ranchero styles, as well as creamy jalapeño and queso-style Boom-Boom sauce.

Chuy's will be open daily for lunch and dinner, with happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays.

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