Villalpandos Mexican Restaurant

I had talked to the owner of this restaurant a few weeks ago, as he is looking to open an additional location, and ever since then, Kirsch and I have been trying to make it down there for lunch to try it out. We just never seemed to be heading out to Chandler over the past couple of weeks, but yesterday we decided we were in need of a little adventure, so off to Chandler we went! Now, I had looked up this restaurant on one of my favorite websites (www.yelp.com), it had a picture of the map showing where it was located, so we headed in that direction. Well, when we arrived at Chandler Blvd. & Gilbert Rd., like the little yelp map had directed, the restaurant was no where to be found. Luckily, Kirsch looked up the phone number and called the restaurant to find out where they were located....the answer....I-10 & Chandler Blvd., about 10 miles away from where we were!! We were very hungry at this point, but were determined not to abort the mission, so we headed West (this time putting the address into the GPS and letting Debbie guide us!).

It turns out the restaurant literally sits just a few feet away from the entrance to I-10 on the East side. We walked in and were seated immediately. My first impression of the place was that it was very big....I am not sure what it used to be in its previous life, but this was a very large restaurant. There were booths lining the outside walls, and lots of tables scattered with a few fake palm trees thrown in for effect! Out came the best part about going for Mexican food, the instant gratification of chips and salsa! Like Kirsch and I always do, we salted our chips and dug in. The chips were light and crispy, and the salsa was very fresh. It was a chunky kind of salsa, with wonderful flavor. When the waiter came to take our drink order, Kirsch asked if they had salsa that was hotter. The waiter smiled and said he would be right back. He brought out a plate that had two small dishes, one filled with the hot salsa, and another with a bean dip. Kirsch was very happy with the hot salsa, I tried a bite, and it was too hot for me, but she was lapping it up. I went in for the bean dip, and was a bit disappointed, it didn't have much flavor. So I tried mixing it with the regular salsa, and it made it much better.

One of the first things that both Kirsch and I noticed when looking at the menu was how cheap everthing was! It wasn't just the lunch menu that had great prices, but the dinner menu as well. I eat at a lot of Mexican restaurants, and I think this is the best priced one that I have been to that is full-service with waiters. There were so many options to choose from, I couldn't decide if I wanted to get something basic, or try some of the unique seafood dishes that they had to offer (like a whole fried Red Snapper!). In the end, we both ended up sticking to some basics.

Kirsch was in a cheesy mood (which is frequent since she is from Wisconsin) and decided to go with a cheese crisp with green chilies on it. This item was on the appetizer menu and you never quite know what to expect size wise from a cheese crisp. I was a bit surprised when it came out, most places serve them on large pizza pans, but this came out on a normal sized plate. It had a thick layer of cheddar cheese and was covered with diced green chilies. Being the spicey queen that she is, Kirsch dumped some of the hot salsa on it immeditely. She thought this was very good, and from where I was sitting, it looked good. I hate when I get a cheese crisp that is A) not crispy and B) not cheesy. This particular cheese crisp was able to stay firm even under the weight of all that cheese. Kirsch really liked it which was evidenced by the empty plate at the end of our meal.

I was really leaning towards getting the classic cheese enchilada and beef taco combo, but opted to go out of the box (well, just a little). I went with what was called the Mexican Burrito. It was a shredded beef (I love my meat) burrito enchilada style, then with a layer of their queso and topped with sour cream and guacamole. As usual, I opted for all beans and no rice on the side! The plate came out and I was immediatly grinning from ear to ear when I saw the amount of beans on the plate. Some restaurants really skimp on the beans even when you say no rice, but not here! I tried the beans and they were quite good, I wasn't sure what to expect after the blah bean dip, but these were much more flavorful. Next I tried to find my burrito on the plate....it was hidden beneath lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole! I took a bite and was very pleased, the beef was very good, but the flavor combination when mixed with the different sauces and toppings was wonderful. I was really enjoyed this version of a burrito, it was unique and delicious all at the same time.

Kirsch and I went up to pay our bill and were shocked....the grand total for our meal....$12.70!!! What a steal we had gotten...the food was good, the service was very attentive, the restaurant was clean....it was a very nice lunch experience.

There are other items on the menu that I would like to try, especially at their prices, so I would eat at Villalpando's again if I was out in the area. We did end up getting to talk in person with the owner afterward's, so not only did we have lunch, but we got some business done as well....which made it a very worthwhile field trip!

Villalpando's Mexican Restaurant
7450 W. Chandler Blvd.

Chandler, AZ 85224