Chilango's Mexican Restaurant

42 Nichols Street, Spencerport
Visited Jan. 5, 2011
Written by Tyler



Authentic Mexican cuisine is difficult to come by in the Rochester area, especially on the west side.

Spencerport probably isn’t the first place you would expect to offer it; nonetheless, Chilango’s Mexican Restaurant sits back from the road in a plaza near the corner of routes 31 and 259 in the village.

My family members aren’t exactly Mexican-food fiends, but my parents had dined at the restaurant shortly before our visit and both raved about it, prompting a return trip which I partook in.


My mom, grandma and I met a few other relatives, who also recently visited Chilango’s and lauded it, for a mid-week dinner in early January.

The exterior of the restaurant appears far from Mexican, but the interior compensates with an abundance of Mexican décor.


The extensive menu took a while for us all to mull over, but our waiter was very personable and gladly gave us all the time we needed – while serving us an appetizer of chips and salsa. I couldn’t put down the warm, fresh chips – which had a perfect hint of saltiness – but the salsa was cold and too thin and runny for my liking. The guacamole was a hit among the others at the table, though.

I have no idea exactly what my table mates drank, but I can say they were enjoying themselves… whatever that’s worth.

It was difficult to keep track of what everyone ordered, with all the authentically named Mexican food on the menu. Whether it’s quesadillas, fajitas, enchiladas, tacos or whatever else I haven’t named, Chilango’s seems to have it all. You can pretty much get whatever combination of cheese, beans, rice, pork, chicken, steak, fish and several sauces you feel like, on the carb-loaded medium of your choice.

For me it was grilled chicken with refried beans, rice and lettuce with some warm tortillas on the side. I basically mixed everything up like a garbage plate and wolfed it down. The grilled chicken was very good; albeit different from that of other restaurants, in that it was pressed out relatively thin and flat. But it was well seasoned and tasty, and everything mixed together nicely.

The prices are a little high – my meal cost $12.50, and most entrees are priced around there – but the portions are large, the service is reasonable, and the food is tasty and relatively difficult to find around these parts.

I haven’t been to any authentic Mexican restaurants before, so I have nothing to compare it to, but there were no complaints from anyone I was with. Chilango’s seems like the place to go for Mexican on the west side.

Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: Very friendly and helpful staff. It can be a bit of a wait, relatively speaking, but it’s a great place for conversation around some Mexican appetizers, and it’s as authentic as you would expect – assuming you didn’t just hop off a plane from Cancun.

Food: So many choices, so many wonderful combinations of foods I love. For those of you in my age demographic, think of it as Taco Bell on steroids… except real.
Value: Pricey, but the portions are filling.

Overall: Not exactly the place to go if you’re on a budget or looking for a quick fix, but if you have the opportunity to gather with a group of people for a nice Mexican meal, this is the place to go on the west side.

Grade: B