The winter sets some people into hibernation. There's a great reluctance to venture out and face the cold. Rich, warm foods are consumed with fervour and waistlines inch outward little by little. One type of such comfort food is Mexican cuisine and Cha Chi's Mexican Cantina in Glenunga has this in spades. Especially on Monday and Tuesday nights when their fare is all you can eat. On Thursdays, it's half price nachos.
The décor is a little tacky, which would actually be disappointing if it wasn't. And there's some confusion between Mexican and Spanish. After crossing the little bridge that goes over the cacti garden, you can have your photo taken in either of the comic foregrounds; one being a mariachi duet, the other a matador with a flamenco dancer. Matadors fighting bulls further featured on the walls.
There was some bewilderment for me when I walked in because I didn't immediately see any wait staff. However, I did notice a middle-aged man wearing a sombrero and a serape and started to wonder whether he worked there. No, he was mucking around with the costumes available for a bit of fun whilst waiting for your food.
Sombreros and serapes for dress-ups
Then there was a surprise. The staff all seemed to be from the Indian Subcontinent. Though that does not matter because when eating the food you wouldn't notice. After ordering a Guava Jarritos (because Mexican soft drinks are a must when eating Mexican food), I headed up for my first serve of all you can eat (which is not self-serve). I walked away with a beef taco and there was great speed in chowing it down. I chased this with a delicious chicken burrito. The burrito, although put together by one of the staff, was loaded and a good rest was required before I went up for my third serve, tacos. The salsa on the tacos was tasty. For those of you who were born with that coriander-hating gene, you won't like it. Sorry, not sorry. It turns out that the burrito had done me in. I was too full to finish my nachos and I was disappointed that this was so.
For $19.90, the all you can eat option was worth it. There still remains the option of eating off the menu on all you can eat nights and the fare isn't limited to Mexican, there are a few non-Mexican options on the back of the menu also. Vegetarians are catered for, however, vegans might struggle to find something appropriate to their diet choice. The place is definitely family friendly and there's space for larger groups too. For a nice dinner treat, Cha Chi's Mexican Cantina is worth the visit.
