Chili Willie’s Mexican Restaurant
“I ordered the Chili Willie burrito, and my son ordered the cowboy burrito (only real difference is mine came with rice, beans, and pico salad.”
“We ordered a pitcher of margaritas (byob- we brought tequila) It was tart and fresh and not overly sweet.”
“Small place and a little cramped, and the parking is a challenge.”
Chili Willie’s Mexican Restaurant
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I came knowing that this place is Tex-Mex. Yes, they are. Please don't think they'll be anything close to actual Mexican food. It's not a bad thing, it's just a proviso.
As for the overall experience, color me unimpressed. Like any Mexican or "Mexican" restaurant, you do get the chips and salsa in the beginning. Firstly, the salsa is the hottest thing you will get during the meal unless you specifically request a side of hot sauce – and it's really not that hot at all (but the spice-averse should avoid). Also, the salsa did not taste very much like most salsas, whether the typical sauce or the freshly made. I was not a big fan.
My friend and I both got a casserole-type dish, mine with chorizo and his with chorizo/shrimp, baked in cheese with the normal fixings (rice/beans, a few veggies). Nothing spectacular about the way anything tasted. The dishes came out so blindingly hot, we had to eat through our entire side dishes and STILL wait about 5-10 minutes before being able to eat the main dish. That definitely detracted from the experience. The chorizo was okay, though the portion was at least generous. We were both full, and based on the dinner, I didn't feel like adding a dessert. So I bid farewell to this Boonton experience, and I'd rather travel farther for something better if I have this particular hankering again.
GREAT hole-in-the-wall restaurant, lived in Boonton my entire life and took my girlfriend to dinner here and not only did she love it we came back three weeks in a row because their beef burritos are just phenomenal ! Very cute spot to take a significant other out on a date !
Yessssssss, so happy this place opened up. Great, homemade, authentic Mexican food that is absolutely delicious! (and yes I know it was definitely authentic because I was with my mom who lived in Mexico and she confirmed!) I got the monterey beef enchiladas and I was impressed. It came with rice, beans, some little tomato/onion/corn salad, big scoop of sour cream and hugeeee enchiladas. The portion was large and everything was so appetizing.
Another reason to love this place…its BYO. That just makes it all that more wonderful (at least to me). You get complimentaty salsa and chips when you sit down, my mom and I both liked the salsa…and they don't charge you to get more chips, like some other places do. We did order the guac which we thought was just alright, we squeezed some lime in it and added some salt and pepper to give it some needed flavor…but I think that's just a personal preference, it was definitely fresh and probably good enough for some people.
Only downfall here is there's no parking lot, so street parking it is, which can be tough. The place is also super tiny but we had no problem getting a table. This is a great spot!
Can someone explain why you have to pay at least $4 for tortilla chips when ordering take out, yet if you dine in there's no charge? As for the food I will say that take out is never fair to a restaurant as food should be consumed immediately. We went with the Supreme Chillie Willie Burrito which was filled with a good amount of meat and was nicely flavored. Be careful using styrofoam containers b/c the burrito is so hot that it actually burns the container.
We also had the steak fajitas, only two small tortillas were provided which I thought was a little weak. No sour cream, guacamole, or salsa was provided on the side which was disappointing. The sauce the steak is served in was really watery and tasted different.
I will try again but dine in person to see if there's a different.
Stopped by this restaurant while visiting some friends in Mountain Lakes. Found this gem on Yelp and decided to give it a try based on its reviews! I'm glad we did, food was really good. Decor was cute but was a very casual style restaurant. Portions were pretty large. I ordered the Rancheras enchilada (chicken) platter for about $14. The platter was a pretty generous portion, it was enough for 2 meals. We also ordered the homemade tamales which was filled with corn and chicken. They were really good and tasted like something out of mom's kitchen! I'm not Mexican but if I were, I imagine my mom's homemade tamales would taste like this! The husband ordered the beef tacos and thought they were good – not the best, but good. Friends ordered the taco salad and burrito supreme – both were very large portions with plenty leftovers to take home! I would have given 5 stars if the service wasn't lacking so much. It took us quite awhile to get our drinks and the server didn't bring us things we asked for. Overall food was great but service was just ok. Great casual meal with laid back crowd!
Recently stopped in for dinner with a friend and had a great experience.
This restaurant is small and fills up quickly on a Friday night, so get there early or be prepared to wait a few minutes. The menu is delicious, and since this restaurant is BYOB feel free to bring your own beverages. Prices are reasonable all around.
While that's all fine and dandy, let me tell you why I gave this review the unusual fourth star. The staff. On a busy night, they let us take our time and we never felt rushed. Want to finish that bottle of wine? Go for it. It made for a really great time catching up with an old friend, and helped us to be generous when tipping.
Definitely give it a try if you haven't been before.
Yesterday was my first time ordering food from Willies I tired a chicken tamale and the shrimp chimichanga. The food was AMAZING. It's rare that I find great Mexican food on the east coast. And to find it in small Boonton? Blew my mind.
Definitely recommend!
Totally trying more food from Willies soon!
10 years. My wife and I have wanted to try Chili Willie's for ten years…since the first time we heard someone rave about it. Problem was always that we either thought about it too late or it was WAY too packed so we've spent the last 10 years eating 'someplace else'. In fact we tried to eat here last night and there were probably 30 people waiting outside for their tables.
That all changed tonight as we finally stepped across the threshold of this excellent restaurant. Full disclosure, you HAVE to understand that this place is small, like maybe 12 tables or so, and if you sit in a booth, they are tight. I'm not a little guy and the closeness and tight booth will definitely impact your personal space. And in a nutshell, that's the only negative I might have.
The food was outstanding, I don't mean good, I mean outstanding. We started with their chips and salsa which were crisply and perfectly salted-the salsa was nicely spiced, just enough for my kids to also eat it. I ordered the Chili Willie burrito, and my son ordered the cowboy burrito (only real difference is mine came with rice, beans, and pico salad. My wife ordered the chicken and steak fajitas and my picky daughter got the fish and chips. I don't have a negative thing to say about the food…in fact, as good as my burrito was, I think my wife's fajitas were even better. Even my daughter's fish and chips were excellent.
We were served by one of the owners and she was great the whole time we were there and was shocked when we told her this was our first visit. Chili Willie's is BYOB which I LOVE…and check this out…they serve virgin margaritas but you can bring your own tequila!!! Are you friggin' kidding me!?!?
This place is everything you want from a small local place and I can't wait to go back. The only reason I didn't give them five stars is that I want to try another meal there before I drop the other star on them.