Just as I  started to fix dinner on a recent Friday night, our neighbor calls.  “Let’s go out for Mexican food!” he says.  I picture a  frosty margarita, a night off from cooking and immediately agree!  So we head over to Chelly’s’ Cafe in Waldo.

Chelly’s Café in Waldo

Chelly’s is one of those restaurants I’ve passed many times, but haven’t  tried.  All these years I’ve been living in Brookside–and have never stopped at  this nice little neighborhood dining spot!  It’s a family owned restaurant, located in strip mall on 85th St just east of Wornall Road . Open for about  eleven years, it’s the kind of place that gives you a lot of food for the  price, with quick service..  I started off with a  margarita in a large bowl glass that was just $5.  It felt like two drinks for the price of one.

For dinner, I ordered the Steak Tacos ($8.50).  They came in doubled shell corn tortillas, dressed with onion (raw, wish it had been grilled) and cilantro.  On the side was fresh lettuce,  a scoop of guacamole, rice, black beans and a lime wedge.  I ate two tacos and had enough left over for lunch the next day.  Very tasty.  I don’t remember what the rest of our group ordered, probably because we were all talking, but everyone liked their food.  Chelly’s has all of the usual selections you would expect in a Mexican restaurant, plus a hamburger and grilled chicken sandwich option .  I also like the fact  you can order  many items a la carte. We enjoyed the fresh chips and salsa brought to the table soon after being seated.  Service was friendly and quick–and the restaurant was very busy.  A lovely woman sang songs in Spanish from the front of the room, but it didn’t look like too many folks were paying attention.  

Chelly’s is open seven days a week, and serves breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. The breakfast nachos and breakfast burrito are especially popular .

I’m looking forward to going back to Chelly’s soon–I want to try their fajitas.  Thank you for supporting our locally owned  Brookside/Waldo businesses!