The next time you’re driving down Magnolia and you notice the great white shark sticking out of Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler, do yourself a favor and go inside (the restaurant, not the shark).

This is our first post on www.riversideandbeyond.com, so we wanted to start with a review of one of our favorite places to eat.  We have eaten at Chuy’s many times since we first tried it about 4 years ago.  We didn’t go quite as much when new management took over, so now that the original owners have returned, we go there frequently again.

I keep going back for the tri-tip and the shrimp skewers.  I’m a tri-tip and shrimp fan, so I try it most places I find it.  So far, Chuy’s is the undisputed champ.  The tri-tip is always well seasoned and perfectly cooked, and is not smothered in barbecue sauce as it is at many other places I’ve tried.  The tri-tip is so great by itself that I have never once poured barbecue sauce on it.  The tri-tip meals are served with rice, beans, cabbage salad and tortillas.  The beans are awesome.

Chuy’s offers much more than tri-tip and shrimp, including chicken, fish (my daughter LOVES the salmon), sandwiches, soups, salads, burritos, tacos and breakfast.  There are also separate meals for the kids, and a bar for the grown-ups.

The inside of Chuy’s is part comic book and beach shack.  The walls and tables are covered with creative murals, and there are a few sharks that pop out of the wall.

The pricing is reasonable for the amount and quality of the food.  You can get meals for about $6 – $11, and kids’ meals for about $5.

Chuy’s is one of our favorite places to eat in Riverside.  Check it out.