Review: Chevo’s in Macon won best new restaurant. I tried it & here’s what I thought
Macon loves Chevo’s Mexican. Would I?
Earlier this month, Chevo’s Mexican Restaurant won our bracket for the best new restaurant of 2023.
I was not shocked, as Mexican cuisine is a favorite among Maconites, but this Mexican restaurant isn’t like others in town.
The restaurant is owned by Juan Alaniz, a chef and native of Mexico who has been working in restaurants his entire life. In fact, you might already know his name because he helped open several of the Margaritas restaurants in Macon and Warner Robins.
Alaniz is accompanied at Chevo’s by his whole family: his eldest daughter Evelin Alaniz waits tables, his youngest daughter Kimberly, the hostess and their mother Imelda Maldonado, who also waits tables.
When I revealed to Alaniz that Chevo’s won our bracket, he said he was happy everyone’s been enjoying his food.
“That’s very good and this is a great opportunity as a chef,” Alaniz said.
After writing up the winner of the bracket and talking to Alaniz about the big win, I knew there was still one more thing for me to do.
So, I traveled to Riverside Drive and tried Chevo’s for myself. Here’s what I thought:
Chevo’s Mexican Restaurant Review
I’m always excited to try a new restaurant and this was certainly no different.
My review is broken down into five categories: menu, atmosphere, food, service and prices. A score of zero out of five stars is given to each category.
Menu
The menu blew me away. There are so many options to choose from like traditional Mexican food to Mexican twists on American dishes and all of the cheeses.
A few that stuck out to me:
Hamburger Mexicana: Burger with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onion, jalapeno, and avocado, served with fries.
Hamburger Tropical: Burger with bacon, grilled pineapple, grilled onion, grilled tomatoes, lettuce, and special sauce, served with fries.
Garlic Shrimp: Shrimp cooked with special garlic sauce, served with rice and beans, and guacamole salad, and choice of corn or flour tortillas.
Coca-Cola Ribeye: Tender ribeye topped with grilled onions, peppers, and special coca cola sauce, served with guacamole salad and your choice of french fries, rice and beans, or baked potato, and your choice of corn or flour tortillas.
The menu also includes several meatless options like the Spinach and Mushroom Quesadilla or the Meatless House Special.
The menu at Chevo’s is versatile, fun and there honestly seemed to be something for everyone’s taste.
The only thing I didn’t see was a kids’ menu on the main menu. I also looked online and didn’t see a kids’ menu listed there either.
For drink options, the menu offered several non-alcoholic options, Mexican sodas and of course, beer, wine and Margaritas.
Menu score: 5 out of 5 stars
Atmosphere
Chevo’s has an extremely friendly atmosphere, where there are smiles from the restaurant’s workers as soon as you enter.
The front of the restaurant features a small bar area and table seating, while the back of the restaurant features booths and bigger table seating. There are also traditional decorations and music.
I have to say, I was expecting something a little different, but Chevo’s matches other traditional Mexican restaurants with seating, decor and music.
Atmosphere score: 3 out of 5 stars.
Food
To start, my husband, my daughter and I had chips and salsa that were served as soon as we sat down.
Then we ordered a cheese dip because it’s sort of a must when you’re eating Mexican food. Plus, my 3 year-old practically drinks it.
The salsa had quite the kick to it, but wasn’t too spicy for me to snack on. The ingredients were fresh and delicious, and dare I say, it was one of the best salsas I’ve had.
The cheese dip was pretty standard, but it’s cheese, so it’s always great.
For an entree, my husband ordered the Special Grill Nachos. The nachos were extra meaty in a mix of grilled steak, chicken and shrimp. They were also topped with scrumptious melted cheese, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and diced tomatoes.
The plate was huge and my husband struggled to finish it, which almost never happens. He said the steak was cooked to perfection, which made my daughter curious.
So, we made her a little plate with some of the steak from his nachos and she was in heaven. Kudos, Chevo’s.
I ordered the Quesadilla Potosina for my entree. It was an eight inch flour tortilla filled with chicken and melted cheese. On the side, it had a small salad and beans.
I was impressed with the chicken, which was moist and flavorful. The guacamole on my salad was also very delicious.
In all, we left very happy and super full.
Food score: 5 out of 5 stars.
Service
Our server was named Naomi and she was friendly, attentive and knew the menu inside and out.
The restaurant was not busy at the time we went (Thursday around 5), but Naomi checked on us occasionally and took care of all of our needs.
Service score: 5 out of 5 stars.
Prices
Here’s the best part: the prices were great.
Our small cheese dip (which is bigger than most) was $4.50, compared with others that can go for $6.
My husband’s nachos were $13, which doesn’t seem too bad considering the amount of meat it came with. The same type of nachos at other Mexican restaurants around town would cost anywhere from $14.99 to $22.
And my meal was $13.50, comparable with other restaurants.
Price score: 5 out 5 stars.
Chevo’s Mexican Restaurant, which offers dine-in and takeout, is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Their number is 478-254-3476.
Have you tried Chevo’s? What’s your favorite Chevo’s menu item? Comment below or email me at cmadden@mcclatchy.com
This story was originally published January 29, 2024 at 2:11 PM.
