Surprisingly terrible tacos

While other restaurants have bare white walls and boring wood furniture, Chica Bonita demands attention with its dizzyingly colourful decor that takes you south of the border! Embodying the fun and liveliness of Mexico, this Mexican eatery is screaming to be the venue for your next nachos and margaritas night.

Ambience & Amenities

The decor at Chica Bonita is an explosion of vibrant colours. The tables on the patio have a prime view of Publika’s outdoor square and stage. There were a couple of TVs that were showing Food Network programs during our visit. The inner section of the restaurant is cavernous, covered with sugar skulls and Dia de los Muertos-themed art.

There is no toilet or handwashing sink in the restaurant. To get to the nearest Publika facilities, exit Chica Bonita and turn right. There is an escalator next to The Social. Take it to the third floor and turn right once you get off the escalator.

Menu

All of the Tex-Mex and Mexican favourites are on Chica Bonita’s menu: tacos, fajitas, burritos and more. There are even some fusion dishes like burgers and Mexican-style pizzas. Chica Bonita does not offer free filtered water. The only options for water are Dasani for RM4, or the more expensive Acqua Panna.

Click on menu pictures to enlarge

Food

We ordered a Classic Margarita (RM36) in peach flavour and a Caipirinha (RM32) to drink. The margarita was very sweet, and I did get a light buzz after drinking it. Mark’s Caipirinha was terrible, in his opinion, and he didn’t even want to finish it. He said it tasted like fake lime juice or old limes, with an acrid bitter tang to it.

Chica Bonita’s tacos are six inches wide. All three tacos that we got were disappointing in their own way. The Carne Asada Taco (RM15) was the best-tasting one out of the three, but the beef was tough. The Pescado Taco (RM14) was the worst. The batter on the fish was overcooked and dry. It tasted like it was fried in old oil. There was a copious amount of sriracha mayo to cover up the bad taste. Still, there was a strong unappetizing corn flavour that overpowered the fish flavour. The Spiced Pumpkin Taco (RM11) sounded interesting in the menu description, but the taste was very meh.

The Beef Enchiladas (RM34) were much better. Three enchiladas were swimming in gooey, melted cheese. There was a layer of salsa at the bottom of the bowl for extra tanginess. The beef in the enchiladas was much more tender than the beef in the carne asada taco. These enchiladas were larger than the tacos. With all the cheese, it was very filling for a small girl like me.

Saturday Worthy?

Chica Bonita is always busy, so I was shocked at how disappointing the food was. Looking around, I did notice that none of the other tables had ordered tacos. I liked the enchiladas, so perhaps the more Tex-Mex food like nachos and chimichangas are the thing to order here. I wanted to like this place since I love Tex-Mex food, but I doubt we’ll return. Eating at Chica Bonita is an expensive experience, and if they can’t even get tacos right, that’s a bad sign.

Price for 2 Pax: RM164.70

Carne Asada Taco: RM15.00
Pescado Taco: RM14.00
Spiced Pumpkin Taco: RM11.00
Beef Enchilada: RM34.00
Classic Peach Margarita (House Tequila): RM36.00
Caipirinha: RM32.00
10% Service: RM14.20
6% SST: RM8.52
Rounding: (RM0.02)

Chica Bonita

Address: Lot 34, Level G2 (outside, next to The Square and outdoor stage), Block C5 Publika Shopping Gallery, Solaris Dutamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: Daily, 12pm – 11pm (Sunday to Thursday), 12pm – 1am (Friday & Saturday)
Alcohol Served: Yes