Shake and Muddle is a self-described cocktail fusion mixology bar with homestyle eats! It has been open for a little over a month and is certainly shaking things up in Chula Vista! We were looking for a place not too far from home and noticed that this place was new and received all five star reviews.
I'm also giving it 5 stars! Here's why!
Ambience and Parking - I hate wasting time looking for parking. I remove stars for this very factor. Fortunately this place is located in a building with a covered parking garage. And it is free parking! Score! Upon entering I was already impressed by the variety of seating. Open air outdoor tables available as well as outside seats at the bar. Then ample large group seating around the square tables with the fire features in the middle in the patio area. Third, lots of group and intimate seating inside as well. The decor is what you would find in Banker's Hill or North Park, trendy yet sophisticated. Light fixtures, wall textures, the outside design, all made a great impression. Our seats were nice and cushioned. I would love to eat in the booth area next time. TVs had the football game on and there was also music playing. Our party could still have a conversation with all of that going on. Check out their gallery of pictures to see what I mean.
Service - We were greeted and seated immediately. Since it was a new place, we called ahead and the gal put our name down for a reservation. Our server easily told us her favorite dishes on the menu which included the ceviche, fried chicken and other dishes. I let her know that I liked sweet cocktails and she recommended the Cortez Way made with coconut juice. It was very yummy, perfect for my palate! She checked on us often and I really appreciated that she asked if we wanted our food as it was ready or served all at once. Since we were going to sample everyone's order, we went with "bring it out when each dish is ready". Water was always refilled and even the general manager made his rounds to ask us about our experience so far.
Prices - Very reasonable for what you get! They have Happy Hour from 4 to 7 pm everyday except for Saturday. For now it is only a drink menu but our server said they are working on a HH food menu too.
Food - This is the most important category, right? EVERYTHING we ordered was delicious, there was nothing left to take home! I wanted to meet the chef that's how good the food was! Here's what we had:
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| The Wedge with a jalapeno bleu cheese dressing! Pretty much the whole lettuce head! |
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| Lamb chops! I didn't eat any, but my foodie friends say they were great! |
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| New York Strip! Very tasty! |
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| Ceviche! In a town where Mexican fare can be found on every corner,this was fantastic! |
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| Octopus! Omg, so tender and ate like meat! |
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| Short rib "nachos" on thin potato slices, aka elevated Carne Asada Fries! Was very filling and not greasy! |
We were so full, we didn't have any desserts, but now we have a reason to go back. All I can say is get over there soon before the word gets out and lines get long!
