Chu Cho's closed Tuesday and now has "For Rent" signs on the property.
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Chu-Cho’s Fresh Mexican Restaurant and Bar on Turner Street closed on Jan. 10, creating another vacancy in the town of Blacksburg.
The restaurant’s cuisine was voted the second best Mexican food in the Best of Blacksburg 2011 edition, behind El Rodeo.
Despite the rating, many students seemed apathetic to its closing.
“There are better places for Mexican and margaritas,” said Matt Bays, a graduate student studying mechanical engineering.
Chu-Cho’s is just one of several stores to shut down in the area, including Books-A-Million in the First and Main shopping center and Ben and Jerry’s in Kent Square.
“They weren’t able to keep it going and pay all their bills,” said Bob Pack, the owner of Pointe West Management, the company that owns the building Chu-Cho’s was located in. Pointe West also owns Kent Square.
While other businesses have already started to look at the space, Pack said, Pointe West hasn’t chosen what company will take its
place.
Pack was not allowed to release what businesses are looking at the space. And Chu-Cho’s was unavailable to comment.
A version of this article appeared in the Jan 26 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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The food sucked and was over priced. Not surprised.
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Very bad service too.
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The owner was a jerk and treated staff poorly. Food and drinks were overpriced and Blacksburg is a cultural wasteland. The only thing that can survive there is Hardees.
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hardees and bull and bones and el rodeo and boudreaux and cellar and ceritanos and zeppolis and sals and backstreets and sake house and big als and top of the stairs and pk's and mcdonalds and cookout and burger king and west end and all the crap on campus and blackstone and outback and texas roadhouse and red robin and applebees and red lobster and hunan king and china inn and chipotle etc etc . You are a wasteland
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and...Our Daily Bread, Cafe Mekong, El Mariachi, Underground Pub, The Cellar, Hokie House, Hunan King, Wendy's, Hokkaido, 622 North, India Garden, Firehouse Subs, Blimpie, Sub-Station II, Green's, Mike's Grill, Abbeys Restaurant, Souvlaki, The Greeks, Happy Wok, Frosty Parrot, Rita's, Next Door Bakery, Dominos, Campus Cookies, DP Dough, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, Five Guys, Starbucks, Mill Mountain, Hokie House, Champs, Cafe de Bangkok, Lefty's, Gillies, Pita Vera, Joe's Diner...
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...and El Mariachi, Our Daily Bread, Cafe Mekong, Hokkaido, Lefty's, Wendy's, Pita Vera, Gillies, Souvlaki, Mike's Grill, Greens, Poor Billy's, The Rivermill, Bollos, El Cabo Fishtaco, Underground Pub, Hokie House, The Cellar, Moes, PKs, 622 North, India Garden, Inn at VT, The Greeks, Abbys Restaurant, Five Guys, Macados, Hunan King, Next Door Bakery, BDubs, Champs...
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Bring back the Beanery!
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The entire Blacksburg area is overpriced, making it insane for any business to open their doors in this area. I'm not sure why everything is so inflated here. Outside the university where do people earn money here? Also, those locals who do work at the university as "staff" don't make anything. I ran into a lady the other day cleaning one of the campus offices while I doing some work. It turned out she had two masters degrees from VT, but could not find a job in the area to apply her advanced skills. She said she could move away and get a better job, but right now she had to clean as an extra evening job to pay off her student loans.
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The entire Blacksburg area is overpriced, making it insane for any business to open their doors in this area. I'm not sure why everything is so inflated here. Outside the university where do people earn money here? Also, those locals who do work at the university as "staff" don't make anything. I ran into a lady the other day cleaning one of the campus offices while I doing some work. It turned out she had two masters degrees from VT, but could not find a job in the area to apply her advanced skills. She said she could move away and get a better job, but right now she had to clean as an extra evening job to pay off her student loans.
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The entire Blacksburg area is overpriced, making it insane for any business to open their doors in this area. I'm not sure why everything is so inflated here. Outside the university where do people earn money here? Also, those locals who do work at the university as "staff" don't make anything. I ran into a lady the other day cleaning one of the campus offices while I doing some work. It turned out she had two masters degrees from VT, but could not find a job in the area to apply her advanced skills. She said she could move away and get a better job, but right now she had to clean as an extra evening job to pay off her student loans.
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I actually liked this place, it was a little more pricey than El Rods or some of the others, but their food seemed of higher quality. The margaritas tasted like they were made with lime juice rather than that gross green mix. Good REAL guacamole too.
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Truly. Chu Chos had home made tamales. El Rodeo's taste canned. I mean, I eat at El Rodeo, and for the price it's pretty good, but it sure isn't authentic, that's for sure. Chu Cho's was, and it was worth the extra money.
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You got to be kidding me! El Rodeo better than Cho Cho's LOL. Chu Cho's was far better than any other Mex in town, it was the real deal not tex mex ketchup taco sauce smothered over rice. You can thank big football and cocaine for the high rent prices in Blacksburg... Long story. But as far as prices for us? Are you kidding? Have you ever been to a restaurant in DC?
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I have to agree with you there; I don't understand how El Rodeo has acquired some kind of legendary status around here. The drinks are mediocre and the food is unbearable. Chu Cho's was much better (though not great).
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WTH are you talking about? Cocaine is why your rent is high? I must be tripping. Are you in college?
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No. He is saying he couldn't pay his rent BECAUSE of his coke habit. Isn't it obvious?
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The mexican place on North Main street next to Wendy's is closing too
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They're closing because they just opened their new restaurant in First and Main, right across from Bull and Bones.
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I have tasted better Mexican food from the back of van at a concert than El Rods, gross.
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Chu Chos was actual Mexican food. El Rod's is what American's think Mexican food is. Chu Chos was the real deal. Sometimes you have to pay a little more for food that's fresh and not from a package.
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i completely agree.
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Iagree as well
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My experience was that people who thought Taco Bell was Mexican food were unimpressed with Chu's. Not enough salt and grease. Tortillas were different. Etc.
This is Bleaksburg. Give us cheap bar food and you'll make money.
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Kelsey, Ben and Jerry's usually closes in the winter and reopens in warmer weather. It's done that for several years now.
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They've closed shop for good now. Modea is renovating the space to house more of their offices.
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2 stars on Yelp and no listing on Trip Advisor. I never even made it to the front door.
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Well, you should have. This place was authentic Mexican food with homemade tortillas, excellent fresh meat and veggies, and awesome drink deals. They even made the guacamole out of REAL avocados right at your table! You can't even compare Chu Cho's with Taco Bell or El Rods because they are NOT the same type of cuisine! Chu Cho's was real, authentic Mexican food, while these other places are greasy Americanized versions where all the dishes taste the same and look like sludge. Their prices are somewhat cheaper because they use bottom shelf ingredients of the lowest grade. Chu Cho's was a great addition to the area, and a lot of loyal customers are sad to see it go.
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It's cool guys we still have the Chipotle run by white college kids to satiate our cravings for authentic Mexican food.
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