A group of us went here for a late dinner after FEW Friday. There were eight of us and we were able to get a spot at 8:30 as a walk in which worked out nicely as the restaurant did not feel very big at all. Their menu is very simple which makes it easy to navigate where as some places have menus that are so long that it is hard to choose or find what you are looking for. We ordered chips and salsa and chips and guac to start with. The salsa had a lot of chipotle flavors which I liked and the guac was fresh. I ordered four tacos for myself as I always seem to eat a lot. I had the chicken tinga, beef short rib, al pastor, and the carnitas. I enjoyed all of them and each had their own unique flavor. I'd highly recommend coming here for the variety of tacos offered. I followed that up with a churro that comes with chocolate. It was delicious and reminded me of my trip to Spain where churros and chocolate are fairly prevalent. Overall, I had a great time and enjoyed the food and the flavors. I'd come back here again. read more

La Principal - Plate of Tacos. - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Brought my entire family here, and I must say it was a wonderful experience, from the drinks to the food to the atmosphere, it was all so wonderful! The staff is well trained and so helpful and cheerful. They have made a customer for life! read more

Tacos aren't just for Tuesday. With La Principal's happy hour, you can devour $2 tacos Tuesday through Friday, 3pm-6pm. You will want to try each one. They are delicious and stacked with savory goodness. Pull up to the bar and dine with friendly strangers or select a cozy seat in the swank dining room with your companions after work. It's very chill. No happy hour is complete without a little libation. There are plenty of brews and margaritas to turn your long day into a mini vacation. ($2 off margaritas and select beers) The margaritas are strong. You'll want to sober up before hitting the streets. read more

See all

Amazing! love this place, strong drinks and yummy foods. Staff was friendly and the atmosphere is lively.

Lovely outdoor seating, food and service were good too. We had chips and guac tacos and a chicken torta.

The best restaurant in Evanston! The food is amazing and the waiters are awesome. The food comes really fast and I recommend this restaurant because it is the best. read more

I've been coming to this restaurant since it opened. I've got nothing but great things to say. From the staff, food, all the way to the ambience. Eric has done an amazing job and I will continue to support them. Please keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to the new restaurant! Much love! read more

Our waiter wasn't very knowledgeable about their vegan options and didn't offer to ask either. But with a little help of reviews, their online menu and their paper menu we figured it out. They have vegan chorizo which they can use in any dish. I had the Chorizo and the Al Pastor Mushroom Tacos which tasted very good. Same can be said about the vegan pozole rojo. Patio is great, in the weekend three restaurants block off Custer Ave. There even was a DJ! read more

Simply fantastic locally-owned establishment. They really care about their customers AND their community. Taco Tuesdays FTW!! read more

La Principal - Taco Tueadays! - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Not sure why this place is rated the way it is???? Some of the best tacos in evanston!! This is a 4.5 but I'm rounding up I love the guac starter but I will say that the little jar it's served in requires a certain level of skill to be able to get all the guac out but that's fine because I enjoy a challenge The trio of salsas are definitely a little spicy for me but I like the green one (it's somewhere between mild and medium and is DELICIOUS) Now for the tacos: they have hands down THE BEST carnitas taco I've had in the Chicago area. Good portion of pork, which is juicy and well seasoned, perfect amount of cheese, and the CORN I don't even like corn but somehow it works well with all the other ingredients for a great bite wow just wow I have tried a couple of the other tacos but I almost exclusively order the carnitas just trust me here read more

La Principal - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Been sick for the past month with explosive diererra from their mushroom tacos Happened last time as well read more

Awesome tacos. My wife and I each ordered three different ones, total of six different tacos, all were excellent. Highly recommend.

Ahh they erased my previous 5 star review but just wanted to note that this is an optimal place for happy hour. My party came in at 5:50 and the waitress rushed to help us get out orders in so we could enjoy tacos and tequila together under their HH deals! read more

La Principal - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

See all

Walked in few days ago (first timer) and it started off rather so so BUT not bad. Here's why.. I don't know if they were understaffed (only saw 3 ppl working) and the waitresses weren't paying attention and/or too busy but we were standing by the door for some time before someone stopped to seat us. (they did see us before when we walked in and there was seating available, so there shouldn't have been a wait.) Anyway, the first girl came up to us and was about to seat us and didn't and told us to hold on. Few min later she's helping a table. Another comes and seats us. But We did try to ask the first girl twice if we can sit by the front window and she didn't answer us. Maybe she didn't hear us? We weren't soft spoken that's for sure lol. So that was just kind of a tad bit annoying. Both girls were serving our table. Does tip go to both? They forgot our silverware and few other items here and there. At the end of the day the food was good and the employees were nice. Hopefully there are more employees up front so there isn't so much multitasking and the flow would go smoother between the employee and customer. Might be back! read more

I really would like to visit this restaurant more, but there are two deal breakers: they don't have the most authentic salsa and they don't have nachos. both the salsas are watery and low on authentic flavor. The staff was very accommodating and provided some sliced jalapeños to spice things up. read more

Every time I've eaten here there has been a wait, but the food and buzzy atmosphere are worth it. I got the chicken tinga taco which was outstanding and the sweet potato taco which I found to be far too sweet. I also tried the red pozole which was wonderful. read more

La Principal - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I've been frequently over the years. In the beginning it thought it was good. Lately it's not. The to go margarita is great, but at the restaurant is watered down and almost tasteless. I have tried a number of tacos: fish, chorizo, Nashville chicken, sweet potato and blah. Very flavorless. The only one that was good was the chicken tinga. I have really enjoyed the guacamole, that's about it. The worst part was that I paid $30 with tip for two tacos and half a margarita and half an order of guacamole (I split those with a friend). I don't think I'll be going back. read more

We go into Evanston a few times a year, and this time wanted a new-to-us place to try for lunch. La Principal was suggested to us by a clerk in one of the nearby shops. We ordered the chips and guacamole for an appetizer - very small portion of guac. Chips were just OK. Surprised this place doesn't give complementary chips and salsa like most Mexican restaurants do. Ordered their guava margarita...was hesitant to spend $10 on a drink and I should've trusted my instincts. It was very small and the glass filled mostly with ice. The drink tasted delicious (though definitely not enough booze - this drink is a huge rip-off) - there just needs to be more of it! I had two of the fish tacos and my husband had a short rib taco and carnitas taco. My fish tacos had one small strip of fried fish in them (looked like a frozen fish stick!), though my husband's tacos were stuffed with meat. There was a little jar of sauce that came with my fish tacos and I put it on the tacos. It was SO incredibly spicy, that my mouth and even my lips were totally on fire! The server wasn't around to ask for any sour cream (that could've squelched the fire), so I had to deal with it by trying to scrape some of the sauce off the taco. Other little things...there are three bottled sauces on each table. Before the food came, I had my husband put drops of each on his plate to taste and let me know if they were super spicy. All three were. I don't understand why this place doesn't have any mild sauces at all! Even my husband who can handle a lot of spice, admitted that the sauces were way too spicy. They overwhelmed the food to the point where you couldn't even taste it. The limes that come with the tacos are one tiny piece - not even a wedge. You can barely even squeeze any lime juice onto your taco. And the service? The place wasn't even busy (past the lunch hour) and we had to wait a long time for refills on our drinks and we were only checked on once during our meal. No one was ever around for refills (or to ask for sour cream). read more

La Principal - Guava margarita - needs to be a lot bigger and far less ice for $10! Hardly any booze in it, too. - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

See all

Had 3 tacos for a late Saturday lunch: Pescado taco was really good Al Pastor was good Carnitas was amazing, I need to go back for more. The red fire roasted salsa was top notch (one of the options of salsa for the tortilla chips) read more

This place sucks. Waited thirty minutes before we got the chips and salsa that we paid and I had to get that . No service. Another twenty minutes before I asked about the tacos and elótes we ordered . She said I'm on my own, as I see five other employees hanging in the room. Another twenty minutes before we realized we weren't going to get a response. Ten to twenty people who ordered after us recieved there food before we did. And what is totally wrong here is that half of those orders were delivered to those before us were delivered to those before us after my second complaint. So one hour no food for us and we get nothing. Stay away. read more

This restaurant looked like a darling place for a great Mexican meal. while experiencing a heat emergency, the temperature inside the restaurant was more oppressive than being outside. we waited an hour and 15 minutes, sweating through our clothes, waiting for our food and decided we needed to get our dinners to go to and eat at home in an air conditioned home. our awesome waitress-who was suffering from the awful heat in the restaurant-kindly had the kitchen package all six dinners to go while we awaiting outside. however, when we got home (our order was 3 mushroom tacos, one chicken taco, 1 shrimp taco, and 2 fish tacos) our sack contained 3 shrimps tacos, I mushroom taco, 2 fish tacos, and one chicken taco-very disappointing as we had vegan and vegetarians with us. we felt so sorry for the staff working in the awful conditions of oppressive heat. read more

So I ate her today for the 20th time and had a few drinks. Man the quality of the food is top notch. The server at the window did great and was friendly even in the midst of what I would consider a heavily mismanaged restaurant mixed with a chaotic situation. I've worked in restaurants for coming up on 20 years, so I hate review apps. They're heavily biased towards negative reviews and cater towards the most entitled people. Couple that with the fact this all takes place in Evanston, Illinois, we're talking entitled squared. My rating has nothing to do with the quality of the food, or even the wait staff. My review is on the management of the restaurant. This poor girl was in the window by herself when all of a sudden an umbrella flew off a table and struck someone in the street. While that was being dealt with some customer came to the window complaining about the length of time it had been since ordering. They no longer wanted their food, they wanted a refund, this is understandable to a certain degree, but the way they were talking to the person in the window was not okay. The girl explained there was nothing she could do because there was no manager on duty so she couldn't offer a refund. The customers were so rude to her but the employee kept her composure and offered them a gift card (quick thinking under pressure!) Who runs a popular restaurant and doesn't have a manager on duty ON A SATURDAY EVENING. The owner needs to do better in regards to his lower level employees who are no doubt making minimum wage at best. This girl was also basically corralling a bunch of high school students by her self. My kids make $15 an hour to baby sit so hopefully that's also included in her pay. To top it all off these jag off customers wrote some note for the girl. I've been to La P 20 times or so in the last 3 years and while I don't know this girls name, I always see her working diligently. The only employee I know is Allie who also does a great job. To the owner I hope you read this. Please take note of this employee. She basically did 4 people's jobs herself and kept it together. -Robert read more

I love La Prince! Fish tacos are a must!! The baby arugula salad is my fave, full of fresh greens, herbs, pepitas, cheese, I usually get it with grilled shrimp but it's great with carnitas too. The poblano dressing is awesome!!! I love this place, Let's help keep our great restaurants in Evanston going everybody. read more

They decided to close sooner than norm, but still allowed us to join for dinner. They didn't stop sweeping and brooming though - an odd choice. The tacos had very little stuffing in them and were quite bland. When we had to request some type of sauce with it, they were quite reluctant. read more

Nice mexican restaurant with a relaxing ambience. I wouldn't say their food were exceptional but I enjoyed their tacos. read more

See all

La Principal isn't my favorite restaurant in Evanston, but it is a reliable spot for dinner on Main St. After splitting a few bottles at Wine Goddess next door, my group of 6 was in need of a hearty meal. Luckily the wait wasn't too long and with the beautiful summer weather we didn't mind hanging outside for 10 minutes. I started with the La Principal margarita. It was good, not great. A little sweeter and not as strong as I would prefer. Turning to the food menu, I was a little surprised to see that chips & salsa weren't complimentary. And we also had to choose between red or green salsa, not both. The green salsa was tasty but the chips were kind of flimsy. I had quite a few breakages from dipping in the salsa-- I could imagine this being much worse with guac. I do like that the menu is quite flexible-- you can order any number of tacos. I opted for 2 tacos (al pastor + chicken) which was the perfect amount. Though the tacos were stuffed, my stomach wasn't! My next visit would definitely be the $2 Taco Tuesday deal! But I probably won't be going out of my way to return. read more

Wow, I had no idea that Lupita's had closed; that's the end of an era. However, sentimentality aside, you have to acknowledge that La Principal is a significant upgrade across the board. When I heard "new Mexican place where Lupita's used to be," I was expecting the same type of restaurant under new ownership. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but...I was very pleasantly surprised to find instead updated, artistic decor and a tight, thoughtful menu with modern flair. This is the kind of engaging energy that we are missing in the slightly-further-west suburbs. What a boon to residents of and visitors to south Evanston. However young and 21st-century these guys are, they still recognize their audience, because our group of six included a baby and toddler, and they handled us very warmly and smoothly. The waiter was particularly good with the kids. In short, the food was very impressive--I loved everything. Fresh, lively guacamole with thick, fresh tortilla chips, not the traditional restaurant kind but lighter in color and flavor while still being thick in body, and perfect for the dip. I don't think that I've seen this type of chip before. Each of my tacos was perfectly attuned and generously portioned. The lengua was a little simpler and the short rib and pescado a bit more sophisticated, but all were delicious. (Curiously, the lengua was packaged into two tortillas and the others into only one.) And it was a tough choice between those and some others on the menu, including carnitas, al pastor, and chile relleno/tofu. Next time! They also have a few tortas (with bread from stellar local bakery Hewn) and two posoles (brilliant for cold winter nights). Even the rice and black beans were delicious. Rice and beans! Usually a filler/afterthought. How did they do it? I did not care much for two of the three table salsas; the verde was excellent, but the other two were too sweet for me. One was mysteriously orange-colored and the other obviously included pineapple. Those were the only minor blips on an excellent meal. It's a fine new place with a hip energy, great for the neighborhood, but the wonderful food is the main reason to come. read more

First know that I'm a serious eater-outer in Evanston. And, that happens 94.3% alone. I've had few opportunities to eat out with a group of friends. That stated... given a special opportunity, to pick a place to take my colleagues, I elected La Principal. The midweek lunch service was excellent. Attentive, friendly, and perfectly timed. We enjoyed every appetizer, taco, torta, and side. Oh and the churros. Our group of five (without beverage) was about $120 including a generous, well-deserved tip. My four coworkers walked away as in love with this spot as I am. That's pretty cool. read more

Short rib Mole taco was A+, as is the shrimp cocktail. Coffee is great. Man!, I don't usually stumble into such great places, I have a goto in Evanston now. Wine, beer and spirits are exceptionally well picked for being actually limited. Old Rasputin on tap, seriously. (See photo) I rarely post a review on on the first visit. But this place deserves the praise. Enjoy. read more

La Principal - Did u see Rasputin n there 2? Shortrib Mole taco= A+, as is the shrimp cocktail. Coffee is great. Man!, I have go2 in Evanston now. - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Conveniently located off both the purple line and the North Metra line this place was surprisingly trendy - though there was definitely an older crowd than most of the trendy places we've gone to that were actually in the city. We were seated in the "lounge" area by the windows. So, they didn't have a Taco Tuesday special, but they DID have a happy hour special that included $2 tacos. I had a hankering that these were the really tiny tacos, further confirmed when our waiter said people normally have 4 to start. However, we just stuck to two each because we weren't that hungry. We ordered the fish taco, the lengua taco, the carne asada taco, and the al pastor taco. I was FEELING that fish. If ever there was a fish taco for me (discounting the tuna poke from Big and Little's) this. is. it. It was crispy, not overpowered by the slaw, and had a bit of a kick! The rest of the tacos were fine. Not great. Not bad. But that fish taco was fire, I liked that taco so much I was tempted to give it a higher score, but since the other tacos were just okay, I tried to be more discerning. read more

La Principal - From left to right; Fish Taco, Lengua Taco, Carne Asada Taco, and Al Pastor Taco - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I really wanted to love this place so I was disappointed When I didn't end up loving it. I try to support local businesses as much as possible and that is one of the many reasons why we went, Plus I was so hungry and this place was nearby and received great reviews. We received great service. We were seated right away and the host as well as our waiter was very friendly. I tried the guacamole which to me was average. There really was no wow factor in it for me. I also tried the elotes which was good. The tacos were basic ... As was the short rib torta. They have a pineapple hot sauce which is amazing! Another thing that I didn't like was that we found a long strand of human hair in one of the tacos. They were however nice enough to bring out a brand new taco and not charge us for it. I would come back here but it wouldn't be my first choice for Mexican food. read more

See all

I'm going to have to give this a review because I was kind of expecting a little authentic mexican restaurant but still give it a 3. It was just ok. It's one of those restaurants where you just need something quick Not good for dinner in my opinion. read more

Fabulous!! Great and interesting food and cocktails. Festive atmosphere. Esp for celebratory meals or just wanting to have a fun time

This place is really good-- Delicious tacos and drinks! I always have good service here. I can't think of a time that the service wasn't friendly. This restaurant has one of the best mezcal margaritas, and amazing fish tacos. Their kale salad is also amazing and VERY filling! The pazole is fantastic too! Try their hot sauces, they're all delicious! My fiance also says that their queso fundido is the best in Evanston. One thing to note: you have to buy the chips and salsa, they don't come free on the table. Altogether, a reasonably priced restaurant with good food and drinks. read more

La Principal - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

See all

churros we're good. chilaquiles was literally just a mound of tortilla chips with the littlest bit of meat and an egg on top.

I'm a huge fan of La Principal's taco lunch special. I usually pair the red mole short rib and pescado tacos. The mole is a huge favorite of mine and is not to be missed. The beans and rice that come on the side are also fantastic. I see that others have commented that the tacos are small. All I can say is that the flavors are big and surpass those I experienced from more traditional Mexican restaurants. Finally, the folks who wait on the tables and work behind the bar couldn't be nicer. You should probably go there for lunch tomorrow. read more

5 star service and 5 star tacos. Our waiter was kind and the tacos packed a lot of flavor, especially the caritas tacos. What was disappointing were the appetizers. We ordered the queso fundido and an elote. Both seemed to either have been sitting under a heat lamp or warmed up in a microwave. The flavor was all there but the consistency was off. The queso fundido should have been melted cheese but instead it had a hard crust on top and egg like consistency. The corn was dry and cold. I wouldn't recommend these appetizers during happy hour but I would recommend the tacos. read more

La Principal - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

We enjoyed La Principal. We wish they had more plant-based options!

I had the guacamole and chips, sweet potato taco and the fried fish taco, which totaled $15 including tax. The fried fish was nice a crispy but wasn't bursting with flavor. The sweet potato taco had a lot of great veggies on it but was lacking something. Maybe some spice? The guac was good and chips were very yummy - fresh, lightly salted and crunchy. Overall, this isn't my favorite taco place and I wouldn't go here if I had a bunch of other options but in a pinch when you're hungry, it will work. read more

We recently ordered the "EMT" (emergency margarita and taco) family meal. Love the concept. The portions were generous. And the food was amazing! I also love their take out window and the creative patio seating. Way to be awesome in the time of COVID! read more