Great food, friendly staff, great decor! La Principal has been very accomodating for me (I have Celiac Disease and cannot consume any gluten). All their tacos, salads and pozoles are gluten-free, as well as all but one of the appetizers (chicharrones). Their tortillas are hand made with 100% corn flour. When I tell them about my requirements, they are very friendly and make me feel welcome, I've never had any bad attitude from them. I eat here at least once every 10 days and I have never got sick. Great drinks selection too! read more

Love this place and it's food. Was super loyal during the pandemic. But now they are actively discouraging business: ordering online for pickup is turned off and they are refusing to take a phone-in for take out, saying we need to come to the restaurant to order takeout (and wait there for it). Then left me on hold for 10 mins when I had a question. There must be a better way to do things. Thanks for taking this into consideration. read more

We ordered the EMT-emergency margarita & taco kit. Such a great idea, food was hot and delicious and the margaritas are strong! It was so easy to order online and then pick up at the window. This allowed for minimal risk during the COVID pandemic and a delicious meal to support a local business. Will definitely be ordering from here more often! read more

La Principal - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

We love this place and happy it's in our neighborhood. The food is fresh, drinks are delicious, ambience is nice and trendy inside. So far we experienced good service. I would definitely recommend this place! read more

Ugh I just love this place. So reasonably priced. Great drinks. And I love that this place is small and intimate. Definitely one of my favorite spots in Evanston. Im definitely living for the Tuesday Tuesday. $2 tacos?! I'm totally there! read more

The tacos I ordered were a hit! I got two and the portions were a great size and, bonus points; they were each only four dollars! Unfortunately, the service was slow and the waitress only checked on us when we were paying. That being said, I would probably still go again in the future. read more

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

I go here often for happy hours and always leave satisfied. They have several different taco options that are all made in a very homemade and traditional sense. The chicken tinga is my favorite by far! They also have a good selection of alcohol - bringing in a few local selections which I think is great! Their bar tenders usually will hook you up with an extra shot in your margarita once you get to know them a bit. If you go... MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE ROOM FOR THE CHURRO! They make a great chocolate sauce for it and it's addicting. 10/10 read more

I absolutely love this place! The desserts are amazing. You can't go wrong with the pumpkin flan and the churros. They also have amazing sauces! read more

Really good local Mexican restaurant with home cooked style food. Ordered the Huevos Divorciados and it came served in a casserole dish with piping hot tortillas. Delicious food prepared with love. Highly recommended. read more

Low reviews? I don't get it. This is our go-to Mexican. Yes, there are tons of mom/pop divey Mexican restaurants we love. But when we're in the mood for a nicer/cooler atmosphere, creative food, and excellent drinks we come here. We always start with the queso fundido and it's amazing. Great texture, tons of flavor. Not a huge heaping bowl of cheese, but a nice, gooey/crunchy starter dish. I'll take quality over quantity any day. And even though it's not a massive dish it more than quells our stomachs. We also order the elotes; off the cob, easier to share. Yum. Short rib mole tacos are soooo good! Love the shrimp tacos, carnitas, al pastor. While the starter dishes aren't huge they're more than enough. After the queso fundido and the elotes my husband only has room for one taco. I can sometimes manage two but it's pushing it. The tacos are very generous so we leave happy. I'd go for the drinks alone. Excellent house margarita w/agave nectar. Always tough to decide between that and the smokey/spicy margarita. Just tried the mezcal/grapefruit Paloma and it was so good! We finish off each meal with the homemade churro with chocolate dipping sauce. What else to say? It's the best! read more

I was wary of this hip taco joint based on mixed reviews from friends. Arrived on the earlier side and were seated right away (around 5:30). As we left, the wait was getting pretty long. Service was incredibly warm and courteous. We ordered beer and chips and guacamole to start. As others have noted, it is a smaller order than one would like, considering the price (this is actually usually my experience when I order guacamole at restaurants, so I usually save my guac eating for home; my roommate wanted it, though). The cocktail menu was extensive, though we stuck to Pacifico. I ordered the red mole short rib torta, which is prepared with locally baked bread from Hewn. It was easily one of the top 10 sandwiches I've ever put in my mouth -- the meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the flavor was spicy and amazing. It was simple -- mole simmered meat, peppers, and white cheese on crusty white bread -- and it was perfectly executed. I liked it so much I didn't finish it -- I had them wrap up half of it to take with me because I wanted to eat it again. We finished splitting a churro between us. It came out hot and fresh and delicious, with bittersweet chocolate for dipping. All told, great food, super cool ambience and good service. I'll definitely be back soon! read more

Delicious food! The Mezcal Paloma was spicy and refreshing! We loved the Chicken Tinga, Steak, and Barrio tacos. The service was not as good. We had more than half our party when we were seated and had to flag someone down for drinks and an appetizer. No one checked on us (until our meal was done) unless we flagged someone down each time. But it was worth it for the food! read more

We really enjoy the tacos and the posole. Their take family dinners are tasty and generous in portions. A good deal. read more

I love this spot right off of the Main Street Metra stop. Great tacos and margaritas in a trendy environment. They have an outdoor area for when the weather is nice complete with string lights. They have a good selection of veggie and fish tacos and their guac is on point! read more

La Principal - Red Mole Sweet Potato Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I'd say this is more of a 3.5. This place serves Mexican with some creative flairs, which reads as fun but didn't quite hit the spot for us. We had tacos, elote, green posole, and little bit had the kid's quesadilla/fruit combo. I enjoyed my green posole, a favorite of mine ever since I first had some cooked up by an ex's mom. I enjoyed it so much she would keep a gallon of it frozen back for me (maybe it was the posole that kept us together so long...). La Principal's take included pickled veggies and avocado, which I found to be surprising additions, but they worked. There was a pleasant level of heat, and I always love a good stewed pig. I also really enjoyed the elote served on the cob - never had it this way and it was fun to eat. The tacos seemed to all fall a bit short for my husband. He had red mole short rib, lengua, al pastor, and the carnitas. He enjoyed the al pastor the most, but was not a fan of the pickled items and did not think the pineapple touches combined as well as they could have. He seemed to not be into the cotija cheese on everything in particular, including the elote (the al pastor didn't have any and was his favorite). He expressed that the flavors just didn't seem to meld together as he would have liked. He was disappointed that even the carnitas seemed to lead him astray - carnitas are usually a 'safe bet', our taste of a Cherokee hog fry away from home but here just didn't deliver. I would also note that the kid's fruit side was super disappointing, literally a few scant spears of melon in a small cup - but I can't complain too much as the meal was $4. In general the prices seemed pretty on point overall. This spot would probably be fun for a date to invite conversation on the twists on classics - but when I crave Mexican, I tend to want hole-in-the-wall style home cooking. read more

This is my 'go-to' spot on the Main Dempster Mile. Whether for chips and a drink with friends or a dinner, the food is always good. I especially love that there are vegetarian options (for me) as well as the standard fare. The energy runs high and they are hopping busy which adds to the fun of a night out. If you're hoping for something more intimate though, be aware that it can get quite loud... still all the more reason to sit closer. read more

Yes, yes and more yes to this place! Came here for lunch on a Sunday, not too packed, but not empty either. Happy to be seated right away, and greeted by our server. Their guac is one of the best I've ever had. Not to forget the elote which usually comes on the cob but they did me a favor and scraped it off into a cup for me. Their teeny tiny tacos are the perfect size for the flavor they give off. The margarita was very impressive in taste as well. Looking forward to going back! read more

The food here was bland and tasteless. The price of the food was not worth it. It's worth noting that this ethnic restaurant had zero 'ethnic' people eating there. Save your money and avoid this place. read more

I went there with a group of friends on a Friday night. After a short wait, we were seated and waited upon. We ordered some of the appetizers to start the meal off. We also ordered drinks. The drinks were subpar as we felt that they were watered down too much. The appetizer portions were small, which is understandable, and yet still not much as far as taste is concerned. We ordered tacos to share among us. I have to admit that I have tasted better tacos with better quality of food from the street vendor on the north side of Chicago. It was disappointing to taste the lack of quality in the food. I doubt I'll return. read more

I really wanted to love this place so I was disappointed after a visit here last Sunday. Let me start by saying the guac and chips was good, as was the shrimp cocktail. But, the guava margarita was way too sweet, and not much in there for $10!? I try to support local businesses as much as possible and that is one of the many reasons why we went, but, nothing really stood out. It was very strange to be charged for chips and salsa, which is usually a given at Mexican restaurants. And they seriously need to drop their cocktail prices -- $11 for 5.5 ounces of wine?!! read more

Tacos are soooo good -- highlights are the chicken, pork, steak, sweet potato. Churros Are so fluffy and thick and delicious. Kind of a cramped space but service is good and people are nice read more

La Principal - Tacos!!! - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

If you don't care that your taco is missing essential ingredients that make a taco a taco then you might like this place. Their tacos don't have any kind of color variation, lack in flavor and texture because most of the vegetables and garnishes are missing. Basically you are paying full price for only meat and tortilla. I won't eat here again because I don't enjoy the taste of disappointment. read more

Love this spot! It's a super cute and hip taco place located on Main St in Evanston. They do have taco happy hour, so make sure you can go then! I personally like the carnitas taco, and al pastor. The fish taco was just way too spicy for me. But I think their main appetizer that is a hit is their elotes. They are so awesome and tasty and I'd eat one every day if I could! They will gladly cut it in half for you if you want to share it. Great place, great ambiance, definitely a go to spot. read more

Cute interior, great service, verrrrry strong margarita! The carnitas taco was just so so, but the mole taco was one of the best tacos I've ever had... it was amazing. Both tacos also had a ton of meat on them and were well priced. The queso fundido was decent, but oddly came with tortillas instead of chips. The churro was delicious. I will definitely be back to try some other things! read more

I don't understand the complaints about small portions at La Principal. Have some people become so accustomed to having a trough shoved in front of them, that a normal plate of food is disappointing? Having smaller portions gives you the opportunity to taste several dishes, and that's what you want to do at La Principal. The multiple complaints about the chips & salsa not being free..why? Why is this establishment obligated to give you free chips & salsa? Because other Mexican restaurants do? So what? That is the lamest reason to give this place a bad review. We started with the chips & guacamole and chicharrones, which almost filled us up and we were starving. The chicharrones were delicious: a heaping plateful, not greasy, had good flavor, and were even better with the house made hot sauces. The guacamole was very good, very flavorful, and the smaller portion was perfect. Chips and guac is filling, so I'd rather have a smaller portion when I'm planning to order other items. My husband got 3 tacos: al pastor, red mole short rib, and, pescado. I had the green pozole. I'm madly in love with that pozole and will be devastated if the ever take it off the menu (please don't). The tacos were cooked perfectly, the meat didn't taste like it had been sitting for hours, we loved them. I shockingly liked the red mole taco the most, and I'm not a fan of mole. The service was outstanding. We sat at the bar, and the two bartenders who waited on us were friendly with just the right amount of attentiveness. My only complaint is that after all the delicious food we are I was too full for a churro. I love churros. A lot. No worries, though, because I'll be back again and again. They're open for lunch, which is great since I live and work in Evanston. For the amount of food we ate and cocktails we consumed, the total bill was more than reasonable. It wasn't Taco Bell reasonable, but it's not Taco Bell food. La Principal will absolutely be in our top 5 Evanston favorites. read more

One of my favs in Evanston... and there's lots of them. First of all, I want to start out by responding to some of the negative reviews about noise level? it's a lively, fun, packed w people type of a place... hello!? I have probably tried everything on the menu. I always go back to red ponzole. omg to die for, always end with the churros. There's only one thing I don't love on the menu but forgot, sorry yelpers. read more

The Breakfast Torta served at brunch was amazing. The bread was a roll type and so fresh! Heat level was not too high, but adding the pineapple habenero house sauce and the salsa it comes with fixed that. read more

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Went around 730 on a Wednesday night. No wait for a party of 9. Plenty of other patrons dining but not packed. Small with a rustic decor with wooden tables throughout. Service was kinda slow but I think it was because there was only one waitress waiting on all the tables. There were lots of servers serving the food as it came out of the kitchen, which was good since we had to hunt down the waitress at times. She was around just busy waiting on others. Food took a while to come out that we had to keep asking for more chips to keep our hunger at bay. The guac in the guac and chips was good. Almost addicting. But it didn't come with much chips at all that we kept asking for refills. The salsa was just okay. I was excited for the elotes hoping for the ones you buy from the carts in Chicago, but it was pretty bland and expensive at $4. The el pastor taco was okay. It had a spicy kick, but everything kept falling out of it as the single tortilla continued to break apart pretty fast. The pescado in the pescado taco was soft but lacked flavor. It had toppings that had flavor but it wasn't satisfying. My sister had a short rib taco that was on a tough bread. She ended up eating just the short rib. My daughter had the kids quesadilla that lacked the important part, the cheese! The sides of the tortilla got hard that she couldn't bite through it anymore. It came with a few small slices of cantaloupe. The churro was warm, soft and sugary; better than stale ones from carnivals. It was fine without the dark chocolate dipping sauce in my opinion. sorry to say it, but the best part of the meal was the Mexican coke in the bottle. read more

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More like 4.5, but who's counting? I'll get straight to the point. Pretty darn good tacos and a very pleasant deck. I had Carnitas, Pescado, and Beef Short Rib tacos and they were all excellent. $3-$4 each, so my "main course" was only $10. They brought me pickled fresh chili to add, which was spot on. Wine list is OK, but they let us BYO for $7 corkage, so that's worth an extra half-star for sure! The desert list is short: We had churros and pumpkin flan, which were both yummy too. Service was friendly & attentive, but not clingy. Muy bien! read more

Overpriced and mediocre service. I typically tip 20% based on the post tax total, but only tipped 15% on the Pre-tax total because the service and food were pretty bad. For $3 and $4 a piece for an al pastor, carnitas and short rib tacos, I expected bigger servings or better taste. Unfortunately got neither. The al pastor and short ribs were tasty but about the same size as a taco I'd normally buy for $1.50. I could not get through the carnitas, much less pick it up. It was so greasy that there was a puddle of oil beneath it and all over my hands when I initially picked it up. The Bloody Mary was just awful. We sent it back the first time because all we could taste was booze. They "fixed" it and while it no longer tasted like straight vodka, the mix was still pretty bad. It was sweet and mediciney. The elote was pretty good, but not as good as one you'd buy from a street corner in Chicago or NYC. The fresh chicharrones were delish. If it wasn't for that, our kids would not have had dinner! Normally quesadilla lovers, they would not eat the ones here. One of my kids, who is normally the bigger eater, did manage to polish one off (order comes with two). The other stopped eating after a couple of bites. And to top it off, service was slow. We were able to get settled, discover that we left the phone in the car, had my husband run out to the car parked on the street about a quarter of the way down the block, come back, set up a video for our toddler, get up and ask about wifi from the hostess, get water for the table and pick out what we were going to eat ... all before our server came by to greet us. read more

Since I live just 3 blocks from this place, I was really hoping it'd be the awesome Mexican restaurant in Evanston that I've been waiting for. And after reading some of the reviews, I was hoping it would indeed be of similar quality to Rick Bayless. Unfortunately, the only thing Mexican about this place are the tortillas, which were 1 of the few things we actually liked. We tried the queso fundido, taco al pastor, short rib taco, and short rib torta, all of which were bland. The short rib had the most taste out of all the items we ordered. We added green salsa for flavor, but the salsa was too salty and tasted eerily similar to Herdez's bottled salsa. We did like: 1. Tortillas: handmade, thick & authentic 2. Mango salsa: delicious & spicy 3. Churro: delicious but overpriced We also liked the bread used for the torta, but that's actually made by Hewn (one of the best bakeries in Illinois btw!). What I found most interesting is that this place really encompasses everything that some folks complain about Bayless & his profiting off of Mexican cuisine. Bayless at least visits Mexico, has extensively researched the food, and creates incredibly delicious dishes. La Principal's food can't be called Mexican nor tasty. It can be called overpriced. They charge for salsa and chips (unheard of at any other "Mexican" restaurant) and charged $1 per tortilla when we asked for a few additional (they didn't warn us about the extra charge either). The food also took a while to come out, which seemed to be more for effect since in the end, this is really just simple, fast food--except overpriced & underseasoned. read more

The elote here is a JOKE. Mexican restaurant but didn't see one Mexican employee. Food is a reflection of that read more

La Principal - Mexican Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I did my best to taste almost every taco on the menu when I visited. Here's what I found: Plenty of pescatarian and vegetarian options for tacos can be found here, along with a very tasty array of choices for the carnivore in your group. The Chili Relleno, Sweet Potato, and Fish taco are a good choice if you're looking for something new yet still middle-of-the-road as far as exotic is concerned. The sauces, cheese, and tortillas are all well matched for each of these. The Lengua taco - (beef tongue) - is definitely something for the adventurous - you should try it. I did, and likely would again. The short rib taco is definitely worth going back for, as is the traditional carnitas. Hasta luego mi amigos! read more

Rodrigo greeted me when I came in and now I'm asking for his hand in marriage!! This man was spot on with his recommendations for beef tongue taco and short rib tacos. I love him and the food they serve there. Met the Owner too, nice as pie. I'm going to be a regular. read more

La Principal is a mixed bag for me. My first time eating in was a busy Friday evening a month after it opened and I was satisfied with my meal. The salsa roja and braised lengua taco were my standouts; dare I say, on par with the fare available down on Clark St. The chicharrones taco could have been good if they had put more than 3 pieces of chicharrones in it. But seriously, break it down a little, $3 for a pork rind taco that barely has any pork rind in it!?! The short rib torta, although appallingly small for $10, was a hit with my better half. Definitely pricey, but overall we were pleased with the output. A recent return trip on a slow, quiet Saturday evening was a let down. There was no one waiting to get seated, but the service throughout the meal felt rushed in contrast to the relaxed service we received on the busier night. The al pastor had nice flavor, but the meat had been marinated with pineapple for too long because it was mush. The lengua was braised nicely, but it was bland and wet. It didn't help that I saved it for last, so by the time I got around to it the flavorless juices had saturated my tortilla, so I ended up with a soggy taco. Considering that all the meats used in the tacos are braised, not cooked to order, I was surprised by how wildly they screwed it up. For me, the inconsistency in the quality of the food makes it hard to justify the higher prices. The concept is good, but so far the execution has been lacking. On a final note, the churro is quite good, but you'd have to try really hard to mess up fried dough. read more

Great place and nice taco specials for happy hour! They were busy but service was good.

If you haven't been, you need to check this place out! I've been to eat in the restaurant itself 3 or 4 times and have had take out twice but what led me to finally write this review is an event I was at this weekend which was catered by them. Because folks, let's face it, if you can do what you do as well off site as you do on site...you're pretty good. Eating in? 5 stars. Food is to die for. I recommend the carnitas tacos (my personal favorite), the elotes (my sons thinks they're killer), short rib torta (we ALL love it). LOVE, love, love their guacamole and salsas (green & red). Clearly 100% fresh. I'm also kind of a sucker for their pumpkin flan. Great drink menu but I'm partial to the Spicy Mezcalita. One of the best parts is that at $3-4/ taco you can order a couple, eat, digest, drink, chat and decide if / when / what you want more of. Lather, rinse, repeat. Also, I saw a review that mentioned food allergies. They guys are way, WAY on top of allergies. The waiter even mentioned a "book" with ingredients, etc. IMPRESSIVE! Taking home? Less than 5 stars...but I'm pretty sure that's NOT their fault. 1. No Mezcalitas at my home. I'm pretty sure they're not allowed to sell to go cups of this magical elixir, though I've never asked. *note to self - ask. 2. When you finish your last taco at home and decide you *might* just want one more you have to go all the way back to the restaurant. Kind of inconvenient. BUT, if you have no other choice, get it to go...you won't be disappointed. Lucky enough to encounter them around town as I did? Super cool! They catered an event this weekend at a venue (a synagogue) that doesn't allow meat. Not so easy I'm guessing. Don't know how they did it but...WOW! The sweet potato tacos were awesome (maybe on the restaurant menu...I'll have to look), an avocado, asparagus & egg torta, chocolate chile brownies and who knows what else. Oh, and if you're by yourself and need a quick bite (or drink) don't hesitate to sit at the bar there. Super friendly and quick. Right around the corner from the Main Street El and across from the Metra stop. It's super convenient. Welcome to Evanston La Principal! I think it's safe to say you'll be around awhile! read more

The food was good, very decent margaritas. Good specials. The decor is cute and it's very comfortable.

I'm originally from Texas and lived there most recently. The saddest, absolutely most tragic aspect of our move has been the impoverished offerings for Mexican food. La Principal is not what you would find at a southern taqueria, but it fills a gaping hole in the local cuisine and brings it quite satisfyingly. One big difference from those expecting authentic Mex (interior Mex, Tex-Mex, Cali-Mex, or any of the basics): you pay for chips and salsa. Yes, I know. I don't like it either. I'm a purist. BUT. I live in Illinois now. I'm a little desperate. And these chips (from a thicker cut tortilla) and salsa (preferably the roja) are worth paying for. I wish they were free, too. But we aren't in Laredo anymore, so just fork over the cash. It will make your mouth happy. (But hey, LP, when a take-out order pays for two orders of chips and salsa, you should actually double the chips. Skimping is taking the whole paying-for-chips-and-salsa thing a bit too far.) Those of us who care know that chips and salsa make or break a place (justifying my obsessive analysis above). But the tacos are good, too! I'd appreciate fresher limes on the side, but the various meat options are typically excellently prepared (have had the carnitas on an off night and it wasn't pretty, but one taco out of.. dozens is pretty good odds). The lengua, mole short rib, al pastor, and carnitas are typically all great. The meat is well prepared, with slow and subtle flavor, and the choice of relish often provides a nice sweet and/or acidic contrast that works well. The tortillas are also quite nice, with a great masa base, and are sturdy enough to handle the fillings. It would be great to see that creativity and inspiration move toward a rotating menu - maybe seasonal taco offerings? And we're eager to experience the ambience while enjoying our meal. But for now, we have La Principal on speed dial, and that won't be changing anytime soon. read more

I want to love this place so badly! I live down the block and Evanston has a dearth of good Mexican. What I like...the decor and ambiance and the margarita was tasty though small. I've been twice and I feel like I was telling myself by the end of the date, "Dang... I really wanna like him. He's cute, interesting enough, but the spark is just missing." I feel like they are wanting to be a quaint, trendy street food-ish taco joint but the food just falls flat. Servings are really small, which I'm okay with, but the flavor profile is lacking for a place that wants to be so distinct. It's all about the food! If the food was as good as the decor I'd be a happy tamale. First visit... Carnitas taco, guacamole and chips, kids quesadilla, pumpkin flan. Taco was the best I had to date there. 2nd visit was a taco al pastor. Weird version to say the least. Pork was watery and minimally seasoned. Flan was not flan, I'm just sayin'. I go by a lot and it's hopping so my opinion is in the minority. Better flavor, please, and a little less ambiance. I'm sad to say I cannot imagine going back unless they put as much attention on their flavor profiles as they do the decor. read more