Rainy Friday night that was not very busy. We got water and menus - then never had our drink or food order taken. After 20 minutes - with waitresses walking passed to clean empty tables -or- stand at the bar chatting to each other.... We finally left. So disappointing! read more

Hands down the best south of the border fare in the Twin Cities! Try any of the tacos (all great) or for something different try the seafood bichi! Great margaritas or the house favorite Obregon read more

I love this place! I was born and raised in the southwest and this is my go to place in the cities! Their elote is the best and the Obregon margarita is a must. Staff is top rate and if the weather is nice the patio is glorious! read more

I'm happy to share with all of you a truly great restaurant! Food, service and atmosphere are all on point!! Its like nothing else I've had here in town. Moving back to MN from CA. Thank you for an enjoyable experience! read more

We just dropped in as the Hi Lo Diner was packed. It was early on Sunday around 11am ish so lots of room. I got the brisket burrito and elote. It was excellent. Unfortunately for people who came after us, there was only one person in the front of the house. She was calm and gracious, but one table got up and left before she was able to take their order. There were too many people for lunch than one person could handle. read more

Some of the best Mexican food in Minneapolis. We got takeout the other night and everything was great. It was packaged neatly and they were super quick. The fresh flour tortillas are the excellent, highly recommend! read more

Amazing place, awesome patio space for and great selection of menu choices. I tried the seafood tacos and omg they are so good, the flavor is there and the spice as well! Great authentic style tacos, I would def come back soon, I loved how cute their restaurant is as well. read more

Sonora Grill - Shrimp tempura , fish tacos - Latin American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Honestly, this was a disappointment as far as tacos go. I went with the suggested "customer favorites" for tacos which included chicken rojo, al pastor, and shrimp. These tacos just weren't good. They lacked flavor and all just seemed a bit off. I would say that the Rojo was the best of the three but not by much. The shrimp taco was kind of gross actually, it had a thick fried shell around it and the shrimp did not taste very good. I think it must've been red shrimp as it had a strange distinct quality to it. Also there was hardly any crema and the small amount that was present lacked any flavor. The al pastor taco also tasted a bit off and lack spice. The nachos were pretty soggy with the watery queso they use. The only saving grace was the margarita. read more

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You can never go wrong with tacos so we decided to come here for dinner! They have a decent sized patio and it was a beautiful fall evening so we took advantage of it! We started off with some cocktails. I went with the white sangria - it was light and refreshing. This would be a great summer drink! We got the empanadas to start. I loved the pastry it was in and overall it was very good. You get two so you can share one. They are on the larger side so you could also spilt one with someone. I love being able to pick from list of tacos. My husband did the tempura shrimp - he really enjoyed it and it was one of his favorites. I did not like the tempura batter. He also got the pork guajillo. He said it was decent but preferred the shrimp. I went with the beef brisket. I liked the actual brisket but could do without the sauce. I also went with the fish taco and this was my favorite out of all 4! Would highly recommend the fish taco if torn! The tacos are packed with protein, no matter what you pick. The corn tortillas also don't fall apart. Service was very very very slow. There were only two people working as servers so they got their steps in. Just be prepared to do a lot of waiting. Parking lot available along with street parking. read more

Painful. I stopped writing Yelp reviews ages ago because they can be so abusive to the owners over small things, but I'm motivated to share right now. I live 3 blocks away and used to love this place, probably came here once a month if not more often. It truly sucks to give them a bad review, but they need to hear this. We got some nice weather this week and I thought I'd drop in for happy hour, having just been there for happy hour the week before. I guess I got the times of happy hour wrong. My bad. I had been sitting at the bar; the bartender dropped the check off, and it seemed high for the same thing I had ordered previously, and they didn't give me an itemized receipt, just the slip to sign. I asked a different waitress to re-check it. The bartender came back and slammed down the receipt on the counter and said, "It's not happy hour. Are you going to sign for this now?" ARE YOU GOING TO SIGN FOR THIS NOW. That's what a bartender asked me, like I was some kind of low-life trying to scam her. A little politeness would have gone a long way. Like, "Sorry, you missed happy hour - it ends at 5." But slamming the check down and saying "Are you going to sign for this" is seriously uncalled for. Like, unforgiveable for someone who has been here literally dozens of times because it's in my neighborhood and a fun place to go. I'm done. I used to be a regular, but I'm waving people off this place now. There are other places to go. Like I said, a LITTLE bit of politeness would have gone a long way. It really hurts to have to write this, but I haven't had someone mistreat me like this in ages, and to have it come from staff at a place that I like ... damn. read more

Sonora Grill has a great happy hour deal M-F 2-5pm (or so). Grab a patio seat and dive in to a $3 fish taco and $5 margarita. I appreciated the free parking and bike racks out front. My only critique is that the salsa was very thin/watery and the tacos had more sauce than other toppings. read more

We had an early-ish birthday dinner at Sonora Grill tonight and had no problem being seated with a group of 6 right away. Our server definitely undersold the drinks when I tried to ask for his recommendation. I settled on the house Margarita and it was not bad. The Beef Empanadas were a delicious and crispy appetizer and the creamy sauce was the star! The side of Guacamole was a little under seasoned but otherwise good. I ordered a side salad and two tacos and enjoyed the Chicken Pastor over the Pork Carnitas. Among the six at the table, the Shrimp Tempura was hands down the favorite. Before leaving we also ordered the Churros, which were surprisingly filled with a brown butter cream, a dulce de large maybe? SO good and worth the trip for that alone! Next time we'll come for happy hour. read more

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I've been a fan of Sonora Grill going back to their days in the Midtown Global Market and that remains true since they've been at their current standalone location. I have tried a number of their tacos and enjoyed them all, especially the pastor and lengua (the latter being arguably my favorite tongue taco in the Cities). Their elotes is also quite good and somewhat of a meal unto itself. And while it's generally not a dish I'd prefer, I have it on good authority that their chilaquiles are quite good as well. I'm certainly looking forward to trying out more of the menu in the future, as there is a lot to explore. The indoor space is cozy, service has always been friendly and they also have a patio for al fresco dining (takeout is available as well). read more

Decided to give this place a try on Valentine's Day. I like the vibe on the inside. I ordered the Sonora Hotdog and was unimpressed. The flavors didn't go together well. I feel as if I ordered the wrong thing from this place. All of the other food that others ordered looked pretty good. I would say definitely try it out. read more

Sonora Grill - Sonora Hotdog - Latin American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This email was sent to the restaurant on 1/8/24. Currently it has gone unanswered. "I'm writing to inform you of a very troubling experience I had in your restaurant on Saturday (12/30/23). If you recall on saturday, light flurries were starting to fall and the sidewalks right outside of your entrance were lightly coated with snow. I wore clogs that evening, which in hindsight, was not the best choice in footwear as the soles of the shoes are completely smooth. After entering Sonora Grill, your slick floors and my wet shoes disagreed, ending in a fall. I fell to the floor. No one came to my assistance except my boyfriend. I remember this vividly because I then assumed that no staff, etc saw my fall. I have a couple physical disabilities that make the motor actions of walking and balance (Ataxia) difficult at times. My boyfriend and I sat down and I tried to shake off the humiliation of my fall. As we focused on the menu, I recalled that my boyfriend had expressed some interest in drinking a margarita with dinner. The server greeted us nicely and then I requested a drink menu. To which he asked if I had been drinking. I answered truthfully, "no" and it took me a moment to realize that he was wondering if I was intoxicated. The server stepped away and a female employee came to our table and, without asking any questions, she stated that she didn't feel comfortable serving me. I was shocked and mumbled something about" completely understanding" as she hurriedly walked away. At no time did I request alcohol. I requested a menu so that my boyfriend could consider the cocktails. I was and am so upset that I was met by such a cruel, judgmental and discriminatory setting. The next day, my brother and I went to the same location (about noon on Sunday), hoping to have a productive conversation with the two employees that I previously interacted with. We found one, different employee who interrupted my story by apologizing and replied that the staff at Sonora Grill are trained to look for signs of intoxication. She repeated that "it was not personal" over and over. Regardless of intentions, your staffs' behavior certainly felt quite personal. This apology felt rote and the conversation was inadequate and unsettling. Your staff apparently saw me take a fall in your restaurant and no one came to my assistance, (which would have been an opportune time to assess if I was intoxicated). rather they made an incorrect assumption. Your staff assumed I was lying. And then they assumed that my physical disabilities were signs that I was intoxicated. I feel extremely unwelcome in Sonora Grill and appalled by this experience. I only ask that the owner of Sonora Grill reads this email and that steps are taken to further educate the staff about hospitality and inclusivity. I also expect an apology." read more

Why am I not here more often? I don't know. I was in the mood for a salad and I usually get the one with beets but asked the server about the Mexican salad. They recommended it and recommended adding a shrimp skewer. It was perfect. The salad would have been great on it's own but adding the grilled shrimp elevated it. I also has a brisket taco which was delicious. I sat at the bar and service was attentive without being hovering. Her recommendations really were spot on for what I was craving. The person managing was also friendly and attentive. read more

Mouthwatering tacos and nachos! The service was outstanding and the ambiance was fantastic! Would highly recommend!

I'm a fan of Sonora Grill. I tried a dish I've never had before, and I indulged in gluten free pasta that was actually good! As others have mentioned, service can be a little slow, but BLESS those complimentary chips and salsa that take the edge off the wait. For food, we ordered the cachoreada, I got the Diablo pasta, and my friend got the Adobado. I've never had cachoreada before, so it was a treat trying something new... which I loved! It contains shrimp, scallops, crab meat, oyster, avocado, garlic mayo, cucumber, tomatoes and salsa negra, and is both refreshing and a little rich. The Diablo pasta is gluten free squid ink pasta with shrimp, cactus, and a spicy cream sauce. I was impressed with this GF entree! It was incredibly filling. I tried a bite of the Adobado, which was my fave dish. Sweet, savory, tangy and spicy! I was overall very satisfied with the quality of the food and the huge portions! But service was slow at first. And our plates weren't cleared and waters weren't filled until the end. But I'd def come back. read more

Sonora Grill - Diablo pasta - Latin American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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I would really like to give Sonora Grill another star, but just can't because A. The service is so slow you almost think they forgot about you B. The tacos are inconsistent in quality C. The restaurant is so loud that you literally cannot hear what someone is saying across the table. On the positive side, the cocktails are all top notch and are beautifully crafted in both taste and look. The Wicked7 with the mango habanero infused tequila was so pretty with a charcoal black salted rim that I had to stop and admire it a bit. It was not as spicy as I thought and was quite good. My favorite cocktail was Judy Hits the Road (a delicious Casa Amigos tequila old fashioned with the cutest garnish of a map). Anyway, the cocktails are definitely worth the stop. If you want to order tacos, the shrimp tempura and the fish tacos are the best. read more

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Visited from out of town. It is rare that I have gone to a restaurant lately and everything on the menu was delicious. The chips, salsa, queso, guacamole, shrimp tempura tacos, fish tacos, churros, and margaritas! So good. Went during happy hour and the drinks and tacos were a steal! $3 per taco. $5 house margaritas. What a deal. The breading on the shrimp and fish were perfection. Seasoned and sauced appropriately. A must try if you are in Minneapolis! read more

Sonora Grill - Shrimp tempura taco (left) Fish taco (right) margarita (back) - Latin American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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One of my favorite happy hours in the cities! Consistent favorites (: Staff is always very nice

Some of the best street tacos around will $3 tacos all day Tuesday. Also some great dishes other than tacos, and don't forget their eggplant fries!! Good cocktails with solid choices in margaritas. read more

Sonora Grill - Mushroom (top), shrimp (middle), and fish tacos (bottom); Always fish and shrimp are so good! - Latin American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

[1] Sonora Grill -- without any notice on the menu, orally by the server, or via a sign in the restaurant -- arbitrarily adds a 4% fee for using a credit card. If the place wants to nickel & dime it needs to at least warn the customer. This is new. [2] Compared to our prior visits, the food wasn't as good. The shrimp tacos, especially, were not so good (now) and too full of batter and less taste of the shrimp (or the other items). read more

The food wasn't great, but was much worse was the service. I asked for crema on the side of my dish to the food runner, and she acted super annoyed and said, "You mean sour cream?" Also, they forgot multiple things with the food, and weren't attentive at all. We were halfway through our meal, and the bartender dropped the check which made us feel really awkward. We are both servers in fine dining, and understand mistakes happen. We just didn't like how we were treated when we were being patient and polite. We just expect kindness in return. Not recommended, not going back. Irritable staff makes for a bad experience every time. read more

Sonora Grill - Chilaquiles - Latin American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I love the caramelos and the only cocktail I can remember the name for, the Obregon. Great deck for dining Al fresco!

This place!!! I been in Minnesota for the last 2 months from Atlanta and I have tried so many restaurants, looking for the perfect balance of great food, great customer service and awesome vibe and atmosphere. Sonora Grill on Lake St meets all of those expectations and more!! If you haven't stopped by for their Happy hour, you need to do so ASAP!! I come for Happy Hour now because I'm on a budget but as soon as I'm able to ball out on food and drinks! This is where I'll be! I stopped eating my food just to type this because that's how much I appreciate them and here comes my favorite person Peter asking me if I would care for another drink during Happy Hour because he already knows . I own a food business and this is what I want my business to embody. It's all about how you treat people!! Great job staff and owners!! I'm a fan!! read more

Sonora Grill - Latin American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Went here for happy hour with a friend. I had the Guantanamo....wow. Soooooo delicious. It went down too easy. Now for the food, I order nachos, shrimp tempura taco, and the fish taco. The nachos unfortunately never came, the shrimp taco was really good, the fish taco was good but a bit mushy. Now, because my nachos never came and the tacos are small, oh and the fact that I was about 3 Guantanamos deep, I was still hungry so I decided to order a side of fries after seeing them float by my table. Those were tasty too. Nice and crispy. Medium cut. After all that I needed something sweet and went for the churros They're served warm with chocolate drizzle and whipped cream. YUM. I would definitely go back and stick with the shrimp tacos and hopefully get to try the nachos. read more

The food was great! I just wish that they had more menu options. The chicken tinga was moist with a kick. The server we had did a good job even though the place was packed with customers. Fun Mexican vibe with great art. read more

We sat outside on a Monday afternoon; there were two other tables occupied, and us. Nice patio. It took a few minutes to even be recognized and acknowledged, but we were in no hurry so no big deal. Eventually the waitress came. English was definitely her second language, which may have contributed to what was about to unfold... We wanted a light meal because dinner was planned to be heavy, so the order was: One beer, two waters, one brisket taco, a side of guacamole, and "chips with salsas". Note the plural, "salsas" not "salsa". It took a while, but the beer and waters were delivered, along with two baskets of blue corn chips. No guac. One tiny bowl of salsa. So I figure the rest of my order is coming with the taco... What was delivered was the guac and the taco. No additional salsa. So I ask if there were other salsas for the order, and the waitress says yes, then brings me a bottle of hot sauce, not salsa. Ok, I get it; I'm not going to get what I'm expecting here. So how was the food? Chips: a bit dense and hard, not crazy about them. Guac: very limey, too smooth like paste, not my fave - and it turned out to be about $10! Taco: decent meat filling, was ok. Beer: good. Then the bill came, and there were two extra items on it that we didn't order. Ok, tell the waitress, and she runs off to correct it. It comes back, and there are *still* two things that we didn't order...! Ok, tell the waitress and she runs off to correct it, this time getting it right. Something about her being interrupted when she was entering the order into the computer or whatever, she said. My brother pays the bill, then notices that he didn't get his credit card back! So we go inside to track it down, and eventually the waitress comes up to him with his credit card, no explanation, just "sorry". Not a good look. Then I ask the manager about the salsas that never arrived (he speaks English), and find out that I was indeed supposed to get two different salsas with my order. Too many mistakes here and mediocre food (IMO) -- not enough good points to compensate for the errors. Two stars for the atmosphere and the good Mexican beer on tap. read more

Has to support a Latin owned restaurant for cinco de Mayo. Every table was booked and had a long line of people trying to get takeout orders as well put name on the list. It was very loud with noise of other patrons and music and would not recommend for those he'd of hearing or those who don't like to shout to have a conversation haha. Overheard the wait time from a couple people stating that food was ready for pickup 20 minutes after they were told to pick up. We started off with the empanadas instead of traditional chips and salsa. Good portion size and filled to brim. They had an aioli underneath which was also decent would order again 4/5. Margaritas are all good no matter which version you will pick it had perfect amount of tequila 5/5. Similar to other reviews it took 25-30 minutes for our 4 tacos to arrive service was slow but didn't complain as it was Cinco De Mayo. Skirt steak- skip, bland and meat was chewy 2/5. Shrimp and pork carnitas were solid and would order again 3.5/5. Pork pastor is where it is at. The meat had great spice and flavor and paired perfect with the pineapple salsa. I wish we ordered 3. read more

Sonora Grill - Latin American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This place is a vibe. We were immediately greeted when we walked in. Everything we had was delicious. I recommend the empanadas, Nachos with brisket, coconut rice, Carnitas tacos and chicken roja tacos. The Violeta is prob my fav drink ever. The Paloma is perfect and not too sweet. Very generous on the meat in the tacos. Not greasy. Empanadas were moist and lots of meat. You can make 2 tacos out of one. Explosion of flavors. House made hot sauce was spicy and yum. I'll be back. read more

Sonora Grill - Latin American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sonora has always been one of my neighborhood favorites. Tasty tacos and margs. I don't go as often as I used to after they stopped making the hermosillo roll (was probably my favorite food item on the planet) but still a very good restaurant with a good patio and overall good vibe read more

Best tacos I've had in Minnesota remind me of my trip in Arizona top tier ! Would recommend to friends & family

Just ordered takeout tonight for dinner and I had to write a review ASAP. The food is that good. I got the brisket burrito, hubs got tacos: brisket, carnitas, and skirt steak. The meats were incredibly flavorful. My brisket was perfectly seasoned, meaty, and unctuous. The tacos are fantastic as well. The salsa that came with my burrito was the perfect pairing. We ordered the huitlacoche aioli on the side and my husband ate the last quarter of the cup straight, he loved it so much. We were both incredibly impressed with the flavors from Sonora Grill. Hubs has declared this the best Mexican in Saint Paul. Can't wait to try more soon! read more

Sonora serves up tasty and authentic Mexican cuisine in a trendy and elegant dining venue. The experience is on the border of being a bit too trendy / hipster-ified, but it isn't so far gone as to negatively influence the experience. The food dishes are carefully plated to be as Instagram-able as possible - but they're not sacrificing flavor for visual appeal, since they still taste amazing. The chilaquiles were delicious, as were the tacos. For most dishes, you can choose from a variety of meats and fillings - my favorite would have to be the pork guajillo, but my friends raves about the shrimp tempura. The venue itself has a relaxing and rustic ambiance, with large wooden tables and fun wilderness-lodge-style decor. It's wide and spacious, and there are seating options for couples as well as large groups. The staff was also friendly and helpful. Put together, this all made for a fun experience. Next time you're in need of a Mexican get-together, consider Sonora. read more

Sonora Grill - Pork guajillo on the left, chicken al pastor on the right - Latin American Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I love this place! I saw this being advertised in a TikTok and I'm so happy I decided to go here. The food is great! I always go back here when I feel like sitting down for some tacos. read more

Hmmm... our food has now been sitting under the heat lamp for too long. Wait staff has walked by it numerous times. Thank god the food is tasty. read more

They were busy the day we arrived and although they were short staffed and took longer to get our orders, they did communicate about the wait time. My food was delicious, probably the best chicken flautas I've ever had and I enjoyed my chips and salsa and tres leeches cake. It almost tastes like flavor fusion on some classics. Inside the restaurant there is a bar that has a beautiful red glow which seems to make the atmosphere warmer. I'll definitely go back. read more

I've been coming here for over 7 years,and the last few months have been quite the change. Food was good but I went in this Friday and the 2 people working had zero personality. I got a hello,and that was it the entire time, never checked back on how the food was,one of the girls rolled her eyes when I asked for a Togo box,and when I payed she just gave me my check and walked away,no thank you,no have a good day,nothing! I won't be coming back when there's plenty of places that have people that are happy to be there,but being the only person at the entire back it shouldn't be hard to give even a half assed attempt at service. read more

This is our favorite neighborhood spot. The street tacos and queso are our favorites. A Longfellow gem.