Overall great experience. Very friendly and courteous employees serving authentic Mexican food. Was my first time here and I will definitely come back. Would recommend the Al Pastor burrito. It does have a lot of rice in it, so if you don't like rice ask for "less rice." Chips and guacamole were okay, but nothing special. You will get plenty of chips though, if you are wondering why it's $8 on the menu. read more

I loved this place & people working. Food is always very fresh & delish. This most recent visit we were disappointed. In both our chicken and beef burritos we could barely taste or even see any meat. We opened burritos to find 95% rice and some beans. We asked for hot peppers to be added to beef burrito and did not get. I paid .75$ for added guacamole and received about 1/2 teaspoon total. We also ordered empanadas and they did not have either flavor listed on the menu which happens every time. Usually satisfied with substitute but not impressed today with either at $4 each. Bummed. read more

Tomate Fresh Kitchen - Latin American Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Best burrito in town hands town. Maybe best burrito in all of Chicago area. Love the owners too. Doesn't get much better. Just keep and eye out for their hours since they aren't open all the time. read more

Got a burrito for lunch and it was really small, dry, and overpriced. Not going back again and do not recommend.

I was really excited to try Tomate Fresh after hearing such great things about it from other people. I loved the flan and the plantains were pretty good, but unfortunately I found the tacos to be pretty bad. I got three different kinds-- 1 sweet potato, 1 caramelized onion, and 1 tilapia. They were extremely soggy, and the sweet potato and caramelized onion ones actually had too many conflicting flavors for me, and then I found the tilapia one to be pretty bland and the tilapia to be extremely dry, despite the sogginess of the tortilla. I think I will go back here to get dessert, and possibly try one of their burritos or tamales, but I would never get the tacos again sadly :( overall kind of disappointed it didn't live up to all the hype. read more

Tomate has delicious Mexican food with popping flavors. All of the food is made fresh to order and is very authentic. Definitely the best that Evanston has to offer. A bit expensive for what it is, but if the Northwestern kids have the cash, good for the owner! Tamales were not on the chalkboard, but the staff was happy to make a few for us upon request. Staff is incredibly friendly and warm, but slooowwww. Food and staff are 5-star - Tomate just needs some streamlining of order taking, accepting payment, etc. read more

Great little place, local, sweet people. Burrito was tasty and fresh prefer pork -yummy -over beef but the taco was meh and I agree 3$ nothing special The only reason I gave it 3 stars is because I asked for extra salsa When ordering got 3 tiny containers of salsa for 2 burritos and a taco WHAT?!!! I was so bummed when I got home. read more

Fantastic! Tanya and her staff serve the freshest ingredients with a smile. I have only experienced their vegetarian fare so far: the veggie burrito was phenomenal packed with a rice/black bean base then adding a sweet potato, cauliflower and roasted corn filling with onion and cilantro, YUM! Today I am enjoying the panko habanero crusted tilapia w/ pineapple mojo tacos and the cauliflower empanada also very good. The salsa verde that comes w/each dish is the best I have ever had..and I eat a ton of Latin food. You may say it is pricey to that I say wake up...its HOMEMADE!! read more

This is my go-to lunch spot! Honestly you can't go wrong - everything here is delicious. The store is small, so plan on carrying out. I would also recommend ordering ahead of time by phone or through grub hub. This way you can avoid a wait. read more

Always fresh and tasty tacos and burritos. Amazing flavors in food and so tasteful. I order mostly to have it delivered. Delivery is always super fast. Never had better tacos nowhere. Best in area! read more

The food is amazing and about a third of the menu is veggie, so this is an office friendly lunch option. I usually get a few tacos and an empanada and I haven't had anything that's not great. There is no indoor seating, but the food is served quickly and there are benches on the sidewalk and across the street at the park. read more

By far my favorite Evanston staple! Huge fan of the caramelized onion burrito and everything else on the menu. Pro tip to get light rice in the burrito and try adding grilled cheese. read more

Regretfully, both of our burritos were all bland yellow rice and no chicken that we could taste. The rice milk drink was average. The highlight of my meal was the homemade pineapple juice drink, which was delicious. Don't eat here, just byob and buy the homemade drinks. read more

These are the nicest people around! They make wonderful and creative food that is inexpensive and delicious. I really like the sweet potato gorditas. Also their burritos are very filling and you have a lot of choices for what type of veggies and meats. I would suggest ordering on grubhub if it's at a meal time because their lines can get pretty long. read more

Authentic Mexican cuisine made while you wait. There is strictly a togo place. The nacho salad was crispy with just the right amount of cheese, pico de Gallo, and black beans. read more

Food & service are excellent, ordering online is easy.

This is my new favorite local burrito/taco place. I'm vegetarian & they have a few different veggie options which is so awesome. Food is seriously so delicious & fresh, so glad we discovered this place! read more

These are hands down my favorite tacos. They have a lot of great vegetarian options and my favorites are the sweet potato and the black bean tacos! I highly recommend! read more

Tomate is consistent-- I love their burritos and they are a reasonable price (about 6.50 a piece). Their ingredients are always fresh, and the tortillas are fantastic. The tacos and empanadas are very good as well. The service is always friendly and fast. One time they forgot my empanadas in a large delivery order and they apologized and told me to stop by later that day. They gave me my forgotten empanadas and a couple extra as an apology-- they were delicious. My one wish is that when they fill the burritos they spread the filling a little more evenly throughout-- it sounds silly, but sometimes I'll get one piece of tofu (in the case of a tofu burrito) at the top of my burrito, and all the rest at the very bottom. Doesn't happen all the time, and it isn't that big of a deal; but it would be my one request. Love this place and highly recommend! Just try to go when the NU undergrads aren't swarming it. read more

Tomate Fresh Kitchen - Tofu burrito - Latin American Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

See all

first time there, ordered: two al pastor tacos- came soggy and lots of onions two carnitas tacos- unfortunately very dry, not much flavor but based on the other reviews- I will go again to try read more

I love getting the black bean burrito from Tomate. It's maybe the best burrito I've had in quite a while. It gets 3 stars though because their hours are the worst. They close around 6pm every day which is surprising as it seems like it's catering to college kids and there aren't many other options nearby. Also, they get really busy and it's hard to get food, even if you call ahead. I still haven't mastered the process of actually picking up my food as the inside is so small and crowded there's no obvious method. It's a bit pricey as well. But when everything goes well Tomate is awesome and great to pick up and eat outisde when the weather is nice! read more

This is my new favorite place! The sweet potato burrito is soooo good! The grilled chicken taco is another favorite. My only wish is that is salted their chips. Everything is fresh and it's very affordable. read more

Best Mexican I've had in a while. Cheap, fresh, delicious. Get the Carne Asada Gordita!

A fantastic restaurant! The service is incredibly fast and the food is incredible. I would highly recommend the Al Pastor burrito, but I have heard that essentially everything on the menu is worth a try. It is the perfect place to get a quick, delicious meal. It would be great if they stayed open past 5pm, but it is a great place to get lunch as well. The cashier is super nice too! An all around great experience. read more

Amazing quesedillas and burritos.. loved the food and service, inspight of being so busy thry were extremely efficient and polite. Reasonable too! read more

Yum yum yum! This is a place I could eat from every day and never get tired of it. So happy to have a great spot like this nearby :)

Great food and good variety with some solid veggie options. I'm a lover of empanadas and this place does a good job, not the best I've ever had but I keep coming back so they must be doing something right! Order for lunch or an early dinner its all good. Portions are a little on the small size but get a few different things and it works outs. read more

Tomate Fresh is one of my favorite and probably my most frequented place in Evanston! Amazing, authentic Mexican food

I want to like Tomate, but on multiple occasions the food fell short mainly because thy cook the meats prior and keep warm and serve when ordered. While it might work for others like Chipotle, what you get here are small, crusty and chewy pieces of chicken and steak in your burrito and tacos - nice people but falls short on 'fresh' and taste. read more

Good food, but the burritos have way too much rice in them and the chicken is a bit dry, but some of their other burritos are quite good. The tacos are good and very filling. I have had their tamales, arepas and empanadas, but I think the burritos and tacos are the better choices. read more

Ordered delivery through Grubhub with coworkers for lunch.. we each got a steak burrito.. paid extra for cheese, sour cream and guac... the burritos were literally 70% rice (not very good rice either) and 30% meat... there was a spoonful of guac in there... no sign of the cheese and sour cream that were 75 cents each.. we ate them because we were starving but it was disappointing... probably won't order from here again. read more

Just ordered delivery from here and had high expectations after reading the reviews. I ordered a carne asada burrito, spicy pork with salsa verde burrito, duck taco, and the butternut squash empanada. The burritos were a bit smaller than what I'm accustomed to and didn't have that much meat. Instead, they were stuffed with rice and black beans. I also noticed that there were potatoes in one of the burritos. Thought that was a bit odd. The duck taco and the empanada were also a let down. And to make it worse, we weren't given any salsas. I really wanted to like this place but it was just a big miss :( read more

Ordered Tacos for my class to be delivered during class. Arrived exactly on time, each taco was identified for content so distribution was easy. I ate a chicken (brilliant) and the Fish with Pineapple (superb). The tab was $66.00 for 22 tacos. A class of satisfied students and one super satisfied instructor. Great working with them as always. It is a can't miss place. read more

Burritos are the best value! Only for take out. For hungry college students, the burritos are very filling. My favorite are chicken tinga and barbacoa. The chicken tinga is a little spicier than the regular chicken burrito and I think it has a lot more flavor. The barbacoa is really succulent with potatoes that have soaked up a lot of flavor from the stew. The salsas are great too, so ask for extras because one cup isn't enough to last with a whole burrito. Since there's no seating at all, you can only take it to go. And during lunch rush is can get really cramped and uncomfortable inside. The tacos seem overpriced but if you have the money to spend, they're worth it. read more

I have frequented this place a few times recently when looking for a quick lunch. They have some healthier and tastier offerings than other quick eateries. This isn't the best Mexican food, but it's certainly better than Taco Bell or the like. read more

Wow, what a great addition to Noyes Street dining and Northwestern's north-campus options! Tomate is carry-out Latin American with a heavy emphasis on Mexican cuisine plus empanadas. However, the mix of ingredients is extremely creative and surprising. I had an empanada today that contained cauliflower and carrots with a delicate blend of spices that had a wonderful blend of sweet and savory. It's got a wide menu with a lot of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options and gorgeous looking desserts. I've been buying Tania's creations at the Evanston Farmer's Market for months now and I'm glad I will get to continue enjoying it even after winter comes. It's a small place so Tania warned me that it can get a bit busy, so if I want a larger order, it's best to call ahead and they can pull it together in ten to fifteen minutes. I'll be taking her up on that soon! read more

Ordered a tinga burrito and they gave me 85% rice 5% beans and 10% chicken. Rice was not tasty and salsa is mediocre. I love Mexican food so this was a big disappointment. read more

My co-worker let me know about this place and she said that they have the best burritos, so I took her word for it. I can say that I've had much better. I'm not to happy considering that I ordered a carne asada burrito and it was basically all rice and beans with a hint of steak. I'm guessing if I was a vegetarian this would have been great! I also added sour cream and cheese in my burrito too, and just like the steak it was hardly any in there, but when I did taste it in the burrito it was pretty tasty! That's the ONLY reason this place got 2 stars. My co worker told me that last time she had it it was more flavorful and had more meat. I really wanted to like Tomate but this wasn't a good start. Maybe we caught them on an off day. read more

I visited their stand at the downtown Evanston farmers market and their empanadas are delicious! Flaky and buttery crust with hearty goodness on the inside. Can't do any better than this! read more

In my opinion, significantly better burritos than Chipotle or Qdoba. Ingredients tasted very fresh, and the food seems to be more authentic than any fast food Mexican place. The burrito you get probably won't be quite as big as a Chipotle one, there's no room in the store to sit, but service is very quick. If you're looking for a quick lunch in Evanston this is a great option. read more