Tomate Fresh Kitchen — Restaurant in Evanston Township

Start Time: 5:08 p.m. - Act I "Mean Lady

I had not eaten all day, and I just wanted a Burrito and two sodas. The (unwelcoming) lady at the counter took my order, and was so eager to assist the Asians behind me, but she did not let me finish ordering. When I was finished ordering, she did not/would not put my order in. She stated that she had to take the order of the people that were behind me. (Normally, they take one order at a time, and they put up one slip at a time.) But not this time. She stated that they were not going to make my order anyway, because they are preparing a big order. When I asked her if they could cut my burrito in half, she stated that I would have to wait longer for my order then. This did not/does not make any sense to me at all. It takes a milisecond to make a burrito, and it takes a nano second to cut one. So obviously, she is playing with me. This is not typical, but apparently, good service was not on the menu today.

Long story short, I explained to her that I was starving, because I had not eaten all day, and asked her how long did they expect customers to wait while they ignored customers that walked in to order and get food. 5-10 minutes AFTER I had arrived she told me that it would take 10 minutes. When I stated that maybe they should put a closed sign up if they are going to ignore their customers, she said, "ok, would you like to get your stuff then?" (Maybe it's me, but I don't think that is customer service at it's finest.) So we will put a closed sign on the door. So it's up to you if you want to wait or not.Do you want to wait? Ok, thank you. When I asked, are you always this rude to customers, she responded, "yes." Well, ok then, there you have it. The Owner, apparently agreed with how she was treating his customers, and he stood by it. Well, alrighty then. So, less than five minutes after I left, all of a sudden, people were being served. Interesting. Two people walked in after I walked out, and they were served right away. Perhaps they should join the...

Not only do they charge a signficant amount extra for basic ingredients. They even charge 1.50 extra for cheese on the quesadalla., but what really pissed me off was the $7 delivery charge they tried to add. I know it does not cost them $7 for delivery because I order out a lot. Delivery is usually $3 or $4 and I'm only .2 miles away. if I'm already paying a 15% tip. My order ended up being around $100 for a burrito, quesadilla, and nachos. If I'm making a large order or I live nearby that's ridiculous. I realize that sometimes it's extra to pay by credit card because they get a fee, but a hidden fee of $7 for delivery is like lying to me and I don't like businesses that try to scam you. This is when I canceled my order. If they want to charge extra they should raise their prices, not charge for things that isn't actually a cost. It doesn't cost them $7 to deliver if I'm paying a the 15% suggested tip.

Here's an example of their nachos. It says the nachos are 9.50 but that's false because but I'm required to make an additional choice when I click on it, which is the case for all their items:

Vegetarian +$3.00 Carne Asada +$4.00 Al Pastor +$3.00 Chicken Tinga +$3.00 Ground Beef +$3.00

This is the quesadilla, even the cheese is $1.50 extra than the listed price:

WOULD YOU LIKE EXTRAS? Optional Extra Tofu +$3.50 Tilapia +$3.50 Grilled Cheese +$1.50 Sour Cream +$1.50 Guacamole +$3.00 Pico de Gallo +$2.00 Habaneros +$2.00 Avocado +$3.00 Sweet Potatoes +$3.50 Yucca +$3.50 Mushrooms +$3.50 Caramelized Onions +$3.00 Cheese +$1.50 Al...

It’s a northwestern and north Evanston staple and a great place for good, affordable lunch. I have been coming here for the past 5 years almost once a week. Their burritos are yummy with several vegetarian options. Over the years, I have grown to love the sweet potatoes and the tofu burrito and every once in a while I order the yucca or the spicy mushrooms. They also give you a standard red salsa, but when I have asked for it, I have also gotten either a salsa verde or a spicy salsa. If there’s one place that I would come back to eat in Evanston this would be it. I think their burritos are second only to the ones I have had in Mexico City. It’s a great blend of heat, fat, salt and acidity and their taste has been consistent over the past 5 years.

I love their new online ordering system, it’s faster and more organized than their original system where you’d go into the store and stand in a line to place an order. The older system was chaotic. The online system has some issues occasionally but it’s pretty reliable and convenient. It is take out only and during the summer they have a few chairs outside, I’ve never seen the outdoor seats empty though!

All in all, amazing place, fantastic service...