Wholly Frijoles — Restaurant in Niles Township

I was initially looking for a place that had good tacos in the Skokie/Evanston area that was open for lunch. I browsed Yelp and found this place.

--The AMBIENCE I came here with my friend and the front of the restaurant looks pretty hideous and generic and the inside was sadly not much better but I didn’t want that to sway my food experience. The paper cover on the tables was a little annoying and made me feel like I was in a fast food kind of place - not a fan.

--The DRINK.

I noticed the crowd was pretty mixed but a lot of the hispanic people dining out were drinking what appeared to be some kind of white drink. I was really curious and I don’t remember the name of it but it was pretty good. The waitress nearby was night enough to bring me a small portion to try and we both got one but it’s super sweet so I would get is as a dessert but everyone was drinking it with their food - almost like a cook/pepsi substitute.

--The FOOD.

EAT I ordered the following:

Shrimp Tacos: Very moist and delicious and I just ended up using a fork - there was no way to eat them any other way with the amount on the taco. Just needed some spice - maybe some diced jalapeño and your good!

Fish Tacos: These were ok but a little bland. They looked great but they needed some heat and again I appreciate the portions but you can’t eat a taco with your hands when the food inside the tacos covers the actual taco to pick up. It’s just impossible to eat without a complete mess. They could have taken the fish and broke it in half for each taco, threw in more veggies and voila. Saved yourself some money on fish and made a better eating experience for me.

Guacomole: I asked them to add some jalapeños to it to give it a nice kick and it was great with chips and the salsa on the table.

Crab Cakes: These were really good but for some reason whoever was making them wanted to make this look nicer than it was by putting huge pieces of cilantro on every dish we got. When you decorate a plate - there is no need to cover the food up almost completely - so on every dish we took it off and tossed it aside. These come with a dipping sauce but again as consistent with the food - the amount they bring with is enough for 10 crab cakes yet they give you two. Just an idea - just drizzle some of the sauce on the crab cakes and your done because how do you dip a crab cake without using your hands? I don’t mind that but just too messy. Consider the drizzle and minus the cilantro attack on the food.

My friend got the Frontera Burrito Now I have no idea on the quality of this dish but seriously the portion was insane. It literally looked like a burrito that was the size of this head and took up the entire massive plate and just in case you were not full yet they gave you soup and rice with it as well.

—ChaChing I felt the place was a little pricy for some of the stuff we got. Our total bill for two was $46. Which for lunch to me felt a little high. I think if you make your portions smaller and lower the cost I would come back.

--The SERVICE The girl that sat us was super nice and even came by a couple times after and overall really nice and helpful. Our waiter seemed a little overwhelmed. It seems like he was in charge of most of the tables and it took some time to get a hold of him.

--The WORD Overall out of all the Mexican style restaurants for lunch between evanston and skokie I would say this is one of the best but overall as a Mexican place if you compare it to the Chicagoland area - it’s just ok. I would say if your in this area - swing by. Parking is ok just have to park...

This place is really, really good! It's got an upscale, authentic menu with a wide variety of offerings, vegetarian-friendly, and great presentation. Entree prices range from $9 to $15 or so, and just about everything except for the obvious exceptions can be made vegetarian. The last time I was there, I had the Empanadas De Rajas Y Hongos, (cornmeal Masa Empanadas W/ancho, Poblano, Red Peppers, Mushrooms & Oaxaca Cheese). I was worried about getting too many mushrooms, but it was fantastic, a solid balance of all of the ingredients. It's listed as an appetizer, but it was filling enough to feel like a main course.

There's some good outdoor seating, and you won't even notice the traffic on Touhy unless you're really sensitive to that sort of thing, it's rush hour, you've already had a long day, and everyone is honking (because we all know that's the magic cure to traffic). Even then, the food is gourmet without trying too hard to BE gourmet. It's definitely a step up from what you might expect from a "typical" Mexican restaurant/taqueria (I hope the managers haven't read this far because they could probably get away with raising their prices ever...

This is a great Mexican restaurant that goes beyond the typical burritos and tacos with a side of rice and beans. It is upscale in its flavors and unique menu items, but not particularly expensive. It is located in a storefront (or two adjoining ones) on Touhy Ave, so it is cozy but not too small, and was surprisingly popular for a weekday lunch. I had steak tacos, loaded with guacamole and a drizzle of crema, with a side of beans (real beans in sauce, not refried). It was all delicious and I was impressed with the amount of carne asada in them. Since it was my birthday, my friend and I shared a fried ice cream for dessert....cinnamon ice cream coated in coconut and batter. Yum! Worth the calories (however many there were). There was a mango cheesecake on the menu that sounded amazing too. The service was fast and professional, and the restaurant was quiet enough to hold a good conversation without straining to hear. Parking was a bit tight, but we got a spot within a minute. Note: if you order a soft drink, it will be a can,...