Frida’s

Nice food, nice service. The drinks here were fantastic. They used fresh fruit and, hey, you gotta love a place that serves their margs in a bowl!

Fish tacos were good. Service was a bit slow, but management came around to check on our experience which I appreciated.

Food is pretty good. Décor is awesome. Byob. A good neighborhood joint to grab some dinner

We were going to go to another place but it had a two hour wait so we ended up here.
The menu was a one pager with a few options for each type (i.e. appetizer, entrée, etc.) I got some chicken special and he got a chorizo and chicken dish. Our app was a chicken quesadilla that was just OK. There was a lot of food, enough for lunch the next day. Prices were decent, was it outstanding? No. Did anyone get sick or die? No. Would I go back? Not particularly, there service wasn’t that great and the venue was pretty dark.

We’ve been living down the street from this place for a couple years now and finally gave it a try one Saturday when we were craving margaritas. The only disappointment was that it took us so long to eat here! The margaritas were delicious, and not too sweet. The food was outstanding. Nothing particularly out of the box or modern, but just classic Mexican food done really well. My husband had the chicken enchiladas and I had the tostadas. Extremely flavorful and fresh tasting. Oh, and we learned that the place is BYOB with a $ 3 corkage fee. On the Southport strip, Frida’s is definitely worth your while.

I have eaten at Frida’s four times now, and every time the meal has been excellent. I like Mexican food, and have eaten plenty of it, in lots of different restaurants. This is the best, quality, Mexican food I have eaten. Period. The preparation is terrific. The menu changes frequently. Frida’s is gourmet Mexican, not like Chi-Chi’s or other Tex-​Mex restaurants which make up for poor quality with jumbo-​sized chimichangas slathered in sour cream. No, this is the real deal. Can’t wait to go back. P. S. the house margaritas in the terra cotta bowls are terrific!

As someone who grew up in Texas I was terribly disappointed.
They were offering some sort of discount on their margaritas but they were still overpriced. I ordered the steak fajitas and I’m still searching for the steak buried beneath what must have been 2 whole peppers and onions. It would have been better to call them veggie fajitas with meat flavoring.
In the year I lived 2 blocks away I went once and that was enough.
The main positive was that the lady running the restaurant was very nice and service was decent.

Very disappointed! Server was not pleasant or accommodating. Became upset that I sent margarita back for BLENDING. Returned later to say there was no steak even though ½ their menu includes steak! Too expensive for poor service x average food

I ate at Frida’s last night with a friend. They have a nice outdoor café, and really great service. I had never been before, so I was skeptical about what their food would be like. Their food rocked, and I was really happy. I had the chicken fajitas, and my companion had the carne asada. We were both satisfied.
They had a $ 5 house margarita special going on for Wednesday night… they were served in plastic margarita glasses, which I thought was a bit tacky… but for $ 5, I didn’t really care. I liked the service a lot, they didn’t bug you much, but came by enough to let you know they were around.
I’d defiantly go back to Frida’s in the future.

Knowing that it was a Saturday night, I called earlier in the day to see if I could make a reservation for that evening. The woman who answered the phone said that they do not take reservations for any parties less than 6 people. Since there would only be 3 of us, we decided to just show up and take our chances. Upon arrival, there was a table outside that was unoccupied, but had a menu standing up on it. We asked if we could take that table, and the hostess replied that it was being reserved. I was a bit confused and told her that when I called earlier, I was told that they don’t take reservations for small parties. She got sheepish and defensive, and then tried to blow it off. That was a bit annoying.
We were still hungry, so we decided to just take an available table indoors. It was very hot in the restaurant upon arrival, but they did turn the air on shortly after. The server was more ‘business’ than friendly. She wanted our order and was annoyed to answer any menu questions.
Meanwhile, the party that reserved that ourdoor table still hadn’t shown up yet.
Thank goodness the margaritas were excellent, because this was the saving grace! They make their margaritas with fresh lime juice, a big plus. The food was really good. I had the chicken enchiladas with mole sauce. I would recommend.
Too bad Frida’s doesn’t really focus on service, because this place could have potentially gotten 5 stars from me.

Food: 4
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 4
Value: 3
I admit I feel a little sacrilegious writing this review on Passover, but maybe this will prove to be therapeutic somehow. Besides, it’s not like I’m talking about pizza or sandwiches or other bread-​y deliciousness that I would give my right arm for even though we’re not even 24 hours into the holiday… OK, enough of that and onto the Mexican deliciousness that is just two blocks away from my new pad. My wife and I went with another couple on St. Patrick’s Day for dinner, and besides the inebriated gentleman next to us who decided it would be acceptable to use his half-​eaten plate as a receptacle for whatever his stomach no longer wanted in his body, we had a great experience.
Like most Mexican places, the menu is huge and it offers a wealth of vegetarian options, plus some fish. I was sick and tired of eating the same old burritos and fish tacos, so I opted for an obvious St. Patrick’s day classic and one of the house specialties: Chile Rellenos (hey, it’s green, right?). The price tag ($ 16) seemed a bit suspect for the area, but I figured that in the spirit of the holiday, I would suck it up and lower my frugal inhibitions.
We snacked on some chips and salsa waiting for our food, and while I was impressed with the homemade corn chips, the salsa was eerily reminiscent of the «tomato water» I had at Zapatista (see my review). Fortunately this was not indicative of the rest of my culinary experience.
When the food arrived, the plates: patrons ratio was a staggering 3:1, so no complaints there. Not only were my two chile rellenos large enough to feed an entire mariachi band, but they came with a whole plate of rice and beans and other classic fixings (sour cream, roasted pepper garlic-​tomato salsa, lettuce, queso fresco) Normally I prefer anything deep fried, but these chiles were roasted to perfection. The hearty poblanos complimented the salty, slightly sweet Oaxaca cheese oozing out of them. The salsa added just enough spice and acidity to cut through the dish like Zorro on Catherine Zeta-​Jones. The rice and beans were a nice «palate cleanser» of sorts, as they didn’t try to overpower the gargantuan flavor of the chiles. After finishing one, I knew it was no use to even start on the other, so one dinner for $ 16 quickly turned into lunch the next day. Not a bad deal after all.
Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone who’s tired of the typical hole-​in-​the-​wall Mexican joints but can’t stand the scene at some of the pricier establishments like Mercadito and Tavernita. It satisfies a great niche in the Chicago Middle Market Mexican (M3) category, and offers some alternatives to the classics. (Yes I just coined the term M3; you heard it here first) Come check it out, and be sure drop by and say hello to your favorite Unilocal reviewer just down the street. I’ll be happy to take that spare chile off your hands.
[Thanks for reading my review and be sure to check out my other reviews on Unilocal.My mission is to find restaurants that have great vegetarian, kosher, and vegan fare. On every review, I rate food, service, atmosphere, and value on a 1 – 5 scale to give you quick and easy overview of the restaurant. I love cooking, eating, and doing both with my friends and family. I always welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions so contact me on Unilocal or Facebook if you want to share ideas.]

Been here twice now and must admit, theres a reason I came back! I ordered the fish tacos and definitely some of the best I have had. No fishy taste, nice grilled, with just enough kick. The rice and beans were definitely above par as well.
The tostadas with chicken was also great — packed a lot of kick, but also a lot of flavor. Again, not common on chicken tostadas around town.
A really important thing to note and worth coming — the margaritas, are made from actual fruit — no mixer — I have yet to find a Mexican restaurant that does this! Delicious and won’t leave that syrup flavor in your mouth. It’s worth it to just come for the drinks!
This is definitely my new spot for sit down Mexican food and drinks, I recommend for a nice date night — and the staff is very, very friendly — the owner is also very pleasant and will tell you all about the food preparation if you are interested. After I give the menu a full try, I will try to update this review too. The only reason I don’t have five stars is I have only had tried a couple menu items. Stop reading and go try Frida’s now!

Delicious, fresh margaritas, amazing salsas and fresh food is what you get every time at Frida’s! The service is always fast, warm and welcoming and I always leave here fully satisfied!

I finally tried Frida’s again and they have upped their game! The mole chicken was good but a little bland. My boyfriend loved his chile rellenos though. The margaritas are also excellent. I want to try that drink that comes in a bowl next time! We have been there twice recently and the service was good, too.

Definitely not impressed by Frida’s. We were drawn in by the promise of a 3-​course meal for $ 16 (only Monday & Tuesday) and Mexican food in general, but didn’t know what to expect. It’s a small restaurant, but they must have only had one waiter and one busser for the whole place. The wait staff knew we were there, seated outside, but it took 10+ minutes for someone to even come by and bring us water, and then another few for menus, and another 15 to have our order taken. On top of that, it was the busser who was taking our order since the waiter was so busy inside, so she didn’t know the details of the $ 16 special, so we had to wait while she checked on that, too. (I’m not blaming her, it’s probably not in her job description, but they should have had more help in general).
The waiter did come out and apologize, 45 minutes into our meal, but then at the end of the apology, he tacked on a complaint about the large group inside that was apparently slowing everything down. I understand that sometimes there are difficult customers/​groups, but I think it’s unprofessional to complain about that to your other customers.
The food was ok; I was definitely expecting real chorizo in the Choriqueso appetizer, not ground beef. I think it must have sat for a while before they brought it out to us because the cheese wasn’t so warm and was very difficult to put on the tortillas. My friend and I both got the Enchiladas, but I got the black bean sauce and she got the Jitomate sauce. They were ok — I don’t know how else to put it. Because of the $ 16 deal, there were only 2 instead of 3. That was fine; with the appetizer, it was still a good amount of food. Finally, we both ordered the sopapillas for dessert and they were mediocre.
Some of the pros, I guess, are the specials they have during the week and that there’s a nice area to sit outside.

Frida’s is warm and friendly. The food is above-​standard Mexican that has a home-​cooked, loving touch. Everything tastes fresh including the margaritas, which are made from scratch, not from a mix.
The owner/​waitstaff are super friendly and steer you towards their favorites on the menu, based on your preferences. You can tell the food is a notch above standard Mexican fare — these recipes are home grown with fresh, delicious ingredients. We tried the tinga and a a shrimp plate — delicious. I would definitely go back.

I had a interesting but overall enjoyable experience here recently with a friend.
We had fish tacos, guacamole and margaritas. The food was pretty tasty, no complaints there. The drinks were also delicious (and strong!). I love the Kahlo theme. What left me kind of baffled was the service. More than once, I would get frustrated, be on the verge of leaving, and then at the last minute they would save themselves.
Example:
We walked in. We waited to be seated. There were a total of 8 employees on the floor and a nearly empty restaurant. No one greeted us or even acknowledged our presence as the servers stood around chatting. My friend says, «should we leave?» I started just quietly counting down from 5, meaning after 5 more seconds passed we were going to walk out. When I got to 3, a woman came up from behind and greeted us very nicely, apologized that everyone was ignoring us, gave us a great table, and totally saved it.
Overall, the service was really unprofessional, but very friendly. Our server was really sweet and kept us happy. However, it’s just weird to look back and see 4 other employees lounging around the restaurant, texting and eating.

I live just a block away and hadn’t checked this place out yet, because every time I walk by it’s closed (hours posted aren’t always accurate). Asked to sit in the patio, were told it would be 10 minutes. One of the servers tried to give newcomers the table we had been waiting for.
Fine. I’ll fight for my table. Let him know we had been waiting and we were seated first.
It took 5 or so minutes to be greeted by our server. 15 minutes to get our drinks. We obviously got the worst server in the joint who was happily pouring drinks for his 4 top of 30 something ladies inside while my bf and I sat waterless, chipless, and growing more hungry by the second.
Bless you, hostess. She got us more h2o and chips and dip and kept checking on us while we were being ignored. Even fetched our server 30 minutes in to place our order.
I was going to let the bad service go because the booze was so good, but as soon as I was out and couldnt even have the opportunity to order anything else, my patience was gone. Our food took almost TWO HOURS. It was Friday, yes, but this place houses maybe 20 tables. After the 8 top that sat after us had gotten all of their food, our server stopped by and said the kitchen was really busy.
I know what that means. You forgot to put in the order. 2 shrimp, a medium piece of 4oz steak, chicken breast, rice and beans, and 3 squares of quesadilla don’t ever take that long. For a$ 20 dish, I expected more. We didn’t even get the tortillas so we could make our meal as planned.
There was no management to be seen, no control, and little help offered. Take a drink off the bill and I’m a thousand times happier. But offer nothing other than a shrug of the shoulders and then I’m put off.
ANYWAY.
Don’t get the bald guy who probably plays bass in an bon jovi cover band and you’ll probably be happy. The Ryan Reynolds look alike was rocking and rolling though and was super nice and helpful for as much as he could be to us. Don’t get the most expensive thing and expect to be able to share and leave full. Do get the sangria. Do get the clay bowl drink.

What self-​respecting Mexican restaurant runs out of chorizo?
The service is very friendly here, although both times I’ve been our waiter has been a bit overeager for us to do tequila shots.
The menu is extensive and the ambiance is warm. The food is only slightly better than average though, and there are definitely better places out there.
Last time I was there my dining companion had the fish tacos and said they were way too fishy tasting. And like I said — many of their entrees feature chorizo — and the last time I went, they were out. I was ready to go to the supermercado next door and buy my own!
I may give them another try because it’s convenient to my house and to the Music Box, so it’s a good place to go after a show, but I’ve had better for sure.

I ended up going back for Dinner. While the experience was good, $ 44 (for two people) is kind of a lot for Mexican food (two entrees and cokes).
The enchiladas were decent the rancheros sauce was maybe a tad overwhelming. The presentation was very nice, although I’ll take taste over presentation 10 times out of 10. Once again, the service was excellent.
If your into healthier Mexican dishes and/​or like a lot of sauce on/​with your dishes, you should check them out, although keep in mind there dinners aren’t cheap. The dishes were by no means horrible, but I didn’t feel it was a great value. Overall, I’ll probably go back for brunch (cheaper), but I doubt I’d go again for dinner.