Sonora Grill

Excellent! Real corn tortillas, real tacos. Awesome bloody Mary’s! Waitstaff rocked. I recommend. Pricey, but it’s quality NOT quantity.

I’ve gone up to 5 stars for this place, and I think they deserve it. Why? I’ve been here at least a dozen times now. And every meal has been consistent, from breakfast to dinner, fresh, hot, and tasty. The staff has been friendly and always present. The food has ALWAYS, AND I MEAN ALWAYS, really good. And more importantly, consistent. I’m surprised by that, because that is really hard to pull off. Changing staff, bad days, but the food has always been really, really good. I love east lake street, so many great places to eat. Waiting on the hi low diner…

Amazing Food, but the service overshadows the quality.
Our party of 9 had probably the slowest services we’ve ever experienced on our Tuesday Dinner Nights in the downtown area. It took 15 minutes to receive drinks, we had to go to the bar and get our own limes for tequila (2 shots of the same tequila on Tuesdays for $ 10). The food took about 15 – 20 minutes to arrive, and the taste/​flavor was outstanding. Sadly though the size of the tacos (discounted to $ 2.50/$ 3.50 from $ 4/​$ 5 on Tuesdays) here are on tortillas about the size of a CD, but they include 2 – 3 on most so you can split it up into 2 different tacos. Also their chips and salsa are paltry — a small side dish of really good salsa and fresh chips, but barely enough to share with one person, let along split 5 between 9 people. And they charged $ 3 for more. Isn’t the menu items expensive enough???
Then when it came down to pay, L.T. brings us one big tab and makes a big deal about splitting it up. Isn’t it waiting 101 to ask at the beginning of a meal if its one or separate checks? And none of it was even split by seat. So we had to give her our orders again, and 15 minutes later comes back with our checks. And nothing on the menu said automatic gratuity of 18% for parties x or more. With the service we got it wouldn’t have been that much.
If we return, we’ll definitely find a different section to sit in.

I’ve been to Sonora 5+ times since they’ve opened in Longfellow, at various times of day including brunch.
For me this is one of those places where the description sounds so much better than the food that’s delivered.
Best so far is hands down the ceviche. It was fresh and flavorful. Big chunks of fish, shrimp and avocado with the perfect lime zip. I would have licked the bowl if no one would have judged.
Both the nachos and the chilaquiles at brunch were a let down. Soggy and not flavorful or inspired at all.
The drinks are usually good, though. I’m a BIG fan of tequila and they have some fun choices. The one thing to avoid is the mimosa at brunch — just a flute of cheap oj and no bubbles at all.
Like it, don’t love it. Will probably be back someday.

First impression when I arrived, this place was clean and the modern rustic deco was inviting. We had lunch over the counter at the bar. Service was friendly and attentive. Their steak and tongue tacos were delicious. They have good margaritas. However, I was not too keen of their house mix Bloody Mary. The spiciness was nice but somehow it lacked the salt I like in my drink. Not a good reason not to go back because everything else that my friends ordered were delicious. Keep it up peeps!

Well that was disappointing. My margarita tasted fine except it probably had zero tequila in it. It tasted almost watered down. If I’m going pay $ 10 for a margarita voted best in the twin cities, I expect more than mediocre. You know what else was mediocre the service! It wasn’t BAD but it wasn’t good. Our server seemed to do just enough but nothing more. The food was okay. I usually like their tongue taco except I prefer my tortilla warm not cold. I mean it as a COLD tortilla! I don’t think think they even attempted to warm it up before giving it to me. My empanadas were good but nothing to call home about. I’ll just stick to eating their tacos de lengua at their Global Market location.

Time and again, we keep coming back to Sonora, always remembering the delicious food, and always forgetting the sub par service. I don’t know what it is. On a number of occasions, we will be greeted with helpful and social service, but halfway through our stay, it’s as though the staff forgets about us. After drinks and food are ordered, we barely have a server.
The sad thing is that the worst service we experienced was when we sat at the bar. The bartender/​server took his time taking drink orders, then food orders, and then just left us alone the rest of the time. We would wait for eye contact to be made so we can request something, but it wouldn’t happen, even with him standing right in front of us.
We’ve had mixed feelings about the owner/​manager as well. On one occasion, we asked a hostess if seating outside was available, so she went to check. The owner came by after to greet us as well. We told him that someone was checking the seating availability outside, to which he replied, «I don’t think so,» but it was in a way that sounded a little arrogant, like we didn’t know what we were talking about. Maybe I misinterpreted it, but it stuck with me.
Overall, I love the food. Very tasty and affordable. But experience the service for yourself.

Note that the menu options are different and portion sizes slightly larger here than at the global market.
! — We seriously took the fact that they have a location at the global market into consideration when we chose which hospital to have our baby at.
I typically have some combination of the pork and steak tacos and they never disappoint. I did notice that they started putting a salsa on the steak tacos… it’s good but I’d recommend going without because you get more of the flavor from the meat.

I had the Chillaquilles with green sauce, chicken and over easy eggs. I came here because it was recommended on a thrillist brunch article. The food was very good. I will definitely be back. My only minor complaint was one of my two over easy eggs was overcooked. The other was perfect so I kept the review at five stars.
Put this food in your face! Two forks up!
The only odd thing is the place was dead. We were there from 9 – 10 on a Saturday and ate alone. A family finally came in at 10:00.

My friend, Lara, wanted to go out for margaritas for her birthday. A quick google search for ‘best margarita in Twin Cities’ returned Sonora Grill. Onward!
The restaurant was easy to find, with easy parking in an adjacent lot. When we walked in, I was surprised at how busy and loud it was. We were seated right away and served water and chips and salsa. I’m not a huge fan of their salsa-​very thin and smoky flavored. The chips were fantastic though.
I ordered the Sonora Margarita… excellent. This was worth the trip alone. My friend ordered a different one-​the 2015 winner of best margarita in the TC’s. It had jalapeño pepper in it, and agave… it was OK. She loved it, and that’s all that really mattered.
For eats I ordered the revolving fish taco. It was lightly battered in tempura with a chili aioli-​so good. I’d go back for more fish tacos for sure. I wanted to order rice and beans as a side, but I have a dairy allergy-​and they couldn’t make me beans without cheese. The waitress brought me the rice, but it was drenched in butter. Apparently the waitress didn’t understand what ‘dairy’ is. No matter, my girlfriends devoured it.
I’m giving this place 3 stars because I felt the service could have been better. Our waitress wasn’t very friendly, and our water glasses remained empty for far too long. Salty chips call for lots of water!
I think I would go back with my family. It lacked the adult feel that I wanted for a night out with friends-​but it was good and I would try it again with readjusted expectations.

Came for dinner because we wanted tequila. When we walked in we weren’t greeted right away and weren’t sure where to go, but then someone sat us. We sat for a long time before drink orders were taken, so we were a little put off. However, that changed. I got the margarita tha was voted best, and I can see why. It was perfect, with some spice. We also got a tequila flight, which is cool because you get to try 3 kinds of a brand. We got 3 tacos, beans, elote, and the pork tenderloin. OMG, the elote was fabulous, covered in some kind of angel fairy sauce. Tacos were all on point. My favorite was the chicken pastor. The pork tenderloin was to die for. I am a sucker for pork and this was fabulous. The spinach that came with it was lime flavored or something and I inhaled it. So good. The beans were nothing special, but I am not overly into refried beans anyways. Our server was good and knowledgeable. I want to come back for some brunch.

do not pass go don’t collect $ 200 and do not miss the Sonoran Grill!
Don’t ask just order an Obregon Margarita voted Best margarita of 2915-​City Pages
This is not a glass of sugar water with cheap tequila This is a revelation!!! Fresh squeezed citrus basil and Serrano peppers
Most authentic tacos in town I can’t decide between tempura shrimp and skirt steak so I got both Excellent can’t wait to work my way through the menu!

Whenever I am in Minneapolis for work I make sure to hit both locations at least twice. The street tacos are my favorite, especially the tempura shrimp and the beef tongue. I only wish they would add tripe to the menu. Great bloody marys and cocktails at the Longstreet location. GREAT staff who are attentive and polite. This ain’t taco bell so don’t get upset at $ 4 a taco, but they are HUGE and awesome. I plan to expand my orders beyond the tacos but damn if I can’t quit them. The chips, sauce and guac is stellar. Check out the happy hours to watch a game or relax at the bar. Trendy décor and good music that is not loud.
Excellent joint.

Being from the Sonoran area myself, I was hoping to find a great Mexican food place that reminded me of home. Their menu, however, is not the Sonoran cuisine I’m familiar with and seemed to have a lot more South American and Spanish influence than I’d have expected from the name of the place. Personally, I’m not a big fan of typical cuisine from those areas, but I did appreciate the creativity of the menu items and it’s always good to get out of your comfort zone (though I admit I didn’t stray too far as to try the tongue).
Our meal started with a small helping of chips and salsa. The chips were very thick and fried brown (good) and weren’t over-​salted (excellent). The salsa that came with was of a chipotle variety that was way too smoky for my tastes, but I’m fine with plain chips. They seem to have other sauces to choose from (looking at photos of others’ meals) and I’d probably ask for one of those instead, if possible.
Finally decided on the red tempura shrimp taco and a steak quesadilla. The tempura shrimp was really good and I loved the cilantro sauce with cabbage in the tortillas — my only complaint is that the shrimp was way too big to actually fit in the taco. These would be better in a burrito or chopped up a bit, but I managed. The tempura is red because of a sriracha-​like sauce added into the batter and wasn’t too spicy even for my sensitive tongue, which I definitely appreciated, but may seem too tame for people who like things spiced up. The quesadilla was made with the same size tortillas as the taco but flat and had a lot of cheese and steak inside (you get a choice of meat filling, all for the same price). After two tapas-​sized dishes and a side of chips, I was surprisingly stuffed.
They also have an extensive beer and alcohol menu (the entire back of the menu is just that) as well as imported and domestic sodas.
My taco and quesadilla (I just had water) came out to $ 14 with tip. A little pricey ($ 4 for a fried shrimp taco might be justifiable but not for the other steak and chicken tacos) but I’d definitely come back to try the few other menu items I was interested in.

We have sailed by many a time. Finally decided to try this place today. It looks like they have a lovely patio, but we decided to do take out. The gal taking our order was helpful.
After perusing the menu which I have to say looked more appealing on paper we ordered the hermosillo roll and the chicken bocadillo sandwich. Unfortunately either were that good. I was not expecting the hermosillo roll to be like a big fried sushi roll. Honestly it was kind of gross. Not a fan at all. The whole thing just tasted weird. I like sushi and I like fried stuff, this was just strange and tasted off.
The Bocadillo sandwich wasn’t much better. Chicken sandwich with a little bit of pep, but nothing fantastic. It seemed a bit dry. Fries were meh.
Just seems like a lot of bells and whistles in the name and description, it just didn’t deliver in the slightest for us. We both were let down.
Bravo for the imagination. We’ll just have to imagine some place else next time.

I ate here twice in three days, in case that sums it up for you. If you need more words, see below.
First, the Obregon Margarita. Best in show. It won an award from City Pages this year and from my belly last month.
Next, the service. Super friendly and nice people everywhere you turn. Good job, guys.
And finally, the food. Though their concept jumps around a HUGE chunk of the world (Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Spain, etc.), it comes together seamlessly.
The paella is a hit. Probably the best I’ve had in Minneapolis, full of seafood, chicken and chorizo. My only gripe is this: it doesn’t have the tasty crust on the bottom. It’s called la soccarat and it’s non-​negotiable with paella. I actually heated up my leftovers the next day in a nonstick pan to make the soccarat myself and holy buckets. If they achieved that umami-​crustiness, this dish would be unstoppable. As is, it’s still totally worth ordering so don’t let my gripe dissuade you AT ALL. Just saying, it’s a ten that could be an eleven.
Two days later at lunch, I got a couple of tacos because I wasn’t too hungry. I already knew the tacos and bocadillos were going to be great after devouring them (lots of them) at the Midtown Global Market location, and they didn’t disappoint.
One was beef tongue, which is always one of my favorite taco meats. I don’t even remember the other one — not because it wasn’t memorable, but because all of them are delicious and it doesn’t matter. A little pricey for tacos, but the quality and the made-​from-​scratchness is all there to back it up.
In conclusion, go to this place and eat/​drink something, anything. It’ll be wonderful.

The guys are crushing it. I’ve been a fan since day one at MGM. They take it to another level at this full restaurant location.
Same great caramelos (tacos) and egg plant fries, but now offer bigger dishes like paella and full chicken plater. Do yourself a favor and get the elote. I’ve had a lot of corn but that is far and away the best ever.
Great service and prices. Big fan here.

The service is great, and the food is delicious. This is a great place for large groups as well. Everything we ordered was delicious, I would highly recommend their tongue tacos; they are the best I’ve ever had!
Highly recommend this place, and would definitely come back to get my tongue taco fix!

Amazing! My boyfriend and I went here for lunch and it was SO GOOD.
Our server Miguel was very friendly and since we had not been there before, he took a moment to explain the menu and told us what to try.
When you go here (and you should go now) order the following: a margarita — delicious, tasted fresh and strong, chicken nachos ($ 7) to share, and try the tacos ($ 4.25 each) — go for pork, shrimp and beef tongue! The shrimp is tempura battered and so light and crispy, I have never had shrimp so tasty!
They serve Brunch/​lunch weekdays with sandwiches, tacos, pancakes, hashbrowns. They have a separate dinner menu.
I can’t wait to go back some evening for the tequila flights and to try their dinner offerings.

It’s great to see Sonora Grill in its own brick and mortar! (If the owner is reading this, congrats!)
Last month, I stopped by there for a meeting and grabbed both their cow tongue taco and Sonora Burger.
*Cow Tongue Taco: When I first saw this stacked taco, I was actually pretty upset! I mean, four bucks for a taco is crazy no matter how beautiful. But then I sank my teeth in this beauty and forgot about the price. The meat was plenty tender and tasty, and I especially loved the magical cilantro salsa. I even ordered some for my burger. ($ 4)
*Sonora Burger: This meaty burger is swole like Terry Crews, with it’s thick patty, sliced tomato, hunk of lettuce and slices of red onion. Ooh, and that fluffy bun was hella delicious. Overall, it’s not groundbreaking or a favorite of mine, but it gets the job done. ($ 10)
*Service: Nicest. Guy. Ever.
*Price: On the higher-​side, but justifiable with quality food and service.
*Décor: If a gastro pub went latin, it would be Sonora Grill.
I would definitely go back.