This place was awesome, except for the fish. It was like a fish stick inside of a taco. Must try their queso dip and short rib. The pineapple habanero salsa is fantastic as well. read more

Great place to eat! The only reason why I didn't give it more stars was because it was very squishy. I felt like I was sitting on top of people next to me. But overall, great food and drinks. read more

I work in evanston and la principal is my go to for breakfast lunch and dinner. Officially had all 3 meals there. Today I tried their green chorizo breakfast tacos . O.M.G! Idk what green chorizo is but im assuming is on the healthier side, as a latina, im used to the greasy heart burning Mexican chorizo but this was delish. The first time I went i had the sweet potatoe tacos, very good. And so filling I had 2 and was more than enough. I've had the queso fundido here as well. Nothing like the one I usually have at most mexican places, but its very good. Elote - a must! Roasted corn on the Cobb with all the good fixings ! Its very good and healthier Mexican cuisine . P.s. they have a walk up window opened in the a.m. For coffee , breakfast tacos and churros. And theyre super fast so no worries about running late. read more

This place has some great food. Took the server's recommendation on the appetizer and tacos! They were awesome can't wait to go back!! The cheese appetizer is worth the trip alone. The only reason I'm not giving this delicious place five stars is because it gets really noisy. read more

La Principal has a cafecito in the a.m. and they make pretty good churros - I pick one up occasionally before I get on the train in the morning. The coffee is excellent. The tacos are OK (strangely and disapointingley no chicken on the menu - all pork). I had the al pastor and carnitas. I also had the rice -very dry and way too much cumin. There is too much cumin in everything - and I really like cumin. Guacamole very good also. Service was really good and ambiance fun but pretty noisy. My go to places for excellent Mexican food is Supreme Burrito or Tomate Fresh read more

Arrived: Thursday evening 6pm Seated at: bar First look: thoughtfully decorated First drink: varied beer/cocktail selection. Went w a local IPA, and my companion a Mexican beer and a tequila. Love the shot glasses BTW! First taste: Small menu indicative of good things to come. Ordered one of each taco. Skip the pescado and go for the lengua. Also memorable was the carnitas taco. No complaints on the other tacos. Flavorful, decently portioned. Service was on top of it without hovering. Would go back. Gripes not associated with the cuisine: not sure about their logo.....adidas inspired? read more

Consistently good - which should be enough but this app wants a longer review. I'm there often for lunch. Oh, and save room for the churros.

Love this place -- OMG, the short rib tacos (and I am not a big beef person - usually go for chicken or fish) are AWESOME! The chicken tacos are also yummy. Fun décor, great service. Definitely try the yummy churros that they bring with melted Mexican chocolate for you to dip it in - mmmm...awesome. Reasonably priced - great for girls night, casual date, or even with the kids...my 10 yo loves it! read more

Best taco spot in Evanston. If you like Big Star but feel like waiting two hours for a taco is ridiculous, go here. The tacos are awesome, the short rib is my overwhelming favorite (but don't pass up the lengua just because beef tongue sounds gross, it's so good!). If you like pozole, the two options at Principal are both solid, and the elotes are awesome if you're not intimidated that they come on the cob. The sandwiches are not my jam, they're on crusty bread which just seems a bit too hard for me, but several of my friends love them. They always have some local (like down the street local...Sketchbook) beer options and their tequila-based takes on classic cocktails (think tequila-old fashioned) are surprisingly good! The atmosphere is super casual and it's usually busy so be prepared to have a drink at the bar before you sit. To my surprise, Principal seems to be very attractive to young families. Every time I've been there are lots of couples with kids. At first this seemed kinda weird to me, but actually it makes the place seem like an 'always been there' neighborhood spot instead of a trendy taco joint that just arrived. I'm sure once I have kids I'll appreciate the laid back atmosphere even more! read more

Great tacos, and one of the few places I have tried Pozoles. I would recommend for a mid-priced location in Evanston. The Guacamole was great, and had a nice kick to it. The Pozoles were bold, and a good alternate for those looking for a low-Carb Option but not fore-go on flavor. 4-5 beers on tap. Although I didn't go during happy hour, the happy hour specials looked like it would be worth trying to hit the tail end to save a few dollars. Overall, would recommend as a unique taco joint in Evanston IL! read more

We went this weekend for the first time. First, the atmosphere is great, nice hip vibe and although crowded, the acoustics were good and we could hear each other. I don't like to go to restaurants where I need to shout and can't hear someone across a table, like Farmhouse. Service was also good and attentive. We got the guac and it was good, but not fantastic and the chips were really just chips, nothing to write home about. Like other reviewers, I was not happy to have to pay extra for chips/salsa at a Mexican restaurant, really?? I got the portabella torta, and for $10, it was really just a very small sandwich. There should have been much more portabella, but it was tasty. Margaritas for $9 were good but expensive. I would order the tacos next time. They also charge you $3 for rice and $3 for beans. So for 3 tacos, rice and beans, and chips/salsa, you're at $20 already without drinks. Bottom line, food was tasty but felt nickel-and-dimed a bit. I didn't go expecting a low-price meal by any means, and I'm more than willing to pay for a nice meal, but I was surprised when I got the bill. That said, I am glad they opened in Evanston, hope they do well and would try it again. read more

Maybe not even mediocre...yeah, it was worse than mediocre. Bland, uninteresting and certainly not Mexican...tried it once and that was enough. Margarita was worse than the mix you buy at the grocery store...lots lots better Mexican places to go to around the city and probably the suburbs. It could be the worse Mexican I've had since Taco Bell! No, on second thought, Taco Bell was better... read more

Delicious tacos. I had the short rib and the tofu for lunch. Both great. The short rib a touch of sweet, a bit of spice, dee-lish. The tofu a bit runny but filled with great ingredients and flavors. I'm going back. read more

No Limes!!!! And no good salsas for the tacos. Tacos come pre made salsa and all, they don't trust customer judgement.

Disappointing and bland. The food tastes mass produced, just put together in the kitchen not really cooked. The churros are ok, but the taco fillings are like food that is cooked up ahead of time and then just put onto the tortillas. Too expensive for what it is. Like other reviewers have said, they charge extra to have tortillas - and just two of them. I won't be going there again. read more

Nothing to write home about. The food selection is sparse, and when I compare it to the great Mexican restaurant this place replaced it doesn't even compare. It's hip, but it's also not a great place to eat. I've been here three times, all these times I've thought "Meh." read more

It's bad enough to be charged $4 for chips and salsa, but when you start to realize that those paid-for chips are exactly El Milagro tortilla chips easily purchased for $3 a 16 oz. bag at grocery store, you start to feel things aren't going to go great. Margarita was bland, tacos were very bland. Life's too short and money's too valuable to be eating here instead of any number of amazing (and even so-so) Mexican places in and around the city. Crowds here lead me to believe that this must be favorite of locals who like that they can stumble home in a tequila-induced haze and/or genuinely don't know of other options. read more

So glad this is finally open! On opening weekend, it was packed, and worth the wait to get in. Solid Mexican street food, with a coffee and churro window in the morning for commuters. (I am looking forward to comforting myself with a churro when the metra is late in the winter.) The tortas at dinner were similar to what you would get at Tortas Frontera. Get the roasted corn - so good, even though it's slightly messy to eat. I came close to giving this 5 stars, but they are still fine tuning. For example, the pork rinds were too salty and the guacamole needed salt. I hope they will start taking reservations on the weekends. Overall, a fabulous addition to the neighborhood. read more

I went on a Sunday evening with tje service being attentive and quick. Now straight to the point, order the elote..skip the guac and chips.. The short Rob torta sandwich was decent..now get the churro! Listen to me.. Just get the freaking churro! read more

Just finished eating lunch with my hubby. Ordered lunch to go. We ordered guacamole and chips, salsa, sweet potato taco, red mole short rib taco and al pastor taco. I am rating this place 3 stars for the following reasons: 1) the guacamole and chips were $6. the guacamole was, if best, about 1/3 cup 2) the salsa was $4 and was, at best, 1/3 cup 3) the al pastor, short rib taco, and sweet potato taco were, in my opinion, overly seasoned and the marinade started to taste the same to me. If you order the salsa, don't place some in your taco as it throws off the flavors of the taco (clashes). Not a bad place (overly priced on the salsa and guacamole) to eat but hubby and I agreed that we would only eat there again if we happen to be in the neighborhood. Also, we decided that we like the traditional tacos (i.e like La Pasadita near Division/Ashland) than the trendy tasting tacos. read more

Very good dining experience, albeit pricier than most traditional Mexican restaurants. The pumpkin Flan with Carmel sauce was the best part of the meal. Would have given them 5 stars, if it weren't for the small portion sizes. Then again, if your on a diet, you probably want the smaller portion size. Overall though, very good food and service. read more

I just had my first meal at La Principal and was very pleased. Tacos were outstanding and I recommend going for them off the bat. Starters were good (chips/guac/queso fundido) but tacos were tremendous. I tried al pastor, carnitas and short rib. The only complaint I heard was from my date who had a tofu variety (season of Lent and all) and said it was bland. Specialty cocktails are very good and innovative. I look forward to the next visit. read more

Left after 5 minutes. Menu is TINY. Redundant as well, states the same food on different parts of the menu the same time. Seemed that the owner was also host, and he as we left, he told us how poor of people we were for directly complaining. Even the menu is strange, and food is nowhere near authentic. Not worth your trip. read more

Delicious, prompt and with a 2$ /taco lunch special between 3-6, what's not to love ? This is absolutely on my short list of best places to eat in Evanston. read more

If I were just reviewing the food it would be 5 Stars. However the atmosphere was a bit crowded and loud for my taste. A young after work crowd when we visited. Next time we'll visit at a quieter hour. Excellent tacos and tamales. Some of the best I've had in a long time. Good service and fast delivery of the appetizers and drinks. Test the sauces before you put them on your food. Not bad at all, but some are very hot. read more

Visited a few weeks ago. We're able to get a table quickly, love the ambiance and decor. Found the menu to be very limited. Was not wowed by my pick. read more

Food is fantastic and open air dining in the bar. But main dining room can get so loud you have to practically shout at your own table.

Went opening night, the elotas is worth getting as an appetizer, it's seasoned corn and really good! The carnitas and beef tongue taco's were my favorite, the mole was very good as well but a little too spicy for me. Really nice touch with the beer list as well supporting local breweries like sketchbook--2 "salsa" infused beers were great. Reasonable price for 2 of us with drinks under $50. Decor is much improved as well from previous restaurant--will definitely be back! read more

I've been hesitant to try this place but finally did yesterday. They drinks were delicious and the tacos spot on. Even the chichironnes were probably the best I've had. Basically, anything with pork in it was really amazing. The down side is that the menu is super small...like minuscule. You're getting tacos or tortas...that's all folks! While they do those items well, this, my friends, is a lunch menu. They really need to expand for dinner service some more entree type items and shareable plates. My man and I like to order two or three things and share when we go out. It was impossible to do this here so we just both had to pick two tacos. Kind of a bummer there, but, again, the tacos were pretty bomb. Totally would've given four starts if the options weren't so limited. read more

Love this place! Tacos are fantastic! The front seating area and bar have a great feel. They have a nice selection of beer along with specialty drinks. read more

What the hell is this place? I had the fish taco and the "chili relleno" taco. Oh my god. I couldn't even force myself to finish. Stop what you're doing, guys. It isn't working. I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA why it gets so many positive reviews. read more

Awesome Tacos. My fav Toaco place at the moment is Bel Air Catina in Milwuakee, but yeah, it's 90 minutes away. I've been meaning to try La Principal for a while and I'm glad I did. Loved the carnitas, short rib, and chicken tacos. All flavorful, all very good. Add in happy hour pricing and you have a winner fo sho. My new fav hangout in E-town! read more

I love this place - it's clean, fresh, creative, modern and I love that the menu is so straightforward. The tacos rock (try the pork w/ cumin) and the shrimp cocktail is exceptional. LOVE the Margs -- well done! The owners really know what they are doing. Can't wait for them to offer lunch soon, which is coming! And still need to try their coffee in the a.m.! read more

Fantastic service, awesome salsas and great margarita. Went with 2 kids and loved it. The el pastor was my favorite taco as well as the churros. Tortillas were made by hand and were incredible. Queso fundido was also good though quite different than other places. read more

Not authentic mexican food. The "pozole" should be renamed to something else. It's a can of tomato sauce with some chipotle pepper poured over hominy. Awful. The quesadilla was ok, but expensive. read more

I will say that the service was very friendly and very good but outside of that you can add La Principal to the list of trendy joints that feature overpriced food and skimpy portions. My wife ordered a torta. TEN DOLLARS for that skimpy thing??? You could have gotten TWO tortas twice the size down on Clark Street!!! EIGHT DOLLARS for TWO tacos?? Again you can get THREE LARGER tacos WITH rice and beans elsewhere for less money ! A skimpy portion of Guacamole for SIX DOLLARS???? You can get FOUR TIMES the amount of Guacamole at Wholly Frijoles for the same amount of money!!! I have an acronym for places like this: A.C.R.O, Alla Carte Rip Off. This was the first time I have ever walked out of a "Mexican" restaurant where I spent that amount of money and was hungry a half an hour later. My recommendation? If you want a decent sized Mexican meal at a reasonable price .....GO ELSEWHERE!!! read more

Very high prices for the area. I mean $9 for a tiny margarita! A charge for chips and salsa, plus another charge if you want more salsa when the first one is gone. Non-traditional menu of unappealing dishes. You have no idea what to order. Everything a la carte. Very small portions. You leave hungry. Evanston has lots better Mexican restaurants. I see it is filled up with people a lot...don't let that fool you, people want to try it. I don't know if they can stay open without repeat business. Went to lunch there; it was $38 for one person!!! I won't go there again. read more

As good as it gets! My perfect lunch meal would simply be the Elotes (charred corn) followed by the Kale & Arugula Salad topped with carnitas. For my perfect dinner, just add one of their tasty cocktails - love the Mezcalita. Come here early with the family or later with your friends. So delicious!! read more

Food is absolutely amazing! Guacamole is phenomenal as well as the black beans and rice. This will not disappoint you!

Great beer selection and awesome food. Highly recommend the short rib tacos and the sweet potato tacos. Will definitely go back!