Wholly Frijoles

I would not go back to this restaurant! There were two couples and we asked for separate checks. The waitress replied «we don’t give separate checks». When the checks came we gave two credit cards. Waitress replied «we only can take one credit card when the total bill is under sixty five dollars». We asked for the manager who told us the same thing.
The food was good, service just ok.

What horrible service and treatment from the owner. I will never eat there again. She had quite the attitude and did not care about our issue or helping us through a large check with many cards. Is it so hard to believe that a large group of people would like to split up a 450 dollar check. Do not give this mean spirited person your business.

Although the food and service were excellent, the owner was very rude. No where in the menu did it state that only two forms of payment will be accepted – meaning either two credit cards or a credit card and cash. Well, there were seven in our group and the owner made a very large deal about splitting the bill down seven evenly. Evenly! We didn’t even ask for personal bills! She hardly gave us an explanation and stormed off in anger when we couldn’t comply. There was no other way for us to pay – we weren’t trying to be difficult, we were simply trying to pay for our meal and service. The waitress was wonderful but boy was she scared of that owner. Come at risk of being yelled at by the lady with curly hair and glasses.

Owner is a see you next Tuesday but the food and service are great. Please bring cash or pay on one card. The owner was extremely Rude without warning out happy party. Total mood killer for overall pleasant experience. Have not been offended like that in awhile by a service restaurant. Please change your policy or be cash only.

I love their food byob is always a plus… The salad or the soup that comes with the entrees are amazing!!!

I was there a few weeks ago. My husband and I ordered dinners that came with soup. As I was earring mine, I crunched on something, at first I thought that I broke a tooth, but t was something white and hard. When the waitress came over I showed it to her and as she picked up the bowl it was in, we noticed a chunk missing from the bowl. The waitress said sorry and walked away. Now I wasn’t expecting a free meal, but the manager should have come over, and offered a free dessert or at least an apology. I did sent an email to the restaurant but no response. Not a way to do business.

Been here many times and always received terrible attitude from the owner/​hostess woman. She is so rude and has the worst attitude! My sister and I ordered tacos and i asked for the sour cream on the side. The server told us I couldn’t get it on the side bc I would be charged for a side of sour cream… what?!? Makes no sense. I work in the restaurant industry and this is ABSURD. 5 star restaurants downtown don’t even do that! To make things worse. the check came and we asked her if we can do partial cash and the rest on a card and she said the lady owner doesn’t allow it, and that she was sorry she could only take one form of payment. Such bullshit! Please get a grip because your restaurant isn’t that great anymore (food isn’t so great anymore) and all your minuscule «rules» are causing your patrons to never return.

Not impressed. Played it safe, ordered tacos. Had to ask for onions and cilantro, hold the lettuce, tomato and sour cream. Beans not flavorful, ironic considering the name. My whole plate was a waste.
Dinners come with either soup or this mass chopped salad that’s served pre tossed with a heavy but otherwise nondescript dressing. From time to time, the flavor of cilantro was detectable or it would have been complete wash. The tortilla soup is not good.
Guacamole lacked any type flavor, despite the chopped pepper and tomato. They’re only capable of producing one salsa, which just happens to be watery and tasteless. Don’t bother trying to use it on your tacos, as it does nothing to increase edibility.
Haphazard service, sporadic food delivery totaling more than 10 minutes for our table of 8 to be served. Inability to accurately match whether each of us ordered soup or salad. Pretty much didn’t bother trying to recall choice of beverage when finally delivered to the table. Lack of attention to detail required our waitress to dig into a plate of enchiladas to determine which one of us ordered it. Take a pass.

Came here with my boyfriend. We brought our own coconut rum to put in a mango smoothie, and enjoyed some delicious guac and fajitas. Thanks for a great dinner we will be back

Would not recommend this place at all! After reading the reviews I really had high hopes for this place and was excited to try it out. We ordered the guacamole as an appetizer to start and requested for it to be extra spicy! Guacamole was ok but not spicy whatsoever and was lacking flavor! I had the flautas and I couldn’t even eat them. They were not good at all. My fiancé had a specialty plate «camarones machos» and they were gross! Weird combination… shrimp with mashed potatoes and rice! We both come from families that cook delicious Mexican dishes and this place does not compare. None of us liked our dishes and couldn’t even finish them. The only reason why I am giving it 2 stars is for the excellent service! If you are looking for really good Mexican food this is not the place!

Note to self don’t dismiss places because they don’t look gorgeous on the outside.
Was craving Mexican and my significant other suggested this place! We got seated right away and were greeted fast by our server. I went to wash my hands and there was salsa and water at my table already! How did they know i was starving? We ordered chicken quesadilla, guacamole, fajita and tortilla soup! I have no bad words for any of those dishes! Perfectly portioned and tasted fresh. Cant wait to go back with my large bottle of booze!

This place was used to be one of my favorite Mexican restaurants but not anymore! even though there were just a few tables, the food takes forever like we had to wait more than 30 mins Their service is getting worse and worse every time we go. Plus the food isn’t that great I’d rather go to burrito house in niles their food taste way better and cheaper.

What can I say, but the chips and salsa at this location are delightful. You just can not stop at one chip. Your mouth won’t let you :)
Now for the food. I have to be honest. It’s not one of those places that blew me away once I took a bite out of my entrée.
It was not that great. Tasted pretty plan.
I also took a bite of my wife’s burrito that she had ordered. And again not much of a wow reaction.
So would I be returning. Probably not. That’s not saying the staff wasn’t great, because they were. But not really amazed by the food.

Absolutely delicious food and it’s BYOB! The tortilla soup and salad were both great. I had the chile relleno and the vegetarian enchiladas. My husband had the garlic shrimp. Our food was so good and every dish that passed our table looked scrumptious as well. We were already looking forward to coming back before we had finished our second bite. We finished our meal with sopapillas and the total came to 40ish dollars, all together! This will be our new favorite spot and we look forward to bringing our friends and families!

Came here with my family and had an overall good time.
Our server Enrique was on point– easily one of the best servers I’ve had anywhere. He is attentive, polite, well-​spoken, and very clear about everything on the menu. ⁵⁄₅ for him.
The place was clean, the bathrooms were clean, nice art and décor around, and the tables were set up nicely. The place is very small though so it might be an issue if you come with a party of 4+.
Now the food. We enjoyed snacking on the chips and salsa. The salsa was good. But then, none of us found the rest of the food to be amazing.
The tortilla soups and meatless pozoles were very bland. I know it wasn’t just me because as I tried my pozole, I looked up and across the table from me, my sister said exactly what I was thinking: «it’s not very good.» I tried my mom’s soup and she tried my pozole; we agreed: it wasn’t THAT bad, but it wasn’t flavorful or good either. The horchata was good, but I’ve been to Mexican restaurants where I say to myself, «Wow! This is really good!» Not here; which was disappointing because they actually sprinkle a little cinnamon on top– that was a nice touch.
I asked my dad how his enchiladas were; he responded, «they’re okay.» I asked my brother how his chile relleno was; he shrugged and said «it’s fine.» I asked my mom how she liked her burrito; she said «eh.» See the pattern? I asked around the table, everyone said the same thing. It was just okay.
I had a steak burrito and while the meat was delicious, I basically had to fish for the meat as my burrito seemed to have more lettuce than anything.
The prices are a bit reasonable [recession 2016]. Although there is something on the menu that some people might find confusing. The «Parrilladas» section lists the dishes that are meant to be shared. The price listed is «$ 18» HOWEVER 2+ people must order it and it’s $ 18 PER PERSON. That didn’t really seem like a good deal to us at the time we were browsing the menu.
My overall rating is 3 stars because while our server was amazing, everything else was «just okay.» There’s nothing that stood out to me and my family about the food, so I don’t see myself going out of my way to visit again – especially after seeing how bland the food is. Paying close to $ 40 for a Parrillada is a definite no from me after today’s experience. Given the place is very tiny and can get uncomfortably crammed, that’s another turn off for me.
I did see their wall of accolades. Very impressive. But if you’ve had delicious authentic Mexican food elsewhere, you might not be that impressed.

In the past I loved the Steak Burrito at Wholly Frijoles. NOT TONIGHT! It looked more like a LETTUCE Burrito than anything else. In the past there was a substantial amount of delicious Steak in each burrito I have ordered. Tonight it looked like they had increased the amount of lettuce and decreased substantially the amount of Steak. The same held true with the Chicken Burrito my wife ordered. I’ll hope that this was an unfortunate occurrence and not a trend because if it is, I’ll be ordering my burritos elsewhere!

I remember going here when they first opened, and were half the size. After being on Check Please they got so popular we couldn’t easily get in easily anymore.
I LOVE their salad! Growing up near here I thought that is what Mexican salads were like. After ordering a salad at an other Mexican restaurant I found out how wrong I was. I could have an entire meal of just their salad. Chips, guacamole, and their horchata is also very good. I’ve had a few of their entries, but I think the pictures do them better justice than me talking about them.
Parking is sparse even when it’s not busy due to the other shops in the area. They have a small vestibule by the door, but in the winter tables by the door get a decent chill every time it is opened so heads up. Otherwise enjoy the consistently great food!

I love the food here. Enchiladas are always on point whenever I come. It’s byob which is right up my alley, and the location is next to the nail salon I go regularly.
However, the host is terrible. I called ahead and asked for a reservation and she answered and told me that they only do call aheads and took my name down. She also said they were not busy nor on a wait so I told her two people. I arrived probably about ten minutes later and told her I had called ahead. She then proceeded to tell me they don’t take reservations and rudely walked away. Another couple came in (I was with my boyfriend) and asked to be seated. She sat them right away, and then another couple came in and sat them too. There was a different couple from before me who also claimed they called ahead that then began arguing with her and she put her hand up and walked away. They left. Finally I asked when I would be getting a table since she told me to when I called she put my name on the list and she rudely told me a call ahead doesn’t mean reservation. I didn’t get sat for another ten minutes, and she decided to make sure I knew they were closing within the hour.
The food is great, but they need a new hostess otherwise I would give four stars.

Last time we ate here was about a year ago and it was great. This time was bad. We both had the steak tacos and they were bland and dry. I was disappointed in are meal since I have enjoyed this restaurant in the past, but after reading some current reviews I can see I’m not the only one who thinks the quality has gone down.: (

This was my first time and I will never come again.
The only reason I give two stars is for the waiter we had, Enrique. He was very friendly, patient, and was helpful. To the manager or owner, he is the one asset you have.
As for the rest, let me explain.
As many other people have mentioned, the hostess was extremely rude. She greeted us rudely, spoke with an attitude, and was overall just unkind.
The food was not the best. For the price they charge, I’d rather go to McDonalds. I also didn’t appreciate the long wait for the food (it took an hour to seat us, take our order, and get our food when the restaurant was pretty empty). The next worse thing is that the food was cold. Who wants to have cold meat??? I don’t over pay for cold meat on a less than average tasting meal accompanied by a rude hostess.
Save your money. Go somewhere else.

I went there back in July around early evening. We were seated right away and our server brought some chips and salsa. We ordered guacamole for appetizer. It was flavorful and enough for two of us. I ordered their chicken fajita and my sister ordered their tostadas de pollo. Chicken was marinated to the perfection and was cooked properly. I loved the ambiance and the service I received. I will definitely be back.

4 years ago I saw them on «Check Please». The male reviewer on the show recommended to order extra salsa to take home. I finally got a chance to go. There were only 3 tables + me in the restaurant.
1. Waitress was very polite.
2. The chips were excellent. I read reviews on chips being blah, NO WAY. I was there before Friday rush hour and The chips were really fresh, I wonder if they make them in house.
3. I agree with other reviewers EXCELLENT SALSA ! Took home a large one. $ 6.95 + chips
I had the Steak burrito. (I hail from the burbs where if you have read my other reviews. Gonig to Mexican restaurants is like eating from the can the food came out of. I hate being served canned beans, canned rice (yes there is such a thing), and crappy meat.).
Here my beans were real beans, the steak avocado and everything was fresh.
I will be back again.
Side note:
There is a narrow entrance through the door and may not be easy for wheel chair handicapped patrons unless you have a narrow transport chair.
For those complaining about the wait and service, again, I had a good experience but, I went when it was slow. There maybe 15 tables in the whole place? So I can see it getting crowded and helter skelter in there. While I was there, people were walking in to ask if they should order early because they were afraid of being in the Friday rush. I think it starts getting crowded a little after 6pm as of Friday.

I’ve been here twice and so am combining experiences. The first time the service was just fine — nothing stellar, just fine, no complaints. Last night, it took at least 20 minutes to get the bill, then they needed to add the tip BEFORE running the card (something about a tech problem). Fine, that’s just fine, but then another 30 minutes passed and still he never came back! Totally unacceptable. Seriously.
Food:
Salsa is good
Chips average/​blah
Tortilla soup — ok, not great
Chile Relleno — the sauce is basically just pureed tomato, whole dish lacks flavor
Ensalada De Bistec — good, but small considering the price
Enchiladas de pollo — very very good, admittedly. Has some potato, lots of good corn flavor, no complaints
Skirt Steak Fajitas — bad. seriously bad. The meat tasted like it has been glazed with sweet teriyaki. ugh. i will say the guac that comes on the side is great, however.
The place is about 1 mile from my house and I have a friend that likes it here. If I ever come back, I’m eating nothing but the salsa, guac, and enchiladas… and planning 1 hour to pay the bill.
PS. my friend who loves it says they have the best Horchata. I don’t like it, so can’t speak to it, but thought it should get a mention.

Yummmm, flavor explosion for mexican food. The soup was ammmmmmazing. ill def go back and try a few more things. The desserts looked good.

Delicious food, and every time we come here we get great service. I highly recommend the the chipotle mango bbq ribs, the lamb leg, fish filet, and enchiladas!

Came here for the convenience since it was right next door from where we got our nails done. We wanted to eat outside on the little patio area, but it started to rain so we ate indoors.
Our waitress was very friendly and made us feel welcomed. They give you chips and salsa. The salsa has a very good flavor to it. For my meal I went with the chicken fajitas. Chicken was seasoned good and I loved the grilled onions. What was missing to complete my meal was dessert!!! I was stuff though. I saw them walk by with what appeared to be fried ice cream but I’m not for sure. I also caught a glimpse of bread pudding… I was literally drooling thinking about it. Lol next time.

Food is good, but the service is horrible. Excellent salads, fajitas and tacos, however, the restaurant can learn a thing or two about customer service!!!
— Will not seat you unless your entire party is present
— They Charge for your 3^rd basket of chips, even when there is 6 people seated in your party
— Cannot pay for a check with 2 credit cards
— The service is extremely horrible and it is rare for your order to come out the way you ordered it
— Servers get annoyed when you ask questions about the food/​menu

I’m going to start with the positives. Customer service was excellent. Very polite and friendly. I called my order in for pick up. Food was hot and ready to go when I got there.
Now for the bad. The food had no flavor. Ordered steak tacos and chicken fajitas. Both lacked seasoning. Everything was so bland. My favorite thing about Mexican food is the flavor! The spices! This had none of them. It’s a shame because this place used to be AMAZING! Idk what happened to this establishment but I will be seeking my Mexican elsewhere.

This is not your usual Tex-​Mex restaurant.
This is what you want your usual Tex-​Mex restaurant to be.
We’ve been here twice, enjoying it each time.
Our entrees have been: a lamb chop special, carne asada, chile relleno with chicken enchilada and a chile pepper with cheese wrapped in a chicken breast.
The entrees all come freshly, properly cooked (not steamed waiting for an order or micro’ed for quick service). The lamb chop was ordered medium rare and it came that way – succulent, nicely seasoned. The chile relleno was tender, but not over-​cooked – tasty. The chicken enchilada was noteable, coming with grilled chicken properly cooked and moist.
You get the idea.
The entrees usually come with a mashed potatoes and peppers instead of beans (I think). I preferred the potatoes, though the generous amount was not totally devoured by me.
You have the choice of soup or salad. Both are good. One note is with the salad, there are different dressings – just makes sure you get the one that pleases your palate.
Our different servers on the two different days were happy, action figures who made sure that our table was all smiles.
We have not had dessert here, but the desserts look great and they do look like they are intended to be shared (although there were some heavy lifters who decided to take the desserts on themselves!)
So, if you are looking for fresh, creative Mexican food served with a smile and energy – Wholly Frijoles! – that’s the ticket!

Great food, wonderful service, and good ambiance! For me, going out for dinner isn’t just about the food… it’s about the service. The servers contribute greatly to your dining experience. It was so nice to walk into Wholly Frijoles and be greeted by the hostess and any other employees lingering by the entrance! Everyone was so nice! We were seated right away and our server was awesome as well!
My husband and I ordered our entrees, he got the fish tacos and I got chicken fajitas. Our entrees came w/​soup or salad. I got the tortilla soup and he got a salad. Can I tell you that the tortilla soup is the best I’ve had!!! It was soooo good that I really was tempted to order and additional cup/​bowl! My husband enjoyed his tacos and I enjoyed my fajitas. I noticed that the food there wasn’t like the food served at a taqueria… it wasn’t greasy!!! It was really nice to have tasty Mexican food that was borderline healthy? It was interesting! We also ordered the Mexican fried ice cream for dessert., which was good!
Oh, and the place is BYOB! I had a great experience here and would definitely go back… especially for that tortilla soup!

There was a time when I was absolutely in love with this place. I once appreciated it for introducing folks to the possibilities of Mexican cuisine that extended beyond tacos and burritos.
I don’t know if it was time or a lower tolerance level on my part but last night’s experience has becoming more of a pattern — ridiculously slow service because they are understaffed and the poor ladies are overworked with having to be the server, busboy, and hostess at the same time. We once asked the lady whom I assumed to be the manager/​owner if she could bring us a knife. She gave us this «How dare you ask ME?» look, nodded, but never came back with it (though she was more than prompt when serving us the check at the end of our meal).
I would have been more forgiving if the food was better or has improved over time but nothing innovative than I have seen in a while. In fact, we found the meals to be overwhelmingly salty and embellished by the same greasy sauce. Steak was not done to our liking but we didn’t dare ask for it to be replaced as we just wanted to get the heck outta there, fish had the nastiest fishy aftertaste — everything was just wrong.
So hasta la vista for now… the terminator may be back sooner than me.

After all the years of hype I finally decided to try wholly frijoles and I can say that I wasn’t too impressed. Don’t get me wrong as I wish I could give it 3.5 stars but I just can’t give it 4 at the moment. The best part of the meal was the tortilla soup. That was phenomenal. I ordered the three tacos and had a mix n match of the chicken steak and al pastor. They charge $ 1 extra to do mix which I thought was kinda silly. The meal comes with beans but you can choose to substitute for rice. Most Mexican places come with rice and beans so I don’t see why they needed to reinvent the wheel. We added a side of rice and it was completely tasteless. The chicken and steak came with only lettuce and tomatoes and there was nothing special about them. The chicken was bland and they could have put more effort into it besides lettuce and tomato. The al pastor was more dry than it should have been. my wife ordered the chilli relleno and that was ok but nothing spectacular.
The waitresses were very nice and the place has a nice atmosphere. They are closed Sundays which is probably why it’s been so long that I haven’t tried it. The few times I’ve attempted to go in the past were on Sundays.
Overall I would still recommend you try it. I would go back but try something different.

«Wholly» cow… YES. Mexican food done right!
The vibes, colors and flavors of this place are fantastic. I never really thought of Lincolnwood as a town with a thriving food scene, but after having dinner here, I couldn’t be more wrong.
I’ve always driven past this place on Touhy and seen Wholly Frijoles from afar. (In the summer, they have a lovely, decorative outdoor patio area for diners to enjoy the sun). Their name would pop out at me from a large green sign and I’d wonder what went on behind those doors/​windows along a strip mall. I can’t even say «Wholly Frijoles» without smiling :) i.e. a good sign.
If this place could represent Lincolnwood, it would constitute an establishment worth visiting all on its own. They don’t take reservations here, but you can call ahead (on the same day you’re planning to dine) to be put on the «waiting list.» You will only be seated if your entire party is present, but there are plenty of chairs in a petite waiting area.
On a Friday evening for last minute dinner plans, I called to be put on a waiting list at 6:40pm and was seated by 7:05pm. The greeter asked our party of three if we wouldn’t mind sitting at a big round table, because the smaller tables were all taken at the moment. Hungry and eyeing the plates heavy with delicious food being whipped around us towards other tables, we opted to be seated immediately… we couldn’t wait to eat.
Three ladies around a huge circular table… no problemo. The more room to set down our food… haha. Between the three of us, we ordered:
APPETIZER:
–guacamole (sliced jalapenos on the side)… $ 7.25
–steak tacos (3) with a side of tortilla soup… $ 9.50
MAIN COURSES: **Apologies, I don’t have all the exact names**
–Bistec dish (steak marinated in Corona beer and lime)
–Chicken
–Breaded Shrimp
The main dishes were around $ 18.00 per head and they came with your choice of tortilla soup or salad and a side of beans. Based on the reviews, the soup seemed like the favorite. Expecting it to be like chili, I was surprised that it was more like a lime-​infused tomato soup, with fried tabs of tortilla adorning the cup with a drizzle of sour cream.
I ordered the first course (the bistec) and had it cooked medium-​rare. It came out tender, succelent, the sauce was rich and flavorful (with a strong hint of beer) and I felt like it had been marinated forever, allowing all the flavors to seep in. It came with two kinds slices of grilled squash (jicamba?) and a type of mashed potato with an orangey hue (sweet potato?).
Sorry my descriptions are so vague… guess I was too busy enjoying the food! I tried a little bit of the other courses and they were great, and I was wowed by the plating and presentation. The atmosphere was lively and festive, the décor was colorful and the service was warm. There was no room for dessert.
**Heads up** They do not split the bill for individuals. Our server was attentive, friendly and all the staff handled a bustling Friday evening very well. It’s BYOB… and it’s the kind of place where the server would bring over say… a gigantic, glowing dish of fried iced cream and a neighboring table would look over, all want it, and engage in friendly conversation, joking about their jealousy.
Next time, I’ll be adamant… and save room for dessert.