Frida Bistro

If you like interesting flavors with perfect portion sizes then skip the hour plus waiting line at Red Iguana and dine here, Frida Bistro. Great drinks, welcoming staff and comfortable setting. We’re from Chicago, where great Mexican is in abundance, and we’d like a Frida to go to regularly at home. This is an urban treasure.

The food was really good. Party of 7 and none of us were disappointed. The wait staff could be a bit more energetic and friendly. The big disappointment was being charged $ 3 for a small side of salsa… at a Mexican restaurant.

So fricken cute! It was a hot day and we were looking for some margaritas and found this adorable place on Unilocal.I love the Frida Kahlo theme, very pretty and colorful from the outdoor patio to the inside. (Please note it’s in the cut, we thought we were lost, so trust your gps ;) the waiter was very nice, made a great suggestion for a guava margarita, which was deelish! We weren’t hungry but will definitely be back to try some of the yummy looking food. We ordered some calamari, that came with some lovely aioli sauce. The mango habanero margarita was too spicy and the waiter switched it out for another yummy guava for us. Can’t wait to come back with my girls and try the outdoor patio seating on a nice summer night :)

Average food at exceptional prices. I had the shrimp it was really dry and disgusting. The drinks were good and the service was excellent, but given the choice I would rather have average service and excellent service.

We returned the next time we were in town at about 8:15pm for dinner. People were inside enjoying their meals, staff walked by the door several times, and it was LOCKED. Update the hours, this place is not open until 9.
I absolutely understand changing business needs… I get it, you want to close early. But at least have the human decency to not avoid eye contact. How about 30 seconds to politely let us know you’ve closed early? It was embarrassing. It was rude.

Went here for a work lunch. The food was amazing, the staff was friendly. Great place to eat lunch with friends and coworkers

WORST SERVICE EVER!
If I could zero stars I would. We sat down at our table at 11:30 and had leave at 1:00 without eating. Our waiter was rude and not helpful. When I asked to speak to the manager he bluntly said no. We found the hostess to complain and found that the owner was around but was too busy to speak with us. Tables were getting up and leaving due to the waiter not even acknowledging they were there. I have eaten at this restaurant before and always enjoyed the food but was super disappointed with the way we were treated. I will not be returning to this restaurant.

The best thing about this restaurant was the cucumber & black pepper margarita! I thought the food was okay, and actually a little bland. I had the carnitas, and they were cool and not spicy or flavorful at all. One of my friends had the vegetarian dish, which looked much better than what I had. My friend who had the shrimp said it was delicious.
The dessert, tres leches cake, was very good.
I left feeling like it was overpriced for what I ate, and how flavorless it was.

I’d give it two and a half stars if I could, but I’ll round up. For any restaurant to be listed as one of Salt Lake City’s top 25 restaurants (Salt Lake Magazine), it should truly be terrific. At least on our recent occasion, it was not.
The restaurant itself is attractive, colorful and fun. I can imagine the patio in summer to be really nice. We started with an appetizer to share: the salmon ceviche. It was great. A good size potion of top grade salmon in a citrusy, slightly spicy sauce. After this starter, we were really looking forward to our entrees. Ooops, not so great. My carnitas was dry and flavorless. This is not a dish that is hard to do well, but if its allowed to dry out in a warming oven, it is mediocre at best. My wife had the sea bass. Quite simply, it just needed more flavor. Mexican cuisine should be bold and flavorful, so it was a surprise when both entrees came out so bland. Both came to the table luke warm, odd because we were sitting just 15 feet from the open kitchen and the place was not busy. A top 25 restaurant would not allow this to happen.
Service was friendly and reasonably attentive, even if a little inexperienced. We probably won’t try it again as there are so many good restaurants in SLC, whether they are on a list or not. Too bad, we really wanted to like it.

There is a small but intriguing variety of Spanish dishes. We had the steak, the bass, and the chicken. The flavors were not typically texmex but more sophisticated. The flan was a little too firm. The service was great.

This place is truly amazing!
When you drive there, it feels first a bit surprising that you end somewhere in the nowhere between warehouses in a dead-​end street. Having that said, the restaurant is surrounded by some really fancy and old school looking buildings. In fact, I instantly felt like being in L.A. visiting some cool, hidden gem.
And a gem it is indeed. The atmosphere and the vibes are amazing. It feels like you are somewhere in Spain or Mexico and the music playing just fosters that feeling.
The next thing you’ll notice is their rather small menu. There are only a couple of dishes to choose from, but it tastes so good! I loved their salmon. Not only was it extremely fresh, the presentation was great too and so was the flavoring. They go low on salt and it feels like their are no added flavors. In fact, their seasoning is spot on. Also their taco starters are great.
And did I mention the Margaritas? Wow! You can’t stop after you had your first one. They are spot on and their mixing is creative.
Service is attentive and knows what they are doing.
I can’t wait for summer to test our their patio. The atmosphere out there must be just perfect.
I loved everything about this place, one of my favorite restaurants in Salt Lake City!

Went on a date night with my wife, who had read the reviews and was excited to try something new. Went in without a reservation at 7:15pm on a Saturday night and had no problem getting a table. Ordered our drinks & food and decided to go wash up before eating. What do I see but a portrait of Che Guevara — yes, that Che Guevara — hanging in the bathroom. Then, I notice the light switch is a Che Guevara light switch.
Che Guevara, the man who murdered in cold blood, and ushered in the oppression of millions is the motif — great.
Considering that we spent over $ 85 for an app, 2 entrees and 1 margarita, I can’t help but wonder if the owner ever stopped to think how many impoverished and oppressed Cubans could ever afford to eat there.
The food was trying too hard to be fancy in my opinion, but wasn’t terrible. Definitely over priced, but taste-​wise you could do worse.
As we walked out and started to cross the street to our car, a deranged lunatic came out of the dark, down the middle of the road towards my wife, while talking to himself and walking like a zombie from the set of The Walking Dead. It was freaky because I didn’t know at first if he was drunk, crazy or what but he was heading right at us and followed us to our car like he was going to jump on the hood or something. He didn’t, and in retrospect probably didn’t even know where he was, but nevertheless caused me to get very protective.
Now, it’s 1:15am and I’m awake because my stomach is in an uproar.
Great.
$ 85 + Che Guevara + ambling zombie + churning stomach = we will NEVER be going back.

I’m picky and don’t believe in grade inflation. Im not sure why everyone says the location is sketchy. There are far worse locations. Seems actually like the patio could be one of the best in SLC.
The atmosphere is fantastic. The music makes you feel young and the colors make for a fun evening. The wait staff we had was great.
The food does not detract either. I had the mango habanero marguerite, which is slightly better than you could expect given that this is Utah. Still, they do well with what they have to work with. Our party got the queso dip to start. I am a fiend for good queso, so this disappointed a little. The cheese flavor could have used a little boost… saltier, funkier, something. The entrees were on point though. I had the sea bass encrusted in pistachio which was delightful. The crust was perfect and the fish tender and moist. It sat on a bed on spanish rice. Though the peas and corn seemed out of place the rice had a great flavor. My GF had strip steak and I wish I had gotten this. Great mole flavor with a nice zing. The risotto served with it was drool worthy as well.
Overall, a great place and good meal.

Arrived at 6:45 on a Friday night with a reservation and the restaurant was just less than half full. We were quickly given water and then ordered margaritas which were brought to the table very quickly, almost like they were already made. The drinks were really good however, well balanced and fresh while not being overly sweet or strong. After taking a few sips our server was quickly back to take our appetizer order of calamari and albondigas.
After another few sips of our drinks the apps were out, less than five minutes from when we ordered them, and this time the result was not as good as the drinks. The calamari was highly average and was not elevated at all by the blue corn dredging and the sauce was very generic. The albondigas were slightly better, very light in texture being almost mousse-​like while not overwhelming with flavor. These did come out very quickly but they had us questioning when they had been prepared and doubting it was to order. The server was back quickly to take our entrée order of carnitas and salmon.
A few more sips after the apps were cleared and boom! Entrees arrived in again about five minutes. This time I knew it was definitely not enough time to cook a piece of salmon to order, which had no presence of smoke at all despite being advertised as such. The accompanying rice was really good and al dente along with a few forgettable spears of asparagus. The carnitas was just a really generic pile of braised pork shoulder with really no additional flavor from sauce or spices. The chipotle mashed potatoes were good and the tortillas appeared homemade which is a plus but it was just a really uninspired dish.
Overall the pace of the meal was very quick to the point of wondering how fresh our dishes really were. The service was attentive and good but really didnt help pace the meal at all. The kitchen seems to be mailing it in with very little regard for creativity or flavor despite the fact that all of the dishes sound interesting on the menu. It would be great for drinks and apps if you’ve got a flight to catch but not worth the $ 140 bucks for a night (ok, almost an hour, out). This place may have been good when they opened to a much smaller SLC dining scene but I think they may be too many steps behind to warrant the trip to the warehouse district again.

Great food and great service. The pork carnitas are the best on the menu in my opinion I do like the black beans with their special cheese sauce on top. The staff is friendly, I like how it’s an open kitchen so you can see it is very clean and modern decore.

A standby when I’m in SLC for work. They recently expanded the veg offerings on their menu, which is great. Had a vegan stuffed eggplant that was very good. The staff was accommodating but clearly overwhelmed on my most recent trip — I appreciate the advice that ordering beer or wine would be faster than one of your margaritas, and I’m sorry the bartender was overwhelmed, but part of why our group came to Frida’s was to have margaritas. The drinks were good and honestly didn’t take as long as our server had said they would.

The location is a bit sketchy but the restaurant space is really nice and cozy. When you walk through the door you can smell the great food, which is always a good sign. The lighting and artwork make for a nice pleasant atmosphere. The staff is very friendly and attentive and the dining room is very clean.
The Grilled Pineapple Jalapeño Cilantro Margarita was very tasty! The sweetness of the pineapple mixed together with the spiciness of the pepper and then the freshness of the cilantro made this one of the best margaritas I have ever had. It is something that I will crave.
The Camarones Diego was also something that I will crave. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, not too tough and not mushy, they were just right. The cream sauce is spicy, but is flavored so well that you can’t get enough. The Tres Verdes Rice has a nice mellow flavor which is great with the cream sauce. The Cactus Salad had a nice crispness and kind of reminds us of a mild green bell pepper.
The Pollo Cotija was cooked perfectly. The bacon was thin and crisp, the chicken was juicy and tender. The cream sauce with this dish was very tasty and had more of a sweeter citrus flavor. The potatoes were velvety and made a nice accompaniment with the savory chicken.
The prices are $$$, but you can tell that the ingredients are fresh and that the chefs take pride in what they are preparing. Having said that, if you are expecting large burrito platters with chips and salsa on your table, save Frida for another time. This place is special and will be somewhere you will want to take someone for a special occasion or out-​of-​towners.

I loved this place from its ambiance to the food to the service.
We recently went to Frida Bistro as a group of friends simply looking to enjoy a more formal night out. The person who made our group’s reservations commented to me how impressed he was with their professionalism. They even called him back as our event drew nearer to verify his reservation.
Once we arrived that evening, we were immediately seated in a clean area and provided glasses with ice water. (Side note: my glass actually had some crusty stuff on it from the dishwasher, and they promptly replaced it.)
Our server, Blake, was kind and knowledgeable about the food. Our hostess was also very congenial and pleasant to speak with.
When this place was described to me as gourmet Mexican, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Well, I’m happy to report I was pleasantly surprised with the meal. The flavors were subtle and savory and the filet Mignon I ordered was cooked exactly how I’d asked.
The salmon was full of flavor, not over-​cooked. The vegetables and dressings for both dishes complimented the meats and enhanced the flavor experience.
The portions were not too large (thank you!), which left room for dessert and a couple drinks. You could order an appetizer, main course, and dessert and leave having had enough to eat, but not so much that you’re afraid your buttons are going to pop off the next time you sit down.
The desserts were pretty good, I especially enjoyed the flan; it had a thicker consistency than I’m used to from other restaurants, but I enjoyed it that way.
I’ll for sure be back again.

Frida Bistro is a hidden gem located in a desolate part of downtown Salt Lake City. It’s not your typical Mexican restaurant with dishes that are covered in cheese and accompanied with the standard rice and beans. This place is all about art — from the décor, to the beautiful dishes and crafted cocktails, you’ll experience festive colors and a level of sophistication not found in many places.
I fell in love with the Aguacate con Cangrejo dish that was recommended by fellow Unilocaler’s Natalie C. and Matthew L. The flavors were amazing and every ingredient used was so fresh. I wasn’t sure how filling it was going to be, but it did the trick alongside my delicious margarita. My date’s dish of the Camarones Diego was also good and had a slightly spicy cream sauce with some tasty green rice. We ended our meal with the Pastel de Mole Negro which was very good. I especially liked the tequila pickled cherries and the black pepper ice cream that came with the cake. The interesting ingredients all meshed well together, and the presentation was lovely.
If you’re looking for a break from the ordinary, Frida Bistro is the place to go to for an elevated and unique Mexican meal.

If you ask me what my top 3 favorite restaurants are in Salt Lake, Frida is up there. Anytime, every-​time.
This is not your typical Mexican fare. It’s inventive, fresh, and a like nothing else we have in Salt Lake. The building with the rough exterior and bold interior offers a glimpse into what will be served to you at Frida Bistro (minus the rough exterior, all of the plates here are dished up beautifully). Be it lunch or dinner, expect something delicious. This time of year, they have my personal favorite item on the menu: Aguacate con Cangrejo. I’m butchering it with my description, but essentially it is a halved, ripe avocado with a generous serving of dressed lump crab meat.
Their margaritas are worth the trip alone. From the R&R (Raspberry and Rosemary) to the Mango & Habenero, you can’t go wrong, and you’ll probably end up wanting to sample more than one concoction.