Pork ribs were as tasty as my mother's! (Not easy to do.) We've been back three times and will continue to go. Close enough to walk to.

Love this restaurant. Food is delicious, priced very reasonable, service is fantastic. Highly recommend!!

Thursday night RIB special. Fall off the bone! Spacious seating but get there early if you want the full rack!

Went for lunch. Great atmosphere and the service was spot on. They have lunch specials that are very inexpensive and delicious.

Probably the best ribs I've ever had, the meat is crispy AND juicy, super tender and fall off the bone, the bbq sauce is really good too! There's also a happy hour / lunch special during the week from 12-4 where a lot of the menu items are 99 pesos. There's burgers, crab cakes, fish and chips, pulled pork, etc. (not the ribs tho) they also have cheap drinks during the happy hour. The atmosphere is also really nice, very pretty inside, even tho you can't really tell from the front.

Katie Post

My boyfriend and I are regulars here and are never disappointed! The food, drinks, and vibes are perfect. Shout out to Isaac who always contributes to the experience! Hands down amazing server. See you guys next week!

Lauren Carter

Le Principal is a great local spot for the Evanston community! The service was absolutely incredible! The staff is personable and trained to handle any situation with grace and humor. Eric Young, the owner, was very present in the restaurant. You can tell a love of food and community was poured into Le Principal. Also, the churros are a must if you love a sweet treat!

Carlos Aréchiga

I visited La Principal for late lunch on a Sunday and everything was great, from the drinks to the appetizers to the meal itself. Our server was super friendly and made the visit a very enjoyable one. Will definitely be back. My favorite thing was their queso fundido and steak tacos. Check them out!

Anna Schafer

I've been here a few times, sitting both outside in the summer and inside. The decor on the inside is very calming and pretty. The food has always come quickly and is always delicious. I like that I can order multiple different tacos to try different flavors. Everything is plated and presented very nicely. I'll definitely be back again!

+2

Emily Brink

Love their Birria beef and their margaritas. It is safe for my gluten intolerant friend to eat here, which is a huge plus! The staff is also friendly and helpful. They have a cool outdoor seating area when the weather is nice. It's also right next to the Metra train stop, which is really convenient but loud if you sit outside.

Kyleigh Ardoin

Honestly underrated place. The carne asada is so tender and delicious. The waiters are so bubbly and happy and pleasant. And large portions!

Anna

Loves this place! Visiting from out of town, it's always a maze trying to find somewhere everyone will enjoy. The food was outstanding-- not greasy (which is all too common in Mexican cuisine), and a variety of options that were all so unique and quite authentic. As a chef who's visited Mexico, I'd definitely return here! (The service was also quick and friendly, and they have great outdoor seating!)

Xan Fry

Really amazing variety of tacos. All meats were so thoughtfully prepared & slow cooked. Almost everything needed a little salt, or something to brighten the flavors. We ate at the bar and Allie gave us Excellent service!

Dana King

If you're looking for an authentic and delicious Mexican dining experience, LA Principal is a must-visit restaurant. From the moment you step through the door, you're greeted with warm hospitality and a colorful, vibrant atmosphere that sets the mood for an unforgettable meal. The menu is packed with traditional Mexican dishes, all made with fresh and locally sourced ingredients, which burst with flavor and authenticity. Whether you're in the mood for classic enchiladas, mouth-watering tacos, or sizzling fajitas, LA Principal has something for everyone. And the drink selection? It's just as impressive, with an extensive range of tequilas, margaritas, and other refreshing cocktails to choose from. The service and staff are second-to-none, providing attentive and friendly service that ensures you feel right at home. Overall, LA Principal is a top-notch Mexican restaurant that truly captures the spirit and flavors of Mexico, and is sure to leave you satisfied and wanting more.

+8

Andrea Celleri

Get those tacos and flan ! They have some unique style tacos including cow tongue which was well seasoned and prepared. Apart from the tacos, their elote (prepared corn) was delicious as an appetizer. You can also finish off your meal with their pumpkin flan which was silky and uniquely buttery, covered in salted pumpkin seeds and Carmel.

Helen Bengtson

I have been to La Principal many times, and I have always had a positive experience. The guacamole is fresh ans flavorful, and the chips are crunchy and not greasy. I have never had a taco that I didn't like here, and would highly recommend trying all of the options. The tortas are especially delicious, as they are served on Hewn artidan bread.

We had a nice dinner here. We all tried something different. The Parmesan Chicken, Pork Tenderloin , Fish and chips and the Eggplant Parmesan. All dishes were good. The service was so so, the server seemed to be in a hurry and didn't check back to see how are meals were and not very attentive. Maybe he was serving too many tables? Anyway a overall good experience.

This is a nice looking restaurant and the service is good. The food falls a bit short. The BBQ was boiled instead of smoked and pizza was not available from the menu.

Very upbeat environment, responsive service people, food was fine but nothing to write home about. My mother always said you could judge a restaurant by its bread it serves and the dinner rolls were nothing special. We had crab cakes and salmon... Okay nothing wrong but not inspired to go back anytime soon

Known for its great ribs. Full or half order. Great menu lots of choices. Nice bar. It's open air withe terrace dinning. I believe

M F

Low reviews? I don't get it. This is our go-to "fancy" Mexican. Yes, there are tons of mom/pop divey Mexican restaurants we love. But when we're in the mood for a nicer/cooler atmosphere, creative food, and excellent drinks we come here. We always start with the queso fundido and it's amazing. Great texture, tons of flavor. Not a huge heaping bowl of cheese, but a nice, gooey/crunchy starter dish. I'll take quality over quantity any day. And even though it's not a massive dish it more than quells our stomachs. We also order the elotes; off the cob, easier to share. Yum. Short rib mole tacos are soooo good! Love the shrimp tacos, carnitas, al pastor. While the starter dishes aren't huge they're more than enough. After the queso fundido and the elotes my husband only has room for one taco. I can sometimes manage two but it's pushing it. The tacos are very generous so we leave happy. I'd go for the drinks alone. Excellent house margarita w/agave nectar. Always tough to decide between that and the smokey/spicy margarita. Just tried the mezcal/grapefruit Paloma and it was so good! We finish off each meal with the homemade churro with chocolate dipping sauce. What else to say? It's the best!

rita spevak

A solid local spot. We ate at the outdoor tables (looks line a temporary setup while Main st is under construction), which was perfect for our group. The portions are generous and I really loved the Baja taco I had. Give it a try if you're in the neighborhood.

Fun atmosphere with the live band and people dancing. I went with a friend. We ordered the 1/2 price Margaritas and for an appetizer the Coconut Shrimp. For the main entree, I ordered the crabcakes, which were more like dough balls. The service was good. I will try another dish next time.

Connect WithYourself

The sweet potatoes were undercooked. The food lacked the authentic spices and flavors of Mexican cuisine, indicating a need for significant improvement. Food is medicine, and the more mindful the cooks are in preparing the dishes, the better the experience will be when tasting truly delicious, authentic Mexican food..

S. Garcia

I was in the mood for tacos and noticed this place was close to work. I decided to give it a try based on the reviews. The staff were all super friendly and attentive. The place was clean and the ambience was great. There was even a live Three Piece Combo playing lovely Jazz music right outside the entrance to the restaurant. My only issues were that the wait time were a little slow. I waited over 25 minutes for a carry out order. I figured the food would be worth the wait. I finally got my food and was pretty disappointed. The food here is clearly adjusted and acclimated to the taste palette and culture of the primary clientele of the area. I ordered the fish taco, mushroom taco, queso fondido, and kids meal quesadilla (which also came with a churro and dipping chocolate) and extra tortillas for the fondido thinking that would be a safer bet. While the mushroom taco was just ok, the fish taco was a very bland hunk of fish. No flavor, salt or seasoning whatsoever. The queso fondido was made in the consistency of a cream cheese spread as opposed to a true fondue. It wasn't bad but not at all what I was expecting and it defeated the purpose of me swapping the tortilla chips for a side of homemade tortillas. The quesadilla was like something you'd make quick in a microwave... just melted cheese in a slightly hard tortilla. The only redeeming quality about my food was the churro with chocolate. It was very good. I'd probably visit again for the churro only.

Darcy

Overall, the atmosphere is cute, but loud even when it wasn’t completely full. Their green salsa was delicious, however their chips tasted stale even after asking for a fresh batch. I had the mushroom and sweet potato taco, which were great. It took awhile to be served and the interaction with the staff was non-existent, not much conversation occurring. Unfortunately, I had my experience and I won’t be returning based on the service and overall quality of the food.

Tick Tock24

I've been here MANY times and have decided never again. FIRST, the service is good EXCEPT for one server, a woman with brown curly hair. I've had her many times and every time the exact same thing. Slow, inattentive, drifting. I suspect if I had a STRING attached to tug when I needed something she'd be confused. Im sat...have to FLAG her down to start a drink. That gets done. Shes gone but visable. Place isnt busy at all. I wait. I have to FLAG her down because I've finished my drink ages ago, would like another and to order. I find myself trying to PACE MYSELF to her lack of one. TWICE I've wanted to come in, saw her, decided not. Gave this place another chance though she was the only server. SAME thing except this tine my table was loaded with dirty dishes and empty drink glasses I STACKED to give her a HINT. There was only 2 tables in service and one that just got sat and THEY waited as I observed them becoming agitated. Its like she never worked in tje service industry as she's working in the service industry. I spent a lot of money that day and regrettably some will go to her as a reward for me stacking those dishes. Those dishes were on the table as I got up and went for my check as I couldnt wait any longer. Id bet the staff knows who im referring to because I've worked in the industry and we know who we have to prop up constantly. Also, having "been" a somewhat regular, the owner who floats in not to at least acknowledge shows a certain lack of character.

Jason Hartline

The food is just mediocre. Neither the al pastor tacos nor the al pastor mushroom tacos had pineapple. Moreover, the pork ones were a bad cut of pork and the mushrooms were just one of the worst things I've eaten recently. Hopefully it was just a bad night. Anyway, wanted to like this place, but didn't.

BIG LEWIS

Sorry but the food was terrible I had a shredded chicken and a Nashville hot chicken taco both lackluster in taste as well as presentation my friend had 3 fish tacos they lacked taste seasonings were very little the fish was not served fresh Eve the Sangria we ordered was lacking flavor I was disappointed because a restaurant of this caliber in downtown Evanston I would think would be giving the people a great experience and this is why there was nobody there this place has potential I think the owners don’t have any taste buds and they walk to to beat of their own drums

John DeSanto

I have been to LA Principal several times and each time the service drifts further from satisfactory. I'm a Food and Beverage Manager on cruise ships so I may be qualified to judge deeply. The server whose name was never uttered was fascinated that my niece's nails were just like theirs with spider webs... That was the last positive interaction with the server. The server took our order and it took over 20 minutes to get 2 cocktails and order our appetizers. It wasn't because they were busy there was a total of 8 people spread over 3 tables each served by a different server. When our food arrived it looked great, but we were never given utensils to eat with so I had to get up and get them myself. At this point the server walked past me and I said. "You need to be more attentive." The server smirked and instead of agreeing the server walked right past saying, "I had to go downstairs" like that was my issue to deal with. If this had occurred one of my boats that attitude and complete disregard for taking care of YOUR GUEST, would have gotten the server a quit exit off the boat. When servers have the attitude that they're doing me a favor by even being there, that's when they're a counterproductive asset to your guests. I would never tell an owner what to do, but know full well my last dollar was spent in your establishment. As I was leaving I said to the server that gratuity I left was not earned. The same smug smirk came across their face and the said, "you don't know what's going on." Like that issue takes precedence of serving your guests. Like I said it was the last experience I will endure at the hands of your staff.