Wholly Frijoles

There is something about Mexican food that puts me in a good mood.  Maybe it's all the wild and bright colors usually painted on the walls, or the up tempo music piped through the dining room, or the spicy flavors that remind me of how much fun I always have in Mexico.  Whatever it is, I usually crave Mexican food daily for these reasons however, I've found most of the local Taquerias fall short of imagination and taste. 

Frontera Grill has been a long time favorite and in my opinion Rick Bayless does everything right, but I can not afford that luxury as often as I would like until now....I've fallen in love with Wholly Frijoles - a Mexican Grill that to me rivals Frontera - at last! 

We first attempted to dine at Wholly Frijoles on a Thursday night around 7pm.  The resturant is located in a strip mall in Lincolnwood and the place was packed, at least an hour wait - too long for us.  So we attemped to go back again on Friday, this time just before 5pm to avoid the dinner rush.  The menu was extensive, from more traditional tacos and tortas to braised lamb, pork or skirt steak, red snapper and shrimp.  Everything comes with soup or salad. 

I went with the traditional tortilla soup which was delicious.  A bit heartier than other tortilla soups I've had, rich in flavor and just a hint of spiciness.  I then decided to play it safe and order the Tacos Al Pastor which is usually just marinated pork but these were a combination of pressed lamb, beef and pork topped with diced red onion and cilantro and served with a side of refried beans.  The tacos were perfect - flavorfull yet understated.  The star was definately the meat, not to be overshadowed by what we would traditionally would find on a taco - like lettuce tomato, cheese and sour cream.  No, these delicious tacos were topped with lime to enhance the flavor. 

To my delight, my dining companion ordered the Chille Relleno and Chicken Enchilada with Mole combination - two of my favorite dishes that I dare not order due to reasons I think you can imagine - but a bite of each never hurts.  I actually ate more than I bite and insisted that we switch plates so I could dive in.  The Chille Relleno was outstanding and melted in your mouth.  The Enchilada was prepared with tender chicken in a spicy, thick Mole that I greatly enjoyed, maybe a little too much. 

Wholly Frijoles is BYOB but you're limited to the amount you can consume - people are lined up to eat so hanging out isn't an option, not that we felt rushed. With such a large menu I can't wait to go back again and try something a little more adventerous.  If our meal was any indication of what's yet to come I'm sure it will be great.

Wholly Frijoles
3908 W. Touhy Ave
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Comments

[Julie]

Food aside, the management of this restaurant is atrocious! I have never been treated so poorly in my life! After my boyfriend had sour cream spilled all over him all we were given was a halfhearted sorry from the waitress who had done it, we weren’t even offered a moist towel to wipe up the mess let alone assistance cleaning up the mess, a formal apology, or compensation for damages. After we pointed out that the clothing would have to be dry cleaned the waitress offered us $10 FROM HER OWN POCKET! Only after asking for the manager did she drag herself to our table, with much attitude. After explaining the situation she shrugged and said “What do you want me to do? I didn’t spill it.” And walked off.
My boyfriend being the very kind, “always do the right thing” guy that he is still paid the full bill and left a tip; when I felt we should have walked out. I was so upset that I decided to tell the manager I felt I received the worst customer service she could possibly offer and we would not be back. She proceeded to scoff at me and ask what she should have done. I told her she should have apologized, asked him to send her the dry cleaning bill and comped his portion of the meal. At the mere mention of us receiving anything for free she began yelling “Oh I see, you’re cheap! You want everything for free!” over and over. And we had already paid.
Bottom line, if you want mediocre food and to be treated like crap go to Wholly Frijoles. Just don’t wear your good clothes.

[scott]

If your expectation is that your food should be comp'd and your dry cleaning bill paid for when you get food spilled on you, you should stick to big corporate entities like Marriott hotel restaurants where making you happy is the top priority. One thing you could have tried in that situation would be to get up out of your chair, go to the bathroom, get a paper towel and some water and clean your shirt, then sit back down and enjoy the food.

[Betsy]

I just visited Wholly Frijoles today and I completely loved it. A coworker of mines recommended the place and it was awesome. After coming back from the restaurant I decided to do some research and read comments, since I've never heard of this place and I've got to say that my customer service today was regular/okay/average service. I don't have high expectations in terms of how the waiter should treat me as long it is with respect and just reading a couple of scary comments in regards customer service and the comments about the differences in more expensive restaurants, kinda creeps me out.....if I would've read this before, I probably wouldn't have gone! ...of course that is not the case, cause so far all I went there was to eat!! On the other hand, if I would've suffered the experience of getting sauces or food all over my clothes and they acted like they didn't give a sh*t, I would have simply not paid my dinner. My dignity is not counted by dollars, but by respect and that for me runs a long way. So, for the guy that experience this horrible service, my sincere apologies go out to you. Just so you know, if I were you, I would've definately left without paying!!

[Jose]

Horrible! The management or lack thereof does suck. I have frequented the restaurant a few times and food is pretty good, but not the best or worth the wait. Last time we were there and the reason I will never go back, we were treated horribly. We were told it would be 15 minutes... 45 minutes later we were still waiting, there were parties arriving that were being seated before us. I went up to talk to the hostess and she tells me to talk to the other girl. I look at the list and we are not even on there anymore... Yeah place sucks and I will tell everyone that will or will not listen never to go there.