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I don't know about the other items, but the FISH TACO was AMAZING! ugh!
The chips and salsa SUCK though. As did the service. And the restaurant was DIRTTTTY. But, GO for the Fish Taco!
Not like it used to be...
I'm on a kick of writing reviews today and I feel the need to bitch about much I feel the 'love' they used to put in the food disappeared. Apparently, we broke up. I felt like it became less and less interested in me back in the spring of 2008. But i kept going.. showing up.. anything for my mexican love! This past winter, I revisited the Ho-Fro. Things were definitely different. We seemed so.. distant. Canned tomato salsa? what is that?!? Raising the price of single tacos? stab me in the heart!
I do give you credit for expanding the menu and adding weekly specials but let me ask you.. where is the love?
Farewell my undying love for the garlic Caesar salad. You're too rich for my pocket now.. Besides I've moved on to real southwestern tex-mex.. well shit.. i am living in Texas now.
p.s. Corey and Melissa are still the coolest!
I had my reservations in traveling to kitchy Hampden, of all places, for Mexican food but now I see why this place's called Holy Frijoles as my first bite made me want to vocalize a related exclamation. All I can say is that the drinks were strong and craftily mixed, and the food was holy s..surprising--a good bet are the burritos or the fajitas.
Decor was traditional and slightly inviting (under-board, if you will); a bit shockingly, the place gets packed even late into the eve so it's clearly loved by the locals. For a sit-down Mexican place in Baltimore, Holy Frijoles rocks.
Totally underwhelmed. We ended up here because our first-choice place was without power, and... we were not impressed. It was incredibly noisy, the tables were sticky, the service was pretty indifferent, and the food was not that great - underseasoned meat, oversalted beans, undercooked rice. I was glad to see more options for Mr. Vegetarian, but his burrito was a sad, sad item made with completely overcooked vegetables that seemed to have been steamed without benefit of any spice or marinade or anything. My Carnitas enchilads was actually dry, if you can imagine, though my Paloma (grapefruit soda and tequila) was pretty good. I would have needed two more to be any happier about this meal, though.
The good:
- Creative veggie burrito goes beyond the basic set of veggies
- First time I've ever had a veggie chimichunga and I LOVED it. Pleasingly fried, huge tube of delicious veggies and cheese--wow!
- Reasonably priced margaritas and other creative cocktails
- Great guacamole
- Doesn't cost much
- You can wear your pajamas
- Usually have very, very nice waitresses
- Nice decor and atmosphere
The bad:
- Disgusting odor. Take out the trash, people! Clean up a bit!
- Chips = always burned
- 2/3 of the times we've been there, they've brought us chips and dip without also bringing water. If you get a spicy part of the salsa, this is a problem!
Final analysis:
Go on a day when they've got the doors and windows wide open to let in the fresh air. Definitely get a cocktail. If you hair isn't washed and you're wearing your pajamas, you can't really be that picky about food prep quality, can you?
Honestly, I really do think this is the best Mexican place of most places I've been in Baltimore(including nacho mamas and a few places in Highlandtown). But in reality, there is only one thing I will get here. That is the fish tacos. I get a few of them a la carte. They are seriously some of the best fish tacos I've ever had. I've brought friends here from Cali who also attest that these are comparable to the amazing ones you can get off carts in Cali. But I've also seen reviews of inconsistency here. That means that some nights, the food will be amazing, and other nights it won't be. But i guess the reward far exceeds it not being as good.
The drink selections are always solid. Generally i'll go with a bottle of my favorite beer there: Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout and 2 or 3 fish tacos. Give the fish tacos a try for sure. You most likely won't be disappointed.
I love love love this place. It is dirty and loud and you tend to get terrible service but it is all worth it for the food! I have had several dishes off their menu and my favorite is the chicken tacos. Their food tends to be very spicy / just the way I like it! But if you can't get past a dirty tiny restaurant then consider ordering it to go!
I love Holy Frijoles. I love it enough to almost lie and give it four stars. But I can't keep it real (tm) and do that with a clean conscience. Everything about this place is hit or miss. I dig consistency. I need consistency. I need to know that the fish tacos are gonna be spot on each and every time. Unfortuntaly, that's just not the case here. Every third time I come here, I end up bitching about the food to some random Hampden hobo who won't even accept the dry chimichanga that I'm trying to pawn off on him.
Their bar is great, and worth going to alone for the chips and great selections. Their cucumber margarita is enough to get naked for.
Not that I've ever gotten naked for a margarita.
... FROM a few of 'em... well, dang.
People looking for something authentically Mexican or even Tex-Mex should not stop here. This is Hampden-style stuff with a Southwestern border flair. It has risen and fallen several times since opening and being discovered as part of the pantheon of must-see places on the Avenue. It's got life and energy, a bar scene, lots of college-age visitors, and is loud and dark when the evening comes. You will have a great time if you bring the fun and funk with you. Don't over analyze or deconstruct this place. It is best enjoyed when you view it with a less critical , a slightly blurred, eye.
Meh. Sadly it is one of the more popular places in Hampden, so that place does attract a crowd. Otherwise, the food is below average/average, and their margaritas are salty! I mean I like salt in my margarita, but dios mio, those drinks will make you do fishy face! Really nothing special about this place.
We both got enchiladas (hers: vegetarian, mine: beef), and they were as far from what we expected as was possible. When they came out, it looks like someone actually got sick on our plates, and covered it with cheese to hide the vomit. Under this cheese was, well, I'm not really sure still! The tortillas were beyond soggy. When I bit in, I couldn't discern any of the flavors - it was just all masked with too much chili powder. The rice on the side was severely dried out, and the beans tasted like, well, the enchiladas.
The only upsides were the drinks (creative drink list, good drinks), and the service was pretty good. I also liked the recycled Patron bottles as shades over the ceiling lights. Beyond that, we won't be back.
This place has decent Mexican food that is very authentic in some ways. The salsa was unusual...not very spicy, but very flavorful, with lots of cumin, which some people would like and others might not. I got tacos, and the pork taco was outstanding...but I didn't like the fact that it came in a flour tortilla instead of a (soft) corn one. I also got a fish taco, which was pretty good too.
The menu isn't very big and is a bit lacking on selection: there are no soups, and everything is pretty simple. Lots of great and basic mexican dishes that you CAN'T find here. But, the ones we ordered were good.
We came here for lunch but this place has a bar too...only four beers on tap but they have Yuengling and Dos Equis which makes me happy.
Service was very good and both the hostess and our waitress were very nice. I would gladly come back here!
I've gone past this establishment several times during my visits to Hampden, and the exterior always intrigued me. After the Blue Moon and Café Hon debacles, I decided to give it a try. Sadly, my first impression was ruined more by the wait staff than by the food itself.
Frijoles was pretty empty upon our arrival, and aside from a table of six, it stayed that way. In other words, there was no reason for our waitress to be so absent from our table - especially when we could clearly see her waiting hand and foot on the table of six directly across from us. Perhaps she felt like we wouldn't tip her as well because we were a smaller table. Ever hear of a self-fulfilling prophesy?
As for the food, it was only so-so, but it wasn't like I had my expectations set incredibly high - after all, it's a bar, more than a restaurant - you can smell the stale alcohol when you first walk in.
Onward we trudge: The salsa that came with our complimentary chips was really good. I found myself noshing like an addict.
I ordered the Chimichanga and my first thought was, "is that a Chimichanga in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" It was HUGE. But I quickly realized the size was bolstered considerably because they put the beans INSIDE the chimi instead of on the side, like at most restaurants - what a cheat! Also, I was looking for some cheesy goodness with my meal. Nope. If there was any cheese, it had liquefied inside the tortilla, and wasn't discernable at all. There was a wee bit of lettuce used more as a garnish scattered around the plate, and there was no rice at all, though I probably could have ordered it as a side. Speaking of sides, you could also order guacamole as a side dish, but that would have cost another $4.00!! I'm sorry; did I just mistake this place for Rosa Mexicanos, home of fresh table-side guacamole-makin'?
On a bright note, we ordered nachos as an appetizer, and found those to be quite tasty! Jalapenos lovers, rejoice! You'll be in heaven upon first bite! And the amount of sour cream served with the entrees was more than generous - a plus in my book!
So aside from liquid entertainment, I probably wouldn't hit Holy Frijoles anytime soon. If I lived in Hampden, then it might be my cool 'local', but overall this place leaves me yawning.
We love this place - so much so that we probably come here every other week! By far, the Best guacamole ever!
I typically stick with the soft tacos (chicken or black bean and corn) or a quesadilla (ask for chicken with the grilled veggies - they don't charge extra!) But if you're super hungry and want a bit of everything, the taco salad is enough to feed two easily and definitely hits the spot!
This place has been known to be extremely busy on Friday and Saturday nights, so either come early and/or be willing to hang out at the bar/walk up and down the Ave. for a bit. But it is well worth the wait!
When you come here, you have to know that there is nothing "Mexican" about it. The spanish in the title may make is seem like they serve mexican food, but if you are expecting a spicy authentic dish, you will be sorely dissapointed. (I'm from the Southwest so I can speak with some authority on this subject.) However, once you get over the fact that you are not going to be served anything authentic, its not bad. I particularly recommend the cucumber margaritas and martinis. The food is ok, the drinks are pretty good, and the atmosphere isnt too bad, as long as you don't mind a ton of kids in the early evening, and total hipster party crowd later at night.
Food was ok but the a great margarita and cheap late night prices make it a great Thursday night spot.
Oh man...this place is artsy kid infested. The food is alright....not authenic..but alright. They give you plenty of chips and salsa...which is a plus...even though the chips suck. The burritos are huge and taste alright, better off at a chain for food. But, if you are into the artsy 20-something seen, this is your place no matter the food quality.
I've been her over fifty times over the p[ast five years....AND THEY JUST DON'T GET IT. The owners are a bit more realistic with Rocket down the street.
What can be said about a Mexican place where it's run by white "art" students? UMMMMMMMM
BAIL!
Really bad atmosphere.....lousy decor....bum acoustics......apathetic staff........food is passable.
Keep walking and get some great fried chicke
I think my diner in crime (Gretchen D) summed up our experience here pretty well.
I just want to add that I got the chicken fajitas for my meal. This is the first time that I had gotten fajitas and have not had any rice included in my meal. The tortillas were cold as well. I had to add a ton of salt, pepper and chili sauce to my chicken to give it some sort of flavor. I must have put in a lot of salt b/c I was thirsty and had to stop at McDonald's afterwards for a large soda.
I don't think I'll be back here again...
Pros: Good Margaritas, good draft beers, Good Chile Rellenos. Good Enchiladas
Cons: Mediocre salsa and beans.
Boring dishes overall- lacking spice and heat. Restaurant seems a bit filthy if you ask me, especially the original right side of the restaurant.
Service was pretty good. Man, this is a tough one. Three stars, no more, no less..
It used to be very good when it occupied the tiny adjacent space. Some time after they expanded the food and everything else went seriously downhill. The last time we went (about a year ago) there were very few people in the restaurant and the lack of people made it very easy to see that this place has some serious housekeeping issues. We noticed a vaguely unclean, "funky" smell all around. This made me seriously wonder about the food-preparation and sanitation. The food was as other described-- drown in cheese, hum-drum flavor, dried out rice.
The food is pretty tasty, but the atmosphere leaves something to be desired. The music is a little loud (I'm too old, I know) to comfortably chat during dinner. It's more a place to meet with friends over margaritas and nachos.
They make their own refried beans and they're vegetarian!
If I could give this place a 2.5 I would. For drinks only, maybe I'd give it a 4. Good margaritas. Just how I make them at home and 1/2 price margarita happy hour M - F, so that's even better than A-Ok in my book. But, the food, which after all, this place is first a restaurant, then a bar... is mediocre at best. I had enchiladas, my standard Mexican dish. They were really pretty tasteless. The black bean and rice side, eh... Also, the waitstaff tends to be too hip for their own good. So, go there for the margaritas. Go elsewhere for food.
Mexican Food, Baltimore Style. If you're looking for super authentic Mexican food, at authentic Mexican prices, Holy Frijoles is probably not the spot. But if you're looking for fabulous "Mexirribean" cuisine, HF is your spot.
You see, with Holy Frijoles, it's all about Basement Frank. Basement Frank is this incredible, enigmatic ingredient cobbler from the Islands (Trinidad, to be exact.) He makes the equally incredible, cilantro-laden, succulent tomato-filled, best goddamn salsa on planet earth that they give you free of charge just for sitting down in the joint. I literally cannot say enough about how fucking good this salsa is, it puts anything here in my home San Francisco to SHAME!! Papa Lote, just talk to the hand, because Basement Frank is the MAN!
Moreover, BF makes their excellent re-fried beans everyday at some godforsaken early hour of the morning. The beans are vegan (I'm told), nice and salty, and perfectly cooked. I literally would eat bowls and bowls of this stuff with just a spoon when I worked here. (DISCLAIMER: I worked here for like 6 months, just one shift a week.) Try mixing those beans with a little of that salsa, and the only thing I can say is OH SHIT!!! That's some serious yum jams.
So, why only four stars when obviously Frijoles has some banging ingredients to work with? Well, everything is just kinda the same. And you get sick of it all strangely fast. It's good, but it's just like, too simple or something. Maybe it's Mexican food in general being all the same, and Frijoles being the only place on that side of town to get it. I dunno. It's still good, just like, it slows you down, you know?
But the main lack of 5th star stems from the new Yuppie-friendly version of Frijoles that debuted about 2 years ago. We had a joke that Geoff (owner) was pretty much singlehandedly driving up everyone's rent by like $100 in the 'hood by his rapid and visible gentrifying of what was a literal hole-in-the-wall eatery into a venerable bastion of pomp and capitalism. Like seriously, Frijoles is out of control crazy. This is Baltimore, can't you keep it worthwhile and kitschy, guys?
PROS:
1. cheap margaritas on mondays
2. food is quite affordable
3. chips and salsa aren't bad
4. cool lookin bar
5. the bartenders are pretty nice
CONS:
1. it's like a god damned hipster factory exploded in this place
2. the cheap food is often cold and sometimes sucks
3. the waiters can really be assholes
4. i know they're half price but the margarita taste like sour mix over ice...where's my tequila? (maybe stick to beer...you know what you're gonna get)
Do you like margaritas? If so, this is your jam (especially on Mondays, when house margs are half price); they're a bit pricey, but try a mango (comes with a fresh slice!), cucumber, or pomegranate one.
I've never found the food particularly exciting or good but the quesadillas are okay, and like someone else noted, the free chips and salsa are absolutely the best. So much cilantro! Perfect for a snacky and/or boozey evening. I forsee myself spending many summer nights there pretty soon.
Service is just fine (they've always been really nice to me), and I like the atmosphere too, because they obviously renovated but it's not all new and spotless. You'll always live in fear that the women's bathroom door latch hook will rip out of the wall the next time someone tries to open it while you're in there peeing out your 4th margarita.
great place for an afternoon drink, I said afternoon drink because at night this place is full of a bunch of hipsters and emo douche bags drinking too much with their parents money.
Service is not good if you get a table. The servers are usually too busy just not giving a shit about anything to care about you, or your needs as a guest. The bartenders have always been fun and attentive, so sit at the bar! Prices are good for drinking heavily, and drinks are strong which is always a plus
on to the food, nothing authentic mexican about this at all. I will say however that they do have some tasty bar snacks, such as nachos, and things of that nature to go with your drinks. Most food is over or under seasoned, and over or under cooked so I don't suggest eating more than an appetizer
I will not say that I wont return to this place because more than likely I will get bored on a sunday afternoon and decide its jack and coke o clock and stop in for a few, but I'll be sure to hit the bricks before the holier than thou hipster bunch arrives
Like others have said, Frijoles isn't the best Mexican food in town, but something keeps me coming back. The menu needs updating, and everything is basically the same in different forms. But the margaritas are incredible (I like pomegranite or mango in the winter, lime or cucumber in the summer), and Monday is half price margarita night for the house marg (coming out to $2.75). I don't know what it is the quesadillas, but when I'm drinking, all I can think about are HF black bean and corn quesadillas.
If you aren't drinking, try the limeade. Its the closest I've found to "agua de limon" in Baltimore.
I think the service is fine, everyone is basically always super nice.
Mexican food on the East coast may as well be called Mexi-Cant. I have been very few places that can do it justice. I guess growing up in california spoils for the whole coast. So at my stint in Bawlermo' my eccletic browsing and looking ofr old used trinkets in Hampden turned into hunger and i entered Holy Frijoles.
Nice decor like all the other old/new/retro-hip places around the neighborhood. the bar is big for the space, and they had 2 bartenders. a definite plus. I had margaritas while we waited for our seats. It wasn't watered down, and it was potent for their hose margaritas. I Think i may be able to grow to like this place.
WE got seated and they bring salsa and chips. The chips were hard and terrible and the salsa was watery, but i was still enjoying the margaritas. I gulped down one then i gulped down two... now tell me what am i supposed to do?
Food comes. The chimichungas are good, and the food came out relatively quick for a Friday evening. Margaritas are still coming. The watress is pretty nice and friendly like the rest of the staff, even tho they look like they took evey issue of FADER mag and took the fashion section and copied the look piece by piece ...am i drunk? the chips were terrible! .... mmm...more margaritas.... get the bill... less than 40 bucks for 2 people? And i had DRINKS??Woooow.... Am i seeing this bill right?.... mmm morw margari.... blah... I wanted better chips.... what if i wanted nachos and they have these lousy chips?? seesh... I wonder will another margarita make the chips tase better??
This is a cute little joint. I like the decor, and I even like that part of the restaurant looks kinda beat up. No, the food is not authentic Mexican, and yes, it is kind of bland, but given how hard it is to find ANY sort of good Southwestern/Mexican cuisine in this part of the country (Having worked and traveled extensively in AZ/ NM, we know this for a fact) it's OK once in a while. I'd give it a "B". Yes, hipsters come here, but in the 'hood where it's located there's a hipster sprouting up about every foot and a half for the last few years so I'm not going to get that excited about it. I'd rather have a non-chain restaurant full of hipsters that serves quesadillas and mildly flavored salsa for cheap, than a chain restaurant full of families with SUVs and babies in strollers serving TGIFriday's type food for overpriced.
If you want good Mexican food I'd recommend trying to find something a little more exciting than Holy Frijoles. They do make the tastiest nachos I've ever had, but the rest of their food, while not bad, is pretty boring and generic. If you're desperate for Mexican then this place will do, but there are better options out there.
Edit: I recently went here again and I was impressed enough with what I got to come back and add another star to my review. I tried a couple of different types of soft tacos and they were much tastier and more interesting than they used to be two or three years ago. The nachos remain excellent, and the prices are still very fair. It's still more Americanized than a lot of the Mexican food you can get in Upper Fells Point or Highlandtown, but for tasty Tex-Mex this restaurant has become hard to beat.
Oh! How I wish Holy Frijoles was better. I trully, really want them to be good...but, much to my dismay, they fall short.
Its really hard to come by good Mexican food in Baltimore and I'm glad HF is around at least for the nachos but the other dishes are just so bland. Their burritos are no better than ones you get in the frozen food aisle from the grocery store and they dont have many options - just the basics.
The drinks rock and i love how they painted the wall behind the bar. Its awesome. I just wish their food was too.
I really like Holy Frijoles...and I don't really know why. The place is infested by annoying hipsters and the food all pretty much tastes the same. Still, I like the decor, the drinks (try the regular or pomegranite margarita) are great, the food is affordable, and you always know what you're going to get. The chicken fajitas and the guacamole are really good. This used to be (and still is when I'm in Hampden) my easy go-to place where meat eaters and vegetarians can all find something to eat and drink.
This place has, as noted, some of the best salsa I've ever had. For that I give it countless stars. i also loved the vibe and had never been to Hampden before so that was fun.
I did think the steak in the fajitas tasted a little weird - not bad, but seasoned like my Dad grilled it in the backyard - not really Mexican or even Tex-Mex. The guacamole was fresh but bland. Margaritas were a little "mixy" and too sweet for my taste...
I'll go back - I'd like to try the nachos and skip the entree this time. All in all it was a relaxed and friendly place to hang out, and the server was pleasant and patient with us (we were catching up and were there for a long time - tipped accordingly, of course.) The bartender was friendly as well
Every Hopkins student ought to make the trek through Wyman Park and try out Holy Frijoles at least once throughout their college years here. The food is inexpensive but at the same time is not spectacular. But its quirky ambience and club-like background music makes this place a fun place to hang out.
Their margaritas are delicious--just don't expect to be able to order one on Sundays. They don't serve alcohol on Sundays... I learned that the hard way.
The best Mexican I've had here; space is small and service can take a while, but the food is good. Don't sit next to the door in the winter.
Theyve added a bar, its cool, v Hampden hipster- strong drinks and skinny jeans.
Decent burritos and a full bar. It's open past ten, serves food late, and the margaritas aren't too bad. It's not the San Francisco Mexperience, but shoot, it's good late night eats.
Average food - like tacos you make at home on store-bought tortillas, salsa from a jar, or beans you get out of a can. The margaritas are made with a sour mix, which I don't love - prefer fresh lime. That said, it is a cool little local place with edible fare that is not a bad place to meet friends. The staff are always friendly and accomodating. If the great Latino owned hole-in-the-walls on Eastern would get liquor licenses to go with their kick-ass authentic tacos, there would be no need for places like Holy Frijoles, though.
I first started coming to this place in college in 1996 when it was a 3rd its normal size and they didn't have a liquor license. Now that they have expanded and added a bar, it's even better. I now live in Washington, DC, but still drive up to Baltimore for good Mexican. (Mexican places in DC are either trendy, with 'fusion' in the description, crappy, with 'health department' somewhere in the description, or more often than not, both) I'm not making any claim that Holy Frijoles is authentic Mexican, or even all that wonderful, but it's good food, prices that haven't changed yet this century, and a great atmosphere. I drive 45 minutes up 95 to eat here once a month or so. Street parking usually isn't an issue.
Mexican food sucks here on the East Coast. That being said, come here for drinks and bland food. The employees here are cool cats.
Specials
Parkville, MD
$39.95, 3-Course Dinner
Pikesville, MD
Baltimore, MD
Category: Mexican
Baltimore, MD
Category: Mexican
Baltimore, MD
Category: Mexican
Baltimore, MD
Category: American (New)
Baltimore, MD
Category: Pubs
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