I am updating my review a little to make notes of a few improvements, my original review remains below.
I already loved this place, and it remains a new family favorite, and it seems to be spreading around my extended family like a virus, as we bring more family back each time.
First, this place is worth the trip just for the delicious drinks that they serve. My wife loves the "Chia water" and I can't get enough of the pineapple drink. We find ourselves wanting to go back frequently just for the drinks.
Second, here are the improvements they have made since the last time we ate there: the food now comes out much more quickly, and you no longer need to get up multiple times to get food for your table, because they now give you numbers to place on your table, and then bring the food out to the table. this is a small thing, but really made the visit this time so much better. Thanks to the management for implementing the small changes suggested by the Yelp community. Other than that, our food was again, delicious. My original full review is below.
Lately I have been trying hard to get my kids out and try new places, sometimes that goes over well, other times it doesn't. Tonight, it went over very well.
Don't get me wrong, there is much that others might criticize about the place, but I think that most of that could actually be some of the place's unique strengths. I found Frijoles to be refreshingly unappologetic.
1. The location: Opening a new place in Vegas can be a gamble, especially a place away from the strip and tourism. In this case, that is a good thing. This place isn't for the tourists (although they are missing out if they don't seek out the unique in Vegas), it is for the natives.
2. The menu: There are some unique options on the menu, such as tongue and "cabeza." The meat options on the menu also are in Spanish only, and the cashier had to translate them for my kids. Again, this did not bother me at all, because for us it added to the experience. Tongue is not something that my kids are used to seeing on menus and their disgusted reaction was exactly as I expected it to be, but I like that the place caters to a specific crowd and isn't out to please everyone.
3. The setup: This is an easy one to pick apart, as the line and ordering are different than most are used to (and by most, I mean the Qdoba/Chipotle/Cafe Rio lovers). This is one thing that I would not say is a strength, but it is not necessarily a hindrance either. It is a bit awkward to walk in past the food and not really be able to see the menu until you are up to order, but that is only an issue the first time, after that, you pretty much know the menu for any repeat visits.
4. Fast food?: This is the one critique that I will make on which I would like to see some improvement. The food did come out to us piecemeal and it did take some time. One child's nachos came first, followed by another's fries, then the last three dishes came out all at once. for the first 2 dishes, my number was called and I had to get up to get them, the last 3 were brought out to us. I am totally fine with the food coming out at different times, or getting up to get my food, but not both at the same time. If the food is going to be ready seperately, then it should be brought out to the table. During a busier time having to get up to get out food would have meant having to break through the ordering line due to the setup, so my one big suggestion to the management would be to have the food brought out to the guests.
5. Finally, the food: My whole family thought that the food tasted really good. Between the 5 of us, we had a good variety of the items on the menu, and everyone sampled each dish. I had the carnitas burrito which was good, but after sampling the kids chicken dishes, I wished that I would have gone the chicken route instead. They also have an awesome variety of drinks in addition to the usual fountain drinks. Unfortunately they did not have the pineapple drink tonight, but my wife got the chia seed water, which was really good.
overall, probably not perfect by many standards, but we really enjoyed the food and my kids have a new favorite place for nachos. It is locally owned and offers an authentic taco shop experience.