After months of anticipation, Frontera Fresco finally opened at the end of fall quarter. Many flocked to Norris in hopes of trying the food offered by the iconic chain created by Rick Bayless. Tales of tacos and tortas drifted from person to person, as eager stomachs went to try “the amazing flavors of Mexico” as put by nuCuisine’s website. During finals week, I finally had to go and see what all the buzz was about.
The food
There’s no doubt that the food served at Frontera has variety. With quesadillas, tacos, tortas, huaraches (Mexican flatbreads) and soups, it’ll take a while to try everything on the menu. And those are just the options for lunch. A lot of flavors and names of items might not be that familiar to people: terms like milanese and cochinita pibil sprinkle the menu. Don’t be scared off by the complexity of names, as pretty much everything you can order is tasty. There’s also a good number of vegetarian alternatives, such as all the raja items.
What’s also nice about Frontera is that it also has a breakfast menu. Stop by early in the morning to try some of the tortas (panini-grilled sandwiches on artisan rolls) or your usual morning bacon in a taco. There’s also an array of drinks, from Mexican hot chocolate and Frontera blend coffee to aguas frescas and licaudos. There’s a lot to try at Frontera, but you won’t be disappointed by what you end up ordering.
The service
If you get to Norris in the middle of lunchtime, good luck getting through Frontera’s line. Almost everyday during Norris rush hour the line wraps around the ordering station. The staff is extremely friendly, and you’ll recognize some familiar faces of employees from other dining halls, but the preparation of food definitely takes a while. I wouldn’t recommend getting food here if you’re trying to make a speedy getaway. One way to avoid the long line is to come during off hours, or early in the morning for breakfast. The breakfast and dessert side of Frontera rarely has a line of people waiting. And if you come early enough there will hardly be a wait.
The price
This part of Frontera is probably the most disappointing. Yes, the food is delicious. Yes, it’s great that fresh ingredients are being used. However, pretty much every menu item is at least around $4. You could try going cheap and ordering a single taco for $3.95, but that probably won’t fill you up. And the blasphemy of a $4 taco is enough to keep me from eating Frontera regularly. With many of us college students on stricter budgets, you may want to resist the temptation of Frontera. It is technically “gourmet” Mexican, and the prices reflect that. Realizing that you won’t be able to do much with a couple of dollars really makes me miss happy hour at Crepe Bistro.
Overall
All in all, the variety and quality of food at Frontera is stellar. However, be prepared to wait a while for your food and paying a pretty penny. It’s great to see this new place open up in Norris, but I’m not sure if it was worth the sacrifice of Sbarro, Jamba Juice and Crepe Bistro. The food at the old locations might not have been as upscale as Frontera’s, but it was a lot faster to get and more affordable. In the end though, I can’t commit to avoiding Frontera completely. It’s likely you’ll find me eating an overpriced chorizo taco from time to time.