FRANK & FINA’S Finale
ELV used to eat at Frank & Fina’s Cocina all the time when it was on West Charleston.
Sometimes he ate there as often as once a month. Sometimes, once a week.
Once, when he was conducting discovery in a nearby law office, he ate there four times in one week.
Back then the operation had a ramshackle look and feel to it, and the food was, if not great, more than a mite better than any chain Mexican you might fall into.
Service was fast and friendly (still is) and there was always that off-the-menu habañero salsa on hand to give the food a much needed kick in the ass when it suffered from too much inauthentic gringo friendliness — which was pretty much all the time.
Several years back, F & F lost its sweetheart lease on the run-down place and moved to that godforsaken, megamall ghost town/parking lot at Flamingo and the 215 — a shopping center with all the charm of an airplane hangar. It upgraded its decor from low-brow, ramshackle Mexican, to middlebrow mall Mexican and did little to the food beside put everything on better plates.
The mole is still insipidly sweet and hardly spicy, the tomatoes stale, the beans like wallpaper paste, and the rice as forgettable as Mexican rice can be.
Somehow, none of this mattered when we were eating it in a shack. Now it just feels like another generic Mexican — overdecorated and under-spiced for your enjoyment.
ELV doubts he’ll ever eat there four times in one week again…and he just thought you’d like to know that.
Our lunch for one came to $15 + a $3 tip.
FRANK & FINA’S COCINA
4175 South Grand Canyon Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89147
702.579.3017
Restaurant reviews, quips, picks and pans-with some seriously salivating history-from the man who eats his way through Sin City every day.
July 9th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
BOOO… Frank & Fina’s is my favorite Mexican restaurant in town and one of my favorite restaurants period. Just because the location isn’t great doesn’t make the food not amazing. Anyone reading this review, give it a chance. It’s worth the drive.
July 9th, 2012 at 4:23 pm
What David says–this place has great food. 99% of the restaurants in this town are in horrible strip malls. This town is one big horrible strip mall. Don’t hold it against Frank & Fina’s. Consistently good, fresh and always great service.
July 9th, 2012 at 10:31 pm
I must agree with this post. Im usually 50-50 with this man opinions. And thats only on 50% of these posts. I cant comment or judge half of his meals due to the fat hole that ISNT located in my pocket. But I have picked up a few phenomenal eats in town, thanks to this mans savor tongue. Anyways this place USE to be one of the top 3 mexican spots in town. Not so much these days.. It has taken a hug step backwards. The two times ive been, the waitresses were really sweet so Im glad to see people due enjoy it.. But if you had the opportunity of tasting their food before the move, no ifs, ands, buts, about it.
July 10th, 2012 at 2:43 pm
I also enjoyed the original and, of course, expectations were not high because of the facility and location. That said I do believe the food was OK and a value; the new place lacks each and actually believe the food has become almost as if institutional so I no longer frequent Frank & Fina’s. Too bad as I try to support local efforts and especially family owned and operated.
July 10th, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Frank and Fina is my favorite Mexican joint. I have been eating there, atleast twice a month, for the past 10 years – 7 at W. Charleston and approx. 3 since they moved to 215/Flamingo location. Being a vegetarian, they have the best vegetarian Mexican food in town. They do have a chipotle salsa as well along with the regular and habanero. Service is always great and prices very reasonable. I do drive from Henderson for their Vegetarian selection. Other Mexican joints have only cheese enchiladas for veggies. They are always busy for dinner. New location started with one dinning hall but when the next door japanese sushi went out of business, Frank had an acumen to lease the next door as well. Mr. Cartas, be careful what you write about the joint, Frank has a black belt in Karate :-)
July 11th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
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July 11th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
J,
You need to go to Leticia’s Mexican Cocina on Farm Rd. It is by far the most delicious mexican food that I have ever tasted in Vegas.
July 12th, 2012 at 4:27 pm
BB, You are 100% right about Leticia’s. They serve awesome food there, even for someone who is on a plant based diet. I love to go there after riding up at Mt. Charleston.
F&F is very mediocre, and I will never go back there. The problem with Vegas is that the majority of people are OK with mediocre food, I am not one of them.