diff --git a/python/ray/dataframe/__init__.py b/python/ray/dataframe/__init__.py
index 5fa837db7..5081df3d3 100644
--- a/python/ray/dataframe/__init__.py
+++ b/python/ray/dataframe/__init__.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ from __future__ import division
 from __future__ import print_function
 
 import pandas as pd
+from pandas import eval
 import threading
 
 pd_version = pd.__version__
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ from .io import (read_csv, read_parquet)  # noqa: 402
 from .concat import concat # noqa: 402
 
 __all__ = [
-    "DataFrame", "Series", "read_csv", "read_parquet", "concat"
+    "DataFrame", "Series", "read_csv", "read_parquet", "concat", "eval"
 ]
 
 try:
diff --git a/python/ray/dataframe/dataframe.py b/python/ray/dataframe/dataframe.py
index 8a51b5c6e..830a7b734 100644
--- a/python/ray/dataframe/dataframe.py
+++ b/python/ray/dataframe/dataframe.py
@@ -349,6 +349,24 @@ class DataFrame(object):
             result_series.index = self.index
         return result_series
 
+    def _validate_eval_query(self, expr, **kwargs):
+        """Helper function to check the arguments to eval() and query()
+
+        Args:
+            expr: The expression to evaluate. This string cannot contain any
+                Python statements, only Python expressions.
+        """
+        if isinstance(expr, str) and expr is '':
+            raise ValueError("expr cannot be an empty string")
+
+        if isinstance(expr, str) and '@' in expr:
+            raise NotImplementedError("Local variables not yet supported in "
+                                      "eval.")
+
+        if isinstance(expr, str) and 'not' in expr:
+            if 'parser' in kwargs and kwargs['parser'] == 'python':
+                raise NotImplementedError("'Not' nodes are not implemented.")
+
     @property
     def size(self):
         """Get the number of elements in the DataFrame.
@@ -1253,20 +1271,29 @@ class DataFrame(object):
         Returns:
             ndarray, numeric scalar, DataFrame, Series
         """
+        self._validate_eval_query(expr, **kwargs)
+
         columns = self.columns
 
         def eval_helper(df):
-            df = df.copy()
             df.columns = columns
-            df.eval(expr, inplace=True, **kwargs)
-            df.columns = pd.RangeIndex(0, len(df.columns))
-            return df
+            result = df.eval(expr, inplace=False, **kwargs)
+            # If result is a series, expr was not an assignment expression.
+            if not isinstance(result, pd.Series):
+                result.columns = pd.RangeIndex(0, len(result.columns))
+            return result
 
         inplace = validate_bool_kwarg(inplace, "inplace")
         new_rows = _map_partitions(eval_helper, self._row_partitions)
 
-        # TODO: This doesn't work if the expression is not an assignment
-        columns_copy = self._col_metadata._coord_df.T.copy()
+        result_type = ray.get(_deploy_func.remote(lambda df: type(df),
+                                                  new_rows[0]))
+        if result_type is pd.Series:
+            new_series = pd.concat(ray.get(new_rows), axis=0)
+            new_series.index = self.index
+            return new_series
+
+        columns_copy = self._col_metadata._coord_df.copy().T
         columns_copy.eval(expr, inplace=True, **kwargs)
         columns = columns_copy.columns
 
@@ -2162,9 +2189,8 @@ class DataFrame(object):
         Returns:
             A new DataFrame if inplace=False
         """
-        if '@' in expr:
-            raise NotImplementedError("Local variables not yet supported in "
-                                      "query.")
+        self._validate_eval_query(expr, **kwargs)
+
         columns = self.columns
 
         def query_helper(df):