barrio tacos

it just opened. give it some time.. there are some big snags that come with opening any new trendy place... i.e.,the first batch of kitchen workers/servers can turnover quick. the basic fundamentals of operation have to find a rhythm. that being said, it's not a surprise that the food can run long at barrio, and there might be some snafu's along the way... the food is of a higher quality. and even if you don't go there to eat, barrio does have two pretty good happy hours with a fantastic selection of beers, tequila, and bourbon. the specialty drinks are agreatdeal during happy hour. the interior is decorated in a way that is both authentic and appropriately artful with pretty clean restrooms. there have been some problems with long waits for food or cold food, but anything i've had has been pretty good, if not a bit of a wait to get it. it's only been open for a couple weeks, so i think once they really get it down, the place is going to be solid. there are some problems so far, but there are also some bright spots... to compare the casual service of places like melt, or momocho, it is hard to give a bad review. i have personally waited over an hour for grilled cheese and tacos at both of those places on a few occasions, but they have been on food network so it's supposed to just be acceptable i guess. barrio definitely needs some work, but i see it going in a good direction... right now, it's more of a bar that sells food, other than a restaurant that has a bar. all in all, it's just good booze and tacos. what else do you really need on a nice day?

horrible restaurant. bad service. low quality food and a clearly untrained and inexperienced management staff. sucks that such agreatlocation in tremont will have another restaurant that closes within a year. it's clearly gone from one horrible owner to the next. my advice: save your money.

a fun place to get agreatmexican meal and margarita! nice size patio (not the best views though).

one taco is good, two is filling...three! no way! too much !

i suggest asking to keep your order sheet, that way you know which one you love when you come back again.

i love this place! i've been to all locations and it's always delicious! awesome tacos andgreatselection of whiskey. plus a dash of eccentric decor. $3 tacos!

walked in on a saturday evening during christmas season, told the wait was at least an hour.  20 minutes later we got the call, our table for 5 (a 4top with 5 chairs by the warm fireplace) was ready!  ordering here is like being back in school filling in the bubbles on a standard test.  grab a pencil, an order form and build your own taco.  if you dont get crazy they are $3 each.  we tried many combos and they were all good.  the concensus was that the chicken was the best protein.  the greengoddess shell is good, but not sure it is worth the extra $1???  the appetizer guac was top notch.  the food is really good and the prices are actually too cheap.  they make up for this with relatively expensive drinks.  all in all a fun place with a good vibe that is still agreatvalue.  edgy vibe.  if you aren't happy with your taco here i am not sure you will find a better place.  worth a trip.

quality food/great happy hour. the tacos at barrio aregreatif you know what flavors go together. if you aren't sure they have a good mix of chef inspired tacos. happy hour tacos are a good deal. you pay for what you get here when it comes to the food. it is worth it. service is a little shaky and seemed understaffed at the bar. they were friendly, just didn't have very good service. will be back for happy hour!!!

getting better!. the quality of their tacos has improved so much since they opened. service as well.greatto see them hit their stride. we truly enjoyed our last visit there.


-----17 may, 2012-----

growing pains, but potential. they are brand new at this point, cut them some slack. the ingredients are fresh, and build your own taco options are lengthy. stick with the specialty margaritas or flavored house margaritas. the traditional by the pitcher was a little weak with alcohol. the tacos are reasonably priced at $3, and they have agreatpatio for outdoor dining.

"the happy dog of tacos" it's indeed agreatway to describe this place. the food was phenomenal and the service was great! plus you can't beat the happy hour prices. my only complaint would be the cramped seating, but overall, this place was awesome. i'm definitely going back.

i don't typically write reviews because people just write them to bitch... i went to barrio and dug the concept and experience so much that i had to say something. i've seen a couple bad reviews for this place and don't understand why. every place has off nights, but not the night i was there... the happy hour is rediculously good. half price tequila shots, margaritas, dollar off drafts, $2 tacos (instead of the already fair priced $3,) and on wednesdays the whiskey is half off too. imagine a shot of johnny walker blue for only $10. jameson for like $2! i think the happy hour is mon-fri 4-7 pm. they have a special for margaritas at night too. $4 for any of their special or house ones. i don't think its on the weekends though. the host did say that happy hour is in the bar area only, but explained there are daily dining room specials as well. all that aside, i sat at the bar to order. my bartender was a friendly guy who had good knowledge of the whiskeys that i was there for and explained the different sauces and meats expertly. he was working in tandem with another girl on drinks and they both appeared to be waiting on tables in the bar area too. the food was great. it is pretty spicey, but you shouldn't have to speak spanish to know what "caliente" means. the two of them were having fun, working well together and fit the mood of a hipsterish atmosphere. i'll call them cool flannel shirt bearded guy and hot tattood punk chick. sorry, i don't remember their names. i saw cool bearded guy doing somegreatchalk work a bit later on the feature board and hot tattood punk chick had an appropriately witty attitude with her barflys. they seemed to have regulars and i felt like i was one of them although it was my first visit. overall, the food was thumbs up, not the best tacos i've ever had, but for $3 they were great! the other service staff i noticed were getting along and the staff in general seemed to all like each other. the atmosphere is awesome. it was too cold for a patio table, but the patio itself looked great. the art in the dining room was as the bearded bartender explained to me a "dia de los muertos" story. very cool looking... i'll be back. i'll bring friends. i hope the next visit is as good in the dining room as it was in the bar.

the service was very polite and attentive! i don't know why everyone is in a huff over poor service at all! it's a taco restaurant where you fill out what you want with a pencil. should they hold your hand with the pencil in it? maybe wipe the sweat from your brow while deciding on your tacos? seriously. the service was appropriate for the atmosphere, the food isgreatand not under- or over-cooked, and the price was enough to overlook anything else! guac app, 4 tacos, 2 margs was $27. so get off your high horse and go circle your taco meat. oh, and a word of wisdom- if you see the word 'spicy'... they really mean it.

awesome. first of all the design of this place is a conversation in itself, very creative. whoever the designer was did an outstanding job! very fun and funky, and this is coming from a 50 year old couple from the suburbs.

taco's like you have never had before!! one of the selections i had for example was pulled pork, cilantro pesto, tomatoes, onions, chihauhua cheese, chipotle crema & red cabbage. you can make your own selections of protein and toppings, and these are not your standard toppings. barrio is taco, beer and whiskey bar, so the selection of beer and whiskey is extensive and unique as well.

our server was excellent, she explained everything on the menu ingreatdetail and explained how the ordering works.

this is definitely a place to check out!

great food +greatdrinks =greatplace. we ate there for the 1st time about 2 weeks ago and have been back 3 more times already (and live over 20-minutes away!). love the food and the drinks.

the 1st time i was there with just my husband, and had the pick 3 sampler of guac+ salsas which was great. everything was delicious. the marigold is my new favorite drink too - served in a a mason jar and just the right mix of sweet & sour.

the next time we were there with my daughter and a few friends. everyone enjoyed it. kids will ike the fact that they can pick what they want from the tablets on the table and adults will like the variety of choices from spicy bar-b-que to tofu for our veggie friends, it all adds up to good food and fun.

last time we sat on their patio which is beautiful. you have to check out thisgreatnew spot in cle!

the atmosphere isgreathere-everyone was having a good time. though i did feel that service was slow in the bar. i cannot comment on the food because i stopped in for a quick drink after dinner. nothing really stood out to me to return...maybe if in the area again.