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 a great deal 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, theplaceis 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?

stopped in saturday night to check the newplaceout. big mistake. waited over 20 minutes just to be greeted by our server and even longer for our margaritas, that didn't show up until after our food(?!?) i believe i saw what appears to be the manager walking around, looking very discombobulated and offering no direction or help to his staff. would have taken time to complain but just wanted out. yuck.

i absolutely love the atmosphere here. the decor is unique and the patio amazing. the bar is slightly small and i noticed the bar tenders having trouble getting around one another which equaled slow service while we waited for a table.
the food was ok. my build your own tacos came out incorrect twice, so i have no clue what was acutally in them. they were good, but not what i wanted. the service was horrible. we never saw our waitress, had to beg to get more drinks and order. i would recommend the three salsa sampler (get the queso) which was my favorite part.
i would definitely go back for drinks and chips just because theplacehas a fun, unique atmosphere.

a funplaceto get a great mexican 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.

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 funplacewith a good vibe that is still a great value.  edgy vibe.  if you aren't happy with your taco here i am not sure you will find a better place.  worth a trip.

these are amazing! how many times do i have to say "these are amazing!" to get to the minimum 140 character limit? the only reason not to eat these is that you can never stop thinking about them. you'll want to go every day. they only bad thing about thisplaceis they are lazy - they don't open for breakfast or lunch. ;)

good tacos. i custom made a few tacos. they were pretty good. not sure i tasted all the ingredients that i selected in the taco(like cheese) and probably not as much meat as i would like. i enjoyed the chips & queso. theplaceis probably a touch too pricey but you're paying for the neighborhood(tremont). the atmosphere is very nice and i highly recommend sitting outside if the weather permits.

i went to the location in lakewood. i arrived around 5, and it wasn't really busy, which was contrary to the last time i went on december 30th. i don't know if it was because it was close to new year's, but theplacewas jam packed, and with a wait over an hour i didn't stay. anyways, there were plenty of tables when i went tonight, and the service was good.

i ordered one "hasta la vista baby" taco, and created two of mine own. i got a side of pickled vegetables and rice as well. the tacos and vegetable were all good, although they mixed up the salsa on one of the tacos i created. the rice was just plain white rice, which was a lite disappointing. overall a good meal. everything had good flavor and the meat was very tender.

"the happy dog of tacos" it's indeed a great way 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, thisplacewas 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 thisplaceand don't understand why. everyplacehas 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 some great chalk 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.

awesome. first of all the design of thisplaceis 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 in great detail and explained how the ordering works.

this is definitely aplaceto check out!

not bad. went on a quiet saturday afternoon. food was served promptly. tried the trio appetizer which was okay - good mango salsa - so so guacamole and elote (corn in cheese sauce). the tacos were solid but nothing exceptional.

not a badplaceto go for a quick lunch and to get decent tacos. not sure i would go when it is crazy busy or if there were a wait.