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anyone been there? good? fun? first-hand experiences, please!!
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Ate there last night! Definitely still going through some growing pains.... While the hostess seated us quickly, it took a while for the server to get to us, but we were busy checking out the place, marveling at its transformation so we didn't mind. I ordered the chicken enchilada and he had the steak tacos - both very good, although they took a while to get to us. (Two servings of chips and salsa later, to be exact.) My meal was very fresh, and I didn't have that slight nausea that tends to follow a typical greasy NY Mexican meal! His 3 tacos were small, but well made, with a generous slice of avocado atop each one. The servers were very sorry about the wait, but the food was good. It wasn't blow my mind excellent, but it was substantially better than any other Mexican place I've been to in the 'hood. The outdoor seating area seemed to be zoned for the stroller crowd, but that was fine by me. Prices were higher than I would have expected, and they only had one veggie option, which may limit them in PS, but it was good, and I will go back to try more! PS - they are taking 15% off all bills until May 31, so try it out now!###
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Thanks for the detailed review Teckla. I think a restaurant deserves a pass for the first few months on the service, but it sounds like they have the right attitude and are making an effort. I'm looking forward to giving it a try.
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Thank you for the review! I will give it a try! "Generous slices of avocado" makes up for small taco size in my book!"If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” -Vincent Van Gogh
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went there last night. while the food was excellent, "growing pains" is an understatement. they were not equipped to handle the number of people they got on a Wednesday night, the kitchen was way behind, and the wait staff was having a hard time figuring out what table was which. to their credit, though, they did not try to blow smoke up anyone's butt and pretend it was business as usual. they were extremely up front the entire time as to things being in progress, the 15% off, and it made me much more at ease with the situation. kudos to them there. i've seen that situation get handled the wrong way (example: when Nana first opened), and it quickly can turn you from a potential regular to someone who won't even consider stepping back in. once they get it together, this is going to be one busy place. the menu was excellent. i had the veggie enchiladas, and they were creative and top-notch. lots of other stuff i want to try as well. the watermelon-mint margarita was good too. nice little red pepper rim on the glass. my advice is this: if you're the inpatient type expecting great service no matter what, stay away until they've got their act together (great advice for any new restaurant, actually.) if you don't mind being part of the adventure, then definitely take advantage of the 15% discount.
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Thanks for the great review. Looking forward to going there.
J0518 » went there last night. while the food was excellent, "growing pains" is an understatement. they were not equipped to handle the number of people they got on a Wednesday night, the kitchen was way behind, and the wait staff was having a hard time figuring out what table was which. to their credit, though, they did not try to blow smoke up anyone's butt and pretend it was business as usual. they were extremely up front the entire time as to things being in progress, the 15% off, and it made me much more at ease with the situation. kudos to them there. i've seen that situation get handled the wrong way (example: when Nana first opened), and it quickly can turn you from a potential regular to someone who won't even consider stepping back in. once they get it together, this is going to be one busy place. the menu was excellent. i had the veggie enchiladas, and they were creative and top-notch. lots of other stuff i want to try as well. the watermelon-mint margarita was good too. nice little red pepper rim on the glass. my advice is this: if you're the inpatient type expecting great service no matter what, stay away until they've got their act together (great advice for any new restaurant, actually.) if you don't mind being part of the adventure, then definitely take advantage of the 15% discount.
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I agree w/JO518 - just came back - almost 2 hours spent there due to really, really long wait time - our server comped us a round of drinks due to the wait - all the staff was really nice - the bartender especially. As JO518 said, the kitchen just couldn't cope with the crowd - it was jammed from 7:45 to about 9:30. Our wait for a table was only about 20 minutes - it was the wait for the food that felt interminable. But, that said, I thought the food was fabulous. We had the marinated Oaxacan cheese, and black bean & plantain empanadas to start, followed by steak tacos and fish tacos and finished by sharing the Yucatan shrimp. All the plates were really prepared well and extremely tasty and well spiced. My only critique re the food is that the 3 taco plate was pretty small. I liked the vibe of the place - good music and really festive. Will definitely go back once they get their act together in the kitchen. I want Barrio to make it - food is great and it's 2 blocks from our apartment
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i have mixed feelings about this one. i wanted to absolutely LOVE it... but i didn't. the margaritas were bland and, as mentioned in some previous posts, the tacos were absolutely miniscule. they were delicious but i was left staring at my empty plate about 3 minutes after the plate arrived. my husband and i were forced to plow through 3 baskets of chips in order to stave off hunger pangs. good chips though. i also thought the prices were a little high... but i would be willing to pay the higher prices if the food was mind blowing. friendly service and nice out on the shaded patio but i think i will wait a few months to try this one again. but try again i will because it is a mere block from my apartment!
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Here's my review: 8 of us went last nite (Friday). I made reservations to be on the safe side. They were extra curteous and attentive. HOWEVER: the food delivery was weird. we got there on time but 2 folks from our party were a little late. since we had kids we ordered apps and quac w/ the chips. that was all fine and good. took forever to get our drinks which made no sense. once we got the drinks they were very good. we ordered our food and within 15 minutes the rest of our party arrived. so about another half hour goes by before our food comes out but believe it or not the party that arrived later, their food came out WITH ours. so the original order took over 45 minutes. a little difficult when you have 2 boys whining they are hungry and their stomachs were making weird noises! some of the side dishes were missing. we ordered the corn, which should have been much hotter was forgotten but when we reminded them it came out one at a time and cold.
overall the food was very delicious! a little over priced, and everyone is right, the tacos were ridiculously small (ours didn't even have the avocado on them). I do wish them well. the atmosphere is wonderful, staff will pull it together, and hopefully we will have a hit on our hands!
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We went last night. It was an hour wait, but we're patient. By the time we sat down we were of course starved so we ordered 3 appetizers. Guacamole of course, which came w/3 tiny homemade tortillas, fantastic. Presentation was excellent. Then we had the Shrimp Ceviche w/ jicama, tomatoes, chipotle citrus salsa, lots of little shrimp which was very good and the Mayan Black Bean Soup w/avocado, queso fresco, cremanata which was excellent. Our entrees were the Puebla Pork Tenderloin pan seared, chihuahua cheese corn pudding, sautéed spinach, chile arbol w/ peanut mole. Loved it. Spicy but not too much. The other was the Guelaguetza Salmon pan seared, hominy, green peas, spinach, habanero garlic sauce, red onion w/ cilantro salad. Little on the small side but very good. One dessert was the pound cake drenched in milk w/whipped cream. Enough for two and very good. Second drink arrived. They bring 2 chocolates with the check. Food came out fast considering the wait to get in. Not so our drinks. Our apps were there before our drinks. We finished our appetizers and 5-10 mins. later our entrees arrived. Loved the atmosphere and music. We had a great seat. Waitress was super nice and apologetic for delays. The hostess, which I heard was the wife of the owner I'm assuming who was there, was also extremely nice as was the other hostess. People, people let me say one thing. Can some of you put a little effort into what you wear to dinner. Mostly men but some women too. Some look like they just came from the park with hoodies, shorts and sneakers, a few had flip flops and shorts on, others t-shirts that never saw an iron. Ya don't have to get super dressed up but put a little effort into it. These weren't young college age kids either. Pants and or nice jeans and a shirt. Shoes but no flip flops or those hideous birkenstocks.
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I'd kind of like to check this place out for lunch...anyone up for it today? I'm getting sick of reading books eating alone on the weekends (the boyfriend works and all my friends live too far to commute in..) I'm craving some quac and have time for a leisurely meal... plus I'm a bit of a margarita addict and am always looking for a new place to try some (note- if you're into margs, Elote in williamsburg serves the best I've had in the city and they're $5 during happyhour until
disclaimer- I'll be wearing flip flops or something equally as appalling (and I might even have ripped jeans.) You've been warned.whoa hey whoa hey whoa -
looks like they won't be open for brunch on the weekends until 1st weekend of May. bummer, I was hoping to go tomorrow. Thanks, eveyrone, for your input!
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OK - Visit II We called at Noon Friday for a reservation for 2 at 8:30PM and got the OK. We arrived on time and were seated by 8:35PM. Water and chips/salsa arrived in due course and our server - she's a gem - took our order in timely fashion. 30 Minutes later our appetizers arrived - still way too long of a wait! The food however is once again fantastic - repeated the empanadas from our first visit and also ordered Barrio's take on sopes - crab meat salad/epazote/& perfectly spiced cascabel salsa - this dish was super- crab meat was creamy and sweet, the cornmeal base was just the right texture and consistency and I guess the epazote was right as I'm still alive to write this. Good thing the apps were great because the pacing is still horrible - another 30 minute wait for our entrees. My wife had the chicken enchilada and I had the poblano chili - at first we thought that the dishes were near perfect, until, about 1 minute into them, the overabundance of chili powder struck and rendered our taste buds useless for the rest of the meal. Shame, because the chili was on the verge of greatness - grilled poblano stuffed with diced potatoes and minced chorizo - really tasty until I couldn't taste it anymore. My wife's enchilada only less so over-spiced. We finished by sharing a tres leches cake that was really yummy. Also, during the course of the evening my wife had 2 glasses of sangria and I had two glasses of cava. Total bill w/tip was $87 plus change. No comp, no more discounts. After paying the bill the time was 10:25PM This place has such potential I'm trying to be a good culinary parent to it - but the pacing just has to improve and the kitchen has to find the right balance between fire & heat. I'm up for one more visit. P.S. - the enclosed patio area is unheated- so it's chilly in there right now. Also, the cement floor needs to be covered - doesn't look good littered with the detritus of the evenings service
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Hi- My husband, Spencer, and I are the owners of Barrio and were recently informed of the Park Slope internet forum discussions about our new restaurant. We sincerely appreciate your thoughtful insights, critiques, and concerns and would love the opportunity to address them. Feel free to email us either at request@barriofoods.com or spencer@barriofoods.com. We also look forward to meeting you. Please let us know the next time you visit Barrio so we may personally introduce ourselves. Spencer and I are simply thrilled to be a part of the Park Slope/Greater Brooklyn community and are striving in every way to make Barrio a wonderful restaurant. Your feedback and communication with us will surely be an integral part of Barrio's success. Sincerely, Julie Rothschild
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Very nice note above from the owner
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