Barrio Mexican Kitchen & Bar

I’m excited to have finally made it to Barrio! The food was pretty good, particularly the tortilla chips and i did enjoy my tacos al pastor. Portion sizes were not HUGE, but also pretty expected. The house margarita is exceptional but, at $ 11, it better be!
Unfortunately, we were left waiting quite awhile on a Monday night for a table, just standing in the entry, waiting for the hostess. While waiting, a few waitstaff walked by. I wish they’d at least let us know someone would be with us shortly, but instead they avidly avoided eye contact.
The service overall was OK — I was fine with it, dining partner was a little annoyed. We also were seated at a really strange table that seemed to be in the middle of the walk way. I was thisclose to asking for a different table, but there was another couple waiting to be seated and i just wanted to sit down myself! The couple at the table next to use also seemed surprised that we were seated so close. It was just a strange set up — I think they should remove that table.
I’ll be back, but probably for happy hour, not a full priced dinner. Despite the margarita being delicious, $ 11 is tough for me to stomach. $ 9? Yes. It’s a fine line, I suppose.

I went to Barrio once before with a big group so I didn’t pay attention to the orders or service.
However, I decided to check it out again with my girlfriend for happy hour drinks & tacos. and oh my god, best scallop fried rice I’ve ever had. My gf ordered it, it wasn’t on the happy hour menu but couldn’t have been more than $ 13. We ended up eating her fried rice and left some of the tacos uneaten.
I love the interior design, especially the candle wall. Perfect place for late night drinks and food before going out since its in Capitol Hill.
Also, the waiter was super nice. We wanted to order second round of drinks not realizing happy hour had just ended but he was sweet enough to charge us HH price.
Seriously, way better than Poquitos. Check it out.

I went to college at SU and always came here with friends for cocktails. Year after year this place has continued to serve delicious food and stiff cocktails at reasonable prices. During happy hour, our group normally orders the house made salsa ($ 2.50) which isn’t too spicy and comes with house-​made chips, the spiced beans & cheese ($ 4) and their mini enchiladas ($ 5). My favorite enchilada is the chipotle braised chicken with red sauce. This place won’t break the bank and can handle a large group. They will even split the check for you!

I’m not a huge fan of Mexican food, well at least I didn’t think I was until I went to Barrio. I came for the guac and margaritas, but I stayed for the churros. Oh, the churros! Warm, perfectly cooked, cinnamony happiness with a side of chocolate. And the margaritas! I started my trio of margaritas with the mango, which was amazing! With so many choices I couldn’t dare repeat it. I was intrigued by the tamarind, because, well, how often are you going to encounter a tamarind margarita? This was my absolute favorite. I wish all margaritas were tamarind. Tubular tamarind margaritas for everyone! To finish off, a strawberry marg; an old, reliable classic.
At my age, thirty-​one, when you have three margaritas you have to eat food. Or at least you probably should. The amazing mango margarita was accompanied by guac and steak tartare tacos. More guac please! Seriously, yum. The tubular tamarind margarita came with pork al pastor tacos, which were slightly spicy, but in a good way. And of course, what better to pair with a classic strawberry margarita, but churros! Oh, those damn delightful churros! Seriously perfection. It was date night, so of course the fiancé was there. He ate food and drank drinks and left happy. He went with the flank steak tacos, which I didn’t try, because margaritas.
Bottom line: margaritas, guac, churros. RESERVATIONS! Ok, you can go now. To Barrio!

By far the worst service we’ve experience in Seattle. I am typing this as we sit at the bar, which is rather empty, simply trying to order a second drink and get more chips for the dip we ordered. The bartenders are so busy prepping the bar they can barely be bothered to help the customers. Closing out and tap and going elsewhere.

Great food. Amazing inside. Waiter even remembered us when we came back to eat again two weeks later (our food we ordered and drinks too!) beet tacos are fantastic!!!

Came here for a late night bite, but the menu only offers a dollar off a few things. Spending $ 9 for guacamole is too much, and a smallish plate of nachos for $ 18 isn’t a good deal. The nachos are good, don’t get me wrong, they have really thick chips that don’t crumble, but there isn’t all that much in the way of toppings on them. For the added $ 6 there had better be nice chunks of steak, but it felt like we got finely diced bites. There wasn’t a lot of cheese or anything else to make them really great nachos.
The best deal was the slow-​cooked chicken taco, but still at $ 4.50, it wasn’t a great deal. At least it felt crammed with chicken that had a nice, almost spicy, seasoning on it.
Their cocktails were good, well balanced and plenty strong.
The service, while a little slow on a quiet night at the bar, was friendly when they came around and they all seemed to have a good rapport with us.
I’d go back for the happy hour from 3 – 6, but the late night menu just wasn’t cutting it for me.

Happy Hour during the weekends, great service, great atmosphere, pretty good Mexican food and walking distance of my new apartment. I think I’m going to become a regular!

Dear Customers,
We we visited Seattle during the holidays. We took a group of 6 and wanted drinks so we went to the bar, the only seats they had were dived by a column. We pulled one of the chairs out a bit and the bartender (Mitchell) says to us «you can’t play musical chairs her», nope he wasn’t kidding, he was serious and rude. I’ve been to Barrios many times and the staff is amazing, but it take one person to make a difference, specially when it’s the bartender.
Dear Mr Bartender (Mitchell),
It’s sad that you have to be such a rude person, learn to love your job and learn to be personable with the customer/​clients.

Really nice ambiance at this spot. Super friendly service. Good Mexican food but not spectacular. I had some chips salsa and guac, mussels and a rum drink served in a coconut.

How do I describe Barrio? My favorite Mexican restaurant between Georgetown and the Canadian border! I’ve been here twice now and both times left extremely satisfied! The first time was the start to a girls night where we had several small plates (not that small!!) and the second was after a low key night where at 10pm we were hungry and just wanted a little something to complete the evening.
No matter what you’re looking for this place has it. Vegetarian? No problem! Pescatarian? So many options! I especially loved the grilled quesadilla and the shrimp enchilada — the server asked if I wanted to order anything else as the plates are small, but size is in the eye of the beholder! These servings are just right. Don’t make the mistake the girls made the first visit here where we ordered way too much food!
Quality and presentation of food here is excellent and the cozy ambiance is welcoming! Can’t wait to return.

Great happy hour! Try the nachos. Love a place with authentic Rita’s
The service was great friendly and fast!

I chose Barrio over other restaurants because of their commitment to happy beef. It did not disappoint! I wish I had been able to take a picture but the restaurant was too dark.
The carne asada was tender, fatty, and cooked perfectly. Served on a ridiculously huge platter with beans, rice, and veggies, it is sure to satisfy and probably the best bang for your buck.
The chips were crisp and perfectly salted, the salsa flavorful and delicious, but I felt the guac was a little on the bland side. It was the only thing we ordered which was though.
The server recommended a great wine for a friend of mine and my hubby had the habañero margarita — which carried a good kick but not enough to knock you out.
Speaking of, our server was incredible! Attentive, fun, and very engaging — he really went out of his way to make sure that each of our needs was met, including our 2 year old! It’s rare that a server takes the mute minors into consideration when engaging with the table. He was rewarded with a high five from our tot (one of the highest approvals bestowed).
We will definitely return to visit the next time we are in the city. Thanks for taking good care of us, Barrio!

Probably the worst meal we had in Seattle.
We ordered the al pastor tacos, but the server thought we ordered albacore tacos. When we bit into it and tasted cold meat, we thought we were eating uncooked pork. A funny scare.
But other than that, the chicken pozole, scallop fried price, and tacos were all underwhelming.

I love the pisco sours here! The staff is amazing with drinks and the food is great. It does get super busy, so if you want a seat come early. But a great place to start your night on capital hill.
The food is delicious, I love their habanero salsa or the grilled quesadilla. Things can get a little pricey though.
I’d definitely come back here for some quality Mexican flavors.

Barrio is a decent hang-​out spot provided that you’re fine with circling the block at night for parking until you low key want to die. It’s truly horrible out there. I would rather pick up a pile of fresh dog shit with my bare hands than try to creatively maneuver my car into red-​lined, illegal spaces just to eat overpriced tomatoes.
I came here on Monday when they have half off Tequila shots because they want you to drink until you have total disregard for the damage that will ensue on your delicate innards. I celebrated two of my friends’ birthdays here at the same time, so that’s a social signal to drink until your body becomes ambivalent to the idea of gravity.
For a party of 12, they accommodated us quite well and food came out relatively fast and hot. I went around the table and sampled all of the food, except for the salads, because I lack personal boundaries. Really, though, who the fuck orders salad for someone’s birthday party? We cannot be friends anymore.
I quite enjoyed the food here, especially the vegetable cazuela. This is a dish that stood out to me in my drunken stupor. I think I nibbled on nachos but nachos all taste the same, no matter where you are. Enchiladas seem solid, too, but I’m not going to bother to keep up that charade. I don’t know the difference between a good enchilada and a bad enchilada. An enchilada is an enchilada, so don’t take my word for it.
The drinks here are solid, too. I thank Barrio for getting me ten levels past tipsy that evening.

I like this place. I feel like it gets a bum rap for some reason. Its got atmosphere, fun bar tenders, friendly wait staff and team and the food is what you’d expect from a place that has this premium location: good but you’re paying for location. My favorite dish, that I haven’t seen on the menu in a while was their scallops. Slap your mother kind of dish. She was with me and that’s all she talks about… not the slap, but the scallops and the delicious margarita.
Go for conversation, chips and fresh guacamole, drinks and people watching and you won’t be disappointed.

We walked in and were promptly greeted by a friendly hostess who got us settled in quickly.
Right off the bat when I sat down for brunch I noticed that my water glass was very obviously dirty. I later learned that my silverware was also very undesirable. That alone is enough to prevent me from coming back. Gross!
Our waiter was a real interesting guy. He was pleasant enough, but seemed to have a frown permanently affixed on his face. Service was average until we were nearing the end. It was almost dead empty yet I stared at my empty plate for 20 min. and receiving the bill took another 20 on top of that. Seriously?!
The food is okay, I guess. The burrito I ordered had pretty good flavors but it was so cold! The eggs were the warmest things in the burrito and they were lukewarm at best. The blood orange mimosa was good; I’d like to find another restaurant that serves them so I can have another!
Part of me really wants to like Barrio, but the fact that they overlook important things like cleanliness has me staying away from this one.

Thank goodness for back up plans…
I originally wanted to go to Quinn’s but they were having a block party on E Pike and closed the street, which was weak because you would have to pay to get in the party then pay for dinner? UHH NO thanks!!!
Next on the list! Barrio Mexican Kitchen, the restaurant looked packed when we arrived but we were seated within 10mins.
Ambiance: Modern/​Chic
Service: On point/​no complaints
For starters: fresh guacamole and chips! I’ve made fresh Guac before but this was sooo good, you cannot get enough. More chips please.
Appetizers: Habanero Mussels: onion, garlic, habanero, crema, cilantro, ibérico chorizo and fresh grilled bread. Which was OOOOHHH sooo good and fresh.
Scallop & Bacon Fried Rice: spiced scallops, bacon, mexican rice, corn, poblano, green onion, scrambled eggs and corn crema. I wish I ordered this as meal, because I loved it sooo much. Trust me I will learn how to make this!!!
Main Courses:
Me:
2 orders: Spice Rubbed Duck Tacos
cherry compote, radish, red onion, chipotle-​orange salsa, toasted almonds served with frijoles charros-​It was delicious! I didn’t finish it because I was way too full.
2 orders: Carne Asada
grass-​fed skirt steak, spice rubbed and grilled with roasted pepper and onion rajas, mexican rice and frijoles charro-​The fellow said it was hella good!
Shrimp Cazuela
habanero salsa, onion rajas, mexican rice, mango slaw,
guacamole and fried jalapeño-​Satisfying
Overall we had a great experience and dinner!

Five star food, but one star deducted for an off (I’d like to assume hungover) waiter and super dirty water glass that almost made me gag.
We came for Sunday brunch and at 10:30 am, I was surprised by how empty it was. I guess Seattleites are late risers?
We ordered guacamole and chips to start and they were delicious; however, I immediately regretted indulging in them when my main course, the breakfast cazuela, arrived and I wasn’t able to eat even half of it! That being said, it was tasty as well — a blend of scrambled eggs, chorizo, cheese and salsa. It came with tortillas on the side so I made some breakfast tacos.
I love chilaquiles and the preparation changes. Today, it was a sweeter pineapple habañero version and packed a punch. I think I even preferred this to my dish. I also stole bites of the carnitas and pancakes, and pork belly benedict. It was truly all delicious but we all couldn’t finish our plates! Huge portions at a great price.
I’d definitely come back here for some quality Mexican flavors. Just make sure to check your water glass!

Location is great. Food was really tasty. Prices were a touch high, but it’s a cool place and I hear that happy hour is super reasonable, we just missed it. Delicious tacos, delicious nachos, and tasty drinks.
Four stars not five because the server wasn’t the most attentive we’ve had. But it was a tasty break in the middle of the afternoon, regardless.

My ladies and I ushered in the weekend with Happy Hour at Barrio. The sun was shining and the margaritas were on point! Sadly, the food was mediocre and the $ 6 guacamole tasted store-​bought.
Nachos are a weakness for me, and one unique element to the Barrio nachos were that the tortilla chips were cut thick and the cheese was melted in such a way that got me thinking about grilled cheese sandwiches. Next time I’m adding the chile braised pork to my order because, without meat, these nachos lack personality. The tacos were also boring, but our server was not boring.
Maybe just drink your way through Happy Hour here.

Service here was great. The hostess was really friendly. We were lucky to get in on a cancellation — it was packed! (Wait time on a Friday night without reservations was about 45 min. To an hour So make reservations!!)
Our server Kevin was really friendly and attentive as was the rest of the staff. Drinks good were good, the mezcal/​lagunitas scotch drink was gross tho! You have to LOVE smoky and I don’t. They were really nice and changed it out for us at no charge though.
NACHOS WERE THE BEST THING! I could have skipped dinner and had 5 plates of nachos lol.
The décor is great, the front door is fantastic. It’s dark with a wall full of candles. They have a nice bar area also.
Overall I would give this place 4 stars, I really liked it.