Creativity abound in the plating of their dishes! Colorful wall murals inside and outside of the restaurant. Staff were friendly, attentive, and ready to answer our curiosity questions. The restaurant’s spin on fresh guacamole with pomegranates was colorful and tasty and definitely worth trying. Dishes involving chicken is a hit or miss - not consistently prepared and leaning towards dry overcooked. Terrific visual experience but be prepared with your wallet/purse - don’t try to justify the menu prices - just enjoy the experience! Be aware parking will be a big challenge, and look cautiously for signs around the building specifying “No Barrio Cafe Parking.”
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Wonderful, wonderful meal - easily a top ten dining experience. Innovative use of fruits like pomegranate in savory dishes - totally delicious. Can't recommend Barrio Cafe highly enough... Guy Fieri knew what he was talking about!
Everything from the chips and queso appetizer to the main entrees and even the churro with ice cream and coffee, were superb! The staff were very quick, polite, and professional! A truly amazing dining experience.
We spent 7 days in Arizona – Sedona, Grand Canyon, and then 2 days in Phoenix. A nice lady we met on a hike suggested this place(it won awards, etc), I was looking so forward to trying Mexican food in the Southwest at a “local Mom and Pop place”. My wife wanted Italian – I said, “We can get Italian at home, lets try this place as its one of the best.”. We should have had Italian as I could have gotten much better Close to home in Sodus, NY that have two great Authentic Mexican Restaurants. The meals were overly, way-over, overpriced and overrated for what little plane food you get – Nothing Special!. I ordered Mole Enchiladas and it was supposed to be different types under sauce. They were all chicken, dry & cold(cold) with no flavor and piles of mole sauce. “Guacamole for 2” $18.00 overpriced for what you get. The young lady server was nice and sweet. But as we did not order drinks it felt like as soon as we finished taking our last bite the rude gentleman from bar took our plates and gave us the check to quickly to get us out. Don’t waste your time or money.
Price meets the Hype but not quality! The place has certainly got the buzz but the basic stuff like the chips, guacamole weren’t upto the mark. The chips were over cooked and the Guacamole wasn’t easy to pick using the Chips. Overall too expensive, decent ambience, so-so food.
This is a great restaurant and deserves all of the great reviews. For those diners looking for Tex-Mex or more typical Mexican American fare you won't find that at Barrio Cafe. Dishes here are more aligned with what you would find in Mexico. There are not many restaurants that serve dishes such as Chiles en Nogada, posole, or huitlacoche to give a few examples. The beverage dejection was also nice. While the service was business like it was perfectly friendly and accurate. Food and drinks were absolutely delicious so would definitely recommend. Otherwise there is outdoor seating and you must take a look at all of the wall murals that are on the walls in back of the restaurant.
We ate dinner here on a recent trip to Phoenix with friends. The place had been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and was chosen for this reason. We shared several appetizers - the guacamole and the Mexican street corn were particular favorites. The main dishes were huge but flavorful. Excellent value for the money
We had company visiting who absolutley had to try this place. We went for a late lunch and since we live in SE Gilbert, it is a real drive to get there. The area is neat, clean and looks safe to park at night. Parkling lot is at the back and there is avenue parking available. the margarita's were good and the service was excelent. I had the skirt steak and my buddy had the orange pork. The pork was the hit, very tender and full of flavour. My steak was tasty but overly tough for even a skirt steak. Would I go back, maybe for an evening and take a chance on the wait time, since reservations are not taken.
This is not Tex-Mex. It is authentic Mexican food. Great margaritas and sangria. Nice mole. It is indeed unique in its ambiance, but a lot of fun. Service was okay, but not particularly attentive to detail. we were there at an off hour in mid-afternoon but it still had quite a few people. I am sure this funky little place gets very busy at the day wears on.
Absolutely OUTSTANDING. Definitely definitely get the pomegranate guacamole - it’s absolutely incredible. Lots of good flavor, made to order, and the pomegranate lightens everything so you don’t end up feeling quite so full, AND you get a nice citrus addition with the pomegranate. Will definitely be back the next time I return to Phoenix.