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Barrio
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Late Night
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
14 reviews for Barrio
I went to Barrio for the first time last week. I am not a huge Tequila girl, but they have a great selection of drinks. I branched out and tried some new margarita. I think it had passionfruit or something. The bartender Steve was very friendly & entertaining.
I had their corn chowder soup...This was amazing!! I will definitely be going back
First visit.
Loved the decor and energy. Though we sat at our table for about 15 minutes and no server. It was kind of busy, so we wrote it off and went to the bar to get drinks. Server comes over while we were ordering at the bar. We finish first round.......Server NEVER comes by. Bartender, Brigit, saves the day. She comes over, buys us a round of tequila shot's, is very friendly and knowledgeable and saves the day. Never did have a server for our table. Brigit the bartender did the job.
If it wouldn't have been for her, I would have given the experience a 2-star rating. Good work Brigit!!!
One friend ordered a cheesy dip with peppers. He said it was good, but too much cheese and not enough peppers.
We were there for cocktails, not food.
I'll give it one more try before I decide if it is worth the prices.
NOTE:. Have your servers AT LEAST acknowledge each table, even if understaffed. Though someone came by once, we never heard from anyone else. Bartenders are for the bar, not for the tables.
Though, Brigit is a rockstar!
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Just had lunch at the Barrio. Very nice and bright on this dreary day.
I agree with the previous reviewer, Brigit is great. She clued me into the nice taco bar they run at lunch, very tasty.
I would comeback, for the food ,but also because of the service, and welcoming atmosphere.
What St. Paul has been waiting for...
Packed out, hip without pretention, and delectable combinations of contrasting flavors. Case in point: the Macho Comacho margarita. Helpfully described by our fantastic bar tender, Cecily, as a love or hate drink, the Macho Comacho is spicy, sweet, tartly sour, with a follow-on tinge of tequila bitter. Amazing.
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I feel really bad about giving Barrio a one star review. I was there two weeks ago and had a very good, four star experience. However, the return visit was something I cannot excuse.
I'll cut to the chase. My wife and I ordered mojitos. First round, very good. I ordered a second and it was poorly made. Sugar was not dissolved, too much lime juice, not enough ice. Really poorly made. No problem - it happens. I alert the waitress and ask to have another one made. Kindly complies and we move on.
Then the bad news. I can see from my table that the waitress brings the bad drink to the bar and relays to the bartendar my complaints. He tastes it, apparently disagrees and leaves the drink on the bar with obviously no intention of remaking it. A few minutes later, the waitress picks the drink back up and delivers to me as my "new" mojito, now slightly more watery and less ice.
The waitress did remove from the bill, but if that's the kind of shortcut that goes on at the bar where all can see, what kind of shortcuts are happening in the kitchen? Makes me question how the restaurant is being staffed and managed.
Despite some very positive qualities (great space, very good food), I am shunning Barrio until I can get over that last terrible experience. D
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
started by making reservations on open table which was a snap.
arrived promptly and we were seated at a table in the front. perfect.
ordered the trinity margarita which was delish - not too sweet but felt a slight buzz after two sips. also had the dark and spicy beer - it was quite interesting - you have to like both of those to enjoy it.
had the guacamole and queso dip. both were excellent! then i ordered a mahi mahi taco later in the night and that was yummers!
the music rocked - eric and timmy were dj'ing that night and they played songs from the 90's and today - all hip hop-danceable music.
the bathroom was clean but kind of small - only two stalls.
During my first night in Minneapolis *ever*, I realized what Chicago needs is a tequila bar like this one, with outstanding food, kick-ass decor, and a lively atmosphere.
We ordered a few of their small plates, each dish was on target with flavors and spice:
Barbecue Pork Sopes
Diver Scallop Ceviche
Crab Empanadas
Queso Fundido*
Guacamole
*We ordered the Queso w/ chorizo, it came without it, we brought it to the waitress' attention, and at check-paying time it was still on there with chorizo. She took the entire dish off the bill.
The perfect way to end the first part of the evening? Rosangel Tequila (@ $5 each, a special) shots all around. Mine with a cantaloupe juice chaser.
Yeah, I need one of these closer to Chicago...or maybe not!
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Food was great, corn chowder a match to mpls...but goodness sakes the noise level was horrible. Not counting the loud group of girls next to us that had no clue what 'inside' voices were, the music alone was way too loud. I think who ever sets the level of music needs to try out every seat, especially the crappy booths in the back
We made reservations, yet they put us in what had to be the worse table in the joint. Service from the waitress was lacking, but I swear we had other employees circling us - for what we have no idea, they just kept coming by staring at our table? we just sat down, no we are not leaving.
We had hoped to stay...have dinner....a few drinks before heading down to see Kooza. We ate quickly just so we could get the heck out of there. Maybe if we sat outside at the small row of tables this whole review would be a 5 star, but alas...I am still recovering from the headache of dinner last night.
Guess we will be sticking to Mpls to get our Barrio fix
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This is the exact same bar as on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. It makes a nice 1-2 punch with the Bulldog next door. Finally some real life in Downtown St. Paul.
To settle a dispute with some prior Yelpers, this restaurant is bigger than the Minneapolis one. It is better laid out and much more space. The MPLS location has a second floor, but it is much more cramped in general.
Again, the more i come here, the more I begin to think that the food is in fact overpriced. Maybe I notice how much I'm spending better when I'm in St. Paul. Also, the crowd is much less of a scene. There were a few trendy hipsters in the bar, but it doesn't have the same Nicollet Mall trendy feel that the MPLS location has. There were people in shorts and sandals with t-shirts, maybe this was because they all came directly from the Taste of Minnesota, but I think that in general St. Paul gets a much more laid back crowd.
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Disclaimer: the awesome name of this restaurant (barrio's) had no impact on my impression of said restaurant! :-)
... Food was great-awesome presentation (yep, gourmet tacos) /tequila prices vary (some say over priced) I personally consider the high priced tequila as having a "hangover or lack there off In the AM" tax)/good(ish) music/they apparently even serve high life 40s (the Champaign of beers!) for those budget conscious weekends :o) -1 star for not having "true" outdoor seating...(big doors don't count!)
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I stopped in for a post-show nightcap and was immediately impressed by the size of this venue. It manages to maintain the intimate atmosphere of the Minneapolis restaurant, while providing very ample seating and space. Love the gothic decor!
I branched out and sampled the queso fundito in addition to their notorious made-to-order guacamole. Both were excellent and I found it hard to stop eating until we had completely devoured each dish.
Although a bit pricey at $9-10 for a margarita, if you're just having one or two, I'd say it's totally worth it and they pack a pretty good punch. The cobra verdes were just as fabulous as I remembered them to be from the Minneapolis venue.
Good location. Nice atmosphere. Excellent food. Stellar cocktails. I'll be back.
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Finally, something happening in downtown St. Paul! I went here later at night during a thunderstorm and walked in soaked and somewhat crabby. My mood was quickly changed due to the fun environment and friendly waitstaff. Although ordering drinks took a little too long, the manager and DJ were a lot of fun and cared about the patrons. A drunk woman knocked a table on me spilling my drinks and breaking glass on my hand and caused a deep cut. The manager gave me his card and kindly asked if there was anything he could do to help. I'm not used to overgenerous customer service therefore I couldn't help but give this place 5 stars. The food and tequila were excellent and my small group and I had a wonderful time. I will definitely be back!!
Another grand opening in Saint Paul of another outpost of a Minneapolis restaurant. This space is smaller but just as dark and loud, with the same spaghetti westerns up on flat screens throughout. Food is exactly the same...and just doesn't excite me, in the end. Lurve the guac of course. The tacos are just aiight, really. We also tried the jicama and orange salad with a fantastic light dressing. Will have to come back and try some actual entrees, and get shnookered too.
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i've already been here twice this week and they just opened on tuesday. opening night was pretty packed, but a few of us had some margaritas. pretty expensive, $9-10 for a house margarita but they were pretty good - just gets pricey after 4 or 5 of them. anyways, it made for a rough wednesday.
came back here thursday to see solid gold perform after the jazzfest in mears park. again it was pretty packed and extremely hot. i dont know if they couldn't turn the AC up or what the deal was but they should really figure that out.
i guess it's a decent place, a little overpriced and i'm not a big fan of tequilla. i'll probably spend more of my time at the bulldog next door.
oh yeah, one last note, my buddy ordered a bloody mary and it was absolutely disgusting. no one in our group could drink it - didn't even get half of it down.