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Division (Blue)
Mon-Thu. 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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Great for large, hungry groups with lots of Tequila, margaritas, and seafood options! The seafood parrillada for 4 consisting of grilled calamari, fish, butterfly shrimp, chicken, mussels, and steak can easily feed 6. The seafood is definitely better cooked than their meats.
The ceviche and guacamole is fresh and abundant. We also went with a large, fried seabass, which I would've passed on, because it wasn't seasoned well. Also, it may be one of the only places I've been to in Chicago that serves fish tacos (usually reserved for San Diego).
Limited parking across the street in a lot, but should be enough street parking on Ashland.
Service was wayyy off (waitress took forever to refill my drinks, check up on me) and food was very underwhelming. I had the carne asada with veggies and rice. Quantity was HUMONGOUS but steak lacked flavor. It was basically a charred peice of meat. Veggies tasted stale. Even Mexican rice was poorly done. Left much to be desired.
The only thing that was good was the drinks. I ordered a margarita and it was huge and tasty. I would never come back for the food, especially since I dropped nearly $35 and left very unsatisfied.
Yes, I'm giving El Barco 5 stars in spite of their horrible service, but the food and drinks are good enough that they make up for it. Word of advice: if you want water, ask repeatedly!
This place has the most delicious mango margaritas ever, make sure you get them on the rocks. The food is delicious; in addition to what you order, you get rice, beans, guac (sometimes), and lots of veggies. Everything is amazing, and the prices are reasonable, too. The chipotle salsa is fantastic, too. It's easy to find parking, and you will definitely leave full and satisfied.
As soon as I walked in I could just smell how good this place was. The strong scent of fish yum. Got our menu's I was hoping the amount of food you get was as big as the menus. You are givin some tostada's with 2 salsas one I believe was a mole and the other a creamy thick jalapeno salsa not to mention the 10 other hot sauces they have sitting on the table all of which I had to try. Steak and crab legs 20$ not bad at all . The skirt steak was so tender and buttery, nice sized crab legs, some vegitables, refried beans and rice with guacamole all are included which they don't mention on the menu. Also tried a bite of the garlic talapia which was so good only thing was you have to pick out the bones and everything yourself. Overall it was very satasfing worth the money, service was good, good menu. The food was great.
Absolutely horrible. This place has presentation going for it, but that's about it. The salmon was overpriced and nearly tasteless. The waitstaff was abysmal and made me feel like I was being processed through a service line. The vegetables look pretty in photos, but that's because they came out of a frozen bag. They're nearly inedible. I can't think of a worse restaurant experience I've had in Chicago.
I could not give this place 5 stars only because the service stinks! When the food does make it to the table and the restaurant is NOT jam packed, the food is excellent. I had some of the freshest tasting oysters I ever had. Portions are tremendous and well worth the money.
It was a rainy night. We got soaked on the walk over to El Barco. (Honestly, we were trying to eat at Mariscos El Veneto across the street, but their wait was too long, so we headed over to El Barco.)
It was crowded and busy, but the folks at El Barco wasted no time in getting us a table. Our server was friendly, if not a little flustered by the level of activity in the dining room. Plus, her fingernails were the most blinged-out fingernails I think I've ever seen. It was like she bedazzled herself before the dinner shift.
We ordered the seafood Parrillada for 2 people. WAYYYY too much food! There was shrimp, calamari, crab legs, steak (!), chicken, mussels, potatoes, tons of garlic, fried fish, grilled fish, and tons of other stuff. It was so good.
Midway through the meal, the rain water started to leak through the ceiling right next to me. It definitely added to the memorability factor. That and a crab claw took a chunk out of my thumb last night. Ouchie.
All in all, definitely an experience. I'd probably go back.
Oh yea! One other thing. The guacamole is disarmingly spicy. It will surprise you.
TERRIBLE SERVICE.
We sat outside. We asked a waitress where to sit, and she tried to direct us to the other portion of outside seating. We didn't want to sit there because it was protected by plastic, and we wanted to catch the breeze. I soon figured out why she tried to direct us to another section - because she is LAZY.
First, I asked her which of the beers listed on the menu were "lite," because the menu only says "lite" - lite what? She would not go check for me.
Then, when I asked her to take our food order, she said, "Yeah, in a minute," and went to talk to some guy in a truck who pulled up alongside the restaurant.
She took our order. She repeated it back to us - including my friend's order of shrimp enchiladas. He got a shrimp quesadilla.
When the bill came, the shrimp quesadilla was still on it. We asked for an explanation of the bill, and she said she put the difference in price between shrimp quesadillas and shrimp enchiladas on the bill... true. But it was $4 more than the price listed on the menu. We were so annoyed that we stopped arguing.
Red snapper is the way to go here. Very spicy, cooked well, and a plate full of vegetables (green beans, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, and more) rice, and guacamole make appetizers and sides completely unnecessary.
Service was decent on a busy night. Though my empty plastic water cup languished without refill, the server did ask repeatedly how everything was and if she could get anything else.
Originally set to be seated indoors, the table was too close to the door so outdoor seating was chosen instead. Way, way better. The pungent smell of seafood combined with the extremely high chatter volume make for an unpleasant environment.
I was on the fence after reading the reviews since I have awful luck and typically experience the worst. Not so! Although I won't give it five stars since it didn't blow me away, I'm happy to throw three stars and a solid recommendation to go give El Barco a shot.
I have been here three times in the past six months, most recently two weeks ago. Seafood here is very good. Each time I have gotten the grilled octopus appetizer in garlic white wine sauce.....very good, but they do like to pile on the garlic. Last time we had the shirimp appetizer stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon...what's not to like about that that!?! The only entree I have had here has been the grande huachinango, or large red snapper. We always get it deep fried in garlic sauce. It comes served upright on a huge platter with tons of vegetables....a perfect meal for two and a great idea for a date. Everything from the bar is also good....margaritas are on point....extensive tequila selection as well. The only thing is that each time I have been here water seems to be scarce...so you have to ask your server or busstaff for more...but I can get over that....overall a great place.
Not a big seafood fan, but this place was really fun and energetic. The decor was really nice with hardwood look and feel all around. The margarita's are awesome.
Bring your spanish dictionary! Most of the staff doesnt speak english very well!
It's been at least a year since I have been to El Barco. I should change that. This place is shaped like a boat from the outside. You really can't miss it. A friend suggested this place to me and so we went. We didn't have reservations and it was a Friday night. A table for two? No problem! I was surprised because the place was packed. Oh and on the way in, we saw my hubby's cousin dining al fresco. It was her first time as well. Anyway, I kind of knew what I wanted because I have this problem where I look at the menu on their website many times to get a feel for the food. Naturally, when I arrive and start looking at the menu, I still have to be the last person to order.
They have an extensive menu. Whatever you want, they probably have it. The one dish I order over and over again is the whole fried red snapper with garlic. This dish is delish! They fry the fish and set it on a stand so when it arrives to your table, it's sitting there nice and pretty for you to devour. And when I say whole, I mean the eyes, the teeth everything is still on the fish. The insides are removed though. In addition to the fish you get rice and veggies. This plate is almost as long as my body and I have a long torso. My husband loves the Diavolo Shrimp. Pretty sure he get it every time. Portions are so big that we are always bringing food home. And it's no easy feat to jam a whole snapper in a styrofoam to-go container.
One thing that is cool about this place is the wall of tequila. It's amazing and impressive that the shelves are able to hold them all. I would hate to be the table against that wall if anything were to happen.
Proving to the world that there are several ways to prepare fish, El Barco Mariscos allows you to choose how you'd like your red snapper prepared - that's what they are famously known for. While they have an expansive menu, I do like the snapper fried with garlic sauce.
Not only does the red snapper dish come with rice, veggies, guacamole, and corn on the cob, no matter what you order, you get a complementary plate of housemade crispy tortillas to dip in two delicious sauces - one is a mole sauce and the other is more like creamy green salsa. The chips may seem "harder" than most places but it's sturdy enough to hold the sauces. For appetizers, the ceviche and mussels are also VERY tasty.
When I have friends in town, I like to bring them to El Barco Mariscos for good quality seafood, heaping portions, and overall value (did I mention their portions are huge?). To top it off, their cheap and yummy margaritas are JUST $6 a glass - I'd actually prefer to call it a royal chalice of deliciousness.
A great place for amazing, fresh seafood and huge cocktails. The food here is sooo good and filling!
So why two stars? HORRIBLE SERVICE.
None of our food came out at the same time.
Our water glasses were NEVER refilled.
They never asked if we wanted more cocktails.
They wouldn't clear any plates before bringing out more food at a VERY cramped table.
We had to ask our waitress three times for our check before she brought it and when she finally did, she brought us the wrong bill!
Unfortunately, it is not worth the headache to come here for some good seafood. There are plenty of other fish in the sea!
Okay, after many attempts and reading many mixed reviews, I finally made it over to El Barco. Some goods, some not so goods.
First off, we ordered WAY too much food. We were so stuffed after starters that it was hard to eat little more than a taste of our entrees. Lets break it down shall we.
Oysters- small, briney, no sauce or lemons but plenty of key limes and hot sauces on the table, not great, not horrible, eh.
Shrimp empanadas- So good on first taste! Crispy, well seasoned, good. But upon closer inspection we came to the conclusion that the crisp dough tasted exactly like puff pastry, the filled tasted like cheese mixed with cream of broccoli soup with diced shrimp. It on the whole, reminded us of some recipe they might have printed on the back of a Cambell's soup can. It was good, just sort of strange and processed tasting.
Shrimp soup- Slightly salty, slightly spicy, scalding hot, MANY HUGE shrimps, no veggies, but none needed. This was great! I think a soup like this could kill any cold as good as if not better than, dare I say, my late grandmother's matza ball soup. Do a mitzvah and order a bowl of this soup.
Mixed Seafood Ceviche- Mostly shrimp, a little fish, a very little octopus, couldn't even find the calamari, lots of cilantro, tomato, crisp, clean tasting, very good. Could have used less shrimp and more tentacled sea critters.
Mesquite Broiled Snapper in Garlic Sauce- Huge! I didn't get much mesquite flavor in the fish, but it was moist and flaky. Way under-seasoned for my taste, but the addition of a little salt helped a lot. Loved the veggies, rice was okay, guacamole was not my favorite, but not bad by any stretch of the imagination.
Margaritas- On the rocks, fine. Frozen with tamarind... my honey thought it was outstanding. I thought it was a little too sweet. Overall, okay.
Service- Fine, no problems on a Friday night. We were a little confused as to who our server was, but everyone we asked to help us did a fine job. Maybe it's one of those team scenarios.
Decor- Cornball as hell and I loved it! Like Red Lobster with booze on the walls. I liked it inside and out.
Overall- Fine, great value, best part... that ancho chile garlic mole/pesto/whatever it was! Amazing! Might be back, we will see.
Maybe y'all had bad service or whatever, but my experience was guh-reat.
Firstly, we had a big group of women wanting a table for a couple hours before another group of women came to join us. How annoying is that for the server! They didn't care though.
Secondly, the reason why they didn't care, probably, is because we drank Sangria like it was going out of style--pitcher upon pitcher upon pitcher.
Speaking of, we had pitcher upon pitcher upon pitcher of sangria and the bill was hardly more than $40.
So to all you lushes out there, go to El Barco and drink up!
Me encanta el barco! So far this Mexican restaurant hits the closest to home. They have really yummy shrimp enchiladas and, although I've never tried one personally, I've seen huge plates of whole fish served to shocked and satisfied customers.
The service is fast and friendly and they have enormous margaritas which especially hit the spot on a beautiful hot summer afternoon.
I also love the decor. They have countless bottles of liquor in glass cabinets and an array of fun fish hanging from the ceiling. This place is great and I will definitely be back!
Ok I gotta say I never saw this place appetizing as it is on a corner of a very polluted street. Hello Ashland.
Even so I went there cause I was in the mood for guess what...Octopus.
Sat outside...kind of masochist ah? I just said this is on a noisy and polluted street. Kind of dumb myself. But they had some plastic curtains anyways.
Had the frozen margarita cause the table next to me a group of 6 white male and females had at least 2 rounds of these.
All right, you might be thinking, why is this guy talking about the details of the table next to his. Sounds kind of racist, but usually non-hispanic people are amazed at all of these tourist traps. Unless they know better.
So to give you a heads up. Yes, this is another tourist trap.
That margarita was strong I gotta give it to them. 2 stars for that.
I ordered some Octopus and had to call my waitress twice to get some chips. I mean they didn't bring us anything, not even water.
Yikes, my good friend Octopus was a rubbery one. I felt like chewing bubble gum, you know the big chunky one.
Then I wanted to order some dinner. I gave her an easy time so I ordered in spanish for me and my 4 white american friends.
10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes...And my waitress didn't even come to our table. I had to order another round from another waiter.
Then I spotted her and asked her about our food. She says I didn't order anything. Was she on drugs? Maybe.
Then again we were not that hungry anymore and ordered just a steak to share and another round.
Steak came, kind of cold actually.
Hey if you think this place was great, you might have been heavily intoxicated, like every table around us, they were ordering shots like crazy. With 5 shots in a row and 3 margaritas, anything tastes like heaven.
Anyone in for Montezuma's Revenge? Dear GOD.
So my wife and I had been driving by this place for the past year or so always wanting to give it a try, but never remembering it when trying to decide on the nights activities. Until yesterday when we did.
We made 7:30 reservations and were seated pretty much right away at a spot outside. We were given chips and two salsa's which were both very good with a nice kick. Took a bit to get water to the table so our mouths were on fire, but no biggie.
We both ordered our meals. My wife got the steak tacos and I ordered the oysters with the tequila/chipotle sauce to start and the shrimp pastor tacos for my meal. We also ordered a pitcher of their margarita on the rocks.
We got the margarita's after a few minutes of waiting, and they were just ok. Tasted like it was just poured from a generic/pre-made mix.
The oysters came out first, and these were just ok. Nothing special. I've had way better. I was starving, so I sucked them down.
After a few more minutes of waiting, our entree's come out. My wife ordered a side of cheese with her tacos, and they forgot to include and had to wait about 5-10 minutes for them to bring it out.
My shrimp tacos were very very boring and lacked much flavor. I tried my wife's steak tacos as well, and they were the same. Very bland, again lacking necessary flavor.
By the end of our meal, the margarita's were WAY too sweet and combined with lack-luster food, we headed out very disappointed. Me with a pain in my stomach.
Remember my comment above about Zuma's revenge, well, I have to end this review for my 3rd session since 6am.
Needless to say, I'd pass on El Barco.
This review is based only on the chips and salsa, dessert, and drinks. Looking at the menu I wish I had not eaten dinner that night at home! I love seafood and this place had a great variety. So anyway, my friend and I shared a pitcher of margaritas for less than $10.00 - what a deal! This is the place to go for cheap drinks that taste good. Try the guava!
Instead of chips and salsa like every other Mexican restaurant, they serve tortas with a red pepper sauce that was a thick almost paste of chopped dark red roasted peppers mixed with garlic and olive oil. The other sause was similar to a salsa verde but thicker, alomst like it had mashed avocado in it. We snacked on the chips and a tres leche cake that was moist and not too sweet while sipping our perfect guava margaritas outside.
If you are looking for a no-frills, fun atmosphere, local food spot... El Barco wins hands down.
Don't waste your time or $ on the appetizers, ceviche or guac. Go straight for the fish entrees.
Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos were the best I've ever had. And, I've eaten fish tacos in Cali, Florida and Mexico. I couldn't believe how fresh the fish tasted and the sauce it was marinated in was unbelievable.
Grilled Shrimp salad was awesome. Big, thick and juicy prawns. YUH!
The rest of the reviews are right on about the service. I forgive and forget because it feels more authentic when the waitresses barely speak English. :)
Love this place! It has tons of character inside and out! It's shaped like a boat on the outside, and inside has nets and plastic fish and kitchy stuff all over the place! Wait staff is pretty friendly too.
But the best part is the food! Complimentary chips and salsa are great, they bring you 3 kinds of salsa, they're not your typical kinds, so try them all out!
For 4 of us, we typically get one of the large grill platters with tons of steak, chicken, fish, shrimp, clams, corn, potatoes, etc etc. Wow, they give you so much food, we always have leftovers! If you don't like seafood, don't come here, as I had their steak tacos once and they were not good, very dry. But their seafood is awesome. I've also had the fried red snapper twice, both times they were cooked to perfection, I had to stop myself from moving onto the other side and eating the whole other half of the fish.
There is a parking lot right across the street, but it's usually full. I wouldn't park there, I always see cars trying to get in and out, it's an accident waiting to happen. Parking is usually really easy on Ashland or on one of the side streets.
Also, expect to wait for a table if it's nice out, I usually see huge groups of people waiting outside. Luckily they have an outdoor space to accomodate the increase in patrons.
A million drives by's and we finally stopped in to El Barco
decor: not bad, not great
service: good
food: not great. crab legs tasted like they were just thawed out from the freezer....enough said.
I went here Saturday with a couple of friends. The dining room was busy but not packed, and we did not have to wait for a table, so we chose one on the patio. The atmosphere was a little loud on the patio, and the seating was a little tight, but not too bad. There was a table next to ours with some people who were wasted, and had been over-served. They did not stay the whole time we were there, so it did quiet down on the patio after a while.
We started off with some mussels in white wine sauce, and a ceviche. Both were amazingly good. There was a huge amount of shrimp, fish, and squid in the ceviche. I think you could easily make a meal out of one or two appetizers at El Barco. They also serve a basket of chips (tortila-size) at the table with some amazing and VERY HOT chili sauce and some other green sauce that was also good. Not your usual chips and salsa.
When the main courses came out, I didn't know how they would fit on the table. They were huge. I ordered the camarones a la diabla, it was amazingly tasty, and again, very spicy. It was perfect for my palate, but I think most people would find it about ten times too hot to eat. The menu did warn that it was hot. It was served with some vegetables, guacamole, and Spanish rice that seemed a little on the dry side. The veggies and guacamole were yummy. I can't believe I did it, but I actually finished all the shrimp on my plate. The portion was ginormous.
My friends ordered the tilapia tacos, and a whole fried fish that I don't recall (it was not the snapper). I did not taste the tacos, but the fried fish was perfect. I think next time I will get the red snapper, unless I decide to just sample some appetizers.
We had two pitchers of margaritas that were quite tasty. They were not the strongest I've ever had (one reviewer complained about the seeming lack of alcohol) but they were not the weakest, either. The mix seemed home made, not out of a bottle. After we left the restaurant, we went home and made margaritas with Mrs. T's (out of pure convenience) and 1800, and they simply did not compare with the margaritas at El Barco.
The service was certainly adequate, but not the most attentive or friendliest. Given the price (just under $90 plus tip for 2 apps, 3 entrees, and 2 pitchers of margaritas) I think El Barco is an excellent value, and the service is in line with the price.
In case you are wondering, "el barco" in American is "the barco".
Last night, my husband and I got the itch to get out for some al fresco dining and booze. We're semi-new to West Town, and I've recently discovered that I'm gluten-intolerant, so we weren't quite sure where to go. After walking for way too long, we remembered passing by El Barco a few times, and realized that it met all of our requirements for the evening: booze, outdoor seating, and lots of options for someone on a gluten-free diet.
I think it's unfair to judge a restaurant based on one visit if that first visit is a Saturday night. The staff was very unorganized, a little ditzy and completely ignored my husband when he told them that there was no tp in the mens room. After waiting for way too long, he eventually grabbed a bunch of napkins and went in.
Despite these annoyances, there were a few things that made our visit worth the long, aimless walk:
- The portions are INSANE. I have an impressive appetite, but I'm the type of person who usually will eat half of my food, and take the other half home for lunch the next day. I'm now in my second El Barco-induced food coma in two days, and I still have enough leftovers for dinner. My husband and I agreed that the next time we go, we're going to split an entree.
- The margaritas may be a bit on the weak side, but the prices are excellent. Pitchers are about $9. Many places charge that much for just one margarita! A pitcher serves about 2.5 giant margaritas.
The actual flavor of the food was decent, but I wouldn't say it was excellent. However, they load your plate with so many different vegetables (and a potato), that it makes up for it a little bit.
Two entrees, two margaritas, and two pitchers of margaritas (um, yeah; we got a little hammered last night) came to just over $60 plus tip. However, now that we know that one entree can fill up both of us, and their pitchers are so cheap, we figure that we can easily stuff ourselves and get a good buzz for probably half of that.
One major problem with this restaurant: I absolutely will never go there in the colder months or when it's raining. The smell inside the restaurant was intolerable to me. My husband didn't seem to mind it that much, so I'm probably in the minority.
Oh, and if you plan on dining here a few times, save your receipt. You get a free tee shirt with $200 in receipts!
This is the worst restaurant in all of Chicagoland. Seriously.
My friends go here all the time because they live right there. So I said I wanted to try it. It was disgusting. They messed up the appetizer and then looked at us like we were stupid when I pointed it out.
I ordered tilapia and I got a nasty slab of fish skin on my plate. I sent it back. That really put their panties in a knot. Oh, and it only took 1/2 an hour for them to come over to my table after I requested to send it back. Everyone was done with their dinners and they gave me shrimp fajitas as a replacement. It was ok. Overpriced. The burps were an awful reminder of how gross it was. Cue a Wendy's frosty.
I'll never come back here. It's dirty, the waitstaff is rude and its overpriced. Woof Woof Woof all around.
the mixed seafood plate is very big and has variety of seafood, so you won't be regret if you order that dish. however, the steak was really really oily that after i finish it, i felt lik throwing up...ek.. oyster tasted so weird that i had to return it to the kitchen.
I live right in the hood and have wanted to check this place out for awhile. It was well worth the wait! I love this place, and it is now my new fave in the area! The prices were great and the selection was huge! I have to say, the shrimp/cheese quesadilla was probably the best thing I've ever tasted! The margaritas were tasty, and cheap too!
I'm in love!
The red snapper is the best thing on the menu here (I recommend the chipotle sauce). My friend ordered the king crab legs, which were good but nothing to rave about. The ceviche appetizer and grilled octopus with diabla sauce were also delicious. I came here over a year ago, and the food and service was top notch.
The quality of the food and service at El Barco have diminished while prices have shot up since then. The homemade earthy red salsa has been replaced by a green, creamy salsa that packs some heat but is otherwise boring. The black salsa has become oilier and less tasty. The shrimp soup is no longer served in a cast iron pan and is not as rich as before. The lunch menu is smaller and cheaper, however, the grill items are not served on hot plates like at dinner. The steamd fish and scallops dishes are no longer on the menu.
El Barco is still unique and delicious but clearly not the amazing restaurant it once was.
I lived next to El Barco when I moved here and quickly became a regular. For those of you who like… Read more »
Every time I think I can get away from El Barco, it keeps pulling me back. The service is TERRIBLE as it seems almost everyone agrees upon. There are 10 waitresses waiting on everyone and it appears that they all have short attention spans. The only time they seem to pay attention is as you are walking out and they are checking to see how much you have tipped them. We once got a nice eye-roll when the tip was mediocre for the comparable mediocre service. My first eye-roll since junior high. The managers don't seem to provide any greater service either. I once sent back a shrimp ceviche tostada because it was ridiculously salty and they refused at first to take it off our check. The manager explained (GET THIS) that the reason the ceviche was so salty was because their shrimp was SOOOO fresh that they were the cause of the saltiness in the ceviche. WTF? I've had seafood straight out of the ocean and did not taste remotely salty. "Really dude? You're going to fight me over removing a $5 tostada from a total check of over $100. Choose your battles." Anywho...the food and drinks are tasty and since we have yet to find a better seafood restaurant, we will be returning to El Barco until further notice.
Ate there with a friend who just moved in a block or two away. The food was really good. I loved the spciy guacomole dip and we sat outside with a couple of large Coronas in metal pails. I went for the Huachinango a la Veracruzana which was excellent.
Why the two stars then? Woke up in the middle of the night sick to my stomach, which is rare for me. I can only think that the food preparation would be the cause. I'd love to try it again but probably won't risk it; no matter how the food tastes or is cooked that can't make up for proper sanitary practices.
Another place I wish I could give 3-1/2 stars.
What El Barco does well: a variety of tilapia and other fish grilled in many different ways with different flavors. Some of the better 'full fish' plates I've had. I also love El Barco's salsas that they serve right when you sit down - nice smokey flavor and lots of heat. Also, El Barco's presentation for all their dishes is just fantastic...you really want to dive in as you walk by other patrons on your way to your table.
What El Barco could improve on: I find their Caldo de Muchos Mariscos to be iffy. Not only is it a ton of work to eat it (get ready to dig your hands in there) but frankly I don't think the flavor of what you get is really that good. Also, I ordered a dozen oysters here but found them to be tough to work with and quite small. Good oysters are hard to find and I was disappointed that El Barco couldn't do better.
Drinks are very good and generous. I ordered a Corona and was pleasantly surprised when they delivered a 24oz bottle to me! Their margaritas are also fantastic. Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't say that the majority of the waitresses are pretty easy on the eyes.
All-in-all, a decent place but for the money you could probably trade down in atmosphere for a bit better food.
The food was horrible and the service worse. The waitress had no idea what they offered at their bar and didn't even know what my meal order was. I do not dig fish with the eyeballs popping out. Taste, presentation, everything, all bad! Also, it smells.
El Barco is extremely hit or miss. The service can be very good or notsomuch depending on when you go. The same goes for the food. The first time I went I was actually depressed because I ordered some type of fish and I swear to you there was not one granule of salt or anything that tasted remotely like seasoning on my plate.
Today was a completely different story. I ordered the mussels with garlic & wine sauce. OH-EM-GEE. It was soooo goooood. I could seriously get an IV of that broth straight into my veins. My friend ordered shrimp and it was pretty bland, but we decided we would just dip it into the mussel broth and all was right with the world.
So, I think with this place, you need to just go when it's not too busy and know what to order. It's a little trial and error, but I'll defintitely try this place again.
My guy took me here for my birthday dinner. I was not impressed! The waitress didn't seem to care and barely came to check up on us.
The guacamole was so spicy that I couldn't even eat it. That other dip was weird. A bit sweet and a bit spicy.....just weird.
I ordered the red snapper with adobe sauce. My guy ordered the steak fajita.
My fish was.......a bit dry and no flavor. The veggies were a bit old and no flavor. I did like the potato, but I'm a sucker for potatoes. The guacamole that came with the meal wasn't spicy, but bland. I barely ate any of it and had it packed to go.
My guys fajita - he said it was ok. They didn't even give him tortillas. He had to ask them for them......WTF!
I appreciate El Barco because it's not pretentious. I remember my trip in the winter when there was snow built up on the ceiling. Water was dripping down through some cracks in the roof, and they were completely ok with just placing buckets on the floor to catch the drips. I was completely ok with this.
If you look at the shelves holding the liquor, you'll notice that they sag in the middle due to years of weight. It looks cool like that, in my opinion.
The parking lot across the street is nice if you can get a spot. If you can't, there's metered parking within walking distance. The outdoor patio is a nice touch too in warmer months. Onto the food and drink review.
Others have alluded to the variety in liquors. The micheladas are delicious, and properly spiced. Don't like ice in your beer beverage? Don't get it. But if you understand that ice in your michelada is as traditional as apple pie and baseball games, then you'll be a fan. They're pretty flexible at the restaurant and will let you pick which beer you want it made of. You'll notice on the menu that there's something that says "good tequila" priced at a modest 4 dollars. Yes, they do shots of Patron Silver for 4 dollars. Four. Not 8. not 7.50, not 7. But 4.
Who likes prawns? I do. The prawns here are huge, and you can get them grilled as is or with a variety of sauces. They are a definite "must" as an appetizer platter to share. Their whole fish is a hallmark, but I myself like the combination platter that has just a little bit of everything. The mixed ceviche is a personal favorite of mine.
If you pick the right time to go (early evening, or even in the afternoon if you can cut away from work for a few hours), it's a very relaxing atmosphere with no feelings of being rushed or ushered out quickly. I have seen the place packed at night though, so just beware of that.
Overall, a really fun place that has good pricing on food and drinks. It gets loud when it's packed, but if you go during non-peak hours, it's a really chill place.
$9 pitchers of margaritas. Mango, Tamarind, Guava.
Although I've eaten here a few times, I can't say I can speak for the food because... $9 pitchers of margaritas. And its like 3 stumbles away from my house.
I am a huge fan of Seafood and well as Mexican food so you can imagine how excited I was to try El Barco Mariscos. We walked in late one night after driving around for a while trying to figure out where to eat. Did I mention I used to live a block away and never visited? Shame on me! What an amazing unassuming place. We were immediately seated and handed the largest menu I have ever seen! We walked in and saw huge margarita glasses and giant super fresh red snapper. My mouth began to water.
I quickly reviewed the menu and ordered the small Ceviche to start with. While we were waiting our server brought over fresh corn tortillas and three different salsas, all of which were fantastic. They also brought over the spiciest guacamole I have ever had, did I mention how much I love spicy foods? It was great! When they brought over the Ceviche it was in a huge margarita glass; I thought to myself, wow this is a huge serving of Ceviche for $3. Turns out they brought us the wrong size but I am glad they did, it was fantastic!! For my entrée I ordered the deep fried snapper with garlic sauce and my boyfriend ordered baked red snapper with tomato sauce. My deep fried snapper was huge!! I mean HU-MON-GOUS!! And the price was incredible, about $15 for the whole dish which is included veggies and rice. You can't buy a snapper of that size at the store for $15 and it was cooked and seasoned to perfection. Yum! I have only been once but I will definitely return.
In the words of...umm...I don't know Jesus? "Give a man a fish; you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; and you feed him for a lifetime." Well I don't know how to fish, but I know how to get to El Barco Mariscos!
I'm going to ignore the fact that I saw the filthy waitress station right in front of the women's bathroom and give this place 4 stars. Sounds good, right? ;-)
Honestly, the food was really tasty. We ordered the shrimp ceviche, which was excellent and my favorite part of the meal. And, I certainly can't forget the pitcher of margarita for $10. You should always get the pitcher - even if you're dining alone. A glass costs about $8 - why not spend a few more bucks to get a full pitcher? We also ordered the shrimp and guacamole quesadillas, which were also pretty good. The shrimp were nice and large, not the baby salad shrimp. For the main course, we split the mahi mahi fajita - not my favorite part of the meal, but decent.
Service was a bit slow, but it really didn't bother me since I was enjoying a relaxing Friday night dinner.
A big plus is a lot of outdoor seating; they even have a pseudo outdoor seating that is covered when it's raining.
Mmmm... miss good, even decent, Mexican fare here in NYC and certainly miss an awesome place like El Barco!
Great food, fresh tempo in the environment, chill patio...
Every time have gone, I have forgotten I am in Chicago- even the TV screens play channels that are unfamiliar and take you someplace else- and that is the primary job of every entertainment establishment, isn't it?
Really miss it!
Come Eat and Enjoy Music
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Free Taco with Combo Order!
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