Bakersfield is a cool little bar with a Mexican themed menu and country-bluegrass tunes pumping through the speakers. We enjoyed both even though they don't sound like they'd mesh. The bar was casual and trendy. Not really Mexican themed. It seemed there was a bit of an identity crisis going on, but it didn't bother me. The staff were very attentive but not necessarily interactive with the patrons except maybe a couple they knew. In that regard, I didn't feel extremely welcomed.
The Paloma cocktail was tasty at $10. The guac was fresh, just basic with chunks of avocado, and the warm chips were light and perfectly salted. The tacos were gorgeous and the house made tortillas were delicious. We ordered three though and two of them, the short rib and the fish, even though the ingredients were fresh, lacked any flavor. The textures were nice. The fried fish was flavorless and dry. I'd have preferred a fish taco with grilled fish, but they didn't offer one. The short rib was blah as well. There seemed to be a lot of untapped potential in them. There was a good amount of ingredients with each taco being about 5-6 small bites, so nice for sampling and sharing. The chicken taco on the specials list was better with a good amount of heat. They definitely had a good start here with the fresh imaginative ingredients.