The food isn't bad but the major issue was the lack of service and hospitality. As someone who has worked in the hospitality industry for several years (as did half of my table), I am very forgiving when it comes to server errors, servers being swamped and having too much to handle at once, etc. What bothered us was the fact that the server never acknowledged the issues or apologized for being too busy to run our drinks out or forgetting to ring in part of our order and not realizing it until we flagged him down because the rest of the food was getting cold as we waited for 10 minutes. It was almost as if he thought that avoiding it would make us forget. If you just admit to the problems and act like you care, I am always 100% understanding and don't get upset because I have been a server myself. Mistakes happen and service can get delayed because you are busy, but it is all about how you handle it.
The most upsetting part was that the General Manager was standing around the dining room all night, chewing on his nails (literally), and never once offered to help his struggling staff or come to the table to see how everything was. When I went up to the bar at the end of our meal to get change from the bartender, he was actually standing with the bartender, talking crap about a previous guest who had been complaining about the restaurant. The bartender wouldn't even acknowledge me standing there until his manager was done telling his story and that definitely was the cherry on top for me.
Overall, it was an unpleasant experience and none of us plan to go back. It is a shame because Barrio Cafe is such a wonderful restaurant and I was excited to see what Barrio Urbano had to offer.