Tonight was Friday's Eve, ie, Thursday night., and my first time at Barrios. I'd give it five stars if it weren't for the slightly awkward order-at-the-bar experience that was a slight put off. But the food was really that good at a great price and enough of a stop gap from subtracting more stars.
When I first came in, I just didn't like how the bartender kept carrying on with other patrons at the bar for what seemed like forever. Funny how I wouldn't have minded if I was just ordering a drink and hunkered down at the bar with the rest of them. But I'm here for the food and my expectations are all, "I wanna order food!!! TALK TO ME NOW!"
I seated myself as requested by the sign at the door and my bartender brought my food out but she never came by to ask if I needed my check. I just sat there and waited and waited. My dishes and eating utensils got were bussed away and I'm thinking, "Ok, she's gonna bring my check." No such luck. I still waited. I finally just went up to the bar and asked for my check. She smiled sweetly and gave it to me. Going to the bar and asking for the check is not a problem but Barrio has to train their bartenders on customer awareness and education so customers (especially new ones) are not left hanging.
It is possible for bartenders to smoothly pull double duty as attentive food server while slinging drinks as I have been the recipient of such good service in the past, Just not that night my first time at Barrios.
The food? I ordered a couple tacos and their drink special for that night, a $4 Margarita. The tacos were very good which basically were a chicken taco with the hard corn shell and the pork wtih the soft corn shell. The chipotle adobo cream sauce that the pork taco came with had a little more heat than I expected but I sucked down some ice cubes to ease the heat. Overall, both tacos were pretty freshly made and filling.
When I return (as I must as the patio closed for the winter is probably pretty sickening in the warm summer months) I'll try their tacos with the flour tortilla. Based off of tonight alone, however, the hard corn taco shell is a real star. It's warmth and light crispiness just made for a really pleasing tactile sensation in the mouth.
Other than the awkward misses with service, I am looking forward to coming back to trying more of the inexpensive taco options that are as delicious as they are diverse.