El Barrio

Stopped by for Taco Tuesday... which is any day that ends in "y". Great tacos, salsa, and jalapeno margaritas. They had an amazing selection of alcohols and various drinks, bartender was super friendly, and took care of us throughout our visit. It's definitely a must try.

The atmosphere is unique, in a good way. The service from hostess to bar keep to server was outstanding. I LOVE the Chicken Mole! It has just the right amount of spice. Keep in mind, this is a very popular place. We arrived at 5 on a Saturday and were seated immediately, by the time we ordered our food, there was a line out the door.

I was so happy when we finally went early enough to get into this very popular eatery. So many times we tried but the place was packed so the secret is to get there by 5, Florida early bird style. Loved the cocktails and our bartender made great recommendations. The food was also excellent as expected. Hope to return soon.

Me and my wife went on a lunch date and thought we’d give this place a try. I ordered the steak tacos and she ordered the chicken tacos. They were very flavorful! We enjoyed it!! Give this place a try you won’t be disappointed!!

Plan for a long wait (1 hour 30 minutes) and visit some nearby bars!
The taco options are unique and tasty with flavorful protein! Staff is friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu.

Corn tortillas are available for gluten allergies. The kitchen uses canola oil rather than soy for any soy allergies. These accommodations are up to date as of 2023.

I am a Mexican Food Snob and the Food was awesome!!! The staff was welcoming and Friendly. My waiter was Vic I told him i was on lunch and had 25 minutes, my food was out in 7 minutes after i ordered!! The Manager Mike was running the food out and checking on the guest. I was very impressed ‼

We’ve been trying to eat here for about a year now and always get there too late to avoid an extreme wait time. We finally made it in when we went to eat with some out of town friends last night and it was worth the wait!!! We sat in one of the booths and Kate was our server. We tried the fundido queso with and without chorizo. Both were delicious but we couldn’t get enough of the one with chorizo. The salsa is a STEAL, and the guacamole was very smooth and flavorful. Kate kept fresh, warm chips on our table too. I got the seasonal margarita, pomegranate, but they offered to make it spicy and who can say no to that?! Delicious. For entrees, we got the beef barbacoa quesadilla, the Al pastor tacos, and chicken enchiladas. All were wonderful, but you just can’t beat the flavor of the beef barbacoa! Then for dessert, we got a tres leches and the pot de creme which were presented beautifully and tasted just as good. They accidentally brought us the citrus cake and the whole table was not a fan. It was beautiful but the topping was slightly bitter, but maybe someone else’s piece of cake 😉😅 anyways, definitely check out El Barrio and if you have time to burn, run down to The Collins Bar for a drink while you wait for a table!

One of the best Mexican restaurants I've been to, El Barrio is a massive surprise. Having lived in San Diego most of my life I've never experienced anything quite like El Barrio's fusion of local flare with Mexican classics. I first visited in 2019 for a birthday dinner and had the chance to come back this past weekend (June 2023, twice) and was equally impressed. If you like cilantro, I highly suggest the Elote Asada for an appetizer, while not cilantro-forward it does have cilantro in it, it is fantastic, the veggie quesadilla is a work of art as well as the fish tacos. The service, the atmosphere, and food were all fantastic, I can't wait to go back.

Wonderful food and great service. I will definitely be back as soon as possible!

This is not a restaurant you want to pass up when in Birmingham. I mean wow this was one of the best carne asada and the sauce OMGGGGGG also make sure to get a mezcal marg if that’s your thing they’re amazing and use high quality mezcal I was pleasantly surprised. This is our go to Mexican spot when in the area. The 1 and a half hour wait was worth it.

What a fantastic restaurant!!
Our younger son is best friend with the son of the owners and he’s been to this restaurant so many times and he raves so much about this place. And he took me and my wife out for our anniversary dinner.
We ordered several appetizers and I got their famous meatloaf, my wife got ceviche and our son had bacon Cascadia. Everything was just delicious.
Plus price is so reasonable - we had all that food plus several drinks (3 beers and ice tea) and it was less than $70. If it were other restaurants, it would had been over $100.
I love that every food has such a nice flavor yet nothing is overpowering. No wonder this restaurant is so popular. For that, please be aware that you’ll have to wait 20-30 minutes even on weekdays. But definitely worth the wait!
I highly recommend this restaurant!!

Such a great new find as we head back to Atlanta! Everything was really great!
Pictured 1/2 order of Green Pazole.

This place is amazing. First time there, and I can see why it's always busy. The food is SO good and reasonably priced. Barrio chips and salsa were fresh and hot, couldn't stop eating them. I had the chicken enchiladas, with mole salsa (substituted for the green tomatillo it comes with). The mole sauce is perfect, rich and complex with a subtle spiciness. My friend had a quesadilla, also very filling and flavorful. The balance and creativity of the menu is so refreshing compared to the average Mexican restaurant.

Everything from the decor to the tables is well thought out. No plastic or styrofoam here. Even the bathrooms are lovely-- spacious, and accessible. Our server (a petite young woman wearing festive red antlers) was welcoming, knowledgable, and fast. She offered a simplified kid-friendly quesadilla to take home for my daughter. I want to come back when it's warmer and their outdoor seating is available. Just a really lovely lunch, beginning to end.

El Barrio is always a solid choice! The food is great. There’s something for everyone on the menu. Definitely order chips and queso for an appetizer, you won’t be disappointed. The margaritas were good especially the spicy. Grab a drink from the bar while you wait for your table outside!

This place is amazing, and I'm sad it took me so long to try it. I had the Barbacoa Quesadilla, and it was absolutely phenomenal. The flavor and the tender beef were everything you'd want in such a simple dish. Everything tastes incredibly fresh and vibrant. You can tell by the quality it's all made in-house. Will definitely be coming back many times over!

Fantastic lunch!! 4 of us bellied up to the bar for delicious margs and apps. I will dream about the plantain nachos moving forward. Potato taquitos were also yummy as well as the quac and cheese dip. Our server Kate was absolutely the best 🥂😍

Fabulous good quality food at reasonable prices! I loved the steak tacos! The tortillas were soft, fresh and tasted homemade. Great sauce, slaw and good quality sirloin steak. The meatloaf was also good! Beautiful job on presentation. The chicken and rice soup was hearty and a good portion size (for the smaller size). The plantain nachos were a great appetizer-loved the pulled pork.

Even better than I expected! More high end than I thought and not mad about it. There was a long wait on a Friday evening but we got lucky and got a spot at the bar after maybe 20min. Bar selection was good, and the staff was super friendly. The chorizo meatloaf was good but the Barbacoa Quesadilla was absolutely AMAZING! I would come back just for that!

Great place to eat for some really delicious tacos. If your looking for a quick bite, you may want to go somewhere else because this place is packed and there's probably going to be a wait. Even on a Tuesday night! It slows down a bit after 8:30 pm. The food is good. The drinks are good. Food is reasonably priced. They made this Texas boy feel right at home. If you like spicy then ask for the homemade habanero salsa. It's not too spicy but it was so good. I almost ate the whole bottle.

Absolutely delicious!!! We were visiting Birmingham this past weekend and happened to find El Barrio on a Google search. We were expecting such a long wait (over an hour 😬), but there are tons of places around to grab a drink while you wait (we went to Tom Collins!). I had the chicken quesadilla which was so flavorful. My husband had the trout which he really enjoyed as well. The margaritas were also delicious. I wish we had a restaurant like that close to home!