Cinco de Mayo at Barrio was EVERYTHINGGG We fully committed to the holiday and ordered honestly the entire menu and somehow every single thing that came out was better than the last. Starting with margaritas (because obviously ‍), queso and chips that were dangerously good, and the chicken empanadas that came out perfectly crispy with so much flavor. We kept looking at each other after every bite like "okay wait... THIS is the best thing here" and then another plate would arrive and prove us wrong again The carnitas fried rice??? I genuinely cannot stop thinking about it. So savory, flavorful, comforting, and packed with crispy carnitas on top with the eggs and pickled onions... literally unreal. And then the skirt steak tacos absolutely stole the show. The steak was cooked perfectly, packed with flavor, and paired so perfectly with all the toppings and sauces. Every single bite tasted fresh and homemade in the best way possible. And can we talk about the ambience for a second because WOW. The music, the energy, the vibe inside, everyone celebrating, the drinks flowing -- it felt like the perfect Cinco de Mayo dinner spot. The service was also AMAZING from start to finish and made the entire experience even better. One of those dinners where you leave already talking about when you're coming back If you're looking for the place to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, date night, tacos & margaritas, or honestly just an incredible dinner in general... this is IT read more

See all

The service and food was terrible. It took a while for someone to even come to the table to greet us. Once greeted, it still took about 30 mins just to get drinks. The drinks were better than the food. I ordered the chicken nachos. I expected the cheese to be melted liquid cheese. It was a very small portion of barely melted mozarella cheese. So. I ordered a cup of queso. The meat was so dry along with the Mexican corn. The food just wasn't good. The atmosphere is easily for dates, friend outings, after work outings etc. The restaurant decor is nice. It puts you in the mind of a European garden. There is no parking but a garage across the street along with metered Street parking. Beware parking cost $46 for about 2.5 hrs. The food bill was $141, way too expensive for tacos and a few margaritas. I will pass on this place. read more

See all

What a fun spot! We had reservations (glad we did) and sat in the bar area at a high-top table along the window. Perfect seat in my opinion. Views of the city right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of downtown Chicago. What I tried: + chips and queso - 8/10 + ribeye with rice and beans (was a special) - 7.5/10 + spicy margarita - 8/10 Great service! read more

See all

Food was plated well. Loved the chips. Good drink refills. Ambiance was great! There are many windows around but also TVs with sports games. Have to make a reservation as with most places in Chicago. read more

Barrio - Chips & Salsa - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I visited Barrio twice so far for Happy Hour events on behalf of non-profit organizations that I'm a part of. The events took place in a back room where they had seating areas and even a private bar. The waiters went around offering different kinds of small bites like mini burgers, a tuna taco, and more. The food was delicious! I totally recommend this spot & I'm definitely planning to come back! read more

See all

(Kari's Rating 8/10) Came here with a group of seven before a concert, we got seated right away in a U-shaped booth in the back. Our server Sarah was really sweet and very knowledgeable about the menu and helped guide our choices as we selected drinks. We are also right next to the bar, which means we got served relatively quickly. We got two plates of these steak tacos, which were both flavorful and juicy. We got an order of fish tacos, which were pretty crispy and the table side guac. The guac needed a little salt but it was really delicious. I think as far as taco places go it was pretty good little fancy but we're in River North so I guess that makes sense. I would come back for the corn, but I probably wouldn't come back for any other food. Drinks were pretty typical and service was relative quick. read more

See all

Cool place. Came for brunch and it was kinda quiet, which was nice. Service was good, but it wasn't busy so take that as you will. For food, my husband ordered the chilaquiles and they were AMAZING. Would order that again in a heartbeat. I ordered the chicken and churros. They were ok. It comes with a ridiculous amount on butter (you can see in the pic). I scooped it out and no lie it was like a cup of butter. Besides that, it was good. Probably would not order again. For drinks I ordered the lavender margarita and the wild berry pomegranate margarita. Both good, lavender was my fave! read more

See all

Barrio has a private indoor space called Mosaic. It's quite spacious with acoustics for a live dj. The bar is well equipped. I tried the wagyu meatballs and they were tasty. Its newly renovated for private events. read more

See all

Great food and service, we were here on a Friday about 630 and it was pretty busy and food and service were still great. We started with the pico and chips, the Pico did lack any real flavor. For entrees we tried the enchiladas, steak fajita and blue corn tacos. The flavors were just right and we really enjoyed this dinner. read more

See all

We came here for brunch and we were a pretty large party of 11. We had a reservation and got seated right away. Starting off with the good, Barrio is very pretty and the lighting makes it very intimate and cute. The service was just not good. Our waiter came over maybe 1 time without being waved down. Additionally, the people that bus the tables took our dishes away without asking if we were done. I asked for a box and was talking to the table when the person bussing the tables came over and waved the box in my face :( like he could have just placed it down or said "hey here's your box"-- it just came off a little rude. I ordered the chilaquiles with chicken al pastor and the chicken was dry and not very flavored. The only redeeming part was the table side guac which was really delicious! read more

Barrio - Chilaquiles with Chicken Al Pastor - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

We had a beer, a margarita and water. We had an extremely enthusiastic and responsive server. They had our order in quickly, and our drinks to the table in no time. Both were good. As an appetizer, each of us got a chicken empanada. They were tiny, but tasty. Approximately 2 bites per empanada, so please consider when ordering. This was told to us by our server and they were correct. We ordered one each, so. We ordered tacos - one each. She had chicken and I had steak, modified to a taco bowl. They were both pretty terrific. They were as good as one might imagine, with the right proportions of meat and vegetables. The house hot sauce also packs quite a punch, so give it a try first, and be sure that you want to take the plunge. read more

These were some pretty delicious tacos. I wish I would've been a little bit hotter in temperature, but I would definitely order them again. Our server was phenomenal extremely upbeat and knowledgeable of the menu. We also ended up getting a margarita pitcher I believe a flavor was pomegranate. The chips and salsa were good more specifically the salsa OMG. read more

Barrio - Quesabirria tacos - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Had the most amazing time at a work event for 50 odd people... excellent food and service . Anna and her team made amazing cocktails, my old fashioned was pretty good which tempted me to have more than one . Food was delicious , the gauc and chips salsa, queso and tacos were all good and the guava churros hit the spot. Will certainly love to host here again read more

See all

So easy to find and eat at a restaurant when they use OpenTable! Had the pleasuring of dining here on a Saturday night with a college. We had a reservation at 6:30 pm and we were very pleased by the aesthetic of the restaurant! Classy, dim cool atmosphere. There was so much going on for a Saturday night with birthdays and a bachelorette party at nearby tables. The service was exceptional with fast service, promptness, and great recommendations. We ended up getting their table side nachos and it was so cool to see them make the guac in front of us. They used two whole avocados! The guac was so creamy and delicious. We also got elotes to share and it was good! Great flavors by itself and adding lemon made it so zesty. I ended up ended up getting their Bario burger, and it was fantastic. Great serving of meat, soft bun, and lots of great toppings condensed in the burger. Would come here again and get their taco tower! read more

See all

Recently went to Chicago and this was one of my top favorite places I ate while I was here! What's funny is we didn't plan to go to this restaurant but when reservations fell through somewhere else we came here and wow am I glad that happened! Not only was the service fast and super friendly, but I felt like for everything that got ordered it was reasonably priced! I also noticed they made it so you can split the bill at the table which may paying SO convenient! I had the skirt steak and it was so good! Tender and cooked to perfection, the table also got the queso which was very good as well! With all the restaurants in Chicago, I will definitely be re-visiting this one read more

Barrio - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Amazing experience last night! Shoutout to Justin & our server who took exceptional care of us last night. Justin came by about half a dozen times making sure we had everything we needed as our server was a little busy. We've been to barrio several times but the food was the absolute best tonight!! There was a new sauce on the fajitas that was different that we really enjoyed! Steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare temperature like we had ordered. Chicken was good quality and shrimp was delicious!! I had asked for as light oil as possible and they delivered! We LOVE the chips here! Definitely don't skip, they're made in house & super crunchy! As well as the corn tortillas!! These might be my fav corn tortillas in the city! Super soft & not gritty, great flavor! read more

See all

Missed our reservation and was still able to get seated right away. Tacos were great and tasty. Ceviche was great, had a lot of flavor with the right amount of lemon even though the portion was pretty small. read more

Absolutely loved this place! The ambiance felt like fancy and fun. Definitely a place for our girl group to have a kiki!! Service was great and the food was also super yummy! I ordered the birria tacos and give them a 4/5! I wish it came with a little more consome so there would be enough for all the tacos but still really good nonetheless! Our table had a round of shots, drinks and most of us ordered the same thing but for those who got something different they liked their plates as well. Next time I'm in Chicago I would definitely come back here! read more

Barrio - Quesabirria tacos with consome - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Barrio is always a hit or miss for me, and I've been here a few times now. The bottomless mimosas are consistently great, but the food can really vary. They used to have a charbroiled octopus bowl that was amazing, but it hasn't been on the menu in a long time. The truffle mushroom dish once gave one of my friends food poisoning, so the quality definitely fluctuates. The tacos are just okay. Overall it can be fun for drinks, but the food is not the most reliable. read more

Barrio - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Came here with a group of friends on a recent weekend afternoon to partake in a Happy Hour spread after a vigorous walk around the Grant Park area. We were parched and hungry, and their HH specials fit the bill perfectly. We each ordered a margarita (mine on the rocks with a salt rim) and then we all ordered a unique appetizer of their HH menu to share with the group. We basically had one of everything...salsa trio, queso fundido, quesadilla, guacamole, nachos, etc. All of the food items were quite tasty and five or six apps were easily enough to feed our group of six folks. Servers were friendly and efficient throughout our stay, glad we found this spot to settle in and enjoy a late afternoon gathering there. read more

See all

Barrio came recommended to my partner and I from his boss. We decided to try it out on a Thursday evening and I made us a 6:45 reservation, which was through Open Table linked from their website. I had googled to see if they had Valet, and the internet seemed to believe there was a valet option. If there was, we did not see it and we parked in a public parking garage across the bridge from the restaurant. It sits on the corner of Kinzie and Clark in a very overstated restaurant front that you can't miss. I had called to let them know we were running a few minutes late from traffic (and that whole valet situation), and they thanked me for letting them know. It was busy when we walked in but I let them know my name for the reservation and that I had called, and we were seated right away. We were seated at a two top that is like a long curved table with many tables at it, one side chairs and the other side a long curved shared booth. The seat that I took at our table was within direct draft of the revolving entrance door, so I had to either be chilly OR wear my coat through dinner. We were not greeted by anyone at our table for several minutes. Someone did bring us water for the table while we were waiting. Our server was Jack and he was fine. He did offer to explain the menu, we opted to skip that, and ordered the cornbread skillet to start. Jack did not come back to take our order until we were halfway done with our cornbread, and we had sat for a while ready to order. I'm unsure if he was overwhelmed with tables or in the weeds differently, but he seemed spread thin. The cornbread skillet also came with the "cast iron" or whatever dish it came in had a handle obviously and noticeably broken off when it was dropped at the table, and my bread plate/appetizer plate was not very clean. These seem like very obvious things to have nice when you're paying $25 for table side guac for example. The cornbread was actually taste, the agave sea salt butter comes in kind of a piping bag squirt pile on the top, and with the description I expected actual chili and corn on top and that wasn't necessarily the experience we received. But it was a good corn bread. For dinner my partner ordered the short rib quesabirria with the heirloom blue corn tortillas and added rice and beans to the side. He did enjoy his meal and had no real complaints. The portion size was fine, you get three tacos for $20 and the rice and beans were extra. I ordered the carnitas fried rice which comes in a big bowl with a fried egg on top. The fried rice was easily the best bite of the night for both of us. The pickled onions are necessary to cut through the richness of the dish and the fried egg was cooked perfect. We sat for a decent amount of time before Jack came back - he seemed to never really have a grasp on what stage of the experience we were at, and I had to ask for a box before he walked away again. He offered multiple, I specifically said I only needed one, and then he brought two anyway, and placed them on some sort of server side table next to our table instead of just handing it to me. He offered to bring our check to the table and we kindly declined stating we could pay on the QR code on the table so we didn't have to wait for him twice more. Overall this was a fine experience and we will keep Barrio on our list for taco places if we're in the mood. I do think unfortunately for Barrio there are just so many amazing options for this kind of moody vibe in a restaurant, and so many amazing options for tacos in the city that I just don't think mediocre is enough to pull me back with any real passion. The food was probably 3 stars overall (the rice 4 stars), the service was probably 2 stars, this is a super cool place but honestly the whole experience would be improved if it seemed like there was any care. You can act like a nice restaurant, or you can act like you're turning and burning tables. Thank you Barrio for a decent date night. read more

See all

We came into town for lollapalooza and some friends who live in the city have been wanting to try this place out! The place was PACKED, which was a good song, and once we got the food we instantly found out why! I had the enchiladas and they were delicious! Other people had fish tacos, steak tacos, and chicken tacos! read more

Stopped into Barrio for happy hour & it did not disappoint!!! We had chips & guac, tacos and margaritas!!! The tacos were VERY good. I loved the truffle mushroom & would definitely order this one again. They had lots of marg options - I went with the classic and jalapeño & cucumber. Both were a good balance of sweet and citrusy! Great happy hour deals & fun atmosphere inside! Would definitely come back! read more

Barrio - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Another trip to Barrio, another fabulous meal! As expected, we began with the gigantic Guacamole tableside with freshly made chips. Honestly, I could just eat that for a few hours and leave satisfied. But there was much more to explore. A few cocktails, cornbread (warm sweet and delicious!) and then tacos. They no longer had the octopus tacos, so I had to settle for shrimp and fish. But still delicious! If you're in downtown Chicago and crave Mexican food, this is the place to go! read more

Can't say I'm entirely impressed by the food or service here. I was also very confused by the way they charge for guacamole.. it's $11 per person, and I was asked if I wanted a little or a lot. I said a little, intending it to only be for me. The guacamole is made table-to-order, which is nice, but the server definitely made more than just one persons worth. I was pretty unhappy when I saw the bill and was charged 44 DOLLARS for guac. The skirt steak tacos were some of the worst tacos I've ever had. They somehow taste like ground beef which I did not understand. I would not recommend coming here. read more

Barrio - Skirt Steak Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I met a group of friends for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. None of us (party of 8) had been to Barrio, so it was a new experience for us all. We had a 1pm reservation and arrived on time. We were greeted by the host and seated five minutes later. The restaurant was buzzing with patrons, but it didn't seem that busy at first. We were seated in a huge booth that was comfortable and spacious. The decor is modern and chic, which is what one would expect for River North. I don't remember our server's name, but he was a thin, brown-skinned, nice-looking AA or Latino gentleman with medium-length curly hair. He was nice but wasn't very attentive. We had to have other staff flag him down to get the check, and he didn't come back to the table for extended periods of time. I think he only came by once the entire time we were there to ask if we needed anything. The restaurant did get increasingly busier, but that's no excuse. Everyone at the table thought the service was lackluster. My group ordered everything from tacos and fajitas to burgers and chicken tortas. The overall sentiment amongst the group was that the food was just okay. We all thought Barrio was a one-and-done experience. The food wasn't good enough to warrant a return visit. We started with chips, guac, and pico de gallo. The chips and guac portion size is decent, but the pico de gallo serving size was small. It was so small that we had to ask for another serving, which meant we were charged another $6.99! The chips, pico, and guac were all very good, though. The chips were warm and seemingly homemade. My sister had the peachito, which she said was fantastic. I had a lemonade, which was also good, but was served in the same size glass as the alcoholic beverage. So, you're paying $5 for a smaller-than-average-size drink. A few of us had steak and fish tacos, while another friend had the steak fajitas. We all agreed that the tortilla shells were hard and dry. The steak was also dry and tough. I thought my steak was slightly burnt, and it wasn't very flavorful. The friend who had the steak fajitas had similar complaints. My sister had a burger, and she said it was just okay. One friend had the chicken torta, and another one had the taco bowl. They both liked their meals. Everyone who ordered tacos also had the rice and beans. Afterwards, we wished that we had shared one serving. The beans and rice were good, but nothing spectacular. None of us finished our individual servings. Overall, we just weren't that impressed with Barrio. It's overpriced, mediocre food that caters to yuppies or tourists. The total bill was about $400 for eight people. My bill alone was $60 just for chips, salsa, three tacos, rice, beans & two lemonades. Next time we'll skip River North and go to Pilsen or Little Village, as they're both more authentic and economical. Even still, we're glad we checked Barrio out. Now we can all say that we tried it and don't have to go back. The check-out process was a breeze because they use an app that allows everyone to select the items they ate and pay for them individually. The taxes and tip are divided evenly amongst everyone in the group. read more

See all

Love Barrio's brunch menu! As vegetarians, the have good options for brunch! Tried the breakfast burrito and the chilaquiles. We went on a day they were having a fun bingo event. read more

Barrio - Chilaquiles & Breakfast Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Come for the food, stay for the location. The location makes this place great for people watching on a beautiful Chicago summer evening. Attentive service that paces out the appetizers and meals perfectly, without making you feel rushed. The taco salad was a new one for me: Not the traditional bowl, but very filling and fresh. The amount of steak you get (when you add it on) was worth the price, so that's good! Margaritas were decent (but they're not going to get you too buzzed). read more

Barrio - Taco Salad (with Steak) - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Visited Barrio for their Restaurant Week deal! The ambiance was very poppin on a Saturday night. We really enjoyed our tasting menu of several items. For me the cornbread was the star of the show. Margaritas are AMAZING. Don't skip a marg here. The spicy marg was delicious. Our server was super sweet. When our last course was delayed, our server brought us tequila shots on the house! Talk about customer service. Quite good food for a little River North night out! read more

See all

Barrio has an amazing happy hour that goes to six, which is a rare find. The mezcal marg was top notch. The salsa trio was a fun app. Taco Tuesday deal was also a win to try different types. read more

Barrio - Avocado Salsa Verde - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I came with coworkers on a work trip and we had a good time here. The food was delicious and there was a fun, dramatic flair to the way it was served. What we ordered: - tableside guacamole - the staff wheeled a cart next to our table and started making the guac in front of us with expert precision and it ended up being a huuuge molcajete full. It's priceyyy though, so I only recommend it if you have a big group to split or it's a special occasion - esquites style corn - this was incredibly addicting, my gosh - enchiladas - flambeed in mezcal for a fun visual. My friend said hers tasted heavily of tequila - quesabirria tacos - the meat was very tender but a little too salty/sour for me - margarita pitcher - very worth it for their weekly happy hour deal - chips and salsa - the bowl of chips was huuuuge - table sauces - one of these was extremely spicy and I really liked it read more

See all

Barrio was pretty good! Overall everyone enjoyed their food. No complaints on the quality or flavor but it was pretty pricey. My husband started with a Paloma but it was $18... which is insane. I got the birria tacos with a side cornbread muffin. Both super tasty but $5 for the muffin which was tiny was extreme. I also didn't like how you couldn't mix and match tacos like at other places. So my husband got the steak and shrimp fajitas and we split. They were also tasty and a pretty good portion. My friends got the salsa sampler, the pork fried rice and the steak tacos. They liked everything. I thought the salsa was pretty good and seemed to be house made chips. My friend also got the churro platter. I took a bite - good but personal preference, I don't get the hype with churros. Overall all was good, service was attentive, but prices were a bit high for what you got. I would come back if I were in the area but not go out of my way for it. read more

See all

Barrio is a cute spot right at the corner of Kinzie and Clark. When the sun goes down, it lights up beautifully with bright white letters that really set the mood! We made a reservation and, as soon as we walked in, a friendly hostess greeted us and led us to our table. Right away, I could tell we were in for a treat at this trendy Mexican restaurant. We settled into a charming round table with six chairs, perfect for our group! Once we were all seated, we had some time to check out the menu. We decided to kick things off with guacamole to share. I have to say, it was a bit on the pricier side at $11 per person with a two-person minimum, which felt a little odd, but it was tasty enough to make it worth it! **Here's what we ordered:** - **Guacamole:** Good and creamy! - **Octopus & Shrimp Ceviche:** Really flavorful--definitely more of an entrée than a shareable dish. - **Pork Belly Tacos (Bowl):** They were just okay--not quite what I expected based on recommendations. - **Skirt Steak Tacos (Bowl):** Delicious! The flavors were fantastic. - **Charred Octopus Tacos (Bowl):** They started off a bit bland but got better as I continued to eat them. - **Baja Fish Taco:** Honestly, these were a bit lacking in flavor and felt a little dry. Most of the tacos could be made into a bowl, which was a fun twist! **Drinks:** - **Hot Mezz:** This was a crowd favorite! It's a refreshing mix of mezcal, watermelon, jalapeño, lime, and sage. We all loved it! There are so many amazing restaurants to try in Chicago, but I'd definitely be up for visiting Barrio again! We had fun with Eve as our server. read more

See all

Honestly this place was just okay. I came here either a party of 6 and we were served at different times which we didn't like cause of course we're waiting on everyone and that causes people's food to get cold. My churro was a bit hard and the chicken was bland. I didn't care for it but I ate it cause I was hungry. Overall a bit pricey as well. I will say we say outside and they are in the heart of river north so lots of walkers and a cute view of downtown. read more

Barrio - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Delish. Delicioso. Fantastic. Fantastico! See, you're already speaking Spanish! The food here is good enough to be trouble for anyone trying to not eat too much - but so worth it. The table side Guacamole - seriously perfect. The Tuna Ceviche tacos, carne asada, Camerones (shrimp), rice, beans and the whole "Nueve" yards were great. And the bartender is licensed to fulfill - mixes were perfect. Our server was awesome! Props to this place - don't bother going anywhere else for comida Mexicana perfecta. read more

Went here for drinks, the sangria was really good but it didn't taste like traditional sangria. It is a Rose sangria but still very fizzy and sweet for a regular sangria. But still I liked it. Next time I want to get dessert here to try out read more

Excellent margaritas, delicious salsas, fun vibe. We came here for dinner and although we had to wait a bit for a table, we were able to find seats at the bar to have a drink first. Not necessarily the best Mexican food around, but the cocktails were tasty and we had a good time. read more

Great downtown Chicago Mexican spot. I've been here a handful of times with my husband. We love their food. The chips and salsa come with refills on the chips, the taco salad is massive (I had 3 meals leftover), the barilla tacos are delicious and service is always top notch. If you are downtown and craving Mexican check this place out. read more

Barrio - Chicken Taco Salad - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Food and service were excellent! Great ambience too. The Spanish rice was perfect mix of buttery with perfect flavor. read more

Barrio - Chicken tacos, rice, and enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I'm back after 5 years. It is better, though not by much. What I liked was the friendly service. Here for a friend's birthday, the server was friendly and checked in a good amount, not hovering or absent. It was cool that, when ordering, she asked if we wanted to get anything else from the happy hour menu before happy hour was over. Restaurants have low margins and understandably want to maximize profits - very nice of her to help us save a few bucks. The drinks are also standouts. The happy hour menu had a surprisingly good amount of drinks offered from their usual menu. Each margarita option had a variety of complex flavors - I liked the one with strawberry but less so the cucumber/jalapeno one, too much cucumber taste, not enough jalapeno. I tried some of my friend's lavender margarita, which shouldn't have worked taste-wise but truly did. The food itself was very much OK. It could stand to have more flavor, and it's pricey for something unmemorable. An exception is the truffle mushroom taco, which was delicious. Sadly, the ahi tuna taco was disgusting. The tuna did not taste fresh at all, so I'd skip it. This is definitely a fun restaurant, but the drinks are more successful here than the food, though some happy hour options for the latter could be solid choices. read more