Honestly, I've been here enough times now where I can give it a solid three stars. People always want to come here, and it continues to be mediocre and overhyped. Basically, the drinks are decent (once you get them- besides the one time I got a margarita with no ice that was the size of a shot), and they have a patio. The service is comprised of students, who are poorly trained, and ordering is inconsistent. Apparently now, even if you use the QR code, it isn't split until the end, and usually you still have to flag down a server. Overall, small portions, overpriced and usually crowded. Fine if you want a drink before or after a movie, or to meet folks for happy hour, but you could definitely get more for your buck elsewhere. read more

The food here is delicious, and service has always been friendly and prompt. It's mostly assorted fancy tacos (the duck is my favorite, by the pork belly), though they also have some other items, like rice bowls and tamales. I recently brought my kids on a whim (we had wanted to try the bunch cafe next door but decided not to wait), and I was pleasantly surprised to learn how extraordinarily kid-friendly they are. There's a kids menu (mostly quesadilla and tacos, with corn on the cob and fruit for sides), high chairs, plastic lidded cups with straws, changing table in at least the ladies' room (I did not check the men's), and, most importantly, they hand out full coloring books for entertainment on arrival. read more

I'm glad I came with people who had been because the ordering process is kinda nuts. You order on a phone but no QR code you tap some chip logo thing and I never would have figured it out otherwise. The waitress is more like a checker than actually doing anything. They didn't really explain the process. The bussers brought the food out. So order on web/phone, or order on a paper pad menu. It's just a little unorganized and chaotic. I also really prefer speaking to the waitress/waiter so I can ask questions when ordering. Also what's the point of service and a restaurant if you do it all yourself. Food was good. Got the pork belly rice bowl- it was spicy but good. I did not like the fried rice patty thing. It was kinda tough I'm not sure I was a huge fan especially the price for what you get. $13 bowl with just rice patty and a 1/4 cup of diced pork belly. The pork belly itself was tasty though. The pomegranate lemonade was actually pretty good but served like an alcoholic mixed drink with 70% ice read more

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Went to bar taco with the grandchildren and spouse. They love eating at bar taco. Bar taco is a bar surrounded by booths for eating. I ordered the cauliflower, mushroom and grilled chorizo tacos. The family always orders the large guacamole with tortilla chips. The only problem by way of granddaughter we need more guacamole. So, we ordered two. It is excellent guacamole. If you love guacamole order two. You be glad you did. I always order my three favorite tacos, I truly love the cauliflower and mushroom tacos, the flavors are delicious while not overwhelming the veggies. Bar taco only place I order vegetable tacos. My granddaughter always orders the kids quesadilla. I sampled a nibble it is tasty cheese. The granddaughter ate the entire quesadilla. Next time we are ordering the main menu larger version. If you like Arnold Palmer's, you are doing an injustice to yourself. Bar taco make fresh lemonade ever day to go in the drink. The extremely fresh tea and lemonade make an outstanding Arnold Planer. We will be back because the family really enjoys the Bar taco. read more

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https://youtu.be/f-fJQnBXKYg Food was decent. Margaritas were good. Had an extra spicy margarita, and it was spicy for NC, but tasty. Staff was a hot mess except the first bartender who made me my margarita and two Shirley temples for my kids. And Kristen our server, who I felt bad for because from the hostesses to the kitchen from then on suuuuuuuccccccckkkkkkeeeeeddd!!!!!!! We got street corn and a trio, which was pretty delicious, but then we ordered 4 tacos for me, 5 tacos for my son, and 2 for my daughter. They totally f'd up by putting us near the kitchen, because I could see and hear the chaos all around us. 2 tacos came out first, one go me, one for my son. 15 minutes later, 5 tacos came out, on the same plate. Figured out who got what, and my daughter got her 2, son got his other tacos. 15 minutes later, they finally realized I didn't get my shrimp, and my pork belly. We had an hour to eat, so when my 2 came out waitress asked if I wanted a box.... Who the f brings home a shrimp taco???? I ate the pork, paid and left. Worst experience I've had in years. Place looks nice, even though they didn't have competent staff. Sry. Went to Jenny's ice cream after, they were perfect. Calmed me right down. Guess they just need to get better. :( :( Pre bus once in a while would help, and a kitchen staff that wasn't yelling at each other.... Worst part, updated 8 hours later, I spent 10 years after college doing waiting, bartending, and front/back of the house management..ok worst than that, you made my kids sad, and that's not forgivable. Update 11/4/2025 "Owner" Anna G. Reached out concerned wanting more information giving email to me to contact. I did some weeks back... ghosted me. Typical, much like the hot mess. read more

bartaco - Chapel Hill - Hot mess - Tacos Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

As first time goers, the wait staff did an excellent job getting us oriented with the menu and ordering process. We were seated quickly and ordered drinks from the server. Once we ordered online via QR code, the food was brought out fairly quickly to our table. Very easy to order and doing so from your phone was convenient to order additional items (more tacos!). It was simple to pay and the online ordering system allowed you to easily split the bill. Tacos were all fantastic but the pork belly was by far the best (we got two more after eating our first helping). Good drinks, but they do add up on the bill quickly. Loved the ease of the experience and the overall atmosphere. Will be back! read more

bartaco - Chapel Hill - carnitas, pork belly, carne asada, & ahi tuna tacos, street corn, and passion fruit oaxacan margarita - Tacos Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

I've always enjoyed the vibe at bartaco. The food is 9/10 excellent, and the drinks (and mocktails) are divine. They have a lovely outdoor seating area that you must take advantage of on good weather days. My only complaint is that you can't make a reservation for bartaco, although you can join a waitlist to save your spot in line. Normally this wouldn't bother me too much, but I seem to always want bartaco when I'm looking for a fancy dinner with friends on a Friday or Saturday night, and that's the one time I'd want to make sure we have a reservation. We usually end up going somewhere else because we don't want the hassle of waiting around for a table. But other than that, bartaco is a huge win. And it's right beside a ton of other fun stuff, including SILVERSPOT cinema. read more

I'm never disappointed when I go to bartaco. Everything is delicious, service is very fast, the cocktails are impeccable the space is very nice, the outdoor dining area is fantastic. If you want tacos and margs but you want it a bit more upscale, this is your spot. read more

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Never disappointed at a bar taco location. Drinks and food were awesome! Service was prompt Servers were friendly. No seats for general dining but plenty of seating with full service at the bar (as always). The tuna bowl is by far my favorite dish. For the first time I tried a non alcoholic drink and it was just as amazing as my usual favorites read more

I really enjoyed my first visit to Bartaco. The Steak tacos were delicious. I also had chicken and chorizo tacos which were pack with flavor. The service was friendly. Our waiter was knowledgeable of the items on the menu and answered all of our questions. Bartaco has indoor and outdoor seating with a rustic feel. I would recommend giving them a try for authentic street style tacos. read more

bartaco - Chapel Hill - Street corn - Tacos Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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bartaco is a brand that's rapidly expanding along the East Coast so I was curious to try it. As usual, the food and drinks themselves are pretty solid - if you want a wide variety of tacos, you won't be disappointed by their offerings. The service is very nice - the waiter was pretty knowledgeable about the items and the restaurant itself (as is typical of bartacos) has a solid rustic feel. It feels both appropriate for a group outing with friends or just a quick catchup between two people. The food also comes out quickly and it's nice to be able to add items so easily to your order based on how hungry you are. Do I think these are the best tacos you'll have in the area? No. But if you want a safe option for a nice dining experience, this place is it. read more

Came here with my girlfriend for date night and we had such a great experience. The tacos were delicious and the waitstaff were very attentive and helpful. We really enjoyed the ambience of the restaurant. A great spot here in Chapel Hill! read more

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Always good food and drinks! We grabbed a drink from the bar while we waited about 15 minutes for our table. Chips, salsa and guac to start - delicious as usual! We definitely asked for more chips to eat up all the salsa and guac! I had the chicken taco and cauliflower taco - both so good! They also have great options for the kids menu. My son had a bean quesadilla and the fruit bowl which is pineapple. read more

bartaco - Chapel Hill - Tacos Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Bartaco is always a good go-to for a fun meal and this was not an exception. We sat at the bar as we normally do ordering drink and food from the bartender, who provided magnificent service. Food came out quickly as we ate all the tacos we could fit. The vibe is always fun and makes us want o come back another time. read more

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We had a lovely dinner at Bartaco in Chapel Hill last Saturday evening. The vibe in the restaurant was so fun. The staff, the food, the drinks were all delicious. We ordered the pork belly taco, the ahi tuna taco, the shrimp, Yucatán and the sesame beef. Our server Sophie recommended the corn dish and it was wonderful. The manager assured that our experience was excellent. We will be recommending Bartaco Chapel Hill to anyone who is looking for a delicious meal in a fun place! read more

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Grabbed lunch from here recently and enjoyed the experience! First, since parking is sometimes at a premium in Chapel Hill, it's really nice that there's a large parking lot directly connected to bartaco and the other nearby establishments. We walked in during normal lunch hours and while it was busy, we managed to snag a table immediately. We tried using the QR code on the table to order, but we got an error saying that it wasn't set up, and the host informed us that we'd have to use paper-and-pen to fill out some menu cards instead. This is totally fine, but it'd be nice if there was a warning that the QR code wasn't active for our table at that time. Our server was nice and made some good beer recommendations, which is always appreciated. My wife and I ended up sharing the large guacamole and chips, while I got three tacos (chicken, ribeye, and Baja fish) and my wife got two tacos (the duck and the ahi tuna). The guacamole was really tasty! A tiny bit too lime-y for me, but tasted fresh for sure. I kind of wish it had (more?) red onion, but not the biggest deal. The "chips" were served as large, thin crisps that you had to break up into chips. New to me, but they tasted good! Overall, I really liked the chicken taco and the Baja fish taco. The ribeye had some ginger and other flavors that I wasn't expecting, so I should have read the menu closer :) My wife really enjoyed her duck taco, while the ahi tuna one was served on lettuce (once again, we should have read the menu closer) so it was healthy but maybe not quite as tasty as the other options :) She sampled my Baja fish taco and really enjoyed it. Service was relatively attentive throughout the meal - it did take a second for us to pay once our check arrived, but no big deal. Overall, I would definitely come back here! Good vibes (some cool basket lamps hanging from the ceiling) and a good time. read more

Bartaco for lunch! Yes, please. Great and cute restaurant right next to the Silverspot Theaters. I sat at the bar and while I waited I had their signature bartaco margarita, which I definitely recommend. It tasted so fresh. Also ordered the guac + chips. Ezra who was working the bar explained the menu and gave great suggestions. I decided on the following tacos because one was not enough. The roasted duck, spiced chicken verde, chile-lime shrimp, and the glazed pork belly. Some were spicier than others, but nonetheless, they were all delicious. They run a bit on the smaller side, two or three bite as best, but they were packed and had a great punch. I ordered the churros for dessert. I will say that's probably were they fell a bit short for me. The churro itself was crunchy and full of cinnamon powder, but it lacked flavor. It definitely needed the sauces but even with that, they were not the best. However, I would definitely go back to this spot to try a few different tacos next time. read more

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We put our name in and walked around for 5-10 minutes, then got the text our table was ready. We returned to the hostess stand and it was a solid 5 minutes before we saw anyone, there was no one there. When she came, she was super friendly and seated us right away but it was strange neither of the two we left our names with was there. Others came in and were waiting behind us. This was a delicious meal thankfully, the sampler appetizer is not to be missed! I loved the shrimp taco (spicy good) and the duck taco, which I would order over and over again! Food came pretty quickly and was perfect. Sadly, the service was not. We literally rotted several times. Really nice guy but not attentive, took our order and disappeared - everyone else brought food. I kind of felt like since we were not drinking he was not interested. But I would go back for the food! read more

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If you wanna channel your Gen Alpha and see what all restaurants will be like in twenty years, this is the spot. With all ordering on phones, tipping become a thing of the past. If you're bringing one of our esteemed friends with more gray hairs and life experience, you might get flashbacks to when you had to explain apps to them for the first time. Overall, very good experience and will come back again. The circle chip is a revelation and makes you feel better about eating more of them. Does make dipping in salsa a challenge, but creates great geometry-based conversation starters. Tacos are both for show and for great taste. One of our orders ended up getting lost in the pile and we waited an extra forty minutes for dessert. So again, caution on those retirement home buds who like to nitpick. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating for both small and big groups! read more

bartaco - Chapel Hill - Outdoor seating - Tacos Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Tasty Tacos!! This is a cashless restaurant and you get to place ur order by yourself instead of waiting for an available waiter. I appreciated that the most. They are very busy but the food came out very quickly, 5-10 upon ordering. The salsa roja with chips was really good. Our daughter love the plantains, cheese quesadillas, corn and ice cream. The tacos are pretty small and very tasty. I would pass on the black beans, not flavorful. My husband ordered 5 of them and they filled him up. My girls enjoyed their ice cream as well. My husband and I got the Tres Leches! Great experience overall. They also gave our daughters some coloring books to keep them busy. That was a really nice touch! This is a kid friendly place. Plenty choice! read more

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I had such a wonderful experience here! Kristen was our waitress and was FABULOUS. She recommended the ahi poke dish & that was immaculate!!!!!! I was thankful for her recommendation. The vibe, service, and overall ambiance of the restaurant was nothing short of amazing. I'll be returning to show more of my friends/family this place! read more

bartaco - Chapel Hill - Cucumber Salad and ahi tuna + crispy rice bowl - Tacos Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

bartaco has such a fun, beachy-chic vibe--perfect for grabbing a cocktail and just unwinding. It's definitely on the pricier side when it comes to drinks, but the cocktails are well-crafted and totally worth it if you're in the mood to treat yourself. The tacos were the real standout! The tortillas tasted super authentic--fresh, soft, and full of flavor. I especially loved their lunch deal, which made it a great value for the quality. It's a great spot for a casual date or catching up with friends. Service was friendly and relaxed, just like the overall atmosphere. Can't wait to go back! read more

bartaco - Chapel Hill - Cauliflower tacos, falafel taco, kale caesar salad - Tacos Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

1. Service was great. We did have to wait 30m for a table but our server Dylan was awesome. 2. Food was excellent. We had a large variety of menu options at our table and it was all good. Same for dessert. 3. I will definitely come back when I'm in town. I'm pretty sure hours after we left the restaurant might have flooded. Let's hope not, but if so I hope they can clean up and reopen quickly because this place is a gem! read more

- love: ribeye tacos, chicken tacos, ceviche, tres leches, service & overall vibe - not my fave: red salsa, kimchi, tuna taco read more

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Had a fun time at their happy hour. The service was friendly and consciencious. Food has been yummy on both regular hour visits and happy hour. There was some unpleasant tasting shrimps that were in a ceviche type item recently. The manager was concerned and I think they will be checking the situation thoroughly. read more

Yea so I'm always at bartaco LOL. Every time I come to Chapel Hill, I have a great experience! I love the staff, the management and how friendly they are! The food is always executed extremely well and never misses. Today I had one of the best half roasted chickens of my life :). The skin was roasted to perfection and added SO MUCH flavor. I also had the tuna tatako. The tuna was fresh. The slaw was spicy and had a good amount of dressing. I also had the ribeye on lettuce and the kale side salad. Everything was perfect... per usual. The drinks are always delicious and made in a way where you can taste all of the ingredients in the drinks. Every margarita is skinny. No artificial flavors. If you like nonalcoholic beverages, they have other options as well. Shout out to Barbara behind the bar. She's always so sweet, always sparks good conversation, and makes a damn good margarita! See you guys in a few weeks for my bartaco fix! read more

BarTaco This was my first trip to @bartacolife and I'd go back to Raleigh just for more. You order on an online system and it's tapas style so you can order lots to try. We ordered lots of sides and tacos. Beware there was lots of spice but they have milk on the menu for heat wimps (3 of us ended up needing some ). What I got * duck Birria chili lime shrimp taco pork belly taco Sharesies * esquites dip trio sweet fried plantains cucumber salad read more

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Great atmosphere and amazing tacos! The establishment is tapas style, meaning everything is quite small and you order as many tacos as you want! We sat at the bar on a Friday night, since we would have to wait 30-40 minutes for a seat at a table. The restaurant was dim but super energetic. It was loud and had lively music which was nice and fun. The bar staff were also so kind. They were promptly delivering our food and making drink orders at the same time. I got the sesame ribeye tacos and the Baja fish taco. They were PACKED with so much flavor! The meat on the sesame ribeye was so juicy, but I didn't like the additional kimchi on it because I feel like the added sourness from the kimchi was just a bit too much for me, since the meat was also already so flavorful. Also, the taco started to fall apart a bit since there was so much juice. I thought the Baja fish taco would be a tiny piece of fish that was heavily fried, but I was most definitely wrong! It was lightly battered, and a nice piece of cod. Really good!! Definitely would come back here again when it's not so busy! read more

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Bartaco is a cute restaurant that operates on QR code menu and you place your order from the menu that pops up. There's not much interaction with server, unless you have specific questions about the menu. The tacos are small, 3-4 bites per taco. But they each pack some good flavor. My fave is the Baja fish taco. The fried shrimp taco is good too. I tried the lobster taco, it was just ok nothing spectacular. I didn't order a drink but I heard their margaritas are good. read more

bartaco - Chapel Hill - 2 Baja fish, pork belly, and chorizo tacos - Tacos Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Very expensive for what we got. We were not impressed and won't be back. We ordered direct delivery for 4 people and it was a family pack. We thought it would be a generous amount of food for the price, but it WAS NOT at all. We knew there would be delivery charges, so that was not the issue. The base price was too much for what little we received. Quite frankly, it was a rip off. The tacos were okay, but nothing special. There are far better choices out there. read more

This is a cool place. The vibe is chill and the decor is cute. We were greeted by a happy, friendly server, who explained the ordering system to us. You use a QR code place your order and when you're finished with your order, you just close out the tab. This is a great concept as you can basically get your own check and order right up front.I tried the roasted chicken, black beans and rice today and everything was delicious. This was a good serving of food which I appreciated for the price. I really enjoyed my early dinner here today and will definitely return to try a couple of other samplings. read more

bartaco - Chapel Hill - Roasted chicken. - Tacos Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Love love bar taco. This is my second time visiting and I will be back again. Sat at the bar last night, Great crowd. The bartenders really took care of us! Also the manager was amazing. She recommended the secret taco. So their drinks, ON POINT! The spicy margarita is delicious. Not crazy spicy but definitely has that kick! We ordered a few different tacos; seared chorizo, roasted duck, pork belly, fried oyster, cilantro lime shrimp. As mentioned above the manager came to talk to us and told us about the secret taco which changes after a few months, this one was a tempura fried avocado. And let me tell you, MUST ORDER! All their tacos are really good, but our fave would definitely be the Pork belly, fried oyster, avocado secret taco & chorizo. The duck was actually really good, but I wasn't feeling the sauce much. The shrimp was good but nothing spectacular. We will definitely be back not just for the tacos but the drinks, atmosphere & staff! read more

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The food was outstanding! I visited with two of my sisters. We tried the duck taco, ribeye taco, pork belly, and the guacamole. I would order all of these items again! The ribeye taco was my favorite!! Kimchi is such a unique topping and the sesame was a perfect compliment to the taco! Sadly, I do not remember the gentleman's name, but the manager who looks like Hozier was amazing!! Thank you for making the meal memorable! Thanks to the food and the excellent service, I will be back! PS Order the churros!! read more

Good here is great! Fantastic flavors, great portions & affordable. I will say most thing on the menu has some heat other than that I highly recommend. read more

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Fantastic! Spicy Margarita! Plantains! Everything was wonderful...service was great! Online ordering is efficient and quick. Just go! read more

First time customers, nice ambience, interesting/creative menu, food was outstanding, our server was exceptional! Definitely worth a return visit, soon. read more

Food was unique and that is a beautiful statement I absolutely love the decor Drinks was a plus as well Thank you to the cooks for the wonderful tastes of favor provided to the meals The manager Christian was very helpful we appreciated the service read more

bartaco - Chapel Hill - Tacos Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Love the small bite tacos on that you can try more! Chicken was the hands down winner. Steak and chorizo were a bit bland, but shrimp had a little kick. Love that the tacos are gluten free. Also gluten free chips served with delish guac. read more

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Ambience is Great I'll give them that it's beautiful and the staff for the most part is great but as a brown Latino person (I'm not being that guy) I had 2 incidents where two waiters months ago attended me rudely but it's the last overall staff is great the host is always smiling now comes the part that hurts because I loved this place when they first opened! My favorite food is the pork belly tacos but I never eat the tortillas I personally think honestly it's embarrassing because the toppings and the pork belly themselves are delicious and compliment themselves very well in my opinion, the tortillas wether it's dinning in or take out they are always undercooked and very chewy and at times hard, also I'd rather my preference the tacos be already prepped so I can eat right away when it's take out instead of having to build it myself but my preference I'm not saying its bad. The tortillas if you fix that issue have them soft and warm then your golden on that part The other dishes I've had there weren't bad but in my experience they are over priced and could be better. My other criticism is that I do dislike the whole paying only by card on the app I like to pay cash and tip cash to waiters. Idk what happened but when they first opened the food was amazing and it's gone downhill when I know they have so much more potential. read more

This large bar/restaurant was lively even on a weekday night. I had a mixed experience here. The good: drinks were delicious and smooth, and all the juices for mixes were pressed fresh. Food was very tasty, though a bit on the spicy side. The meh: QR code menu and ordering system (we didn't feel like we had "a" server) and portions were pretty small. We were told there would be a 15-20 min wait for a table but ended up waiting 30+mins. read more

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