We come here often for the seafood soup, the fajitas mixta and the kids jr hamburger. The chips and salsa are also great. We usually do take out but we have also ate at the restaurant. If you do order takeout, they require you pay ahead of time, which is sometimes inconvenient especially if you are on the road driving but now that we know we plan ahead. The service is great, every employee we have encountered is so nice and attentive. Their seafood soup, sopa de mariscos is delicious and one order comes in two containers (it's a lot!) my husband and I usually share one. You also have to ask for the shrimp to be peeled or else it won't be. The restaurant is nice inside and everything has been well kept and clean. I recommend if you are looking for a nice, open and big restaurant that serves great seafood. read more

Very disappointed with my first experience at this restaurant. Although the food served found itself in the acceptable range; I can't say the same about the staff. From bartender to waiter to on site manager. The attitude of the bartender and manager will prevent our friends from returning to this location. The manager who lacks experience didn't do a single thing to listen to our service issues. Good luck La Barca but this group will not be spending our hard earned dollars at your location!!! read more

This Barca is by far the best one out of the chains. The service is great and the options for food are better than ever. We had cafe de olla, drinks and mojacete. So much food and so good. I got the wet burrito which had the green salsa. The meat was tender and flavorful along with the beans and rice. Only good vibes at this place. read more

See all

The fried quesadillas are God sent! The service was excellent! The ambiance was great and lovely! There are so many options here! The chips and salsas are great!!!!! read more

La Barca Restaurantes - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

I usually don't leave negative ratings for establishments, however this place's manager is unbelievable!! First off the food was good, but they have bad, very bad customer service. Before I even got inside the building the manager, who refused to give me his name, (now I know why), accused me of giving him attitude and threatened to lock me out and actually did at one point. I was there to DJ a client's birthday party; the manager actually told me that I wasn't there for him and that he didn't care if I made it inside. All this with an Un-professional attitude telling me that he was the "owner". Power trip?? Overall, in 24 years playing music for others I've never seen nor witnessed such unprofessional management of a public facility. *BEWARE you have been warned!!* -Lee read more

honest review here. food is good quality setting is good service for the most part is on point. The host at the entrance could be a little better in welcoming you and you party. The so. of the owner wish I knew his name to put him on blast is very unprofessional person. I've seen him get in to arguments with customers in front of everyone waiting to be seated. Have also heard he's sleeping with some of the waitress there. will not be going to this restaurant ever again. read more

First time coming to this location and I don't know why people come here. Food is mid. Nothing special about it. At first everything was good, service was great, customer service was good until it wasn't. One of my friends friend waited almost 20 minutes for a basic ass burrito and my fried also had to wait for her rice and beans that came along with her plate. My chicken with mole was more like bones with mole. Barely any protein on it. The coffee was cold. The waiters basically forgot about us, they weren't coming in to check on us and now we've been waiting almost an hour to get the bill. The waiters are very distracted, no attention to customer service. You literally have to get their attention to come to you. I don't recommend this place to anyyyybodyyy. Save you're bag and go somewhere else y'all read more

Will always love their red enchiladas de queso always 10/10. I also get the enchilada sauce to dip chips in

The good, the bad, and the pretty. It's a really good open atmosphere. It's semi private despite the habit of many Mexican restaurants putting everybody close together like sardines, Their birria Tacos ate really good. However, I ordered green sauce enchiladas. Which were excessively drowned in sour cream and cheese to the point where you could not see the enchiladas. I looked at the pictures from yelp of the same dish and this was way too excessive.. plus my enchiladas were not shredded steak but ground beef. The waitress hardly came around, so I decided just to eat the ground beef enchiladas which did taste good however, it was not what I ordered. another thing was this place is too jam packed. We arrived before noon and had to wait almost 30 minutes. Actually it was about 10:45 AM on a Sunday I suggest you avoid the weekend. read more

Delicious Mexican food , my go to plate is the tampiquena , , they also have great tasting margaritas for a lunch date or for a family dinner . The ambiance is very pleasing , with the soft decor inside . It vibe inside isn't loud , it's comforting . Perfect inside sizing . read more

La Barca Restaurantes - My absolute favorite ! must try - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

What a mess. Not even 3 minutes inside, the waitress tells us that we must wait for our party to be there to be seated (it was more than 10 people). Fine. That's great. We get that part. However, the restaurant was empty. Literally. It wasn't busy. Two big tables right in front of us. Immediately the waitress became defensive with my uncle and said he was being rude to her. He wasn't. 5 minutes later, we watch her look at us and start picking up menus to seat us, but then gives them to the next party. It was weird. I don't know what happened after, but then the "owner" (who I'm sure isn't, he looks too young lol) came in, guns blazing. Which I understand, fine, defend your workers, but you're the owner. You don't come in yelling already instead of trying to diffuse a situation. He started accusing my uncle and dad of being rude, and kept egging them all. Literally! He looked like he wanted to fight! (Mind you, my dad is senior citizen and my uncle is older as well). Then he said he wasn't going to serve my dad which of course we're all going to leave... but he kept cursing at my dad and wouldn't let us walk out without still trying to fight. It was awful. So unprofessional. Mind you, we're all dressed in black coming from a FUNERAL service. This place won't succeed if they don't act professional. The "owner" is a disgrace and genuinely lost people who came regularly. Awful. Treat people like human. Overpriced and greasy food. read more

First time coming here and I had the worst experience ever and all I got was sorry about that. Obviously It was not the waiter fault she was very nice. But after seeing the food raw after I asked for it well done when they brought me my food back I felt disgusted I wanted to vomit I couldn't eat anymore. Very clean and very aesthetic. read more

La Barca Restaurantes - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

See all

Tried this place out upon reading reviews. The location is on a busy street. Hit or miss on traffic. There is plenty of parking in the back. The service was good and there is a lot of space between tables. The interior has high ceilings and feels open. Menu has plenty of options for different tastes. The fresh made tortillas are good. Food came out to order and portion size was good. A decent place to grab a bite to eat. read more

La Barca Restaurantes - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Machaca was I among the best I've ever had, but it does have some heat to it. Portion was huge. Server was great.

Went with my family and we waited a tiny bit to be seated which was great! The restaurant was actually spacious and really nice inside! Food and drinks on my end were good, but my siblings said the chilaquiles are dry and tasteless. My machaca was great though. Our server though, she seemed like she was ignoring us the entire time we were there and she only came around towards the end like she wanted to save face for a better tip. Would come back to try more though. read more

Best Mexican Restaurant in Downey Hands Down!! The food is delicious, especially their molcajete with their hand made tortillas. Service was great, they had chips and salsa on the table waiting for us when we got seated. We've tried the rest and keep coming back here and for good reason. The most we've ever waited was 15 minutes, but it maybe more for larger parties (obviously). read more

Poor service. We asked our server if we could get more drinks after 20 mins of waiting and he responded "I'm busy". I went to go complain to the front desk and they didn't apologize. They instead got me my drink order which left out one drink. Will never be back. Waited 30 mins for this disgusting service. Avoid and go to the other barcas with less people. read more

Food is excellent,but too bad service ain't.When we finally got called for our table the hostess notified us that our table wasn't ready,so much for being ready.When we finally sat down our waitress couldn't be more rude.We had to ask the hostess as she happened to to be passing by our table for the waitress.She finally came by late and was mad that we had ask for her.The whole time she had a horrible attitude.It was to the point that it felt she really didn't want to be there.After she brought out our drinks she disappeared.Only check on us maybe once and disappeared again.Service was one of the worse I've ever experienced while dining out.Not a good look in my opinion for a Mexican restaurant that is business vs other competitive Mexican restaurants out there. read more

Food was decent except for the one dish. 2 people in our party ordered the shrimp cocktail. The cocktails were not very good at all. It was as if they scooped up the boiled shrimp with their water and just added cucumber and tomatoes to it. They tasted like "dirty water". When we were ready to pay, we let our server know about not being able to eat the cocktails because of the bad flavor. He credited one of the cocktails to our bill, but seemed very bothered by it. We paid our bill but then asked to speak to the manager. When he came to our table, he came with an attitude saying that his food is good and that we can just leave. The interaction with the manager, owner as he put it, made me realize that they do get many complaints about their food. If they didn't, he would have been super apologetic about it instead of confrontational saying that his food is great. To his credit, the rest of our party enjoyed their food, but because of this horrible customer service, we will not be coming here anymore. read more

We came here and was automatically judged and assumed we were drunk without being under the influence by security.

Big serving sizes. The asada is soo yummy and well seasoned. The enchilada was good but needed for sauce. I ended up ordering extra sauce on the side. Environment- nice and clean restaurant, plays background music. Quick and friendly service. I didn't read all of the reviews before i came but unnoticed once i sat down that the place only had 3 stars. I don't known why, because i really liked this restaurant and i would come back a second time. read more

La Barca Restaurantes - a plate of mexican food - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Very bad CUSTOMER SERVICE !!! Even the manager very rude instead of fixing the problem he budds in making her seconds on their horrible service !!! Called 3 days ago asking if I needed a reservation due to our party being a party of 10 . The lady on the phone said you should make a reservation! So she took my name an phone number I get there today on my "reservation day" an she says we take no reservation ! Already with her attitude !! Manager then comes out an we try to explain the problem an he says get out my property Ima call the police then he scares my daughter by saying that as if we are doing something bad !! He got butt hurt cuz we took a pic for YELP hello that's what Yelp is for ?! To let other customers like us the places to visit and the places we dislike Don't bother rude waiters and manager! read more

La Barca Restaurantes - The young lady just saying out her point without hearing us - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

See all

I don't know what happened to this restaurant but, my family and I used to always look forward to going cause the great food. I don't know if they changed chefs but we will not come again the food was awful very salty and tasted like microwaved food very disappointed and sad and also no more big burritos read more

They receive one star because the place is clean and modern, but the service and food need significant improvement. The waitress lacks experience, and the food is not the authentic Mexican cuisine as advertised. We ordered the molcajete, which arrived cold and unappetizing. When I asked for a Sprite, the waitress served it in a cracked glass. After pointing out the broken glass, she brought us water in a dirty glass. I informed her that the glass was dirty and that we had ordered Sprite. She apologized, and ten minutes later, we finally received our Sprite in a clean glass. Both the waitress and the food require substantial improvement. read more

Came here for a family dinner and I personally was not disappointed. The chips and salsa was amazing & im pretty sure the chips were just made because they were so warm and fresh! The service was great as well, our server was very attentive and constantly checked in with us. I ordered a piña colada & camarones al mojo de ajo and i was blown away. The camarones with veggies and rice was so tasty but next time I think I'll replace the salad & fries for a side of beans. Sadly my mom ordered the fajitas de res and it came out very salty, but once we let our server know she quickly told the chefs and we got a new one to go. I really loved the decoration and space in the restaurant, it was so clean especially the bathroom and i would love to come back with friends and try other drinks and plates on the menu (: read more

La Barca Restaurantes - Camarones al mojo de ajo - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

See all

The food all around was good. Not one plate needed salt in my opinion. (Yes I tried all) the service was super friendly and fast. Accommodated everything we needed. There is a lot of space and room next to table for stroller without being in the way. Definitely will be coming back read more

See all

Food was not the best, service was the worst, ambiance was ok. We only saw our server a total of 3 times once to get our drink order, once to get our food order, and when we had to FLAG down our server for the check?! Like what we had empty cups dirty dishes our appetizer plates where still on the table it was just terrible. Our server didn't seam to care about our table when our food come in he didn't even come to check on us. The quesaBirria was swimming in grease and was super bland. We tried looking for our server and he was no where to be found to complain so we ended up putting it in a Togo box and throwing it away. Over all do not recommend if there was an option for zero stars trust that would've been my review. read more

La Barca Restaurantes - Quesa birria - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

See all

My 3 stars is based on the 7 mares. I had much better 7 mares elsewhere. They filled the dish with a lot of potatoes and chopped veggies. Seems like they just wanted to have fillers in. Squid does not have good texture. Fish was ok. Only 2 clams given. Soup over all of lacked flavor. Over $20 bucks w tax it's not worth it again. Will not order again not do I recommend. I was kinda disappointed with a place as nice as it is, this the chef could have spend more effort in making the 7 mares better. Complementary chips were 5 out of 5. I enjoyed that more lol. The decor and ambiance was 5 out of 5. Beautiful place read more

La Barca Restaurantes - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Good biria good service just the system they use to seat people can be better. Overall food is always delicious.

Great food, amazing customer service. The ambience is fun and spacious. They were able to accommodate a party of 23. Everyone was happy with the food. read more

Food is very good. The service here really sucks! It has always sucked always it nvr changes The ppl here just stand around around and talk to each other or on there phones. It seems like the manager tall slim guy just always on his phone dosnt help out at all. All he fucking does is stands there looking around or on his damn phone! They also charge per cup of horchata no more free refills read more

This place is good, I ordered a Carne Asada and I thought it was good. My only complaint is that the Carne was too chewy like a gummy. Anyways the service was good and the music in the background felt a true Mexican Restaurant! read more

Place is beautiful! Their ceviche was really good. Service was average and price were really high considering it was breakfast.

The menu is small which is actually a good thing. I had the carne asada burrito. Best burrito I've ever had. The service is great. The tree in the middle of the restaurant adds to the ambiance. read more

This is my go to Mexican restaurant in Downey. Some places try to hard to make it fancy and some places are just so so but la Barca cantina is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Downey. Tacos are good and big. Cameron's a la diabla w bacon is my go to. Wet burritos are good and the vampire birria taco is good. Service sometimes is a bit slow but they do give good customer service. The only thing I don't like is that my friends(couples) always want to come here, and my wife and I sometimes want to try other foods lol. read more

Sad I really don't like to write bad reviews but, you guys need to improve food quality and service for sure! It took for ever for someone to ask us what we wanted to drink and then once we ordered and got our food never seeing the waitress again until we had to pay. Food was not good omelette is something easy to make mine was burned so was my daughter. I hope you guys look into to this service and food quality is important. read more

The original location is amazing. The second location is not. This location on Firestone Blvd is the original location. Go there and enjoy some really good Mexican food and and AWESOME atmosphere. The building and the lighting is so cool. The service is great, what a team effort! read more

Great food. Shit service. The food is great but the hosts and hostesses have no class. It definitely shows what County of Southern California you're in when you step through the main door. You're met with a sense of attitude and distaste. If you don't look like a Latin train wreck you'll barely have eye contact. Honestly this is the only downfall of this place. The food again is it's only saving grace, the smells and tastes and appearances are great but there's a BUT. You'll probably find faster service at the Buffalo Wild Wings down the street than here. The ambiance is okay. It's not set up the way it should be, they could do with more tables and servers/busboys. If the place goes under it will be due to the lack of staff and enthusiasm from them. High school girls that look like 40yr old cholas is the theme here. Nothing is missed here that you can't get elsewhere. The facade is not done well enough to hide the dreariness of La Barca in Downey. Get better staff and you will have a better restaurant. I am only putting this in because I enjoy the food and my family loves it as well. But remember it's the people that make the place. Find people who don't already feel entitled to a living wage when they haven't earned one. P.S. Karla, the Closing server was the best we've ever had. Just wish they were all like her. read more

Brought my mom to lunch. We both had the carne asada plate. It was just ok for me. Flavor was ok, meat was fairly tender but both our carnes were small. The prices are too over the top for what you're getting. Side of rice and beans was alright. Small portions too. Service was crudy, waitress was not very welcoming and she never came back after she brought our food. There's parking in the back. Place was nice looking aesthetically. read more

Hemos tenido muy buena experiencia ya por varios años! La comida muy bien servida y un precio excelente! Necesitas probar la carne asada y el salmón read more