Beer Barrio
| Address: | 34 N Front St, Wilmington, NC 28401, USA |
| Phone: | +1 910-769-5452 |
| Site: | beerbarrionc.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–1AM 11AM–1AM 11AM–11PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
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Henry Blanton
What I had was one taco and chips and salsa. This place charges too much (5 dollars for a SINGLE taco, for the love of Pete), and is extremely pretentious. Even at La Tapatia, the best Mexican in town, a good taco--with 15% more meat than Beer Barrios--only costs $1.87. As for the chips and salsa, the chips tasted like they came from the grocery store, and the Salsa was just tomato paste, with no apparent cilantro or spiciness. Furthermore, this chef has apparently has only ever eaten tacos from Taco Bell, because the food I ate seemed to be a "gourmet" version of a Crunchy Taco Supreme. Although the actual ingredients of the taco were decent, the taco was completely unbalanced and mostly tasteless: there was way too much lettuce, the taste of the meat didnt fit the taco, and the taco shell looked and tasted like it came from Food Lion. Finally, the gimmicky plate that they served it on still had the price tag attached. The beer selection was decent and decently priced, but with so many other options, its difficult to think of a reason to go there. Bottom line: Dont go there. If you want decently priced Mexican food, go to Islands (which is on front between Grace and Walnut). If you want good Mexican food, go to La Tapatia (which is in the shopping center on College and Wilshire). At La Tapatia, they give you literally twice the food, twice the quality, and three times the variety at half the cost of Beer Barrio. As a native southern Californian, I cannot express too strongly my distaste for this restaurant.
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k steeber
This was a difficult choice... 2 stars or 3. Food: The food itself was good. Not great, not amazing, just good. I got the tequila chicken taco and the carolina bbq taco. Both had good flavor. On the sweet side, but good flavor. Chips and salsa werent bad either! Our appetizer was hush puppies. They were...... different, but still tasty. Value: a little overpriced for what you actually get. 10 bucks for two tacos seems a little steep, but I will say the tacos are stuffed. Wouldve liked to see some rice and beans on the side for the price. Margaritas were quite pricy for something that just tasted like mix. Service: this where things went south. I think we had 3 waiters over the whole time we were there. All their tables were quite small. With our appetizer we got two small plates. When our tacos came out, they were "plated" on small pieces of cut tree. Im not kidding. When they put them down, I looked a little confused as to how I was going to eat a taco on a plate half the size of the taco. The waiter soon pointed to our appetizer plates (which I stacked at the end of the table for them to take away) and rudely said "you have plates right there you can use"........... wow... so I dont get my entree on a plate, and I get to use my dirty appetizer plate for it. Ok..... sure..... I guess. I also asked for a refill on their "complimentary" chips and salsa. The second round cost 3 dollars. Wouldve been nice to know that. All in all, I dont recommend this place. The food was good but not worth the hassle.
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Meghan Killingsworth
My husband and I came to Wilmington because we heard from lots of NC people about how great of a travel destination it is. Weve had some hit or miss seafood and its been kind of rainy while here, but by far one of the best experiences weve had was at Beer Barrio. As I have to eat gluten free, I often dread having to clarify what is or could be gluten free, and double checking with the server because Ive been glutened accidentally before. Our server was really kind and patient, they had items on the menu that came gluten free (and vegan!) just the way they are and they were DELICIOUS. The flavors were intentional and these tacos could not be easily replicated by just throwing together your own ingredients at home. Their complimentary salsa was delicious and clearly made fresh in house, their chips were gluten free (hallelujah!) and they had great a great beer selection and good outdoor seating for hanging out in Wilmington. We HIGHLY recommend for anyone, even if you dont have food allergies or dietary restrictions!
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Abbie B
The food and beer selection are incredible BUT one of the waitresss (brown hair, short, kinda chunky) was extremely rude to my mother and needs to be moved to the kitchen (or fired) until she learns some manners and people skills. First of all it took her 5 minutes to acknowledge her and take the order. My mom ordered salsa and guac to go for me because I was at work and then tacos to eat there for herself, she asked to change her taco order to a to-go order and the waitress told her very rudely that she wouldnt be getting any chips to-go because she wasnt eating there, My mom told her she ordered chips and salsa to go and the waitress told her she still wouldnt be getting them and then neglected my mom as a customer the rest of the time she was there. Im pretty sure part of being a waitress is to tend to your customers and be nice to them. She didnt get the memo.
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Anthony Peele
Really a great part of the Wilmington food scene. Would recommend to casual groups of friends meeting up, or fun dates. Theyve crafted a fun atmosphere with a great menu to match. The menu feels like a dressed up California style Mexican cantina. I tried their carnitas burrito and it didnt disappoint - like any great burrito the meat was the feature and it wasnt drowning in sauce or fillings. Beer list is solid and offers a great selection, far beyond what you would normally pair with Mexican food, but makes for some fun choices. Really happy to see them prioritizing some emerging breweries too, so it shows a lot of dedication to supporting NC beer. Cocktail list seems solid - folks at my table enjoyed the house Margaritas. Deep fried brownie was fun and unexpected.
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Shannon H
The service was excellent, the food was great. From beginning to end the experience was wonderful. Everyone was friendly attentive and prompt we even were surprised to find we were speaking with one of the owners as she was approachable and great company. During a exchange we had revealed that that morning we had gotten engaged and they surprised us with dessert and congratulations. Thank you for making an already great day even better. The margaritas were fresh & delicious as well as the fish tacos. When we visit Wilmington this will be our go to place!
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Liam Wong
You can go to taco bell and pick up a bottle of jack and a 6 pack all for the same service and probably an eigth of the time it takes at the same price. So save your money, fellow patrons that probably went there for the beer. From other reviews I can already tell they have automated responses from a robot or a customer representative that knows hows to Crtl+C his previous responses because the first one seemed so professional. Thanks for a below mediocre service! Ill be awaiting my cookie cutter response.
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Kevin Thompson
The Beer Braised Beef is one of the best meats Ive ever tasted. The flavors of the ingredients mix so well together. Ive tried the tacos and the bowls so far. Tequila chicken, beer brined pork... both amazing. The Guacamole is probably the best Ive ever had. Not to mention the beer selection is always interesting! I try something new each time I visit, as the taps are always rotating to new beers. The atmosphere is also a winner. The staff, service, chef, owner, everything. Its a new favorite for sure!
