Barrio - Grand Rapids

Myself and a friend went down to El barrio for a light dinner. The restaurant didn’t seem crazy busy, and I wasn’t paying attention to my watch, but it took a considerable time to take our order. Once the order was placed, it took 40 minutes for the order to arrive at our table, and my friends entrée was cold. The waitress apologized, but didn’t really specify what the problem was. Although one menu item was comped, The entire visit was subpar to say the least. Cannot recommend the restaurant and cannot see us going back

Tacos were so good I almost slipped into a food coma. Great prices and amazing drinks! Ate during happy hour and Maddie recommended the perfect rims for my frozen margaritas every time. Loved the food and drinks!

Wonderful experience for my first time in Grand Rapids. Food was fast and very tasty. The wait staff was super fast and helpful! Also loved the music vibes… five stars for an excellent experience! Definitely will be back!

Service and atmosphere were great. I was a little disappointed in the food. My bowl was mostly rice. Very little meat. The menu/ordering was cool.

TLDR: I struggle with leaving bad reviews, which, for me, is anything under 5 stars, but I have to leave 3 stars to remind myself that these tacos just aren’t my fave. I started writing Google reviews, in all honestly, because I have a fairly poor memory and needed a way to remind myself whether or not I like a restaurant so that I don’t waste time going someplace I don’t love. This was my second visit here- I didn’t remember visiting the first time because the food was mid and the service was awkward and tbh, incorrect. We experienced this on our second visit as well. What’s good: the ambience! The decor/walls are cool and interesting. The bathroom is nice too! What’s not so good: the menus they have you fill out are tedious, like a scantron you fill out during testing or voting, so you’d think that the orders would be correct since you, the guest, needs to spend this time filling out these sheets. For the second time in a row, my boyfriend filled out his sheet, was served something different than what he ordered, was argued with by the server who said he ordered the thing he did not order, and then when the sheet was brought out as proof, the server was able to see that my bf was correct, the kitchen was wrong, and the order was not correct. The server apologized and offered to bring what he ordered. It had taken so long to get our food that he just had them remake one of the tacos and ate the other two that they brought because he was too hungry to wait. I realized after eating that I didn’t take any good pics other than the queso 🤦🏼‍♀️… I was hungry and just dug in. I had ordered a CAMARÓN AGRIETADO (flour shell, jalapeño lime shrimp, cilantro-lime rice, verde slaw, crack sauce) and another build your own taco. Both were very dry and not very flavorful. I remembered feeling this was the last time we visited as well, but it had been a year so I had hoped that the kitchen would figure things out by now. Keep in mind, I’m picky! This place was full of seemingly happy people, so maybe it’s just me and my boyfriend (and our two friends were had dinner with) that didn’t really like the tacos here, and if so, ignore this review as it’s just to remind myself about what I do and don’t like 😅. Also, as in my bio, if I like it, you’ll like it. If I don’t like it, you’ll probably still like it.

Came here for a quick bite to hold us over until dinner. The staff was lovely and attentive. Our waitress, Maddy, was a star - super personable, attentive and helpful with the menu. The ordering process was a bit confusing. I ended up getting one of the special tacos and queso. My friend customized al pastor and shrimp tacos. We both got margaritas that were discounted for HH. Unfortunately, we weren’t in love with anything besides the chips and dip. The tacos need a bit more authenticity to hit the mark. One positive is that the servings are quite large so you get a nice bang for your buck.

Dog friendly patio, good food and service. A little noisy by 20 Monroe and Van Andel, but good for people watching while you eat. Reasonable prices and friendly service

Fun Vibe, Delicious Tacos, but Service Could Be Better. This taco restaurant has a fun, lively atmosphere with both indoor and outdoor seating, which makes for a great dining experience. The tacos were absolutely delicious – flavorful, fresh, and cooked perfectly! You filled out an "order form" to choose your taco options, which was a fun and easy way to customize the meal to your taste. However, the service needs improvement. It took forever to get greeted and seated, even though the restaurant wasn’t busy at all. Once we were seated, our waiter was slow to fill our waters, and it was difficult to get their attention when we were ready for the bill. Despite the service hiccups, the food and vibe were fantastic, so I’d definitely come back. I'm just hoping for quicker service next time!