Barrio - Grand Rapids

My Día de Los Muertos experience at Barrio was tremendous. It was an absolute awesome opportunity to sit and eat and enjoy the food of Spanish-Ameican Latin based Tex-Mex. The opportunity I'm Grand Rapids to enjoy this eatery is brand new, and with so many options to dine Downtown Grand Rapids; I am glad to know I made a great decision. I had black beans which were exquisite. I topped them with items of my choosing would will leave you reading to want to try the options a whole lot more. I had a balanced bowl of tortilla chips and a beverage of my enjoyment. Having and understanding of the art as I observed the football game made my food so much more of a rich opportunity. I definitely encourage you to dine at Barrio. Food, drinks, and even an outdoor patio to enjoy during the autumn season. Check out a venue for entertainment in Grand Rapids and eat at Barrio.

I used Barrio to cater my best friend’s baby shower and it was delicious! Everyone raved about the food. They were great to work with! Highly recommend using them for catering events!

It's hard to tell if they are a sit down casual dining restaurant, or a fast-food restaurant dressed up in pretend mode. I got the BYO-rice bowl. First off, the flavors were very good, but that's where the positive review ends. The food comes out in plastic baskets with paper bowls, and PLASTIC FORKS!?! I truly felt like I was in a high-school cafeteria. It's a shock to expectations based on the feel of the restaurant, and the pricing, to be served in a fashion at home at a local Taco Bell. The food was just warm in temperature. Warm enough to eat, but barely. As for the rice, there was so much of it undercooked!! Few things are less appetizing than getting a raw, hard crunch of undercooked rice of your teeth. It's really something to serve a rice bowl with little raw rice landmines sprinkled throughout. Finally, the ratios of the rice bowl are just off. The amount of rice is about 95%. I personally ordered two proteins (tofu and black beans) to attempt a better ratio, but they charge more, and then reduce the amount of each protein by half. Again, the flavors were good, but the total meal was just not. The chips provided are also sad. I get better chips out of bags from the grocery store. I gave them 2 stars because the flavor of the tofu and salsa were enjoyable, even if I don't plan to ever return. Wait staff was OK. There seemed to be plenty available, our server was certainly not having a good day, but perhaps that was a blip?

Stopped in with friends for a drink while waiting for doors to open before an event at GLC Live. I tried one of their signature cocktails. It was okay, but I don't expect to love every cocktail I try, so I'm fine with that. Service was good. A couple people that were with me tried some food and said they liked it. I would go back and try a different drink next time and perhaps some food.

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.

I have yet to come to this restaurant after multiple visits and not leave feeling satisfied. The food is always delicious with very fair portions. The staff is always friendly, and they have always taken the food sensitivities that my family has seriously. The location next to van andel arena is also wonderful. Makes for a great outing to Grand Rapids. Close to parking in close to the venue for sporting events, concerts, and more.

Barrio catered our wedding in September 2024 and the food was a hit! We got so many compliments. I would recommend Barrio to anyone that has a catered event. Photos taken by Anvil and Lace Photography

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.

Ok let me start by saving you all money and time, DO NOT EAT HERE. Unless of course you like to waste your money and have absolutely no pallet. Absolutely unauthentic, bland flavorless. The guacamole taste like nothing, just avocado. The super hot hot sauce, is just that. No flavor! just hot. Absolutely disappointed that I wasted my money on this garbage. The location is the only thing good about it. I should've known as there was only three people in the entire restaurant eating. Chipotle is 10 times better than this garbage. I'm sure the chef's eat Taco Bell after work thinking that that's authentic.

Was before a concert but still no excuse, really slow. Took them over 10 mins to come to me or even acknowledge me. I gave them a 2 because they are super close to Van andle and the drink was good. They were not friendly. Ladies bathroom only had one working stall. Limited bar. Drink I had was traverse city cherry whisky with starry and grenadine.

Had a pleasant experience at Barrio recently following a concert at 20 Monroe live! We walked in around 11pm on a Saturday and there was still a good amount of people dining in. Once the concert let out at Van Andel there was also a steady stream coming in. It's nice to have late night options for dining! They brought chips and salsa to our table. I liked the chips. The salsa was okay! It was a little too vinegary for my specific tastes but we still ate it! We all ordered 2 tacos each and this was more than enough! They are huge servings. I wasn't sure what to expect but the tacos were SO good. Tasted super fresh and all the flavors melded well together. I like that they do a hard shell inside of a soft shell, having 2 textures in one bite is awesome. I will definitely be back here to try more in the future. They have a fun space with nice decor and a good sized margarita menu.

Stopped in for a drink and some food prior to our concert. Loved the open air atmosphere. Got a margarita on the rocks and it tasted great. I don't drink so I was happy that it didn't taste like tequila. We got the queso blanco and chips. We had to send it back because the cheese was not warm. They said it was probably cause the salsa is cold when they mix it in to the cheese. They brought a new one. It was warmer. The cheese looked like it was separating after we ate a few bites. We made our own taco. I got the steak. I was not happy with the steak. It was mushy, not like I was expecting, grilled would have been great. It just didn't look appealing. Taste was ok. My friend got the chicken and she said it was good. I liked the convenience to the venue.

Surprisingly really good. I'm not a big taco guy but this place surprised me. Fairly good price, staff was super friendly, would go to again.

Lively atmosphere and you can order your tacos on a sheet (similar to sushi orders). There were plenty of choices for make your own with protein choice, cheese, toppings, and shell type. I opted for make your own. They were ok, nothing special. The rice and beans side I ordered came in condiment small containers. Found both to be very salty. You get chips and salsa on the house which is nice. Place had a good crowd (there was a griffins game and concert that night). Probably would not go here again as there are better taco food joints.

Great service! The food and drinks were top notch! I liked the build your own approach to customize my meal. And the portions were huge!

One of the best stops on my trip to Grand Rapids. Located downtown on Ottawa Ave, few steps from The Bob. Fabulous food, fabulous drinks. Great vibe sit inside or outdoor dining. Definitely a cool place to chill have a drink. Friendly service reasonable pricing, hip cool hang out. Eat in or takeout. had the good fortune of fabulous service on my visit.

Waitress was very attentive and kind. She patiently explained how to order. The food was very delicious. We ordered a quesadilla, a shrimp bowl, one build your own chicken taco, and two build your own steak taco. I ordered the Shamrock Shmash and it was very tasty. It had ginger beer in it and I love drinks with ginger beer in them. Love the paintings on the wall and the overall atmosphere. This is the 3rd time I've been here and will definitely be back!

What a fantastic place. I was in Grand Rapids for the day and needed food before I went on the road back to Chicago. I had 2 vegan tacos. Delish! Photos show the artwork, which I enjoyed very much too. Go here when in the area

awesome bar service on a chilly october evening. had a nice cocktail with a fresh lime while waiting for my to go tacos, which were still hot by the time i got home. everything was fresh and flavorful. good value and will be back with pals again soon

I'd like to leave a 3.5 star review, I think that would be most accurate. We were in town for a concert at 20 Monroe Live and I chose this restaurant because it's nearby. We put out name in for a table for 7 on a Saturday night. The wait was less than quoted, but they crammed us into a pretty small table. While we waited we grabbed some margaritas. They were pretty good, I got one with. Tajin rim, unfortunately the other salted margs were made with sugar instead, so that was disappointing. We sat down and found the ordering system confusing and complicated with too many options. Most of us just ordered pre-designed menu items, vs making our own creations. The food was just average, I was impressed with the option for cauliflower rice in the bowl. That was a nice option for low carb diners. The tacos were a pretty good size, the side of rice or beans was the smaller plastic cup (like a cup that sauce would come in). The cilantro lime rice had little flavor, good thing it was a tiny cup.

Visiting from San Diego and never been to Barrio Taco. The tacos were out here bussin today. Not a single thing was dry or lacked flavor. Brianna was serving us and I gotta say, it was peak service. Not because she was the finest woman on the planet but because she was funny, sweet and had plenty of suggestions. Definitely would come back if I visit again.

I was really excited to try this place with my girlfriends before an event in town. It wasn't perfect, but the food was good enough, and there are other items I would like to go back and try. The ambience is pretty cool. I love all the artwork on the walls and the lights above the bar. It would be nice if there were coat and purse hooks somewhere. We were seated at a high-top and it was snowy out, but the seats are just barstools so we didn't really have a good spot to set any of our things. Next time I'd definitely request to be at a regular table so I can at least utilize the back of my chair. I don't love the ordering system. There are sheets to build your own tacos, or there is a separate sheet to order El Jefe's Selecciones. The options themselves are good, but I don't love how much paper they're going through. As for food, I ordered two tacos from El Jefe's: el vegano and el sully. The flavors were really good, and I appreciate the double shells so they don't fall apart as much. I just don't love how messy eating tacos can be, so next time I'd order as a bowl instead. However, they do have rolls of paper towels at the table, so that does help with messiness, though it again could really lead to a lot of excess waste. I'd rather use one wet nap than go through multiple paper towels. We also split a queso and chips. The chips were good, and I don't remember them being excessively greasy. We just had the queso fresco. Thankfully it does come with a salsa as well. We found the queso to be pretty bland, so we mixed in some of the salsa and it was definitely an improvement. The food was pretty good, albeit messy. They have a decent beer selection, as well as a full bar and some really tasty looking margaritas. Service was fine. Ambience was fun. Wait time was low. Overall it was a decent experience, and I will go back, but with different expectations.

My very very Picky Wife and I stopped in for a Dranks and Some chips and salsa. Since we were not from the area we asked for drink and food suggestions and happened to have Katie helping us at the bar and she was amazing! Let her know what we liked drink wise and she whipped up some great Marg's and even advised the best ideas for add ons for the Chips and Salsa. Thanks Katie for the great experience

I wanted some hearty meal after a tiresome biz trip and saw this taco joint. Looked good enough so ordered 4tacos and some extra jalapeño to go. I loved the packaging and presentation. However, all of the three types were salty as corned beef. I liked the crunchy shell, but what's up with flour shell wrap? Wannabe Taco Bell crunch and soft chalupa? And the one with bacons, the bacon strips too burnt they tasted like charcoal. After all, I could only eat two because my tongue was getting numb from saltiness. Oh, even the jalapeños were salty. I never had salted jalapeños before. Not worth the $26 I spent on them. Go find different tacos. These aren't really tacos.

We used to LOVE this place but now they are so slow and not great... we didn't get greeted and sat for 30 minutes tonight, and they told us they would give us the Griffins discount of bogo tacos (which we've done for years) and then told us it no longer worked AFTER we ordered the double tacos... just not really organized anymore which sucks.

Nastiest taco place I have ever had and I've had a lot. Their build your own taco or bowl is a joke. I ordered a bowl. The bowl was eaten in like 4 bites. Small. The chicken was similar to wet dog food. Unseasoned, cubed and tasteless. Would not recommend at all.

This regional chain opened a location in downtown Grand Rapids recently. Nate and I went to the location in East Lansing and really liked it, so we stopped in on a sunny Saturday afternoon right when they opened at 3 pm. They just opened a couple days ago, but there were plenty of employees ready to serve customers. The menu consists of some specialty tacos, a bowl option, chips and dips, and a full list of options to customize your own tacos or bowl. The build your own section of the menu is pretty overwhelming, but I do want to try it some time. On this visit we got el vegano, el sully, la tierra, and el jefe loco. Each of these tacos have a double shell - a soft tortilla wrapped around a hard shell, with stuff in between. If you've been to Condado Tacos, it's a similar vibe and menu. The tacos are interesting with great textures from the double shells. El sully and la tierra were a bit spicy. I really enjoyed all the tacos but I think el jefe loco was my favorite. La tierra had big slices of steak, which made it a little difficult to eat. I'd rather have the steak be cut into smaller pieces. The house salsa you get with chips is a little smoky and spicy. We didn't get drinks but they have a bunch of different margarita options to choose from and a full bar. Our server was awesome - he mentioned he came over from the East Lansing location to help out. He clearly knew the menu well and was super polite and quick with service. The space is decent sized inside and they have a nice patio off the side. This place will be super popular with its proximity to downtown and its entertainment venues. Hoping to check out their weekend brunch soon!

Hmmm. After a show at VanAndel, 4 of us popped into this place for a meal. In this bizarre experiment of a place, one must sit with a pencil and paper and fill out this bizarre form in order to eat tacos. Yes, choices are fun, but spending 20 minutes in a dimly lit uncomfortable table trying to figure out which column to put information down to try to get a taco I'd like? Not so much! As it turned out, the waitress had to redo my stupid form FOR ME. Skip it and spend time with friends elsewhere. Tacos were stingy and the "sides" came in tiny plastic cups.

Post late night disco dancing "snack". It was verrry late in the evening so the food came out quickly. You can customize your tacos or choose menu options. I wouldn't say come here for legit tacos, but definitely come for tasty ones! Decor was fun.

Came here before the Chappell Roan concert! Great walking distance to venues like the Van Adel and Intersection. Not too busy for a weekend late lunch. As a lover of building my own meals, it was fun choosing toppings on paper. Would recommend the tofu and mushroom as protein bases.

During a recent "girls weekend" we came in for food and drinks. The wait time for our table of six was minimal. Not sure if the chips and salsa are house made but they we exceptional! Our server, Caty was the best. She made some really great suggestions and we loved everything, especially the margaritas! I was particularly impressed with her attention to detail. She check on us often (we were there a loooong time!) and she was able to keep up with the goofy, sassy group of us. We appreciated her sense of humor and we will definitely be back to see her. Thanks for the great food and fabulous sevice!​

Great service, good food. Waitress was very accommodating, and with a big party was willing to split check and pay attention to details.

It was not a great place to get a taco. The tortillas were right out of the package, they were out of several of their sauces. Flavors were good, unheated tortillas is hard to overlook, considering it's a taco place. The best thing we ordered were the black beans, but they come in a serving the size of a ramekin. Idk, expected a lot more for the hype.

Food was terrible! Portions are super small, there was no flavor in the steak or chicken. They got multiple orders wrong in a row. Overall, never going back. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND!!

The food and ambiance are fantastic at every Barrio. But the service here was shaky at best. Sat at the bar rail. Bartender had no one else to attend to except for me. Never really got checked on. Her friends showed up and she just stood there chatting them up. Not a good bartender. Put her on tables.

The bowls got me here- I'm sold and will be back. If you're a fan of Mexican bowls - this is your spot. A step up from Condado - as they offered warm cauliflower rice in their bowls. Decent prices, fast service, and a good atmosphere- check it out!

I come here almost every time I'm in Grand Rapids. On our last visit we sat at the bar and Katie was very pleasant. She explained the menu to my friend and made great drink suggestions. The brunch is soooo good

Excellent service. Cool location as it's right hi the steam so solid people watching g spot. Great draft beer selection great prices as well. Tacos though.... Temp seemed off. The shrimp ones lacked flavor. I did get one with mushrooms and bacon that were delicious. Complaint is the flour tortillas are t home made. They have to be to even be at the table. Automatic disqualifier for me to consider them among the elite. I know this is Grand Rapids and not California so I get it. All in all, good place for drinks. Would return

Food - terrible. Food was served 45-60 minutes after we ordered. Tacos were cold. And steak tacos were burnt. Service - appeared waitress made effort not to look at our table or check on her tables Drinks - the chips and drinks were the only good thing. Restaurant vibe - cool art and scene. Just don't go here if you are looking for a good taco.

We only came for drinks, but I'm excited to come back for tacos sometimes! The atmosphere was so cool and the art was all great! We did smash on some of their chips and salsa, and the salsa was superb. The drinks were yummy, but relatively weak. Would suggest getting a double if you're looking for a boozier flavor.

First off excellent! I wish I was able to eat more, these tacos were fabulous. Love how you get exactly what you want on your tacos. The service was excellent. They were extremely helpful and gave you space. Got our food and drinks very quickly.

Went here for a late night dinner this weekend and really enjoyed the experience! I've been to the Lansing location, so I was pumped to see one open in Grand Rapids. I also like that it gives some competition to Condado which has a similar vibe. My boyfriend got three of the a la carte tacos and I did two build your own. I did a rice and beans taco and a mushroom taco and the mushroom was SO good. The margaritas we got were pretty good too! The highlight for me was the queso, honestly. We got the one with rice and WOW it was fantastic. Service was good, not the best I've had but far from the worst. We sat outside on their patio and it was soooo cute. Love the string lights they have out there! Also love that they're open late! Overall I think this is a great place to eat, and I'm really glad they put this in downtown :)

Love their outdoor patio, but they need to provide some umbrellas or some shade on hot, sunny days. I got absolutely fried sitting outside for lunch the other day. Not one bit of shade on the patio around lunchtime.

Really friendly stuff and excellent food. Excellent tacos and bowls. You can build your own. Unique beers on tap as well.

Was excited to try this place out- we always drive by and finally decided to check it out. The chicken is canned chicken- would not recommend.

came in on a saturday around 2:30pm, quick and friendly service! super convinient walkable location for nearby concert venues. not the place to go to for authentic tacos, but were yummy all the same. lots of vegetarian options too!

First time customer, I did take out & the tacos that I got were amazing, will definitely eat here again

Great ambience friendly service tacos are amazing!! And be ready for lots of choices!

Delicious tacos, great service. Sat outside, great vibe. Would highly recommend if tacos are your thing!!

Good tacos. Word up. They do it right in the barrio. Make sure you eat the tacos. I would recommend the tacos

The chef selection tacos have too much going on - too many toppings, too many flavors and ordered plain tacos with meat, cilantro and onions and the meat was flavorless and dry...can't win! Buffalo chicken queso was good interesting but luke warm...thick bacon side was not so thick and that was not warm either. Service was attentive and cool.

Food was okay, I ordered online and ETA for pickup was way off, food was cold and soggy when I picked it up. I'll try it again I think it would have been better to eat in the restaurant vs takeout.

Kind of surprised this is a chain because the build-your-own taco just doesn't seem like it's helpful to diners. Either that or the four other people I ate with aren't cool enough to enjoy it. There are so many options here and I'm not sure that's a good thing. They have "El Jefe's Selections," but even that's kind of limited. Their tacos are all pretty big, so I guess they have that going for them. It's almost impossible not to like the double-wrapped taco, but I've found with every double-wrapped taco I've had that has cheese in the middle, that's the majority of taste you get, so it usually doesn't matter what's in the middle. I like that they do some stuff like Gochujang BBQ and Thai Chili, but nothing really stood out to me. The tacos are good. The margaritas are... decent. If you have anxiety, are you going to have a panic attack building your own taco? Probably.

Nice variety of "Choose Your Own" tacos with many different ingredients that are a "Step Above" your typical taco places. Fun atmosphere and perfect pre - Van Andel event stop as it's right across the street.

The best thing was Ana who finally got my no ice drink request correct. Most servers get it wrong. NO ICE! She gave just the right amount of attention to us and helped us fill out our request slips. The decor is very cute and has outdoor dining. We ordered the jalapeño bacon taco, a pulled pork, ground sirloin and the bowl item. Chips and salsa came with. Horrible salsa. Not homemade I hope. If you want real Mexican food don't go here. The popper taco had flavor but was hard to chew. Instead of thick bacon use two or three regular ones so there's crunch. The pulled pork had very little spices and flavor. Ground sirloin? In that sauce? I think not. It was like a sloppy joe taco. Our drinks were great. Pepsi and an Arnold Palmer served exactly as requested. Great service. Not so great food.

Went to Barrio with high hopes - dashed by awful margaritas that were nearly entirely sour mix, bland salsa, and flavorless tacos. On top of that, service was very sluggish for a Sunday night - few tables were occupied, but it took 5 minutes to get acknowledged at the host stand and the food service itself was slow. In the words of Paul Hollywood: all style, no substance.

SO GOOD. Seriously their tacos are incredible (if you get the right ingredients since they are mostly BYO) I cant stop going here. i've taken everyone that visits me here and all have said it's the best taco they've ever had. The house salsa is also great, couldn't get enough. My friends and I went through an unreal amount of it and it still wasn't enough. Definitely worth a try