Barrio Star

Cool little place with outdoor seating. Dog friendly. Bar and indoor seating available. I mostly enjoyed the fries out of what we ordered. I found the food looked beautiful but what I tried wasn't for me. I had the tamal carnitas. It was dry. The jasmine rice and black beans bland. I plucked the carnitas from the tamal and ate that and the steamed kale. The torta was okay. The fries were perfection! Quite pricey! Didn't get a chance to try the cocktails but it seems they'd be good. Price here is too expensive imo. Ambiance and atmosphere were great. Might be nice to enjoy some fries and a cocktail and hang out

We stopped into Barrio Star on Cinco de Mayo, and while it was understandably very busy, the staff did a great job attending to everyone as quickly as possible. We ordered the margarita flight and the marg of the month (mango chamoy) was delicious—highly recommend! My husband had the steak tacos, and I went with the mixed taco plate—everything was pretty good overall. I especially appreciated that they hand-make all of their corn tortillas—such a nice touch. All in all: lively vibe, good service, and decent food. Would go back to try more!

This was our first time at Barrio Star & we were not disappointed. The homemade chips & salsa were delicious. The blood orange margarita was a good pour and flavorful. The tacos were all good .. although my favorite was the steak taco. The meat was tender & had a nice smokey flavor. The tortillas were homemade and thick, so they did not fall apart even packed with meat. The staff were all welcoming and helpful. We will go back again.

I went there for a business meeting and was blown away by the killer food and vibe rocking at this restaurant. It reminded me of the restaurant El Camino that used to be in Little Italy. The chip and salsa were great but you have to get the guacamole. It compliments the chips so well. The lunch hour on a Friday wasn’t very busy so we got great service. I am sure service would be good when it’s busier too. The decor in the restaurant was super cool and I am sure I’ll bring my wife here for a date night soon.

Great atmosphere, great service and good food. Note they add a 4% kitchen fee to all tabs.

The server did a great job. Bartender was a touch rude when we were standing in the door, and he didn't look like he was in the weeds. Maybe just a tough day or he was covering multiple tables I didn't see. What others are saying about soggy tacos or food that just tastes odd, I would agree. A $30 surf and turf bowl was barely edible, particularly the steak which tasted like it had soy sauce as a marinade. Cucumber salad was decent. The chicken wings had overwhelming flavor. Reminds of a restaurant trying to cover poor meat quality with seasonings and sauces. I originally came to Barrio Star about 12 years ago and it's location and seating is wonderful. I've likely dined there about a dozen times since. It's changed. Chef, if you are listening, please consider some of the recipes and feedback here in the comments. Watery slaw, soggy tacos, and overly salted foods are not necessary. Maybe it was an off day, but according to the comments it looks like this is consistent.

We had the potato tacos and the Brazil bowl. So flavorful. Was the best food I've had this year!

This was our first and LAST time here. I ordered the fish tacos and substituted the rice & beans for tortilla soup ($4 extra). I asked for my tortilla to be "crisp" and the waiter said, they "hand press" corn tortillas to order. I told him I didn't want cold tortillas. Well, the tortilla soup tasted & looked like baby food with a teaspoon of corn on top. My fish tacos, where do I start,,, the THAI (at a Mexican restaurant, smh) slaw was SO watery is softened the tortillas. I had to pour out the water!!! The fish was cold. The put paprika on the chips and fries. Chile tasted like tomatoe with paprika. When the waiter came to give us the check, he asked if everything was alright. My husband lied, being a nice person. When I told him what was wrong, he got defensive credited my meal and sung a bunch of excuses. I told him the server never checked if we needed anything. I had to flag her down to get an extra plate (which I never got). To me this is a beginner restaurant.

Yummy unique food! Staff is very nice and friendly. Blood orange margaritas are to die for.. But I was the only one at the bar and they refused to change the tv from the sports station to something more entertaining. A they weren't comfortable replacing meat with rice on a bowl item. So I had chips and salsa:(

this place is okay the service is fine however the food is a bit dry and the waiter spilled water on me because the tables are leaning on an angle... warning for other customers beware update: this food is absolutely TERRIBLEEE! it costed me well over $200 for 3 meals, old and dried out steak, under cooked shrimp, over priced alcohol.

We got a table around 7:15pm, got waters around 7:40pm but no one took our drink or food orders and we ended up leaving altogether around 7:45pm. We went here to contribute to Dining Out for Life but this location is not prepared to deal with a packed house. We understand the experience would be affected by the event but service was very poor and unacceptable for patron who are willing to give a place a chance despite a lot of natives disagreeing on the quality of the tacos here for the price you're paying. I feel it's fair to only comment because we went to another participating event venue and drinks came out to our table in under 10mins and we got service and someone take our money to support the cause. They are experienced with crowds and how to deliver efficient service!

Brunch was awesome. Had an avocado egg item off the brunch menu. Made some breakfast tacos and added a little of the spicy habanero salsa. Saved some of the regular salsa for mixing in with the rest of the eggs which were stuffed with tons of avocado. Very attentive service and friendly ambiance.

Was looking for the best Chile relleno in San Diego online and I came across Barrio Star with some pretty positive reviews. You have to pay for chips and salsa which at least in my experience is not the case for most sit down restaurants especially in the context of some pretty expensive prices on the menu ($30 for a surf and turf bowl really???) I ordered my drink just shortly after being seated and received it about 20 minutes later after my entree had already arrived and reminding our very kind waiter previously. The Chile relleno was pretty underwhelming. The rice that it came with was a little on the undercooked side and the chorizo was super salty, though I will say the serving size is quite generous. Ambiance was good but definitely not proportional to menu prices. The drink was definitely spicy but I feel like the blackberry element was not as present which would've made it much better.

Great service Carnitas tacos Shrimp tacos Birria tacos Enjoyed the brunch vibes! Very San Diego :) will definitely come back! Ismael and Victor are awesome !!!

Fish tacos were fresh and very tasty. Large thick piece of white fish. Chips and salsa were not my favorite, but they were okay. Service was fast and very friendly. Restaurant is clean and well appointed. My favorite was actually the chicken tortilla soup. Small portion but very tasty and slightly spicy.

I've been to Barrio Star a few times and just now getting around to posting a review. It is a convenient spot on the corner in bankers hill and is a great place to meet up with larger groups of friends. The service has always been rather quick as well as the food service and the food has been pretty decent. On this occasion I got the tortilla soup but didn't realize you had to add chicken for +$4. The soup was delicious and I would come back here just for the soup. I also think I prefer coming here during the summer when they open up the garage door-like window and it was especially cold in there this occasion. We asked them to close the front door which they said they keep proped so people know they are open. They did close it halfway but it was still cold by SD standards.

I have been coming to Barrio Star since it opened years ago! Barrio Star seems to have had a struggle keeping enough staff recently for how busy it gets, and it was good seeing more servers and more people at the restaurant on Friday than I have seen in awhile! I have been frequenting it more often since moving to Bankers Hill, and wanted to shout out Paola for being an amazing, attentive server! Paola checked in with us often, and had such a sweet, sunny personality. I appreciate the good service and amazing food!!

I have driven by here many times, but it has always been crowded, but we were driving around and there were some open table on the 5th street patio, so we came in. I waited at the host stand for a few minutes before someone came to say hello. They were pretty busy, and it looked like there were only two servers working the floor. We like the fact that it is dog friendly, even inside! One dog really wanted to say "hi" to Cako. I ordered a bottle of the malbec and the Barrio Fries to start. The fries had a nice balance of flavors. I ordered the fish tacos for dinner and Daveed ordered the chicken torta. He liked the way the chicken was prepared but the roll was not very good, which makes a difference. My fish was prepared well, and I liked how the rice came out with the beans on top with corn and sauces. Our server brought out water for Cako which we appreciated. She was able to say "hello" to several dogs, including the one from the inside, between the patio railing. There were a number of people walking in the neighborhood which was nice to see. They also had a guitarist playing which was really nice. My only complaint would be the lack of heaters on the patio, as it did get a little chilly. Unless they were there and weren't on or I didn't see them. But other than that, it was a pleasant evening. Cako Approves!

I'm torn with this review because the owner and bar tender are really nice, but my partner and I simply did not like the flavor profile of the tacos. They marinate the steak in teriyaki, which in my opinion doesn't belong on a taco. Aside from the birria (which the bar tender recommended), the other tacos (carnitas and steak) had a weird overall flavor profile for tacos. I just moved nearby so really want to love this place as a nice Mexican restaurant! But with the twist on flavors currently being served I can't see myself using this as our go-to spot anytime soon :( A shout-out to the owner for hustling! I think the menu would benefit from a sub-section called "traditional tacos" for those of us who are looking for Mexican food at a Mexican restaurant.

Happy hour review! Came here around 4pm to give it a try. $5 tacos al a carte, each taco was a good size, bigger than street taco size for sure! I enjoyed the carnitas taco and steak taco. Blood orange margarita wasn't the best...it tasted like it was from a mix. Chicken wings were bomb! Super flavorful and had quite a nice kick to them. Our server/bartender was super attentive and started off strong but did close us out early at 5pm before we were done so I found that a bit rushed. Interior has nice high tables that could sit a big group and a few small tables & bar. Nice amount of seating etc outside too. Cons: Don't like the 4% SURCHARGE bs, and paying your tab the tip suggestions are 20-35% lmao

The food was incredible, I recommend the queso fundido and chile relleno, must try if you're in San Diego!

The bartender was so sweet but the food was bad. We got 4 different tacos and the queso fundido. The presentation was horrible and looked like garbage but it tasted worse. We had two margaritas each which were good but couldn't finish them because we felt sick from the food. Our bill was 126.00 and we felt scammed. We're shocked how many good reviews there are.

Came here for a date (didn't go well, don't ask) and I'm thankful for the quick service I received that got me out of there quickly. I enjoyed being able to sit at the open window area and look outside while enjoying my meal. I got their Roasted Jalapeno Blackberry Margarita to start. It had the perfect amount of spice, but I was disappointed that I couldn't taste any blackberry whatsoever. I'm not sure what the point of adding it in was. We started with gaucamole, salsa and chips. The guacamole wasn't anything special. It honestly tasted like plain avocado, so I'm guessing there was no spices or anything added to it. The salsa was really good! I ended up adding it to my tacos as well. My date and I split the Carnitas tacos and the Carne Asada tacos. I didn't care for the carne asada very much as it was pretty dry and flavorless. However, the carnitas were the complete opposite! Juicy and incredibly flavorful! I was really happy with them. I asked for no beans for my side of rice and beans, but, sadly, I got beans AND they were placed on top of the rice, so I couldn't enjoy the rice at all. Honestly, these weren't even close to the best tacos I've ever had, but I would come back just for the carnitas tacos and I wouldn't mind trying one of their other margaritas.

Meh food is underwhelming and they claim all margs are skinny, but they're way too sweet. Staff is friendly!

Excellent service and food. I'm so happy this place was recommended to me. Not a local But when I come back to SD this will be a go to spot. Mike was AMAZING!!!!

Delicious tacos and margaritas! I had the margarita flight and the seafood taco flight lol I ended with my favorite...churros :-)

How can you not love this place? Jeremy, Paola, Lalo, Curtis, Frenchie, Ed, Ismael, Sarah, Victor, all kill it! The jalapeño blackberry is the best, and so is the coconut lime sauce. I'll come here until the day I die now that the tv has been cleaned #LFGSD #GKG

I went with a larger party (party of 15) and had a reservation. I'll start with the positives - margaritas were great, especially those pitchers! Ambiance was nice, there was a dude playing drums which was fun! All the plates are around $20, and while the food looked good, it was just alright. I got the steak tacos which have a sweet marinade and is more of a shredded texture - not what I expected but not necessarily bad. Churros were delicious (hot and crispy!) I understand we were a lot of people but service was really slow. Unfortunately I think we were overcharged - i calculated the automatic gratuity to be around 25%, which is just a lot given the service. Make sure to check the bill :)

Barry stars food and service is amazing! Birra tacos are excellent! Sarah our server was very attentive to us and ensured our experience was pleasant. I appreciate the hospitality. We will be coming back!

We have been here a few times and it is always a great experience. Jeremy helped us out and he was awesome with great recs. We got some margaritas and decided blood orange was the favorite. We tried a variety of tacos and the tortillas are SO good! They make them in house which is a treat. Great casual spot with indoor and outdoor seating.

If you are in the area and love margaritas you have to order the flight! It is very cost efficient but yet extremely boozy. Worth every penny! You know what also goes well with margaritas? That's right - tacos. Luckily, restaurant got those too and they are on point!

Had the best time at Barrio Star. Service was amazing and my favorites were the Bloody Mary, empanadas, and Chilliquiles! Michael told us the Bloody Mary has 40 ingredients in their house recipe. YUM! Can't wait to come back.

We came here after a day of walking around Balboa Park because my wife wanted Mexican food. And we were so happy we wanted to come back the next day for lunch. Of course we had to try the margarita flight. They were all so good, but watch out for the jalapeño blackberry. It is no joke with the heat. Probably some of the best tacos I've ever had. I had the steak and it was well seasoned and not over-dressed. My wife had the carnitas tacos and whatever they marinate the carnitas in, I want the sauce. It was a really unique flavor, savory, a bit smoky, and so good. We wanted to try the homemade churros but we ran out of room. So much good food. This is maybe my new favorite taco place. Although I'd like to try their other dishes too. Next time we are in San Diego we will have to come back. We sat at the bar and ate during happy hour (before the evening crowd) so we had lots of time and they took good care of us. I would recommend this place for great food and drinks. So good!

Great pozole, terrible service. 40 minutes in without drinks and apps, then another hour before a single mediocre torta and a single bowl of soup. No discount plenty of apologies for the wait. Would have more sympathy if this wasn't the second time. Also saw a neighboring table fine and dash after failing to get any service to pay. Take some pride in your work...

Service was awful and we had to ask to order several times, it was hard getting someone over to our table. The manager told us that he was too busy to split the check. The restaurant wasn't even at half capacity, it was obvious he just wanted a bigger tip since we were a party of 8 and the 20% tip is automatically included in a larger bill. Will NOT be going back by any means.

Ate here last Sunday, food was delicious and service even better. Our table had the avocado omelette, which had to have at least a whole avocado in it. A salad with chicken added which was huge, and the breakfast tacos, very tasty and couldn't finish. Live music a plus. Give it a try I don't think you will be disappointed.

Food was old and under cooked. Prices are too high. It's a shame, used to be a good please to eat.

Went to Barrio Star on a Wednesday afternoon around 3pm. There were one or two other occupied tables. Service was extremely spotty. Our waiter seemed distracted. The waiter took our drink orders and told us he'd be back with waters for the table. We got our drinks and had to ask for the waters. Ordered an appetizer that didn't come until after the entrees when we asked. (They did take it off the bill.) The food and drinks were great. My Birria tacos were flavorful and the consommé was tasty also. My husband's Chile relleno was also good with lots of carnitas. If you're looking for a very laid back dining experience where you don't mind reminding your waiter of your requests, this is your place.

I was so excited to try this place but really disappointed and it made me sad due to the fact that I had read the reviews online and it looked good. Let me start by saying that the employees were nice, friendly, and attentive. This review is solely based on the food quality. I came here for dinner before heading over to December nights at Balboa. I was so excited to grab some Mexican food for dinner since I hadn't had it in a while. My friend and I each ordered a taco plate, a cocktail, and shared the guacamole and chips. The guac and chips were the best dish that we ordered. The taco plates were an utter disappointment. I got the birria tacos... the birria was dry, not seasoned well, and overly spicy. As a San Diegan native, I know what good Mexican food tastes like and I have high expectations based on a lot of the great restaurants that we have in San Diego. I love some good spice, but spicy doesn't mean anything if there is no true flavor. My friend got the chicken taco, potato taco, and the carnitas taco... again everything was on the dry side, overly spicy, and under seasoned/underspiced. The rice and beans for the sides were was one tiny little dollop of white rice and black beans with corn. So if you are into traditional pinto beans and Mexican rice... just be aware that this is not what you're getting. Again the people were nice, it was a cute enough place, but the food really was disappointing.

We had just arrived in town, and being in San Diego, we wanted Mexican food. The front desk at our hotel recommended barrio star. I'm very happy that they did. First, the place has a good vibe and the decor is very inviting. The staff is extremely friendly and provide excellent service. The food itself has a unique flair and was delicious. The nachos were as tasty as they were visually appealing. I had the steak tacos, and while it was not exactly what I expected, it was extremely tasty. It almost had a Barbacoa or burnt ends feel to it. My wife enjoyed her chicken tacos as well. The side of rice and beans is spot on. We enjoyed the churros for dessert, and they were cooked perfectly. Nice and warm with a slightly crunchy outside with soft center. So the food is very good, the staff rocks, and the pricing is fair based on taste quality and quantity.

Came here on a Tuesday night because my friend and I were looking for a small place to eat near Balboa park past 8pm. This place is very dive-y feel and probably a local staple to the surrounding community. I can't really expect fine dining and the food was average. It's like Mexican food with American influence, which is okay for some, but I wanted more depths of flavors in my tacos and drinks. The portions are on the smaller side so be prepared to order a second entree or even a second appetizer to share! The service however was really good. Even though there was only 1 waiter and a bartender, the restaurant was slow enough that he was very attentive to our table, plus they have outdoor seating for the summer nights! Will definitely be back to try other options and maybe more of their drink specials.

Great spot for margaritas and appetizers! Loved the Brazilian bowl. Delicious!! Will definitely come back. FYI live music in the evenings!

There was a 4.00% BS surcharge that goes straight to the owners + 21.55% AUTOMATIC gratuity for a party of 6. If you want to have higher prices then just raise your prices. Adding over 25% to the bill automatically is dishonest. If I'm going to pay a large tip I want it ALL to go to the staff and I want it to be my choice.

This is one of the many reasons I love yelp!!! I was looking for a good Margarita and some great mexican food and Barrio Star with their Margarita flights and Mexican Comfort Food fit the bill. Marg Flight - 4 margarita flavors: Original, Blood Orange, Roasted Jalepeno Blackerry, Cucumber Lime. All were tasty but the Blood Orange was my fav! Homemade Chips & Salsa: Huge portion and the chips were really crunchy with tajin seasoning. Salsa was just the perfect chip foil! Free with checkin was Barrio Pepinos: Sliced Cucumber, Cumin Vinagrette, Red Chile, Cilantro & LIme. This was good but needed a little salt, Lucky my marg glasses had a salty rim!!! ;) Chicken Pozole Soup: Delicious and I am a hard critic because I think mine is the best! Pollo Diablo: Don't order this for one person! It was huge! So delicious! Think Mexican Chicken wings, but a whole half chicken. That Diablo sauce was so good and the Chili LIme sauce really complimented it! Also like a pound of rice and beans. Barrio Bowl: Really hearty rice bowl with Purple and Green Kale. Again huge portion and my son loved it! If you are still hungry they have homemade churros with Carmel, strawberry sauce, vanilla ice cream. whipped cream & fresh strawberres! I know! Sadly for us we over ordered and had zero crevices for this awesome dessert. Next time!! Our server/bartender Chris was attentive, friendly and effecient! Thanks Chris for your stellar service! Give this spot a try then walk across the bridge to Balboa Park to walk it off!!

My first time using deliver from Barrio Star. I was not disappointed. Everything was so tasty with fresh ingredients and delicious notes. They delivered to my front door. Felt like a god send.

I went there over the weekend with some friends. We got there and it was slow. Took a minute to get someone to tell us where to sit. We were told to pick a table and we all decided outside to enjoy the sun. After about 8-10 minutes someone came over and got us chips and drinks. Let's start there. Chips were meh. Stale and not authentic. Salsa tasted like tomato paste. Even Pace picante had more picante flavor. The guac was flavorless. They brought the drinks next and they were good. I assume this is there speciality and not the actual food. Everyone got a combination of things like the tacos, a plate, and bowl. Nothing tasted good. It was very bland and missing any sort of "Mexican" flavoring. It was a slow afternoon, so I can't imagine they were busy in the kitchen.

Great spot for brunch. Friendly staff, good food, good portions and flavor. Margarita was very tasty and strong.

We came in on a late Sunday morning, not busy at all, and it took a long time for our order to get taken and even a longer amount of time to get our food. I ordered chilaquiles from the brunch menu. It was obviously microwaved due to the burnt cheese and chips around the edge of the plate and all of the chips were a bed of soggy tortillas. No crunch at all. Very disappointing. In addition, I had ordered over easy eggs on top and it came out with scrambled eggs. They did serve me a side of over easy eggs and apologized. The other orders at our table were okay but definitely overpriced.

I love this amazing restaurant in Bankers Hill barriostarsd it's been here for over 12 years Featuring modern Mexican Soul Food, woven with bold Latin flavors and clever Asian touches. Enjoy our fresh and delicious dishes like Wonderful tacos and bowls, and don't forget their amazing Margaritas Come check them out very delicious they have amazing deals for Happy hours on Tacos and drinks, it's always great to hang out with my beautiful cousin

Such a fun little spot for date night, they even had some live music on a Friday night. I would definitely recommend making a reservation if you plan on coming on a weekend night, place was very busy. Luckily, we had reservations so we were seated quickly and got our order in in a timely manner. Our server Izzy was very attentive and friendly. Food was very flavorful. They have something on the menu for everyone. It was a little on the pricier side definitely not a spot I would frequent but somewhere I'd stop by every once in a while!

Hmmm, where to start. All good things must come to an end? It was last Sunday, blue skies, no wind, perfect day. We went to a festival at Balboa Park. Afterward we had a delicious, and strong margarita at The Prado. We walked back to the car, when we notice Barrio Star. Check it out? Why not. We sit down. On the menu we zero in on a pitcher of margarita, roasted jalapeno blackberry. Uh-oh, it's gonna be one of those days! We'll probably need to order an Uber home lol. We later decide to order nachos, but it takes a while for our waiter to return so we hail a couple of other staff to help. The nachos come but sans salsa. After digging in to a couple layers of the nachos, we notice a black hair embedded inside, which was definitely not from one of us. Oh no, wifey is gonna blow. She shows our waiter, Jeremy. What comes next caught my attention. He said it probably just blew in from the wind. . . Seriously? How about: 1. Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Or 2. Let me comp that for you. Or 3. Would you like to try something else on the house? But I guess saying that the black hair blew into the nachos from the wind, on a day when there was no wind, will suffice. But wait, there's more!. Live music is usually a crowd pleaser, this time from someone on a synthesizer, with what could only be described as depressing karaoke. The more I listened, the more I thought. . . what am I doing with my life? Why do I all of a sudden feel so depressed? Oh, wait, I'm fine, it's just this depressing music that's making me feel this way! How about festive Mexican music. . . at a Mexican restaurant? We start to take notice of other things. The nachos were tasteless! Too bad that salsa never came as it would have drown out the taste. How about the margarita? Minimal taste, minimal alcohol. I walked out of there with minimal feeling of any alcohol. The silver lining, didn't have to pay for an Uber ride? Other tables nearby displayed dirty plates and food that stayed there for as long as we were there, which was way too long. In the end, we didn't pay for the nachos, not because our waiter insisted on it, but because I did. We just paid for the weak margarita without a tip. Will we be back? If Gordon Ramsay goes through and turns the place inside out? Even then, hard pass.

Barrio star has a nice Ambiance and staff is fairly friendly, it's the food that I question. We had the chicken wings looked and tasted good. I had the, Tamal de Pollo which looked good but was without any flavor I had them as extra cheese but it failed to enhance the dish.

Was just ok for me. When we arrived they had live music which was lovely but shortly thereafter it ended and they switched to 80s music which was just odd to me. We had tacos (birria, carnitas and fish), since I was with my family we decided to share so we all had one of each. For Birria you get 2 tacos and all other you get 3. The temperature of each taco was different; birria was burning hot, carnitas was almost cold and the fish was ok. It came with rice and beans, the rice was mushy and also not heated well. We also had tortilla soup (it cost extra to add chicken or avocado to it FYI). The soup was borderline too spicy and I can handle a good amount of spice. My daughter could not eat hers because it was too spicy, please be aware it is on the very spicy side. Service was just ok but given what we paid I do not think it was worth it. We dined at a much nicer restaurant the previous night and paid the same amount as here (the level of service at the other restaurant and the food was so much better too - Cucina Urbana, I reviewed them previously). I would unfortunately not recommend this restaurant to anyone, it was over priced for mid at best food/service.

Came here on a Sunday with my friend. Got seated right away and we waited for a while. It got pretty busy and there was only 2 guys as waiters. We got the salsa and guacamole really quickly. We finally ordered our food to which we ended up waiting almost 45min to get our food. When we got our food it was cold but we waited for so long that I did not want to wait again for them to bring me hot food. They were pretty apologetic about it which was nice but annoying in general to wait for your food and it come cold after waiting so long. I would possibly come back hoping they have more waiters.

Margs were great as well as the salmon taco. Our entire group did not eat their steak entrees... we all agreed the steak tasted like teriyaki beef jerky which was just odd.

This review comes after visiting Barrio Star multiple times over the course of a couple years. Food and service can be really hit or miss. We mostly come here because of its convenience and it has a nice atmosphere. However, I do think the food & drinks are way overpriced for what you actually get. $14 for a pre-mixed margarita is a little absurd to me. Food can be inconsistent in quality. One day the queso fundido is perfect and melty, the next it's separated and watery. I also believe rice and beans should be able to stand on their own and not need extra toppings or condiments, but they taste like something you would grab from a grocery story and microwave at home. If you're in the neighborhood and want a quick bite or drink, then sure. I would not go out of your way to check it out, though.

This place is hands down jam up!!! Michael the bartender is top notch! Makes the BEST drinks and is SOOO fun and friendly! Everything is fresh... Drinks and food! Blew my mind! I love a good drink and I'm a world traveled foody! This is a MUST in SD!

This place was super cute and it was on the quieter side of downtown area! Plus there was live music that was really nice . The server was great and made sure to always make sure our glasses were never empty. My boyfriend & I started out with the nachos and they were light and not to filling so we had room for tacos. But we were sure if we added a meat on top of the nachos then we'd sure be full. The tacos were super flavorful the tortilla is quite thick. So that's what made me more filled but I enjoyed the tacos !!