Barrio - Traverse City

Trendy spot for tacos, well decorated with a friendly staff. The build your own ordering process is different, it felt more complex than necessary though. It also is a Tequila bar... yea!!!! Definitely worth a try. 😋

**Barrio** delivers a solid, satisfying taco experience in downtown Traverse City with a fun, lively atmosphere. The tacos themselves were good and definitely filling—well-portioned and packed with flavor, making them a strong choice whether you’re grabbing a quick bite or settling in for a casual dinner. Pairing them with a lager worked nicely and complemented the food well. The margarita, however, didn’t quite meet expectations. While drinkable, it felt a bit one-dimensional. The mango flavor leaned heavily on syrup and tequila, and it could really benefit from more balance. A squeeze of fresh lime, a touch of agave, or even a hint of citrus complexity would elevate it and give it the layered flavor profile you expect from a great margarita—especially at a spot known for bold tastes. That said, Barrio still offers an enjoyable experience overall. The vibe is upbeat, the menu is approachable, and it’s a great place to meet friends or start a night out downtown. With a little refinement to the cocktail program, particularly the margaritas, Barrio could easily move from good to standout. If you’re in Traverse City and craving hearty tacos with a casual, energetic setting, Barrio is worth a stop. 🌮🍹

This was my first time to Barrio. My son and his girlfriend brought me here while I was visiting them for a couple days. We all built our own taco's but before that ordered the chips and salsa and house made queso. This was fantastic we polished both bowls and had a second bowl of salsa. Super good. We then received our tacos. There were so many options I can't remember everything I have put on it but by far my favorite what the mango salsa with beef topped with a smoky cheddar cheese. Oh man the smoky cheddar was so good. The staff were nice and always around if we needed anything and the prices were great. I will definitely be going there again. Thank you Barrio for a great memory for us. We will be back.

Barrio, located on Front Street in downtown Traverse City, is a Mexican restaurant with decorations that celebrate Día de Muertos. While the build-your-own ordering process is unique, it felt somewhat more complex than necessary, as order cards are required for all menu items, including appetizers. Although the food was tasty and served in generous portions, the attentiveness of the service could be improved. The restaurant offers ample seating options, including indoor, outdoor, and bar areas, and it is well-maintained. Overall, the dining experience felt similar to that of a good food truck, but within a trendy, decorated diner setting that includes a tequila bar. Will visit other Mexican restaurants in the area before returning.

We had a great experience at Barrio in Traverse City. The food was delicious, and our server, Caden, made the visit even better. He was friendly, attentive, and genuinely entertaining. We’ll definitely be back!

The build-your-own taco concept was super fun, and the menu was full of creative and unexpected options. We tried a bit of everything—the queso was bomb diggity and the salsa was incredible. Everything we tasted was flavorful and well done. Unfortunately, the service didn’t match the quality of the food. It wasn’t busy, our server took a long time to greet us due to chatting at the bar rail and forgot our waters. Great food, but the experience was soured by the lack of attention.

I’ll start with the menus as it was confusing to use. They gave you a sheet and you had to bubble out what you wanted but the directions on doing so was complicated, it felt like I had to work to get my food. When the waiter brought out my Pepsi It tasted like pure sparkling water and the color did not look right. I mentioned to my server about my drink and he had apologized and mention to me that they barely ever check the bag in box which was alarming to hear. I was not satisfied at all with the quality and taste of food, especially how much they charge for it. You’re better off going to Taco Bell. The only good thing about this place is that the staff is reasonably friendly.

This place needs to do better. The tacos actually tasted great. Drinks were good. But the tacos were cold. And it was obvious they were sitting in the kitchen a while. So a server issue. And also didint ask if we needed more drinks till the food was gone. Seems to be a common theme in the reviews tho we didint look at the reviews till after we already ate their. Won't be back.

We visited Barrio in Traverse City, late night bites. The place was hopping with parties, but we were seated right away. The service was speedy & friendly, very refreshing! The margaritas were tasty, as well as our appetizers, the Tres Amigos. We built our own tacos from a list, very cool. Everything was fresh, delicious, and the portions were large. We will definitely be back!

We were very happy with the food. However, if you are over a particular age, expect a learning curve in ordering. Once we all ordered from the many options, we were ready to order complete the form (yes, like taking a test). The food took a while to come out (about an hour). We were not in a rush luckily and they were really busy with people were coming and going a bunch. Finally when the food came, it was delicious! The staff were really good and so busy! The prices were very fair too. We would all go back for sure!

Great vibe inside - love the big windows and natural light. Waitress was knowledgeable, attentive and cool. We didn't have drinks this go round but the food was delicious. Ordering is a unique experience - you have options! A lot of finger food, no "real" utensils.

I am hands down a huss for tacos. I am a firm believer that even bad tacos are good tacos. Much like pizza. That being said, this was a solid place to scratch that taco itch. Unlike that other rashy itch you have. Get that checked out. It weird. The outside is inviting. Simple decor. Looks almost industrial. The inside matches exactly what the outside would make you think the inside would look like. If you follow me. Plenty of seating, no wait on a Friday night, open seating style. Style 10/10. I was super excited about this place because it was a build your own taco place, but it was done the cool way, with paper menus that you check off ingredient and shells and cheeses and meats. Then you hand them to your server and they bring them to the back and judge you while making you your only lettuce taco. Seriously. Why do you always order only lettuce. People stare. Ingredient choices 10/10. Now here's the rub. Unlike nine year old me, grown up me likes more than meat, shell, and cheese. I love sauces and things like onion and different cheese. The menu options allow you to basically go rogue and create the largest, messiest, most ingredient havingest taco you can think of. Though I didn't do that, I did certainly enjoy creating different flavors. I cannot remember how exactly I built the tacos, I know I tried the chorizo, season beef, and pulled pork. I also tried a couple of the double shell tacos (soft shell, queso, hard shell). Those were fantastic. I added different sauces and cremas. Loved them. I also even tried a little bit of their reaper sauce. My face is still bleeding. Flavor profiles 10/10. I would absolutely eat there again. Hands down. I would also spend as much money as they asked for on these tacos. Hands also down. Now I know what you're thinking. Hey BigBack™, if this place is so fantastic, why only the four stars? Well, I'll be honest, they did lose a star because the service was surprisingly slow to get the food. It didn't seem overly busy, it could have been a short staff night, they maybe only came to work with their B game. They could have been battling taco gremlins in the walk-in cooler. It's hard to tell. I get it, things happen. But ultimately, I think if that's the only hiccup in a place like this, that's not bad at all. FAT (Food Arrival Time) 6/10. Oh. They also serve Pepsi products. Pepsi availability 10/10.

Outstanding vegan tacos, tasty guacamole and delicious drinks. Very good service with a fun bar atmosphere. Chips were fair!. Located off front street right across from Lake Michigan. Yummy tacos and drinks!!!

This place is an absolute staple. Always so good, always have a fun taco of the month to try out, and the food is ready so quickly! The staff and atmosphere is always kind and inviting and I have nothing bad to say about this place. I have probably been here close to 100 times in my life, and for good reasons!!!!

This place was another 10 out of 10. Kudos to Barrio for clearly communicating their Gluten Free options. My daughter was over the moon excited with all the GF options and then they tasted even better than imagined. We had a great server who helped us navigate ordering (you order by picking on slips what you want or pick your own combination you want). Our server was awesome and took great care of us. We ordered a couple of mimosas as well as a peach whiskey...which were all tasty and well made. The restaurant has a "typical" Mexican vibe with the skeleton motif and such. Not my vibe but nonetheless...still a great place. Lots of seating, high tables, low tables, bar seating and even patio seating. We would definitely go again...we just wanted to try other places so we only ate here once. My kids did try and go again on Sunday night and order some take out but because they were so busy, they wouldn't let them order take out. That was a bummer and pretty disappointing. Which is why I only gave them 4 out of 5 stars. All in all...we would go back. Gluten Free people have a TON of options.

An interesting taco place with a twist on classics. We got here on a late Friday afternoon, and the place was not busy at all. Service was good and food came fast. You can customize everything on a taco or just order what they have on the menu. I wish I tried the most spicy sauce. The 2 sauces labeled as spicy were not spicy at all. The tofu was a delight, very flavorful. Shrimp taco was pretty good too.

Food was a cold, oversalted gloppy mess. The best part of the meal was the water. Service was challenged- it seemed like 1-2 people were covering the entire floor.

I regret my decision to come here today. We waited over an hour for terrible food. It was inedible. Honestly. I ordered a soft taco with cola steak and when I received my taco the steak was so hard it had to have been sitting there all day. I spit out my bite because the steak was so dry it was crunchy in my mouth. This place is huge. There were several employees lingering around the register by the bar. There were more than 20+ tables and only 4 tables were filled. The server kept saying the kitchen was backed up and he had to go back and fry tortillas. If we needed something were asked to go to the bar where several other employees were standing around chatting.

Moscow mule is vodka n lemonade. At almost 8 bucks a tap. Chips r ok. Glock is tasty. Tomato salsa is spicy and sweet. Caso is a bit salty. Didnt have anything else. Service was medium. I will not be back!

Loved the ordering process (build your own tacos on an order form) and our food arrived quickly. Service was very friendly!

CATERING: AJ HAWLEY is a rockstar! We will be traveling from out of town to host this event and he has been so helpful! The knowledge, professionalism and communication has blown me away. Thanks, AJ and thanks Barrio for setting the stage for a special evening

Very loud at night with drag racing daily between 11-2am Be careful if you're driving because the reckless drivers go there and drive wildly while police take zero action!

No bueno. It's like Taco Bell got a makeover, but forgot to hire a chef. And the drinks? Over-sweetened to the point where I'm pretty sure I could send it to a lab and they'd say, "This is 90% sugar, 10% regret, and 0% alcohol." Weird Tacos - reheated shrimp on white sushi rice - what? Some other mystery meat tacos that were lukewarm and bland. I'd rather give my $50 bucks to a high school cafeteria but pay for my dignity there. Shoulda read yelp before I walked in, apparently many other fellow regretters.

A great idea to have create your own taco. The menu comes like an ala carte sushi menu. If you stick with vegetarian it cost only $4. They also have already curated tacos I had one of those it was delicious. Huge drink menu. Friendly staff.

We've seen barrio's restaurants in different areas and finally tried it. I'm Hispanic and SUPER picky about my Mexican flavors. I tried a custom taco with the green goddess shell (highly recommend this one) with the braised short rib (like a shredded beef),pico de gallo,cilantro and onion, barrio slaw and green salsa. It was my favorite. The taco costs $6.50 if I'm not mistaken but it's a good size at least. I got another green goddess she'll with their ground beef and the seasoning is over kill, very strong on the chili powder. Thankfully the lettuce,pico,creama and shell helped mellow it out but i wouldn't order it again My husband ordered a custom with the short rib and liked it and also got a the Jefe taco which he liked and I was pleasantly surprised. Do t bother with the side orders of rice or beans. They're the size of dipping sauces and cost $1 for ok rice and $1.50 for black beans that I really did not like. Service was ok Atmosphere is loud and has a cool vibe,very busy I'd go back for a short rib taco which is why I gave it 4 stars

Omg our normal in town place was closed . While waiting for a reservation at a different spot we decided to walk around and heard the music and the buzz. We got in quickly (not sure how) this place is so cool! The staff, while crazy busy was extremely friendly. Our server was so helpful! The tequila selection was awesome. We ordered the trio and their salad verde and Roja were banging! So fresh and flavorful. The margaritas were amazing. The only thing that took a second was deciding how to build my tacos. Omg there are a million flavorful choices. Do not come here hungry it will take you a million years to decided. (There are no wrong combos). The tacos are super filling they DON'T skimp on anything! We love this place we will be back tomorrow!! Everything was top shelf!! This is a must in TC

Good tacos! Liked the cola braised beef and the margarita was delicious. Wish tacos came warm.

Very cool interior, staff was nice. That's about it for the positives. Food was very strange. We ordered 5 different kinds of tacos. Each one felt like it came from a kids cooking class. Nothing was amazing. It didn't taste like Mexican food. Too be honest tb taste more authentic. Might comes back for drinks. But food was 0/10.

Sat at the bar for a quick date night. Great coconut margaritas. Can't wait to go back and try the food.

Stumbled upon this cute Mexican restaurant. They have build your own tacos and a great drink menu! My party and I had a wonderful time.

We always have great service and the tacos are amazing. The queso dip is kind of plain but the rest of the food is great! We keep coming back to this place

Cool concept, interesting place. Plenty of options, all should be very good but not my experience. Ordered softshell corn tortillas, they were unheated, refrigerator temp cold!!! Huge fail. Ever had a cold taco? How about three! Next, ordered casa margarita. It tasted like it was made from a powdered pre-mix and zero tequila, one of the worst I've ever had. UPDATE: My stomach also did not agree for two days. Cost another star. For reference, NOTHING upsets my stomach

Great service! Great atmosphere! They have a great gluten free selection. Which I love as someone who is gluten free. We started with the guac with, bacon jam which was pretty good. However....the tacos here are not good at all. I got 2 tacos each with the soft corn tortillas which was cold, chewy and not cooked at all. Most of the taco toppings lacked flavor. The cola marinated beef was overly salty with an odd taste. Very disappointed with the tacos

Nice ambience, big bar, friendly and helpful waitstaff. The food, though is not even remotely similar to what you'd find in a good taquería. It's like hipster style meets chain restaurant cuisine. They're big on the "build your own taco" gimmick, where you're given a checklist to fill out what you want- tortilla type, protein, vegetables, sauces... I don't want that. I want a place where the cooks know how to make a good taco, and I can say "a barbacoa, a lengua, and a pollo" and they'll come on two locally made corn tortillas.

Lots of options for ordering tacos and really good margaritas. A little bit pricey, but that's expected for downtown tc. Service has always been good each time we've been. Definitely recommend for going out for drinks.

It was our first time, and we liked the concept. The server did a bad job of explaining how the menu works, so we ordered playfully and waited to see what comes. The food was decent. The flavors didn't add up but did order random things, so we didn't mind. They also missed the notes for cauliflower rice, no biggie. When the server brought the bill and then tried explaining how the menu worked, so, we all agreed there was confusion. I asked her to talk to the manager about the situation. Worst idea. The rudest person i have ever encountered in hospitality, then we understood the already existing bad rating. Maybe pay attention to the management, some hospitality training, and boom, it can be a place people like coming to. For now, terrible expirience!

Food pretty much was Chipotle, quality only expensive and I had to wait 45 minutes. Manager gave us half off our bill, but the food was cold and awful and honestly should have been free. I ate 2 bites and left it.

I was traveling to Traverse City and barrio happened to be the only place open late on Sunday night. I ordered a Paloma to drink and it was pretty good. There was a good balance of tequila and grapefruit juice and a fresh lime to top it off. I decided to build my own bowl and ordered the gringo taco off of the specialty menu. The flavoring in the food was subpar and somewhat underwhelming. The service was great and the atmosphere was really cool. I love the but look behind the bar.

Everything was soo great! We went around 4p.m on a Sunday, so not busy and towards the end of summer. Our server (ginger?) not 100% on that...was so helpful, and kind. Food was great! We had the sampler for queso, guac, and the salsa verde. Best verde ever! Took our tacos togo for a yummy treat later. Home now, and munched. No complaints even after riding in the Togo box for a half hour. Delish! Highly recommend if you love a spicy treat! Also a relaxing spot to chill while you dine!

We've never had a bad experience at Barrio, the food has always been amazing and I appreciate the seasonal options!

I was traveling for business & a local resident said the best places for Mexican food in Traverse were Spanglish & Barrio. Unfortunately Spanglish is closed on Mondays, so I went to Barrio. I loved the look of the place so I thought good choice ! Wrong. I ordered Guac & chips and tried 3 of their suggested tacos with side of black beans and rice and a Grapefruit Margarita. The only things worth having were the Margarita, the spice rubbed chicken taco and the fantastic chips! The Guac was ok. Salsa was very Smokey - not my thing. I did not care at all for the steak in the steak taco and only had a couple of bites, the shrimp taco was basically just thawed shrimp with some slaw and sauce I had maybe 3 bites and was done. The shrimp were not grilled or marinated or even seasoned at all - nothing just thawed and a bit rubbery. The side of black beans was 2-3 Tablespoons of not very good black beans in a very small plastic container for $1.50 and the lime cilantro rice wasn't worth a second bite - again the side of rice was 2-3 Tablespoons in a small plastic container for $1 My total before tax and tip was $36.50. I spent a fair amount of money on below average food truck food in a sit down restaurant. I'm sorry to say, for me it's not worth another visit.

Service was excellent and the food as well. I enjoyed a cocktail and ice water. 10/10 would visit again!

Fun atmosphere, love building my own taco selection! I cannot forget the great Margs! We will be back!

Starting off with the positives..the service we had was amazing. The waitress we had was knowledgeable, friendly, and quick. We ordered drinks that came out within 3 minutes of ordering them and our app was to our table within 5. The restaurant itself was so cute with hand painted murals and cute decor throughout. The restaurant was clean and welcoming. The quality of the food here was unacceptable and really surprised us- not in a good way. We each ordered a shrimp taco- this was the worst of it all and it was difficult to stomach. The shrimp was Walmart brand freezer section quality that tasted like it was de-thawed and nothing more. No seasoning. The taco was served on a cold, not homemade tortilla, and contained rice inside that was plain , flavorless white rice. The rice was so awful inside this taco it tasted like the white rice used in sushi. The short rib and ground sirloin tacos were equally awful. They were cold and flavorless. Honestly I've had better food at Taco Bell. Our appetizer dip trio was basic and at least had homemade guac. Drinks were very weak neither of us tasted tequila in the margaritas, just overly sweet syrups. Even though the service and atmosphere were great, this is getting a 1-star that's how awful the tacos are here. We each paid $30 (not including tip) for 2 tacos, 1 marg, and splitting the app. Please don't let the cute inviting atmosphere fool you. If you want good Mexican food.... Go somewhere else.

Barrio in my opinion is the best taco place and the service at this one was excellent they did mess up our order but then the server gave me a fresh bag of chips to take home

Cafeteria food with booze. I mean, really. Plastic sporks. Margarita was 90% sour mix that was actually too sweet, very little tequila. I order corn soft taco but likely got flour tortilla, even double checked with server after it arrived & looked like flour, but within 30 minutes, I had a gluten reaction. So whether it was the tortilla or the beans (listed as GF), something had gluten. So that's not cool. The food just sucks. It's cheap food, cheap ingredients. It feels like cafeteria dining with booze. Chips are overly salty. Salsa is smoked, but not in a good way. Guacamole is decent. Queso is liquid paste. No flavor. It's insulting that this chain thought we deserve this low quality food establishment in TC. It's a tourist trap. Save your money.

We came here as an experiment because of the bad reviews to see if it was true. We have been to multiple Barrio's (in Ohio) :) First off, the tacos are not served cold. The tortilla is room temp and the toppings can make it cold.. none of our meat was "cold" it was a normal temperature and clearly cooked fresh. We purposefully tried to order toppings that would make the tacos cold. The tacos were bomb. We ordered chips and salsa + queso. A lot of the chips we got were broken but we just asked for more chips lol. The salsa was good but very lime-y which is okay for we because we like limes but is something to consider if you don't. The queso was indeed watery but it tasted really good and definitely wasn't a dealbreaker. We got drinks (Sassy Pineapple and Marigold) and they were SOOO good. The service was also great. We sat at the bar and the girls working were very nice, attentive and served us quickly. Our conclusions from the experiment is that cold toppings can make the top of a taco cold, broken chips can easily be fixed and runny queso is still good queso. Definitely give it a shot! :)

We ordered the nachos with three dips combo. Dips were really good but the nachos were drenched in salt. I had to brush the salt off with a napkin to be able to eat the nachos. We also ordered tacos and they were average. We ordered a drink, I think it's called The Freaky Tiki, which was delicious. Atmosphere is nice. Our server Danny was amazing and very funny!

The food was exceptional. The service not so much. I'm from a culinary family with my own personal background working in restaurants & alongside of a private professional chef. The food was well balanced, flavorful, and some of the best tacos I've had (I've had quite a few) The service was under par. Long wait, servers with over 5 other tables, need for constant reminding about refills etc. Food took over an hour. The price for a Lemonade & two tacos came out to $23 after tip. If you don't mind waiting longer than usual or experience long service times, this spot does not disappoint when it comes to their food.

Husband and I came here while on vacation. Excellent food for a fair price. Anyone saying that the food is bland or mediocre has nobody to blame but themselves. You literally build your own taco/bowls here.

I wish I could tell you how it was but we didn't even get greeted or asked what we wanted to drink but the people who came in after was could probably tell you how it was since they got greeted and got drinks

Loved this place. So many unique options and flavors. You can build your own tacos or bowls or pick from some premade options. Reasonably priced, cool atmosphere.

The tacos are just okay. The initial cost of the tacos just covers a tortilla. Everything else and I mean everything is an up-charge (including beans and cheese). You'll pay over double to get anything more than a tiny bean taco. The tacos are tiny. The menu is confusing as they use queso to describe every type of cheese ($2 extra$) from shredded to the actual queso sauce. ($3 extra$). It's difficult to build a taco that has the right type of ingredients. And when you do, you're paying extra on everything. Even if you want ketchup or salsa. The ingredients are fresh. They're not combined in a way that enriches the flavor of the tacos. The meat comes out somewhat flat no matter what you order. Sauce is non existent. Good luck with cheese. No sour cream. The price is exuberant and uncalled for. Just go to Taco Bell. The tacos taste better and there's more things you can order.

Was super excited to check out the new taco place in town. I wasn't expecting authentic Mexican fare, but I was expecting lovely upscale tacos since they were all priced at $5 a taco. I was extremely disappointed with my food and didn't finish it. I can't even tell you if the flavors were good because of how grossed out I was. These tacos are COLD. The tortilla were cold. The meat was cold. I took one bite of my fish taco and felt sick eating it because it was ice cold. I informed our server and she said that they're cold because the toppings are cold. This didn't make sense to me because hot meat and a warmed tortilla could not possibly get so cold from just veggies and cheese toppings. I'm Latina and I've worked in several Mexican restaurants where this issue never arose. The meat here had to have been sitting out room temperature and the tortillas were never grilled to begin with. I was grossed out and felt sick the rest of the afternoon. The presentation of the food is also so sloppy. They're wrapped in tin foil and thrown in a basket?? There is no way that an upscale downtown taco place that only specializes in tacos can royally mess up this hard. For $5 a taco, I might as well go to small hole in the wall taqueria on silver lake and get superior hot food for far less. I complained to the server and manager and nothing was done. I paid my bill in full, tipped, and decided to never return to this sad excuse of a taco shop.

Very busy night yet waiter was attentive, Had a dish with pulled pork but the pork was not pulled. A small chunk of pork I had to pull apart with a way to flimsy spork and my fingers as well he had no knives at all. Another in our party hated her margarita and could not finish one of her tacos due to the taste. I liked this place in the past so will give them another chance chalking this experience up to an over pressured kitchen on what is likely the busiest night of the year in TC.

Came here late on a Friday night and had great service. The food was amazing, highly recommend the stoner taco shell. The chili tofu protein was great too!

Bartenders nice. Great atmosphere. Don't understand why they don't have silverware. That brings everything down to Taco Bell level. Please get a real fork!!!