El Barrio

I’ve been to a lot of cocktail bars in a lot of cities and I think very few I’ve ever been to match the quality of the cocktails served at El Barrio. This man is an absolute legend. Seriously. Some of the best cocktails I’ve ever had, anywhere. The food is great, too. Cool atmosphere. I could go on but I’d be gushing. Ten stars out of five. You should just go and find out for yourself.

Show up sober because this will be the best cocktail of your life and you really need to taste it to fully appreciate its artistry! The food is also simple but sublime. Great flavors, nothing mild about it. Stop slamming well shots and treat yourself to something memorable instead! Afterwards you can head to a dive bar, if you must.

Excellent place for drinks and light snacks! This is a great place to stop by for a drink before or after a meal as they don’t serve full meals here. Their drinks are tasty and the bartenders are super friendly. Their cocktails are topped off with beautiful fruit art. We will be back here again. Go check them out and support this business!

We came here for drinks. People who had been here before recommended them for their craft cocktails. LET ME TELL YOU: These drinks are magic potions. Delicious, potent, creative, surprising. I’m from Los Angeles, I’m here at the Russian River for vacation. I did not expect to be hit with high level mixology in this lovely little town. Come here and have your tastebuds and mind blown.

I had a great date night here with my now ex-girlfriend. We both recommend checking out the toilet. You're welcome.

I love that they keep introducing more food options, all out of that tiny kitchen. I just had the burrito and it was delicious, but I've always loved the tacos. The decor is so warm and inviting, especially the dramatic red, glossy bar. The bartender makes fantastic cocktails. The casa margarita is classic, but some of the speciality cocktails have edible flowers and are really pretty. We love this place and bring friends all the time.

Excellent beverages and snacks! Bonus on Wednesdays when the #joybungalow food truck is parked outside, you can bring your food inside! So, you can't miss the exceptional decor! The Mexican tiles, all the lighting, Mexican blanket covered bench cushions and pillows, mural on the wall, and - you have to see it in person - bathroom. Drinks are good and strong. Snacks are made onsite. The tacos and queso are the best, in my humble opinion. The food truck is a nice touch for some bigger options too.

Fantastic tacos and great service. Would highly recommend.

Cute vibes. Honestly, we came here because the place next door had a wait and I didn't want to wait. Would return and recommend for similar reasons. If I could, would give this 3.5 stars. Know before you go, you have to order at the bar. I didn't know, so I had to ask, but when I asked the bartender I got the sense he had to make that clear frequently which I get can be annoying, but he wasn't the friendliest when answering my question or taking my order. Meanwhile another bartender on the other end of the bar was audibly nicer. Maybe it was my bartender's demeanor or maybe the price tag, but I ordered and closed out my tab. Made my way over to my table with a cocktail and water (also self serve, don't ask) to await my food. The Paloma was strong but not particularly tasty. Luckily the food came out shortly after. The stars of the show were the curried cauliflower tacos that were much tastier and filling than expected and made me wish they were always on the menu. Runner up was the queso fundido even though it was a bit hard on the edges and required some scraping. Can't remember if the chips came with the queso or the ceviche but as someone that would order chips and salsa as one of my last bites on earth... these chips were very disappointing. Not because they tasted, bad but because they were the hardest chips I've ever had in my life. While this was bad, the ceviche was worse. Again not because of flavor but because of texture. The shrimp was overdone and I had literally just had better seafood minutes before as I was basically restaurant hoping fueling up on appetizers to sample a bit of everything. I'd come back for the ambiance, maybe a drink. Would order other bites but not come here hungry as it seems hit or miss.

Came in hoping for a standout mezcal experience, but left with mixed feelings. The bar itself has potential--good atmosphere, solid mezcal selection--but when "La Casa" Margarita misses the mark at $14, it's not a great sign. The bartender barely gave the shaker a shake (2 seconds, tops) and managed to spill about a quarter of the drink on the bar mat during the pour. Presentation aside, the margarita itself was unbalanced: overwhelmingly tart and noticeably light on the reposado tequila. It felt like more lime than love went into that glass. Still, the vibe was decent and other guests seemed to enjoy their drinks, so I'll chalk it up to an off night. Just don't come in expecting a flawless cocktail.

Very nice ambience and maybe a lil too dark if you are older in age, it's on the Main Street and close to everything. Just had food because we had drinks across the street at Rivertime, food was yummy and flavorful, deducted a star because 16.00 for two tacos is too steep in price for what you get. The waitress was super nice.

Located on the main strip Barrio gets five stars alone for the ambiance - modern Mexican meets shabby chic. Excellent music, artsy decor, relaxed vibe. Service is good too, attentive, bartender made an excellent drink. However, call me old school but I just shake my head at a drink that comes to $26. It was my friend's birthday so she ordered a cocktail called Undeleted which came with gin, gorgonzola cheese (very subtle), chartreuse and various juices. Yes it was beautiful, yes it was delicious and I wasn't going to deny her a birthday drink. However I wasn't prepared for the automatic 15% gratuity and 5% service fee with every order. If you come by, please check out the restroom. It is indeed worthy of a rest. The music plays in the background, a lit fragrant candle wafts in the air and the decor is more stylish than my living room. The toilet alone is a work of art with its black and white ceramic glamor. Needless to say, I may venture back to see what their happy hour business is all about and goes without saying that if I win the lottery, drinks are on the house.

On a sunny day, sitting by the large open window with your friends, margarita in hand, is an excellent plan to spend part of your day. The mini quesadillas are bite sized, shareable and the shrimp ceviche was a tasty add.

We were so disappointed in this place. Atmosphere and food looked great but upon arrival we received very inhospitable and frankly lazy service from the bartender who is the only person working front of house. I worked in hospitality for many years so understand when a place is busy, service suffers but this was definitely not the case. The bartender took my order with attitude and didn't even get that right The back of house was very gracious and fixed the order. She was wonderful. The birria beef was salty and inedible. No one checked on us the entire time. They automatically add 20% gratuity on your tab so clearly care less about service. Don't go here. Boon next door is a much better option.

Wow, what a treat! Steven was bartending on the Friday night that we came in and his talent and passion for his craft was evident in everything we tasted and in the conversation we had with him about the liquors and ingredients. All the "mixers" are house made from fresh ingredients and the presentation was stunning. He also gave great recommendations about how to spend our next day (which you'll see in the review of Rivers End, spoiler alert: AMAZING) and he was available and friendly but also gave us time and space to enjoy our romantic evening out. We were on a birthday weekend celebration, so we really indulged. Good for you readers, because we have a lot of drinks to review... The Undeleted was our favorite! So delicious, and it came with edible flowers on top which was a beautiful addition to the evening. We ended up ordering that one twice actually because we had to have another taste before we left. La Spicy was delicious and really spicy, which we liked. It was good to have another less spicy drink to balance it out with, so it's a good thing we like to share. :) El Hemingway was good but ended up being our least favorite, it had a lot going on but in the end nothing really came through and "wowed" us. The Limonada Oaxaca was very fresh and vibrant. Note: do not order this drink if you don't like cilantro (which you can see is listed on the ingredients so hopefully you would already know this, but just letting you know that flavor really comes through, or at least it did in the iteration we got). Guava Colada - amazing! Not too sweet, so much flavor, I would definitely get this one again. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the awesome music that was playing all night, fun and funky beats straight from vinyl spun by a couple guys who were all about the good vibes and obviously were loving their music choices (as was I). Thanks for a fun and tasty night, El Barrio. And thanks Steven for your time and expertise - we so appreciate all you brought to our evening!

The food and drinks on their own are 5/5 all day long. Some of the best nachos I've ever had in my life. Margarita is really delicious and all made from scratch. that being said there seems to always be the same male bartender there who is just unfortunately not friendly. The kitchen staff were super friendly! But the bartender who is just ALWAYS there - just not as much. Would love to go more if he was replaced. Love the ambiance both inside and out too - a very stylishly decorated place. Would 100% recommend if you are not the type of person who cares about service.

I love this place. The drinks are delicious, made from fresh-squeezed juice, and well balanced. But the food is the secret star of the menu - a small rotating selection of tacos, tamales, burritos, etc. made with super fresh and authentic ingredients. Strong contender for the best food (not just the best Mexican food) in Guerneville.

This is hands down the coolest bar in Guerneville. Walked in on a Friday night and was immediately charmed by the sleek decor and vibe with a DJ spinning some great music. Enjoyed their goat cheese queso and vegetarian quesadillas (curried cauliflower) along with a delicious jamaica ginger mocktail. Jimmy who owns the place was there and is a sweet and beautiful human being. Can't recommend highly enough

Margarita was good, but whats with the automatic gratuity and service fee that gets added on to the bill?! My bill was $30 for a margarita and chips and salsa. I want to like this place but I won't be returning.

I want to like this place, but the service is very slow, the prices are significantly higher than comparable places everywhere else in the Bay Area, and the queso was burned. The dish of queso was so burned that you couldn't dip chips in it. If you want queso to be like the burned edge of a brownie, this is it.

Bitchy (guy) bar tender. He seemed irritated that he had a line of customers. Nice decor.

Food - we did not experience Service - 1 Ambiance - 4 Unfortunately I'm rating El Barrio at a 2 Star. I'm truly not one to give bad feedback. My wife and I walk-in grab a menu from the bar. We choose high table seats along side of the wall. It takes us less than a min to decide on cocktails. I then approached and stood at the bar. I'm clearly the only one around this point definitely NEXT. Two others arrive and sat two seats away from at the bar the bartender (brunette woman) looks completely past me greets and decides to serve them first. I'm literally standing right there. I then look at her after she takes their drink orders 30 seconds after she takes the order she then decides to acknowledge me and says all be right with you. I walk away from the bar report to my wife what had happened. We then decided to leave. We hope to come back one day and have a better experience.

Such a great bar with terrific drinks and food. We were in Guerneville for a long weekend, and stopped in one night for dinner and drinks. Absolutely loved the decor and ambiance of the bar- had such cozy vibes. We ordered drinks and food at the bar, then found an open booth. The bartender was so friendly and gave great personalized recommendations. My husband got a mezcal paloma, and I got the El Jardin- both drinks were very tasty and well made, with balanced flavors. The shrimp ceviche was everyone's favorite of the night, very citrusy and fresh. We also got an order of the mushroom tacos and birria tacos. Every single item was so delicious and savory. Highly recommend to anyone visiting the area!

Planned to go to Pat's for dinner but they were closed. El Barrio was open right next door and it was happy hour so it was an easy sell. Felt like we stumbled through a portal and popped into the bougie hipster scene in San Diego greeted by a bartender in a vest and tie with a pocket watch. That was our first clue that this wasn't your typical river side dive. Second clue was the highly recommended $14 pair of tacos on homemade tortillas. Third clue was the assortment of bitters the bartender was shaking into the pre-prohibition style Rye old fashioned. The drinks were delightful and the tacos mostly lived up to the hype but thankfully we also ordered the $6 chips and salsa trio to supplement the amuse bouche two bite tacos. The salsas were roasty toasty, tart and verdant and last was saucy and spicy. They paired nicely with the warmed chips. My friends had the pork adobo tacos and said what they lacked in heft, they made up for in flavor. I had the mushroom tacos which tasted just like mushrooms. Was surprised to see they were able to fit in a little mix of rice and beans under the fungi and queso fresco. The chimichuri-like green sauce that came on the side was nice but I loaded my shroom tacos up with the toasty salsa to give it some sabor. The tease of escabeche on the side, one lone slice of carrot and 1 quarter of a cauliflower floret, tickled the the taste buds, but in that backhanded compliment kinda way that leaves you delighted and insulted. May come back for happy hour but definitely, not for dinner. Might even split an order of tacos to tide us over until it's time for our dinner reservation around the corner, we'll just have to ro sham bo for the side of escabeche.

Super fun bar in downtown Guerneville. We arrived, and there was a big group of women, all dressed as if they were going to a wedding. It was lively and fun. Really nice and helpful bartenders assisted us in choosing the best drinks for what we liked. There was also lovely outdoor seating that had fun lights and decorations. The tequila cocktails are especially fantastic.

We were staying at a AirBnB in Town and we stumbled upon this great place! Chill, hip vibe with incredible homemade unique tapas. The service was quick and friendly!

I love this place! The owner and bartender are lovely people. Great drinks and food! Super cool bar!

Great cocktails and (bar) food. We went twice in one weekend. Bartender made an aviation with mezcal, which was surprisingly good.

Delightful vibe, bartenders, clientele, and creative drinks. The Alma De Elote was the perfect blend of spicy, sweet, and creativity and so pretty too. Surprises around every corner, even the restroom!

Refine Mexican theme cocktails and snacks! Guerneville was put on the map by my bae, otherwise, I wouldn't have noticed this bar! Cheese dip with sausage went well with the salsa and chips and bourbon drinks! It was a bit of chili tasting to the whole cheese dip. No ATT servicing here so both of us were disconnected from the world being in Guerneville. The place and neighborhood barely has WiFi too so we were ultimately away from internet. It was atypical and felt strange. I wasn't use to it, but it made me notice the ambiance more and crowd here. Nicely decorated spot and likeable to ease the time away!

The soup of the day is usually tequila. 10/10 Best margaritas I've had in Sonoma county. They serve tapas to go with your "soup"

The goat cheese and chorizo queso was truly excellent. An extensive margarita list - all good. Great service.

Service is horrifying - rude and snotty. No effort at all. Avoid this place at all costs.

Loved loved loved this bar! It's such a cute little place to visit when out in Guerneville. It was super cute inside and it was a very chic. The drinks were very tasty! Our bartender was super friendly and had such a great demeanor! Although he was alone doing all the work, it did not stop him from giving us high quality service. My husband and I met a friend there so we had a few drinks. I ordered the Mango Picante which has blanco tequila, mango, jalapeño, lime and jamaica. My husband orders La Patrona which has blanco tequila, aperol, lemon, grapefruit, blanc vermouth and that comes with a citrus twist and my friend ordered El Barrio which has mezcal, lime, agave and chili salt. All the drinks were delicious and the presentation on each drink was lovely. The only thing is La Patrona was very strong so if you wanna get extra chest hair that's the drink for you just ask my husband lol! This place is a must try for just a day out with friends and it's a really chill location to just hang out and enjoy a few drinks

Thought it was a food and drinks place, but I am glad at that time they only serve cocktails and some small bites because I won't want to ruin that amazing vibe with food flow!!! Great Mezcal tasting flight, super awesome bartenders. Cocktails are interesting! You enter that place and it feels like you are in the city (SF) but you exit out its entirely different and quiet. Love it! Their guacamole could use a little bit more salt but their chips were fresh! Fancy cute place in this little downtown!

Order of chicken mini quesadillas (4 small pieces) and guacamole and chips was $36! It took over 20 minutes for the bartender to make us four margaritas. We went up to the bar and were told twice that there was another patron ahead of us. The bar wasn't even crowded! I will never go here again.

Frequently in Guerneville and always try to grab a drink here - but not trying again. Never able to get service - the bar tender clearly only waits on first the people he knows. Super rude and short with almost everyone. Don't care the prices are a bit more but will not tolerate attitude. Avoid this place unless you like being treated poorly.

While drinks were a definite 5, the food was unfortunately lacking which was sad because we expected a lot given the previous reviews. Our drinks (El Barrio and El Picaro) were incredibly good though. Mine reminded me of a drink I have had in Mexico. Service was a bit slow for the drinks but I can appreciate that good things take time. We were given complimentary chips and salsa, and to eat we ordered the queso fundido which was more of a TexMex style queso. *insert sad face* This wasn't like the traditional queso fundido that uses Oaxaca cheese and chorizo and is served with flour tortillas. So if that's what you're hoping for then you should skip this dish. My husband and I each ordered the two taco dishes (chicken and beef). Each came with a side of beans, chips, and were served on corn tortillas. Of the two, my favorite was the beef as they had more spice and flavor. If I was in the area again I'd opt to just come here for the specialty drinks as these are top notch.

Not only are the prices sky high but this place has a mandatory 15% tip plus a 5% service fee. I had to wait at a pickup station to order then go back to pick up my margaritas. So what service am I tipping for? The margaritas were $20.......EACH! Then we ordered 2 small taco which were not as good as we can get off of a truck and again a mandatory 20% tip and no table service. No menu was offered just a small hard to read chalkboard with two types of tacos one of which they were out of. The bartender pointed to a sign on the bar that delineated the mandatory tip and service fee before I completed my order, very low class. All of this would be inexcusable even if they were slammed but there was only one other customer in the entire bar.

This place has a great edgy dia de Los Muertos vibe and amazing cocktails, on par with bars in San Francisco. We loved the spicy mango cocktail (mango picante) and the mezcal-passion fruit-orange cocktail (oso conmigo) - both tasted fresh and balanced. The warm crispy chips and roasted salsa were a great compliment. Queer friendly with sleek urban style but welcoming bartender. And check out the over-the-top bathroom!

Cozy, small town bar with an eclectic vibe. Service is very friendly and the bites are delicious. A good place for a margarita!

Couldn't believe they were finally open. My husband got us a couple of Margaritas , guacamole , fondu and chips. Was over $100. Pay attention to the menu and don't go there unless you have money to throw around. With this economy, now caught us by surprise . Remember to always double check if their open because they have odd hours too.

This place is a joke ! I ordered a glass of house wine and a Modello . It was $30 .00! Seriously ??? Bartender did not leave me change to tip . I asked for change , than asked if tip was included and she said yes as she was going to make change :( Super Bummed as we have come here for years , are local , and this place sucks . We will never return

We went in for happy hour and the food and drinks were delicious. Unfortunately im rating 3 stars because I think $66 for 4 tiny tacos, chips, and one margarita is crazy. I don't want to know what their regular prices look like. A little steep if for Guerneville if you ask me.

Went here after a long coast drive to Bodega Bay from Marin. It was packed with friendly, interesting people and my jalapeño drink was the bomb. Strong, spicy, flavorful, and generous. Too often the delicious fancy cocktails are gone too fast, too much ice or tiny glasses, but this one was perfect for a Saturday afternoon on a holiday weekend. Be sure to eat at Dick Blomster's next door too for a one two punch of awesomeness.

Homemade chips were warm and crispy. The three homemade salsas were good although the tomato based one didn't taste too different from store bought salsa--the tomato taste was a bit too sweet and thick for what I'd expect from a handmade salsa. The guacamole was excellent, although a very small portion for $6. We also had the "Denscano en la montana" which was pretty good. The vibe here is fun and hip, representative of the neighborly community where everyone quickly becomes friends. We stopped by here after a fun visit to Johnson's beach a few blocks down and the vibe was very refreshing!

Great cocktails, but after tax and tip--20% TIP IS AUTO-INCLUDED, drinks are $25 each. We had one drink then went elsewhere. The atmosphere was nice. The outdoor seating (indoor too) was nice. The bartenders and their mixology skills were great! I'd just like to cost up front. If your drinks are $18-20, ok...but then you add tax and a $4 tip automatically and it pisses me off. There were 8 of us. We spent $200 on a round of drinks :(

Highly recommend! Great vibe inside. Excellent customer service. Stephen made sure we had a wonderful experience. The food was on point as well. Will go back!

Great vibe and decor (even down to the toilet), nice bartender. It feels like a neighborhood spot- everyone seems to know one another, which felt good. We love tequila and mezcal drinks and this was perfect. Inventive cocktail menu and loved my mezcal margarita, which the bartender made not sweet per my request and had a fantastic chile salt rim. My husband got the El Jardín cocktail which was also delicious.

Good chips and guacamole. The drinks were terrific! We loved El Jardin and El Barrio on the cocktail menu.

The "bar" for Boon but it is a great ! First the drinks, ElB has so many fresh and tasty margaritas, you know that all the mixers were hand made by the staff. The service is cool and low key, this isn't a party palace it is a hip hang out before dinner If you were unlucky and can't get into Boon the food here is also as fresh and tasty. Yes the chips and queso is a meal!

Drinks are 5-star delicious. Unfortunately, getting them takes forever! Minus 2 stars for service. This place was completely slammed and sadly understaffed during a holiday weekend. 1.5 bartenders working and a very thirsty crowd. Would have had loved a second drink if they had been easier to order. But at $31 for two drinks (with service charge?) it's better on the wallet this way

The bartender's greeting to us was, "I can take your order in 20 minutes." She kept saying this to newcomers, most of whom left. I wish we had.

Ownership changes, and the salsa is better, the drinks and chips still good, the service is a bit slow, and a bit weirder, and your tab now comes with a mandatory 20% service fee. IMHO, it feels like flacking the speciality drinks--all good--is a priority over single liquor connoisseurship, which isn't a bad thing, just a new episode.

I'm from about 6 hours south of this location and happened upon it while at a bachelorette trying to kill some time. To start from the beginning the bar is small but such a vibe. The lights are dim and cozy, the neon makes for a very aesthetically pleasing touch. Cozy, quiet, warm and welcoming. The menu is simple short and has an option for everyone. I personally got the guac, trío salsa, and a mango jalapeño margarita. My fried got tacos and a classic margarita. The food is so visually pleasing but oh my goodness no exaggeration heaven in a bite. I would easily stop there anytime I'm in the area again. Would be a huge draw to come back to area honestly. Loved it. I wish I would've gotten the name of our server he was knowledgeable,friendly, and attentive without being overwhelmed. He really knew how to make a amazing cocktail. The food is reasonably priced and the meal and drink were an amazing experience! 10/10 would recommend, I know I'll be back!

Best bar in Guerneville! Trendy interior, friendly barista, and great drinks. House-made Corn Chips with Salsa + Guac ($6) - Warm, thick, and crispy chips with a spicy salsa and filling guac! El Furtivo ($6) - House-made Jamaica, Ginger, Jalapeno, Lime, Soda. A must for any non-alcoholic drinkers if you like it spicy and fruity! El Gris ($12) - Earl Grey Vodka, Honey, Orange, Lavendar Honey Bitters, Lemon Twist, Served Hot. A comforting drink to sip on throughout the night as you lounge and chat with friends.

May 5th: Had a wonderful Cinco de Mayo at El Barrio! The margaritas are citrus-y, tart, boozy and not overly sweet... just the way I like em! The staff is very knowledgeable about their booze too, so feel free to ask them a question! Decor is beautiful; with gorgeous tile-work, mixed with boldly colored accents and fresh flowers. Stunning! May 6th: Loved our experience at El Barrio so much that we returned for brunch the next day. The $12 tostada plate was incredible!!! The plating was not only a stunning array of colors and textures, it was an absolutely delicious mix of fresh veggies, beans and topped with a poached egg! The ingredients were fresh and flavorful. *WISH* they'd serve coffee with brunch too (I wasn't craving a drink at 11am). All and all- El Barrio is FANTASTICO!!!