El Barrio

In a world where Mexican food can all start to taste the same, El Barrio stands head and shoulders above the competition. In probably a dozen visits, I have never once been disappointed with the El Barrio experience.
The goat cheese queso is a must — the flavor of the goat cheese is not overwhelming, and definitely sets it apart from traditional white queso. The chips are always warm too — so delicious!
My personal go-​to order is the shrimp quesadilla and the elote asado (grilled corn — ask for it off the cob if you aren’t in the mood to pull strings out of your teeth). The shrimp always has a great fresh seafood flavor and the corn is cooked to perfection. If tacos are your thing, you won’t be disappointed.
The service is fabulous — incredibly professional and upbeat. I’ve never had poor service — those guys work hard so tip well!
I’m not alone in my opinion, which means it’s a hot spot most nights of the week. The earlier you get there, the less you will have to wait — but it’s always worth the wait! Because of its popularity, El Barrio is also not the quietest of venues — probably not the place for intimate conversation. But for great food and good drinks, you can’t beat it.

A long wait on a Saturday night — left our number and walked to Collins Bar for drinks and Cards against humanity to pass the time.
Glad we waited —-
A margarita and chicken enchiladas… heaven.

Industrial urban setting — great open bar and seating area. Nested downtown Bham — great for lunch with the girls or grab a cocktail in the evening.

I heard great things about the food so when I went for lunch my expectations were met. The food was fresh, tasty and one of the best Mexican restaurants I have been to. But the best part was Angela our server. She heard me remind my daughter that she should not have a spicy margarita because she needed to complete an essay after lunch. My daughter’s face dropped because she just loves them. To our great surprise Angela brought her a non alcoholic version that painted a smile on my daughter’s face from ear to ear.
The biggest surprise was when I checked the bill she didn’t charge me. The rest of her service was just as stellar, attentive, pleasant, and helpful while not being intrusive. I highly recommend eating here.

Small place but definitely worth the wait. We scored two seats at the bar and didn’t have to wait. She ordered the Grapefruit Margarita (delish) and Shrimp n Grits (very delish). He ordered the Chicken Chiquiles (must have been good because he was nearly licking the bowl) and a Lime Margarita. Shared a Chocolate Chipotle Pot de Crème. He didn’t share the coolie that came with it but the Crème was VERY delish. The lines waiting for brunch today was out the door and loitering on the sidewalk when we arrived and when we departed. Not sure if they take reservations or not. Very popular joint for good reason. Service at the bar was top notch. Food was hot, pretty and served quickly.

Super popular trendy Mexican joint! There was roughly a 20 minute wait upon our arrival on Friday around 1:00 and the inflow of people remained pretty consistent the entire time we were there. The interior has a cool décor /​unique seating large wooden columns. The hostess and servers were friendly attentive and nice. The menu is ever changing as I’m told with a few exceptions. We started with queso and some guacamole with warm salty tortilla chips. Both were exceptional. My wife wanted a chicken quesadilla which was not an option but the server graciously volunteered the kitchen to make her one with a house salad, I had the tacos al carbon. They didn’t’ have a kids menu per se but the server said they could make cheese quesadilla for kido. The food was remarkable and the server/​kitchen were extremely accommodating. The guacamole in my opinion was the best thing on the table. I would go back for sure. If you go make sure you have adequate time to dine there. You will likely have to wait. Its a small place, I don’ t see them being equipped to serve large parties. This is also not a quick service lunch served in 15 minutes or less or its free kinda place so don’t try and make it one.

Best Mexican restaurant in Birmingham. Great and friendly service, had a great lunch date with my wife and we left really satisfied. The mole was on point and very tasty, the margarita was refreshing and made with care. Can’t wait to go back!

Great guac and queso!!! Terrible meals though. Don’t go for the Saturday brunch! The waiter Ben was fantastic though.

The cuban madam is the way to go for Saturday brunch, great food, service, & atmosphere

I have only been here for lunch, which seems to stay very busy. I always opt to sit at the bar to avoid a wait for a table and to get in and out more quickly. Service at the bar has always been great! The drinks that I have tried are also quite tasty. I have tried several of the tacos and they are quite delicious as well. I love the atmosphere, although it can get very loud at times. We want to try dinner one night soon, but there is always a good sized wait (which must speak to the quality of the food!)

I would have a great review had I been able to eat here, due to their turnover from brunch to dinner I was unable to. I don’t know what’s the business principle or virtue of closing at mid drift on Saturday. I simply say to each his own, but I find it a very dumb practice. I’m someone who has traveled many of places and in and around Birmingham I see the practice a lot versus other cities I’ve visited!!!
However, Brio out in Brookwood was open and sensational!!!

This place seems to be the most poppin brunch spot in Birmingham! There was a 15 – 20 minute wait on Saturday for 2 and seems like much longer for bigger parties.
I was disappointed that the brunch menu was a lott smaller than their regular menu. There was only vegetarian option (no vegan items) which was this Mexican spaghetti dish with an egg on top. I thought it was would be different so I ordered it why not and it was not good… it was just weird. Egg, spaghetti, Mexican marinara? Nah. I also got the salad sans chicken which came with fresh avocado, charred corn, etc which was very good. I wish we just got two salads since they were only $ 8 too!
We opted for the $ 3 unlimited chips and salsa and both the chips and salsa were very tasty– highly recommend. I’d love to try the margs next time too!

I was told by a colleague that El Barrio was the best Mexican food they’d ever had, and it did not disappoint!
I took my parents on a Wednesday night while visiting home in Birmingham; their only complaint was that they felt too old — it was definitely a 20s-​30s hangout with a really great (loud-​ish) atmosphere.
We parked parallel nearby, which was free after 6pm but paid meter during business hours. We expected there to be no wait since it was almost 8:30, but that wasn’t the case… I guess because of the younger scene. There was a minimum 45 minute wait but we just stalked the bar and got 3 seats within fifteen minutes.
Ordered :
–Margaritas (two El Barrios (lime, orange and tamarind!) and one traditional — all on the rocks; they don’t offer frozen, to my dad’s dismay) and cheese dip to start. We wished the delicious cheese dip was larger for the price.
–All three of us got tacos: I got the pork /​pineapple variety, mom got the steak and dad got the spicy chicken, and we shared to try them all. Dad’s was by far the best. I appreciate that each came with appropriate toppings to complement the meat.
–As my dad says, «Amanda’s home, and that just means you eat weird stuff,» so we ordered the sopapillas with salsa verde jam and pine nuts. They were SO yummy; definitely great for splitting between 3 – 5 people.
THANK YOU, COME AGAIN? Yeah, I would be a regular if I still lived in the area. Menu was long and interesting — wish I had gotten to try the chorizo lasagna too! I only docked a star due to the wait + the fact that they don’t take reservations.

I love Mexican food. It’s by far my favorite type of food. I can eat it for EVERY meal of the day. That being said, El Barrio does it right my friends.
The spicy chicken tostada is phenomenal. The queso is pretty awesome. I would get it was chorizo. The salsa is flavorful and fresh tasting. If you go for Saturday brunch you have to get the open faced Cuban. It’s not Mexican but damn it is so good!
I am not giving this place 5 stars based on the cocktails. They aren’t bad but they also aren’t something to brag about. Their margaritas are just basic and could use some finessing. It taste like a mix you get at target or something. Also they use a less smokey Mezcal that tasted just like a regular tequila. Stick to beer when you go, they have all local brews on tap!

The service is excellent and the interior has an unfinished look that somehow, as a whole, made the restaurant calm and relaxing. Sound echoes all of the walls so be prepared to raise your voice to be able to hear anyone else. The wait time on a Saturday afternoon was only about 15 minutes.
The cuban madam was great! The roasted pork and fried eggs was the best part of the meal. It was so thick, soft, and flavorful. All of this sits on top of a piece of soft toast. I don’t know where the smoked ham and swiss cheese was but everything about this odd combination was good. The tomatillo sauce brought the entire dish altogether.

My initial thought when reading Sopa Seca on the menu was «dry soup»? More like the best dry soup. Or just a name for a delicious Mexican casserole dish. In short, don’t let the name deter you… get this dish, it is a must try! :)
I was pleasantly surprised that El Barrio does brunch on Saturdays. The overall experience here was wonderful. The industrial chic décor and the crowd in particular was reminiscent of of places I have been to in San Francisco and Seattle… albeit with a touch of Southern flair.
Love the: Friendly waitstaff, homemade Queso Fresco, unexpected (but very welcomed) refills on tortilla chips (because they refill them, the chips in your basket will always be fresh and warm!), chunky guacamole, fresh ingredients, generous portion sizes (leftovers still taste great), accommodating (e.g. split tip/​appetizers in a way that made sense), nice and lively crowd
Didn’t love: The wait (but there’s a reason why this place is so crowded, so I guess my rumbling tummy will have to look the other way on this one)
I can’t wait to go back again!

Go to their brunch!!! We got there before it opened and there was a crowd waiting to get in. All of the people waiting are smart because this place has been open for only 30 mins and there is now a wait for tables and the bar is full. This place is hopping!
I suggest the Paloma for two ($ 11) and you get to mix your own ingredients!!! I ate the shrimp and grits and actually could have used a bit more grits. Yes grits. There were about ten shrimp, plenty of grilled veggies (zucchini, asparagus, peppers, etc) all topped with avocado and fresh salsa. The breakfast tacos were good, and would have been great if there was only a way to keep the tortilla from getting soggie.

El Barrio is the place to be on a Friday night. Because the dining space is so small, me and my friend knew that we were going to wait probably an hour or so. Luckily, while you’re waiting you can go up to the bar and order drinks or an appetizer. We decided on the queso, topped with cilantro and goat cheese. It was tasty and lasted us until we got a table. Be prepared for community style seating if your party is less than 4 people. Nothing wrong with it, you still have plenty of space to hang out and not feel crowded by the other party at the table.
For dinner, I got the Al Pastor tacos (pork, pineapple, and pickled onions), very tasty and full of flavor! The only downside is that they should probably put more than 3 tortillas on the plate because they put so many toppings on there.
My friend got the spicy chicken tostada, and he really enjoyed it as well. I tried some of the chicken, and all of it was very fresh and flavorful. He also was bold and got the spicy margarita. It definitely lives up to the name. I tried a sip, and it was full on jalapeño flavor, but still embodied the traditional tequila lime flavor.
That being said, I’ll definitely be coming back, and I recommend trying this place out for sure. Just be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes or so! The food is worth the wait.

Upscale Mexican with chef inspired dishes!
FANTASTICO! This is a really nice Mexican place to go in Birmingham. Dishes are very well executed, chef inspired and taste delicious. The tacos are so good that you will only find better ones in Mexico itself. In my opinion the Taco El Pastor should not have pineapple on it, but aside from that it tasted really good. Definitely will go back to try other dishes. The tres leches dessert is fantastic!
Parking can be a problem as well as the wait… they do not take reservations so be aware of that.

Another Birmingham spot that I found too late in life. My mother and I stopped in here after yoga at Railroad Park. We were hungry, but wanted to try something on the lighter side.
We split a veggie enchilada and it was fantastic. Fresh spinach, feta, corn and mushrooms. I’m usually all down for meat in dishes, but this veggie option was refreshing and filling without the extras.
We also decided to try out the margaritas, since, well, we did go to yoga earlier! They’re small portions, but the uniquely flavored drinks pack a punch.
The décor is cute, hipster and tight. You’ll be surrounded by fellow Bham foodies looking to enjoy the downtown hip scene.
Whenever I go home, I always try and pop in this place. Good find.