Barcito

Wow! Great food! First gratuity free outside of Europe ! The Asado (rib) and Cordero (lamb) are amazing ! Our waiter was really really sweet. They need a DJ. I can help as I am one and local

I came here on a Sunday for dinner. My parents are from Argentina so I know the food pretty well. The place is nice and modern. More of a foodie version small plates place. And I love foodie places. We ordered beef empanadas which were very dry. The gnocchis were okay. I’m used to them with more creamy sauce although I did like the pesto sauce. Asado was also just okay and I didn’t care for the cauliflower. The churros with dulce de leche were my favorite and delicious. Five stars for service, our server was excellent. I wouldn’t choose to come back here unless they revamped the menu. Maybe if I was in the area I’d swing by for coffee and churros.

Came here with some friends for a deal we purchased on Travelzoo. This location is where the old Choco Chicken used to be. You gotta drive around for metered parking, or there are parking lots near by. I wasn’t that impressed, as I was totally ignored and walked by several staff upon entering for quite a while. I waited several minutes before finally being able to flag someone who said I could have a seat. I know some of the staff saw me but chose to ignore me. The waiter who came to take our order was very nice at least. Food was pretty much hit or miss with no real standouts:
–Empanadas — Two pieces with sauce on top. Good.
–Steak — Too burnt and had a lot of fatty pieces that looked like steak but wasn’t.
–Scallops — I can’t recall what we didn’t like about this in particular, but I think it was too citrus-​y for someone.
–Octopus (Pulpo) — Tender. Prob one of the better dishes we had.
–Gnocchi — Pillow-​like dough, fried on the outside — another good dish
–Liver Mousse — Liver taste was a little too strong, but they gave us more toasted bread for free since we ran out.
We had a good deal thanks to Travelzoo but otherwise will probably not be back.

This is dtla’s best local spot. Situated in the more polished district of downtown – South Park – uniquely placed underneath the EVO condos. What’s awesome:
1. Happy (Aperitivo) Hour: 8 bucks for beer, shot + nibbles.
2. Open late.
3. Small affordable tapas bites that are super tasty.
4. Décor is like being in Buenos Aires.
5. Owner is out on floor serving you — can you say dedicated.
Not to be missed!

Barcito has been on my bookmarks for awhile, and I recently got to check it out with a friend! It is located in the more south side of Downtown, so it is a generally quiet neighborhood. Barcito is open only for dinner, and they do have a full bar as well as plenty of seating! The dishes here are great for sharing~
Steak tartare, filet mignon, tomato vinaigrette, potato chips: Mix the quail egg with the steak, and viola! Fantastic start to the meal.
Empanadas del dia, baked in house: today’s flavor was chicken curry, and each one comes with two! Love how flaky and crispy the outside was, and the curry flavor was on point.
Artichoke tartine, puff pastry, burrata, blistered cherry tomatoes: this was surprisingly one of my favorites from the meal! The puff pastry was airy and flaky, and the burrata added a creamy flavor and texture overall. The combination of everything was delightful!
Provoleta, seared goat cheese, charred lemon, french bread: this was my friend’s favorite dish! I would also recommend ordering it as I thought it was unique and the cheese was tasty.
Cordero, lamb belly medallions, roasted spring onions: I don’t like lamb, but this one was delicious! Not too gamey, and the meat was tender.
Milanesa, pan fried chicken, spring vegetable succotash: Light and refreshing dish! We were so full by this point…
Langostinos, smoked chili-​garlic shrimp, plancha potatoes, remoulade: the sauce was amazing, and we could not stop eating the shrimp! This was another favorite of ours.
Great food and great service! I love how everything was delectable and so easily sharable. They have a great variety of dishes which I really enjoyed~ They also have a no tip policy which is cool.

Really enjoyed my time at Barcito.
Great place to come with friends for drinks and snacks. I must say their drinks and snacks are deliciooooous!
Their, empanadas and beef tartare are one of the best I’ve had in L.A. It wasn’t crowded when I went so customer service was amazing.
I don’t remember the name of their drink, but order their most popular one! Amazing taste.

I always get asked what my favorite restaurant is and while that is a loaded question with a lot of variables to consider, I’ve found that barcito rolls off the tip of my tongue for anyone looking for a new spot to try in DTLA because it checks off so many boxes:
CHURROS
Good for groups
Reasonable pricing (no tipping, as service is factored into the prices already, but they don’t gauge you like other establishments doing the same thing)
Limited menu, but with a good selection of meat-​centric and veggie-​centric dishes
CHURROS
Shared plates NOT tapas (meaning, they don’t skimp on portions)
Casual but dim lighting and great service so it feels more upscale than you’re paying for
Wine, beer, and cocktails on draft
CHURROS
Obviously, I’m obsessed with their churros that are injected with a creamy dulce de leche. I would eat them again and again and again. It’s not just the delectable filling that wins me over… they’re served at just the right temperature with the perfect crunch to chewy fried dough ratio.
When not on an all churro diet, I tend to order the pulpo. I love me some octopus, and slapping an egg on it and lathering it in a salsa verde is like an edible tentacle orgy. If you’re looking to course your meal out the proper way, I suggest the baked goat cheese. It’s a really nice starter… flambeed and served with toasted bread and lemon. Squeeze the lemon all over it for a citrus finish, or leave it be. The choice is yours. The last time I was in, I wanted a something heartier, so I got the lamb belly. Pork belly has had its moment to shine, but everyone should get on the lamb belly train… it’s first (and only!) stop is barcito. I know lamb is scary for some, but in this dish, it’s the rich sausage-​y flavor of lamb without the freak out of the texture because it’s mostly dense, except for the rings of juicy fat (but with more meat than fat, which I appreciate).
I’ve enjoyed my many visits there, whether it be to grab a quick snack and a drink or for a full-​fledged meal. I’ve also gotten to know Andrea (owner) and Chuck (chef) and their synergy clearly combines for a comfortable, neighborhood-​y place to enjoy some Argentine-​inspired dishes that are done well because they’re keeping it simple and consistent.

Came here with a couple of friends for Tuesday night dinner and was very pleasantly surprised. Lucky for us the restaurant wasn’t crowded with guests and we were seated quickly.
We started our meal with grilled octopus, fried chicken, chicken liver mousse, and gnocchi. The grilled octopus was great and flavorful. It had an over easy egg which gave the dish a creamy texture once the egg yolk was popped. I was afraid the octopus was going to be chewy and rough but it was tender with the right chewy bounce. The fried chicken was served underneath a heap of corn. The corn was extremely crunchy and the natural sweetness was balance well with the tangy sauce. This dish was extremely light and delicious. I’m not a fan of pâté so I didn’t enjoy the liver mousse as much as my friends. But what I can say is you get a lot of the mousse as it comes in a jar. And the bread that came with it was amazing. It was crispy, buttery, and chewy. Their gnocchi was served in a bacon pesto sauce. The center was light and airy while the outer was crispy.
We preceeded to follow our first round with a second round of garlic shrimp, fried risotto balls, puff pastry veggies, and churros. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the garlic shrimp. It came on a bed of hashbrowns with tartar sauce on the side. Didn’t feel the flavors work well and the hashbrown wasn’t cooked enough. I also didn’t enjoy the fried risotto ball because it was too al dente, tasted like uncooked rice. The puff pastry veggies was very tasty though. It had a nice blend of sweet, salty, crispy, and tangy. And finally, their churros was just as good. I normally don’t like churros because they cut the roof of your mouth, but these churros tasted like they melted in your mouth. I was very impressed with the texture, but flavor wise they taste like churros.
But overall it was a very impressive meal. The flavors and texture were great, service was great, causal ambiance was great, and gratuity free policy was a breath of fresh air.

Absolutely fantastic food. Full of flavor, great portions, high-​quality, etc.
Great staff too, and I love how they’re doing all inclusive pricing-​no tip line! It’s awesome.

Came to this place based off of its great reviews on Unilocal.This place is close to staple center so parking can be difficult. You may have to end up parking at a garage. This place has a fairly large bar area for seating and a few tables inside and on the patio area. I felt like it was a little too dark in there but that’s just me.
Here’s what we ordered:
Palmitos salad — I love heart of palm but this dish disappointed. It was mainly arugula with a garnish of candied nuts and a few very small pieces of Palm. It would’ve been nice to have larger chunks of Palm and if the Palm was pickled. This dish was just lacking I felt.
Chicken liver mousse — this was pretty good. It wasn’t the best I’ve had but it was good. Served with four slices of buttered toast. It was well seasoned and spread like butter. Also served with a side of pickles which were excellent. You definitely need to order another side of bread for this which is available at an extra charge.
Langostinos — the shrimp was well flavored but could’ve been even better with some more seasoning. Served on potatoes planchas (crispy hash brown) and remoulade. Eating a bite of everything together, you lose the shrimp completely but eaten separately, this was enjoyable and cooked well.
Asado — this was pretty good. Braised short rib with chimichurri and sunchokes. Well flavored, super soft meat, and cooked well. Chimichurri kept it from being too heavy. I’d get this again.
Overall, the food was okay. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t spectacular. Service was good. I’m a little surprised at how good the ratings are here.

Came here with a travelzoo deal on Thirsty Thursday and left pretty unimpressed. The deal itself was awesome but the food was meh.
Had the Chicken Liver Mousse which was probably the best dish of the night. Generous jar of the buttery chicken liver mousse with warm toasted baguettes (they offered more baguette when we were done with the first 4 which was nice).
Tried the Empanadas which were decent but not overly impressive. Packed with lots of meat but nothing really special and not really fresh. The creamy aioli sauce was pretty good though.
Last dish was the Asado. Although the sunchokes were delicious, the meat was again unimpressive. It was tender but lacked flavor, and the chimichurri sauce tasted too fresh… it wasn’t marinated long enough so it was straight up herbs and olive oil.
Great tz deal but I probably wouldn’t go back…

I came here with 4 friends for my birthday dinner. Easy reservations via OpenTable. I wanted a casual setting, chill vibe with some good tapas and Barcito delivered! It was my first time going to a restaurant that serves Argentinean style food, so by no means am I an expert, but I can definitely say now that I’m a fan! Everything we ordered was delicious! We shared the following:
SANGRIA: I. love. sangria. I pretty much order it any time I see it on a menu. This one was pretty good… not my fave, but not bad!
CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSE: This might sound gross to some. but omg it is delicious!!! Spread it on some toasted baguette and MMM! Try one and I dare you not to eat 10 more. I love how they gave us extra bread too when we asked for it.
NOQUIS: ricotta potato dumplings with pistachio pesto. These were actually my least favorite dish of the night. It was a little bland and the flavors didn’t stand out to me. It could have used just a pinch more salt. You might like this though if you like soft foods… they’re little pillows of potatos and pesto.
PROVOLETA: seared goat cheese, charred lemon, crunchy bread. YUM!!! SO glad our server recommended this. This was one of our favorites! Another spreadable dish like the chicken liver mousse. I highly recommend this one!
EMPANADAS: 1 order comes with two. One of their more popular dishes here and I can see why. It was tasty and filling!
RISOTTO A LA SEPIA: squid ink risotto with grilled calamari and arugula. Yummy!
PULPO: crispy octopus, fried egg, salsa verde. OMG! Such a unique and delicious octopus dish! I loved the crispy crunchy texture of it! Definitely a must get! I really enjoyed this one!
LANGOSTINOS: smoked chili-​garlic shrimp, plancha potatoes, remoulade. Get this if you like shrimp. It was definitely good but didn’t stand out.
Dessert: They brought out mini churros with a candle on top for my birthday. Sweet touch. :) Those churros were freakin bomb! So soft! I think it came with like a chocolate sauce to dip them into… it was delishhhh.
Overall service was great! :)
Parking: street/​public lots only. I wish this place had valet. It took me forever to find parking since there was an event going on at Staples Center.

A-​OK. After seeing Unilocal reviews and pictures, I had high expectations for barcito, but it didn’t really live up to it :(Came here on a Saturday evening for a light dinner.
FOOD:
— chicken liver mousse — I love pâté and chicken liver so I really really enjoyed this dish! Served with pickled cucumbers and toasted bread. They’ll refill your bread for you, just ask! The taste is very liver-​strong, which I really liked, but my friends who are not liver lovers didn’t really enjoy it. The texture is super smooth as well.
— crispy octopus — octopus wasn’t rubbery, but the egg wasn’t super runny either. I enjoyed the flavor combination.
— langostinos — this was very meh. The sauce was described as spicy, but it wasn’t, and didn’t really have any particular flavor to it. The sauce on the side overpowered the flavor of the shrimp. The potato pancake at the bottom was okay, except for the soggy parts
— palmitos salad — this is definitely mostly watercress and you only get tiny bits of hearts of palm.
My biggest complaint was that all the food came out barely lukewarm! The liver and salad were not supposed to be hot, okay, but the octopus and shrimp were not even warm.
SERVICE:
Okay. Our server was okay, not very energetic. Food came out all at once, which I thought was a bit strange for a tapas-​style restaurant.
VENUE/​PARKING:
Located where the old ChocoChicken used to be, the place looks pretty much the same. Lots of bar seating and dim lighting, they do have TVs so you can watch sports games. We walked over from our friend’s place but street parking isn’t too hard to find. Meters and lots available.
Disappointed with barcito :(

If you’re in Downtown and looking for a place you want to chill and have a conversation without the crowds, Barcito is a good option. Located in the South Park area of DtLA, This Argentinian inspired cocktail bar has both patio and indoor bar stool type seating.
We came on a Friday after work. Barcito barely had 10 people inside which is what I prefer so that I can have a converstation without yelling to the person next to you. Most DtLA bars are so crowded it’s tough to hear. The inside has storefront street views on two sides and a cool modern interior.
Like most trendy restaurants these days, they have share plates. We weren’t that hungry so we shared the pulpo, asado, and langostinos. Pulpo is crispy octopus, fried egg and salsa verde. This dish was tasty and octopus cooked perfectly, however, not crispy. I warn you there’s lots of tentacles which ma be creepy to many. The asado is a braised short rib, sunchokes and chimichuri. Pretty good also. Can’t go wrong with something braised and slow cooked.
Longostinos is smoked chili garlic shrimp, plancha potatoes and remoulade. Very good and my favorite amongst the three.
There’s a full bar inside with wine, spirits, a few beers on tap, cider, and sodas. I had a Black Label neat and a pilsner to drink.
Service and bartenders here are attentive. Worth a visit if you’re looking for a place to lounge in DtLA.

Tried Barcito last night with Kevin A. and we really enjoyed ourselves. It’s a really low key since the place it is just about 4 months old. Looked like half the restaurant was booked for some kind of event and the other half was filled with normal diners. It’s a tapas style gastropub so of course we ordered dishes to share:
Chicken Liver Mousse $ 9 — served with buttery toasted baguettes and house pickled cucumbers. The serving of chicken liver was very generous and had great texture to it. Highly recommend it.
Empanadas Del Dia $ 8 — last night they had short-​rib empanadas baked in house. Crispy and fluffy exterior with generous portion of tender short-​rib interior.
Chicken Prensado $ 11 — chicken thigh with fennel, whole grain mustard and rainbow chard. This was recommended by our waiter and was my fave dish From the Plancha. I actually liked it more than the Asado!
Asado $ 13 — braised short rib with sunchokes and chimichurri sauce. Really tender short rib but a little on the oily side for me. Ordered this based on Unilocal reviews, but I would recommend the Chicken Prensado instead!
Dulce de Leche Churros $ 7 — sounds like it would be overly sweet but it was actually PERFECT. I would say this was one of the highlights of the night. The churros were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside — each one was filled with delicious homemade dulce de leche sauce. Another highly recommended dish of the night!
Overall we had a great experience, the hostess was awesome — she sat us quickly, told us a little bit about the restaurant, and checked in later on. Waiter was really nice and helpful with his recommendations as well. Definitely check it out.

The girls passed around a carafe of red wine that smelled wonderful. Oh, alright, I did take a little sip (I was on antibiotics), and it tasted great as well. Sadly, I don’t know the name.
I decided on the DineLA menu, adding the octopus and fried goat cheese to my meal. Those weren’t on the list, and I just HAD to try them.
I started off with the scallop crudo. It was light and citrus-​y. Very refreshing.
The provoleta (the fried goat cheese) was out of control good. It was salty, not too goaty, and just perfect spread on the toasted bread. I could have eaten the entire serving all by myself. This, in my opinion, is a must order.
The risotto a la sepia was mediocre. I thought the rice was a bit overdone and it was too dry and sticky overall.
The star of the show was supposed to be the pulpo, but it was only okay. The octopus itself was good, but I’m not sure if the egg or salsa added anything to the dish.
The langostinos were a table favorite. They were good, but I found them to be overly salty. I didn’t like the ranch-​like sauce on the sides (which was also salty). The crunchy, hashbrown-​like potato cake on the bottom was superb, however.
My friend had an early appointment, so we took our dessert to go. I tried to eat one of my churros in the car, but I wasn’t aware that it was filled with caramel, and it spilled EVERYWHERE. I was a hot, but delicious, mess. Those churros were spectacular, and I finished all of them myself.
On a return visit, I’d get the provoleta again for sure, and some churros to end. Everything in the middle might be new selections.

Came here for DineLA dinner on a Thursday evening at 6pm. We were seated promptly and our server was very sweet and attentive. The food was hit and miss.
Scallop crudo: must order. The vinaigrette is amazing and the scallop, arugula and sweet potato made an interesting texture contrast
Squash croqueta: sweet potato croquettes were on point. Sweet and flavorful
Noquis: the ricotta and potato dumplings were bland and the accompanying pesto sauce couldn’t save the dish
Risotto a la sepia: squid ink risotto was good but not exciting. Well executed in terms of texture and subtle flavors
Asado: braised short rib with chimichurri is a must order. So tender and flavorful I didn’t want to share this dish
Langostinos: shrimp was perfectly cooked and remoulade was delicious but the hash brown potato cake served with the dish was burnt and overly salty.
Churros: nothing to write home about. I’ve had better and it was overly sugared and cinnamoned
Chocolate mousse: silky smooth texture but on the bland side. Still good though

I found this place when I was browsing on Dine LA restaurants and made a reservation for a girls night out, and I am glad that I did!
The atmosphere is very nice and lively. Definitely good for a date or hangout with friends. It does get loud with people’s voices in this high ceiling space, which is typical at many bars/​restaurants in DTLA. (I feel like I am rather yelling at my friends at some places in DTLA…)
Two of my girlfriends and I got a table in the very back, which was actually nice to have some privacy (especially for a girl talk!). Servers checked on us frequently to see if we needed anything too!
More importantly food… was great! All plates were $ 8 – 13. My favorite from appetizers was noquis (ricotta-​potato dumpling!!!) which was s little different from regular noquis I know in a good way, and pistachio pesto was so good!
From entrees, I am a seafood person, so of course I enjoyed the smoked shrimp, but asado was well seasoned and really good too!
We finished our dinner with Chocolate mousse and churros, and my heart melted with a sweet hot churro… We all agreed that we’d better do squats next day to burn all these delicious energy…
Barcito is definitely one of the bars in DTLA with great food! I do recommend making a reservation since the place got packed. And maybe plan a workout next day like us!

Really like this place. Even though we weren’t lucky enough to nab any street parking, there’s a lot directly across the street on grand for 10 $ flat rate — cc or cash, grab the receipt, stick it on ur dash n ur good to go.
60 $ pre tax pre tip for three drinks n three dishes. Everything was reasonably priced and, shocker, the suggested tip amounts are based on pre tax, unlike most sneaky restaurants so yayyyy. 20% em for sure, esp cause they helped brainstorm some yummy-​not-​too-​sugary drinks. Food was a bit on the oily side but more like sauce oily, not deep fried oily. I think the noqi (no clue how they spell it) was the most interesting to me cause it was lightly crisp on the outside and warm n gooey on the inside like mashed potatoes. The pistachio pesto have it a nice (extra garlicky!) flavor too. I wanted desperately to try to octopus but we simply had no room left in our bellies. Feeling weepy. Def next time!
Only downside, I think their kitchen fan was down or something cause the smoke was burning our eyes. Youchy. Totally digging their old school music though — like Jackson five, not dr dre haha

What a kickass little bar and gastropub in the old corkbar/​choco chicken space at the bottom of the Evo building (12^th x Grand). My new favorite DTLA go-​to for drinks or a quick bite.
AMBIANCE
Romantic, vintage cuba or buenos aires. Steel walls and supersized travel imagery transport you instantly to a 1960s Havana. It’s dim, sexy, and candle-​lit. There are flowers and a huge mirror over the bar. The outdoor seating feels cozy, but social. The tall tables are great to see and be seen. And then there’s the more intimate regular-​height dining area, with a view onto Grand Ave. It’s so tastefully decorated, and a great date spot, drinks meet up place, or GNO dinner destination. It’s walking distance to LA Live and so a wonderful pre-​event dinner spot as well. Food and drinks are affordable, unlike anything else at LA Live.
DRINKS
Sangria was delicious, and has fresh fruit garnish. Cocktails were equally impressive, all made to order and very tastefully adorned. House wines also sounded delicious, and very affordable.
FOOD
Delicious, affordable tapas and small plates. My favorites of the night were the ensalata mixta (simple but fresh salad with arugula, pomegranate seeds, burrata and croutons) and the provolenta (seared goat cheese served on the best bread ever, with seared lemon. divine). we also enjoyed the chicken liver mousse (nice portion, not too livery, and served with the same delicious bread), langostinos (smoked chili-​garlic shrimp with an amazing remoulade sauce, tastes almost thai/​asian), and the ñoquis (perfectly fried ricotta-​potato dumplings with a pistachio pesto).
Love that this is right at the bottom of my building and can’t wait to pop in for more amazing drinks and bites!