Barra Barra Saloon

My husband and I recently had our wedding reception at the Barra Barra Saloon and could not have been happier with how responsive and attentive they were.
We had originally planned to have our reception elsewhere but a little over a month before our wedding that location fell through. While in San Diego for a weekend, we dedicated Friday to finding a new location and after visiting Barra Barra Saloon decided to contact Gwen Annese, their Banquet Sales and Admin Supervisor. She immediately made herself available to meet with us, discuss pricing and meaI options, event layout ideas, and answered any other questions we had. We booked the space right then and there and knew we were in good hands. Gwen was always quick to respond to emails and was an all around pleasure to work with.
As the wedding/​reception day got closer she checked in regarding any last minute details and double checked that everything was in order. The day of the event we arrived at the restaurant to find the room set up and decorated exactly as we had envisioned. The Manager on duty and the staff assigned to our reception were impeccable in their attention to detail and in making sure everything went smoothly. The guests all raved about the food and a ton of fun was had by all. They even allowed my husband’s Best Woman to pack up some to go containers for us since the bride and groom rarely get to eat much at the reception and allowed us to store those leftovers and our leftover cupcakes in their walk-​in while we ventured next door to Fiesta de Reyes to enjoy the live entertainment and continue the party.
I had eaten at Barra Barra Saloon a few times when visiting San Diego and have always enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. Now, having had such a wonderful experience working with them to host our wedding reception, they have made a loyal customer out of me.
I would not hesitate to book another special event at this restaurant as the service was perfect and the prices were very reasonable. All in all, I have to give Barra Barra Saloon a 5 star rating.
Thank you to Gwen and the staff on duty the afternoon of June 12, 2016 who assisted with our reception. You all truly helped to make our special day perfect.

Came here over father’s day weekend. We had fabulous service and food. So, we came back the next day for lunch. Wow, awesome food and service again. Brought my family and a friend for dinner on father’s day. Not so good with the service and the food was dry and the wrong order was given. When we were finished eating we could not use the restroom because they just finished cleaning it. Too bad for us customers with a 2 hour drive home. Thank goodness for us their sister restaurant was still open so we took a walk to use their facilities. Still will come back just wont stay there till closing. I give it a 67 percent… will come back and may give extra credit:)

I live in Mission Valley and was strolling through Old Town when I noticed that Barra Saloon made fresh tortillas and it was Taco Tuesday. They were pretty busy at the time and I was told that it would take about 15 minutes to be seated.
Once seated, a very friendly buster came by and dropped off chips, black bean dip and salsa. Both were awesome.
The only problem I had was that my waitress never greeted me and after 20 minutes, I finally grabbed Scott, the restaurant Manager. I mentioned to him my disappointment and that I was also in the service industry as well. Yes, they were busy, but this waitress dropped the ball.
From that point on, Scott was my waiter and went above and beyond what I would have ever asked for. He was extremely apologetic about the service and made it a point to make my visit one of the most pleasant restaurant trips in a very long time.
Scott is an excellent manager and I will definitely be back again.
I almost forgot that their Taco Tuesday tacos are awesome. I had the Carnitas Indian Flat bread tacos and the carne asada tacos. Both filling and some of the best I have had in SD.

Friday’s are busy but it took 25 minutes to take our drink order & 15 minutes to bring it. Ordered the bbq brisket & the dish including beans were cold. The brsket was a pile of meat doused with sauce & what may have been fried onions? Not sure because it was all rather mushy. Well prepared brisket is delicious on its own, however this one was too soaked in uninteresting sauce. Service was not too good. Best thing were the margaritas. No IPA or San Diego craft beer. The menu says to ask for the specialty draft but the waiter has no idea what that is.

Pretty good Mexican food. Group of 14 celebrating an anniversary and a birthday. Service was prompt, enchiladas, fajitas and carne asada platter were good. Mole was different, a Verde version, could be better. The chips, salsa and beans were some of the best. Only complaint was they do not take reservations so when we came an hour before we wanted dinner they didn’t take our name down. An hour later they were so busy it took an hour and a half to get a table. I would recommend this restaurant to others.

Service was pretty good. Our waiter was bubbly, excited, and checked in often. The chips were really good, and I loved the creaminess of the black bean dip. I was disappointed, though, in my meal. My chicken enchilada was good, but not hot. I also ordered a pork tamale, which was also not hot, and too spicy, plus the flavor was weird. I didn’t eat it. On the plus side, the best margarita really was delicious.

The location had led me to have very high expectations from this place and while it was not quite there it also did not disappoint. The stuffed chile rellenos, ribs and carne asada were all above average but not stellar. Portions are huge. They are pet friendly which is a huge plus for us YAY!!!

Came in because manager was standing out front and was super nice. Waited a bit for initial service, but once we were waited one food and drink came quickly. Yummy food… margarita was not anything to write home about, but come for the food!!! Great atmosphere and kid friendly. Kids eat free… I love that!!!

Had dinner here tonight, we were sat very promptly and had a great server. I got the carnitas plate and my husband had the sweet habanero shrimp plate. Kids eat under 10 eat free so my 1 year old son also got his own bean and cheese burrito with carrot sticks. I also had their margarita which was delicious, definitely on the sweet side but I like mine that way. My husband really liked his shrimp but wish they would have given him more than 6 for his entrée. My carnitas really had a great flavor but the refried beans tasted like bad tap water. I really liked the atmosphere, we were seated next to the fireplace which was nice. Not sure if we will come here again, the beans were pretty terrible. Hoping it was just an off night for them, they did say they were exceptionally busy tonight.

We used to frequent Casa De Reyes until we stumbled upon Barra Barra located outside the entrance of Casa De Reyes. Our server was awesome and so was the management. With a party of fifteen something is bound to get messed up not so the case at Barra. Multiple servers including management made sure that everything was perfect. Of the fifteen people 6 were kids UNDER the age of 8 so yes ciaos was in the house. After dinner concluded the kids were getting antsy so the staff got all the kids got ice cream so the adults could enjoy each others company.

After a few hours at the Little Italy Art Festival, all the art begins to look the same, so jumped on the trolley and headed over to Old Town to pass the time until our northbound coaster came by,
Disappointed that the Casa Estudillo was closed by the time we got there, as I wanted to show that to my guest. After walking in and out of a few shops we stopped in Barra Barra Saloon to get a couple of Margaritas and some chips and salsa.
Margaritas were served in large, tall glasses, not the typical tumblers. Salsa also came with a warm black bean dip which was a nice alternative. Table we sat at was very wobbly but there was a small fire pit that my guest appreciated.
Waitresses were pleasant and looked very nice in period clothing. They did their jobs efficiently. Neither of us had reason to check the facilities,
Coaster train platform is just a five minute stroll from Barra Barra Saloon, making it an appropriate choice to grab a drink.

Love old town and I love Mexican food, not to mention a good margarita on the rocks. Sat outside on the patio, I had to search for the hostess because I was waiting around to be seated for awhile…
However, the staff after the fact, were friendly and fun. Decent drink specials for HH. Lots of margarita choices. The chips are too die for, as well as the salsa. Unfortunately they didn’t have «hot» hot sauce, or tapatio or cholula. They did have a homemade hot sauce, which was not hot at all, probably more on the super mild side. They make their corn and flour tortillas and obviously those the best. It totally made my chimichanga.
Wish they had more food specials on HH, but the food off of their regular menu is delicious all the same.

Great place for drinks, lunch or dinner. Many specials and nice patio area. The $ 6 best in town margaritas are delish!

Took a little trip to San Diego with the fam. First stop was Old town San Diego. Walked around to cute little shops, restaurants and lots of historical museums.
Ended up here in Barra Barra Saloon. From beginning to end their service was excellent. Mayra greeted us and told us their wait time and told us that she would text us once a table became available. Which was totally awesome. Wait time was less then expected and seated right away. Nathly was our waitress, her customers service was above and beyond. She treated my kids like if they were her own. And took care of us well. Their Margaritas are the best. Food here is bomb! Loved it!
Most definitely will be returning and recommending to family and friends. Keep up the good customer service Barra Barra because of you I’m totally in love with old town San Diego!

3 stars because I wasn’t too thrilled with my food. I ordered the Barra Barra seafood paella. It came with so much rice and very little seafood. However, the tortilla chips and salsa they give you to begin with is really good.
A lot of people have said that the service was terrible but I disagree. They seated us immediately and took our order quickly. The food came out fast and the waitress was extremely nice. I was just disappointed with the food. I had Mexican in old town previously and loved it! So I guess I compared my other meal to this meal.
But the friends I was with enjoyed their meals so I would give Barra Barra another chance. The prices were decent as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t try their margarita’s but I bet if I did then I would have given them 4 stars :)

The food was fantastic, but the service was TERRIBLE! Our group of five was left in limbo while each plate arrived about 15 minutes apart, and that was only after repeated questioning about where our orders were… not to mention we didn’t have enough silverware and our tortillas were not brought with our meals. We asked the waiter three times about my boyfriend’s meal, but it didn’t come out until we had finished eating… we sure saw another plate of ribs served to another table, though! Complete disorganization.
The worst part was when I had to send my food back. I asked for no dairy due to a food allergy, but my mole plate still had a decorative swirl of crema. I sent it back only to have the SAME piece of chicken returned, doused in a second layer of mole in an ATTEMPT to HIDE the cream. You could still see white on the sides and on the rice. I was furious and flagged down the manager, who had been running around waiting tables himself. I was grateful to him for handling my plate himself and removing my meal from the bill…
In the end, the food was delicious, but our family dinner was ruined. If you want to have your outing disrupted by the constant need to flag down a waiter, or are OK with kitchen staff cutting corners on dietary needs, then give this place a try. We won’t be back.

Not a fan. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing?
What I Ordered
— Pork Pozole
— 2 Item Combo with Grilled Salmon Taco and Chicken Mole Enchilada
All items lacked flavor. I had to add the complimentary salsa to fix the dishes. Even then, the salsa is better off with the chips only. Luckily, they got out orders mixed up so I originally received a pork machaca enchilada on accident. Yum! Perfect amounts of pork, cheese, and sauce! Best thing I ate there… Friendly service, mediocre food. Will not be back.

Barra Barra is one of our favorite restaurants in Old Town. For one, it is easy to get seated here, and I have a theory as to why. Most visitors enter Old Town from the vicinity of the trolley station and parking lot, and when you do that, Barra is the first eatery you see. Since people want to explore and look for options, they naturally walk right past Barra over to Casa del Reyes or toward the shopping center. And hey, I’m just fine with that.
Barra is good stuff. Kids eat free every day, and the seasoned tortilla chips arrive with not only salsa, but bean dip. Not too many restaurants in Old Town offer that. The food is what it is: Traditional Mexican with options to customize. What we enjoy most though about Barra is the atmosphere. This place is full of comfortable oversized furniture and the décor really does a lot to put someone in a «vacation» mind set.

Gabriella is superb! It’s like she could hear me even thinking that I wanted something — she just appeared at the table every time we needed anything!!! Great smile! Great suggestions! Great service!
The food is great too but the service is what stands out today!

This review is based on our visit to the bar. In the heart of old town San Diego and next to Casa De Reyes. We noticed this place with it’s great outside seating. We decided to head in for a margarita. We sat in the bar. Our bartenter was Rick. He was very welcoming and friendly. We chatted with him and he shared some history with us as we enjoyed our margarita. The margarita was excellent and only $ 6. The Chips, salsa and black bean dip were tasty too.
I loved the feel of this place. It made me feel like I was in another time with it’s traditional décor. The restaurant is very spacious. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating available. Everyone was friendly here. I would definitely recommend the margarita and a visit to the bar.

Great margaritas and cheap ones ! 5 $ for one plus unilimited tortilla chips and salsa!
D’excellentes margaritas dans un cadre privilégiée avec un personnel très sympathique. Le bar ferme à 23h attention!
5 euros la margarita accompagnée de tortillas et de sauce en illimité. Très sympa!