Beer Barrio

A great little place to grab a couple of craft beers and a grilled burrito with friends. The food was well prepared and flavorful, and the selection of beers was impressive. I especially enjoyed the Choklat, which had bitter taste with a nutty follow. I will definitely go back.

Great food and atmosphere! Extremely friendly staff. The vast craft beer selection is available at great prices. Highly recommended!

This place was great! I’m a sucker for most Mexican inspired restaurants but I’d say this place is more of a taco joint! My friend had researched this place online b4 we went to make sure they had gluten free things for her. We were blown away by the friendly efficient staff and the fantastic food. We all ended up ordering the tequila grilled chicken tacos for dinner and they were so good that we came back again the next day for lunch! They need to bottle their house made salsa because it’s so good. I wish this place was a chain because I would eat at it in every city I visited!

I really liked this place! My boyfriend wanted to come here for lunch, so we did. I had the Carolina pulled pork, the Abby ambers ale, and he had fish taco, and the bean taco, and the golden monkey (beer). The wait staff was friendly, and made sure we were okay! The music was great, and our bill was only $ 26.00. I will come back!

Only a 10 ounce pour on a 5% IPA in a goblet glass for $ 7. Hells Kitchen gives ya a 12 ounce IPA for $ 4. Took lady forever to ask me for a 2^nd round. And when I asked for another in a regular glass, she comes out with the 10 ounce pour excuse declining my request. Service ABSOLUTELY sucks. Plenty of waiters. Food descent. Service awful. No smiles, no personally, no caring attitude.

Fantastic tacos! Great service. Made fresh when you order so no fast food after taste. Try the AL Pastor or the catfish taco! Killer food.

Cool atmosphere. Lots of outdoor seating. Good service.
Over priced. They offer specials according to the day, this would be worth looking into.
I had two tacos which were tasty, however became cold oddly quick. If you have time, I would order/​eat one taco at a time. They are bigger than I expected.
but again… over priced.

Really cute place! Came on a Saturday in December after Christmas day. The staff was nice, drinks affordable and I like their Mexican menu options.
They give you chips and salsa while you wait for your main course to come. We split a pressed black bean and cheese burrito that came with a small ramekin of guac and sour cream. House well bloody mary was $ 4…“meh” on taste.
Cute outdoor seating area. Corner spot — could be good people watching. I’d recommend it!
Probably not the best place for large groups but I think you can do take out catering and reserve parts of restaurant for parties and events.

I wanted to like Beer Barrio, I really did. They’ve got an absurd number of taps and there have been rumors of a vegan queso dip. Downtown Wilmington could really use a Mexican-​ish dining option other than the occasional night time appearance of Pepe’s Tacos.
Bottom line is that Beer Barrio is incredibly over priced. $ 5 for a taco? $ 9 margaritas? $ 9 for a skillet of queso smaller than the palm of my hand? $ 8 guacamole?
The location is great, drink selection is great, the service was iffy and the food was not noteworthy enough to justify the prices.

Extremely pleased with this restaurant. We were a little hesitant because of the mixed reviews, but glad we took a shot at his place. We have a infant and not a lot of room for the stroller, but the atmosphere is nice. Music is a little loud for me, but we could still hear the conversation at our table. I ordered the hamburger taco and it is sooooo good! You get chips and salsa when you dine in, very good, bad thing cost $ 3 extra to get another order. Staff was ok. Food is great.

Honestly, Beer Barrio has been on my list to try since they opened earlier this summer. I live downtown and the area is in desperate need of more «ethnic» restaurants. Beer barrio is not your traditional mexican food, this modern innovation combines beer infused foods with fresh mexican flavors. I have read all the reviews about this restaurant and I disagree about the price issues and quality of product.
Beer Sommelier Hayley Jensen and her husband Chef Stephen Durley are both gracious and welcoming. I had the opportunity to taste the guacamole, fresh pork crackling and house made ranch at the Unilocal Launch party last week. The taste was just enough to make me want more, so Friday immediately after work I decided to drop by and try the tacos.
Based on recommendations from the man sitting next to me I decided to order the house fish taco and the tequila chicken taco. All tacos are $ 5 which is average and reasonable considering the size of the tacos. While I was waiting for my tacos, the bartender brought out complimentary chips and salsa. I am actually really picky about my salsa because I can’t handle spicy food. This salsa was both fresh and chunky without being spicy. It was so hard for me to not eat the entire basket. The tacos took a little long to come out but were worth the wait. The house fish taco was good but disappointing, the catfish was hot and crispy but the the piece of fish was very small and mostly breading. The setup of the taco was unfortunately just fish and cabbage so I added the extra salsa to help give it more substance. The tequila chicken taco was much different. The taco was overflowing with tomatoes and queso fresco inside a hard shell and then stuffed inside another guacamole lined soft shell. Overall I really enjoyed my meal but wish I had ordered two of the chicken tacos instead of the catfish.
Best features? Huge draft selection and late night hours (Sunday– Wednesday 11am-​12am, Thursday-​Saturday 11am-​2am). I have never seen so many beers on draft in such a small location. The margarita on draft is also amazing, no sour mix and just the right ration of tequila to get a nice buzz.

Five of us went here Sat. night. Bottom line, the food was good but VERY overpriced and they are greatly understaffed. I cant believe they are charging 5 dollars for one taco. The «bowls» are 10 and the size of a small cereal bowl. We also ordered the hushpuppies appetizer for 7 dollars. It came with 5 puppies, really???
Our server was friendly but we saw very little of her. In the middle of our meal we ordered another drink, 30 minutes later nothing and when our checks came, we were charged for the beer we never got.
We will not return. This place will not survive unless they get the prices and the service adjusted.

Had Dinner there with my girlfriend Friday Night. The place was busy but we were seated right away in the upstairs section. I ordered the Gucamole and the Chicharones (BTW Chicharrones is the correct spelling guys)
The guacamole was ok, nothing special. the salsa that accompanied it was decent. It tasted of roasted tomatoes with smokey chipotle flavor, but they need to work on the chips.
The Chicharrones served with a spicy ranch were kind of a joke. In case they were not aware, There are some pretty darn good Chicharrones at the local Mexican market in a bag with chile and lime with double the portion that blow these away. (sorry Beer Barrio)
I was very surprised about the A La Carte tacos $ 5ea! When I asked the server how many came and how they were prepared. She described them as (1) hard shell taco with a soft tortilla and guacamole spread wrapped around it. I thought to myself, «doesn’t Taco bell have the exact same thing! WOW! I ordered the beer marinated beef taco and my girlfriend had the tequila lime chicken taco. The beef flavor just OK and presented in a metal taco holder The beef looked like ground beef. The chicken taco had both dark and white meat mixed?
I didn’t order dessert.
On the menu it says that Beer Barrio is Modern Mex. It looks as if they are trying for some kind of Mexican street food theme. Unfortunately there aren’t many good places for Mexican street food in Wilmington or at Beer Barrio. Need lessons on Mexican cuisine and some real help here with just the basics, a taco!

I was very excited for some Mexican downtown since nothing has quite filled the void left by Firebelly. There really was nothing special about Beer Bario, although $ 5 tacos could be considered «special». The décor is great but that’s really it. The food was good but not worth the price tag. Adding a small side of rice/​beans would make it seem a little better. Lots of other places in town that are a better bang for your buck.
Luckily, Islands opened up down the street and, with their nightly $ 1 tacos, I can get my Mexican fix at a good price.

I went to Beer Barrio 7÷24÷15 by myself. It was Friday about 8pm. relatively busy. I started with a margarita, which they have on tap, at the bar that was 3ft away from me. I waited about 25 minutes while margarita after margarita flew off the bar to other people and I shriveled like a desert flower. I know the waitress forgot because when she finally walked towards me we made eye contact, she had a look of horror, then went to the bar to get my drink– Strike 1
When she arrived with it I ordered the hush puppies and 2 infamous 5 dollar tacos. I waited, waited, and waited. maybe another 22 minutes. Not even a hush puppy. A couple came to sit at the bar, ordered hush puppies and theirs arrived 10 minutes before mine– Strike 2
The hush puppies had a weird sour taste like sourdough bread but I don’t believe that’s what they are made with. I couldn’t taste the jalapeño or catfish and they were a bit too crispy for me. I got two al pastor tacos with the wet runny pineapple, the meat tasted alright but it certainly wasn’t what an al pastor taco should be, tender bits of meat that are both a bit crispy and juicy. The meat tasted like it was made in a crockpot. I also got served on tiny wood rounds and no actual plate to eat over, I had to request that. So my canned pineapple juice taco ran onto the bar since my wood round wasn’t large enough to actually contain anything.- Strike 3, you’re out
You can get a better taco at one of the hole in the walls for 2 bucks or less and it will knock your socks off. The spot looks kind of cool and they have a lot of beers on tap but I wouldn’t eat there and with places like cape fear wine and beer, why would I drink there either?

For a place that boasts craft beer with heir name, I was disappointed to find they were out of half of their IPA choices when I went for dinner around 9:00 on a Saturday night. Their food is decent, but pricey. Everything is served a la carte style (no sides were served with tacos, quesadillas, etc). On the plus side, their servers and hostess were all very nice. Also their complimentary chips and salsa were tasty, I liked he roasted/​mild flavor of the salsa. Honestly, the only reason I ended up here was because all other good restaurants on front street had a significant wait… I don’t think I would go back.

DO NOT EAT HERE, RECREATED OVER PRICED TACO BELL
My wife and I live in Wilmington and ate at your restaurant for the first time last night.
The beer… Your extensive/​over priced beer list is good only because of the selection. We are craft beer drinkers through and through. However, it blows my mind that a place trying to be a neighborhood beer and taco joint doesn’t have a single canned Mexican beer. Nothing goes better with Mexican food than a DRESSED (salt lime around Rim) MEXICAN BEER tecate/​modelo
But the worst part of our entire experience was the food… I see zero creative twist whatsoever, and for $ 5 a taco? Come on…
Chicken and beef taco… These we’re likely the worst. The store bought tortillas slathered with guac and then wrapped around ANOTHER store bought tortilla? (See YouTube for «TacoTown» video) Truly offensive to Mexican food. The beef was inedible. Over cooked, over seasoned. Not to mention finished with ALL the staples of a cheesy gordita crunch… From Toxic Hell (Taco Bell).
The al pastor taco. I’d rather not even discuss. Did they honestly put canned/​jarred pineapple on a taco? Just do me a favor, go to Taqueria La Tapatia on S. College (next to Harris Teeter across from UNCW) and order an Al Pastor taco from there. It’s perfection. All of their food is. AND ITS $ 1.75 PER TACO
The fish taco… This was the most disappointing considering we live so close to the ocean, you’d think these would be second nature to our local restaurants… But this one was a disaster. Flour tortilla with a fish taco? Tell me about a respectable fish taco anywhere in the country and tell me it doesn’t have a FRESH HOMEMADE soft corn tortilla. The fish was fishy and under seasoned. And it was again… Topped off with Taco Bell like toppings. Very very very sad excuse for a fish taco.
At the end of our dinner we told Hayley (manager) about the poor experience and she HESITANTLY comped two of our tacos. But for what was reincarnated Taco Bell, we still spent $ 35… Save your money. Go to Fork and Cork a couple blocks over for a truly special local restaurant, or Taqueria La Tapatia on college for real tacos.

List of why Beer Barrio is shit.
— $ 5 taco, not taco’s but a taco.
— Uncaring servers.
— lackluster taste.
— High price for small meals.
— Doesn’t serve food (taco) with correct plate. Instead uses a small piece of wood to serve tacos.
— Don’t expect to be ask if you would like to order anything after they take your initial order.
— No one will check your table.
— If you are there with another party, they will be to busy.
— Wants to be trendy, but lacking.
Save your money and go to Chipotle. I sat and waited for 45 minutes. While waiting I watched 4 waiters sit and eat at the bar. My server never came to my table and asked if I needed more water and chips while I waited. I was one of two tables there and was told they where busy. My bill was $ 50, I guess if you have never had Good Mexican food or don’t care for bland taste it’s the place for you. I was brought the check with no promise of anyone returning after waiting 10 minutes. I took the check to the hostess asking to pay, I was then told ‘We are in the middle of a shift swap’. I was in awe when I was told this when I looked around and counted 7 workers just standing around. I would never suggest Beer Barrio even to just have a beer. If the owners would like to contact me feel free, I wouldn’t mind giving pointers on how to better there service and food.

One word for this restaurant. No.
It’s cute inside and the staff was nice enough so that’s why they get two, instead of one, star.
The food was edible but lacked anything resembling flavor.
We ordered the bowls and you would be better off going to Chipotle to get your money’s worth. $ 10 each? Really?
We were hoping to catch a good lunch before heading back home from Wilmington and this definitely was not it.
$ 40 for two bowls, one beer and some queso… Might be one thing if it knocked our socks off but again… No. We would have been better off going to Carrabbas and having a nice salad/​soup and entrée.
We ate at Paddys two nights ago and it was definitely much better.
Also, lay off the salt a little on the chips.
r

I’ve now been there twice. First time was their opening weekend, second time was tonight.
First time around I got the Beer Braised Beef Tacos and the Tequila Grilled Chicken Tacos and their chips and salsa. As far as food goes, it was excellent, especially the Beef tacos, very full flavor. I did not get the tequila they said, but otherwise juicy and delicious with the guac and pico. The house made salsa was wonderful, nice and mildly spiced to appeal to all, with hot sauce ready to kick it up where I’d like.
Second time around I grabbed the local fish taco (brined mahi) and the Tequila Grilled Chicken, cause I wanted to give it a second chance. First time I had a decent chicken taco, second time I had a fantastic chicken taco. It was definitely worth the second visit. The mahi was also amazing. Light, juicy, fresh.
From a service stand point, definitely five stars. Sat at the bar both times, two different bartenders. Each time they were attentive to my needs and did a good job suggesting beers for me, knowing enough to point me in the right direction.
Overall a great experience, will definitely be back, gonna bring my family next time. Shout out to Hayley (I think) who humored me with my tequila and tacos snobbery.