El Barrio Cantina

Ordered carne asada and califlower tacos and guac for take-out. Delish! Unique take on classic tacos, with a perfect balance of unique + classic. Vibe inside the restaurant during the day is cool, modern airy and very helpful/friendly staff. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

This place is pretty new from what I've heard. We came here for brunch. No reservations are actually needed since the place is practically empty - you can hear the conversations of people in the booth 20 ft from you. The staff is nice and the place is very clean and bright. The decor fits the modern Mexican cuisine. We ordered taquitos - really good. Lots of potato's. Salsa- not spicy :/Bottomless mimosas $25 each. They don't tell you ahead of time but they have three flavors of mimosas - pineapple orange and guava?? It would've been nice to know. We ordered a pitcher of margaritas. It is supposed to be for about 4 people. They have several flavors of this as well. Make sure you ask about it because they don't seem to let you know before ordering. I also ordered a breakfast burrito - not pictured. Not great. I believe I ordered it with chicharron inside. It was 90% soggy chicharron (bc of the sauce) and 10% everything else. Not my favorite. I didn't even finish half. Their dinner menu looks a little better so I hope to come back and try that soon. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I work in Long Beach and was meeting my sister between her house and mine in Long Beach for a special birthday lunch. It's an hour drive for both of us. We chose this place without ever visiting. My sister arrived before we did at about 2:45 they sat her and then at 3:58 they informed her that she had two minutes to order food. She explained we were on our way, she called us to place our order and was told it was too late. Rude and unwilling to give us an extra minute. Too many other options in a great food city. Go somewhere else!! Lola's is where we landed More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Amazing food, drinks, and ambience. They sometimes host a brunch with drag queens and it's always a great time! The only thing that's a bummer about this place is that there's no parking and the street parking is limited

Reviewed on Yelp

AMBIANCE:Parking: Street parking and there's a small plaza right across for it too.Seating: Insiding seating for maybe about 100 people. You have your choice of bar seating, pairs, and groups both small or large.Feels: It's on the charming street of 4th Street. There are plenty of eateries but this one certainly stands out. The place itself is pretty spacious place. I enjoyed the Spanish music in the background as it ranged from modern alternative to classic barrio sounds. There's also two TVs playing sports if you're into that stuff. The art and decor is a little eclectic and creative. I like the woven baskets on the wall and the unique mural of an octopus and lucha libre fighting. This place is well organized but not in a pedantic matter. Great place for a food adventure or catching up with friends.FOOD:Cluck N Benny Sando (Recommend)A sando is slang in Japanese for a humble sandwich... this is no humble sandwich. I liked the toasted poppy buns and the buffalo sauce was well mixed in with the chicken. The chicken was crunchy and well-cooked. The cole slaw balanced out the spice.Cameron Marinero (Recommend)A well-put-together ceviche dish. A good mix of mango, shrimp, avocado, and cilantro with some spice for a good kick.Surf and Turf Tacos (Recommend)A very aesthetically pleasing taco. A good mix of steak and shrimp with onions and some bell pepper. What stood out was the steak as it was well seasoned, charred, and had good portions of fat and meat. CUSTOMER SERVICE:Chris was awesome! She was friendly, engaging, and interactive. Awesome I say!TL; DR OVERALL:4.5 Stars! Fantastic! I enjoyed the food, the prices were reasonable, and the experience was pleasant. There is more for me to try on this menu. It's interesting as though this place calls itself Barrio, it feels upscale however it does carry that community and culture of care of the barrio from the food to the service. I wish Chef Ulises and the team all the best.TIPS:* They change their menus for brunch, lunch, and dinner so come and plan accordingly.* Check out their other project: <a href="/redir?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbarrio-tacos.com%2F&amp;s=ab2604f79013d9e5bc19cbb7aa6744adbf248e8fc130ac48536439e0307d2350" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">barrio-tacos.com</a> More...

Reviewed on Yelp

This was our first visit to this restaurant. We spent almost 20 mins looking for a parking spot and ended parking about five blocks from the restaurant. There is a very small parking lot reserved for the restaurant across the street but you have to be pretty lucky to find a spot. From the hostess to the server the service seemed brusque and hurried. We had just taken our first bite of our appetizer when the main entrees arrived at the table. The server just balanced them on the edge of the table with no apology. Then before we even took a bite of our dessert the server asked us if she could bring the check with no regard to the fact that our beers we empty. The food was average at best and overall it seemed like their priority was to turn tables over quickly. Not a good place to sit back and relax on a Friday night after work. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Came for dine LA- based on a recommendation from eater LA. There were 4 of us so we got one each of 4 entrees offered. There is a small lot across the street for parking - look for the sign. The potato tacos weren't extraordinary but still delicious, and the standout entrees for me were the carnitas (super tender) and the carne asada. The zucchini pasta was great too. For the dessert, there was flan and a churro with ice cream, and we ordered one of each. The churro was delicious! So light and airy, I really enjoyed every bite. The servers were friendly and helpful. It's more higher end Mexican, so the prices will reflect that, but the food is really good. There's a bunch of great places to eat in the LBC, and it's always hard to choose when I'm there, but I'd definitely add this to my list of places to stop by again if I'm in the Long Beach area. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mmmmmmargaritas are delicious. Their alitas are my favorite. They have a good happy hour. Staff is pretty friendly)

Reviewed on Yelp

First I'll say the ambiance is very nice, it's very spacious, cute decor and comfortable seating. The food, is very tasty, I highly recommended the tacos de papa, very crunchy, very flavorful and they serve it with this sauce that's heavenly! The only complain is that their menu is kinda small, move variety would be appreciated. The service , is really good. They're friendly, come check on you and always with a huge smile on their face, very accommodating. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Sorry I didn't have good pictures, I was very hungry! I loved the food. It is in the pricey side for tacos, 2 tacos for $11 but sooo yummy. I had carne asada and pollo tinga. My husband had the shrimp and squash fideo! Super flavorful The ambiance is super cute. They only had one server at the time and she was the hostess as well. She was friendly and helpful. I think the manager came and dropped off food too. Overall great experience. Main downfall was the parking. I think they are shutting down street at nights for a week I believe so super annoying. Uber if you can otherwise I Will be back! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

The ambiance was awesome, the Squash Blossom Fideo was yummy also the Carnitas plate was delicious but the Carne Asada was prepared kind of weird, it was just "the meat and 3 pieces of grilled onions" Did not come with anything, which we thought was kinda odd. . I had to order a side of rice because eating just the meat was a no go but their Churro w/Ice Cream was to die for.. Soooo yummy Service could be improved More...

Reviewed on Yelp

food and whole vibe was so cute. the employees were also the nicest people ever, will definitely be coming back

Reviewed on Yelp

I had heard a lot of good things about this place....until I actually showed up on a Saturday night. I knew something was up when the hostess was also the waitress. We ordered the dine LA menu and while waiting for our appetizer, we were asked to move our seats so the hostess/waitress' friends could sit in a larger section that she created from our old seats. After looking to the left and waiting for a long time, the newly created friend table had received our appetizers! My steak came out and was rare but my friend enjoyed her fried chicken (the reason for the 2 stars). I had the ELBC margarita which was actually quite good but the churro dessert was cold and unimpressive. Seems like they are SUPER understaffed and I felt bad for the waitress who was trying her best but her manager looked confused. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Good food, drinks and ambience.Parking and access - street parking forms tow zones at random times so it's great that they have a dedicated lot across. Easy access and restrooms available. Reservations made via Yelp. Note that dinner service starts at 5.30, 4-6 pm is happy hour so only limited food items available but bar is open at this time.Food: we went in for dine LA menu at 4.50 pm. Service starts at 5.30 so we ordered some beverages while waiting for dinner to start. Salsadito and Uno Mas - smooth and delicious. The dine LA menu is well designed - for $35, you get appetizer, one main, one dessert and a drink on the house. App has chips (decent) and taco de papa (good!), Mains we tried the fried chicken (delicious esp the corn meal it comes with) and squash pasta (good too!), Dessert was churo donut (best thing on the menu) and free bev was ELBCMarg and on the house. Service is good, overall a fab time. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

delish! I still can't believe how dead it is on a Tuesday/HH. I guess by NOT offering some kind of Taco Tuesday special, it has an impact on business. (probably a miss on thier part) but a win for us as we have the whole place to ourselves) More...

Reviewed on Yelp

You must go! Keith was the bartender as well as our server for our party of 5. He made amazing recommendations, let me essentially do a small wine tasting before committing, and also brought out the sauce for the Mexican Fried Chicken for us to taste before we ordered. Needless to say, I got the chicken and it was absolutely delicious. It's a plus that they use a chicken thigh, not a breast! The tacos were also perfect, especially the hand made corn tortillas! Give this place a try! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

The food from this restaurant was so good and the service was incredible. I love the setup of it also; it had cute plants and nice couches to sit in to eat. My server was a rly sweet guy and he refilled my water probably about 8 times. I never had to ask for anything from the server, he was always asking me what i needed. I can't wait to go again and will definitely get the shrimp ceviche! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Excellent food, elevated Mexican but not Tex Mex, which I appreciated. Though the dishes were presented in a "fancy" way, they're still something my grandmas would have recognized and enjoyed eating. That's my marker on judging "high falootin" attempts at Mexican food. El Barrio passed the test for me! Great space, elevating Mexican art and craftwork. The mango margarita pitcher was enough for about 6 glasses, so bring friends! (Worth it. The pitcher isn't just beautiful, it's tasty.) Highly recommend! Service was great! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Have came here a couple times in the past and I completely loved it however friend made reservations through yelp and waiter says they do not use yelp and completely looked bothered. Do not use yelp if you do not want to get a bad face and have waiters completely ignore you when she had a lot of completely open tables. Also mentioned she didn't have enough menus so be aware if you make reservations through yelp. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

It was a great place. Th food is awesome. Also there is parking across the street. The service was excellent Great service ! Great bar

Reviewed on Yelp

This place is my favorite for Margaritas. They have a great happy hour and the food it's great!

Reviewed on Yelp

They service was horrible! They overcharged our party by over $100. Thought we had it straightened out but when I saw my bank charges they were clearly not adjusted correctly. I challenged the charge with my bank. They came back with the found that I authorized the charges which were not correct. I authorized $95 (which they charged me $36 for a $25 breakfast) and they charged me $107.00 not $95. Additional charges were clearly added after I signed my bill. Super shady business. Will never go back! Pay attention to your bill. This is a form of thievery. Not cool at all!!!!! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Great food and drinks! Amazing stuff to share and the atmosphere is really cool. On the weekends they have DJs

Reviewed on Yelp

El Barrio is in a great location, and has the potential to fill a much needed gap in great mexican food for the alamito's beach/retro row area. But what's really missing is fresh ingredients--the guacamole is always very liquidy and thin, like it came from a tube. If it was ever made with fresh avocado, it must have been far in advance. If you're vegan, don't order the cauliflower tacos or you will get dry vegetables in a dry tortilla (i added the green salsa--that was good). Personally, I found the veggie ceviche to taste just like vegan mayo-covered vegetables, and was seriously lacking freshness and umami. Maybe it's a better spot for fish lovers, but if you're expecting to be full from any of their tacos, you'd need to order some side dishes. I've been here several times, and I don't think I'll be back. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Cute restaurant , nice decor. Food was good. My favorite was the potato taquitos. The margarita's were delicious &amp; made perfectly! Service was just ok. Wished our waitress checked in on us more. For more water, napkins etc. This is a inside seating restaurant. However, there were so many Flies, you would think we were sitting outside! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I knew what I more than likely was getting myself Into coming to El Barrio Cantina. I live in the neighborhood and it's one of the last places on 4th to try and I was in the mood to finally try it out. The aesthetic and vibe is here for sure. The customer service and hospitality (which has been mentioned several times in the reviews) was not. Seemed like there were only two ladies trying to serve the floor and were scrambling. The young goth girl who was the hostess as we entered was the most pleasant and polite. Look, I do not mind paying top dollar for top dollar priced food. As I'm scanning the menu I'm seeing many of my favorite dishes and I'm then realizing it has some obscure gourmet twist to it and I'm turned off by the ingredients and or price but I was liking the drinks named after some bad bunny songs and the puns.Example: everyone loves esquite! Why not keep it classic instead of changing it with cauliflower for corn. Sopa de fideo. Hell yeah, the ultimate Mexican comfort food. Pero like with squash? Qué onda. There were lots of other dishes that made me giggle or go fuchi but I'm here the dodger game Is playing and I'm willing!We started with the chips and guacamole which I usually devour at any given place. I picked at it and left half on the plate. It had chunky chopped white onion in it and no salt topped with queso fresco. Tacos de papa. Needed more flavor but were decent. A Margarita! Paloma! You cannot go wrong here. We each got one. Nope. It was just cold and carbonated? Not the classic. We only drank half and left with our jaws with this weird like tingly sensation like we drank something sour. We ordered two sets of tacos; carne asada on corn and chorizo on flour. The carne asada tacos was what redeemed them for a slight moment and was the most enjoyable part of our meal. Chorizo wasn't anything special.$84 I think I could have spent on more food and better service anywhere else even Lola's next door. I see what this place is trying to do and for the hip YT crowd? man they're gonna love it. I think this place can do so much more. For me, we crossed it off our list and gave the local business support a shot. You can make the call for yourself as well. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Everything is so bomb and the chef knows what he's doing. This is where I come for special treats or celebrations or happy hours on Tuesdays are awesome. Those chicken wings are things I think about a lot. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We visited El Barrio Cantina today for the 1st time for their Happy Hour and we were very happy we did...the corn, quesadillas, loaded fries &amp; tostadas were AMAZING! The wings were good but they need to be marinated longer with a more citrus spicy sauce. The Margaritas were DELICIOUS. We are so glad we have a reservation for dinner in a couple of weeks. Thank you El Barrio Cantina for the excellent service, great food &amp; fantastic cocktails. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Outstanding!Food variety: shrimp ceviche was the most flavorful and fresh tapas. Followed by the crispy fried pork belly with handmade corn tortillas. And potato tacos were well seasoned. There wasn't anything I didn't like. The churro had a fluffy texture it was topped with ice cream. Ambiance: modern, trendy-cool, and very clean. Super friendly waitress and hostess. We will be back to try more options. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Sunday brunch was awesome and so much fun. The food was delicious. I loved the drag show and the excellent customer service. Will definitely reserve a table with more friends. I had an amazing time. The girls put on a terrific performance.Felicia More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Great staff, excellent crafted cocktails, and unique tasty food. Really surprised by this place. It's going to be a regular spot for us.

Reviewed on Yelp

Absolutely love this place! The staff is incredible, the food is immaculate and the place all together is beautiful. It's been such a great addition to the neighborhood and it's felt like such a safe place for me and my friends. They also have parking across the street which is a huge plus for LB More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We went out of our way to try something. Average food and service. We got Mex fried chicken and burrito. They are just disappointing. Drinks had no flavors other than being cold. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Traveled to Long Beach to drop off some friends for a cruise and discovered this place along the way! We were looking for a brunch spot called a few places, they all had long waits and then we came across El Barrio Cantina, and it was a win for sure! We were greeted promptly and sat right away. No wait (even on a Saturday), which was perfect because we had to be at the port by a certain time. René was our server and he took great care of us! He gave us a full menu tour and made amazing recommendations for drinks and food!We started off with a round of drinks - Mezcal Bloody Mary, J + J Paloma and a third drink that's escaping me, but it's basically a tequila aperol spritz. All the drinks were amazing, that was my first time having a Bloody with mezcal and I loved it! Also, I believe René made them all, so cheers to that because they came out great!On to the food. We ordered Tacos de Papa, (Sea)Sar Salad, Cauli Esquite and Frito-Quiles Migas w/ Fried Chicken. I don't know where to start. All of the food was delicious. The tacos were perfectly crispy and stuffed with potatoes; The salad was so fresh, perfect amount of dressing and the seaweed was a nice addition; The cauliflower was cooked to perfection and well seasoned; And the migas were amazing, I definitely recommend the fried chicken and I also added avocado.I really wanted to try the Chu-Nut Dulce Leche for dessert, but we ran out of time and we were also pretty full. But that just gives me a reason to come back! Highly recommend this place, thoroughly enjoyed my experience here! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Returned to Barrio with mt friends and it was a completely different experience than the last. Great service. Great food and attentive servers.

Reviewed on Yelp

We liked this place tremendously. Starting with the hostess and ending with this fabulous coffee drink (a carajillos coffee cocktail), we ended up there on a Sunday for brunch. Food was good, space was artsy and interesting, waitress was efficient, service was fast. It's the new favorite place for the GF. Hostess that day was ideal. (Later edit here:) The dish I had for brunch was called Breakfast Tlayuda, which was pizza like on a layered crispy surface. Curiously, the drink we both loved so much (Carajillo) was the brunch version: Licor 43 and espresso, although usually made here weekly with cold brew coffee. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Best Carne Asada tacos in town. Great ambiance, excellent service and reasonable prices. The Chu-Nut Dulce Leche for dessert was incredible!

Reviewed on Yelp

I came to visit Drag Queen Brunch, I loved the entertainment that there is.The restaurant is cute and I love the decor and such but the food They milk your money from even $2 for TINY ramekin of ranch. It be $2 like ok.... And it wasn't filled eitherTook forever for a refill of my drinks. Had to come up to the server because she took forever to get our drinks for us. Service was ehh. She took forever to check on us and that just bothered us when we needed somethingFood was alright, small portions. -- menu was limited, small -- $2 for a tiny cup of ranch.... That was annoying-- didn't think about this but NO REFILLS on soft drinks. So my tab for 3 refills of Pepsi was $9Based off the server, it was kind bad. Server didn't check on us and took forever to get our drinks More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Found this little spot on Yelp went in the place and ambience was very nice friendly staff, fast service, excellent food!! !! Definitely must try the churro caramel ice cream dessert!!!! Very satisfied and will be returning customer More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Loved the food and the cocktails. The potato appetizer was super good. Definitely going back!

Reviewed on Yelp

2 weeks + &amp; no call back from Mike the business partner so.... Ist visit hostess was un interested / snotty like she was doing the restaurant a favor by being there. .. my party of 25 for October B- day questions went unanswered no fallow up &amp; the dessert did not have the other part of it as they ran out yet the place was empty !! over all Margarita was good2nd visit 3 weeks later....Kieth was THE host,waiter,busboy,bartender &amp; nice...but really !!!The food was excessively salty ,a very confusing menu &amp; time changes with FLIES on us &amp; table during our whole meal &amp; experience ...the dessert again was missing a item as they were out of it!!! AgainFinally talked with Mike in private as flies landed on us then as well.... and explaining I'm a business owner,self employed &amp; this is not good,we tipped well but again no call back ,forget my b-day we've booked elsewhere &amp; a" 50% comp on my $100+ spent would be fair.great potential,kieth great but they really need to get it together.... fast!Joseph Rene Estilo Salon owner. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Omg loved coming here, staff super friendly and on top of their stuff !! Very cute vibes the perfect lunch location all around cute place. The food was really good too !

Reviewed on Yelp

Great ambiance, delicious modernized Latin food! Only Con is that parking sucks! They have a very tiny structure across the street that seems to be occupied by cars who don't go to the restaurant. Took me 30 minutes to find a parking spot around the area and walked about 8 minutes out. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Rad desert getaway in the middle of 4th street retro row. They redid Ashley's bar so well and turned into a Palm Springs looking hip spot. The food is a good twist on a more fine dining Mexican food. Overall, the experience was great! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

During my yoga class on the bluff, I quickly booked a res for my friends and I for a 12pm reservation. As soon as class was done, we made our way to try this cute brunch/dinner spot. Turns out, we had recognized the bartender, Keith. He had actually worked a bartending gig for one of my twin friend's birthday on a yacht. What a small world! He was super cool and chill. He also recommended us some great items to order! FOOD: My husband and I wanted something light, but fresh, so we ordered the campechana and the hamachi crudo to share. I loved the chunks of octopus and scallops in the campechana, and the crudo was so refreshing with the mango bits and chile sauce. My friends decided to order off the Happy Hour menu (12pm-6pm). They ordered the loaded barrio fries with a wagyu meat upgrade and two tacos (cauliflower and carne asada). The fries were crinkled cut with melted cheese, cilantro crema, cotija cheese, and pico de gallo. The great thing about the tacos is that they have griddled cheese. The cauliflower taco was super flavorful, and I enjoyed the charred taste of the asada. For dessert, we decided to share the chu-nut dulce leche. It was pretty much a cute little churro donut served with a nuez ice cream. I thoroughly enjoyed the ice cream and could each it by itself. It was perfect sized for the 4 of us since we only wanted to try a bite, but wanted to finish on a sweet note. For drinks, we decided to order a watermelon margarita pitcher. I think it was $50-$55. It was pretty much 2 drinks per person between 3 people. AMBIANCE: Bright, fresh, and cute. There is booth seating, table seating, along with bar seating available. The place is pretty roomy. Perfect place to catch up with friends or have a small birthday brunch/dinner with family/friends. I was told by someone who worked there that the men who were in the restaurant at the time of our visit were the owners. Surprisingly, she had mentioned that it was the owners who thought of the design for the space. Love the aesthetics - even down to the octopus and luchador mural. Definitely loved all the plants, of course! And the bathroom was clean and modern - reminded me of hotel bathroom vibes. Yesss! I love the fact that you can book resys seamlessly through Yelp. We love convenience over here! Also, the music was lovely. Definitely heard some progressive edm with some feels playing! LOCATION: There is free streeting parking available in front of the resto - if you're able to snag a spot. There is also free neighborhood parking, as well. Just double check whether or not you come on a street-sweeping day. More...

Reviewed on Yelp