The Barrio in Tremont

Upon recommendation of trusted foodie friends, we checked out The Barrio in Tremont. Our friends did not steer us wrong!

The Barrio is located in the old 806 Winebar on Literary Avenue. They redecorated with fun Day of the Dead murals on the walls and a grunge-goth vibe on the menus.

You are provided menus and pencils to check off toppings to build your own tacos, and to choose from starters such as guacamole (4 creative variations), tortilla soup, salad and sides. The ingredients are fresh and eclectic and mix and match makes the taco options seem endless.

They brought us chips and salsa to start. The salsa roja was muy caliente – actually a little too hot for us – so we moved onto guacamole. We ordered the Tuscan guacamole which was finished with a balsamic reduction and pine nuts. It was fresh, generously portioned, and an interesting mix of sweet and spice. I was also tempted to try the mango guacamole, but that will have to wait until next time.

We built our tacos knowing we'd be back to try other varieties, because the options sounded so intriguing (ie: jicama slaw with strawberries, cilantro pesto, chipotle honey…)  Also there were plenty of vegetarian options with tofu and black beans on the protein list. The tacos are actually small, but so is the price of $3. We wished after so carefully choosing the toppings for each taco that there would have been a larger version for a few more dinaro.

They have quite a happy hour – daily from 5-7pm and then reverse happy hour later on – in fact only a few hours in the evening are not "happy"! Tequila and whiskey seem to be the house drinks, but we didn't indulge as we stuck to our usual wine.

Overall, we loved the vibe and concept, and look forward to returning! Oh, and of course they inherited the nice patio from 806 with an open air fireplace for those chilled evenings.

Unity Design is a print and online design firm that specializes in the restaurant and culinary industry.