El Barrio - Downtown Birmingham

The short ribs were very tender and very nicely seasoned. The potato taquitos were really good. The "El Barrio" margarita was excellent! The bartenders were nice and answered all our questions, as we were first timers. Our server kept a smile on his face and was super nice. Can't wait to go back!

My wife and I drove to Birmingham from Atlanta to see Leon Bridges play at the new Coca Cola Amphitheater.. We had an Air B&B guest that is from the area and said this place was in my wheelhouse. We walked up and it had a good crowd already with a few couples waiting for tables.. We opted for the community seating table next to another couple going to the show. We were just inside to the left in a little area that was perfect.. We had the queso with the peppers and chorizo added to start and then moved on to the asada steak with a potato cake made with hatch chilies. My wife had the green chili enchiladas and some charro beans. Our waitress was great.. her recommendations were exactly what we were looking at and that made it easy. She was very attentive

Very lovely place with good prices. People were eating there midday on a weekday, which is always a good sign to me. Pepeto soup was light, delicious, unique, and filling. Plantain chips were a little oily tasting but still good.

Food and service was great. The atmosphere is nice, but a bit noisy due to the openness of the restaurant. The only negative I have about the food is the small portion size. And you need to order salsa as none is brought to the table automatically as in many restaurants with Mexican inspired cuisine. The bar is inviting and they also have daily specials that sound delicious.

To start, parking is very hard to find (unless you pay) but location is great. Went on a Friday night, took us right in. However we were not expecting to share a table. It was a bit noisy and crowded in there, felt claustrophobic. Staff was nice, decent price for food, clean environment. Food was just okay. We both agreed it’s nothing special but we did enjoy our time. (We had cheese dip, beer, bacon quesadilla, and steak tacos)