Barrio Chino

3.5 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  1      Value  3     

Good looking venue, but the staff managed to mess up every aspect of our experience. Our grouping booking was lost, the bar service was poor, the drinks were over-priced and poorly mixed, and the food had to be chased up more than once. Really disappointing given that we all had high hopes for Barrio Chino.

May 13, 2012 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  8     

I really loved it here. Great atmosphere and I love the communal dining idea. Great list of tequilas and tequila cocktails. I hate corn chips but their corn chips are different and very delicious. The servings are small so don't go there if you want a big feast. The food is designed to share. Very fresh and vibrant Mexican food. Love!

Feb 07, 2012 

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  6      Service  1      Value  2     

We booked a table for 16 at 8.30pm on a Saturday night. When we arrived on time we were told the table was not ready and shooed towards the bar area. By 9.00pm I thought I would check if our table was ready to which the response by the hostess was “yeah, yeah, yeah, it will be ready soon.” How professional. By 9.20pm we were told the table was ready without a glimmer of an apology. Now to the food. All I can say is wow what a disappointment after waiting 1 hour. The best part about the dinner was the corn which is saying something. The tacos all tasted the same, stale and bland. We had 3 tacos each and after the first one no one wanted to touch the others. The margaritas and sangria were no better. Did I mention they charge a 10% surcharge for groups of 8 or more? Save your money for a place that actually cares about its customers. There is a reason it barely gets a pass mark on urbanspoon.

Jan 23, 2012 

4.5 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  4     

Not Recommended! We were so disappointed. Food is pretty much just 1 flavour sour.
Mexican food supposed to be full of flavour. The ceviche is a bowl of mushy mess. Even the waiters called it 'fish dip'. The margarita is very ordinary. Save your your trip and money for Mexicano @ Narrabeen!

Dec 04, 2011 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

My favourite night out in a long time! The service was some of the best i have had, staff were very knowledgeable. Love the layout of the place and the food was delicious.

Oct 24, 2011 

4.8 Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  4     

Decided to try out this new restaurant on a Saturday after reading about it online. Three of us arrived around 8:30 pm and were told to wait at the bar for 30min before being seated. We found the hostess to have a little attitude but help get us a spot for three. Once were seated, we ordered our entrees and mains. All the servicing were very small and the menu was very confusing with the entrees being significantly bigger in portion compared to the mains. All up the food was average, service was poor and ambience was nothing to be excited about.

Oct 22, 2011 

1 Not Recommended

Service  1     

Came here saturday night 15th october, after being "let in" and told a table would be 30 - 40 minutes like they were doing us a massive favour I stood at the bar for 20 minutes waiting to be served. Walked out. Won't be back. Went and spent several 100 dollars elsewhere.

Oct 17, 2011 

7.5 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

I am so excited to finally have a great Mexican place in Sydney. It is not at all Tex-Mex, rather fresh, bold real Mexican food that tastes great.

The guac and chips were good although I thought there could have been more guac with the amount of chips, but then the waitress brought over 3 different house salsas in squeezy bottles which were delicious and helped to occupy the remaining chips. I particularly liked the smoky chipotle one.

All the dishes we had were delicious but my favourite was the quesadilla with squash blossoms. My partner loved the chorizo taco of the day so much he ordered a second one.

The atmosphere is great, with booths and mismatched tables but the space is a bit noisy. There are interesting Mexican beers, tequilas and Margaritas on the drinks list but I would have liked some different cocktails as well.

We went on a Sunday night and had no trouble with the service. I can’t wait to go back and try some more things.

Sep 18, 2011 

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  5      Value  8     

Great find in Kings Cross. Not your average Mexican with no melted cheese in sight! First visit on a Saturday night, lasted about 10 minutes before we decided to leave due to the noise and lack of service. Decided to try again on a week night, got there at 6.15 pm and got a table easily and the service was fast and friendly.

Food was fantastic - started with the Tuna Tostada, Pulled pork tostada and the meatballs. All were very good, fresh and tasty. Moved onto the tacos, chorizo (special of the day) and the cripsy braised pork. Both were excellent. Ended with Churros (could've done with more chocolate to dip) and the Mexican flan (which was basically a tasteless creme caramel). Wine list is great. By 8.30 pm the place was packed and we had trouble finding a waitress. My advice go early!

Sep 16, 2011 

3 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  3      Service  2      Value  2     

Went here on a Saturday night without a booking as this place doesn't take bookings (apparently), however, arrived to find all the tables booked out. They put us in a cosy little corner that have a 50 cm x 50 cm table for four people! After we asked, they added another small table for us. Waitress couldn't work out how to use her electronic pad. Told that we had to order quickly as when others came, the kitchen would 'get slammed'.

True to their word, after a few plates came at once, we had to ask where the rest of the food is. Staff seem clueless, were they just hired to look pretty? Anyhow, maybe this is coming from Melbourne, but after been to somewhere else, which is much more busy, but has good service, better serving sizes and more relaxed ambience, would not recommend this place.

Sep 12, 2011