The Barn — Restaurant in California

To be fair, I should have known better to order Mexican food from a place that serves burgers and fries. I’m not sure what makes people think that Mexican food is just putting Anglo ingredients in a tortilla.

First the good. Nice little out of the way place that screams small town good food.

However, the burrito was not even close to Mexican food. It reminded me of what my white grandmother would make on a “taco night” and not what my Mexican grandmother would serve, well... all the time. There was a next to no meat in this gigantic burrito. There was a fair amount of rice and beans, but I wouldn’t call it good rice and beans; more like what white people make without understanding that less is more. The majority of the filling was lettuce and chopped tomato. So, first lesson in Mexican food... lettuce is a filler that doesn’t belong on real Mexican food. And if you are going to put lettuce on something like a taco or taco salad, fine... but NEVER put delicate raw vegetables IN SOMETHING, like a burrito; it wilts and turns the burrito bitter. Further, raw tomato chunks and onions is not a salsa, no matter what the lady taking my order said about having made a really good salsa that morning. On the topic of the lady taking my order, I practically had to scream at here for her to understand me; “huh” is not something anyone in customer service should be saying to every customer over and over. In the end what I ended up with was a below average burrito made up mostly of lettuce, tomato, onion, and tortilla. Washing down this meal wasn’t easy as their drinks are 60% ice and gone in two swigs. Also, I understand the charm or outdoor dining (I enjoy it often) no one should be sitting at tables with weeds growing up the legs.

Overall, there seems to be a general lack of pride in their business, between the seating and the food. For the price, they...

Small outdoor stand with a big menu full of delicious choices. The staff was sweet and friendly. The food was fresh and fantastic. The tables and seats were clean. Only thing I can complain about was the flies. They were everywhere, including inside the register/kitchen stand. But oddly they didnt bother us while we were eating, they also didnt get near our food. Ingredients were crisp and fresh and the portions were filling. Everything is individually priced, so no combos. Prices are decent for the quality. fan faves was the stuffed churro (crisp n hot sweet perfection), horchata cinnimon shake, cheese burger, crispy tater tots and the gigantic fish taco(you can make 3 tacos out of it). We also tried the taquitos & cali burrito, nothing special. They seemed like frozen taquitos with fresh fixings on top. The burrito seemed like it had la victoria green salsa and the tots were soggy. We stopped by twice on our trip and the weekend definitely had a full line compared to weekdays....

Haven't been to the Barn since before the previous owners. I used to make a point to stop by and get a pastrami sandwich, which they unfortunately no longer serve. This time I opted for their double bacon cheeseburger and it was one of the best I've had in a long time. The burger patties were juicy and flavorful. Lettuce and tomatoes were fresh, I should have asked if they grill the people onions, as I prefer then grilled, but the few bites I took with the onions were much better than I expected. Burgers are starting to get expensive pretty much everywhere, but this burger ended up being worth it. The fries were great too. I don't generally like think cut fries, but these were fried just perfectly that I ended up eating the whole lot even though I felt like I was going to explode! Had a caramel shake, which was very good but of course not very thirst quenching-shoulda gotten some water or soda for the meal and shake...