Barkada Edmonds — Restaurant in Edmonds

It's taken me a long time to write this review because I love this restaurant so much, that I feel like I am biased. Then I realized I love this restaurant so much, because it's THAT GOOD and Barkada has earned my loyalty.

It's located right on the south end of 5th Ave. For some, it's the first thing you see when you roll into Edmonds. It's sign will catch your eye. I think only Pancake Haus is the only other restaurant with that big of a sign. You are greeted by tiki torches and baby palms. In the summer, you want to be out in the patio. The patio has picnic tables, warmers, and a fire pit. The inside is so fresh. It has a nice light feel with lots of fun blue touches and you can't miss the giant octopus painted by the owner. I am not sure what to call their kitchen setup, but the things that come out of there will knock you out. It feels like a restaurant, yet also a home kitchen with all the cups on the shelves and some snacks in the pantry. Upstairs, you can sit at the bar and have a solo dinner and be in the mix of all the commotion in the kitchen and guests around you. Downstairs is another vibe. It's a little darker, quieter. There are tables with chairs and even a little lounge area with padded sofa style chairs, perfect for meeting someone for drinks and an perhaps. There are board games throughout the restaurant. I've played Battleship, learned how to play 13, and Mancala with seashells at Barkada. And let's not forget, their iconic- free to play- Street Fighter downstairs. Had a little quibble with a friend? Settle it after dinner on Street Fighter.

Let's talk food. Barkada's menu changes WEEKLY. So if you see something you like, order it TODAY, there might not be a "next time". There are sharable apps, and even shareable entrees. My friends and I like to order a bunch of stuff and share all the dishes. Everything is bursting with flavor and textures. The 62° egg over pork belly sisig over a bed of rice and pickled veggies for crunch? It's a symphony. I am not familiar with Filipino cuisine, but I can appreciate this interpretation. The dishes are adventurous and fun and most importantly, delicious.

The drinks are another story. You could come here just for drinks. You never know what glass you are getting, first of all. Vintage colored glass goblets or unicorn tiki mugs and sometimes not even a solid cup. You could have an adult beverage in a Capri-sun style pouch coming to your table.

Being at Barkada just puts me in a great mood. The food elevates it even more. I've celebrated my birthday there and they've made me feel so special. It's my favorite place to meet people for drinks and food. I've even had them cater my sister's bridal shower, its serious. I would reccomend...

Though my little one has been on a french fries crave he also loves his rice and so after an hour of playing at the Edmonds beach we trekked up to Barkada for dinner.

The place has a friendly cozy vibe with the write-in your order menu and picnic tables in and outside the dining area. It was busy on a Friday evening but the wait staff and owners were still happily attentive.

I ordered tinola, sisig rice bowls and the kids meal for my three-person party. The sisig was good (and 3 stars spicy!), the tinola and kiddo's rice bowl were just ok. I come from a family that cook and prepare daily, fantastic home-cooked dishes (tinola and adobo are favorite comfort food) so my taste buds were expecting more.

The kiddie bowl could have used less presentation and more flavor. The probiotic drink was unnecessary and I wish I had checked more closely before I gave it to my son because it was a knockoff of the original probiotic drink, Yakult. He drinks Yakult but the one they served was not and he drank just half of the small bottle (thank goodness!).

The prices were reasonable and actually cheap for a downtown Edmonds restaurant. I would have loved to try their cocktails but I had my small child with me and imbibing around him is a no go. So will come back with friends to try out the drinks and their...

The perfect comforting meal after spending a week on a boat. The service was quick. Order at the front and they give you a pager. Once your pager goes off then you go up to pick up your order. They cook the food upfront and you can automatically smell the deliciousness aroma. Must order the ube horchata, the non alcoholic and alcoholic one is refreshing! We both went during happy hour, which is half off entrees and mixed plates, which is an ahmazing deal. I ordered the Mac salad, pancit, garlic shrimp and pork sisig. My partner ordered the Mac salad, pancit , pork sisig and Kalua pig. The meats came on a bed of rice. The pork sisig is our favorite. So flavorful and tender. Loved the garlic shrimp , tons of garlic flavor. Not a big fan of shell on shrimp but wasn’t difficult to remove to eat. The pancit needed just a bit of soy sauce but was yummy. I love Hawaiian Mac salad and prefer it over American Mac salad. The kalua pig was tender and flavorful. Almost seemed like it needed a sauce though. We also ordered the masubi, it was our first time trying it, and our first time trying spam, and it was really good. Overall a great experience, and great food. We will definitely be stopping by again when...