Barrio Queen — Restaurant in Glendale

First time to Barrio Queen, we arrived a little before 6pm on a Saturday night and we had a 15-20 minute wait for a table for 2. It was pretty busy inside, they had seating outside out front, but it wasn't being used as actual seating, just waiting seating. There was also a 2nd bar right inside and to the right that wasn't being used. Wait between being sat, drinks, food were slightly longer than you'd normally expect, but with all the short staffing issues everywhere it wasn't a surprise. Our server Kailee M. was outstanding, always checking in, acknowledging the wait and apologizing, refilling water, bringing more chips and salsa while we waited, overall just a great attitude she definitely gets a 5/5.

To start, we ordered drinks and had complimentary the chips and salsa. The salsa was spicy and the chips freshly made and still warm. My husband ordered a jalapeño margarita and I ordered a La Santa Pina. My drink said it had a jalapeño-pineapple-cilantro mix as well as some other ingredients. Sadly, I did not like the drink. It had zero taste of pineapple, but it did have a smokey taste (perhaps the jalapeño) as well as what I can only describe as a strong soap taste. I thought maybe the glass wasn't properly rinsed and had my husband try it and he agreed it tasted like soap. His drink was fine at first, spicy jalapeño taste, but towards the bottom he got a hint of the soap taste too. I'm not the type to send stuff back and it was busy so I just took one for the team and drank it fast and ordered a margarita flight to wash down the soap taste! All 3 drinks in the flight were absolutely delicious though! Not sure if the La Santa Pina is just not my taste or if it was a fluke, but I wouldn't order it again regardless.

Food was good, I had the Queens Burger with fries and my husband had an enchilada trio. He said his dish was good. Mine was food as well, the fries had a spicy seasoning on them that was just more than I can really handle so it made it difficult to finish them. I like spicy things, but they were just too much for me. I'll try a different side next time or ask for no seasoning it possible. I ordered the burger well done. Most places undercook, so I always do well done the first time I go somewhere to set the baseline even though I prefer more medium well. They definitely do cook more accurately here because it was very well done, next time I'll try medium well to see how that comes out.

All in all, the decor is unique, they have a small shop up front for merch, the service was wonderful even being busy, good food with lots if spice and I highly recommend the margarita flight, the LA Santa Pina not so much! We live as far west as you can get in the valley and we hear a new location is coming to Bell & the 303 so we look forward to trying that location in the future. If in the area, we would definitely come back to this location and try a few different...

For quite some time I had wanted to visit Barrio Queen. A few of my coworkers mentioned it was a good spot for happy hour. I kept putting it off but when this location in Glendale opened I knew it would be inevitable for me to stop by to try their food. Last night my wife and I decided on having dinner there. She ordered the Toloache Margarita and instantly said it was really good. Apparently they were generous with the tequila, as she had to add a bit more of the flavoring they left for her on the side (not sure if it was Jamaica or the blueberry puré). We ordered the half order of Nachos Chingones. My wife is not too much of a cheese lover as myself but she said they were delicious and unlike the nachos at other restaurants. I enjoyed these as well as the cheese was perfectly gooey and melted. Despite the toppings and cheese the chips held their own and were not soggy. For our entrées, my wife ordered the Pollo en Mole Poblano. My wife enjoyed the taste of the mole, as some places tend to make it overly sweet without enough heat. She also liked the rice. And that's pretty much it. She did not enjoy the chicken because she said it had a rubbery feeling, something that usually happens when food has been reheated. In fact, our entrées came out surprisingly fast. The nachos took longer than the entrées, so I am in agreement that these must have been made prior to us ordering. I had the cochinita pibil and was even more disappointed than my wife. Not only was it not warm enough, the taste was completely off. My friend's mom made cochinita pibil for the first time about a year ago and it was absolutely amazing. I expected more from a place that prides itself in displaying award winning next to the name of the dish. I wanted to like this place so much. We wanted to keep coming back to try their other dishes, like the Carnitas Michoacanas or the Chilaquiles. Unfortunately, I am weary of trying any other entrées based on our negative experience and unjustified prices. If we ever stop by in the future, it will most certainly be for drinks and the...

We have been wanting to try Barrio Queen for some time, and now we've been there twice this week! On our first visit, we were there for lunch, and I tried a Pescado Asado taco and a Mezcalita (a hand crafted) drink. My husband got two tacos: the Mar y Tierra (surf & turf) and a Camerón Asado, and he had a Jalapeño Margarita. The taco(s) came by themselves, with no sides. I was satisfied, not stuffed or starving. They bring you FRESH made chips and salsa. If you like hot, ask for it. It's worthy! 🙌 They don't just up the heat; it actually has an incredible flavor! Having the chips while waiting for food was enough to close the appetite gap. I don't know about you, but I hate restaurants that provide you with huge portions and charge higher prices. I prefer when they pay better attention to the quality of food and the complexity of flavors. This is where Barrio Queen wins! On our second trip, we went for dinner. I ordered 2 Mar y Tierra tacos and a side of Chorizo refried beans. My husband ordered the Tamales atro platter and substituted for the Chorizo refried beans (we like chorizo!) The restaurant itself and the restrooms were very clean (huge in our book!). We sat at the bar both times, and our service was a bit slow. This could be because there was only one bartender for the entire restaurant. There seemed to be plenty of waitstaff and runners for how busy they were. We would definitely go back, bring friends, and encourage you to try it! We...