Barricas Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Laredo

We were excited to hear that an Indian restaurant opened in Laredo, so my wife and I visited for lunch today.

The atmosphere was great - appropriate Indian music played at a level loud enough to hear, but not so loud that you couldn't converse. The decor was tasteful and attractive, and the lighting was perfect.

The lunch menu was a buffet, which is great for trying a restaurant's offerings, so we had a little of everything available. The mixed veggie curry was decent - if a little underwhelming, and the chicken biryani was ok, but they seemed to opt for white rice instead of basmati. Neither of us really enjoyed the rest of the offerings. The chicken tikka masala was bland, as was the chicken curry. The naan was very dense and flavorless; it seemed like undercooked flour and water. The samosas - usually an easy favorite - were very disappointing; they were very dry, and tasted like they had been left uncontained in a freezer. Even the tandoori chicken (in this case, wings only), which is often the saving grace of a bad Indian buffet, was just too undercooked, fatty, and with all the unrendered fat - gross.

The service was also disappointing. We had to go to the bar to ask for drinks, and to ask for refills, as we were not really checked on. The tea had an off-putting grit to it that I had not encountered before, but was told it was loose-leaf tea (I much prefer strained tea). Our dirty plates weren't bussed in a timely manner, and just piled on our small table, despite there being only three tables occupied, and at least three people on front-house duty.

We wanted so much to love this place! I am saddened that the food and service are so lacking, and I am disappointed to think that this place will likely not last long. To add fuel to their own fire, they kept the doomed Las Barricas name, which will not help them - especially given all the poor reviews that led the original Las Barricas to shutter.

All that said, my wife and I plan to return for dinner at some point soon. We would love to think that this is a one-off poor dining experience, and that Indian cuisine can find a home in Laredo. I'll update or change this review at that time, and certainly hope they surprise us next time. If not, we'll continue to get our Indian...

Went for dinner only to be given HORRIBLE SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They sat us outside which was fine until they gave us 2 mini tables for our party of 6. When we asked for an extra table, the waiter who I think was the manager (older man in an oversized suit who spoke only Spanish ) gave us hassle. He reluctantly gave us an extra table. We had to ask for silverware, plates and napkins repeatedly to which he seemed annoyed. When asked about the different liquors that they offered, he said I can’t hear you and walked away. He got our drink orders wrong and took an hour for us to get appetizers which were bland and flavorless. Appetizers only arrived bc a different waitress started tending to us.When the first 2 dinner plates came out, 1 was not ours and he insisted that we ordered the chicken. He pulled out his order pad and realized that we did not order that food and just walked away with no apology. Two hours later and our steaks arrived at the wrong temperature. When we told the waiter/manager, he puffed under his nose and said “so you don’t want it or what”. Again, no apology. The steak was removed from the check but again no explanation no attempt to correct it.Definitely will not be going back and someone seriously needs to talk to that manager or that restaurant is not going to make...

I've come here three times now and both experiences have left me awed at the food. For main courses I've tried: goat biryani(the biryani's are massive btw! I spilt with my bf. We both ate for $25 for goat biryani and roti.), chicken biryani, and chicken tikki marsala. As a drink I tasted the mango lasse and if you're like me and you don't like stuff that's too sweet this is a perfect yogurt drink. Today we got 2 desserts on the menu which was a mango kulfi and (I forgot the name but! You can ask the server it's these little fried donut holes in rosewater syrup). The mango kulfi was our favorite because it was almost like ice cream with nuts and other spices in it and it's sweet.

The place smells amazing and its such a great stop when the sun goes down because their lighting is so warm and cozy. The seats are comfortable too.

The servers there are always so eager and helpful with navigating the menu and coming in when needed without disrupting too much or forgetting about you. I felt very taken care of eating here and while I haven't tried their buffet that they offer I plan to next