Barrio BX — Restaurant in New York

Iight so boom. I saw this place on IG and it looked amazinggggg. So on this here Sunday when my girl and I were looking for a brunch I said hey, let's give it a go. And let me tell you, best decision I made in a while.

When we arrived they had outdoor seating which was separated by tall plexiglass and accompanied with heating lamps. Win. We put our name down on the waitlist and were told it would be 25 minutes. No prob. In those 25 mins the owner approached us, introduced himself and we had a really nice convo (small talk) about the restaurant and ourselves. As a fan of hospitality & customer service, I really appreciated this gesture. For me, it's the little things.

In a little less than 25 minutes, our table was ready and the festivities began. A DJ was in there spinning Spanish, hip hop & rnb tunes. Love to hear it. Inside, the tables were socially distanced as well. You can tell that they were very intentional about setup which I love.

We sat at about 2:25, brunch is from 12-4, but what I loved is in addition to the brunch entrees (which looked scrumptious) you could also order from the dinner menu and still get bottomless! They offer bottomless sangria, mimosas and rum punch and an entree (from the brunch or dinner menu) is required to purchase bottomless. If you only wanted an appetizer from the dinner menu, you'd have to order a side as well in order to get the bottomless. And they give bread for the table which I literally could've eaten by itself as a meal. I know it's grilled, idk what else they baste it in aside from butter but babyyyyyy omg it was good.

I ordered the skirt steak with rice & beans & my homegirl ordered the coquito French toast with chicharron de pollo. Let me tell you. That food was FIRE! Ughhh. Portion size was fantastic, flavor was on the money. No complaints. All smiles and good eats. We both had the rum punch and it was gooooodddd. By gooooodddd I mean both tasty & strong. My favorite kind.

The refills were on point, music was on point, and the owner even came over to check on us & take a shot. Honestly I couldn't have asked for a better experience. There was a larger party of family members who were thoroughly enjoying themselves, other tables of friends, some dates & everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Good vibes all around.

I'll most certainly be back. I definitely want to try the French toast and the trifongo & a handful of other items on the menu. Great job Barrio BX and welcome to the...

Having hit the other 3 Latino restaurants on the Tremont strip, I can state the food at BarrioBx is excellent. As someone who cooks his own PR cuisine this is often hard to come by. Yet the food here felt just as good as what abuela makes. And speaking of feeling; The feeling of the place is what truly makes BarrioBx stand out. From being greeted by the hostess, who thought I was F.O.S. but never let it show, being served water by the bus boy who was quite kind to respond to my request for lemons and even asking me if I wanted lime instead or both. This was an important detail, because I DID want lime! I didn't ask for it, because so many servers see this as a problem, only to tell me they only have lemons. So this was a greatly appreciated detail. Then there was the waitress herself. Pleasant, congenial, warm and transparent. This last part was important because she immediately informed us they were short staffed and there would be a wait for the food. I don't know about you, but I have been in a ton of restaurants that do no want to lose the money by telling you this upfront. Instead they make sure you commit by buying drinks and you are now stuck waiting for your food that will "be out soon". Being upfront to allow me the choice was fantastic. Now I could focus on my conversation and when the food came out, it came out. I'd just enjoy the ambiance and the really well made and delicious drinks.

Which brings me to the last point. The ambiance. NY Latinos are truly a mix of so many different things that makes us unique in the world. We want a place to relax but also want to feed that frenetic energy that is in our blood. We want to be left alone but we also want to connect. We want our music and we want to talk to our dinner mates. In short we are often living walking dichotomies. Finding that balance is truly difficult. Yet Tony (the owner whom I was fortunate enough to meet) has found that balance. From music as vibrant as found in any club, colors that reminded me that I am a Latino from the Bronx and choosing a staff that made me feel proud to be a Latino.

BarrioBx succeeded on all levels by feeding me well, being affordable and most importantly making me feel welcome. I would highly suggest visiting here if you are Latino to come feel at home. If you are not Latino, come and enjoy a taste of the Latino experience. Your abuela...

Finally, some great PR food! So hard to find and they are doing it! Food 4.5. Luckily my friend and I got there early around 6p, we got our food quickly, I noticed as the night went on, the food took longer to come out. We ordered the skirt steak ($38), shrimp mofongo ($27), guava tres leche ($7) and mojito ($13), I was very happy the steak was cooked medium just like I asked. 👌🏼 and that rice omg, you just want to keep eating! Mofongo was nice in the flavor filled sauce, shrimp tender, I’m a big tres leches fan and felt it was not milky or cakey enough, very sweet tasted more like flan. Shout out to the guys cooking the food in the back, you are appreciated too! 👏🏼 The mojito was good but could be better with fresh sugar cane sugar, we did ask that the drinks 🍹 were not too sweet and he did make them less syrupy, thank you 🙏 The waiter was kind and attentive, he never rushed us out and checked in often:) The music got better as the place turned into a lounge and DJ delivered some good 90’s hip hop, we stayed till midnight, enjoyed the people dancing. Co-owner gave us free shots because he asks us to move to accommodate a larger party coming in. We spent about $230/2ppl with dinner & trying different drinks throughout the night. Overall we felt welcome, Great place in the Bronx to have an unexpected fun night! My friend just kept saying how flavorful the food was! (I think she took home the last grain of rice😜) Things I would Love to see here, more style of the staff (not black zipper up jackets) maybe hip hop meets/tropical or traditional PR button downs, I feel would enhance the theme. As for the cuisine presentation (because good food deserves good plating) pottery colored plate ware & modern glassware. Atmosphere- I love the detail of the black and white wall with the PR flag by the bathrooms, the flags by the doors as you walk in, the cool sports bar and the DJ booth representing the restaurant well. Great dedication by all of you to make this place what it is today, Goodluck to your future. I believe it will get better and better! Definitely...