El Barrio Cantina — Restaurant in Scottsbluff

Staying in town for work and this place is near the hotel, so I figured I’d check it out. I was told the tacos were discounted for Taco Tuesday…..so I decided to try 4 different tacos. I went in with low expectations. I’ve had a tough time finding decent Mexican food in Nebraska and the place was empty, but then the chips and salsa flight came out. I realized at that point that this could be better than I expected. A few minutes later the tacos came out and I actually sat and looked at them for a minute before I tasted anything. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The scratch made tortillas looked incredible and they didn’t skimp on the protein. The carnitas definitely looked the part, so I tried a piece of the pork before diving into the taco and was in awe. It can be really hard to pull off good carnitas and they nailed it. Good crisp and flavor while still being moist. Next up was the Al Pastor, which was also incredible. As I finished that, my server (I think he was the owner) checked in to see how my meal was going and I told him that there was a good chance I’d be placing another order. I finished off my carne asada and birria taco and knew I had to try more….so it was time for round two. I ordered 4 more: barbacoa, fish, chicken, and one more carnitas. All were excellent. Each protein clearly well thought out and executed beautifully, and each taco elevated by those scratch made tortillas looked incredible. I know I may sound like a pig, and I kind of feel like one sitting here in my hotel room, but that was easily one of the top 3 taco experiences of my life. I’d put those up against any I had living in Phoenix for 20+ years or various vacations in Mexico. Top notch food and service. I hope this place catches on because Scottsbluff has a true gem. I will be back every time I’m in town. Thank you for a...

Great food! Our family loves this place and it has became our new go to ever since we first tried it. I think no other Mexican restaurant in town compares to this place. You can really taste the love that goes into this homemade food. The staff here is also amazing, every time we go the owner is always there greeting people and making sure everyone is enjoying their time. You can tell he puts lots of effort into making this place stand out from the other Mexican restaurants. Lupe is always our server when we go as well and he's always doing great and working so hard!! My favorite is their Birria tacos and most recently we tried the fried chicharron and it was the best!! Their menu is kinda small for right now but they are always doing specials and they are slowly adding items to it. I love the decor and the modern look of the inside, excited for them to get their liquor...

Me and my friend stopped in to eat there. We had to seat ourselves as we were totally ignored by staff. Then we waited for 45 minutes just to actually get something to drink, and for being named a Cantina, there was no margaritas 🙄 they waited on six people that walked in after us. The food was terrible, the chicharrones were dry, tacos had more chile than meat. I ordered no cilantro, all my food had cilantro. They said we would get a discount but charged us full price. I will never eat there again. They need to get educated to improve their Customer Service skills. I recommend Ole’s across the street. They are number one when it comes to quality food, drinks and customer service. The portions at El Barrio Cantina were very small. We are not children, we are adults. The price is...