Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The carnitas taco champ

Barrio Eat Mexican serves a winner in Carlsbad

Hand-made margaritas with fresh-squeezed lime, agave nectar, and Torado tequila
Hand-made margaritas with fresh-squeezed lime, agave nectar, and Torado tequila
Place

Barrio Eat Mexican

530 Grand Avenue, Carlsbad

Barrio Eat Mexican isn’t exactly in the Carlsbad barrio, but the tastes are as close to authentic Mexican street food as you can get in North County coastal.

For many, the street fish taco is the go-to Mexican food item, but I am all about the pig. As a native San Diegan, carnitas were first introduced to me at Old Town Mexican Café, but since then have I enjoyed discovering pork tacos that are not made en masse for the tourists in Old Town. The carnitas street taco at Barrio Eat Mexican is the best I’ve had.

Sponsored
Sponsored
The carnitas tacos are street.
Fajitas with fresh veggies
Barrio Eat Mexican serves up the flavors of the real barrio.
Comfy decor
Indoor and outdoor dining

The taco ($4.75 each) came with fresh pico de gallo, tiny chopped red onions, and a large scoop of fresh guacamole, but it was the pork that made the taco. Tender marinated pork braised and fried just so, mildly crispy, and spread out in a soft corn tortilla with a side of verde sauce — exactly what I wanted. When I ate the whole thing in three bites I didn’t feel like such a gringa.

Feeling brave, I ordered a margarita, and although tequila and I don’t see eye-to-eye anymore, the drink was better than I remember a margarita should be so north of the border. The friendly bartender made the drink in front of me with fresh-squeezed lime, organic agave nectar, and the house tequila of Torado. It went down way too fast, making me realize that there is more to tequila than Cuervo. I only wanted one, remembering my past tequila adventures.

My friend asked for a special plate of fajitas and carrots — that’s all she wanted — and it arrived as ordered. I took a bite of the grilled chicken and then another. It was moist, marinated chicken, and the vegetables were organic, crisp, and fresh.

The chips that were brought to us upon sitting down were bottomless and made in-house, and the salsa had just enough of a kick without starting a small fire in my mouth.

Before we left, our bartender gave me a taster of the house sangria that she makes daily and infused with Cabernet, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Papa’s Pilar rum, Tito’s vodka, and fruit juices.

“It packs a punch,” she said watching me as I drank the Spanish beverage. “And there’s no tequila in it.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Hike off those holiday calories, Poinsettias are peaking

Winter Solstice is here and what is winter?
Hand-made margaritas with fresh-squeezed lime, agave nectar, and Torado tequila
Hand-made margaritas with fresh-squeezed lime, agave nectar, and Torado tequila
Place

Barrio Eat Mexican

530 Grand Avenue, Carlsbad

Barrio Eat Mexican isn’t exactly in the Carlsbad barrio, but the tastes are as close to authentic Mexican street food as you can get in North County coastal.

For many, the street fish taco is the go-to Mexican food item, but I am all about the pig. As a native San Diegan, carnitas were first introduced to me at Old Town Mexican Café, but since then have I enjoyed discovering pork tacos that are not made en masse for the tourists in Old Town. The carnitas street taco at Barrio Eat Mexican is the best I’ve had.

Sponsored
Sponsored
The carnitas tacos are street.
Fajitas with fresh veggies
Barrio Eat Mexican serves up the flavors of the real barrio.
Comfy decor
Indoor and outdoor dining

The taco ($4.75 each) came with fresh pico de gallo, tiny chopped red onions, and a large scoop of fresh guacamole, but it was the pork that made the taco. Tender marinated pork braised and fried just so, mildly crispy, and spread out in a soft corn tortilla with a side of verde sauce — exactly what I wanted. When I ate the whole thing in three bites I didn’t feel like such a gringa.

Feeling brave, I ordered a margarita, and although tequila and I don’t see eye-to-eye anymore, the drink was better than I remember a margarita should be so north of the border. The friendly bartender made the drink in front of me with fresh-squeezed lime, organic agave nectar, and the house tequila of Torado. It went down way too fast, making me realize that there is more to tequila than Cuervo. I only wanted one, remembering my past tequila adventures.

My friend asked for a special plate of fajitas and carrots — that’s all she wanted — and it arrived as ordered. I took a bite of the grilled chicken and then another. It was moist, marinated chicken, and the vegetables were organic, crisp, and fresh.

The chips that were brought to us upon sitting down were bottomless and made in-house, and the salsa had just enough of a kick without starting a small fire in my mouth.

Before we left, our bartender gave me a taster of the house sangria that she makes daily and infused with Cabernet, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Papa’s Pilar rum, Tito’s vodka, and fruit juices.

“It packs a punch,” she said watching me as I drank the Spanish beverage. “And there’s no tequila in it.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Victorian Christmas Tours, Jingle Bell Cruises

Events December 22-December 25, 2024
Next Article

Houston ex-mayor donates to Toni Atkins governor fund

LGBT fights in common
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader