Over the past few years, I’ve observed a phenomenon within the food service industry which I’ve coined as “Chipotle-ization” (trademark pending). To me, this refers to the singularity of Americanized Mexican food collapsing in on itself and forming a black hole of copy-and-paste franchises serving the same ingredients in burrito, taco or God forbid, “bowl” form. Luckily, with restaurants like Barrio, another new contender on Eddy Street popping up, we’re beginning to see the light at the end of the long dark tunnel of slop bowls.
Right next door to JINYA Ramen Bar, Barrio occupies a coveted corner space on South Bend’s student hub of Eddy Street. The sign above reads “tacos + tequila + whiskey,” and it is the furthest thing from false advertising. Upon entering, you’ll take note of the immense amount of tequila options scattered about — there’s probably more agave in the place per square foot than Monterrey. The drink menu is a sight to behold; if, for some reason, you’re looking for a place with more variety of drinks than Salsa’s, you’ve found it at Barrio. I also heard good things from other customers about these cocktails they ordered called “libations,” which must be Spanish for “knock-you-out-cold” with the amount of liquor in them.
I stopped in for lunch after morning classes and decided to select some items with a little variety to them — not just your basic meat-rice-vegetable combo in a tortilla. For my appetizer, I ordered the hot honey guacamole (they have different options for their guac apps). I know hot honey might be done to death in the culinary scene today, but the consistency of both the avocado and honey paired well together, and they were definitely enhanced by Barrio’s fresh corn tortilla chips. And the crunchy bacon on top didn’t hurt, either.
As soon as I perused their entrés, I knew immediately what item was calling my name: the el jefe loco. Uttering it to my server felt like I was invoking a sacred name, and I treated the dish with the appropriate reverence. Imagine a double shell Taco Bell item, only replace all of the processed crap with fresh, warm queso, crunchy chorizo and chicken breast with a proprietary spice blend. With more hot honey, of course.
By the end of the meal, I truly felt hope for a segment of the food industry plagued by a lack of innovation. Barrio takes childhood favorites and modern American food trends alike and blends them into an experience of nostalgia for those 2018 days of seven dollar Chipotle bowls. I wish Barrio the best in their nascent months on Eddy Street, and I encourage you to stop in and show some support yourself.
Signing off,
Matt “el jefe loco” Norton
