Barrio Cafe in Phoenix ranks No. 1 on a list of the 10 Best Mexican Restaurants in America compiled Tabelog, an online community of food lovers.
Tabelog says of Barrio Cafe, which was the only Arizona restaurant to make the list:
“Preparing some of the best Mexican cuisine in Phoenix, Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza has created several signature items at Barrio Café. Offering a vast tequila selection, start your night off right with a margarita. Then dig in to the Guacamole del Barrio, which is prepared table-side. For your entrée you certainly cannot go wrong with the Cochinita Pibil, featuring pork marinated in achiote and sour orange. Wrapped in a banana leaf and slow-roasted overnight, the flavors will amaze you. The Barrio Café has certainly earned its spot as one of the top Mexican restaurants in not only Arizona, but in the entire country.”
Barrio Cafe, which is located on 16th Street just south of Thomas, opened in 2002. It has a spinoff at Sky Harbor and a recently launched sibling, Barrio Cafe Gran Reserva, in west Phoenix.
Esparza also helped to launch a concept called Barrio Queen, which has locations in Scottsdale and Gilbert, but she no longer works with the concept and it is not associated with Barrio Cafe.
