Cocina De Barrio

Everything thing is good and lots of plant based options?

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious and inventive food. Great service. They did mix up a few things but it was fine overall - the food and smiles made up for it all.

Second time we have eaten here...food is good with a diverse menu. Service was attentive. Makes our visits to Encinitas a treat.

This restaurant has it all. The food is excellent with the best flavors of Mexico's finest dining experiences. The vegan options are delicious, not just an afterthought as is usually the case in so many restaurants. I had the Caldo de Piedra which is a very flavorful seafood soup and which wasn't overly spicy but just spicy enough. It had a wide variety of the freshest seafood, and was brought out in a steaming rock bowl. A chef made our guacamole right by our table side with the freshest ingredients, and then they handed us the best, tasty, house-made tortilla chips. That was a unique and creative experience. Our main server, Christian, was attentive and charming. The whole evening was outstanding.

It was eh. Overpriced for what you get. Nothing great. Wouldn't come back as it wasn't anything impressive for the price and quantity/quality of food that you get.

Thank you. We've been to Oaxaca and we're very impressed with the mixed drinks and mole. We will be back to explore the menu.

My group went there for a happy hour and we were taken care of very well. Will go back

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Awesome spot for a NYE/Birthday dinner with two littles in tow. Staff was friendly and on top of it despite it being a busy holiday evening. They brought out a lovely slice of tres leches our birthday celebration :) Food was AMAZING. Ambiance is more casual than I anticipated from the photos - several TVs w/ sports games on. Didn't bother me though and would definitely be back. Did I mention the food was AMAZING?

Great birthday dinner for my moms 90th. They accommodated our request for a different table. The food and service were top notch

Guacamole excellent ans happy hour margaritas good value

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Both the food and drink menu were great. For food they had a lot of options that were properly spaced out between seafood, beef / lamb, and vegetarian. We tried several dishes from ceviche to mole and beef birria. All were great although we regret not getting more variety as most was made with the same beef. For drinks - besides the standard options they specialized in mezcal and tequila drinks and had 5 Mexican craft beers on tap. The place had some Christmas decorations and plenty of parking out front. We made a reservation but did not seem to need one as the place was half full at the busiest of the time we were there.

Which leads me to my only complaint - the service was just not great. After taking our food order no one stopped by once afterwards to refill water or allow us to order another drink. We had to flag someone down to get the check an hour after the last time a waiter stopped by. For having had several waiters to handle only a few tables, this was super disappointing. We all wanted to order another drink and have our water refilled and some plates taken away and they just never came back. Overall good restaurant and great Oaxacan Mexican food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 3

Staff was incredible. The food had great portion sizes, drinks / bottomless was delicious, and they did such a good job taking care of our party. 10/10 would recommend

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

A total meh and disappointing experience.

Appreciated the plant-based menu - which is why we came in the first place. Items were high with meager portions. The fried appetizer was greasy and contained a lot of small scraps. The guacamole was good and prepared table side, however the cart from which it was made was awful looking. The portobello quesadillas were TINY and surrounded by a sea of mole sauce. The ration was completely off. No vegan offering for dessert.

Hardly anyone else was in the restaurant making it NOT A FESTIVE choice for the holiday meal we wanted to have.

We will not be returning.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 3

Excellent option for sit down, authentic Mexican cuisine in Encinitas. The fare trends specifically towards Oaxacan cuisine.

The memelitas de birria & sopa azteca were both very nice, as were the quesadillas de huitlacoche en mole negro.

Recommended spot of you're looking for something that stands out from the more common & basic Mexican taquería fare (also nice, but different).

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great experience. We samples several items from the menu and the flavors and textures were good. I found the guacamole to be surprisingly bland, but the ribeye made up for. Others in party loved the salmon. Great drinks. Well priced for both happy hour and standard hours. Comfortable interior, reasonably quiet, nice lighting for good ambiance.