For many years, I have been following the accolades regarding Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza and her delicious Mexican food. When I heard she had opened up Barrio Queen at the Scottsdale Waterfront, I knew this was a place I wanted to try.
The restaurant is well-designed and has both indoor and outdoor seating options. A lot of the decor, including the logo, is heavily influenced by Dia de los Muertos ("Day of the Dead"), an annual Mexican holiday where families celebrate and remember their family members who have died.
We recently had the opportunity to have lunch at Barrio Queen. Upon entering, were greeted in a friendly manner and given the choice to dine inside or outside. Since it was a beautiful, sunny day, we chose the large patio in the back.
There are quite a few options to choose from and the menu is designed so that you can mix and match quite a bit. The flavors are varied and all of the tortillas and chips are freshly made in-house.
Service was very friendly and knowledgeable. Our server was happy to explain and walk through the various choices as well as make some suggestions.
We had heard some great things about the guacamole, (which is prepared tableside during the dinner hours), and ordered it. It was excellent and came with a generous serving of chips that had just been prepared. The guacamole does have a bit of heat, which was nicely tempered by the pomegranate seeds sprinkled on top.
I am a huge fan of mole, so when I saw they had a 32 ingredient chicken mole enchilada option, I ordered it. It did not disappoint. It was delicious and reminded me of the mole I used to eat in Guadalajara. It came with some seasoned squash (calbacitas) that was also very tasty.
My dining companion elected for three of the street tacos. There are about 20 versions to choose from including beef, pork, chicken, fish and vegetarian. She chose the Barrio Pollo (chicken), Carnitas (pork) and Carne Asada (beef) and really enjoyed each of them.
Overall, it was a great meal and we barely even scratched the surface of all of the things we wanted to try. Barrio Queen is definitely a place I want to return to soon.
More Information:
Barrio Queen
7114 E Stetson Drive, Suite 105
Scottsdale , AZ 85251
(480) 656-4197
Website
Open Daily - See website for hours
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