Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas

Best brunch spot in North County! One of a kind menu and cocktails. Great for all group's.

HAPPY HOUR REVIEW

We made reservations for 3pm on Black Friday. Family is in town and we wanted to try something hot and new that still had positive reviews. I had been keeping my eye on Cocina de Barrio and the new Mas Fuego in Carlsbad. Mas Fuego turned out to be a dumpster fire, but Cocina seemed to be having a strong start.

We got seated at a booth which was very comfortable. Note: as far as I could see, all of the indoor tables and booths had padded seating. This is a big deal to me and I always call it out if a place refuses to make their guest's comfort a priority. I did not check the patio seating but so far Cocina is five stars.

We basically ordered most everything on the happy hour menu:
* Tacos de Birria (lamb)
* Tacos de Camaron (shrimp)
* Tacos de Trompo (al pastor)
* Tacos de Pescado (salmon)
* Mango Habanero Aguachile
* Ceviche
* Guacamole
* Oysters (12)
* Margarita (2 Blancos, 1 Rosa, 1 Agua Santa, 1 Jalisco Express)

THE GOOD
The drinks were good. The best was the La Rosa by far. Imagine if a sangria and a margarita had a baby. The second best: Jalisco Express, which had a little kick to it but was delicious. The other drinks were either too sweet or had too much sour mix. Not great.

The table-side guacamole was nice. We gobbled it up though they only give you a few "chips" (hard blue corn tortillas) with it, which was odd. The other plates we ordered came with chips as well so in all, we had plenty - but if you're just getting the guac you might want to ask for more. You also have the options of adding "chapulines". If you don't know what this is, look it up first :-)

The tacos were good, though the tortillas were cold. The birria was not seasoned. I thought the shrimp tacos were the best. They put little dabs of sauce on the plate (some white, green or orange). You can add these to your taco if you choose, but the best topping might just be a little salt. Presentation is outstanding I must say.

The oysters were good too, although quite small. Normally they come served on a bed of ice at most place. All twelve were placed on a small plate with salt and Tabasco and limes on the side. They looked really nice though the microgreens didn't add much flavor-wise.

Service was good, though we did have trouble hailing our server to get more drinks. We always had someone pouring water, or taking dishes away.

THE BAD
The Aguachile is hands-down the worst version we have EVER tried. Wow. Do not get this. It was sickeningly sweet with zero heat. This is not authentic aguachile. I really should have returned this as it was inedible.

The Ceviche was also just weird. This wasn't as bad as the aguachile but this was also the worst ceviche I've ever had. The green sauce made it hard to identify what was what. It was overly thick with a weird consistency.

These two dishes pulled the entire experience down. I'm curious to see what others think but this was eye-openingly bad to us. My mom was with us and she had never tried aguachile before and for this to be her first time was a let down. The temperature of the plates needs to be improved also. Our plates and tortillas were cold which really detracts from the flavor even though the presentation was beautiful.

They do not serve chips & salsa - which I think is a bummer. I think most people expect it. Plus, the salsa could add more heat to the other entrees as they come out. They do put a small dish of Chile de Arbol on the table, but it is not "salsa" in the traditional sense.

Our total after tip was about $200 after tip, which was not bad considering the sheer amount of food we had. I still think their happy hour is a good deal overall. Just get the La Rosa, the Jalisco Express, the shrimp tacos and the guac and you'll be one happy camper.

I went to Cocina Del Barrio because I had a friend recommend it to me. Needless to say I’ll be a frequent visitor from now on to this quaint authentic Mexican food which is absolutely amazing and comes out pretty quick! My favorite thing were the amazing cocktails of which my favorite was the Soleado Picante and last but certainly not least was the amazing service and conversation I had with the bartender Walter he made my visit one of a kind! Thanks again Walter!

Fantastic food unlike anything I’ve had. Sea bass was full of new flavors and sophistication. Comes with a variety of sides and sauces. Best new restaurant in Encinitas this year. Drinks also excellent and very helpful service.

Authentic Oaxacan Mexican food at its best! Wow! We went for brunch and tried the Chilaquiles Rojos with beef birria, Chilaquiles Verde, and the Enmoladas! Everything was amazing! We ordered a side of the house made mole and it was insane!!! Everything is made from scratch even the popsicle that goes with the margaritas! The hot sauce is very spicy just the way I like it. Yes!!!! Service was was awesome and our Server Wendy was very friendly and knowledgeable about the different dishes! Can’t wait to try the happy hour and dinner menu!