El Barco – Mexican Restaurant & Tequila Bar in Boston’s Back Bay

My coworkers and I enjoy trying new places, and this restaurant had been on our list for a while especially since the last time we visited, it was closed for a private event. We finally made it in today. It was a slow Tuesday, so we expected a pleasant experience. We started with chips and guacamole and the calamari. Unfortunately, when I picked up a piece of calamari, I found a hair in it, which immediately ruined my appetite. We decided to move on to dessert and ordered the churros, but the very first churro also had a long hair in it. Finding hair in two separate dishes was extremely disappointing and unacceptable. On a positive note, the music was great. They played Bad Bunny and other Latin hits, which created a fun vibe. The drinks were also good, and our server handled the situation kindly and professionally, taking care of our bill due to the incident. Despite the good music and service, we won’t be returning. I truly hope management and the kitchen staff take this seriously and enforce proper hygiene measures such as ensuring cooks wear hair nets to prevent this from happening to other guests.

It was located just outside the garage we parked. Loved the decor and vibe. They also had a salsa bar which was good to try different varieties of salsa. Service was however very slow as it took some idea for someone to get to us. We had some tacos here and it came out really good. It tasted really good. Definitely would recommend this place.

What a random find in Back Bay! It looks like it’s a parking garage (and is attached to one). It’s HUGE and clearly gets wild later in the evening. The salsa bar was awesome, and the tacos were solid. Only complaint was none of the tortillas held up once picked up. It was VERY messy. Solid margaritas, and the chips were great. I’d recommend if you’re in the area.

This is nice Mexican inspired restaurant and bar. Food is prepared well and taste was good. Our server was very friendly and helped us figure out the right options. The places very clean and has plenty of seating. Definitely worth checking out if you're interested in grabbing some typical Mexican inspired fare or grabbing a drink and some appetizers.

Amazing experience! I cannot recommend this place enough. We came at 11:30pm at night, right before last call. The shrimp tacos were incredible, probably the best shrimp tacos I've ever had. And the piña colada! Authentic, with cream of coconut. So delicious! The pollo asado tacos were also good, and the churros came out hot and scrumptious. They are corn tortillas if that matters to you. If you're in Boston, find your way to El Barco! Crawl if you have to!