Food was great and the atmosphere was nice. The service is outstanding--friendly, attentive, and always ready to recommend the best dishes. And let's not forget about the drinks! Their margaritas are refreshing and perfectly balanced, making them the ideal complement to any meal. read more

Out of all the locations, this one is my favorite! Love the ambiance, decor and the food there is just sooooo good! This place is a go to when I am feeling more upscale mexican. Love bringing people who come into town here to get the experience. read more

Amazing happy hour food. Handmade $5 margaritas with real tequila. Excellent ceviche and three option lime cured sea bass, shrimp or salmon. Another yummy dish is 10 hour braised lamb tacos. Portobello mushroom tacos and coconut aquachile for vegetarian friends. Mexican ipas for $7 really good. read more

I went in for Mother's Day without a reservation but we were greeted quickly and the wait wasn't too long. Our server Nikki and the bartender Oscar were very welcoming and attentive. everything was great and I would definitely recommend. 10/10 read more

if i could i would give this place ZERO stars. come here if you wanna get scammed and meet with incompetent staff, i was truly baffled with my experience i never expected grown adults to act with so much stupidity. they nearly stole 200 dollars from us by charging us twice for unwarranted tip and was feigning incompetence for their actions with no apology. we were given a receipt with the total including the 18% gratuity which was used to calculate and split the check. once ready with the organized totals, the server proceed to add additional tip for themselves with no communication or consent on our part during the payment process. where once that was initially complete we saw that we were charged more than we initially calculated then confronted they were pushing the blame on us for not specifying tip was included when we were given a total that included the gratuity and the total without it was crossed off. the cherry on top that was that food was bland at best with the most flavorful item on my plate was the ketchup. best to avoid a over priced mexican restaurant when you can hit your local taco shop with food that you'll actually enjoy and half the price read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Stopped by to check it out. Had a few appetizers since we weren't super hungry. Everything had amazing, subtle flavor profiles. The Memelitas were flavorful and just right in terms of consistency. The plant-based Tetelas were even better- with a cinnamon hint that was simply outstanding. Didn't even have a chance to really try the tludia we ordered- too busy with the other dishes! Cocktails were good, wine selection very appropriate with Guadalupe Valley being a highlight. Only downside was the ambiance. It was a pretty noisy- even when they weren't full. TV screens on several walls made is seem like the former sports bar instead of a higher-end sit down restaurant. That said, the friendly staff looked like they were having fun though- a good sign. Recommend reservations if in doubt. This gem fills a longstanding gap after the closure of El Callejon- high praise indeed. Just needs tweaks to the noise and decor. read more

Excellent service and food. Daniel was our server and went above and beyond to make our experience pleasurable. We ordered guacamole for the table, fish soup, and the traditional mole. EVERYTHING was top notch. They make the guacamole at the table, which serves as a unique experience and we loved customizing our own! The fish soup had rocks in it and was served sizzling hot! The crab and shrimp melted in our mouths. The mole was perfectly spicy and sweet and the short rib was cooked nicely. The ambiance is delightful. Modern decor with a warm/ inviting atmosphere. We will be back! read more

The Ambiance is very fun local cantina with a fun vibe. The food is very delicious, true to the culture and the presentation is great. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. All of our drinks were really good read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

K rica! El ambiente incluyuendo los muebles y los pisos eran increible. Todos los platos me recordaron de la comida fina de DF! Los meseros deben de ser mejoraos por favor. read more

Best restaurant ever! The Oaxacan food is delicious! Came here for my birthday and it was wonderful! The salsa de molcajete is full of flavor. The guacamole with chapulines is on point! The red chilaquiles are the best! I love coming here for mimosas. Staff are always super friendly! 100% recommend this place! read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Aguachiles - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

Yum yum and yum!!! If you love mole and mezcal, this is your new place! Delicious food all around and the cocktails are amazing! Wendy was our server and she was lovely as well! I made a reservation at the wrong location and the hostess was kind and accommodating without batting an eye! I will be back for brunch soon!! read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

The food was sooo good!! Yes they are short staffed so you will have to wait a bit but it is worth it! I've eaten Oaxacan food in Oaxaca and this is the closest you will get to authentic. It was fresh, flavorful and delicious. The drinks were great! I'd recommend and can't wait to come back. Our favorite was the aguachile read more

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Fantastic addition to the Encinitas food and drink scene. Great Happy hour drinks and food options at a fair price. The tacos are fantastic and go easy with the spicy chili oil they give you. Bartenders Walter and Daniel are super friendly and make some amazing drinks! Keep up the good work amigos!! read more

Superb service. Great food. Great crowd! I wish this was next door to my house! I will keep coming back when I swing by Carlsbad -- CHEERS to the staff! Just lessen the checking at my table and cutting all my conversations, then we're all good. Haha! read more

Ceviche and chilaquiles plus marg so amazing. The server was so knowledgable on all things and the vibe so great read more

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I was so thrilled when I found out Cocina de Barrio opened in Encinitas. We celebrated my birthday there and it did not disappoint. The food was amazing and our server, Nikki, was warm, attentive, and helpful. We can't wait to come back and try brunch. read more

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I came here last minute with my family, Christian C was an amazing server! He was very friendly and gave us a great time!

Oh my goodness the food and drinks were amazing. I went with 2 of my girlfriends for dinner and we all DEVOURED our plates hahaha to the point where we laughed at the end like wtf I ordered the tacos de birrias (beef) and HIGHLY recommend. They were so juicy/flavorful and 3 was the perfect amount to fill me up. I also got the Jalisco Express cocktail which has jalapeño infused tequila. Let me tell you, this drink single-handedly made me want to try more jalapeño drinks. I typically don't like spice but the flavor and mixture of it was bomb. The service was really nice and the restaurant is super cute. I love Encinitas and I wanna go again read more

the manager is such a doll! The food is delicious, and the ambiance is a plus! We absolutely love this place and I would 10/10 recommend this place to anyone in the area or outside the area! read more

Love this place . Super cute drinks and their birria tacos are to die for! Super delicious! Definitely great recommendation read more

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The service, food and drinks were wonderful! I definitely recommend the Tiradito de Salmon if you like fish. Our waiter was very kind, professional and knew what he was talking about. I did request to speak with the Manager to give the waiter props, to which the manager Oscar was also very friendly, funny, professional and over all seems like a great manager. 100% recommend! read more

Came here the other day with some friends. Got greeted by the general manager Oscar. We all felt so welcomed, he made sure to check on us if we needed anything. Food and drinks came out quick! Definitely would recommend this place to anyone and I will be going back! Thanks again Oscar! read more

My girlfriend and I came here a while back and we really enjoyed it. The food was excellent and I thought the drinks were very good. They have a good skinny margarita. read more

Will be back for brunch for sure!! The portions are hefty, lots of brunch options. We sat outside but inside is beautiful also.

Amazing food. I was really surprised how good it was. The service was awesome as well. Super quick to bring us our meal and all the servers were amazing. Really liked this place and I'll be back! read more

Amazing spot & very friendly staff. The food was absolutely fantastic, everything we had was full of great flavors and the portions were perfect for sharing. The staff were very attentive and the food came out quick. Overall, great place to come with family or friends. Will definitely come back when in the area! read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Chilaquiles Verdes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Excellent food and even better service! We went back twice in one week because everything was so delicious. The short rib mole negro and the pork ribs in chile verde were amazing! Every member of the staff was friendly and our server, Ulises, was the absolute best. We will definitely return every time we are in the area. read more

Food was authentic and outstanding. The Vegan options were unique and plentiful. The service was excellent and our server was always checking with us. Ambiance was friendly with a fun vibe. read more

Olivia was super helpful and friendly! the drinks and food were delicious! Olivia made my time there an overall 5 star experience! :) she was so sweet and attentive - something a lot of restaurants are lacking these days. I was a bartender and server for 8 years, so I understand it's a tough job and people can be cruel. However, Olivia gave me hope in receiving good service again! Will definitely be going back and asking for her. :) read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

we had reservations, seated right away. Our server was attentive and helpful. Atmosphere relaxed. Mango habanero shrimp appetizer delicious with just enough spice. Grouper was perfect. Mole short rib was goo-- mole sauce a little too much but meat was excellent read more

We were visiting Encinitas. Our friends told us that they heard this place was good. But they hadn't tried it yet. So we came for the happy hour to give it a try. We ended up and staying for a light dinner. The food and drinks were a bit more eclectic than a standard Mexican restaurant. They offered table side guac, but then they offered to top with crickets. Luckily we are more adventurous than some. I had the cucumber jalapeño marg. It was beautifully served. But a little sweater than I would have liked. So I followed with a glass of Pinot Grigio also on happy hour. Unfortunately they were all out so I had sauv blanc. We also ordered the oysters, but those also weren't available. They had said they were recalled. So I'm glad I didn't have to find that out the hard way. I instead had the raw salmon with strawberries, pickled onions. It was a different combination but super tasty! My husband had the birria lamb tacos. They said that they had been slow cooked for 10 hours. The decor is fun, it felt like cantina meets gastropub. read more

Met friends here on a Saturday night.. beautiful restaurant with excellent service. Food comes quickly. Guac made table side was delicious and the other highlights were the tacos de birria, aguachiles and esquites (corn and shrimp). Would come back again read more

Very friendly environment, the chilaquiles verdes are so delicious and very big portion the birria on top just makes it a plus also the cafe de olla was perfect for dessert the 3 leches cake is a must I will definitely come back to try more food read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Chilaquiles Verdes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

Birria-left (beef) center (lamb) right (beef)! Delicious! Great customer service and atmosphere. Highly recommend read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Birria Tacos-Left (Beef) Middle (Lamb) Right (Beef). Delicious! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

Good amazing. Happy hour is one of the best in the area. Ambience is quite lovely. And the servers were very prompt and professional.

Highly recommend this place for Lunch. I'm off work on Wednesdays and decided to give it a try as I had heard good things about their other San Diego locations. Daniel my server, recommended the "La Rosa" Tequila drink and it did not fail. read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Pollo en Mole Negro - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

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I am glad I found this place near My neighborhood I was there on Sunday morning with my family. Food is great y tried the tlayuda and it was delicious. Their service is beyond great. I want to acknowledge the great job the GM oscar is doing with his team to meet our needs, I can't wait to go back for another great experience! read more

The menu relies heavily on use their proprietary mole sauce in various dishes. I really liked it but my date did not. It is not very sweet which is a plus in my book. Mole has an unusual and very intense flavor and it really does vary a lot depending on the recipe used. For me it was a great meal, but not so much for her. I will have to try some other dishes and update the review. read more

Great Mexican food! The mole is amazing! Our server Jaqueline gave exceptional service! I truly believe the worker will make or break any business. As long as they have her here we will always be back! Thank you so much for great service! read more

What a great food and drink experience! The guacamole made fresh right at your table is like no other. The selection of food and quality of amazing. Service is good as well. read more

Cocina de Barrio - Encinitas - Barrio cadillac repesado margaritas! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Encinitas, California

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