Why I Love Los Barrios, a San Antonio Gem
| August 28, 2012 | Posted by Angela under Local Places & Events |
Yusuf (friend from Spain) and Sarah (sister) at Los Barrios (Photo credit: angelabartels)
As San Antonio has grown, so has our food scene. We have new, trendy, yummy restaurant spots popping up all over the city – and I am loving it. But what I love even more is that our local restaurants are not being overshadowed or closed down. They remain open and busy as ever. Our local favorite, Los Barrios, has been a local favorite of my family’s since I was a child. When we wanted a simple, delicious Mexican food plate that felt like your grandmother had just made, we went to Los Barrios. We went there to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, Friday nights, after games – it was our go to place for every occasion. And that hasn’t changed. I now go with my husband and son and we’ve introduced my in-laws to this wonderful gem to celebrate the same special moments with good family and friends.
Though Los Barrios has received plenty of recognition over the years (including being featured on Bobby Flay’s Throwdown and Good Morning America with Emeril Lagasse) and opened a sister restaurant, La Hacienda, in the north part of San Antonio, the recipes remain the same, the staff continues to welcome you like family and the ambiance is so comforting. You’re always bound to run into someone you know – as we did last Friday.
We were tired and hungry and I wanted a cheese enchilada plate (which is not normal for me). We wanted something quick and casual. Los Barrios of course. We get there and it’s crowded and there’s a wait. No biggie. We run into a coworker from Rackspace and he is there with his wife and kids and another family. Lots of families were there.
We finally get seated. As I sat down, I see an old friend I had played volleyball with as kids. She lives in Seattle, her brother in NYC and they both had just flown in to celebrate their mom’s 60th birthday. Where else would they celebrate but Los Barrios? It was so great to seem them and chat about our childhood days.
But why I really love Los Barrios…
As our meal came to a close, we saw Louis Barrios (owner of Los Barrios). As always, he is visiting each table and making sure his guests are happy. He comes by our table to say hi. I apologized for the mess my son had made (rice was sprinkled on the floor under his high chair). He immediately said, “No, no, please do not apologize.” He want on to explain that his mom (late Viola Barrios) used to say that whenever she saw rice on the floor, she knew she was serving the right people (families). That made me almost tear up. Viola wanted to serve families and if that is what she was doing, her job was done. Her family continues to live out her purpose and I think that is so special. And it reminded me of why I love Los Barrios so much.
There are a gazillion Mexican food restaurants in San Antonio but we continue to choose Los Barrios because the food is good but more so because they treat you like an extension of their family. May other restaurants learn from them.
[...] blogger Angela Bartels wrote a post about why she loves Los Barrios, a San Antonio Mexican food institution. In additional to the food, Angela talks about how that [...]