Is Barrio in Portsmouth, NH Still Worth the Hype? [2025 Review]
After roughly five years away from my home state of New Hampshire, I not-so-triumphantly rode into town on my faltering, aging miniature horse steed for a self-imposed two-month moratorium from Hong Kong.
The purpose? Reclaim my mojo, spend as much quality time as possible with those nearest and dearest to me, and eat everything under the sun that I’ve been unable to get in the alleged ‘Asia’s World City’.
Note: I think it’s a bit presumptuous to refer to oneself as ‘Asia’s World City’ when you can’t find a goddamn Reese’s peanut butter cup anywhere.
In addition to my frivolous daily consumption of Ruffles cheddar and sour cream potato chips, Reese’s peanut butter cups (King Size), and enough locally brewed beer to KO a wooly mammoth (shoutout to Liar’s Bench and Schilling Beer Co.), there was one place in particular that I needed to check up on – Barrio, aka Portsmouth’s build-your-own taco and margarita haven.
But was it the same Barrio I remember from those hazy, “I forgot to put on pants today,” pandemic days? Was the guac still smooth and creamy enough to use as a styling mousse for my thinning hairline? Would the Build-A-Bear taco creations and El Jefe’s curated selecciones still bring the gastronomic ruckus? Were the margs still so delicious and spicy that I’d want to throw back 8 of them before 2 PM on a Tuesday?
Read on to find out if Barrio still lives up to the hype.
Pale Ale Travel Note: Writing about Barrio is nostalgic as it was the first review/write-up I ever published on Pale Ale Travel in 2019. It’s unpardonable that it took me so many years to return and publish a more up-to-date review. Well, here it is. This time, I remembered to take photos.
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