Barrio Cafe
672 Kilani Ave Wahiawa, HI 96786
808-622-3003
Hours: Monday to Saturday 7:00 am – 3:00 pm
Friday 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Autumn and I wanted some fresh ceviche on our last day on the island. We searched for a bit and found this place which was sort of hard to tell if they had ceviche or not, but after a quick call, we determined they did. The parking lot was quite small but we pulled in next to the crowded barber shop, parked, and went in. Autumn was immediately sold due to the murals found on the walls, specifically Selena.
We were seated and the place was pretty busy. Our waitress, who I think may be one of the owners, was very prompt and polite. We received our menus and took some time to review it. We were pleasantly surprised to find an entire page dedicated to ceviche, although they were out of some of them.
We ordered some chips and salsa to start and out came a very different but good hot salsa with fresh chips. We also ordered some ceviche which came out with a super cute bag of seasoned chips. The ceviche was excellent. We got half shrimp and half fish and it was so fresh and flavorful. The seasoned chips were a great addition. I loved the bag with their logo, it was a nice touch.
For our entrees I ordered the Cali burrito as the waitress recommended it as one of the best sellers. I was skeptical since it had French fries in it, but I was intrigued. The burrito was filled with steak, French fries, cheese, pick de gallo, sour cream and an avocado sauce. Autumn ordered the carne asada street taco plate.
The portions were large. I couldn’t finish half of my burrito, but it was very interesting. If it had more pico de gallo dispersed throughout the burrito, it would have been much better. The avocado sauce was lacking and needed some acid, but it was unique. Autumn’s tacos were average but she was more thrilled with the ceviche. As we were paying, the waitress, and whom I suspect was one of the owners, asked what we thought or would change with our food. I asked if she really wanted to know and she sat down. That spoke volumes. The food was good, but it could have improved in a few areas. I absolutely loved that someone cared what we thought and actually sat down to hear it. It’s a great place for ceviche, and their food is decent too. If you want some good Mexican food, give this place a try.
