Bartaco Restaurant

My favorite place in town for margaritas and chips and guac. They use tostada shells for chips (with just a hint of salt , and the guac is always fresh, simple and delicious. And for me, there’s not a better margarita in town. They’re typically pretty busy though (which is good for them. but the service occasionally suffers a little bit for it.

Very fun Friday night vibe kind of place with delicious food. Never skip the pork belly tacos. Never. Also, if you leave without their handcrafted margarita with the jalapeño in it (like I did because I was the DD), you will be sad.

I'm not sure if this applies to all bar tacos or just this specific location, but they required us to put a card on file before we even placed our food order. The service was incredibly slow, despite it not being very busy. The ribeye meat was terrible and still undercooked it was a bit gross. The chili shrimp was way too spicy, to the point where I had to send it back. But my main issue was how slow the service was multiple times, servers walked by as I called out for help. Other diners even had to get servers for me after seeing them ignore me while I tried to get their attention.

Today I visited Bartaco on Marietta Street and had one of the most disappointing experiences ever. Despite the restaurant being unusually slow, I was only offered seating outside in 90° weather because their refusal to offer the massive open seating inside. (Managers) please understand that at some juncture you actually have to do work so if you’re short-staffed, you may want to consider picking up a table or two. Not only are these limited options a liability for the restaurant, but it also poses a significant inconvenience for customers like me. The service here has drastically declined. Owners need to consider sending in secret shoppers to address the subpar customer service that is becoming far too common here. I noticed an open booth in a section staffed but was refused that option. Turning away customers is never a wise business decision, just because someone called ahead to be put on a waitlist for seating that may never appear or appear on-time. I didn't realize that this location allowed reservations at this time of day. As a long-term customer, today's experience has made me decide to discontinue my patronage. It's unfortunate to see a place I once enjoyed visiting fall to such poor standards. The host needs to also work on his poor attitude. If you didn’t want to come to work today with a smile, maybe you should’ve stayed home.

My college friends and I were excited to catch up over tacos and drinks at Bar Taco. Unfortunately, the initial experience was confusing. Upon arrival, we were sat by a server who quickly explained everything was automated and self-explanatory through a QR code, then left us without further instructions. The QR code ordering system was unfamiliar and required some time to figure out. To make matters worse, after placing our orders, the drinks we ordered first arrived after the food, with no explanation. When we flagged down the waitress, we learned the bar system was down and our orders weren't communicated, but this crucial information wasn't relayed to us until we inquired. While the service issues were frustrating, the biggest disappointment was the food itself. I wasn't a fan of any of the taco options I chose. In particular, the chili lime shrimp taco lacked the flavor I was expecting. Overall, the automated ordering, slow service, and underwhelming food left us with a less-than-ideal dining experience. Hopefully, Bartaco can address these shortcomings to improve the customer experience for future patrons.