Remember back in the early ’80s, when you checked your Swatch, popped your collar or adjusted those two-story shoulder pads, and sashayed into Casa Gallardo for a platter of enchiladas and a margarita that could double as a wading pool? Casa introduced “upscale” Mexican fare in St. Louis, and we took to it like MTV took to Madonna. Walking into the new Mexican Barrel House is like a trip back to those salsa-stained days. Everything is big, loud, and fun.
The décor, for example, takes “Mexican restaurant” straight to DEFCON 1 level. Every wall is shingled with an entire pueblo’s worth of tchotchkes. Multiple levels, including an extravagant, brilliantly lit bar and a balcony floor with seating, add a lot to the ambience, creating the simultaneous sensation of both intimate nooks and a festive atmosphere. We can’t recall dining anywhere else with casters on the chairs, an odd detail that actually makes conversation easier, especially at larger tables. Resist the urge to take one on a spin across the checkered parquet floor.
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
We will never send spam or annoying emails. Unsubscribe anytime.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Dining choices here are, ah, expansive. Instructions for reprogramming your cable box seem positively childlike in comparison to the menu. Pages of offerings cover seemingly every Southwestern possibility, from Monterrey to Midland. We got la banquete rolling with a very credible ceviche, salmon, and finely chopped shrimp with cilantro, onion, and avocado, all smacked with lime juice. A good ceviche puckers the palate, just short of sour, and this one does a piquant, chilled job, with chips for dipping. Another, simpler starter is a chilled salsa that’s dark and smoky; the signature taste is from fire-roasted tomatoes. Although it’s a bit unusual for the chips and salsa to not be complimentary, this version is worth the price.
Nearly a dozen tacos are offered. We sampled three, all in corn tortillas. Two were exceptional. Lime-spritzed grilled shrimp, along with mashed avocados and slaw in a mango-infused habanero sauce, sounds over the top. It’s terrific, though, with the creamy avocado moderating the spicy shrimp. Arrachera (skirt steak) is tough as a roller derby skate, but marinated—as it is here with lime juice—renders the cut tender and flavorful. Combined with melted cotija cheese and a mild pico, the result is what tacos might taste like if Matisse made them instead of paintings. The “grill-bello” taco is a good idea, but it doesn’t work well—the mushrooms are meaty but can’t carry the taco off satisfactorily.
Photography by Kevin A. RobertsPhotography by Kevin A. Roberts
Enchiladas Platter at Mexican Barrel House
The quality of enchiladas is a prime standard for judging a Mexican restaurant. This version scores high, with a trio of them; the tortillas are baked until the corn flavor pops. Stuffed with pulled chicken, cheese, and ground beef, and served under ladles of red and green sauce, the latter is redolent of that vegetal earthiness of tomatillo and chiles; the former is suitably hot, pepper-warm, and aromatic.
From the grill, hefty slices of carne asada deliver a steakhouse-worthy skirt steak that tasted more elaborately marinated than the same steak in the tacos, with hints of orange juice and soy sauce in the perfectly tender meat. It’s one of a half-dozen grilled specialties that also include quesabirrias, chicken asado, and grilled octopus. The house’s “Mexi-Q Boards” feature the choice of a ranchero’s worth of meats—brisket, chicken, or ribeye, all with grilled peppers and tortillas.
Photography by Kevin A. RobertsPhotography by Kevin A. Roberts
Carne asada served with rice, beans, and house-made tortillas
“Barrel bowls” are still another dinner option on the menu. They’re a sort of “meal in a bucket,” with jasmine rice, diced sweet potatoes, and a whole vegetable garden tossed with avocado cubes; queso fresco; charred pineapple; along with chicken, steak, or shrimp. It’s probably popular with those who routinely check “All of the Above” when life’s choices are offered.
Torta-listas will be pleased with the selection here. The telera bread is authentic, puffy, and light, like a potato bread. Go for the fried carnitas stuffed inside, along with refried beans and mayo.
Halfway through dinner, a “flight” of barbecue sauces appeared tableside, though it wasn’t clear what they were meant for. They ranged from “kinda sweet” to “really sweet,” with a taste more Tex than Mex. The sauce accompanying the arrachera steak is far superior—nuanced and multilayered in flavor.
Photography by Kevin A. RobertsPhotography by Kevin A. Roberts
Las tres Amigas; three 8oz house margaritas; lime, strawberry and peach
If it’s an alcohol that comes from anywhere south of the border, the Barrel’s got it. There are more than a dozen tequilas, a mess o’ mescal possibilities, Mexican beers, and even some of Mexico’s wines. Sorry, but matching a good whiskey with funnel cakes would be easy compared to pairing Mexican food with wine. The margaritas, however, are worth exploring.
Even if there were a production of Stomp! going on somewhere in the place, it would have been muffled by the noise of the crowd here. It’s loud. This is a place where, while MTV’s dead and acid-washed jeans have faded, that old Casa vibe is still lively, convivial, and happily buenísimo.
Mexican Barrel House
📍1085 N. Mason, Creve Coeur
📞 314-370-6010
⏰ 9 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4:30–9 p.m. Mon and Tue, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4:30–10 p.m. Wed and Thu, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4:30–11 p.m. Fri and Sat; bar only 2–4:30 p.m.; brunch 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Sun.
Dining and Cooking