Synonymous with tacos ♥️
You know the score, right? Barrio Comida (34 Church St, Durham DH1 3DG) is not new, but it is new to Durham. Kinda.
What started life as a pop-up (in Durham!), it moved to a temporary home on the Newcastle Quayside, and is now a restaurant proper in the heart of Durham city centre. It’s been a long time coming, but finally opened in February. Just weeks before the start of The Worst Bit of 2020. Damn.
We’ve managed a couple of visits despite the corona-thing, and it’s an impressive space. Immediately, it’s one of my favourite restaurants in the North East.
As bright & airy as you can get, it’s a ‘well nice gaff’, and it’s been awesome following chief taco slinger Shaun Hurrell’s Insta over the past year of building Barrio Comida v2.0. You can of course, come here and just enjoy some great tacos. But learning about nixtamalisation, the house made masa blends for different tortillas, new dishes, and of course, some menu development has been fascinating.
Every tortilla for every taco is made on-site every day. Might sound like a small detail, but it’s a labour of love. Like that extra layer of quality that makes The Traveler’s Rest’s black pudding so good, or Zucchini’s silky pasta, or Scream for Pizza’s 48-hr dough. It runs through everything.
The pop-up format is largely unchanged, just a little more restaurant-y. But it’s as informal as you’ll get, and wouldn’t be out of place in LA or Mexico City. It’s cool AF actually, and I genuinely don’t say that about many places.
Start with guac & totopos because it’s legit fresh guac and who doesn’t love proper fresh guac. And a special 🙌🏼 for the complimentary salsas which range from a ‘for the bairns’ charred tomato & onion to a 🌶🌶 smoky guajillo, via a fiesty salsa de arbol. Really great.
Tacos come in pairs (£6-7), from the quintessential chicken mole and al pastor, to new instant classics like birria and suadero. Then you’ve got a specials, a salad, and some picky sides.
The tacos, I can pander on all day. They’re heavenly. The menu suggests a few tacos each but honestly, if it’s your first visit, just order them all for the ultimate Barrio Comida experience.
Some of the best things haven’t changed. And the gnarly and succulent pork carnitas, showered with piggy chicharrón dust, as well as the deeply meaty carne asada are still three bites of perfection each. Also still kicking arse — you’ll not have tasted anything like the ‘takes literally days of work’ mole sauce, the slivers of pineapple that shine through the porky al pastor, and cooling crema and crunchy cabbage slaw against just-fried fish in the pescado.
New bits like the quesedilla-esque gringa are generally delightful. Think: cheesy al pastor sandwich. Or adobo & queso papas. Think: Mexican cheesy chips. Ish.
Do always order the tostada. Today’s prawn version was every bit as fresh & spicy a blend of textures and bracing flavours as the tuna version I waxed about for The Guardian here. As true as it was when I said it then, there’s just still nothing like this in the North of England.
Tacos come at rapidly you in order of intensity. And where the tostada is light and delicate, the flavours — generally carnivorous — culminate in the knockout punch of the birria. I’ve been lusting for some birria since they inexplicably exploded in popularity over the past couple of years. It’s lamb/goat slow-cooked in a rich stew until melty soft, and served with a side of consommé/gravy/dipping jus on the side for dipping.
Evoking memories of the best Sunday lunches, when you’re a couple of (excellent, particularly the house hibiscus) margaritas deep, and you’ve got fiery, deeply lamby juices dribbling all over… you’ll find yourself in a happy place. Slurp the sauce afterwards.
Drinks-wise you’re also well catered for — some decent natural wines sit between first-rate spicy micheladas and serious mezcals, and it’s not daft £££. Unless you’re looking for ‘best in the world’ mescals, course. There’s an entire education to be had on agave here.
Finally, a word for desserts. It’d be easy to overlook these soft serves as ‘just ice cream’ but I’d put this milk, dulce de leche, honeycomb and violet number as perhaps my best dessert of 2020. It’s so surprisingly perfect. It’s one ‘you just have to taste’ but sweet caramel, crunchy honey, and then this enchanting floral hit of violet at the end is just wow.
I can’t imagine there’ll be a restaurant that opens in the North East, never mind Durham, this year which is more exciting, more alluring, and thankfully, as predictably phenomenal as Barrio Comida. Gotta be the best taco joint in The North of England? So whether you’re taco illiterate, or a seasoned taquero, it’s an absolute must-visit and a masterclass on how to ‘do’ a restaurant in 2020.
Barrio Comida like everyone else was forced to close on Nov 5th but is fingers-crossed offering takeaway, and hopefully delivery soon in November — check the site for details.
Contact: barriocomida.com
Food hygiene rating: 5/5
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