Announced today, Barrio restaurant in Bellevue is now closed. Over the next few months, Heavy Restaurant Group will be transforming the space into an event and catering venue that can hold up to 200 people. It will be unveiled this fall, and the venue will serve food from Lot No. 3, Purple Cafe and Wine Bar, and Barrio.
This new concept will allow Heavy Restaurant Group, which operates 6 restaurants in the Puget Sound Area, to accommodate larger parties and events in a dedicated space. It will allow for specialty events like wine tastings, cooking classes, and private parties.
Larry Kurofsky, owner of Heavy Restaurant Group, said, “After two years in downtown Bellevue, we realized that the Barrio concept, while generally well received by the eastside community, wasn’t succeeding at the same rate as our other restaurants.” Barrio fans will still be able to enjoy Barrio at its original location on Capitol Hill.
Barrio opened in September of 2009.
It just simply wasn’t that good – and during any of those Seattle Restaurant Week promotions they really held back from showing off their best. This is not a surprise to me, but I don’t easily see how using that space as an occasional event venue would make any more money.
I never got a chance to try Barrio, but to me it seemed like they were trying too hard to make “Fancy” (read: overpriced) Mexican food when Mexican food just really doesn’t need to be fancy.
That’s good! I went there and had the worst food I’ve ever had (seriously), it was overpriced, and had bad service. I think ANYTHING in place of Barrio will be better.
Looks like my thoughts are direct opposite of my fellow commenters but Barrio was one of my new faves. Sad to see it go but I’ll visit the one in Seattle instead. Thank goodness Lot No. 3 also offers the Sexy Sadie cocktail!!
I work about a block away from here in the Key Center, and most afternoons I go out and take a walk around the area, which usually passed by Barrio. Most of the time when I passed by there the place was practically empty, compared to Purple and Lot No. 3 which were comparatively a lot busier on any given day. I could definitely see a group space being more profitable than a mostly empty restaurant.
I only got to go to Barrio’s once, during the Dine Around Seattle week, and I thought that the place was very good. It was mostly empty when we got there (right around 5PM), but by the time we left, the place was packed.
I really enjoyed the food there the one time I went, but it was a bit out of my budget – I do have to admit that it says more about my budget than it does about Barrio’s. 🙂
Any Mexican restaurant that decides to put beet tacos on the menu deserves this fate.
This is too bad. I ate or had drinks there a half dozen times since its been open. Unfortunately they never seemed to hit critical mass because for whatever reason people like to wait in lines otherwise the restaurant must suck. As for the “fancy” factor Azteca on 112th has more expensive entrees. Anyway, best of luck to them, but I have to admit that the layout in Capital Hill is much better; open air sans the basement feeling…
That’s a bummer. Admittedly I personally prefer the Chipotle next door but Barrio is something unique and different.
I’ll miss their Al Pastor sandwich.
so sad 🙁