Barrio Shoreditch was sold to me as a trendy, vibrant party bar in East London. But with a lot of hype, comes great expectation, so I couldn’t wait to head down and confirm all these rumours.
The Venue
Stepping into Barrio Shoreditch on a Friday evening after work a tidal wave of warmth and noise hit me. We fought our way through the laughing crowd of different groups, to our colourful booth made up of many different coloured bricks that arched over our seats, encasing us in colour and giving this a private party feeling that still allowed us to people watch whilst we ate and drank.
The bar was filled with a party atmosphere that most bars can only dream of at 7pm, even on a Friday night. Half party bar, half urban jungle, Barrio Shoreditch’s ceiling is covered in leaves, with vibrant furniture popping out between trailing vines.
Barrio Shoreditch's decor is vibrant and enticing, keeping up with the party spirit.
The Clientele and Atmosphere
Trendy students seeking a taste of the exotic rub shoulders with party-seeking young professionals from the area. Whether they were celebrating Friday finally coming round or a birthday, it seemed that Barrio Shoreditch is the place to do it, as you’re guaranteed a banging time in such a friendly and varied crowd.
Something I found happily surprising about Barrio Shoreditch was the music; a stream of what I can only describe as Reggae House that made you want to dance even while you enjoy your food. It was not surprising therefore that by 8.30pm the dance floor was already packed; shirts unbuttoned and looking slightly more dishevelled against the heat, but everyone smiling and laughing; it seems it is the Barrio way.
With different areas to suit your needs, it really is a top London bar.
The Food and Drinks
Happy hour was in full swing so we took advantage of the cocktail deals (£4.50 each). We tried a good selection, and all were fruity concoctions that refreshed your palate after the spiced up food, but in the end we couldn’t resist re-ordering the same each time; the Face Planter, a delicious mixture of rum, pineapple juice and lime juice.
The food menu is a great offering of larger and smaller dishes. The usual nachos and quesadillas were there, but Barrio Shoreditch makes the effort to go one step further and adds original South American plates, like the crispy fried plantain and coriander dip. As a nacho enthusiast myself I can honestly say I’ve never had any better than the ones at Barrio; they serve up a mountain of pure, guacamole covered delight. All dishes and drinks were delivered to our table promptly by their friendly staff.
The cool and quirky booths are a great talking point and make ideal alcoves for dinner and drinks.
Summary
Having heard such great things about Barrio Shoreditch, I was pleased that they didn’t disappoint. This is definitely my new favourite hangout in Shoreditch, for starting off the night or joining a late night party, I’m hooked.
