Barrio Queen is serving more than tacos and margaritas during Arizona Restaurant Week \u2014 the restaurant chain says it is offering guests a full cultural experience rooted in authentic Mexican traditions, fresh ingredients and hospitality.<\/p>\n
Through its Restaurant Week menu, Barrio Queen hopes first-time diners and long-term customers alike will experience what has helped the brand grow across the Valley over the past 15 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cBarrio Queen is a place where you can feel and experience culture along with great service and, of course, food and drinks,\u201d General Manager Magaly Cacherio said.<\/p>\n
The restaurant, known for its colorful Day of the Dead-inspired artwork, handcrafted cocktails and regional Mexican cuisine, has built its identity around showcasing flavors and traditions from across Mexico.<\/p>\n
Cacherio said Barrio Queen\u2019s menu highlights dishes inspired by multiple regions of Mexico, from street-style tacos made with fresh handmade tortillas to upscale entrees such as molcajete, cochinita pibil and camarones al mojo de ajo.<\/p>\n
Freshness remains a major focus in the kitchen, Cacherio said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t buy frozen stuff unless it\u2019s ice cream,\u201d Cacherio said. \u201cOur salsa is made with fresh tomatoes. We grill the tomatoes and don\u2019t use canned tomatoes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the restaurant\u2019s most popular items are its tableside guacamole topped with pomegranate seeds, tacos served on fresh corn tortillas and slow-cooked cochinita pibil from the Yucat\u00e1n region.<\/p>\n
Restaurant Week allows customers to sample several of those signature dishes through a multicourse menu featuring an appetizer, entree, drink and dessert.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really excited to be participating so somebody that has never been in Barrio Queen can come and experience every single step so they can actually feel Barrio Queen and fall in love with us,\u201d Cacherio said.<\/p>\n
Area Director Jeff Whitehead, who joined the company after decades in the restaurant industry, said Barrio Queen stood out because of its strong culture and passionate staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve worked at several different companies and as far as Barrio Queen goes, there\u2019s just nothing like it,\u201d Whitehead said. \u201cYou walk into a Barrio Queen and you know you\u2019re in a Barrio Queen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whitehead said the restaurant\u2019s employees take pride not only in the food, but also in sharing Mexican culture with guests through the decor, music and customer experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original thought process behind Barrio Queen was it was a place for all levels of Hispanics to come and celebrate and meet and enjoy and for other ethnicities to come and see the true culture of the Mexican people,\u201d Whitehead said.<\/p>\n
That sense of hospitality is something both Whitehead and Cacherio said separates the restaurant from competitors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want them to feel like they went on a trip to Mexico from the decor, the service, the drinks, the food, the ambience and the music,\u201d Cacherio said.<\/p>\n
Whitehead added that the goal is for Barrio Queen to feel welcoming whether guests are celebrating with friends, meeting for lunch or simply looking for comfort food.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want it to feel like home,\u201d Whitehead said. \u201cI want it to be the place where you want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Restaurant Week approaches, Whitehead and Cacherio said they hope the event gives more people a chance to experience what they believe makes the restaurant unique.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have not tried Barrio Queen, Restaurant Week is going to be a great opportunity to come and experience something that is going to be amazing and you will never forget,\u201d Cacherio said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Barrio Queen is serving more than tacos and margaritas during Arizona Restaurant Week \u2014 the restaurant chain says…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232446,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[26972,91200,85340,1151,60858,9,24,63,122,124,123,91201],"class_list":["post-232445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-az","tag-az-restaurant-week","tag-barrio-queen","tag-dia-de-los-muertos","tag-mexican-cuisine","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-west-valley"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232445\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}