bartaco Stamford

Good tacos. Good margaritas, what more would you want from a place called bartaco? I’d recommend the grilled corn (off the cob) as well as the guac. Service was great, everyone was super nice and helped explain the ordering system.
Bartaco loses a star because the table of eight or so bro’s next to us were loud and obnoxious the entire time we were there. Maybe not bartaco’s fault, but they also didn’t do anything about the bro’ing-out session that left the entire back half of the restaurant full of F-​bombs and «first date» stories.

Try the pork belly, and duck taco. I love that I can try out different fillings on one plate. All are very delicious.

I can’t believe it took me so long to check out this place. My perception of this place was skewed by party animals who clearly have no idea what this place is all about. It’s not a club, it’s not a place to grind and dance and take body shots (which is what I was told) it’s an awesome place to meet up with friends and family and enjoy good drinks and really delicious food. If there’s any of those kinds of shenanigans going on, I wasn’t there to witness any of it. I went on a Friday evening so it was crowded and noisy. We had to wait about half an hour for a table so went to the bar where our bartender, Frank, was super friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. The drinks were tasty and fresh and while a little pricey it wasn’t unreasonable for what’s typical in Stamford. Looking around at the crowd there was everyone there from people on dates to people gathering after work and people celebrating a birthday. I even noticed a few families with toddlers, proving that it’s definitely a family friendly spot, despite the noise level. I especially really loved the layout, with high booth seats on the side that let you feel that you were part of the scene but also in your own private space away from the crowd at the bar. It’s a wonderful spot to people watch and the décor makes the space a pleasure to be in.
The portions were perfect and I ordered a lot since it was my first time there and I couldn’t resist trying everything. I had plantains, chipotle slaw and 4 tacos which was the perfect amount. I also had the chips and guacamole which were light and fresh. I’m a vegetarian so I was pleased to see that there were plenty of options for vegetarians. I got the portobello tacos which were shockingly good. They were perfectly seasoned and full of surprising, satisfying flavor. Our waitress was exceptional. She was attentive, alert, and took note of my food allergies. She gave great recommendations on what to order and was mindful of placing our orders at the right time so that we could eat our dinner while not having to wait for our dessert to come out. She was also incredibly sweet, patient and funny. The entire staff was incredible and willing to step in and answer questions if our waitress was busy running back and forth between the kitchen.
I can’t wait to go back and try more cocktails, have those portobello mushroom tacos and have the key lime pie and churros.

this place disappoints. overpriced, way too small portion size, and the food isn’t worth your time either. service not there.
i guess i just had high expectations for a place i was looking forward to, and let down, considering i enjoy this type of cuisine and atmosphere.
always wanted to try the west hartford location, never have, stumbled upon this location with little desire to return.
i added a star because the owner or an employee cared enough to contact me to resolve issues.

Alright, so I’ve been wanting to try BarTaco for a while now. They opened up in the DC area and I tried it at a Unilocal event, but wanted to try the full deal, so when in Stamford, seeing that they had one, I had to go. I went with 2 friends who are EXTREMELY picky, this made me a little uncomfortable but they weren’t rude so it wasn’t that bad. I had the 3 taco + side (either salad, or 2 soup options) special for $ 10. I had 2 pastor and 1 chorizo taco and I opted for the pork posole soup. The tacos are tapas style, which makes it overpriced and boughy. For a regularly priced $ 2.50 and $ 3.50 per taco I want my joint to be full-​sized. It also only came with one corn tortilla for each taco whereas traditionally u get 2, to make sure they don’t fall apart. The tacos were simple with onions and cilantro, like traditional tacos. They had chips and salsa verde for $ 3 and I’m telling you that salsa verde was UH-​MAY-​ZING! The best salsa verde I’ve ever had, usually it lacks flavor, but this was spot on with plenty of lime flavor. The pork posole was my favorite and I was saddened when it disappeared (I ate it too fast). Service was great; our waitress was attentive and informative, even with my friends being high maintenance.
Now I’m ready to try the Reston, VA location when I get back home.

I am a huge fan of BarTaco and was glad to see a new location open in Stanford. The food is always good and the pork tamale is fantastic. A true highlight is the freshly made margaritas.
The reason for the lower score is based solely on having to wait 30+ mins for the first round of drinks and also after ordering our toddler’s food first it was delivered 20 mins after our food and after repeated inquiries to where it was. Overall, management did make up for it and that was appreciated.

I want update my review as I have been back to bartaco and had outstanding service, food, and drinks. I can see why this place has such a following, and such a crowded bar, and I can only hope to be one of their regulars!
It is clear that bartaco prides itself on taking customer concerns seriously. Soon after posting my two star review, a manager contacted me asking for more information about my visit. He truly understood my frustration that night and even asked me to return one more time to make it up to me and my boyfriend. He even stopped by my table to say hi and chat about the problems in person. Really cool and nice dude!
Well, bartaco did not disappoint. This time, my boyfriend and I ordered the small platter which included 6 tacos, 2 tamales, 2 veggie sides, guacamole and chips. A good size portion for two people. Thank you to Giselle for telling us to order the small and not the large. I was very hungry and she politely talked me down. She was so sweet and helpful!
We received two steak, pork, and fish tacos each. I don’t think I can pick a favorite from last night they were all so good. My ultimate favorite taco is still the oyster tacos from my last visit. The guacamole was so fresh and kinda chunky (which is a good thing) and our sides included a kind of lime, cream coleslaw, and cucumbers/​zucchini. Everything was fresh and tasty and it took no time at all for our food to come to the table.
The vibe of a Sunday night is much more to my liking than the craziness of the Thursday nights with Alive at Five. I would definitely recommend visiting then since there was no wait and the servers have time to tell you a bit about the menu and can make recommendations.
One more thing: Get a cocktail. All of the cocktails are good. You can’t go wrong.

bartaco gets an A for consistency. It’s become the usual place for my lunches and sneaking in a few margaritas while I wait for my food to be prepared. I almost always order the fried fish tacos and either the romaine wedge or their chopped salad. You can’t go wrong with either. I go for the romaine wedge when I’m in the mood for something spicy and their chopped salad when I need something heartier.
The margaritas are mixed with the perfect amount of tequila and you get just a little pulp from the limes because they’re fresh-​squeezed. Their margaritas are always tart and never syrupy.