Restaurant Review: Smokin' Barrels Cocina Latina

SMOKIN' BARRELS COCINA LATINA 13119 156th Street | tacoscocinalatina.com Instagram: @barrels.cocinalatina Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew

The buzziest restaurant for Mexican food in Edmonton these days has got to be Smokin' Barrels... Make that Mexican / Colombian food. EDify Magazine has named them as Best Mexican Restaurant 2023 and that's a pretty big deal for a small restaurant in kinda a weird part of the city. For only being open for about a year, they have successfully made quite a name for themselves and the people have been making their way to Mistatim Industrial to find them. Another "north of the wall" venture for me, I was happy to do so on a Saturday evening in the name of tacos. Smokin' Barrels promises an "urban meets authentic" experience and you really do get a sense that they are accomplishing just that. Once inside the restaurant, the vibe is really fresh and the place is super cute. Sticking to their name, there are actual barrels used as decoration and some of them have even been transformed into tables. I liked the commitment to the barrel (although none were smokin'). The space is absolutely packed with beautiful live plants and greenery which makes the atmosphere feel very tropical. I loved sitting around in what felt like a little slice of Latin paradise. It wasn't long before each and every table was occupied and I thought that our friendly server did a great job of managing a full house of customers. My drink order was an easy one because they have Horchata Tropical Waters ($5.00) on the menu which is my go-to.

There are a lot of other great flavours as well; mango, Jamaica, guava, tamarindo, and passion fruit. I'm sure that any of these would be bursting with bright fruity flavours. But the horchata is forever number one in my heart and this one was a perfect version. A traditional Mexican drink made up of white rice soaked in water and then flavoured with cinnamon, it's sweet, nutty, and milky... But also somehow quite refreshing. It tastes decadent but isn't thick. I love a horchata (and I loved this one) and it will continue to be my beverage of choice at Mexican restaurants. The first dish to catch my eye came from the Antojitos part of the menu and I was immediately curious about the Patacones ($16.00) because they sounded unique.

Our server suggested that we could have some with chicken and some with beef and this seemed like the best way to try a bit of everything. This dish was wonderful!! I'm not sure if I've ever seen anything quite like it! Instead of a tortilla the base of each "tostada" is made up of thinly sliced plantains that have been fried and fused together. This very well might be the most incredible "tortilla" that I've ever heard of. I love the way that plantains combine an ideal savoury-sweet flavour and then they're getting piled high with other delicious toppings! Between the chipotle chicken and Tex beef I actually preferred the beef. I found the meat extremely flavourful and super satisfying. Everything about this plate was super fresh, especially thanks to the pico piña. (This is like a pico de gallo except with pineapple.) The patacones were the highlight of the meal for me! I loved the opportunity to try something new and the flavours were fun and exciting! Smokin' Barrels is known for their burritos, chimis, and enchiladas. They also serve Colombian dishes like empanadas. And there's some pretty crazy stuff on the menu like the pizza don birria and the don birria poutine. (They know that their birria is good - so they can turn it into anything!) For me, I had to go hard on the tacos. Starting with the Tacos Pescado ($18.00) because a fish taco is always my fave.

All of the taco dishes are served with either rice & beans or chips & salsa. We selected the rice & beans for this one, which were served in large portions. The tacos were generous in size and packed with bright and fresh toppings. I liked the bite on the corn tortilla and it tasted expertly-made. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the fish. Meant to be crispy, I found the batter to be very mushy and not fried to a crisp at all. The fish itself was decently meaty and tender but the soggy batter was off-putting. However, I loved both the Mexican rice and refried beans. Both were very flavourful and authentic. The most popular dish at Smokin' Barrels (and as far as trends go in general) is the Tacos Don Birria ($19.00). This style of taco from the Mexican state of Jalisco has been having a huge moment for the past couple of years. Everyone wants to eat them and tons of places have started to serve them. A birria taco is most definitely what's hot in tacos right now. Smokin' Barrels is known for their version.

The most defining features of a birria taco is the bold, fall-apart-tender beef, ooey gooey cheese, and the fact that it is served with a consommé on the side. It's like the French dip sandwich of Mexican cuisine. I absolutely loved the aromatic braised smoked beef brisket in this version and it melted in my mouth. Their meat alone makes this entire dish what it is. Sublime! The deeply crimson consommé was also absolutely gorgeous and full of rich, concentrated flavour. You are meant to dunk your tacos into the broth - but the broth is also meant for sipping. Do not let a single drop go to waste! However, I also had a few issues with these birria tacos. The cheese that is meant to be used is Oaxaca cheese and I understand that this can be difficult to source in Canada, thus making mozzarella an acceptable substitute. But the cheese is supposed to have much more of a commanding presence in this taco, to the point where there are pan-fried crispy edges of cheese encrusting the exterior of each tortilla. This aspect seemed to be missing. We ordered the chips & salsa with this dish and they were delightful. The chips tasted housemade and the salsa was extremely fresh. Lastly, I found one of my favourites on the dessert menu and had to order the Cake 3 Leches ($9.00). They also serve yuca waffles which sound really interesting!

A tres leches is never the wrong choice. This one embodied the classic soaked cake as it should be. Done just right, it was not soggy or too wet but more like biting into a sponge. I enjoyed the delicate sweetness. This cake is a little bit like a bread pudding but in a different direction in terms of flavour. The coconut on top ensured that this dessert remained decidedly tropical. Smokin' Barrels was worth the journey to the north west. I can understand why people are excited about this place because the authenticity shines through. Edmonton is fortunate to have a pretty decent handful of really wonderful Mexican and Latin American restaurants and Smokin' Barrels can proudly count themselves among them.