I used to think Julio’s Barrio was a sombrero store. Seriously. I didn’t find out until I was about 19 that it was actually a restaurant. I used to drive by and think to myself “That is prime real estate, I didn’t realize Calgary had such a strong market for sombreros.” One day I voiced this opinion to my mom, who laughed at me for an unreasonable amount of time and then told me it was in fact a Mexican restaurant. And so I went back a couple of weeks later, because I love Mexican food.
I’ve been a lot since then, and truth be told, I’ve been way more than I would like.
Julio’s food is basically over-priced, mediocre Mexican food. It’s not very good, but people really only show up for the bulldogs anyway. Truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of the bulldogs either. The margarita is too sweet for my liking, and the mini beer is just too small for the price (and for beer lovers like me). Obviously, they’re gimmicky in a “oh this is so fun” sort of way. It’s a fine place to sit on the patio on a sunny afternoon, but I’d rather hit Molly Malones, Yardhouse, or Kensington Pub.
I don’t recommend Julio’s, obviously. If you really want a bulldog and just don’t want to make your own (better) version at home, that’s the only time I’d say you should go. Otherwise, take a pass.
Funny, I was saying the exact same thing about a place in Austin, TX called Baby A’s.
You’d think that in Texas it’d be hard to mess up Mexican food.
In my opinion, the only thing on their menu worth eating is the soup. But because they have “The World Famous Purple Rita”, folks are always jammed in there.
It’s basically a grape (yes, I said grape) margarita with more Everclear than Tequila.
But that’s why people go.
I suppose there’s a gimmick spot in every town.