Barrio Costero, Asbury Park, NJ:
A Restaurant Review

Barrio Costero
610 Bangs Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ
(732) 455-5544
Website

Barrio Costero: Restaurant Highlights

Fare: Coastal Mexican Cuisine

Price: Moderate - Expensive

Food Quality: Excellent. Serves a well-executed seasonal menu featuring coastal Mexican tapas --- unlike many of the popular Tex-Mex restaurants found in New Jersey. The fare is much lighter healthy, and eclectic than Tex-Mex.

Service: Friendly, attentive & efficient

Ambiance/Decor: Trendy, upscale, casual, industrial chic with a vibrant atmosphere.

Overall Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

Note: Four star Rating System from 1/2 Star = Poor to Four stars = Best in Class

Noise Level: Moderate - High

Recommended For: Diners who enjoy high end, sophisticated creations of Mexican tapas, in an attractive chic setting.

Not Recommended For: Budget conscious diners who prefer heavier preparations of Tex-Mex food.

Recommended dishes: When available, The Bacon Belly Tyayuda with avocado puree, epazote, queso oaxaca, arugula Pescado Tapas (daily catch) with tomatillo, achiote créma, and cilantro; and The Scallops Yucatan with black quinoa, golden raisins, orange, and boquerone chimichurri.

Liquor: Full bar service bar. Includes local draft beers, wines ( many moderately priced wines by the glass). The highlight is their creative Mexican-influenced cocktails

Restaurant Review

Barrio Costero (Spanish for "coastal neighborhood") is a contemporary restaurant that features eclectic coastal Mexican cuisine. It is one of Asbury Park's upscale dining hot spots.

Barrio Costero is the creation of four friends, each with impressive restaurant credentials: Paris Retana, Derek Brosseau, Jamie Dodge and Rob Feinstein.

Together they have teamed up with Executive Chef Antony Bustamante. After serving a stint in the Navy as personal chef to the captain of his ship that patrolled the waters of the Persian Gulf, Chef Bustamonte later honed his culinary skills at many high-end restaurants including Agricola and Mistral in Princeton.

Chef Bustamante runs an open kitchen that produces a seasonal menu of coastal Mexican cuisine --- unlike many of the popular Tex-Mex restaurants found in New Jersey.

The fare is much lighter healthy, and eclectic than Tex-Mex.

The menu items include small, medium, and large plates, all meant to be shared. Their specialty is with their sophisticated creations of tapas. What's great about sharing plates is you don't have to do the typical "Here's my appetizer, my entrée and my dessert."

Menu items are creatively prepared using fresh ingredients sourced from local seafood and produce purveyors, complemented by imported authentic Mexican ingredients.

Barrio Costero's ambiance is trendy, upscale yet casual, industrial chic with a vibrant atmosphere. The front room consists of a large, bar done up with soft neutral colors, and the adjacent open dining area with high exposed duct work ceilings. There is an open kitchen in the rear, along with a communal table for seating of twenty.

The high quality of the food and the ambiance are just part of the story at Barrio Costero. Partner Jamie Dodge, formerly with Elements and Mistral in Princeton, oversees the serving of libations bringing his creative talents in preparing inspiring, cutting edge Mexican-influenced cocktails using exotic ingredients.

During the warmer months there is outdoor, sidewalk dining.

Barrio Costero is open five days/week: Closed on Monday & Wednesday.

(Updated: July 2021)

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