Introducing: Barrio Coreano, a Korean-inspired addition to the Playa Cabana taco chain
Name: Barrio Coreano
Contact Info: 642 Bloor St. W., 416-901-5188, @PlayaCabana
Neighbourhood: The Annex
Chef/Owner: Dave Sidhu, the chef and owner of all four Playa Cabana outposts
The Food: Mexican tacos punched up with Korean ingredients like wasabi, daikon and kimchi. The tiny tortillas come loaded with things like bulgogi-style barbecue beef topped with house-pickled pears, or flash-fried ahi tuna with jicama, purple cabbage and yuzu vinaigrette.
The Drinks: Korean spins on classic cocktails, like house sangria spiked with soju. A whiskey sour gets a pungent kick from fermented kimchi juice. Spanish beers are available by the bottle.
The Place: The fourth outpost of the Playa chain is grungier and funkier than its midtown counterparts. Rusting chairs, peeling paint and a pair of curlicued iron gates make the space feel like a bluesy back-alley. So do all the humming neon signs, which bathe the bar in red light.
The Numbers:
• 3,000 mile road trip to Hollywood to pick up a flashy neon sign in the shape of a star
• 100 chairs salvaged from a cricket stadium in India
• 16 bowling alley lanes repurposed as wooden tabletops
• 5 Korean-inspired tacos (for five bucks each)
248269 The red neon sign along the back wall was salvaged from a bowling alley in Philadelphia (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-01-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-01.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-01/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-01 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248270 16 bowling alley lanes became the restaurant’s tabletops and bar (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-02-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-02.jpg 667 1000 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-02/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-02 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248271 (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-03-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-03.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-03/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-03 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248272 All the tacos at Barrio cost five dollars (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-04-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-04.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-04/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-04 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248273 Barrio’s owners drove 3,000 miles to pick up this neon star in Hollywood (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-05-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-05.jpg 667 1000 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-05/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-05 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248274 The restaurant’s tables are fashioned out of bowling alley lanes (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-06-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-06.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-06/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-06 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248275 Tempura fried ahi tuna with jicama, purple cabbage slaw and yuzu dressing ($5) (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-07-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-07.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-07.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-07/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-07 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248276 Grilled octopus with wasabi, daikon and avocado pico de gallo ($5) (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-08-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-08.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-08/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-08 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248277 Korean barbecue beef with house-pickled pears ($5) (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-09-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-09.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-09/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-09 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248278 Grilled calamari with burnt arbol kimchi ($14) (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-10-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-10.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-10/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-10 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248279 Whole fried shrimp in chilli morita oil ($14) (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-11-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-11.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-11/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-11 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248280 The drinks list (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-12-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-12.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-12.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-12/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-12 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248281 A pair of iron gates divides the space and contributes to the dingy, back-alley vibe (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-13-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-13.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-13.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-13/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-13 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248282 Soju sangria with Korean pear and star fruit ($8) (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-14-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-14.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-14.jpg 667 1000 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-14/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-14 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
248283 (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Barrio Coreano https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-15-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-15.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-15.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/barrio-coreano-toronto-restaurants/slide/toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-15/ toronot-restaurant-barrio-coreano-15 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)