Ever since our trip to Portland last year, we’ve been on the search for quality Cuban food in Vancouver. Unfortunately, there’s a distinct lack of Cuban restaurants in the area so we’ve been expanding our search to various Latin cuisines. That’s how we found ourselves at Baru Latino on Alma Street this summer.
It was a decently warm monday night, and Vancouver was looking cloudless and relaxed.
[Lots of photos!]
I took the bus from UBC thinking that it would take 25 min (Google maps you silly goose) but it only took 10 min. So I took my time and enjoyed the neighborhood (cool bakery nearby!) and then walked in. The food is really well crafted, with lots of flavor. The place also had a great ambiance. If you would like more detail of what we ate (we ate a lot!) check out my review!
One-liner: Great taste of Latin American cuisine
Highlight: Ecuadorian Red Ceviche
Recommended for: Date nights, latin nights, and Tangoo nights
Would I go back? Yes.
Check out my blog post for the full review!
Always passing by here on my way to UBC while taking the B-line, never got the chance to taste their food but finally I got to come here and do a special tasting with them for dinner. We ordered a few appetizers and mains to share. Everything was well put together and the latin flare really stood out in all the dishes.
Overall, the dishes were a bit hit and miss at Baru Latino. It was a full house when we were there but a lot of these dishes are on their regular menu so they should have no problem making them in a higher volume. Looking back, our 2010 experience needed some more ooomph in flavours. Six years later, it still hasn’t quite captured our hearts.
Excellent Experience. My girlfriend and myself came here to celebrate me getting a new job! We had a late reservation at 9 PM and were the only ones there for most of our time (it was a Tuesday so that's to be expected). The food was top notch; we had 4 tapas and 2 desserts and every one was excellent. The quality of food did not suffer one bit even though we were the last ones in the place! The owner was awesome; we shared some cool stories! I would highly recommend Baru Latino to anyone; makes a great date spot!
Great Service & Scrumptious Food!. Finally tried Baru after many recommendations from friends and wow they exceeded my expectations!
(We were a party of four for a Birthday celebration).
The service was fantastic, the attention to detail was flawless and the food was quite spectacular.
Everything we ordered from the menu couldn't have been better: Prawns, Chorizo, Mussels, Scallops, Latin Empenadas, the warm chocolate cake and the sweet wafer crisps with caramel centre.
Every plate, with multiple components, seamlessly blended into little culinary masterpieces.
Our server knew exactly what she was doing, she helped us with our selections and suggested the proper order for the tapas.
The owner was totally approachable and seemed genuinely pleased that we were so happy with our evening.
Will certainly return!
Start your night off right!. Went to Baru for the first time, the food, the price, the location, the atmosphere are amazing.
Whatever you decide to have it will be simply excellent. All the staff are warm and made me feel as though I was walking in to visit family.
When you make your reservation and head over you should really consider trying the ceviche...a highlight of my Friday night :) If you have gluten allergy don't hesitate to tell them they are very accommodating.
Looking forward to planning another night out at Baru!
Consistently Great Food. I have been going to Baru for 4 years now - it was the chosen restaurant for personal celebrations, dinners with parents, and romantic dates. It is consistently offering great tasting food, with generous portions and good quality, fresh ingredients. Totally recommend it for a taste of South America, with a twist.
Outstanding service, fabulous food and the basil mint martini is heaven in a glass. Will definitely be back!
Had a great experience! Dined solo at the bar and was able to watch the chefs cooking. They were very nice too and explained the dishes and flavors. Had the sancochito and empanadas and both were phenomenal. A new, delicious take on traditional Criollo dishes. The caramel flan was an excellent finish to the meal. Terrific service all the way around.
Food is amazing! Food is full of flavour and i was pleasantly surprised by Lamp chops with BBQ sauce (?).
Their happy hours are awesome. Good selection of drinks and some unique tapas. Vegetarian options are few so keep that in mind.
Lovely staff who made a plan to seat us on a busy night. It has a romantic atmosphere, perfect for a date night. Portions were small for the price (I know they're styled as tapas, but were scant even for that label), but generally had great flavour. The paella was probably the weakest of the meals we tried. Nice dining experience all round.
Had dinner here tonight and everything was beyond great! Our service was very friendly and attentive, it was so nice to see all servers working come by and and be apart of our dining experience, all were lovely and had great food suggestions. The food was simply delicious! Had the Baru ceviche to start because it’s just the best and then did tapas style ordering - everything came out hot, tasteful and perfect timing in between courses! Shout out to the chefs for really wowing us :) can’t wait to come back!
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