Review Baru Latino Restaurante - Vancouver

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 was okay, but great ambiance and service. There’re plenty of street parkings around the area too. The ceviche was very light, not too much flavour, so it’s great for people who just want a healthier snack. The short ribs were better than all the other dishes we ordered!

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.

Went for Dine our and was very disappointed. The appetizers were the best part of the meal. I had the halibut which was indredibly tiny so I was not surprising that is was dry and over cooked. 3 of our party had the paella and all said it lacked flavour. The bright spot was the lamb, both people in our group who ordered this said it was very good. The dessert was also very disappointing. Very small, cold and hard. This dine out food was not worth the $40 but the service was good and the atmosphere was enjoyable. Sadly due to this experience I would not recommend it.

First off I never write reviews and I know I am more critical than the average customer (guess it's me being a Chef as well) but I write in the hope they see where I'm coming from. I went for Dine Out. Sadly, the food was uninspiring and bland. I know Dine Out is about an abbreviated menu and about being cost effective but it is also about showcasing restaurants in order to bring new customers and hope they return. For $45 per person the food lacked all kinds of seasoning and some basic cookery. Basics like salt and sugar and acid were not used well. I had no issues with the service, she was very friendly. Regrettably at the end when I voiced my concerns she said "well its dine out so the quality is less than usual." Seriously?!? But you can still take our money for poorly executed food? (the desserts were left almost untouched). Sadly, they missed the mark for me and won't be returning.

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!

During Vancouver Dineout 2018 we stopped in at Baru Latino in the Point Grey neighborhood for a Friday night dinner. We arrived about 20 minutes early, but the restaurant was ready for us, and we were seated immediately. Baru Latino is a modern latin american restaurant, with a emphasis on Peruvian cuisine.

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. <br/>[Lots of photos!]<br/>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<br/>Highlight: Ecuadorian Red Ceviche<br/>Recommended for: Date nights, latin nights, and Tangoo nights<br/>Would I go back? Yes.<br/><br/>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.

I would say, overall the food tasted okay, definitely not bad, went here for dine out vancouver 2014. I guess this is one of the few times for restaurants to impress, acquire, and inform other customers for their food during dine out, however i find out from like L'abbatoir and some other places being there for dine out vancouver maybe it's not worth it. As the food maybe is made in less thought, time and consideration perhaps therefore the downgrade of the food.<br/><br/>however with that being said, my friends did like the place and food. But as for me i felt the food in general is okay, but with the price given, it's a complicated sounding food that they are serving but the taste though, hmmm not as good as it should be. <br/><br/>out of all the courses given, some are kind of good, some are okay, the best so far the is the desert i'll say.<br/><br/>I wouldn't recommend the place as of now, but I do hope from the dine out it's totally a different with regular menu. as some restaurant does better with regular menu/chef tasting menu too.

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!

Staff and owners match the incredible food and ambiance. Perfect place for a date and the paella and civiche are amazing. 5 star all round. Can't wait to go back.

DOV 2015 experience was a disappointment!. Went to DOV with 3 other friends on Jan 16 (1st day of DOV 2015) and we were all super excited to try the Dine out menu for $28. None of us has dined at Baru before, and we were hoping that this DOV experience would make us repeat customers due to the glowing reviews from Urbanspoon. However, overall the DOV dinner experience was a disappointment!<br/>APPIES: <br/>1. Chilli Prawns - only 3 pieces were given ( a bit stingy in my opinion)<br/>2. BEEF TIRADITO- taste is lacking (more on the tasteless side)<br/>3. ECUADORIAN RED CEVICHE - best appy and dish of the night<br/>ENTREES<br/>1. PAELLA BARU - soggy, way too acidic, seafood was unfresh & overcooked, served with pita bread to soak up the sogginess of the paella dish (which is very not authentic)<br/>2. CARTAGENA CRUSTED HALIBUT - slightly overcooked as voiced by a friend<br/>3. COSTILLAS DE RES - ridiculously small portion, and the short ribs were also over-cooked (friend received this dish using the smallest plate as well)<br/>DESSERT<br/>ONLY option- Latin flan orange blossom with caramel. -the berry composte is full of seeds<br/><br/>Other things: pretty good service, but charged $2 additional for flatbreads that server offered to my friend who got the chilli prawns as appetizers (not impressed as the additional charge was not mentioned to us beforehand)<br/><br/>Overall, not a flattering meal and would rather go somewhere else for DOV next year.

Love the food, disliked the service. Went to Baru for the first time during Dining Out Vancouver. Have heard good things about it/<br/><br/>I thought the menu was great and the food very tasty. Our waitress however, was horrendous. The interactions with her were unpleasant even though we didn't have any complaints or special requests. She ignored to the point that we waited about 15 min to order a drink and finally had to call her.<br/><br/>It was obvious they wanted everyone out of there a.s.a.p. The dishes kept coming fast and it wasn't a pleasant experience. I don't think they should take part of Dinning Out Vancouver if they are not willing to provide a nice experience for the customers.<br/><br/>It was disappointing and still over $100.

$28 Dine Out Vancouver 2015. Beef tiradito, seared beef carpaccio with chimichurri, greens, and yam hay GF 3.5/5 – it wasn’t a difficult but it was just about right. The chef really liked to use black pepper on his food. For some reason my chimichurri was on the side and it made it better. I could taste more of the sauce and it went even better with my flatbread.<br/>Ecadorian red ceviche, citrus marinated scallops, shrimp and octopus in a roasted red pepper and smoked tomato mojo GF 3/5 - very crispy and sour red ceviche. Luckily the amount of onion used wasn’t too bad.<br/><br/>Paella Baru, Spanish chorizo, chicken, mussels, prawns, scallops and halibut, tossed with rice, fresh cilantro and smoky salsa GF 3.75/5 - there was way too much black pepper. There is no way where you couldn’t tell the amount of black pepper used. Some of them came with a sauce while the others didn’t. <br/>Costillas de res, slow braised short ribs on mashed potato with seasonal vegetables, fished with guava mojo GF 3/5 - my friend enjoyed it but I found it a little too salty. I couldn’t remember any guava mojo in my bite.<br/><br/>Latin flan orange blossom with caramel GF 1/5 – all I could taste was condensed milk with a berry sauce and mango? sauce. There was no orange blossom nor caramel. At some point, I thought they gave me the wrong dessert. Normally I wouldn’t give it that low for a dessert.<br/><br/>Service 1.5/5 – The comments were right: there was at least 30 minutes wait before each course. There were 1.5 people in the kitchen with 4 servers in this restaurant. The delay was definitely from the kitchen. We waited 1⁄2 hour before our server finally took our order. While waiting, someone asked if we could have some bread. She said she could give us plantain chips instead without mentioning anything about the price). We found out that it was $4 when the bill came. She also charged us 17% gratuity for 8 and above when there were only 7. She said it was based on the reservation not on the actual. Food was okay but the service and wait time were a little unreasonable.

Worth every minute of a one hour and 10 min drive.... My boyfriend and I had one of our very first dates at Baru and continue to celebrate every yearly anniversary there. We experienced yet another great night there tonight... after accidentally ordering a different main entree the staff not only reordered the correct main, but paid for it, bought us shots, and made our stupid mistake feel like it was absolutely no big deal. The food is straight up to die for (even the accidentally ordered item that they made us eat anyways) and the service is over and above - not something you often find in Vancouver. Thank you Baru for yet another perfect experience.

Great Service & Scrumptious Food!. Finally tried Baru after many recommendations from friends and wow they exceeded my expectations!<br/>(We were a party of four for a Birthday celebration).<br/>The service was fantastic, the attention to detail was flawless and the food was quite spectacular.<br/>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.<br/>Every plate, with multiple components, seamlessly blended into little culinary masterpieces.<br/>Our server knew exactly what she was doing, she helped us with our selections and suggested the proper order for the tapas.<br/>The owner was totally approachable and seemed genuinely pleased that we were so happy with our evening.<br/>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. <br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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. <br/><br/>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.

Great food but waited so long!! We got 5 applies and they all came out one after the other every 20 minutes... And we have 2 entries and seems like we have to wait for for another 30 mins after our appies... Late for movie -.-

Amazing. Service was great. Food was incredible. A new favourite.

Outstanding service, fabulous food and the basil mint martini is heaven in a glass. Will definitely be back!

Wow, plantains, mussels and the ungodly good chimichurri steak. This is the most unbelievable place point grey has to offer. Dave and Rene make some of the wildest and most tasty drinks on the west side, I cannot say enough about how amazing the entire Baru Latino experience has changed my opinion on not only Latin food, but food in general. You must come out, you must eat, drink and be as happy as I am right now. Just simply wow. Thank you Baru, thank you Dave, your hot sauce and jerk sauce are divine, again, amazing....wow... thank you!

Interesting. Very hospitable and accommodating. Really good food, interesting menu. Will return for sure if not for the dessert quesadilla alone, mmmmmm.

Superb!. The duck was delicious, and the plantain was perfectly baked. The paella was perfectly filling and the service was splendid. If you're up for their desert, ask for their flan! It's delicious! My boyfriend from latin america even compared it to his mother's secret recipe!<br/><br/>+Their website is phenomenal!

Tasty!. Would go back in a heartbeat! Try the octopus ceviche.

Excellent atmosphere and unique food options. Great for a night out for drinks or a place to grab a great meal!

So dark I could barely see what I was eating. The place is cozy but a bit too dark to really see anything clearly. Great for dates for that matter. The ceviche was done in two bites, practically before I could comprehend what I ate. The paella had good flavour, but the halibut was a better choice. The dessert ended the meal nicely. Would probably return if the service was better.

Good eats. Great place to have a few drinks. Great vibe and energetic music. the price is comparable and the food is pretty good.<br/>overall experience: thumb's up

Great for smaller dishes. I think this place might be better for tapas and tacos and things, rather than for full plates of food, but as a place to enjoy a few smaller dishes, together with a drink or two, it is very good indeed, and it only takes a few of these smaller dishes to make for a satisfying dinner. The service is very welcoming and friendly, and the atmosphere is cool, laidback and funky -- without any hint of aggressive hipness. The lighting is superb.

Lots of variety, very tasty. I went Baru Latino on a Thursday evening and the restaurant had a good level of activity. The dining area is compact but has a large bar. We spent quite a bit of time looking at the options and read recent reviews for suggestions. It seemed like several reviewers tried the restaurant for dine out and were disappointed. We kept in mind that dine out is not the standard dining experience. <br/><br/>We ordered two tapas, soup, tacos and and entree all to share. Short rib tapas: two pieces of short rib with rice and yam chips. The sauce in this dish was really nice so when everything was mixed together it was quite nice. Pan seared scallop on avocado salad: three very nice looking scallops that didn't seem to be seasoned but they sat on a nice avocado salad with dressing. As with the beef short rib, everything mixed together was nice. Pescado soup: similar to bouillabaisse or cioppino, it was a tomato broth with seafood. There was a lot of seafood (mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops and fish). The seafood had very little flavor on it's own but was good with the broth. The broth itself was borderline bland so it was key to have seafood and broth in each bite. There were also pieces of tomato which enhanced the flavor. The portion size was very good for the price. Halibut tacos: three tacos with mango salsa. Each taco had a very large piece of moist halibut. The salsa was spicy but not very flavorful. I thought the tacos were just ok. Duck entree: this was by far my favorite. It was duck breast with rice covered in a delicious sauce. It also had some garnish of fresh pear and a deep fried cassava. I mixed the rice and sauce and ate in combo with the duck.....so good! The skin on the duck was crispy and very nice. The sauce is what really carried the dish. I wish there was more pear as it was really refreshing. I did not care for the cassava though I did note it was hot and fresh upon service. <br/><br/>Overall, I gather that all the flavor comes from the sauces which are delicious. The meat/seafood on it's own is plain so really anything with a "mojo" sauce should be good. I thought the portion sizes were good, unlike some of the dine out reviews but what do you expect for dine out! We were too full for dessert and nothing on the dessert menu was tempting. <br/><br/>The service was friendly and good and there seemed to be an adequate number of staff. I would return again but it's a but pricey for just a casual meal out. The total price with two non-alcoholic drinks and tax was $100.

Loud and salty. The music was unnecessarily loud. It was difficult to enjoy a conversation between friends when you cannot hear them. Drink lots of water for the paella is heavy on the salt.

Neighborhood gem. I feel like Baru is my own little secret. not many people know about this gem tucked in next to limelight video just up from broadway and alma. I've always had great dining experiences at Baru, they have accommodated us with big parties and we have never been turned away for a wait. the mussels with chorizo are very very good and satisfying. I also recommend the baru ceviche and the empanadas (cheese). for entrees im not too sure - i get the pork one everytime, i dont even like pork but the sweet guava glaze and buttery vegetables - it is just a delicious meal. have a lime margarita on the rocks to complement. a bit too pricey for everyday, but a lovely date spot because many dishes can be shared

Baru is fantastic. The food, the wine list, the atmosphere and the staff are exceptional. My favorite dishes are the steak, the short ribs, the pork chop, the halibut and the paella. and the tapas are amazing. and did I mention the marocho (chocolate dessert)

The food bears little resemblance to authentic Latin American cooking. I had a Colombian sancocho that tasted like minestrone with some mozzarella and chorizo thrown in. Would feel kinder about the experience if the prices were not so ridiculous. Staff were friendly. Popular spot. Save your money and fly to bogota....

Sambalicious. We had appies, mains and dessert and they were all fabulous, especially the Baru ceviche appy, and I know my ceviche. The mains were served with latino sides and sauces which were both unique and tasty. The ambiance is latino too ... let's just say it wouldn't have surprised me if someone got up on the bar ... in a good way.

Great Spot. Had a great time here sitting at the bar and having dinner. Food was tasty and so were the drinks. The owner/bartender was a great host. Room had a great vibe to it.

The service was great, the music ecclectic, and the food excellent. We enjoyed the lamb and the paella, but it was the ceviche was especially fantastic. Wonderful experience!

Great food and great service. Amazing presentation and great service. If you like ceviche this is easily the best in Vancouver. It's a small place but the focus is on quality. Waitresses are very friendly and will tell you all about the wines, where to get some of the more exotic rum that they carry and are only there when you need them. High attention to detail and fantastic food. Good value for sure.

Give it a try. Great little bistro place. The food was wonderfully presented and tasted even better than it looked!

Best Ceviche in Town!. Can't get enough of their food...from ceviches to tiraditos...and the best mojitos in Vancouver. Fantastic value for the money...<br/>Go for it!

It’s a small, cozy, dimly lit-for-ambiance-but-you-can-barely-see-your-food restaurant serving Latin American/Mexican cuisine...

On my latest dinner out, my guest choose "Baru Latino" as our destination. She made her selection based on a strong recommendation from a coworker, and because I have yet to write about it for this blog. (Sort of a requirement when eating out with me)   Heading down Broadway, if you should miss it, a neon red sign above the video shop on Alma hints that you are on the right track. And then the "Red Truck Beer" sandwich board outside that declares, "Yes we do." And that you are at your destination.   Walking in, the first thing you notice is the great ambience. It is cultivated through dim lighting and jazzy music. Warmth resinates through the rust painted walls, the amber-yellow lights, and the red lamp shades. We were seated by the natural stone wall, adjacent to where a full sized canoe hung on suspended hooks. It, like the menus were fashioned from a faux leather hide. It didn't have that leather smell, but it came close with the touch. Behind us was an impressively large bottle fil

The atmosphere was nice but really conflicted in my head that it was a Latin restaurant. I had Australian lamb chops at a Latin restaurant. That sounds kinda weird to me. The service was ok.

It's that time of year again! I'm sure for all the fellow foodies out there, Dine Out Vancouver Festival is like a second Christmas, the perfect chance to try something new, have a really good value meal, or just to pig out for no reason. Perusing the menus was half the fun, so this year after endless clicking and scrolling, I decided to kick off the event with Baru Latino .  I braved my tastebuds and opted for the Chili Prawns to start. The heat was actually very tolerable in this dish, especially paired with the lime. Only downside was that it was quite small. Chili Prawns I chose the Paella Baru for my main course as it was a cocktail of many things that I love - chorizo, seafood medley and salsa. The flavour in the rice was well infused and there was a good amount of seafood mixed in there, but it just didn't have that wow factor to it. I found it kind of odd that this dish was served with flatbread since it there wasn't really any excess moisture that could have been used for dipping. I also would have appreciated a nicer presentation but I guess for Dine Out purposes they just make this in a big batch and scoop it onto a plate? Paella Baru There was only one dessert option and it was by far the best dish out of the three. The flan was incredibly thick and creamy bursting with caramel flavour. However, as the flan itself was very sweet already, I think it could have gone without the berry reduction on top. I did like the smear of mango sauce though as it was very refreshing and added a little extra tang to counteract the heaviness of the flan. Latin Flan w/ Caramel 

What a gem in the city ma fellow foodies have found! Baru Latino is totally a spot for foodies to hang out with Latin music and chic-looking decor. Their website reads: “Created by three young Colombians who came to Canada in search of a new lifestyle. Tw

Baru Latino is located in the Point Grey area close to UBC. They serve up Latin cuisine and use responsibly caught seafood and local ingredients in their dishes.  They also have classic and original drinks. My friends and I decided to come here for Dine Out Vancouver for their 3 course meal for $28. We made reservations since we had a group of 7. Blood Orange Mojito is what KoreanGirl to start off the meal. She enjoyed it but it was quite strong. Chili Prawns comes with 3 pieces and tossed with their homemade house sauce. The sauce was quite spicy, so if you cant’ take the heat, don’t order this dish. The size of the appetizer was also a tad small. Beef Tiradito is seared beef carpaccio with chimichurri, greens, yam hay and flatbread. It tasted ok, but the beef lacked much flavour. Most of the flavour comes from the chimichurri sauce and the little plums. Ecuadorian Red Ceviche has citrus marinated scallops, shrimp, octopus in a roasted red pepper and smoked tomato mojo. It is served with a plantain chip. My friends thought it was decent but the size was pretty small.

i made a reservation for 9pm for 5 people a day before our dinner itself. anabel, theresa and halim got there first and i was a little late. the servers there were overly hospitable and attentive. they kept joking with us, making us laugh and were so willing to take photos of us. the restaurant's policy for dine out isnot as strict as mistral bistro and did not mind that janet and i were late. i like how the background music is not too loud like 100 days and we can still hold proper conversations. i totally forgot to snap shots of the restaurants because i was enjoying myself but the interior design of the restaurant is pretty cool.

Honestly, I have limited knowledge about Latin American cuisine, so I went to the restaurant with an open mind and hoped for a great meal. First I noticed that its actual Dine Out menu is different from what’s on the Tourism Vancouver website: Tuna Caribe

First dine out of the year for the MePlusFood crew, we went to Baru Latino . I picked this place mainly because I wanted to try their paella and other Latin American food. It was good that we made a reservation, because this place was super busy. From the dine out menu I had the Ceviche for appy, and the Paella for main. The Ceviche had lots of shrimp, and halibut. It had a very nice limey taste, good flavors from the onion and tomato. On the side it came with a piece of, I believe plantain chip. I think it was supposed to be crispy, but it was rather soft and stale. It was a nice appetizer, minus the "chip". On our table, we also had the Chili Prawns , and the Empenadas . The Chili Prawns were pretty nice. The hot sauce was actually spicy , really nice kick but not over powering. I had some of the beef empenadas and actually don't remember how the beef filling tasted like because the wrap was really crispy. That was all I could think about, the

The food was very good and the house specialty—ceviche—was outstanding.

The food is quite typical of Latin America, however the flavours are a bit altered/watered down to suit the taste buds of locals. It's not quite authentic even though some of the items offered are traditional. It's more Latin fusion and most of it sounded

Like most social activities, blogging – in my case, food blogging – is an activity where you get to know other people who share your passion. In this particular case, I got to meet Mijune, who writes Follow Me Foodie for dinner. The original place we were