Bartaco in West Hartford Offers Unique Dining Experience

GRANVILLE KAYNOR ’21
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Sometimes, it is not only the quality of food that makes a restaurant as popular as Bartaco at 971 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford. Although the miniature tacos and plentiful small plates that Bartaco offers are delicious, the restaurant itself makes for an satisfying evening and unique dining experience.
Bartaco’s secret to popularity lies within their innovative approach to serving. After sitting down, customers are presented with a menu containing tacos, chips and guacamole, ceviche, and much more. All that is required by the customer is to check off what they want on a piece of paper and give it to the server: a very simple but efficient process. This way, customers typically receive their orders within 5-10 minutes.
The plates are very small and are finished fairly quickly, but have no fear. Customers can just put a card on the table-marker and the server will be ready at once to take the next order.
The ordering process is very quick and the food comes in small portions, so consumers are typically begging for more until they are completely full.
Another aspect that distinguishes Bartaco from its surrounding restaurants is the party atmosphere. Depending on the crowd, which is usually large, the restaurant will be playing loud house music. Virtually everyone in Bartaco will be dancing or smiling, including the servers. One cannot help but laugh and have a good time while eating a delicious grilled Baha Taco alongside a salty Margherita.
Bartaco’s most popular food items are its tacos, of course, which come in sets of three. There are so many to choose from: Baja fish, chicken, pork, cauliflower, shrimp, raw tuna and much more. Each one is as tasty as the next. In addition to the tacos, the menu has other dishes to offer, including rice bowls with a wide selection of vegetables and meat. You can also get  small plates such a small ceviche, pork posole, chicken soup, and a rotisserie half chicken. Thus, it is the diversity of Bartaco’s menu that makes it so  colorful and attractive.
Perhaps the only negative aspect of Bartaco is the fact that they do not take reservations. This means that customers may have to wait up to an hour before they can sit down.
At first, this may seem like a red flag, but the West Hartford area surrounding Bartaco is a one of Connecticut’s gems. It is a shopping hub filled with hidden coffee shops and dessert places. So, even if one is forced to wait an hour maximum, he or she will have enjoyed a nice walk of West Hartford knowing that a delicious, amusing evening at Bartaco is coming right up.