Barrio Cafe is the long-running flagship of Silvana Salcido Esparza, one of the most influential chefs in the Phoenix food scene. The menu draws from southern Mexican cooking that you rarely find north of the border — moles from Oaxaca, chiles en nogada from Puebla, cochinita pibil from the Yucatan — assembled with care from often-imported ingredients. The chiles en nogada, in season around Independence Day, is the dish to beat.
The restaurant is tucked into a converted bungalow on a stretch of 16th Street the chef herself helped to revive, and it leans loud and convivial rather than fancy. The mole flight (four moles served as a tasting) is the easiest way to see the kitchen's range. They take reservations, but the bar fills up fast with people waiting for a table.