Top-notch Mexican food

Barrio Cafe

2814 N. 16th St., Phoenix
602-636-0240
At Barrio Cafe, Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza turns Mexican food into Mexican cuisine. The proof: cochinita pibil, slow-roasted pork seasoned with achiote and sour orange. Sublime Oaxacan black mole tranforms chicken into something extraordinary. And festive chiles in nogada - poblanos stuffed with chicken and fruit smothered with almond pomegranate sauce - whisk you to central Mexico.