BARCITO, NEWCASTLE

Barcito is an affectionate term that means “little bar for the neighbourhood” Opening its doors earlier on in the year, they really are making quite a name for themselves amongst the local community.

Surrounded by Mexican restaurants, Barcito offers a different type of South American cuisine. They are an Argentinian-Australian fusion restaurant that have a wide variety of incredible South American dishes and wines to offer their guests.

As we entered the restaurant the first thing we noticed was the stunning art work painted on the wall closest to the entrance, reggae beats and the long bar that ran across the entire length of the main room.We were greeted by the friendly staff who walked us through to the outside seating area - now this was something else!

This area was colourful and vibrant. The outside building was painted in pastel block colours and draped with fairy lights. There were booths filled with plush cushions and wooden décor which is available for group bookings or special occasions. We had way more fun than we probably should have on the swing - Yes they even have a swing. I saw this intimate little outdoor set up with the lights, cushions, candles and swing and thought this would be an absolutely incredible place to go on a date.

After looking over the menu we decided to order the banquet which was only $51pp (Minimum 4 people) This is what was included:

Chocolos - Grilled latino street corn with garlic and paprika , manchego + lime
Ceviche (GF) – Sashmi grade king fish +prawns cured in citrus juice, piquillos emulsion, herbs
Coxinha de Frango - Brazilian inspired chicken + cream cheese “croquettes” w romesco
Morcilla - Uruguayan morcilla, apple puree, pickled onion, cider + jamon
Empanada - Handmade Argentinian Empanada filled w either beef picadillo OR spinach + ricotta
Chorizo - Argentinian hot parrillero chorizo + chimichurri
Papas Moradas - Peruvian purple potatos + heirloom vegetables CARNE Barbequed hangar steak

I’m not going to lie, we order this banquet with an open mind and didn’t really know what to expect, but what we received was one mind blowing colourful and exciting experience.

All the food that was presented to us tasted like nothing we had every tried before. Prior to this banquet our knowledge on South American flavours, was very limited and mainstream.

Barcito has changed this for all of us and provided us with a whole new outlook on South American food. Our favorite thing from the banquet was the Chocolos, Grilled latino street corn! It was simple yet undeniably delicious.

As for drinks, we tried a range of different cocktails from the menu, but our favourites were: