Brinco’s Mexican Grill & Cantina

The smell lingering over from Pappy’s is over-​whelming! You leave smelling smoked and I had a horrid headache. The chips and salsa was good. The cheese dip was so watery, I sent it back. The taco salad barely had any lettuce or cheese and NO tomatoes — I had to ask for some. The rice was so salty I couldn’t take a second bite. The service was great though. But I will not return. Good luck to the rest of you! I hope your experience is better.

What’s not to like about this place? The food is good, I am an Arizona native and I’d put this place near the top of my list for Tex-​Mex that I’ve come across in the mid-​west. The chips came out to our table warm every time they were replenished. The salsa is a little plain, but I’m assuming that’s just so that they have a broader appeal to the average stl resident. We also caught the tail end of happy hour, so we got the $ 3 frozen margaritas, which were good, but I prefer them with a tiny bit more kick.
All in all, this place has great food, in a clean atmosphere, but falls just short of that 5^th star.

I call in my order, 10 minutes the said. I got there in 11 min & it was waiting on me. I ordered the chicken taco salad & they also give you chips & salsa to go. The chicken taco salad was great! At first I thought is was smaller then I expected for the price but don’t let the size fool you I was unable to finish it!
I will return for more, probably dine in so I may have a margarita!

Pros:
–Clean, vibrant atmosphere
–Waiter kept our drinks and chips basket filled. He wasn’t particularly friendly, but he spoke VERY little English… I didn’t expect any more from him, really
–Chips and salsa were the best part, and I’ve had better chips elsewhere
–My friend enjoyed her Margaritas — they were fairly «strong», according to her
Cons:
–The chicken and beef «burritos» I ordered were salty and lacked depths of flavor. The rice on the side — salty. Refried beans — salty.
To me, a «Mexican Grille» should always serve pico, shredded lettuce, and sour cream with their dishes. My dish lacked that element of freshness the veggies would have brought. A dollop of sour cream definitely would have muted the saltiness of the dish, as well as added a different flavor.
I will not be going back to this place, and I would not recommend it.

Unfortunately, I am not able to review the food because due to poor service we never got food. Never even ordered. We stopped in on a Tuesday evening before a concert, and as the sign instructed we sat ourselves and waited. And waited. We sat there for about 15 mins and neither of the servers ever even acknowledged our presence, or came close enough to us so that we could get their attention. No menu’s, no drinks, no nothing. The restaurant was fairly busy, probably average for the dinner hour, but not so much so that it would warrant never being helped. We finally left and ate elsewhere. If you go here I hope you have better luck than we did.

Whoah! Tasteless food, indifferent service, why bother? Don’t know how this place stays in business. Best head to Cherokee Street!

Visited this quaint Mexican restaurant on a rainy Saturday night at about 6pm. It was a little bit early and hadn’t filled up yet, so we were a little unsure.
Turns out it was really great! We ordered tamales — a huge dish that was delish, the pizza quesadilla, which is actually like a standard quesa and very good. The sides of guacamole were very nice — not too many onions or other fillers, just a lot of good avocado. We also got chimichanga, and it was excellent. Also, the Sangria was better than we expected and even the chips were just-​right.
Thanks for a great meal!

ok, I love brincos. My boyfriend and I go here way too often. Their food is simple with just enough flair to make it interesting while not over-​doing it or trying too hard. We have tried many items on their menu and have never been disappointed. Their queso is pretty thin but cheap enough that it’s not really a big problem. I truly hope brincos isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Went on the night of the Muse concert. The place was packed and it took forever to get our food! The drinks were tasty, but the food was only so so. Probably won’t be back…

My boss and I usually go here for lunch and I must say I am always pleased with the food and the service.

If you want margaritas that are cold and go down smooth, head to Brinco’s. If you want gauc that will blow your mind, head to Brinco’s. This take on Tex-​Mex didn’t disappoint and the nachos and rice and beans I had were very good. Give them a try. They are in the heart of Midtown Alley next door to Buffalo Brewing and Pappy’s and down the street from Good Pie and Hamburger Mary’s.

I’ve eaten here twice and both times were great. The fajitas were fantastic and very generous. I’d say this restaurant is as good as any of the Mexican restaurants on Cherokee Street and is a great addition to the neighborhood.

A friend and I went for lunch. This food is absolutely tasteless. The gray meat filling had no flavor. It seemed to be sautéed ground beef with a dash of salt and pepper. The sauces, of which 2 were on my plate, had no spice and pretty bland flavor. Even the salsa and chips that ere delivered prior to dinner were dull. The white cheese on my taco tasted white. There was little flavor and no sharpness. The whole meal was flat. My husband had the same feeling about his meal. This food was insipid, and that is being kind. I would’t waste another penny on this place. it is truly sad that an establishment with delicious, interesting food couldn’t survive in the space and it has been replaced by this tasteless food stop with loud music and mediocre food.

First time here and we thought it had a fun atmosphere. Friendly staff, however; the service was just ok — seemed to be one waitress for the entire place and she didn’t seem all that efficient. It’s not a large place, just 8 booths, 6 — 8 tables and a small bar. The booth seating is the way to go! Excellent margarita — we had the special with patron. My husband had the Pollo loco and he said it was very good. I had the chicken fajitas and thought they were excellent. My daughter had the fajita burrito and she enjoyed that as well. We also tried the Guacamole dip and the chips & salsa. The salsa had a really nice kick to it which was very enjoyable. The guacamole dip was very similar to the guacamole salad that comes as a side on most entrees. We had 3 meals, 3 margaritas and an appetizer for $ 50. Overall, it is definitely worth another trip back, even if it’s just for the margaritas!

Brinco’s is a great — and much-​needed — addition to Midtown!
I’ve only ordered takeout during my three visits, but the food was fresh, the packaging was appropriate, and the service was top-​notch. If Brinco’s puts this much care into carryout, I can only imagine that dining inside is just as thoughtful, and I can’t wait to try it.
I’m vegetarian, and there aren’t many vegetarian items on the menu. I was really disappointed by that my first visit. But the owner saw my face and asked what he could to do make my meal a pleasant one. That’s when he said that he could make just about any dish vegetarian. I had my doubts — many items that are made vegetarian as an afterthought suffer in flavor — but I asked for a vegetarian burrito, and he complied. In fact, the owner himself whipped it up for me!
I shouldn’t have worried. The burrito wrap was pliable and chewy, and the guts were heavenly. He really stuffed the burrito with so much creamy cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, beans, broccoli, peppers and more. It was quite hearty, and I couldn’t have come up with anything better for him to make had I tried! I’ve also had quesadillas with mushrooms in them, and they’re just as cheesy and filling.
A side of rice completed the meal. It had a slight tomato flavor and was soft yet appropriately dry (Not the gross, hard kind of dry).
Moreover, Brinco’s includes chips and salsa with your takeout order! One of my Mexican takeout woes is missing out on delicious chips, so I really appreciate when a restaurant takes the initiative to include them. Bravo!
All of this was packaged quite nicely in plastic, foil pans and bags and included knives, forks and napkins. No leaks, no excess napkins, no worries.
My meals were all under $ 10, and I was quite full after each of them (and usually had leftovers). Brinco’s is definitely better than Adobe Reds (the previous occupant of the space) was and is head and shoulders above the now-​defunct Chuy’s further west on Lindell. So glad to have viable Mexican in Midtown again!

We love this place! We’ve gone several times and have loved every visit. The owner is really friendly and comes out to chat. Staff is just as great. We’ve loved all of our different meals, no complaints there. Try the guacamole! Price is perfect for portion and taste.
So excited to have good mexican food in the area now. Once they get their liquor license finalized i’ll be sitting at the bar every day!!!

This place has a lot of potential and I appreciate anyone who has the balls to move into the same building as Pappys.
We walked in to a colorful space filled with festive Mexican music. Much to our horror, something was weird with the liquor license and they could not sell any of the advertised margaritas, but they could give us each one, so that was a first for us trying to make one drink last through a whole meal, but thank God the food came out very quickly (there was only one other table in the place).
I had some Burrito that came with two types of sauce on it. It was very good, whatever my husband had, he really liked. The chips were good, the salsa had a bit of a kick to it, and if this place gets the booze situation corrected, I can see us coming in here again, although its so hard to park and smell Pappys and not be lured into that meat den. I hope this place makes it, and for the record, the one margarita we were alotted, was pretty good.

First impression:
Brinco’s is a brand new Tex-​Mex joint located in the old (yet short-​lived) Adobe Red’s on Lindell in Midtown. It shares a building with Pappy’s, reigning champion of the St. Louis barbecue scene, and Buffalo Brewing Company, one of the city’s longstanding microbreweries, so you’d better bet a restaurant opening in this location means business. By first appearances, Brinco’s does.
Enter the restaurant from Lindell or the relatively large lot in back and you may be surprised at the relatively small square footage of this restaurant, as I was, comfortably situated somewhere between taqueria to cantina size. There’s a large number of comfy booths along the wall, a handful of seats at the bar, and some standalone tables in the middle, and the interior is illuminated in bright yet comforting neon and overhead halogen. A divider keeps the ruckus going down at the bar away from the family-​friendly dining room seating, and a huge chalkboard advertises 3:00 — 6:00 PM Monday through Friday happy hour specials as well as the deal del dia.
When you’re seated, you’ll be given a bright basket of multicolor tortilla chips and some pretty good salsa to enjoy with them. The menu consists of a large number of entrees (but not an overwhelming number!) in the $ 6.00 — $ 12.00 range, so this restaurant is definitely at a different price point from the old Adobe Red’s (and some of the most affordable Mexican within a good number of blocks). We ordered some queso dip (delightfully drooly) to accompany our chips, and selected orders of burritos fritas, enchiladas suizas, and steak fajitas as our entrees.
The food was just great. We were pleasantly surprised that the portion sizes weren’t humongous — you enter a restaurant like this and tend to expect a plate of near-​inedible monstrosity, so it was great to chow down on Tex-​Mex fare that I’d call relatively thoughtful. The fried burritos, one beef and one chicken, were just the right size, crispy and well-​joined by refried beans and rice. The enchiladas came with an interesting sauce that almost tasted like mushrooms, and the fajitas appeared to be a sturdy take on a Tex-​Mex favorite. We all enjoyed our food and remarked at the great prices. The margaritas were also quite solid, leading this reviewer to request a second.
We had a chance to briefly speak with the owner, who was very friendly, courteous, and fun. He made great menu recommendations, made sure we enjoyed our meal, and invited us to return soon, and we definitely plan to.
The Central West End and Midtown neighborhoods now enjoy several restaurants in a Mexican or latino vein: Tortillaria Mexican Kitchen, the new Diablitos, and now Brinco’s. I’m happy to say this restaurant promises to hold its own as a fine destination both in its building and in its neighborhood. Welcome to Midtown, Brinco’s!