Super fun atmosphere - each time we have been, they are doing karaoke with a gentleman who has a fantastic singing voice and works the crowd well. The food is fine, service is fine. Wish the margarita was a little stronger but overall, a different experience than any other Mexican restaurant that you'll find in Columbus!

Clean restaurant, fun decor, and our service was great. The menu is pretty extensive with pages dedicated to their exciting seafood specialties. It's a little difficult to understand all the offerings for non Spanish speakers, particularly those on the seafood specialty pages that I think were build-your-own platter items. Pricing for my meal was fair, but bottles of Modelo were overpriced at $5.50 each. As for the food, my meal was fantastic. Fried snapper, covered with shrimp, and sitting in a thin spicy red sauce. It was accompanied by rice, salad, garlic bread and fries. I can't recall the name. It was offered on the menu as tilapia, but they were willing to swap for snapper. The wife's vegetarian fajitas were standard, but the veggies were a little too mushy.

Inside a shopping mall, we were immediately greeted with Tejano karaoke that at first feels super loud but we got used to it as we settled in. Per the reviews I ordered the seafood enchiladas & they were indeed amazing! The salsa, & appetizer we ordered were great as well. The real highlight of the night was ordering their house drink. At $28 it's worth every penny coming in what I can only describe as a huge pottery jug. Couldn't tell you what's in the drink aside from tequila and some sort of light refreshing fruit juice. The rim was chamoey and chili powder maybe? We would come back here for the food and drinks

El Barco is far and away the best for ceviche on the West side. My first trip was a couple of yearsgo but I've had reason to venture over here since Dad is in Doctor's Hospital a block away. This time I ordered a small ceviche Pescado, as i wasn't that hungry. I don't know how they manage to do it but there's hardly any line juice present here. Makes things a tad dry but still good. Next time 8m in I'll try the ceviche tropical for a comparison; the pineapple wedge looked interesting on the menu. Well, what do you expect from a restaurant named The Boat? Nothing but steak?

With their seafood enchiladas a creamy spinach cheese sauce pools around, over, and below two rolled tortillas, a warm sea of yellow brimming with green flotsam. It gives a milky balance to the beach broadwalk carnival of flavors, a subtropical wharf of tastes lively with crab meat, well grilled shrimp, and mild Pico de gallo embarked inside. With the fresh avocados slices and sour cream floating on top it's the best Mexican seafood combo I have had since catching Fileta Ralleno at Alegria's, a former restaurantes de mariscos mexicanos, long sunk now to Davie Jones locker. I am so grateful to have been invited here, a Mexican seafood joint worthy of its name el Barco, the boat. For it treats its seafood offering with the care of a professional fishing vessel cruising the Caribbean for bounty. Not only did I find a treasure in the aforementioned dish my pirating of a friend's shrimp, thin cut strips dripped with a spicy bbq sauce, revealed a dish just as excellent. This suggests the menu needs explored; It features the entire school of expected dishes, authentic Mexican and the usual Tex-Mex add-ons, but the real catch to troll for is seafood. After all, It is the sea that decorates the place; nautical themed ornaments are colorful on the walls. This stripmall deck is ultra clean, well dressed, and inviting. A beautiful bar with red chairs accenting its light wood counter, and reflecting shine from mosaic lamps makes an excellent date spot or a solo stop while out. There is plenty of space on this ship; Ample Booths in the stereotypical beach hut design, and tables floating between for group like ours allow for many parties at a time. Above vintage tin ceiling tiles cover half the spot. It is a nice eating environment. It has been awhile since I have been in Lincoln Village. I was really impressed with the clean, new look of the area El Barco sails. It is a favorable comparison with the area just East under 270, where an economic tsunami has washed away hope itself, leaving voids in space and time and in hearts, leaving everything covered with a light white concrete dust. It was encouraging.

We enjoyed our visit. Our server was a soft spoken, but kind and eager to please first generation immigrant. She is still working on her English, but that made it fun for me, leaning back to my High School Spanish classes. The restaurant was clean and nicely decorated. The menu had several traditional American-Mexican items and some unique dishes. The food was tasty and well prepared a bit spicy but not overwhelming. We'll be back.

Mexican food that's worth driving across the city!! El Barco is a great restaurant for families or for friends getting drinks at the bar. The interior is bright and cheerful with eclectic decor that somehow all manages to work together. And while the space is large, a gorgeous hanging ceiling of silver embossed metal tiles together with warm lighting makes each table feels like a cozy gathering space. But you didn't come to El Barco for the atmosphere, did you? The standard chips and salsa are good, with a salsa that's got a nice bit of heat in it. There's also a tangy coleslaw, tomato, and cucumber salsa that adds a fun twist. The menu is large with unique options not seen at many Mexican restaurants; unlike some places, they aren't just trying to come up with ways to combine 5 or 6 ingredients with the same sauce. Our waitress said they were known best for their seafood. After tasting the seafood enchiladas, I heartily agree! The two enchiladas were filled with shrimp and other seafood and topped with a light creamy spinach sauce that worked perfectly to accent the seafood without smothering it in richness. Waitstaff were friendly. Bar area looked inviting. And the restrooms are clean. Quit looking at Yelp and drive the 20 minutes it takes to get to El Barco! You won't regret it.

The Seafood Enchiladas at El Barco are amazingly good. They take two flour tortillas that are filled with crab meat, grilled shrimp and fresh made pico de gallo and they top that with an intriguing creamy spinach cheese sauce. This dish has an amazing mix of aromas, tastes and mouthfeel that's like no other Mexican dish I've ever had. It's served on a huge platter and is almost big enough to share but don't, it's a feast you'll want to enjoy all for yourself. Other than that, El Barco has some other unique seafood dishes if you want to get adventurous. They also have all the usual Tex-Mex tacos, burritos and chimichangas etc, etc, etc that you'll find in any Mexican restaurant all over town. The food is good, the portions are huge and the prices are reasonable for the quality and quantity you get. Whatever you decide to do, come with an appetite and enjoy some delicious Mexican food. And A Little More Food For Thought: ** They have a Yelp check in offer for 20% off your visit. Use this to check them out. ** The Giant Eagle in the same plaza has coupons for El Barco on their receipts. $5 off $30 and $10 off $50. They expire 9-15-19. ** Happy hour is offered Monday-Thursday from 4p-7p with half-priced appetizers and discounted drinks. ** Their draft beers are a much better value than their bottles. Recommended Dishes: (A+) Seafood Enchiladas are absolutely delicious. My absolute top recommendation for dinner here. (A+) Pollo Con Espinacas comes with a grilled chicken breast covered in the same sauce as the Seafood Enchiladas with rice, beans and tortillas. Highly recommended. (B+) The Ceviche is freshly made and has a very crisp and clean taste. Great on your chips or get some Queso Blanco and add a little in for a special taste. (B) The Mazatlán is a dish inspired by the cuisine of the coastal Mexican city of Mazatlán. You get one crab enchilada, one shrimp quesadilla with lettuce, tomato and sour cream. Worth trying! (B-) Sopes are a very thick corn tortilla from Central/Southern Mexico that come with refried beans, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and your choice of beef or chicken. It's good but the thick tortilla makes it somewhat bland. If you want to try this, get it as an appetizer and share.