TV Restaurants

What Happened to Barrio Cafe After Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Barrio Cafe has closed — confirmed via 12news.com, May 2024.

Primary source
12news.com ·
Secondary source
phoenixnewtimes.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: News coverage confirms the original 16th Street Barrio Cafe closed in 2024, while the location the packet matched is a separate, still-active airport concession.

  • Season / episode Season 17, Episode 5
  • Original air date
  • Address 2814 North 16th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85006

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What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited Barrio Cafe in the episode "Peppers, Pork and Poutine," aired 2013-05-20, highlighting chef Silvana Salcido Esparza's modern Mexican menu at her flagship Phoenix restaurant. Barrio Cafe operated as a sit-down Mexican restaurant at 2814 North 16th Street in Phoenix for more than two decades. According to 12News, Esparza closed the restaurant in May 2024 after 22 years in business, saying, "We're closing on a high note." Phoenix New Times reported in March 2024 that the closure had already been announced ahead of that final service. A separate Barrio Cafe-branded concession continues to operate at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, according to the airport's own website, but that location is run apart from Esparza's original 16th Street restaurant and does not represent it reopening.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives revisited Barrio Cafe in Phoenix for "Takeout: Global Comes Local" (aired 2020-09-11). According to flavortownusa.com, Guy Fieri's original 2013 visit featured the chiles en nogada, poblano peppers stuffed with chicken and topped with walnut cream sauce and pomegranate seeds, plus the cochinita pibil, a Yucatan pork dish marinated in achiote and citrus before slow-roasting. Dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com lists the restaurant's original address as 2814 N 16th Street.

Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season / episode
Season 17, Episode 5
Original air date
Episode title
Peppers, Pork and Poutine
What was featured
Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza's modern Mexican menu
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Barrio Cafe
Season / episode
Season 33, Episode 3
Original air date
Episode title
Takeout: Global Comes Local
What was featured
Chiles en nogada and Yucatan-style cochinita pibil pulled pork
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Barrio Cafe

Frequently asked questions

Is Barrio Cafe still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Barrio Cafe has closed — confirmed via 12news.com, May 2024.

What happened to Barrio Cafe after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited Barrio Cafe in the episode "Peppers, Pork and Poutine," aired 2013-05-20, highlighting chef Silvana Salcido Esparza's modern Mexican menu at her flagship Phoenix restaurant. As of September 2026, Barrio Cafe has closed — confirmed via 12news.com, May 2024.

Is Barrio Cafe permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Barrio Cafe has closed — confirmed via 12news.com, May 2024. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is Barrio Cafe located?

2814 North 16th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85006. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured Barrio Cafe?

Season 17, Episode 5 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, first aired May 20, 2013. The episode is titled “Peppers, Pork and Poutine”.

Is Barrio Cafe still using the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives menu or branding?

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited Barrio Cafe in the episode "Peppers, Pork and Poutine," aired 2013-05-20, highlighting chef Silvana Salcido Esparza's modern Mexican menu at her flagship Phoenix restaurant. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
2814 North 16th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85006
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
skyharbor.com

Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources

  • 12news.com — https://www.12news.com/article/life/food/barrio-cafe-mexican-restaurant-closing/75-85752e66-7074-4cf7-a86c-734992883167
  • phoenixnewtimes.com — https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/food-drink/iconic-phoenix-restaurant-barrio-cafe-is-closing-heres-what-we-know-18533169/
  • skyharbor.com — https://www.skyharbor.com/at-the-airport/food-drinks/barrio-cafe-428/
  • flavortownusa.com — https://www.flavortownusa.com/locations/640/barrio-cafe
  • dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com — https://www.dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com/barrio-cafe-arizona.html

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