Group Dining and Private Events in Downtown Halifax
Group dining and private events at Barrios on Barrington Street: book a big table or the whole restaurant (up to 60), no room fee or minimum spend, what to order for a crowd, and cake and decoration rules.
Barrios Restaurant & Bar
10/31/20263 min read
Group Dining and Private Events at a Filipino Restaurant in Downtown Halifax
Planning a birthday dinner, a team night or a family reunion for a big group? Filipino food is made for it. Dishes go in the middle of the table and everyone shares, so a crowd eats together instead of waiting on twenty separate plates.
Barrios Kitchen & Bar is a Filipino restaurant at 1571 Barrington Street in downtown Halifax. Here is how group dining and private events work with us.
Is there a private room?
We do not have a separate private room. For a private event, you book the whole restaurant, which seats up to 60 at dining tables. There is no room fee, no minimum spend and no large-group fee.
If you only need a big table rather than the whole restaurant, book a group reservation instead.
Two ways to book a group
A group table
For a birthday or team dinner that does not need the whole room, book ahead through our reservation page or call 902-444-2515. You order from the regular menu and share. The last booked table is at 8 PM Tuesday to Thursday, and the last seating is at 10 PM on Friday and Saturday.
A private event
For the whole restaurant, call or message us on Facebook with your date, headcount and the kind of event. Groups under 50 can still book a private event; we will talk through the details with you. For 50 guests or more, our in-house catering package is $37 per person, plus 14 per cent HST on the food and a 15 per cent service fee, which has no HST. It includes three hours of exclusive use of the restaurant, our audio and video system, Eventra, a digital event suite, and a Filipino buffet with water and pop. Give us one to two weeks' notice. For a family reunion, a kamayan feast, served on banana leaves and eaten by hand, can be arranged on request for an in-house catered event.
What to order for a big table
A group spread works best with one of each: something crisp, something saucy with rice, a noodle and something grilled.
Spring rolls, $9 for four, easy to share while everyone arrives.
Crispy pata, $27. Pork hocks simmered in spices, then deep-fried, with a soy vinegar dip. The centrepiece of the table.
Kare-kare, $22, or beef caldereta, $24, both with steamed rice.
Pancit bihon, $17. At a birthday, the long noodles stand for a long life.
Barbecue skewers, $15 for three, or chicken inasal, $22.
Pork sisig, $20, sizzling on a cast iron plate.
Add steamed rice ($2.50) or garlic rice ($2.75) for the dishes that do not come with it. The noodle dishes come with your choice of grilled chicken, crispy pork belly or shrimp at the same price.
For vegetarian guests: the pinakbet ($14) is vegetarian and vegan-friendly, the torta ($12) is an eggplant omelette, and pancit bihon or guisado can be made with vegetables and tofu on request.
Cakes, decorations and speeches
You can bring your own cake, with no cake fee. We do not decorate cakes.
For a private event, you can decorate the room once you have talked through the details and timing with us.
At a group table, keep speeches and toasts low-key so other guests are not disturbed. At a private event, you have the whole room and our audio and video system.
Book early enough for everything you have planned, and tell your server when you need to leave.
Good to know
There is one step at the entrance, and the washroom is downstairs.
We have high chairs, but no booster seats.
Tell us about allergies when you book. Peanut is in the kare-kare sauce, which cannot be changed, and on the pad thai, where it can be left off. The kare-kare also comes with bagoong, a shrimp paste.
Saturday nights usually have live music.
Visit Barrios
We are at 1571 Barrington Street, open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 AM, until 9 PM Tuesday to Thursday and 11 PM on Friday and Saturday. Sunday is Filipino brunch from 10:30 AM to 4 PM, and we are closed on Mondays. Prices shown are from our current menu and may change.
Quick answers
Does Barrios have a private room?
No separate room. For a private event you book the whole restaurant, which seats up to 60.
Is there a room fee or minimum spend?
No. There is no room fee, no minimum spend and no large-group fee.
Can I book a private event for fewer than 50 people?
Yes. Call or message us on Facebook to talk it through.
Can we bring a birthday cake?
Yes, with no cake fee.