(StLouisRestaurantReview) The Mexican Barrel House is a Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurant in Creve Coeur, Missouri, offering an unconventional combination of Mexican favorites, smoked meats, barbecue influences, specialty tacos, brunch dishes, and a full bar program.


Located at 1085 North Mason Road, Creve Coeur, MO 63141, the restaurant occupies a large, dramatically redesigned space near Olive Boulevard in West St. Louis County.

The Mexican Barrel House isn't built around just one dining experience. Guests can stop in for tacos and margaritas, order familiar enchiladas and combination plates, explore smoked-meat creations, meet friends for weekend brunch, or bring a larger group together for a celebration.

That broad approach is central to the restaurant's identity.

The menu blends Mexican and Tex-Mex traditions with techniques and ingredients from American barbecue and breakfast cooking. The result is a restaurant that feels familiar while still offering plenty of opportunities to order something outside the usual Mexican restaurant lineup.


Mexican Food Meets Smoked Meats


The Mexican Barrel House separates itself from many St. Louis-area Mexican restaurants through its use of smoked meats and barbecue-inspired dishes.

Mexican and Tex-Mex standards remain an important part of the menu, but smoked brisket, grilled meats, and other barbecue elements give the kitchen another direction to explore.

That approach is particularly evident among the restaurant's shareable selections.

Guests can begin with traditional choices such as roasted salsa, queso, and guacamole, but the menu moves into more distinctive territory with items such as brisket and potatoes, smoked grilled wings, and corn ribs.

This Mexican-meets-barbecue approach gives groups considerable flexibility.

Someone looking for recognizable Mexican comfort food can order an enchilada or burrito, while another diner can explore brisket, smoked meats, or one of the restaurant's more unconventional creations.


Tacos, Enchiladas and Tex-Mex Combinations


Traditional favorites haven't been forgotten.

The menu includes tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, chile rellenos, tamales and tostadas.

Combination dinners are especially useful for customers who want more than one familiar item.

The Laredo combines a beef taco with a chicken enchilada. The Juárez pairs a chicken burrito with a beef enchilada, while the México combination includes chile relleno and a beef enchilada.

Other combinations include tamales, tostadas, quesadillas, and enchiladas.

The restaurant serves its Tex-Mex combinations with accompaniments including rice and beans.

These plates provide a more traditional counterpoint to some of the restaurant's experimental smoked-meat offerings.


Shareables Encourage Group Dining


The size and design of The Mexican Barrel House make group dining an important part of the experience, and the menu reflects that.

Shareables give the table an opportunity to try several flavors before choosing individual entrées.

Along with queso, guacamole, and roasted salsa, the restaurant offers items incorporating brisket, smoked wings, nachos, and corn.

The mix of Mexican starters and barbecue-inspired selections works particularly well for larger tables with guests with different tastes.

It also fits the restaurant's atmosphere.

This is a large dining establishment, not a compact neighborhood taqueria. The space was designed to accommodate roughly 280 guests, and the approximately 8,700-square-foot building provides room for dining, drinks, and celebrations.


Brunch Takes Mexican Barrel House in Another Direction


Breakfast and brunch add an entirely different dimension to The Mexican Barrel House.

The restaurant opens at 10 a.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and serves several breakfast-oriented dishes until 2 p.m.

Among the most distinctive selections is the Queso Birria Benedict, which replaces the traditional English muffin foundation with queso birria tacos topped with poached eggs, creamy birria sauce, Cotija cheese, pickled red onions and cilantro.

The T.M.B.H. Slinger provides a particularly St. Louis-oriented breakfast option.

The dish combines smoked brisket, bacon, and chorizo with grilled onions and peppers over hash browns, then adds chili, cheese, and a fried egg.

It's an example of how the restaurant brings several parts of its identity together on a single plate: Mexican flavors, smoked meat and a recognizable St. Louis diner tradition.

Additional choices include a steak-and-egg skillet, fajita skillets, fajita omelets, a veggie omelet, chilaquiles and breakfast burritos.

For diners who enjoy substantial weekend breakfasts, the brunch menu may be one of the strongest reasons to consider The Mexican Barrel House as more than a conventional Mexican dinner destination.


Soups, Bowls and Lighter Alternatives


Not every visit needs to revolve around a large combination plate or smoked meat.

The menu also includes salads, soups, and bowls.

Chicken tortilla soup provides a familiar option, while pozole verde offers another Mexican-inspired choice. Birria ramen takes the menu into fusion territory by combining birria flavors with a noodle-based presentation.

The Barrel Bowl gives diners another alternative to tacos, enchiladas, and burritos.

Vegetarian choices are also available, including breakfast selections such as the veggie omelet, making the restaurant more workable for groups with different dining preferences.

Customers with allergies or specific dietary requirements should always discuss current ingredients and preparation methods with restaurant staff.


Desserts Continue the Mexican Theme


Dessert selections are substantial enough to deserve consideration when planning a meal.

Mexican churros are served with cinnamon sugar, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream.

Mexican flan provides a more traditional finish with custard and caramel, while choco flan combines chocolate cake and flan.

Fried ice cream offers the most elaborate dessert presentation, with a crunchy coating and extra toppings.

For larger parties, ordering several desserts for the table can be an easy way to sample more than one.


Margaritas and Drinks


The Mexican Barrel House naturally places considerable emphasis on beverages.

Margaritas and cocktails complement the Mexican and Tex-Mex food, while the bar environment contributes to the restaurant's appeal for date nights, groups, and social gatherings.

Customers who don't drink alcohol have a wider selection than standard fountain drinks.

The current beverage menu includes Mexican bottled Coca-Cola and flavored Mexican sodas, along with horchata and Jamaica. Flavored lemonades and iced teas are also available, in addition to coffee, juices, and traditional fountain beverages.

That variety is especially helpful during brunch and family meals.


An Interior Designed to Be Explored


Food is only one component of The Mexican Barrel House.

The restaurant occupies the former Houlihan's building in Creve Coeur, but the property underwent a major transformation before reopening under its current identity.

Owner Alfredo Flores spent approximately four years developing the concept and remodeling the roughly 8,700-square-foot building.

The result is a restaurant with seating for about 280 people and an interior intentionally designed to offer more visual interest than a typical casual-dining space.

Color, Mexican cultural references, photographs, artwork, and decorative details appear throughout the building.

Some elements connect personally to Flores and his family rather than serving as generic restaurant decorations.

The building also retains and repurposes some materials from its previous life, blending portions of the property's history into the new restaurant.

The atmosphere can be part of the reason to visit, particularly for diners who enjoy restaurants where the physical environment contributes to the overall experience.


From a Former Houlihan's to a Local Restaurant


The road to opening The Mexican Barrel House was lengthy.

Flores acquired the former Houlihan's property in 2021 and began turning it into an independent restaurant.

The redevelopment became considerably more involved than a simple restaurant remodel.

Work on the property included major building systems and interior renovations. After years of development, The Mexican Barrel House entered its soft-opening stage in early 2026, ahead of its scheduled grand opening on Feb. 16.

That lengthy development period produced one of the larger independent Mexican restaurant concepts in West St. Louis County.

Rather than simply reopening the former chain restaurant under another name, the building was reimagined around the Mexican Barrel House identity.


Parties, Celebrations and Catering


The restaurant's size makes it particularly relevant for groups.

The Mexican Barrel House actively promotes group reservations and parties, with the dining environment offering multiple areas for guests to gather.

The restaurant can accommodate birthday celebrations, family gatherings, business dinners, and other occasions.

Catering is another part of the operation.

Customers planning an off-site gathering can contact the restaurant regarding current catering options, while those who prefer to eat at home can use online ordering.

The restaurant's current ordering system provides pickup and delivery options.


Family Dining


Despite the bar program and nightlife-friendly atmosphere, The Mexican Barrel House also caters to families.

A dedicated children's menu includes quesadillas, tacos, nachos, chicken tenders, grilled cheese, mini sliders, hot dogs, and macaroni and cheese.

That range is useful for parents whose children may not want the same Mexican or barbecue selections as adults.

Families can therefore visit without depending entirely on tacos and quesadillas for younger diners.


A Distinctive Addition to Creve Coeur Dining


The Mexican Barrel House enters a competitive St. Louis restaurant market with a concept that deliberately crosses categories.

It is Mexican, but not exclusively traditional Mexican.

It serves Tex-Mex, but doesn't stop with combination plates.

It incorporates barbecue and smoked meats without positioning itself strictly as a barbecue restaurant.

Its breakfast and brunch program also gives the restaurant an additional identity during the first half of the day.

The large dining room, elaborate interior, full bar, brunch offerings, and smoked-meat influences create multiple reasons to visit depending on the occasion.

A customer might choose The Mexican Barrel House for weekend brunch one week, return for tacos and margaritas another evening, and later consider it for a family gathering or catered event.

For diners exploring Mexican restaurants in Creve Coeur and West St. Louis County, The Mexican Barrel House offers a distinct take on the category.

Services: Dine-in, reservations, online ordering, pickup, delivery, catering, and group-party inquiries.

Dining Occasions: Lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, date nights, family meals, groups and celebrations.

Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex, smoked meats, barbecue-inspired dishes, tacos, breakfast, and brunch

Menus, prices, specials, and operating hours can change. Customers should confirm current information directly with The Mexican Barrel House before visiting.


The Mexican Barrel House business hours:

- Monday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.


- Tuesday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.


- Wednesday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.


- Thursday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.


- Friday: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.


- Saturday: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.


- Sunday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Name, address, and phone (NAP):


The Mexican Barrel House


1085 North Mason Road


Creve Coeur, Missouri 63141


Phone: 314-370-6010


Website: https://themexicanbarrelhouse.com/




Additional resources:

- STL.Directory Listing


- STL.News Listing https://stlouisrestaurantreview.com/mexican-barrel-house-creve-coeur-mo/