Somewhere between the last step and the first wash of natural light pouring through those oversized second‑story windows, the geography of Port Jefferson subtly shifts. You are no longer on Main Street, that charming corridor of boutiques and ice cream shops that slopes toward the harbor like a sentence trailing off into reverie. You are somewhere else entirely. The air carries the low hum of cumbia, the sharp crack of fresh lime against the rim of a glass, and the unmistakable warmth of corn tortillas pressing hot off the comal. You have arrived at Barito Tacos & Cocktails, and the North Shore will never taste quite the same again.
Since December 2017, Barito has occupied one of Port Jefferson’s most enviable perches — the former Arden space above the Starbucks at 201 Main Street, a 4,200-square-foot second-floor dining room where vaulted ceilings, exposed rafters, and sweeping views of the harbor and Main Street converge into something that feels less like a restaurant and more like a permanent vacation. The concept was born from the collective ambition of four Long Island restaurateurs who understood a fundamental truth about this village: Port Jefferson was ready for tacos done right.
The Men Behind the Mission
The founding team reads like a who’s who of Long Island’s independent restaurant scene. Steven Scalesse and David Prunier, co-owners of the critically regarded Tullulah’s in Bay Shore, joined forces with Tullulah’s general manager Sean Nolan and Matt Murray, one of the original architects behind the beloved Public House 49 in Patchogue Village. Murray had recently departed Public House and was scouting new territory when conversations with the Tullulah’s crew ignited. They zeroed in on Port Jefferson with the conviction of men who recognized an underserved market when they saw one.
Scalesse, who lives in Port Jefferson, brought a chef’s precision and a local resident’s intuitive understanding of what the village craved. Interior design fell to Nicole Scalesse, Steven’s wife, who orchestrated the transformation from the dark-wooded formality of the Arden into something luminous and tropical — whites and pastels replacing heavy tones, bench seating replacing bulky banquettes, the center bar re-tiled with the care of someone laying the foundation for a gathering place built to endure (Long Island Pulse, 2018).
In the kitchen, Chef Steven Scalesse and Chef Kevin Breeden command a menu rooted in authentic Mexican technique but unafraid of modern reinterpretation. The philosophy is refreshingly direct: fresh ingredients, house-made daily, at prices that respect the working diner’s wallet. Every tortilla is pressed that morning. Every batch of guacamole is made to order. There are no shortcuts in a kitchen where the commitment to provenance mirrors the same ethos we practice just down Route 25A at The Heritage Diner — the understanding that a meal’s integrity begins long before it reaches the plate.
Tacos Al Pastor and the Art of the Trompo
If Barito has a singular calling card — the dish that separates it from every burrito bar on Long Island — it is the tacos al pastor. When Scalesse announced his menu concept before opening, he was emphatic about one item in particular: traditional tacos al pastor, roasted on a vertical spit in the manner of the trompo masters of Puebla and Mexico City. This was not, and is not, common on Long Island.
The history of al pastor itself is a masterclass in cultural synthesis. Lebanese immigrants arriving in Mexico’s Puebla region in the 1920s and 1930s brought with them the technique of spit-roasted lamb shawarma. Over decades, Mexican cooks adapted the method — substituting pork for lamb, replacing Middle Eastern seasonings with adobo marinades of guajillo chiles, achiote paste, and pineapple — until a distinctly Mexican dish emerged that bore only a structural resemblance to its Ottoman ancestor (Wikipedia; Texas Monthly, 2022). By the 1960s, taquerias like El Huequito and El Tizoncito in Mexico City had codified what the world now recognizes as tacos al pastor: thin ribbons of adobo-marinated pork, slow-roasted on a vertical trompo, shaved to order, and crowned with caramelized pineapple, cilantro, and white onion on a warm corn tortilla.
At Barito, Scalesse described his commitment to this technique with the precision of a craftsman: “One of the big things we’ll be doing, which you’re not seeing on Long Island, is tacos al pastor, which uses traditional meats but roasted on a spit. We’ll make it in-house, marinate it ourselves. Then you put a pineapple on the top of the meat, and an onion and just let those juices cook into it all day” (Greater Long Island, 2017). That dedication to process — the willingness to invest hours of slow-roasting for minutes of eating — is the difference between a taco and an experience. It is the same philosophy that governs how I approach a piece of J&E Sedgwick bridle leather at the Marcellino NY workshop: you cannot rush what demands patience, and the customer always knows the difference.
The Menu: A Comprehensive Survey
Barito’s menu sprawls across the full landscape of Mexican cuisine with the confidence of a kitchen that has nothing to prove and everything to offer. The snack program alone — salsa and housemade chips, street corn fritters studded with roasted corn and cotija cheese, crispy tostones with garlic and chili, and a cauliflower preparation that has converted skeptics across Suffolk County — sets a tempo of generosity that only accelerates as the meal progresses.
The taco roster ranges from braised short rib in salsa roja with crema Mexicana to battered shrimp, duck confit, and the signature al pastor with its roasted pork belly, pineapple, caramelized onion, and garlic aioli. Pupusas — those thick, stuffed corn cakes that are the national dish of El Salvador and a rarity in North Shore dining — have earned a devoted following. The smoked pork belly burrito, famously described by one early customer as “the size of the Yule Log,” has achieved near-legendary status among regulars (Greater Long Island, 2017). Tostadas, tortas, enchiladas, quesadillas, fajitas, and bowls round out a menu that accommodates vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-conscious diners without condescension or compromise.
The sauces deserve their own paragraph. Barito’s kitchen offers a spectrum that runs from salsa roja and salsa verde through red chili sauce to the Barito Fire — a habanero-mango preparation that walks the tightrope between fruity sweetness and genuine heat with the confidence of a tightrope artist who has done this a thousand times.
Weekend brunch service, available Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., layers the regular menu with brunch-specific offerings, and patrons are welcome to order from both menus simultaneously — a flexibility that speaks to a kitchen comfortable operating at full capacity across multiple registers.
The Cocktail Program: Where Education Meets Indulgence
Barito’s bar program operates with the same dual mandate as its kitchen: authenticity and accessibility. The bartenders shake classic Mexican cocktails — palomas, margaritas built with fresh lime juice, and a house sangria that has achieved recurring-customer status — alongside a creative roster of signature drinks that double as gentle Spanish lessons. The Anticuado (translation: old fashioned) and the El Barito Classico (house margarita) are perennial bestsellers. The passion fruit margarita and coconut margarita have both surfaced repeatedly in customer reviews as revelations.
Critically, Scalesse’s team makes their own margarita blend, their own grenadine, and all flavored syrups in-house — a commitment to craft mixology that quietly elevates every drink on the menu. There are no neon-colored sour mixes behind this bar. Pair that with a deep tequila selection, and Barito becomes not just a place to eat tacos but a place to understand what a properly built Mexican cocktail can be.
Happy hour specials run throughout the week, and themed nights — Taco Tuesday with half-price tacos, Wine Wednesday with pitcher sangria deals, and Thirsty Thursday — create rhythm and reason for repeat visits. DJ-spun music on Saturday nights and live music on select Fridays transform the space into something closer to a nightlife destination, amplified by pool tables and a full bar atmosphere that carries the energy well past the dinner hour.
The Space: Tropical Geometry on the North Shore
The design vision Nicole Scalesse executed deserves recognition as one of Port Jefferson’s most successful restaurant interiors. The room reads tropical without kitsch, bright without sterility. Large windows pull in natural daylight and frame views of Main Street below and the harbor beyond — a postcard-quality backdrop that shifts from golden afternoon warmth to harbor-lit evening romance as the hours turn. Covered outdoor seating extends the experience into open air during warmer months.
Scalesse articulated the intent clearly: “We want our guests to feel like they are on vacation, sipping a margarita on a beach in Puerto Vallarta. We built the menu and the concept around the room. Tacos and margaritas beg to be consumed in a sunny, open, beachy setting” (Long Island Pulse, 2018). The 120-seat capacity handles volume without sacrificing intimacy — a design achievement that many larger restaurants fail to accomplish.
For those of us who study how physical space shapes commercial success — and as someone preparing to launch a boutique real estate venture with Paola on the North Shore in 2026 — Barito’s interior represents a case study in environment-as-brand. The room doesn’t merely house the food. It argues for it. Every design choice communicates the same message the menu does: relax, you’re somewhere good.
Port Jefferson: The Village That Earned This Restaurant
Port Jefferson’s evolution from nineteenth-century shipbuilding hub to twenty-first-century dining and cultural destination is one of Long Island’s great municipal narratives. The village, originally known as “Drowned Meadow” when John Roe built the first house on its salt marshes in 1682, was renamed by Jeffersonian Democrats in 1835 and went on to become the largest shipbuilding center in Suffolk County. Four out of every ten ships built in the county were constructed here. That maritime DNA — the understanding that quality construction takes time, that a vessel must be built to withstand forces greater than itself — persists in the village’s contemporary identity (Port Jefferson Historical Society).
Today, the Bridgeport–Port Jefferson Ferry connects Connecticut to Long Island year-round, bringing foot traffic and tourism that sustain a walkable downtown of roughly 44 restaurants, boutique shops, galleries, and cultural institutions including Theatre Three and the Long Island Explorium. The Port Jefferson Village Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, encompasses 98 buildings that blend maritime heritage with contemporary commerce.
Barito exists within this ecosystem not as an outlier but as a natural expression of Port Jefferson’s continuing evolution — a village that has always understood how to build things that last, now applying that instinct to hospitality, cuisine, and the kind of experiences that draw people across the Sound and down the Long Island Expressway alike.
Essential Information
Address: 201 Main Street, Suite C, Port Jefferson, NY 11777 (Second floor, above Starbucks)
Phone: (631) 828-8808
Website: baritomexican.com
Instagram: @barito_pj
Hours: Monday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM Tuesday – Thursday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM Friday – Saturday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM Sunday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Weekend Brunch: Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (regular menu also available)
Reservations: Available online at baritomexican.com or by phone. Accommodates parties up to 10 via online booking.
Delivery: Available through DoorDash, Uber Eats, Postmates, and Grubhub.
Amenities: Full bar, covered outdoor seating, free Wi-Fi, pool tables, vegan and vegetarian options, live music, DJ nights, happy hour specials, private event accommodations.
Ratings: 4.9/5 on TripAdvisor (Travelers’ Choice Award) · 4 stars on Yelp with 302+ reviews and 400+ photos · Restaurantji: 282 reviews
Most Popular Orders (via delivery platforms): Carnitas Burrito, Shrimp Tacos, Street Corn Fritters
YouTube: Greater Port Jeff Tours Barito Tacos & Cocktails — a live video tour with owners Matt Murray, Steven Scalesse, and David Prunier, including an up-close look at the preparation of Barito’s famed Smoked Pork Belly Burrito.
There is a particular quality to restaurants that are built by people who already know how to build restaurants — a confidence in the bones of the operation, an absence of the rookie hesitations that doom so many first ventures. Barito Tacos & Cocktails carries that confidence in every tortilla pressed, every trompo loaded, every margarita shaken with juice that was squeezed that morning by human hands rather than dispensed from a plastic jug. Steven Scalesse, David Prunier, Sean Nolan, and Matt Murray brought combined decades of Long Island hospitality experience to a village that rewards exactly that kind of earned expertise. Seven years in, with hundreds of five-star reviews and a Saturday night energy that rivals anything south of the Midtown Tunnel, Barito has become not just a Port Jefferson restaurant but a Port Jefferson institution — the kind of place where the stairs themselves feel like an invitation, and the view from the top is always worth the climb.
Peter from The Heritage Diner — heritagediner.com Marcellino NY — marcellinony.com
