(STL.News) The Mexican Barrel House is a large Mexican, Tex-Mex, and barbecue-inspired restaurant located at 1085 North Mason Road in Creve Coeur, Missouri, near the intersection of Mason Road and Olive Boulevard. The restaurant combines traditional Mexican favorites with smoked meats, Tex-Mex barbecue, an extensive bar program, brunch offerings, and an unusually elaborate dining environment.
After years of planning and an extensive renovation of the former Houlihan’s restaurant, The Mexican Barrel House celebrated its grand opening on February 16, 2026. The Creve Coeur-Olivette Chamber of Commerce marked the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The project represents considerably more than the conversion of an existing restaurant space. Owner Alfredo Flores spent approximately four years developing the concept and renovating the building, according to reporting by St. Louis Magazine. The approximately 8,700-square-foot restaurant seats roughly 280 guests, making The Mexican Barrel House a substantial addition to the restaurant scene in Creve Coeur and the greater St. Louis region.
The Mexican Barrel House – A Mexican Restaurant With a Different Approach
The Mexican Barrel House is difficult to place into a single restaurant category.
Its menu incorporates traditional Mexican dishes, familiar Tex-Mex combinations, smoked meats and barbecue influences, along with American-style breakfast and brunch selections. Flores has described the culinary concept as having three interconnected components: authentic Mexican favorites, Tex-Mex barbecue, and American breakfast.
That combination gives the restaurant a broader identity than a conventional neighborhood Mexican restaurant.
The Mexican Barrel House’s current menu includes familiar items such as tacos, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, chile rellenos, and tamales. Tex-Mex combination dinners include selections such as the Laredo, pairing a beef taco with a chicken enchilada; the Juárez, featuring a chicken burrito and beef enchilada; and the México combination, which pairs chile relleno with a beef enchilada.
But the menu expands considerably beyond those standards.
Shareable selections include roasted salsa, queso dip, guacamole, a Barrel Sampler, brisket and potatoes, Mexican flour taquitos, smoked grilled wings, corn ribs, tostada nachos, fajita nachos and Nacho Libre. Soups, salads and bowls include chicken tortilla soup, pozole verde, birria ramen and the Barrel Bowl.
The restaurant’s barbecue component is particularly important to its identity.
The culinary team has incorporated smoked meats into Mexican and Tex-Mex preparations rather than operating the Mexican and barbecue sides as completely separate concepts. Earlier menu development included smoked brisket, pulled pork, and other proteins that could be incorporated into tacos, sandwiches, and shareable meat boards. The result is a concept that brings Mexican seasonings and preparations together with an American barbecue tradition.
The Mexican Barrel House – Breakfast and Brunch Add Another Dimension
The Mexican Barrel House also stands out with breakfast- and brunch-inspired dishes.
Current selections include queso birria Benedict, a steak-and-egg skillet, the T.M.B.H. Slinger, fajita skillet, fajita omelet, veggie omelet, chilaquiles, breakfast burritos, and the Tammy Lynn Hotcake.
Adding breakfast and brunch makes the restaurant useful for more than the traditional lunch-and-dinner Mexican restaurant occasion. Current operating hours begin at 10 a.m. Friday through Sunday, while the restaurant opens at 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
Dessert choices continue the broad approach. The current menu lists Mexican churros, Mexican flan, fried ice cream, and choco flan.
The Mexican Barrel House – Full Bar and Mexican-Inspired Drinks
The “Barrel House” portion of the restaurant’s name is reflected in a significant beverage program.
During concept development, the restaurant assembled a cocktail program that went beyond basic margaritas. The beverage program has included several margarita variations, sangria, and other cocktails, as well as zero-proof alternatives. The restaurant has also highlighted Mexican wines, an uncommon feature among many Mexican restaurants in the St. Louis area.
The restaurant’s current nonalcoholic selections include Mexican bottled sodas, horchata, Jamaica, flavored lemonade, cold teas, coffee, juices, and traditional fountain drinks.
The restaurant also runs daily food and beverage promotions. Its published specials include taco promotions on Tuesday, shareable and wine discounts on Wednesday, Thursday social-night promotions, and rotating weekend food and cocktail specials. Because restaurant promotions can change, customers should verify current offers before visiting.
The Mexican Barrel House – An Elaborate Creve Coeur Dining Space
The interior is one of The Mexican Barrel House’s defining characteristics.
Rather than simply renovating the former Houlihan’s building into another restaurant, Flores used the lengthy development period to create a space incorporating Mexican and Mexican-American cultural influences, personal family history, and reclaimed elements from the building itself.
Flores preserved and incorporated original brickwork from the building into the restaurant’s design. Other original elements, including portions of the flooring and booths, were retained or repurposed. Materials left from construction were reused in other parts of the restaurant wherever practical.
Many decorative elements have personal significance to Flores and his family.
The restaurant includes family photographs, references to Chihuahua, Mexico, and memorabilia connected to Flores’ family history. A street sign references Calle Reforma, where Flores grew up. Other areas incorporate religious symbolism and tributes to family members who have served in the U.S. military.
Consequently, The Mexican Barrel House functions not only as a place to eat but as a highly themed dining environment designed to encourage guests to explore the building.
The restaurant itself describes the experience as combining freshly prepared food with color, texture, and Mexican cultural details throughout the property. Live music is also offered at times.
The Mexican Barrel House – Experienced St. Louis Restaurant Ownership
Alfredo Flores, a restaurateur with decades of experience in the St. Louis-area restaurant industry, leads the Mexican Barrel House.
Flores came to the St. Louis region in the early 1990s on a basketball scholarship at Lindenwood University. His restaurant experience included work with El Maguey and management positions with larger restaurant organizations, including Chevy’s Fresh Mex and Olive Garden. He later became involved in developing several local Mexican restaurant concepts.
Flores and his family have connections to Las Fuentes Mexican Restaurants and Casa Juarez Mexican Town in Maryland Heights. The Mexican Barrel House has frequently been described as a sister restaurant to Casa Juarez, although the Creve Coeur restaurant was developed with its own culinary and visual identity.
Flores’ children are also involved in the business. Reporting around the restaurant’s opening identified Alfredo Flores Jr. as overseeing front-of-house operations, while daughter Maggie Flores worked across multiple areas of the restaurant during its launch. Chef Ulises Lopez led the culinary team during the opening period.
Four Years in the Making
The road to opening The Mexican Barrel House was unusually long.
Flores purchased the former Houlihan’s property in 2021. What followed was an extensive redevelopment complicated by the building’s condition, including damage from burst pipes and the need for significant electrical, HVAC, architectural, and engineering work.
STL.News had been following the project well before its eventual opening. In December 2023, STL.News reported that substantial renovation work was underway at the property and that the planned restaurant would combine Mexican cuisine with Mexican-inspired barbecue.
The project ultimately took much longer than early projections anticipated, but the restaurant finished in early 2026. After a soft-opening period, the official grand opening and Creve Coeur-Olivette Chamber ribbon cutting took place on February 16.
Catering, Parties, Takeout and Reservations
The size of The Mexican Barrel House makes it suitable for more than everyday restaurant dining.
The business promotes catering for birthdays, corporate events, holiday parties, weddings, and other gatherings. Catering offerings center on Mexican and Tex-Mex favorites, including tacos, enchiladas, grilled meats, rice dishes, and other shareable selections.
The restaurant also accepts inquiries for private parties and larger gatherings.
For traditional dining, guests can make reservations, while takeout and delivery offer alternatives for customers who prefer to eat elsewhere. Online ordering is available, and the current platform lists both pickup and delivery options.
Families are accommodated with a dedicated children’s menu featuring quesadillas, nachos, tacos, grilled cheese, chicken tenders, mini sliders, and macaroni and cheese.
The Mexican Barrel House in Creve Coeur
The Mexican Barrel House brings together several restaurant categories under one roof: Mexican cuisine, Tex-Mex, barbecue, breakfast and brunch, cocktails and large-group dining.
Perhaps more importantly, the restaurant represents a significant reuse of a prominent former restaurant property along the Olive Boulevard corridor. Instead of leaving the former Houlihan’s building vacant or replacing it with a smaller concept, the property underwent a multiyear renovation that produced an approximately 8,700-square-foot, 280-seat independent restaurant.
Its extensive menu means customers can visit for very different reasons. One table may order tacos and enchiladas while another explores smoked meats. Weekend guests can choose breakfast or brunch-inspired dishes, while groups can use the larger space for celebrations and events.
For Creve Coeur and West St. Louis County diners looking for a Mexican restaurant that moves beyond the standard neighborhood format, The Mexican Barrel House offers a distinctive combination of food, drinks, atmosphere, and local restaurant history.
The restaurant offers dine-in service, online ordering, takeout, delivery, reservations, catering, and private-gathering accommodations.
The Mexican Barrel House business hours:
- Sunday – 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Monday – 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Tuesday – 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Wednesday – 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Thursday – 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Friday – 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
- Saturday – 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
NOTE: Business hours are subject to change without notice. Please call the restaurant to verify critical information.
Business Information
The Mexican Barrel House
1085 North Mason Road
Creve Coeur, Missouri 63141
Phone: 314-370-6010
Website: https://themexicanbarrelhouse.com/
