Cafe Rio

We went on a Friday night at 6:00pm. It was average busy and still took us 30 minutes to get our food. If you’re not eating in the restaurant, I would recommend calling it in ahead of time. I always get the Sweet Pork Quesadilla and it’s amazing!! They have a good selection on the menu, kid’s menu, variety of fountain drinks and additional drinks like horchata, a couple different teas one herbal and some other flavored drinks. There’s lots of seating and tons of free parking as it’s in a business park. Handicap accessible for both parking and restaurant. Prices are reasonable and the food is good enough to make it worth the price and wait. The fountain machine has the nugget ice that everyone loves, but the machine was out when we were there. The staff could be more friendly, but they did a good job and managed to not screw up our order. If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t been here, you need to go!! This location is right off the I-15 freeway so it’s quick access maybe 2 minutes drive on and off the freeway. Vegetarian options: They serve salads although not a lot of variety for someone who is Vegetarian. Kid-friendliness: Great place for kids. It’s busy and a little loud. They have some fun decor and lots of families there. Parking: It’s in a business complex with lots of free parking. Great for larger vehicles as well. Wheelchair accessibility: Easily accessible both parking, restaurant entrance and seating.

I decided to order a quesadilla. They had advertised, and had signs for Pollo Asado. Tried to order it but was told they don’t carry that. A little disappointed. Had the steak instead. It was very good. The plating was an afterthought otherwise pretty good.Food: 5/5

Great Texmex style Mexican food. One gentleman working the food service line was amazingly polite. The others were indifferent. I will post a picture of the one Cafe Rio employee who is worthy of praise. Clean facility and pleasant atmosphere.Food: 5/5

WTH happened to Cafe Rio?!! I had heard about them from a lot of friends but there were none in my home state at the time so I didn't get to try them until a family trip to UT. I wasn't hungry but I fed my kids and my elderly parents and I grabbed a burrito to go for later when I was hungry again. I decided to try a nibble while I waited for them to eat so I could have the fresh experience. It was so delicious that I ended up eating most of it on the spot. My wife wasn't along with us on this trip but a few months later, we were in Wenatchee, WA and there was a location there at the time so I took her. She was skeptical but ended up loving it. This was all more than a decade ago now and since then, the quality has gone way down hill. I learned in college about how cost accounting degrades the quality of food offerings in franchised or chain restaurants. Basically, they start off with something great that people love and this allows them to become successful enough to franchise or become a chain. Then, they become a corporate entity and the accountants start looking at ways to save money. This eventually makes it to the food. They realize that if they decrease or change a certain ingredient by some small percentage, they can save $X number of dollars annually. As the years go by and this keeps happening, eventually that product you used to love is like a copy of a copy of a copy, etc and it's no longer very good. This has destroyed Cafe Rio for me. I imagine it has for a lot of other people as well. I hear the Wenatchee location is closed now and the crowds are a fraction of what they used to be on the rare occasion I visit. I honestly wouldn't visit at all if I didn't occasionally have friends with less refined palettes insist on meeting for meals there. I realize that those people keep the Jack-in-the-Box's and Burger Kings of the world in business but when was the last time you ever saw a big crowd at an average location for either of those spots? I remember seeing large crowds at Cafe Rio in the last decade so they could actually course correct, but they probably won't. To be clear, it's not just this location. It's every location I've been to the past few years. I was with someone within the last couple of weeks who insisted on eating there in my new home state of NV. I didn't want it but they insisted so I grabbed some nachos to munch on and even they sucked. How do you screw up nachos?

So is there no quality control anymore? We ordered catering for 8. There was only enough for 4. They completely forgot the tortillas. Tortillas, for a taco order? How? Then everything else we received was watered down. I didn't even know that was possible. You run out of food, and you had an order that was placed days in advance that you can't fulfill so you water it down? Disgusting. You can see all the left over water in the attached pictures. Absolutely disappointing for the original Café Rio and we have been with you since the beginning. Do better. We will not be ordering again. A birthday was ruined and 4 people didn't get to eat, so thank you for that.

I ordered a sweet pork salad for takeout and when i got home there was no beans, no rice, and no meat. Just a tortilla and lettuce. I get if you’re out of something, but let me know don’t just send me home with nothing in my 10 dollar salad. I will be in tomorrow to get a refund

Ordered the sweet pork salad, chicken salad, sweet pork quesadilla and of course the delicious queso chips and salsa. All meals were made to perfection and had each of our add-ons just like we ordered online.

The general atmosphere seems a bit bare compared to other Mexican restaurants I've visited. The line looks a dirty when I was visiting, and ordering food was a bit of a hassle. Whoever was on ordering was a little, unfriendly and straight to the point, bit of an older woman. The grills also look like they don't get cleaned regularly. It also feels like we are back in a school cafeteria because we are served with foil tins. Cashier was great though she seemed friendly.

I love Cafe Rio. I got a shredded chicken salad. They didn't give me enough lettuce which usually, it's the other way around. Other than that, the staff was very friendly and helpful. Aaron is so sweet and refilled our drinks while we sat down and ate.Food: 4/5

Super busy but didn’t wait long. Food was amazing. Love the sweet pork burrito. Staff was slammed and seemed a little stressed but the gentleman in the lobby was so nice and helpful.Recommended dishesSweet Pork Salad, Enchilada Style Burrito