Cafe Rio Mexican Grill

What has happened to my beloved Café Rio? I was so excited when Café Rio came to Wenatchee, Washington. The brand and restaurant chain that I had followed and loved since 2005 had finally come close to home. In recent years, my wife and I have noticed subtle changes to the menu like when they switched from green chili rice to cilantro lime rice. Not the end of the world, but we noticed. Since then there have been more and more changes leading up to our visit yesterday with our family.
Like every other visit to the restaurant we entered the line excited for the food and fun environment. I ordered a pork quesadilla with a side of house dressing, my wife ordered her usual pork burrito, and for my two daughters and son we ordered a side of rice and beans and nino quesadillas. My family always drinks water, but I can’t resist the drink bar, especially the southwest limeade. The cashier only charged us for half the order and then had to fix it, not the end of the world, but still less than acceptable. We tried to find a table to sit at, plenty of room, but everything seemed dirty. I asked an employee to clean a table for us and someone promptly did so, never had to do that before. I took my cup to the drink bar and for the first time ever was disappointed in my options No Southwest Limeade. I was tempted by the strawberry lemonade for a moment, but when I looked closely, something didn’t seem right about it. I moved on and got a diet Dr. Pepper, also a first. I sat down to eat. I had been noticing for a while that the pork recipe was changing, but could never put my finger on it, not even sure if I was right or if it was all just in my head. The pork wasn’t even the same deep, rich, brown color it had been in the past and the flavor was definitely way off from my memories, it wasn’t in my head and my wife confirmed my thoughts before I could say anything. Then it all came together for me, I realized «this isn’t the same Café Rio that I have known and loved».
Now I noticed every detail that was off, the employees seemed unsure of themselves, almost awkward, and the energy and enthusiasm that was my first experience with the restaurant chain in Utah, and Wenatchee at first, was absent completely. The kitchen floor was dirty with little bits of trash and food, the broom resting at an angle against the wall like someone had intended to sweep it up, but lost interest. The grey plastic collar that covers the top of the trash barrel was dirty, smeared with discarded food… I think I know what happened.
This can happen sometimes with businesses I told myself. Things change. Changes in ownership or an attempt to boost profitability or market share or some other reason, in a way it doesn’t matter what the exact reason is because one important thing is clear, Café Rio has lost what made them special and I can taste it. For the first time ever, my wife and I have started contemplating other options for lunch in Wenatchee. My driving back home my wife said «maybe we should try Sonic next time» I hope that this is just a Wenatchee Café Rio problem, but I have doubts.
How did it happen? Café Rio just released their 3rdrewards program. Remember, the first was the punch card, then the plastic swipe card, and now an app. In addition, they have lowered their prices to $ 6.99. It looks like they are trying to compete with fast food chains like McDonald’s and Subway. If Café Rio was a man I would grab him by the front of his shirt and shake him saying «What is wrong with you man? Have you forgotten who you are, what you stand for? Have you traded it all for something as common as money? Wake up! Don’t you see the path that you’ve turned down is the wrong one? Turn back, go home, before it’s too late, before you become mediocre like all of the other blah food establishments in the world. You were Costco and are turning into Wal-​Mart, turn back while there is still time, it’s not too late»
I hope they figure it out, I really do. Until then I remain sad, frustrated, and disappointed.
Sincerely,
Café Rio Fan

Simply delicious. Great choice for a quick and tasty meal. Friendly staff, fresh (and I do mean fresh) ingredients, reasonable prices. Get the card… buy 10 meals, get one free.

First off, the décor is awesome! I love the mixture of folk Mexican and Tex-​Mex decorations. Next, the good was awesome! There were 6 of us and we all had a little bit of everything. Enchiladas with the pork were wonderful! There was a sweetness to it that just made it so delicious. Everyone had amazing, tasty, flavorful, and fresh taste! The staff was very friendly, especially Sierra and Cristian. The thing that topped it off for me was the availability of homemade fresh strawberry lemonade, mint limeade, and horchata. If you’ve never had horchata, TRY IT! It’s as delicious as a frappucinno and it’s included like a regular drink. I’ve never seen this anywhere else. Definitely will be back next time I’m in Wenatchee!

Wow! ! So excited to find café Rio in Wenatchee on our way through town! Their food is so fresh… all the ingredients taste crisp and their flavors have just the right amount of seasonings. Want more meat? Yes! ! More cheese? The answer is yes! ! Yay for café Rio! ! I wish I could give it 10 stars!

Food is good and the handmade tortillas are totally worth it. Too bad they can’t (or won’t) refill their drink dispensers. Went there for the strawberry lemonade and they were «out». This seems to be a trend.

Café Rio is a great concept, and we love that it’s a much healthier choice. However, this particular location has gone downhill since last year, and that makes me very sad! There’s a pretty stark contrast between our experiences last summer and this summer. Last year, more care was taken with the food and the restaurant was much cleaner. Maybe they’re understaffed, don’t have the right team and/​or the leadership is ineffective-​nonexistent, but the garbage cans are full, tables aren’t wiped, the signature drinks run low/​out, etc., every time we have dinner there. And that’s upsetting because this restaurant was wonderful last year and has everything going for it as a flavorful and healthier option!
I REALLY want to fall back in love with you, Café Rio Wenatchee, but you’re making it hard to keep giving you chances! I hope I can give you back those two stars I had to deduct for cleanliness and lack of attention to detail sometime soon…

I want to like this place. The food is fantastic. However I just can’t get over the staff. I have encountered too many immature, entitled twenty-​somethings working here. The employees I’ve had interactions with are rude, and dismissive. More into their own social experience than serving their customers. They huddle near the cash register and loudly socialize while the restaurant is a mess and customers are waiting to order. The dining room is filthy. Over flowing trash, and dirty tables, napkins and food scraps on the floor. This was my last try of this place. There’s so many other choices for mexican food in Wenatchee, where the staff is attentive and the restaurant is clean. Aplogize to the few employees actually doing their job.

It’s a fun restaurant. People are very friendly and its a nice place to eat for lunch brake. I would not say this resraurant is a Mexican grill for nothing I ordered was grilled. It’s an American view on buritos, tostadas and enchiladas. My pork was sweet, which was very strange for me but not in a bad way. I would definitely go back… They have the best lemonade ever!!!

Love café rio, it is one place as someone who can’t have gluten can eat, they will help you figure things out that you can have and are more than happy to make things to your order (exp. burrito salad bowl, but you will get charged burrito price) food is great and yummy

Great food friendly I recommend it but take it home I have been their a few times and it’s cold inside I hate cold food cold nachos are not good turn up the heat !!!

NOT GLUTEN FREE! I just went in for rice and beans and they have gluten. WTH??? Who puts gluten in rice and beans? Soooo disappointed as Mexican food is almost always safe for me.
@caferio — thanks for nothing!

Completely average except for the fact that the pork burrito they served me was barely warm and that was after they ran it through a toaster to melt the cheese they put on top. Thought I’d get some guacamole on the side… no, that costs another $ 2. With a $ 10 bill, I didn’t even have enough cash for a soda.

Went for lunch… this is a popular place! Long lines of people waiting to order and recieve their food. Reminded me of the chow line; folks working feverishly behind the counter plopping food in to aluminum pans, everyone contributing something. lol After they are done you somehow magically end up with a aluminum pan full of semi recognizable food! Tastes pretty good, too.
The chicken I had was dripping water and didn’t have a lot of flavor whereas the beef was seasoned better and didn’t suffer from being immersed.
I would be back if I had a compelling reason but not likely to drop in just because.

We LOVE Café Rio!!! The tacos are yummy, the tortillas are fresh and Taco Tuesday is such a deal! It gets crowded, but that’s the price you pay for yummy fresh tacos for $ 1.95 :) The staff is quick and efficient and always very nice :) If it’s too crowded just get through the line, which goes very fast (even if it looks long), and order to-​go. Their burritos and quesadillas are great too, but I think the tacos are my favorite because the fresh tortillas really stand out.

The place is way over priced! The pork burrito I had was sweet like pulled pork and not a normal Mexican pork preparation, and at $ 7.99 I would have thought it would have been out of this world but is was terrible. Also$ 3.29 for Chips and Salsa is a huge rip-​off as the salsa was like frozen tomatoes and way too much cilantro no onions, green chiles, or jalapenos in the little cups. I also asked for guacamole which was $ 1.99 so I thought I would get a generous portion but it was small 1-​ounce scoop. Finally $ 2.19 for a small soda is ridiculous considering you can get what ever size you want for a dollar at Mc Donalds. The other thing is what they consider their spicy sauce has no heat at all which must be known by them as they have a ton of different hot sauces at their condiment and drink bar. If they were confident in their food they would not have so many other company’s hot sauces there to cover up the taste of their food!
I do not recommend that anyone go here as it is over priced and a waste of money!

I had no idea that Café Rio made it out of Utah to WA. Good job.
I want to hire someone who can make these tortillas to come to my home and make them for me daily. I might have to pay them in beans and rice, but wow, those tortillas are so good.
This is not Mexican food so don’t expect that. The owner’s in Utah and they took some Americanized version of Mexican and CA surf to create this. The ingredients were fresh, and the food was good.
The crazy songs they do in the kitchen when someone ordered nachos and some other food were straight out of elementary school.
They need to do a better job of keeping the place clean and not crying when a customer points out to them that they made a mistake. Just because you forgot something for my boyfriend’s order and I pointed out doesn’t mean you were going to get fired. Also, don’t tell us your life story while making our food. There’s a difference between being friendly and annoying. Teenagers.
Food: 3
Ambiance: 2 — Because that singing/​chanting made our ears bleed
Parking: 4
Service: 3

Delicious food and gosh you get alot of it!

I love this place! The food is awesome! It is very fresh and delicious. They make everything right in front of you as you order it. I love the fresh made tortillas!!! My favorite is the salad with the Sweet Pork Barbaquoa. I have had it more than 50 times in the last 3 months. I could eat it everyday. I never get tired of it!
The place is very clean with cool décor and very friendly staff. I also love all the drink choices, especially the horchata and southwest limeade!

My only grip is the lack of ‘ground beef’ as a meat option.
Clean restaurant and engaging staff with fresh, delicious food.
For fast food, you could do a lot worse.

Freshest and most delicious Mexican money can buy. Sweet pork salad is to die for. When are you going to open a seattle location?