Cafe Rio Blanco

Now closed. Saw the reviews and went to eat there, but they closed 2 weeks prior.

Homemade sangria, mussels and tamale were the items i got to enjoy! Absolutely delicious food and drinks. Don’t pass up the opportunity to have a cuban tamale! The grandmother of the owners makes them!

Stopped in on a business trip, hoping to get the authentic experience. Perhaps too authentic. I ordered Vaca Frita and sat back to wait as there was only one other party in the place. Then found out that they were out of Vaca Frita and my partner had got the last one. So I ordered the chicken special. They are getting two stars because the waitress (I am assuming their daughter) was very good and the chicken was very well cooked. The sauce over the chicken was full of bits of chicken bones. It seemed like they had ground up an entire chicken wing (bone and all) and put it in the sauce on top of my chicken. The rice and beans were good as well. The sauce the yucca was in did not complement it at all. Overall, I will not be back, and as a note I will be back in the area repeatedly on business so that is not irrelevant.

Awesome dining experience! My first try at Cuban food in an unlikely location. Owner Deborah went above and beyond to make our visit wonderful. Brought out samples of a few things to try that we didn’t order. Plantains, Chicken Fricasse special, Churrasco were heavenly! They were very accommodating and service was impeccable! Will be back for Paella night on Saturday! Make reservations.

One of my favorite Aiken restaurants. The empanadas are to die for… Debbie and Orlando love what they do and it shows everyday when the restaurant opens.

My wife and I were visiting Aiken. While on the road we researched restaurants in the area on Unilocal and found Café Rio Blanco. Great place, the food was wonderful and the service was great. The two young women working helped us with our selection, and exhibited customer service that was refreshing. Very friendly, informative and always smiling.
We had lunch on 12÷18÷12. Coming from Asheville, NC where there are tons of foodies and local food spots, we were very impressed. Wish they’d think about a Asheville location.
Thanks for a really good experience.

Aiken for Cuban! Like what their T-​shirts say… if you are aching for Cuban in Aiken, this is the spot. It might be the only spot, but man… coming from Florida, this place is legit!
All the dishes are delicious, I ordered the Vaca Frita. The rice and beans are great and the plantains and fried yucca as sides were authentic. Family run with padre running the front, while abuela cooks in the kitchen, and the daughter periodically being the waitress.
Who knew you could find an amazing Cuban restaurant in Aiken!

Thanks to Unilocal,I stopped in here on a Tuesday evening. In Augusta on business and always check out the local area. Café Rio Blanco did not disappoint. Great food and a super nice family running the show. Who whould have thought Aiken, S.C. for good Cuban cuisine? I’m glad I did.

Great! Cuban sandwich you need to try this place!

Went for paella tonight, and it was wonderful! The scallops were tender, shrimp and lobster perfect, mussels juicy. Had key lime pie and Cuban espresso for dessert A wonderful meal for Christmas Eve.

Aiken for a Cuban? This is the place to go if you are in the mood for Cuban food. You can also buy a t-​shirt that actually says «Aiken for a Cuban!»
Casual family run restaurant with Dad running the place, grandma making the Tamales and soup (and I’m sure other things), and grand-​daughter as the waitress. Very friendly people and very good food.
I had the Bistec Milanesa, which is breaded steak marinated, breaded and fried, topped with a slice of ham and melted cheese. Sides of white or yellow rice, fried plantain or fried yucca, and black beans. Of course the famous Cuban Sandwich was also outstanding. The menu show that they have Paella on Saturdays.
Definitely a gem in Aiken!

Delicious! Will gladly go here for Cuban again. Casual setting, great food, friendly and knowledgeable service.

Great authentic Cuban food. The restaurant is small and homey. Food is on a waiter serve bar. Employees were knowledgable about the food. The food was absolutely phenomenal. We ordered a second round of the empanadas.

Super nice people! Super authentic food! Cant wait to do the family paella night!

Authentic Latin food, sooooo much better than malias! Awesome!
I love mexican food, and cuban food is authentic latin… the addition of plantains was unexpected and damn good.

Best Latin food in 100 miles. This is a family owned and operated place and the food is amazing. The restaurant’s ambience is perfect and really adds to the experience.

It’s great to have a Cuban restaurant in Aiken. I’ve eaten at many Cuban restaurants in Florida over the years, and sure, some of them are better, but this is pretty darn good. The owners are a couple with the husband being Cuban, and sometimes his mother (I think so at least) is there as well.
They have recently added a few more staff that might not all be family, but they are still all very friendly. Some of the food is on a serving table where you can see it, some they prepare in the kitchen to your order.
The newly added Charasco steak is very good, and many of the dailies specials are good too. Garbanzo bean salad (with a ton of garlic) is wonderful.
They serve Paella on Saturdays, but I haven’t tried that yet so can’t comment. All in all though, a very nice addition to downtown Aiken.

I was delighted to find a Cuban restaurant in Aiken! I’ll be moving there soon, so this was a huge bonus. I grew up eating Caribbean food, and let me tell ya – this place is the real deal. But it should be. It’s owned by a Cuban couple, so it’s like home cooking.
The restaurant was very clean, and is nicely decorated, bright and airy. My boyfriend and I went for a late lunch and sat inside, but there area patio tables outside if the weather’s nice. We sat near a window so we could people watch.
We both ordered the arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) with sides of black beans and maduros, which are fried, sweet plantains. If you’ve never had them before, it’s worth a visit just to try them.
Anyway, after we ordered, the owner came over to our table and told us that she only had enough chicken left for one meal, and asked if would one of us mind having something else. My boyfriend chose the pot roast. It may seem disappointing at first to not get what you wanted, but it worked out really well because we shared both entrees.
The arroz con pollo was delicious. And the pot roast is not like your grandma’s pot roast. It’s simmered in a savory, tomatoey sauce, and was so tender, it practically fell apart when the fork touched it. The beans and maduros were perfect complements to everything.
After the meal, we ordered coffee. I asked for a café con leche (coffee with milk, sort of like a latte). I also asked for sugar because Cuban coffee is pretty strong. The waitress told me the owner sweetens the coffee herself. I wasn’t crazy about that idea because, as I said, Cuban coffee is strong and I figured she wouldn’t add enough, and because I’m very particular about my coffee and like to fix it up myself. But, it was my first visit, so I just asked the waitress to bring extra sugar with the coffee. I didn’t need it. The owner put just the right amount of sugar in the coffee. It was excellent! As picky as I am, I will be glad to let her prepare my coffee when I go next time, and there will be many next times!