Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant

Awesome Mexican. Tasted so fresh. Simple green chili yet tasty. Huge outdoor patio to relax with a margarita.

What a gem! After working 19 hours straight, I was going out somewhere with the wife. We wanted a good time and good food and drinks. This place delivered. The food actually exceeded our expectations, which is saying a lot since my wife is as finicky as a cat. Really good-​excellent, authentic Tex-​Mex!
I thought I might feel a little out of place, since I showed up still wearing my work clothes. But we were well taken care of by the friendly staff. We asked for more private seating in a quieter area away from the music and the crowd. They accommodated us accordingly. I ordered a butt — ton of food and it was ALL delicious. They also know how to mix a drink here.
Another plus besides the great food and atmosphere is the fact that the food is non GMO, organic made by Jesus, etc. etc. — a huge plus. You made a friend Rio! We’ll be back for more!
Just a note: Some cops and jurisdictions can’t make an ethical living, so they look for ways to generate revenue, ahead of stopping crime. Greeley is no exception. Be careful not to get a parking ticket near here.

We ordered the cheese enchiladas very plain not much flavor. Guacamole appetizer was good and had lots of flavor. Good salsa and chips.

Fresh ingredients artfully prepared. That in a nutshell covers the food. Was good!
Atmosphere — boppin tunes, low key, good.
Service? Selling Point!
We were lucky enough to enjoy the services of LYNAE. Friendly and un-​pretentious Lynae is the reason we will be back. We really put the child through her paces… she came up aces! Joking aside she really is one of the good ones.

Very authentic Mexican restaurant, definitely the best in Greeley. The crab & shrimp enchiladas were amazing. A little bit on the pricey side but worth it.

Good food and great service. Burritos and salsa were excellent. Next time we are in Greeley will stop here again.

I like the Rio– the food is decent and the margaritas are good. The new menu is a definite increase in price, but these things happen. However, today the music is loud and rather incomprehensible. Whatever the mix is, I don’t get it– hip hop and punk rock mixed with ballads– and all at too high of a volume.
This is a weekly stop for us– hope the music doesn’t drive us away..

The food sucked. Had to ask for ice for our water. Chile rellenos had more breading than green chile. Then got a parking ticket for parking over the red line with a full size crew cab pickup. F… Greeley and the Rio!

Food was excellent, service was great. It is a old building which does add charm, but makes it seem dated in some areas. Try the spinach enchiladas! They are A+.

Ok-​I love the Rio! We have been regulars for years. But here’s the deal-​I love HOT food. My favorite thing ever was the Shrimp Diabla and the Atomica salsa-​but they have changed both of them! The shrimp is no longer extra spicey. Still good-​but not even close to being as hot as it used to be. And the Atomica… So sad! It’s now more of a salsa verde. Kind of «vinegary». Not even close to the best ever mix of roasted pepper deliciousness it used to be. What’s up with these changes? My family still loves the Rio-​we go almost every weekend. I just want my HOT menue items back please! :)

I ordered a chicken salad to go tonight with an order of guacamole. My salad was delicious. The pickled onions were great and so was the dressing. Fresh tomatoes and avocado were a nice with the very tender and flavorful chicken. The guacamole on the other hand was very very bland. I ended up adding some salsa to it. It tasted like plain avocado. I would really label this as authentic mexican food. But it’s a great place to go for flavorful FRESH food. I can’t wait to try their drinks and have a ladies night.

Good food, awesome margaritas!!. The Rio is a great stop for cocktails or a family dinner. Prices are reasonable and the staff is friendly and fast. The chips and Salsa are addicting. I usually eat at the Boulder location but this one in Greeley is just as good and they have a HUGE outdoor eating area.

Well this is my second time to Rio and each time I have enjoyed both the atmosphere and the food. I’m from San Antonio, Texas and I know good vibes and good Mexican good. This place has both and does am excellent job at making you feel comfortable, whether your eating alone or with a group. The strawberry margaritas are delish and the tortilla soup with chicken Is an awesome small appetizer to squeeze between drinks. Staff is attentive and service has on both occasions been wonderful. Drink up, eat up and enjoy the atmosphere. 2 thumbs up. Also I prefer to go during lunch our to avoid evening crowd. Enjoy!

People this place is nasty and over priced. The portions are tiny for what you pay and the food has no flavor what so ever. The service here sucks to top it off. The margaritas are not strong and 3 margarita limit come on now. Everything fresh bologna I don’t believe it. It taste can fresh to me. Go else where not worth the $$$.

Went here tonight with my students were participating in all-​state band. It’s always hard to find good food options during school events because so many students are on the UNC campus. I called to make a reservation earlier in the afternoon and my request was easily accommodated.
Microsoft seven walked in were treated politely and seated immediately. The server was great about keeping us filled with water, chips, and salsa. All of our entrées or reasonably priced and a good amount of food. Another restaurant was busy with many patrons we were fed quickly and had a positive experience.

I really don’t understand people who think The Rio is ‘SO DELICIOUS”. It’s not. I don’t care if you label it Tex-​Mex, or Mexican food with a New Mexican influence or anything in between. I don’t care if everything IS made fresh daily.
None of that matters when the food is bland, flavorless and boring. They boast that the enchilada sauce is made fresh, to me it tastes like it came straight out of a can. If you can make fresh food taste like prepackaged food perhaps it’s time to re-​think your recipes. The queso? It congeals into something after sitting in the dish for awhile that I would bet is nothing more than Velveeta mixed with salsa. The only think I like is the green chile soup and THAT is only edible 50% of the time. The other 50% it has a strange «cellulose» type texture that is revolting.
And honestly if it was priced accordingly I might even say you get what you pay for and move on. But their prices are not in line with the standard of tasteless, sad food they are serving. Get it together Rio.

My best friend and I stopped here for lunch after transporting 10 dogs to a sanctuary vet clinic.
I was ready for a margarita, and Rio Grande didn’t disappoint! Reasonably priced, nice bite, and tasty! It hit the spot so well, that I ordered another, just for good measure. My friend has the huevos (looked great!) and I had the cheese enchilada plate (delicious!). Being a vegetarian, I greatly appreciated the black beans that came with my dish.
Our waiter, Tyler, was awesome! Friendly, attentive, but not overly attentive. He was good-​natured, and timed everything perfectly 5 stars for him!
My only complaint would be the misters outside on the patio. I understand the cooling concept, but it made our chips quickly go stale, and they stayed on the entire time. A cool spritz every now and then is great. Continually getting misted — not so much.
But all in all, a great experience!

Nice al fresco dining, but I do wish they’d clean up /​fill /​start the fountain, or just get rid of it.
Food is tasty, drinks are strong, staff service and friendliness is great.
The place is certainly popular — it’s PACKED at dinnertime.

Our grand daughter, a student at the university, took us to this restaurant and we were certainly not disappointed. We ordered the Tortilla Soup, the Enchilada Chicken and the Tostada Guacamole. All were very good and the wait service was excellent. This was a great choice on the part of our grand daughter.

Reading the other reviews, I’m amazed. Simple advice for the half-​cocked judgmental: know where you are, and know what you’re eating.
This is not Tex-​Mex food. It is heavily influenced by regional Mexican cooking, and by New Mexican cuisine, where green chiles are as common a sauce ingredient as red. Of the five sauces offered, three are green, one using tomatillos, and two being vegetarian.
The Rio is primarily a restaurant for meat eaters, but also considers others. I started with tortilla soup, something I rarely eat because it usually has chicken broth and chicken in it. This one, a delicious alternative, was tomato/​chile based, with a mirepoix and crisped tortilla strips. Outstanding flavor, and for those who want it, they will add chicken.
I also had a chile relleno platter, with rice and black beans, the beans definitely not a Tex Mex ingredient. Their flavor is more complex than pintos, and here they are whole, cooked simply with no fat. The relleno has been called the dish of doom because it really cannot be prepared well outside a home kitchen — except here. It’s typically a soggy mess of something green enveloping cheese, with a bland, soft coating of egg or batter. Here, the large green chile was recognizeable as a vegetable, roasted and peeled but firm, filled with cheese, battered and fried so that the coating was crunchy. I can’t help ordering these in restaurants all over the West, but am always disappointed. This is the best relleno I’ve ever had out, and I think I’ll stop ordering them anywhere else.
Service, too, was very good. Our server was attentive without hovering, informative and friendly.
And the lady who couldn’t get over the flies? Maybe they were that bad. But when you are eating in a major meatpacking town with an unbelievable number of livestock in feedlots and industrial farming sheds to the east, and slaughterhouses complete with bloodpits too close to contemplate excessively, it’s highly likely that the flies are not the fault of the restaurant. Yes, ma’am, do chow down on that beef, and yes, flies do come with that. .. . sometimes.