This is the first restaurant I've been to in Syracuse and I loved it. Back in Wisconsin, we used to love this place called @Jose's authentic Mexican restaurant and that's by far the best Mexican restaurant I've ever been. This one is similar in many ways like the endless portions of fresh hot nachos and yummy fajitas.

+6

Stopped in on a road trip and we were really glad we did. The decor was fun and festive and food was very good. My kids all enjoyed it as well. I wish we weren't 5 hours away!

I have eaten at dozens of Mexican restaurants all over the country, and this was one of my favorites. The flavor of the food was amazing! The folks there were so kind. The setting and building were definitely not the most impressive, or aesthetically pleasing, so not like a formal date night stop; but the food was incredible! I have eaten a lot of bland Mexican food, so it was really nice to have food with so much flavor.

Haven’t had Mexican food in awhile and decided to try Rio out. I tried the steak quesadilla with salad and rice! I was surprised how tasty it was. The rice was fantastic and the small side salad was refreshing. The service was fast and overall a solid spot to try again. The menu has a great variety of items! Jalapeño poppers were on point, full of flavor!

It's been better, but it was still good. The Food did not seem fresh. It looked like it had been reheated or in a frozen state before it was cooked. But the service is always impeccable. The waiter was excellent. Today is March 5th 2022 Today's lunch was a great improvement.... The service is ALWAYS great....and our waiter was excellent! Bravo!

The place was amazing! Great open space and very clean. Great place for your family or groups. The food was a 10+, the service was on point, all questions answered, and suggestions were made to save us a few bucks by our waitress. 2 THUMBS UP 👍👍

+6

Excellent food, good service, decent prices. Come early on weeknights, or you'll have to wait!

Great place food was amazing service was great

Great staff, authentic food, awesome prices.

My son went there for his birthday and came back raving about it. I went with friends today, and I will say, we all loved it. The service was topnotch. The food came out quickly and it was delicious. I highly reccomend.

Surprisingly large menu for Mexican food in area. Definitely will come back. I ordered the Mole Ranchero, which is good enough for CNY.

Excellent authentic food 👌🏾 friendly staff and great prices 👍🏾

+1

Service was great. The cheese was not what I was expecting on my egg quesadilla, but it was still really good. I'd come here again. Salsa was good too.

We moved away a few years back. We make a point of stopping by everytime we come visit. Food is amazing, beautiful atmosphere and the staff are wonderful.

This restaurant is outstanding sometimes I work up in Liverpool but live an hour and a half away and even on days I’m not working I will make the drive to this establishment best Mexican food I have had in New York, all of New York. I myself am a Mexican woman and can never find a restaurant that has the authentic taste down, this place has it. Highly recommend always end up leaving my plate like this. Owner and staff are amazing

Nice Mexican restaurant. Taste is really good. Good ambiance. Mist try place

soooo yummy, fast friendly service, cute decor and waiters ;)

+1

Really good spot to get authentic Mexican food. Their choice of 3 menu option is my personal favorite!

Best place ever! Huge portions and absolutely delicious! Staffs always very friendly and quick.

One of out favorites! Tried a new dish and it's delicious. It's Pina loca I highly recommend it.

Awesome food. Friendly staff. Every time we order the same thing and it's always a little bit different. But always good so not complaining. The churros are delicious.

I've literally never had a poor experience here. The food is phenomenal and the staff is wonderful!! The queso fundido that has chorizo in it is the best!!!

Amazing food, great service, and beautiful atmosphere. The Pollo Diabla was smokey, spicy, and worth the trip.

Authentic with fast and friendly service. Definitely the best food in the Village of Liverpool and the best Mexican food around!

Been coming here for years. The food is always fantastic and the bartender is great he makes the best margarita in the 315.

Beyond impressed with the service and experience here! Waiters asked endlessly how everything was and how they could do better. Definitely will be back!

Absolutely love this place! Food and service are both great. Price is good too. Can't wait to go back!

Really amazing food and prices! Staff are incredibly friendly and food is prepared perfectly and the decor is all custom handmade.

Excellent restaurant with delicious tacos and other Mexican food. Yummy!

Food is excellent- staff is very friendly. I love this place!

Had lunch here today and really enjoyed the food and the service was great also. Got a nice big portion for a great price too! I will definitely return.

The food is amazing and the staff is so incredible. I had my 2 year old and my seven month old with me when I went to pick-up my food. When waiting for our order to come out a young gentleman pulled out a chair for me to put the car seat on so I wouldn’t have to put her on the ground or hold it. Then he grabbed our food and followed me out to the car holding the doors open for me and the kids. I could have done it all and he certainly didn’t have to go the extra mile but it made all the difference ~ completely made my day! Also the food was phenomenal, I would highly recommend and I’ll definitely be coming back!

Had the La Bandera dish. It had three enchiladas the beef and cheese ones were seasoned well and the chicken one wasn't my favorite but still good. The al pastor tacos were also very good with pieces of pineapple giving them the authentic touch. If you're looking for authentic food with a colorful atmosphere then consider Rio Grande.

The only thing missing was a bag hook under the bar. Not worth a star but it’s my thing. Makes me extra happy.

Rio Grande has really good food, very fresh ingredients. Fast, friendly, fair prices, and a pleasant interior. The carved and painted tables and chairs are really nice too.

Phenomenal food my God. Good ol beer. Awesome people. Top tier spot.

I've been past this place hundreds of times since it opened and FINALLY came to check it out. Its no wonder this place has lasted the longest out of all the businesses placed there. The food is delicious!

We now have street corn and the best margaritas in town

Delicious food. Great service. Nice atmosphere. The salsa was my fav. I will definitely be back.

Good was good and drinks were good definitely would come back to this place again.

+6

Fantastic food! Best chile rellano that I have ever had. They have excellent service and I have not a single complaint about the place. For anyone who likes to go out for drinks with friends, their drinks are very large for the price. I am including a picture of two of their drinks, a blue margarita and a mango daquiri (medium size for $9 and some change).

Loved our lunch. Service is perfunctory but polite. Food is excellent and reasonably priced.

Very good Mexican food very authentic atmosphere was very good. Service was great. Recommend you try.

I tried their fajitas, and the sizzling platter arrived hot and full of vibrant flavors—tender beef, crisp vegetables, and perfectly seasoned. The sides, especially the guacamole and rice, complemented the meal nicely. The atmosphere was lively and festive, and the service was friendly and attentive. If you’re in the mood for a delicious Mexican meal, Rio Grande is definitely a place to check out!

Alex Oris.

This is a very nice and cozy restaurant. My wife and I normally go there for their tortilla chips with beer. The sauce is just the perfect amount of heat in it. This time I ordered a dish that was recommended by the waiter. I wanted something with meat and cheese and full of flavor. And I wasn't disappointed (minus saltiness, not to my liking, thus 4 stars). Initially my wife didn't want to have a main course but after sampling mine, she actually ordered exactly the same dish. The saltiness was a "bull's eye" to her liking. We enjoyed the atmosphere. My wife's Margarita was also perfectly balanced. Overall, very solid place to go to for good quality Mexican food. Thank you!

Michelle

My husband and I visited this establishment regularly! The service is extremely quick; we have always been in and out within an hour, and the food is always cooked to perfection and full of flavor! The portion sizes are great too, we always leave with full bellies and sometimes a bit of extra rice to take home with us!

Faith Dennis

I’ve been here multiple times and they never miss. The food is delicious and hot every time. Their lunch prices are amazing

John De santis

"Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant - excellent experience! The food and service were top-notch, making for a wonderful dining experience. However, I do have one suggestion: be cautious when ordering the double fajita. While the portion is slightly larger than the regular, the price is double. In my opinion, it's better value to order two single fajitas - you'll pay only a few dollars extra, but you'll get two full portions. Worth considering if you're looking to get the most bang for your buck. Overall, Rio Grande is a great spot for delicious Mexican food and great service!"

Hannah Perez

Glad we found this place. Food and service were great. Complimentary clips and salsa. Love the atmosphere, tables and chairs. Beautiful.

+1

Keven Yao

The food here is delicious, especially the steak and tacos. Both were flavorful and cooked perfectly. Prices are very reasonable for the quality and portions you get. Service was also excellent—friendly and attentive throughout the meal. Highly recommend this spot for great Mexican food at a good price.

Betty Lou

I’ve had several DoorDash pickups here each time it just smelled so good I had to try it out. Finally sat down for a meal here with the family and we were very impressed. Going to be a new frequent spot for us! Bonus, my daughter and I swooned over the Churros, so good!

+1

Lexi Chipules

Absolutely delicious! One of the best tacos I've had in Syracuse, I can't believe I didn't come here sooner. The margarita was large and delicious. The rice and beans were a bit underwhelming and lacking flavor, but the birria tacos made up for it. Their house salsa is also very tasty.

Megan Camm

We visited Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant on a Tuesday night and were pleasantly surprised by how bustling it was! It's clear that this spot is a neighborhood favorite. We started with a spicy margarita and a coke, which were served promptly, along with complimentary chips and salsa. We couldn’t resist adding guacamole for $5. For our entrées, we ordered the fajitas and carnitas—both arrived quickly and were absolutely delicious. The portions were generous, and we had plenty of leftovers to take home.

John Elmer

Salsa and chips were fresh and tasty. Diablo chicken was spicy and delicious. Fast and friendly service and very nice to the kids. My burrito was great

+1

Angelique Ortiz-Kane

I've been to this restaurant twice - once for a late lunch and once around dinner time. Both times, the service was outstanding and the food was perfection!!! During the lunch time visit the restaurant was fairly empty. The service was pretty quick, and we did not wait very long at all for our meals. During the dinner time visit the restaurant was pretty full. We didn't have to wait for a table for 8 people, but the majority of the tables were full. Even with a full restaurant, the service was quick and the food came out very fast. Both times, I ordered Carnitas. They were so good the first time that I wanted them again. The Coca-Cola there is very good too. The staff is very friendly and attentive. The restaurant is clean and festive. The bathroom is very roomy (big enough for a wheelchair).

+3

Bill Robinson

This place is a gem. The food is delicious and authentic. The staff is super friendly. The restaurant gets super busy for a reason. Service was a little slow because they could use the extra help. It is the best Mexican food place that I have been to, and I have been to Texas. Two thumbs up and high praise for this place! If you love Mexican food, then you won't be disappointed in this place.

Shawn Surma

This place is really great. Authentic Mexican food and drink. The new bar looks great. Staff is very attentive and friendly. Glad we have this restaurant in the village. Stop in if you want good food.

+2

Service is rapid(o), food in less than 10 min. Basic, solid Mex. food, tasty & made by real latinos. We got all vegetarian, and the guacamole was good. No complaints! Former Burger King building.

Delicious flavorful food ,nice service, and perfect portions,good value for your money. Yes,we will definitely go back.

+1

Food was really good and looked great. They were a bit under staffed I think, and getting a drink took a long time especially for a spicy meal. I'd go back.

I stopped here after a 3 hour drive. The place was busy with patrons left and right. The hostess was super nice and expedient at her job, especially since she doubled as my waitress. I was seated immediately, given the menu, by the time I opened it up she returned with complementary chips and salsa. I was given a few minutes to review the menu and decided to get the Street quesadilla with chorizo. The food came out within 10ish minutes and was just absolutely delicious. I recommend stopping here for your meal, whether you're a local and a traveler such as myself.

Went to this restaurant on our way back from Canada. Wasn’t expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised with the food and taste. Menu looks a little too long, but hey, more options to choose from. I would definitely recommend the chicken fajita quesadilla (5/5). The service was fast( we went on a Sunday afternoon), and the servers were nice. I would recommend this place to anyone!

First off, I'll say overall Rio Grande is excellent and I'm so glad we can get good Mexican food right here in the village! There are some delicious things on the menu... The rice and beans, a staple of the cuisine, are always delicious and super authentic (at least true to the Sonoran Mexican food I grew up with in Tucson). The Carnitas Mexicanos with nopalitos are my favorite as they are super juicy and flavorful. My husband and son love the burritos, and you can never go wrong with La Bandera! A couple issues; last time we ordered chicken enchiladas suizas and instead of green tomatillo sauce it was just plain red enchilada sauce, flour tortillas instead of corn, and then a bunch of raw red onions piled on top? See pic. That was super disappointing. There was no creamy Verde sauce like you would expect. The Chicken Mole was like a big dry chicken breast with some mole sauce from a jar poured on top. And the eggs on my chilaquiles were cooked way too hard, like a hard boiled egg instead of a nice over easy with a runny yolk like you want on chilaquiles! Final gripe: No salsa with the chips in the takeout order! BUT AGAIN, this is probably nitpicking from a fan. You can depend on getting a good meal every time you're there, overall!

Decent Mexican food. Lots of choices! The servers are friendly.

+6

Amazing food! A little spendy for what you get but overall good! I was charged $8 for one pop with a refill.

Food is good. Served Fareley quickly. However, no one came back to check if we needed anything after we got our food. This happened another time as well. They forgot my tortillas and guacamole. By the time she came back, I had finished my food. They didn't even take anything off my bill.

The food was good, and they served the beer in massive glasses. The service was quick and good as well. The flavor of the chicken and peppers inside of the burrito were great!

This is a great spot for Mexican food. I came here with my family, and I loved it. I can't wait to come back here. This is a former fast food place; the inside has been painted but it still looks the same on the inside. They have booths and tables inside with plenty of seating. I love their drinks, chips and salsa and enchiladas. My whole family loved their meals. I'm looking forward to coming back here again soon.

Carrie Luther

Another great margarita and to go order on a Saturday afternoon. It was Dia de los Muertos and some decorations at the bar and festive ballon's. True Blue Margarita ordered and sipped on while order was being prepared, I think the blue is my favorite at this establishment so far! They will give you a to go cup, as the margaritas are monstrous! I was greeted immediately upon entering and seated myself, drink and to go order both taken promptly. Short wait time for to go order, I do like to have the salsa and chips with the margarita but that came with the to go order this trip. I do think the tortillas were a bit stale this order. I ended up using the salsa with the quesadilla. Great quesadilla wish it came with sour cream, I would love to add jalapeños as well next trip. Supreme Enchiladas good as well, I prefer the chicken. Good amount of food for the price. The portion was plenty to share. I need to remember to add the Guac! I think the dinner meals should add the guacamole with order but I'll be sure to order next trip! Bon appetit!

+8

Alrity

A True Taste of Mexico! From the moment you step inside, this restaurant feels genuinely authentic, transporting you straight to Mexico. The food is nothing short of fantastic – truly authentic flavors that sing on your palate. Every dish was hot, fresh, and utterly delicious. The service was also top-notch, and attentive without being intrusive. And let's not forget the drinks! Their margaritas were, of course, a highlight, perfectly crafted and utterly enjoyable. If you're looking for a truly authentic Mexican culinary experience, look no further – this place is a gem!

+3

Vera Wang

Came here for pick up orders so can’t really say anything about service. We found out the price of their website and here were both outdated. Just want to help them update the menu price so whoever wants to order by phone could know the price better.

+4

Alexandria Dailey

Husband and I decided for quick local lunch! Never a disappointment! Margheritas are delicious 😋. Husband had the CheeseSteak; VERY TASTY! (Needed a little more meat) I had the lunch Chimiganga; delicious MINUS the red sauce(personal preference, but I don't care for it) This place won't disappointment when you're in the mood for local good Mexican and great drinks!

One of the poorer Mexican experiences I've had. Service was slow and borderline unfriendly despite a nearly empty restaurant. I ordered the fajitas, and they weren't particularly hot - it seemed like they'd sat in the warmer for a while. The steak was borderline gross, not seared and with big chewy ribbons of fat and gristle through it.

Not a happy camper. I called to find out when lunch ended and was told at 3. When we got there we were given menus, so I of course looked at the lunch menu. Come to find out, on Saturday the prices are 1/2 again as much. Perhaps they shouldn't hand you a menu with prices that are different than what you'll be charged. I guess I should have read the fine print, lunch specials are only M-F. Too much money for what we had to eat. Won't be going there again soon, food eh, not remarkable. Waitress was nice, though, even if she couldn't understand English very well.

If only i could see how much alcohol was in this margarita, because it tasted like none. I drank a lot of marg mix that day. Food was solid mexican/hispanic grub, don't get the shrimp salad, get a burrito/taco/quesadilla and thank me later.

Only okay. Got a ground beef taco and two shredded chicken enchiladas. Not amazing but not horrible. At least they had guava jarritos!

Abraham Almagrabi

We were driving to some other place, but noticed this restaurant and thought we might give it a shot. First thing I noticed was there was no friendly welcome, no smiles and a lot of staring at us. Not sure if they've ever seen a Middle Eastern couple before, but the way we were consistently looked at felt like we just drove into a weird city in Mexico. Never experienced this in any restaurant I've visited before. After some waiting, a server provided the nachos and salsa and that was pretty good - though the salsa was not spicy at all - which I was expecting. We ordered the beef and chicken fajita, cheese steak, and the Mexican pizza for our kid. The food came in nice and hot. The beef and chicken were well spiced. However, the rice on both plates was bland and need some salt and pepper to add some flavor. The cheese steak was good, but the tortilla was drowned in cheese from the outside and made it a bit hard to eat. The ground beef in the pizza was good, but may also need more flavor. One thing I noticed was the service improved a bit throughout meal, but I hope they started it well. Overall, it was an okay experience. The food was good, but the service needs to be much improved, and servers/hosts need to do better. Not sure if I'll give it another try, frankly.

Xero Requiem

Came here specifically to check out their Birria tacos. Overall I would summarize them as seemingly plain tacos with a deep fried tortilla with no real flavor. The meat in tacos tasted good, but it was plain with no signs it had been marinated/stewed at all. The Birria sauce on the side to dip them in had no flavor either and made no impact on the dish. I got the impression their normal tacos would taste just fine and that I should have gone that route rather than paying 25 dollars for the Birria tacos. Aside from that, the rice that came with the tacos was one of the best sides of rice I've had at a Mexican restaurant, and the complementary salsa was pretty good as well even if it did lack any form of spice (my preference is spicy). The staff was kind though the service was pretty slow. They also never come by to check if we'd like to refill on anything until they delivered our food, despite sitting empty at the end of the table for about 15-20 minutes. I'd consider coming back in the future to give them another shot, but I'd never get the birria tacos again. I went with a friend who has eaten at Rio Grande multiple times and highly recommended their food. Even he was let down by their Birria tacos. My current rating based on my singular experience stands at a 6/10 though.

Take out was not so great. You're seeing their "fried ice cream" in the picture so if you're considering, I'd pass unless you wanna pay 6.50 for a salad shell with cinnamon and a scoop of vanilla. We added the whip at home, that's not included. One meal came with no rice and beans. We ordered queso with no extra chips included with the cold half cup of the stuff. I've had them before and they were good. Something made them go way downhill unfortunately. I won't be dining here again.

I never really write reviews but this place definitely needed one for their birria tacos. This place is way way over hyped. The tacos were so dry they don’t even come with cheese, the shells were not crunchy at all and the dipping sauce tasted like plain oil. then on top of all this I waited almost 15 minutes at the bar to even have someone make me a drink (they were not busy at all and walked by me multiple times) so it’s safe to say if you want some actual birria tacos Guadalajara’s over by Clinton Square is where you want to go. Also the rice and beans were just as dry we all took 2 bites and left it there.

My co workers and I have been ordering lunch from this location for the past 4 years, after today we will no longer ever eat from this establishment. One of my co-workers found a quarter in her rice, we called to inform them. Apparently with the language barrier the gentleman could not understand the words "Quarter in my rice" he kept saying I do not understand. I walk in with my food, I said nothing and he said "Quarter in your rice?". Now he understands which is odd. I did get a full refund but the manager that I dealt with began to ask questions about how the quarter was found and where it was located like it was the customers fault?? I told him we definitely did not put a quarter in the rice just to go out of our way to complain. I halted the questioning and asked for the refund informing them we will never be back.

i just door dashed 60 dollars worth of your food. i stopped coming here for a couple years bc the quality turned. i was seeing good review after good review so i was like okay i’ll give it a go. my 8 year old literally hates meat. i ordered a quesadilla made with beans. got here & it was chicken. also everything was placed in her meal so it was so extremely watery, the tortilla was basically slime. we were missing a side of rice. everything was gross. never again. honestly may call for a refund. 60 dollars for what???? UPDATE: my food is also soggy as it’s sticking to the to go boxes.

How this place has a 4.5 review I have no idea?! The food is disgusting i order caldo de Cameron which is shrimp soup and they literally brought me out a bowl of frozen shrimp and frozen vegetables in chicken broth no seasoning no nothing. I then ordered cheese enchiladas and they managed to mess that up too. I felt bad for the woman next to me because she order shrimp fajitas and it looked like itbwas literally taken out of the frozen bag and heated up in a microwave and thrown on a fajita plate. Now I'm mexican and from Texas so I understand food varies place to place but this was unacceptable I told the waiter and he argued that this is what I ordered as if I didn't know what I was talking about. When I asked him to remove it from my bill he said ok and charged me anyway. When I asked again he brushed me off and said his manager said he can't taken it off. Needless to say I am disputing the charge and for the love of God do not go here.

You place an order and ask for extra guacamole and this is what they give you for .99. Not to mention the quesadilla is sitting in a liquid of some sorts. Definitely not worth the $17 that it was worth.

Looked on line fir bean dip on their website it said 7.00 so I called the man on the phone who English was so horrible I could not understand he kept saying 8.50 you need to order several times I said no …. 2 days later I went and purchased and it cost 9.99 far cry from the 7.00 on their menu on line …. Bean horrible tried to speak to manager not available tried to get my money back no way speak to manager the man said again….. chips were so hard I though I would of broken a tooth and the salsa taste like watered down tomato juice WILL NEVER GO HERE AGAIN

Awful food. I threw most of it away as it was inedible. Chicken was bland, chips were bland and the taco salad had some weird chemical taste like I was eating cleaning products. Not to mention when you say the salad comes with tomato on it, i expect more than one literal slice of tomato. Waste of money.

Don't try to order through door dash. Food tasted good after the microwave but arrived like this. They also have no modifications through door dash so I called them and spoke to a nice woman who specified my needs to the kitchen since I couldn't through door dash. Called them another time so I could specify what I needed and rude younger sounded staff member shut me down and was horrible to speak with. ALSO I order though door dash because whenever I am able to go in and eat food is cold w piping hot plate. Save ur money and go to a different Mexican place bc they literally are all the same shirt. Also hostess who spoke to me that way, just don't. Maybe your thought you were being okay but you weren't. Spoke to her today. Foods good after microwave but service sucks

My mother and I ordered from Rio Grande yesterday. She got the taco salad and I got the chorizo tacos that comes with a side of rice and beans and I paid an extra $2.00 for shredded cheese. That picture is what I ended up with. Nothing but EXTREMELY salty and dry chorizo in three crunchy shells. No rice, no beans, no cheese. No taco veggies on the tacos. I paid over $15.00 to end up building my own tacos at home. When I called Rio Grande to let them know that they had forgotten to include the rice, beans, cheese, and most of my taco, the guy who answered the phone told me I could come pick them up. He then told me he was very busy and hung up on me. It was 3:30 on a rainy afternoon. Thankfully my mother's taco salad was good, but we won't be eating here again.

As someone else said, I had the same awful and scary experience. The tortilla chips tasted like a strange chemical! I was very sick the next day. I will never go back there!!

Alisha Rubin

My family and I just ate at this restaurant. The reviews looked great so we thought it would be fine. Just start off our server was extremely rude The entire time. I ordered a $22 margarita and it tasted like water. I asked the server too please take it off of our bill. He was very rude. He came cleaned off the table. I asked for a box he walked away from me came back, kept just snatching things off the table, not looking at us not asking if we need anything else I had to grab Another server to ask for boxes I let her know that our server was being so rude. She was very helpful and great. I wish I got her name, but I didn’t. This was the worst Mexican restaurant experience I’ve ever had.