Tequila Rio: Mexican Cantina

We had a blast. It was late summer. Weather was nice outside and the food complimented the whole vibe. Can’t wait to revisit next summer.

Great place. Food is really tasty. Atmosphere what's perfect The staff was excellent I will definitely come back and recommend it to all my friends

This place is a hidden gem! Kendra the bartender is excellent everyone should go see her for happy hour

So nice by the river with propane fire torches, decorated for Halloween! Food was delicious! Great margaritas too

Excellent happy hour! Perfect for Saturday 3-6pm definitely visit again

The food was amazing!! I had the carne azada taco it the steak was cooked to perfection. The drinks were delicious. And loved the vibe and music.

The food was Delicious.Very nice crew . Great location.! easy on easy off the highway. Very good atmosphere seating by the river. Well done Chef Xavier.

La comida muy rica…. Increíble dios and service the bartenders were really nice and had lots of tequila knowledge .. chef Xavier has capture something mágical with the blend of mexican and caribbean flavors cant wait to go back-!!! Make sure to visit this Restaurant.

Went here for dinner for the first time this past Friday. My friend and I ordered shrimp Burritos. Absolutely delicious!! It was so good I took a family friend back the next night. Once again we ordered the shrimp burritos because they were so incredible the first time. We sat at the bar and Barbara was our server. She was so friendly and accommodating. This little Mexican restaurant definitely made me feel like I was in a cantina somewhere in Mexico and really enjoyed talking with Barbara. Thank you.

Great food! We loved the tacos and yucca fries so much, we had to come back. Great ambiance—lights on the ceiling and trees make you feel like you’re in a tropical oasis. Not sure why people have given this place 1 star, far from that! Worth to check out.

WOW.... what a treat it was to grab some food and drinks here. Definitely going back have to try some other great bites. Grab some friends enjoy something different. Don't forget ice cream downtown.

I don’t usually leave reviews but I thought this was deserving….My friend & I wanted to eat near water tonight but didn’t want to drive to the shore. Tequila Rio did not disappoint. Margaritas were great and the food was fantastic. I had the salmon & my friend had the shrimp & rice. Service was great, they were very attentive. Not to mention the view of the CT river, is always great. We will be back!

The vibe was all there. Eating on the river, was the perfect end to a stressful day. The food, was everything I wanted in a genuine Mexican experience. The head chef, jerry, gave us a full rundown of the menu, and suggested some very stellar options. The prices seems high at first, but after getting our entrees, we were more than full, and more than satisfied. The desert was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I will go back as many times as needed to try everything this amazing restaurant has to offer. They have big plans for expansion, and I know they will be successful. Well done crew!

AMAZING FOOD! GREAT FIND!! First of all, beautiful night sitting outside with the gorgeous view of the river and bridge. But the food was fantastic. The chips (homemade) came with salsa to the table -- delicious! We had the crab empanadas and you could tell how much care went into making these. We shared the chicken mole tacos and shrimp tacos. Both unbelievable. The owner even came over to us and asked us how we were enjoying our dinner. If we hadn't been in the CBS building we would never have found this place. I consider myself a great critic of all food in general (for a variety of reasons LOL), and I WILL find my way back to this place. Additionally wait staff -- very attentive! JUST GO THERE.

Great location, nice ambient live music, loved all our food. We went early (530) and with kids. Next time we go we'll probably be just grown ups and will lose the t-shirts; it's a little more upscale than we expected. The prices aren't really though which was nice. Kids are fine to go as well but no kids menu - they split an entree. Recommended and we plan on going back.

Beautiful setting, great atmosphere! We went for Happy Hour today, Saturday 8/9/25... margaritas were perfect, my wife had the Chicken & Cheese Taquittos I had the Tuna Tartar Nachos and we shared Chips & Salsa. All was fresh & quite delicious! Isabella, our server, was great, friendly, prompt and on point! We highly recommend & will certainly return!

Went back since our last experience which we rated 5 stars and when we arrived it looked like they were closed. We went up to River and they told us Tequila Rio has an indoor location and the manager walked us over to the indoor location which was small but very nice. We sat at the bar and the bartender Max was so nice and had a very vast knowledge of everything the bar could serve. He introduced a couple of “Fall Drinks” to my wife that were not only very good but very seasonal in taste. He is very creative and will make anything or give you his professional opinion on request. The Barilla Eggrolls are so good and need no explanation. Just order them!!

Aaron and staff was great people! Chef Xavier great attitude and great food , definitely recommend to my family and friends,,, I already did lol you just have that great attitude when people like them make you feel comfortable. Thank you definitely be back with my family Aaron (Manager) you’re such a beautiful soul and so amazing would love to see you again 🙏🫶 thank you guys so much !

Great place. Nice outdoor atmosphere and Isabella was our server at the bar area who was an absolute pleasure. Very attentive from start to finish.

Great for date night. Very low traffic. We were sat down right away on a Saturday evening and food was out fairly quick

i really liked this place! the food was great and it was delicious ! what disappointed us was we received our food almost an hour and a half later but, we understand that the staff was working incredibly hard and well to get everyone their food and get it to the right tables and get it on time. i got polo y chicken chasedillas (sorry for the incorrect spelling) and it was amazing in my opinion. we wish we got our food more earlier. but, the servers were nice and we would come here again ! please consider coming to this beautiful restaurant.

Great spot for happy hour or an outdoor bite to eat. The view of the river, the lighting, the food/drinks all just work. It looks a bit less developed (e.g. the kitchen is in a tent), but somehow it works. Worth checking out.

The principal reason for 4 stars is less than adequate service. The food is good and tasty creative drinks in a really beautiful setting. Staffing is an issue these days, but inordinate waits for every aspect of the dining experience was unfortunate and ultimately annoying.

View is amazing, right at the water level. It’s kind of like a food truck, service is quick, food and drink prices are fair.

Nice outdoor seating by the CT river

Seeing so many 5 star reviews, I had high hopes for this restaurant but it turned out less impressive. The location: it is probably the only selling point of the place. It’s right by the Connecticut River, close to the bridge. There is a calming, relaxing atmosphere. You may see people kayaking or boating on the river. You may catch beautiful sunset. The location earns it five star. The drink: it’s mediocre. The margarita tasted watery. The mango or peach margarita did not taste mango or peach at all. They all tasted the same. The drinks were served in a small plastic cup. Very environmental unfriendly! The food: the $18 shrimp taco came out only three small round tacos containing a few tasteless shrimps and one slice of avocado. It’s kinda disappointing and overpriced. The service: We had a company function here. With a big group, we received enough attention. The service was fast and friendly. Although I enjoyed the view, I came here in a hope to have good meal and drinks. But I was not satisfied. I do not think I would have desire to come back.

I ordered some al pastor tacos and carne asada tacos they were delicious but I only give it 3 stars because my drink had too much ice and the Pico de Gallo was too Old to the point of spoiling and the rice and beans were very Old. excellent attention.

I went here for Taco Tuesday, because I got the free taco ticket from The River. They didn't do the deals, couldn't use my ticket,not on tacos and definitely not on drinks. it's next to the water so the views are spectacular. The service was slow and the food was ok, the drinks were weak. They're new, so I might try again just to see if they get any better.

Nice atmosphere. The food was decent. I had the street corn that i did like, also had the skirt chimichuri steak . It was almost a medium rare witch was cooked right but the texture of the meat was extremely chewy and stringy/ fat. I felt like i was chewing too much was afraid of potentially choking . Really wouldn't recommend it .The soda was flat / watery in a long skimpy cup. For a drink i had the pineapple margarita colada , it was good. Overall i did like the restaurant but i expected the steak to be of a better quality meat, thats why i rated 3 stars . would i ever eat there again?. No. Really nice people though.

Had a reservation at River, they said we would have to wait at least 30 minutes to be seated. So we decided to not wait and went downstairs to Tequila Rio (good call by the way, we got a call an hour after our reservation time to let us know they could finally seat us at River). The drinks weren’t bad, but the food was a total disappointment. The ribeye (a $38 waste) was supposed to be medium-rare, but came out medium-well, tough, and lukewarm at best. Couldn’t even complain about it because our waiter disappeared for a solid half hour, if not more. I wish there were more reviews of this place so we could have stayed away.

The view was lovely being able to see the review front. At the time we went, there was a ton of tables so we were able to get in with no reservation. Our server came to the table quickly and took our order. We got the nachos for the appetizers, 3 diff entrees and two mixed drinks. The ambiance itself is very lovely but as for authentic Mexican food I wouldn’t recommend. The plating of the meals are lovely however it definitely lacks flavor, Mexican spices and the food is cooked in a white tent near the seating area which makes sense since dining is outside and not near the kitchen (food got cold quickly). The drinks were okay. The prices are pretty pricey which I’m assuming due to location and view. Overall is was a nice setting but for someone who loves Mexican cuisine you may be disappointed.

My family and I recently visited Tequila Rio on a Friday evening. The riverside seating is quite nice. Unfortunately there were intermittent storms so we were seated in the atrium which is also a really nice setting with a lot of plants albeit a bit cramped. Our first tip off should have been that the place was empty when we arrived at 5 o'clock but we assumed it had to do with the weather. My wife ordered a drink that was a combination between a pina colada and a margarita that was pretty good. We ordered guacamole and chips as an appetizer which is where the problem started. The chips were quite stale and hard to chew. The guacamole was edible but bland overall. We admittedly did not mention anything at this point and left it off to the side while we waited for our food. We each ordered a couple of tacos with the Mexican rice. Nothing that came out of the kitchen was cooked or seasoned well. I ordered a biria taco that was just some shredded beef in a stale tortilla with lettuce. There were some crumbles of queso fresco but there was no melted cheese. It did come with a side of jus but it looked and tasted like soup that they had in the kitchen. I had also ordered the baja shrimp taco which was also served on a stale tortilla and the shrimp was overcooked to the point of being rubbery. By the time I tasted the rice I don't know if I was just annoyed by the rest of the experience or if there was really something wrong with it but it was not to my, or my wife's, taste. We set the plates aside and politely requested the check. The server didn't seem to notice that anything was wrong at this point and we were just going pay the check and leave until he asked if we wanted boxes and declined. He then sent a manger over to see what they could do for us. The manager was very polite and understanding and took a few things off the bill for us. I note the service as 3 stars because our server was clearly the only one working when we walked in an he was trying to manage the bar and take orders. Not at all his fault but he wasn't able to properly do his job after a party of 8 came in after us. Overall I would not recommend Tequlia Rio unless you're just stopping for a couple of drinks on the waterfront.

The decor of this location is cute inside and beautiful outside with views of the river but the food was very sub par. The cocktails were pretty good (I've never had a margarita/Pina colada mash up before and it was solid) but the chips were shockingly stale despite reassurances that they're made daily. We had "birria tacos" that just...weren't. Instead they were regular steak tacos with tacos with raw regular tortillas with a ramekin of what seemed like a beef soup (mine had carrots in it?) on the side to dip. It's unfortunate because it's right on the river and would have potential to be a really cool tucked away spot but the food needs some major consideration.

My wife and I ate here this evening with two other couples. None of use had been to this restaurant before. The restaurant setting by the river is unique. A little strange to get to the restaurant because you have to go down an elevator and walk through a parking garage to get to the outdoor seating. The food was OK, but somewhat overpriced. I had a "traditional margarita" which didn't taste like any margarita I've ever had. I wouldn't order it again. The service was very slow. The waiter said they were understaffed. This seems to be the catch all excuse for bad service these days. I'm tired of hearing this. If you're understaffed you should only seat the number of patrons you can service properly.

The chips and salsa with their sauces were excellent but they don’t give enough of the sauces. Very small to share. My steak dish for $27 was not cooked right and was served cold. The corn on the stick served with my steak was not mature so not very tasty. The speciality drinks were excellent but expensive. At $265 for dinner for four. We have had much better. We won’t be back.

I want to love this place so bad. I know it's hard to find people to work but it's not an excuse to keep advertising something that's not operating. Just say that tequila Rio is closed and advertise that what's open is River... it's really not that hard. In all honesty ..if I was running a business and my staff wasn't up to par I'd be In there serving drinks and food by myself. They hire a bunch of snotty kids or people who just lack ambition in general. It takes very little energy to smile and be welcoming. If I'm going to pay money to dine out and I'm choosing to patronize at your establishment at least make me feel like you want me there. The staff sucks .. you get more pleasant interaction with the random people / chefs you run into on the elevator heading upstairs. I've been coming here for years but unfortunately my time here has ended.

Trying to be nice here, beautiful set overlooking the CT river. Mediocre smash burger with a bread that is kind of stale. Beer on tap is good but warm. Nice kids at the bar but a bit indifferent like the rest of the service in this world today, one girl had a cool personality. The music was being played by the food truck cook, I like Latin music but this was too barrio. In conclusion this is a beautiful spot that is not well run.

I do not recommend this restaurant. I only gave it one star so I could write a review! We have been to The River a few times and have enjoyed the food and the scenery so we thought we would try the new Mexican place. The owner was mingling around from table to table when we first arrived and introduced herself. I was a tad concerned when our server told us that they could not sub out too much as much of the food is pre-prepared as the kitchen is outside, under a closed in tent. Our meals were horrible!! The fish tacos tasted like a polluted salty ocean, the chicken enchilada was stuffed with large pieces of chicken skin throughout and the pork tacos were little cubes of rubbery, salty fat. I spoke directly to the owner about the food, she offered to get us something else...we declined!! Our check arrived, billed for all three horrible meals that were inedible. We paid our check and I waited to speak with the owner one last time to let her know my thoughts. She still did nothing to compensate, all she said is that she was sorry to hear this. The owner could have cared less. I went home that night and felt sick to my stomach. After throwing up hours later and immediately feeling better, it was no doubt the few bites of that food that made me ill. Never will we go back and because of the lack of customer care and concern, we will not dine at The River again as it is the same owner. If you want Mexican food that taste good and isn't overpriced like Tequila Rio, go elsewhere!!

I will start by saying that the server was horrible. Maybe she’s new to being a server but should get trained before attending customers. Approached us quickly and took our drink orders. Drinks came quick and that’s where it ALL went bad. Took a while to check in on us again (30 minutes later). No utensils or napkins. Cups with no water. We basically had to hunt her down to get her attention, after patiently waiting. Mind you, place was not busy at all. We were able to place our order. Requested water which was never served. Skirt steak came back undercooked when it was requested medium-well. Another order was wrong and had to bring the original order. Once he received his food (cochinita pibil ) the braised pork was cold. I ordered half chicken a la parilla. Rice was undercooked and very salty on my plate and everyone else’s. Seems the chef has zero taste buds because food was super salty. Tostones had small pouches of salt on each one. Like we don’t have enough salt with the rest of the food. Presentation of the plates were very nice but the product was horrible. By the way, we still didn’t have utensils to eat with. We had to ask for them again. We requested to speak to the manager and he didn’t charge us for the food or the drinks ordered. We didn’t eat our food and just got up and left to another restaurant around 9PM. They cook out of a food truck. We were there since 7:30PM with reservations to celebrate two birthdays. I would never give this place another chance. Thought this place would be better under new management and new chef. If you like salty food and bad service then this is the place for you. Otherwise, there’s plenty of other Mexican places to go to eat.

A shockingly bad experience — unfriendly staff from the start, extremely slow service, cold and poorly prepared food with missing ingredients, and rude responses to complaints. The restaurant was unprofessional, inattentive, and unhygienic, with loud music and no effort to fix issues. Not worth the time or money.