Rio Grill

Caili Wilk

Outstanding service, possibly the nicest staff I have ever encountered, and very genuine too. Best kids meal ever for the toddler, and there were several great options which were not the typical breaded chicken, fries or grilled cheese. Several vegetarian options which were interesting and tasty. Good for a variety of tastes. We were given hot towels at the end of the meal, very spa-like.

yura hong

Omg so tasty!! Had a soy-marinated steak and the meat was very tender! Highly recommend potato-skin as an appetizer , sooooo delicious.

Amy D

The roasted artichoke is quite possibly one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. It is a seasonal item and the server said you can call ahead to see if they have it. Tuna app was very good. Service was great and they had a nice local wine and beer selection.

Teri Trost

We went for lunch and each had the artichoke (delicious!) And shared a roasted beet salad with salmon...couple glasses of wine and the lemon bar dessert - perfection!!!

Kayla Garnet Rose PhD

Excellent service, from our waitress Alana to the hostess to the bar tender who came out to chat. The ahi salad lunch special was amazing - perfect sesame dressing, lovely fresh ahi, but what's this? Grilled watermelon? Yes, oh yes! Topped with crispy wontons on a bed of luscious greens with perfectly ripe avocado. Yum!

Isaac

The service is good and workers are friendly. I usually order the steak and eggs plate because it's delicious. I didn't see much of a breakfast menu on my recent visit, but the food is good regardless.

Christiane Highfill

Came in for dinner and it did not disappoint. We usually stop here whenever we visit this area. The Hawaiian swordfish special was delicious! Our server was friendly and attentive.

Went there with my good friends to celebrate a special occasion. Nick was super friendly! Mira was very very kind and sweet with our group photo request.

Stopped in for lunch on Friday with a couple of old friends, and just had a fantastic experience. The atmosphere in this place is just Carmel distilled. It's low-key, high class. They took care of us from the minute we walked in. Awesome service from Marley. While all the food was great, the chicken with the chile butter was practically phenomenal. No notes. Definitely returning.

I’ve visited this restaurant a few times but this most recent was the absolute best. Food and atmosphere are always of the highest standard. What stood out this time was my interaction with Mirra! She was so polite and just overall amazing, will absolutely be coming back very soon.

We hosted our wedding reception dinner at Rio Grill, and it was absolutely perfect! From the moment we walked in, we felt so well taken care of. Giovanni, our server, was incredible — so attentive, kind, and professional throughout the evening. A huge thank you to Bernice, the manager, who was also so accommodating and helpful. We stopped by the day before just to get a feel for the space and plan any final touches, and she welcomed us in and let us take a look around — which made a big difference for our peace of mind. The food was amazing, and every guest commented on how delicious everything was. The service was just as impressive — warm, efficient, and thoughtful from start to finish. If you're planning a special event, especially something as important as a wedding reception, we can’t recommend Rio Grill enough. The whole team helped make our celebration feel truly special.

Popped in for a bite on an awful day and the staff just turned my mood around. I appreciate being greeted with a smile and happiness. They're good energy was contagious and I left fed and a mood that was no longer dreading the rest of the day. Thank you guys 💕

Tessa Miller

Popped in for a bite on an awful day and the staff just turned my mood around. I appreciate being greeted with a smile and happiness. They're good energy was contagious and I left fed and a mood that was no longer dreading the rest of the day. Thank you guys 💕

Nick Vasconcellos

I’ve visited this restaurant a few times but this most recent was the absolute best. Food and atmosphere are always of the highest standard. What stood out this time was my interaction with Mirra! She was so polite and just overall amazing, will absolutely be coming back very soon.

Carrie Griffiths

We hosted our wedding reception dinner at Rio Grill, and it was absolutely perfect! From the moment we walked in, we felt so well taken care of. Giovanni, our server, was incredible — so attentive, kind, and professional throughout the evening. A huge thank you to Bernice, the manager, who was also so accommodating and helpful. We stopped by the day before just to get a feel for the space and plan any final touches, and she welcomed us in and let us take a look around — which made a big difference for our peace of mind. The food was amazing, and every guest commented on how delicious everything was. The service was just as impressive — warm, efficient, and thoughtful from start to finish. If you're planning a special event, especially something as important as a wedding reception, we can’t recommend Rio Grill enough. The whole team helped make our celebration feel truly special.

A nice place, with good food and good energy. Very expensive for the quality I felt though. Id go back if it wasn't the cost of a top quality resturant, or they upper there game up class and flavor wise.

Came today during Happy Hour, and we sat at the bar. This was the first time that we've eaten here in a few years. Shonn, the bartender was really nice. My wife had the Happy Hour almond wood smoked BBQ ribs which were flavorful. I had the wild mushroom spinach risotto and chicken which was really good except the added chicken slices were dry.

Keenan Patton

A nice place, with good food and good energy. Very expensive for the quality I felt though. Id go back if it wasn't the cost of a top quality resturant, or they upper there game up class and flavor wise.

Bruce S.

Came today during Happy Hour, and we sat at the bar. This was the first time that we've eaten here in a few years. Shonn, the bartender was really nice. My wife had the Happy Hour almond wood smoked BBQ ribs which were flavorful. I had the wild mushroom spinach risotto and chicken which was really good except the added chicken slices were dry.

The chicken salad was nutty and delicious, but the portion was not good enough. The smoked turkey was incredibly tender with a fantastic sauce. We actually showed up in our comfy home clothes (we were travelling and all of our cloths were not washed so yeah literally straight out of hotel bed) but the service was still wonderful and welcoming. The crab cakes were so good that we went back the next day just to get them for takeout

I stopped in for the Cioppino but it was no longer on the menu. Asked if they had prime rib, they did not. So I selected the 14 oz “prime” rib eye with the Demi-glace sauce on the side, medium rare. The steak was more medium than medium rare, I mentioned it to the server and she said it was medium rare, so I was wrong 😳! I could not finish it all, and the flavor with and without the sauce was just ok. For a prime cut there should have been more marbling. It came with a good portion of tasty Asiago Mashed Potatoes and very hot Charred Brocolinni. Salad was not included, I asked about clam chowder on a Friday night, they don’t have that in Carmel- by the Sea. I looked at the dessert menu, prices were high and I didn’t want to chance it based upon the overcooked steak. 🥩 🔥. I paid full price, plus tip and left unsatisfied. If I was the restaurant manager I would expect all servers to bring any adverse comments about their dining experience to my immediate attention.

We were greeted by the delightful smells wafting from the kitchen of The Rio Grill, that unmistakable aroma of smoking meat. The ambiance is a southwest motif, clean and extremely LOUD. The fried calamari was done to perfection but the Haystack onion rings were extremely greasy and virtually inedible. All four of us agreed. The food was beautiful and well presented, but this is not an establishment for people who have dietary limitations. None of us ate even half of our meals and my vegetable risotto was inedible, too much corn and the combo of basil and poblano just didn't work. The Stuffed Poblano Chile was mostly quinoa and a bit dry, and the burger had soggy bacon. To top it off the server never asked if our food was satisfactory or why we weren't eating. The best thing we had beside the calamari was the tamale. I know my husband & won't go back, but our friends who were with us love this place. This is a MEAT eater's paradise.

Nonie Kent

We were greeted by the delightful smells wafting from the kitchen of The Rio Grill, that unmistakable aroma of smoking meat. The ambiance is a southwest motif, clean and extremely LOUD. The fried calamari was done to perfection but the Haystack onion rings were extremely greasy and virtually inedible. All four of us agreed. The food was beautiful and well presented, but this is not an establishment for people who have dietary limitations. None of us ate even half of our meals and my vegetable risotto was inedible, too much corn and the combo of basil and poblano just didn't work. The Stuffed Poblano Chile was mostly quinoa and a bit dry, and the burger had soggy bacon. To top it off the server never asked if our food was satisfactory or why we weren't eating. The best thing we had beside the calamari was the tamale. I know my husband & won't go back, but our friends who were with us love this place. This is a MEAT eater's paradise.

Matthew Thomas

I have been to the Rio Grill many times for a client event over the years during the AT&T Pro-Am and feel the Rio Grill is underwhelming. The server staff is solid. The check in/host staff was fine this year but so-so in the past. My biggest gripe is that I haven’t found a main dish/entree that I’ve liked especially given the cost of the meal. I have a sweet tooth, too, and none of the desserts wow me either. I’d recommend eating elsewhere.

I know this is a popular place with the locals. A long time ago we dined here and it was pretty good. This time I ordered a fillet and it was the toughest damn piece of meat. I think I’ve ever had. The waiter was inattentive, and I had to get up two times to request his attention. Won’t be returning. I was on vacation. I don’t need this.

I would not go to this restaurant. We bought a $100.00 bottle of wine. It was a nice wine. My wife ordered the prawn on Chinese one tons and vegees, the prawns were Way over cooked. I ordered a ribeye medium rare. The meat had so much gristle and fat. There was a mound of fat and gristle that I cut off the steak and piled up on the plate. For a $300.00 dinner for two it should have been so much better, But it was AWFUL. The manager took 20 off the bill but Gees, we should have gotten better quality food. DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT. It was like an expensive fast food restaurant. The focus on the cooks technique was not the grilling and flavor, it was cooking the meat, cover it all in gravy and serve it up. WHAT A WAISTE OF TIME.

We were there about 1:30pm, place look empty, that is always a bad sign. My friend ordered cheeseburger with bacon and fries, I ordered the quesadilla of the day. The filling of my quesadilla was chicken, cheese and vegetables.Who the heck puts brocolli inside a quesadilla? That is a mexican dish, not a dish to do your own experimental take on it. But made me so mad and disgusted. Was the guacamole. Which you can see in the picture. Black spots on it. Was that fresh? Of course not. And you can see the BURNT bacon piece that they served with the burger. Nasty food. My beef? 100 dollar lunch, which included, vodka and tonic and ice tea, and 20 dollar tip. We didn't say nothing because we didn't want to embarrass our waitress who did a good job. This is what happends when businesses are purchased to make profit, and quality is displaced to a secord or third place. If or wheneverI go back, I will complain to the manager. Just be aware, but when I go out, I don't believe I have to be a food inspector to make sure I get a descent plate of food.

Joe Kolinger

I know this is a popular place with the locals. A long time ago we dined here and it was pretty good. This time I ordered a fillet and it was the toughest damn piece of meat. I think I’ve ever had. The waiter was inattentive, and I had to get up two times to request his attention. Won’t be returning. I was on vacation. I don’t need this.

Nicholas Watson

I would not go to this restaurant. We bought a $100.00 bottle of wine. It was a nice wine. My wife ordered the prawn on Chinese one tons and vegees, the prawns were Way over cooked. I ordered a ribeye medium rare. The meat had so much gristle and fat. There was a mound of fat and gristle that I cut off the steak and piled up on the plate. For a $300.00 dinner for two it should have been so much better, But it was AWFUL. The manager took 20 off the bill but Gees, we should have gotten better quality food. DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT. It was like an expensive fast food restaurant. The focus on the cooks technique was not the grilling and flavor, it was cooking the meat, cover it all in gravy and serve it up. WHAT A WAISTE OF TIME.

Eli Mundo

We were there about 1:30pm, place look empty, that is always a bad sign. My friend ordered cheeseburger with bacon and fries, I ordered the quesadilla of the day. The filling of my quesadilla was chicken, cheese and vegetables.Who the heck puts brocolli inside a quesadilla? That is a mexican dish, not a dish to do your own experimental take on it. But made me so mad and disgusted. Was the guacamole. Which you can see in the picture. Black spots on it. Was that fresh? Of course not. And you can see the BURNT bacon piece that they served with the burger. Nasty food. My beef? 100 dollar lunch, which included, vodka and tonic and ice tea, and 20 dollar tip. We didn't say nothing because we didn't want to embarrass our waitress who did a good job. This is what happends when businesses are purchased to make profit, and quality is displaced to a secord or third place. If or wheneverI go back, I will complain to the manager. Just be aware, but when I go out, I don't believe I have to be a food inspector to make sure I get a descent plate of food.