Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican

*Update Feb 2025* I always love Taco Tuesdays, but tonight the crew stood out. Carolina interacted with my little ones while they excitedly watched her making fresh tortillas, Jaden and Larissa made my family's somewhat complicated order with ease, and Emma worked the register with aplomb. JP, Nathan, Emma, and the crew already mentioned also went above and beyond in their customer service, friendliness, and customer outreach. My little one had such a great time, he wants to work there when he's old enough (in 10+ years). Thanks for a great evening and delicious food! *Update April 2024* There were a few new faces in the house today and all were great. John, Peter, Melissa, and the team provided excellent customer service and overall staff morale seems improved. As always, food was delicious! Portion sizes were decent as well. Prices have gone up slightly recently, but still my favorite choice for taco Tuesday. They recently lost some great staff. Apparently, they're not allowed to take their sick days per several staff (illegal) and lack any health benefits. The manager, Christopher, has started charging for things that have always been included, but his new "rules" are applied haphazardly. The overall morale of the staff stinks and is sometimes directed to the guests. All that being said, the food is good. The amount of meat given varies by who's serving you. Sometimes, it's super stingy, other times it's perfect. Taste is excellent. The hand-made drinks are delicious but often run out before closing. The fish and shrimp always look dry - haven't tried them. Melissa and Laura are super nice and are part of the reason we keep returning. We also love Peter, Shaw, and Branden.

Super service, great food and taco Tuesday is THE BEST

Kurtis Kutz

Great value for how much food you get especially for the rio style salad. Service has been great the past 2 times I've gone. Flavor on everything is great nothing is to spicy unless you want it spicy.

Kim Nolan Migdat

Super service, great food and taco Tuesday is THE BEST

Josh Cunningham

Food was amazing, got a wet burrito. Staff was so welcoming and caring even with the way they made our food. If you are in the area don’t miss out!

Princess Butterfly Daisy

Went there tonight for taco Tuesday and it was delicious! The staff was awesome the guy working the line tonight made the perfect taco nothing feel out it was perfectly proportioned. You get so much bang for your buck and the food has a quality above the competitors. Thank you Cafe Rio! Happy Taco Tuesday ✨

Larry Shreve

Usually excellent staff - today (5/20/25) they must have been training an unusual number of new employees. I still give it 5+ stars for value and taste.

Andrew Hanouneh

I come here often. The food is delicious. The staff is all usually friendly. I feel particularly compelled to give Daniel a shout out, whenever he is on shift the restaurant is always super clean and my order always turn out perfect. Daniel is also a very funny and charismatic dude, Cafe Rio is lucky to have him. Today was no exception to my usual great experience and I’m already looking forward to coming back for my next meal.

Service was 5 stars thanks to JP and Daniel. We ordered our food online and they were made exactly right. And tasted good. The bad thing was the chips. The chips were really disgustingly gross and disappointing. They tasted like they were cooked in stale oil. I had to throw them out.

Mary Barranco

Service was 5 stars thanks to JP and Daniel. We ordered our food online and they were made exactly right. And tasted good. The bad thing was the chips. The chips were really disgustingly gross and disappointing. They tasted like they were cooked in stale oil. I had to throw them out.

Mexican American cafeteria style similar to Chipotle but not quite there. Menu is simple and and the protein options offered are what you expect (asada, pork, chicken) yet they also have vegan option too. Kids sizes here are a bit on the smaller end than other cafeteria style diners. The adult size are also not as large as what you expect at other similar diners too. The food server adds the greens and sides to your request. Food taste could improve. The barbeque pork tasted quite sweet however with the sides included something seems to take the taste away. Plenty of seating both indoor and outdoor. Dining area looked very clean. Restrooms also were kept very clean. On our visit there only the soda fountain was the options for drinks. Didn't have any heathier beverage options. Service was ok. Simple serve and onto the next. First time visit. I would recommend checking out other similar cafeteria style diners before this one.

W O'Brien

Mexican American cafeteria style similar to Chipotle but not quite there. Menu is simple and and the protein options offered are what you expect (asada, pork, chicken) yet they also have vegan option too. Kids sizes here are a bit on the smaller end than other cafeteria style diners. The adult size are also not as large as what you expect at other similar diners too. The food server adds the greens and sides to your request. Food taste could improve. The barbeque pork tasted quite sweet however with the sides included something seems to take the taste away. Plenty of seating both indoor and outdoor. Dining area looked very clean. Restrooms also were kept very clean. On our visit there only the soda fountain was the options for drinks. Didn't have any heathier beverage options. Service was ok. Simple serve and onto the next. First time visit. I would recommend checking out other similar cafeteria style diners before this one.

This was a cleaner locations than the one I went to last week. We received a happy "welcome!" when we walked in. The guy who prepared my enchilada was super nice and friendly. I was disappointed that my enchilada was cold inside. When you put room temperature tomatillo sauce over the pork barbacoa and run it through the oven it doesn't get hot inside? Guess not.

Olivia Coffeestone

This was a cleaner locations than the one I went to last week. We received a happy "welcome!" when we walked in. The guy who prepared my enchilada was super nice and friendly. I was disappointed that my enchilada was cold inside. When you put room temperature tomatillo sauce over the pork barbacoa and run it through the oven it doesn't get hot inside? Guess not.

Left hungry. Not satisfied with my purchase of tostada for $18 not coming here again. My friend got tacos and he got more meat and food than me for $12. Stop giving out small portions! You will lose your customers!

The staff were rude and seemed irritated while we were placing our order but we'll just assume they were having a bad day. We ordered Nachos and quesadilla! The tortilla was okay but the beef was absolutely delicious! Very juicy and savory. The nacho chips were also okay but they barely added anything. They put very little meat, small amount of cheese, and a little of sour cream, nothing like the photos taken by the owner which made it look like they'd get loaded up, it was all just a small amount piled onto the center. We had more plain chips than anything. We had beef and barbacoa, again the beef was very delicious but the barbacoa was overly sweet it felt like eating candy. Overall the experience was just okay.

I've been to the one in Lakewood & my salad was amazing, huge and full of meat, it towered my dish, so big I couldn't finish it...so I went to the one in Yorba Linda, look at the picture, first of all they were super slow, they are so un-organized behind the counter it really was sad to wait in this line for what I received, my Salad was half of what I received in Lakewood and was very disappointed for what I paid for a chicken salad and nachos...go to Lakewood, so much better.

Rice is very under cooked and crunchy. The guy who rapped my burrito did a terrible job. My burrito fell apart as soon as I picked it up.

Manuel Choi

Left hungry. Not satisfied with my purchase of tostada for $18 not coming here again. My friend got tacos and he got more meat and food than me for $12. Stop giving out small portions! You will lose your customers!

Sisters Taste

The staff were rude and seemed irritated while we were placing our order but we'll just assume they were having a bad day. We ordered Nachos and quesadilla! The tortilla was okay but the beef was absolutely delicious! Very juicy and savory. The nacho chips were also okay but they barely added anything. They put very little meat, small amount of cheese, and a little of sour cream, nothing like the photos taken by the owner which made it look like they'd get loaded up, it was all just a small amount piled onto the center. We had more plain chips than anything. We had beef and barbacoa, again the beef was very delicious but the barbacoa was overly sweet it felt like eating candy. Overall the experience was just okay.

Raenel Montalvo

I've been to the one in Lakewood & my salad was amazing, huge and full of meat, it towered my dish, so big I couldn't finish it...so I went to the one in Yorba Linda, look at the picture, first of all they were super slow, they are so un-organized behind the counter it really was sad to wait in this line for what I received, my Salad was half of what I received in Lakewood and was very disappointed for what I paid for a chicken salad and nachos...go to Lakewood, so much better.

kyle reilly

Rice is very under cooked and crunchy. The guy who rapped my burrito did a terrible job. My burrito fell apart as soon as I picked it up.

Our first time here and they were out of steak. The chicken looked dried out. All the tables were dirty. I ordered nachos and the chips were thin and kept breaking. Not chips for Nachos. Too thin The employees were nice..the food was decent but overpriced. I would not go back

The food was cold, service was slow, and the restaurant had dirty tables and overflowing trash bins

Valerie Anthony

Our first time here and they were out of steak. The chicken looked dried out. All the tables were dirty. I ordered nachos and the chips were thin and kept breaking. Not chips for Nachos. Too thin The employees were nice..the food was decent but overpriced. I would not go back

Tiffany

I don't know why, but they can never get the portions right when I order. I get the same thing every time. It's almost guaranteed that something in my order will be wrong or missing. The toppings come in different sized containers every time. I notice this the most with the cheese. I ask for cheese on the side for 2 meals. A couple of times they gave me two small containers of cheese at no charge. The next time I only got one small container and when I asked for another one the employee got mad. The next time I decided to pay extra for cheese since they don't give enough to begin with and I got a large container for $1.90. The last time I ordered I paid again for extra cheese, but this time I got a small container at the same price. There needs to be a standard size for toppings. Why am I paying the same amount of money for different amounts of cheese depending on who's making my order? I love the food, but would go to another location if there was another one in the area.

As soon as you walk in, there is a weird smell, the person at front was more worried about setting up the dates on food along with another person, only once said they will be helping us out, stayed there for over 5 minutes and no one ever bothered to help or take our order, this person just give us a bad look like if we were still there. It was a sure thing they didn’t want to help. (As simple as it could be just to say I am not in the mood to help)

In past years, I had always loved going to Cafe Rio. I was delighted to see that there was a cafe rio in Yorba Linda when I located here. I have been there 3 times over the last 5 years and each time I am sadly disappointed. Today was the last time I am eating at their establishment. The food was clearly not fresh at all- the salsa had a thick dark layer on the top, the meat did too. The surrounding surface areas were very dirty. It does not appear that any thorough cleaning takes place on the counter surfaces or the food preparing areas. I actually questioned if I wanted to continue with my order as I was worried I may be eating bacteria contaminated food. The employees were slightly more enthusiastic than previously observed but still not a welcoming entourage. I have noticed that everytime I go to Cafe Rio, there is little to no customers and I understand why. The food did not taste horrible, although the rice was not fully cooked. But just the thought of eating old food that’s been left out for an unknown amount of time (probably because of a lack of customers) had made me think twice about the food I was consuming. I agree with the other customers complaining of small food portions, they offer super tiny portions at high prices… I would’ve been able to look past that if I trusted the food but it’s just another nail in the coffin. Sadly , I won’t be returning.

maria myo

As soon as you walk in, there is a weird smell, the person at front was more worried about setting up the dates on food along with another person, only once said they will be helping us out, stayed there for over 5 minutes and no one ever bothered to help or take our order, this person just give us a bad look like if we were still there. It was a sure thing they didn’t want to help. (As simple as it could be just to say I am not in the mood to help)

jessica Veliz

In past years, I had always loved going to Cafe Rio. I was delighted to see that there was a cafe rio in Yorba Linda when I located here. I have been there 3 times over the last 5 years and each time I am sadly disappointed. Today was the last time I am eating at their establishment. The food was clearly not fresh at all- the salsa had a thick dark layer on the top, the meat did too. The surrounding surface areas were very dirty. It does not appear that any thorough cleaning takes place on the counter surfaces or the food preparing areas. I actually questioned if I wanted to continue with my order as I was worried I may be eating bacteria contaminated food. The employees were slightly more enthusiastic than previously observed but still not a welcoming entourage. I have noticed that everytime I go to Cafe Rio, there is little to no customers and I understand why. The food did not taste horrible, although the rice was not fully cooked. But just the thought of eating old food that’s been left out for an unknown amount of time (probably because of a lack of customers) had made me think twice about the food I was consuming. I agree with the other customers complaining of small food portions, they offer super tiny portions at high prices… I would’ve been able to look past that if I trusted the food but it’s just another nail in the coffin. Sadly , I won’t be returning.