Rio City Cafe
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
29 Reviews for Rio City Cafe
On the water front of Old Sacramento you can't get much better than Rio City Cafe. With a menu that has something to please every palate this place is one of best to take family for a group meal or out-of-towners visiting Sacramento, and their staff are amazing. Just talk to their manager Bob and he will set you up with any table you want and will make sure everything with your party is flawless.
Try their brunch especially which for $8 you get bottomless mimosas which should make anyone normal happy ha and their eggs benedict is superb!! Seasonally they'll even serve it with crab cakes, and if you've read my profile, me and crab cakes go way back, so this further perfects that dish to a level of euphoria that I can't even use words to describe!
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I hate waiting for too long!
My date arrived 45 freakin' minutes late! As I waited at the bar (being the silly loser I was at the time), I ordered a couple drinks. The blonde bartender, who I'm sure took pity on me, was pretty generous on the liquor and kept me company. After my date finally(!) arrived, we were seated at the patio overlooking the bridge. We got to talking and flirting that I didn't realize until 45 (more) minutes later, we hadn't been visited by our waiter. Grrrr! My date redeemed himself by confronting one of the waiters about the poor service. The manager then came out to apologize for the lack of attention we received and complimented us on the bottle of wine we had ordered.
Despite all the waiting, the dinner was still satisfactory. The salmon I ordered was grilled to perfection and the veggies were crisp and flavorful. Sitting out in the patio also made it more enjoyable.
As for the date itself...meh, I've had better!
We were promptly seated, but it took at least 15 minutes before a busboy brought us water, then another 5 minutes before a nice waitress pitied us and asked if we'd been helped.
The food was mediocre at best. We had "Chinese Nachos" which consisted of fried wonton strips with ahi tuna and some vinaigrette. It was an interesting dish, and alone it's probably worth 4 stars.
For entrees, Peter had some salmon dish. The salmon was dry and not so flavorful. I had the spinach and ricotta ravioli, which was not so spectacular. Peter had a Fat Tire from the tap, and I had a Lychee Martini.
Despite the not so great rating, our waitress (once she decided to take us on) was wonderful. The low rating has nothing whatsoever to do with her service. She made sure that my ravioli had the extra sauce I requested. Plus, when she asked about my Lychee Martini, I told her it was a little light on the alcohol, and she promptly went and had the bartender add more. Bless her heart :)
For the record, I debated giving 3 stars, but decided the incredibly long wait justified knocking them down a star. Good service can make a decent meal fabulous, and a crappy meal bearable. And, as in this case, not so good service makes a so-so meal not so enjoyable.
Cost: $55 + $10 tip for our nice waitress.
So twelve of us ladies headed here last Saturday during Brunch for a good time. Well, twelve ladies anytime and anywhere is a good time, right? Uh, not this time.
Well, what brought us all together was my cousin's Bridal Shower. The restaurant was somewhat accommodating to our party. Except for the fact that they thought we'd love a table right next to the kitchen. And the fact that the waitress was pushy for us to order food, eat and get out. Oh, and not to mention one of the plates she brought us while we were cutting the cake had a piece of soggy bread stuck to it. Hrmm, now that I think about it, they weren't all that accommodating, were they?
Minus 2 (yea TWO) Stars for the lower than average service.
Minus 1 Star for my Mango Iced Tea that didn't taste like mango.
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My friends and I came for lunch, but since they serve brunch until 2ish on weekends, I ordered one of the brunch combos with salmon, eggs, potatoes, and fruit... and somehow, as simple as the combo sounds, it was ridiculously good. My friends had the chicken salad sandwich, rio city burger, and another breakfast combo, and they all looked like starving children scarfing down their dishes as if we hadn't eaten since the last full moon.
One warning though; a steamboat passes by every so often, and when the horn blows, all noises are masked for a brief 4 seconds. This could be bad if, you know, you decide to propose to your girlfriend at a lovely riverside restaurant:
Guy: So... I've been thinking a lot lately, and *breathe* will [at this instant the steamboat horn goes off] you marry me?
Girl: [4sec later] I'm sorry, what's that you said? I couldn't hear.
Guy: Umm... nothing, nevermind.
...wow, FTL.
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I have been to Rio City Cafe for both lunch and dinner--a friend of mine really loves this place but me--not so much.
The patio is the best thing about this restaurant--however, beware if the "steamboat" tour is getting ready to depart; if so, you'll experience about 15 minutes of foul, diesel fumes blowing up onto the patio if the boat is warming up.
The food is slightly better than average...especially for a touristy place like Old Sac. Sometimes their specials are pretty unique; however, I cannot remember a time when I've thought, wow, my waiter/waitress was great. Service usually comes with an attitude, and at the prices I'm paying I don't want that kind of attitude.
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It's been a few years since I've been here so my memory is a bit foggy. I came here for dinner with a few friends a few years ago and the food was good from what I can remember. As much as I hate Sac, the food here really isn't too bad.
our waiter was scared of us.
the food was lame. i had the huevos rancheros. the eggs were overcooked, i dont know if there was a tortilla, hardly any beans and the salsa was more like pasta sauce.
their orange juice tasted like sunny d. gross.
the patio was okay, though.
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I will always love Rio City Cafe for their Winter 2005 Pasta Menu. Whatever it was called, I do no know but it was bites and bites of heaven.
The creamy sauce was to die for that I came back a week later.
Located in old Sac, parking can be a hassle at times unless you're lucky. It over looks the Sac River and the Bridge. Really nice on crisp summer night to eat on the patio, but I mean I came in the winter and did not want to freeze my butt off.
The interior is nice as well, dim, romantic. Lots of Business folks, very business casual here. They do have a banquet room.
Service is great. The two or three times I've been there, it has been wonderful. My date at the time ordered the Rib eye--medium rare, on the rare side and it was overcooked. The waiter was happy to return it to the kitchen and get us another one. No complaints.
I would love to come here again after my "no eating out" rule dies out. So I'm hoping for a good feast sometime during the Spring.
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This is my favorite restaurant in Sac. Not that that's saying much.....let's face it kiddies, you live in Sacramento (aka armpit of the west coast). But I can't hate that hard, my roots are Sactown. Anyway, whenever I make the trip back west, I take the momma out for a leisurely lunch at Rio City Cafe. In the summer, we make sure to get a table out back on the river. Although the brownish hue of that river water isn't all that appetizing, now that I think about it....
Anywhoo, like I said - best restaurant in Sac.
Great place for lunch! This place has nice outdoor, riverside seating. The menu is small yet creative! I recommend the Salmon, the Noodles, or the crab. The service was good and the prices are very reasonable!
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When the girls heard we could get brunch with bottomless mimosas at Rio City, we were all over it. We reserved a patio table for six on a beautiful Sunday morning, and spent a leisurely two hours there enjoying the mimosas and good company. As a newbie to their brunch menu, I hesitantly ordered the crab cake eggs benedict (not a pairing I would have thought of), and was happy I did as soon as I tried it. The eggs were poached perfectly, the lump crab cakes were tasty and fresh, and the country-style potatos were seasoned nicely with a crispy crust. The other ladies were equally satisfied with their selections. We each received small servings of fruit salad and shared a large plate with toast, bagels, & pastries. The service was friendly, attentive, and prompt. They kept our mimosas full throughout the course of the meal....by the end of brunch we were all flushed and a little rowdy. The other patio diners present were entertained by our antics and made friendly comments or struck up brief conversations. After we paid our bill (about $20 per person with a decent tip for their hospitality), we wandered off through Old Town and the Plaza to walk off our memorable mimosa extravaganza.
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When the Railroad Museum closed at 5pm, we needed a nearby place to take the kids for a light dinner and respite from the heat... so I pulled out my handy Yelp Mobile and the yelpers led us to Rio City Cafe.
And while it's probably not going to win any fine dining awards, Rio City met our needs perfectly:
- fast and pleasant service
- reasonably priced kids menu
- well working air conditioning
- upscale-but-not-stuffy atmosphere
- gorgeous deck, though it was way to hot for us to sit there at 5pm
We didn't really put their menu to the test (the kids had grilled cheese and I had a Caesar salad), but my wife reported that her Peach and Prosciutto Salad was excellent.
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Take the Martini Flight...trust me its nice.
I had a very nice lunch here today. Service was the first thing I noticed. Staff were very attentive. I shared an appetizer of calamari and a burger with my GF. The burger has an excellent mix of gooey cheese and aioli. The calamari were tasty but perhaps I didn't look too close at the menu because mixed in with the calamari were deep-fried lemon slices. Who would want to eat that, I don't know. I however accidentally ate one and can still taste the lemon two hours later.
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Totally unimpressed and sorry I spent some hard-earned money on a meal here. I went for dinner with two friends on a Tuesday night in February, and we were seated in the tented patio area. That was the nice part. The not-so-nice part was the menu and food. The first disappointment: no bread. Usually, restaurants that consider themselves upscale show off their freshly made breads before the meal, but not at Rio City Cafe. Then, there were only about 10 main dishes on the menu, and only two were not seafood (I don't like seafood). I ordered some unmemorable chicken or pork dish (see?... I can't even remember), and there wasn't enough of it to fill me up (and I usually take leftovers home from most restaurants). The meal was somewhere around $17, and it didn't even come with a salad. I won't be back for dinner, but I might stop in for lunch if their menu is worthwhile.
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I have to agree that the outdoor, on the river seating is the best part about this place. Service is fast and friendly, but I give the quality and variety of food a B-. But, as in real estate, location, location, location. If you are in Old Sac on a nice day, you want to either eat here or at Joes Crab shack to enjoy the weather and the River.
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Very impressed overall! Great ambiance (+1) - ask to be seated outside on the patio, it overlooks the river (bring sunglasses!)-
They've got Fat Tire on tap (+1) , cute waitstaff (+1), and delicious food (+1). The marinated beef skewers in orange mint glaze was a delicious appetizer to start with.. For dinner I had the Ahi tuna with soba noodles in a stir fry. I finished every last drop and left there stuffed!! Dinner, apps, and a couple beers came to about $40/person. Not too pricey considering all the food we got!
Nice location and great wine but the food is just avg. I had dinner here and wouldn't go again unless I was with a group for a work function.
Good place for a group dinner..you can reserve the outside seating area.
I had the grilled salmon w/ mango sauce, cilantro rice and grilled squash. The mango sauce had a nice tangy sweetness to it and complemented the salmon very well. In addition, having the chardonnay to go along with the entree was delicious. I also couldn't help but order the creme brulee, and it did not disappoint. The only complaint I am able to muster is the service. It's a little slow.
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Rio City Cafe, with its riverside seating and decadent cuisine, offered a sublime setting to enjoy an outdoor Sunday brunch just as the scorch of Sacramento's notorious summer gives way to the temperate climate of fall. I went there with my boyfriend and a mutual friend, and we were seated on the patio over looking the Sacramento River. This turned out to be the perfect anecdote for the excruciatingly long wait between seeing our waitress and seeing our orders arrive. Just as we were seated I ordered a cup of coffee, but when some 20 minutes later the waitress returned still empty handed and apologetic, I wasn't overly annoyed because just beyond her shoulder hung the mesmerizing edifice of the yellow bridge in the throes of being lifted. (oooooh. aaaaaah.) However, the amount of time between ordering the coffee and not receiving it became so long that I was driven to change my order to a Bloody Mary. (If just getting coffee takes that long, I figured I ought to armor myself against the wait for food and fill up on tomato juice and celery.) The wait was well worth it. We watched with glee and a not-so-subtle hint of jealousy as boaters enjoyed the last days of summer, and in the interim enjoyed our bloody marys. The boyfriend and I had different reactions to the way it was served: The bloody marys came not only with the traditional stick of celery, but an accoutrement of goodies: a pepperocini (hooray for me!), a lime wedge, and an olive. I could forever love Rio City for no other reason than the fact that my bloody mary came with a peppeorcini in it.
But to the food...oh, this was heaven.
I had a long day of studying ahead of me so I didn't want something that would sit like a brick in my stomach. Therefore I opted for the mini bagel plate, which comes with lox, capers, onion, mini bagels, and cream cheese. I can't pretend that there was any rational reason for my overwhelming affection for this particular dish at this particular time (maybe it was the bloody mary just prior to) but I LOVED my bagel and lox. Each bite into the mini bagels (which probably came out of a bag called Thomas, which was likely purchased from a store called Costco) was like shooting off into heaven. The salmon was juicy and perfect, the chopped onion was fresh, the whole combination made me spin with joy. Maybe, I should not drink bloody marys before I eat.
My boyfriend went for the crab cakes benedict with potatoes and they looked so good that I couldn't resist trying bites of both. Crab cake benedict: RICH RICH RICH. Boyfriend was on his back in a food coma when we got home. They were delicious, and used real crab, but if you go there, understand it is a commitment. Crab cakes = food coma. Just be forewarned.
My co-worker got the huevos rancheros. I no longer trust Mexican food even at Mexican restaurants so I was suspicious of the dish but our friend seemed content. But he too felt he could sink into a food coma when the meal was over.
Towards the end of our meal, we noticed that everyone around us had mimosas. We learned that Rio City allows you to upgrade your brunch and get a fruit plate, a pastry plate, and endless mimosas for just $8. At first we were going to beat ourselves up on not recognizing the great opportunity, but then figured, who drinks more than two mimosas at one time anyway? And thus felt content with the bloody marys.
Finally, the check arrived and our waitress explained why everything took so long that day. "I'm really sorry for everything being so slow. The bus boys are all hungover and are taking forever cleaning the dishes."
Ah - ha. It was a perfectly acceptable excuse. Who hasn't been there? And besides, the bridge was about to be lifted for the second time that meal.
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Good place for lunch, but I'd avoid it for dinner. They have a very nice lunch menu with quite tasty food. A good place for kids as well. We've been there probably 10 times for lunch. But the dinner menu is quite limited and none of us cared much for anything we ordered. While it's fairly crowded for lunch, there was hardly anyone in there while we were there from 6-7 p.m. on a Friday night.
I went here for dinner this past month during summer. It was SO nice outside. i love being able to sit right on the river and take in the views. It is best to go once the sun has started to set, this way it is not so hot.
The menu here is not extensive, but most restaurants similar to this are not because the chef prepares the menu himself and it changes periodically. I think the food is really good and reasonably priced. The linguine and clams is amazing and as note to the review below, they served bread with dinner when I was here, just recently. The service is great too.
I am pretty sure they have happy hour drink specials too. However, I think I just missed it when we went. And i know that on the weekend they have a champagne brunch, and it is a set price and you get to choose what you would like for breakfast, but I have heard the champagne is endless because I have friends that go to it almost every Saturday morning.
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Any place that a serves a Chicken Ceasar Salad with BROWN edged wilted lettuce, gets NO second chance from me. Wilted, brown, old lettuce is a Mandatory Fail.
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While I can't vouch for their dinners, I went here for brunch with 3 of my best friends and we had a great meal and experience. We sat outside on the patio overlooking the river and it was very pleasant.
The table service was impeccible, our waitress Ashley was very friendly and said things like "pardon my reach" when pouring refills of mimosa. She was really good, and checked back with us at just the right intervals.
The food was very good and we all paid an extra $8.95 for a fruit plate, pastries, and all you can drink champagne or mimosa, juice and coffee, on top of the meal price. This seems worth it to me esp. if you like champagne or mimosas and are extra hungry.
I would definitely return to this restaurant as it's really one of the better ones in Old Sacramento. Definitely try to get patio seating.
The prices aren't cheap, but also not super expensive.
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I went based on Robert R. review, since I was in the area to check out Old Sac and Calif State Railroad Museum, and really enjoyed the lunch I had. We sat outside on the patio closer to the window which was fine with us. Service was great. Asked for water and got 2 glasses of it. One a bigger glass same as ice tea size, and other a smaller one.
I wanted the burger right as soon as I walked in the door--the cooks were doing a banging job making them, but when I saw crab melt on the menu I choice that instead. I still regret that decision!! Everyone seemed to be getting the burger. That's what I would get people!!
Cup of artichoke soup just ok. Nothing special. Crab and spinach dip was pretty tasty-nice toasted bread to eat it with. Crab melt on English muffins just ok, comes w/ boring pasta salad. Get the burger-it looks great!!!
Husband got a brunch dish of eggs/Yukon hash/smoked salmon--he thought it was ok. Iced-tea he ordered was fine, refilled often so is water. Our lunch was about $50 w/ tip/tax.
Nice place to relax and eat, seeing the Sacramento River and Tower Bridge.
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The food is good and at times, outstanding. The restaurant itself is great. It has an amazing view (especially out on the patio), and generally attentive servers. as a rule, go for anything that comes with thier garlic mash.... and if it is not too cold (or hot) sit outside by the river and take in the view (minus the money store pyramid building)...
If you want to take someone special out for a nice lunch or dinner on the river, go here! Not only is it in Old Sac which is one of my favorite areas in Sacramento, it is right on the river and you can watch the boats go by while you sip on wine! Desserts are so pretty you barely want to eat them! Prices are a little above "normal", but the dishes deserve it because of presentation! This is our kinda "go-to" nice spot for a special occasion.
love their brunches. especially when they have the eggs benedict with crab in it.
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