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We heard that the Rio had a rooftop patio, so after dinner at the Med, we decided to indulge in the famous Rio margaritas that numerous people had told us about.
I'm not sure if the hostesses are normally so apathetic or if they were just lazy because it was close to when the restaurant closed, but they ignored us for a good five minutes (we were only standing there to see if the sign that said the rooftop was full was still accurate). Since it wasn't, we walked up to the rooftop and found a table despite the patio being quite full with groups. Despite the crowd, service was very quick.
We didn't realize that Rio closed at 10:30, so we only had time for one drink each. I had the classic margarita on the rocks with salt and my husband had a frozen strawberry one. Feel free to mock him for ordering a girly drink because I certainly do all the time! We both loved our drinks and I can see why they are so popular.
The rooftop patio was very relaxing, and a nice place to enjoy a drink with some company. I wouldn't make it a must-visit place while in Boulder, but if you have time and are walking by, it's not a bad option.
They only have happy hour from 3 -5? Is this true of all Rios? If so that's ludicrous. Who can enjoy happy hour at those times? I mean college students in Boulder, sure. But, what about the workingman or woman? At least give us until 6 so we can have false hope of happy cheap drinks. Geesh.
The Boulder Rio has an awesome rooftop patio that didn't exist when I went to college here, but makes me wish it had. The margaritas are strong as always so if you find yourself unable to handle the harshness of regular, but not wanting the sweetness of strawberry do what I do and order the strawberry light. This is a blend of regular and strawberry and tastes better than the two original versions.
If you're going to eat I'd suggest the guacamole or queso. But, at the Rio it's best to stick with the simplest of dishes. You know the ones that have been Americanized and so are edible, but not the deliciousness you can find on South Federal.
All in all this is a decent place to catch an afternoon buzz or begin a very serious night of drinking.
The food is mediocre but the Margaritas are excellent. The real issue with this place is the poorly designed bar area. No matter if there are 10 people or 50 people in the bar area it seems overly crowded.
Not bad. Decent food and good service. I'd go back, for sure.
I got hooked on tostados while in nursing school in San Antonio, TX. To this day, I crave "healthy" Mexican fare...a crisp corn tortilla layered with green lettuce (not iceberg), tomatos diced, black beans, a tinsy bit of cheddar cheese, some bites-size pieces of steak, and a nice scoop of guac on top. For most people, that's an appitizer, but for me, it's a satisfying and delicious lunch. Best of all, it IS healthy and reasonably priced!
Warmly,
Lynda S
The Rio is great for their margaritas and for their margaritas that come like a martini --- the name escapes me! Anyway, it comes in a shaker and tastes excellent.
The queso atomica is a great way to start out or just as a complement to the margaritas.
We personally like the veggie fajitas and the tacos al carbon. Both are consistently good dishes.
Now that the Rio in Boulder has the upstairs patio it makes a great place for having drinks on a lazy weekend afternoon in the summer.
The only way you can enjoy the food here is by having one of their Everclear margaritas before you eat.
Food: For how much I paid, I expected much better. The flautitas appetizer was way overfried and the meat suffered as a consequence (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). The sopapillas were huge, but damn expensive and also a bit too fried for my liking (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). The sole reason for coming here is the liver-destroying margarita (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). You can only get three per visit, but chances are you won't make it that far without suffering major health consequences. They probably substitute Everclear for the tequila.
Service: Pretty slow, but at least there was ample space in which to relax.
Atmosphere: Other than the giant neon margarita glass sporting a big 3 (reminding you of the three margarita limit), the place looks like your typical bar at a tex mex joint.
Synopsis: Come for the alcohol. Get food after dousing the tastebuds in Everclear.
Tex Mex - that's the first thing it comes to my head when I think about the Rio Grande. I've been to both locations, Denver is good, second floor gets full of young crowds having more drinks than food, but in a really cozy environment. The Boulder location is similar on that side, but the food is better, much better.
Rio's menu is not very intriguing when you scan the menu, all time favorites are served, such as burritos, chile rellenos, enchiladas, the tex mex food we are most used to. Menu is simple and straight forward, besides that few items on menu would state on description that it comes like 2 or 3 per plate, and you CAN mix and match it. I had the espinaca enchilada made of flour tortilla and matched it with the del mar enchilada; it was delightful! The espinaca was great, spinach was done properly and the seafood really had chunks of crab (not fake) and shrimp, it was good!
I recommend this place to anyone that likes tex mex simple comfort food. Simple but very well prepared.
Awesome Margarita's, you will not even know how drunk you are until about an hour after you leave.
The restaurant service is not great but the food is pretty good.
Oh the Rio. :) I have a special warm spot in my heart for this place so maybe my review will be a little biased.
I heard about the Rio long before I ever tried it. My sisters and bros-in-law have lived here 8 years or so longer than I have and discovered this place early on. I think I received calls from them EVERY time they went- "Hey we just got our first margaritas!" "Guess what margarita we're on?" "Jeff just started his 3rd margarita!". By the time I finally turned 21, the Rio was a legend for me.
Now, the Rio may not be the most authentic Mexican out there. It may not even have the best Mexican food in Boulder. But the margaritas sure are good, and potent. As my bro-in-law, Jeff, puts it "the food gets better with each margarita!"
If your going for the margaritas you are in for a treat! Order the Strawgo margarita (mango strawberry mixed), it is tasty! good chips and salsa as well.
Other than that the food is alright, nothing earth shattering, your basic Americanized Mexican food. Service is on and off (Kate is great!) and it always seems like the servers are all super stressed out.
Quck review:
Hands down the BEST MARGARITAS IN TOWN...as well as best Salsa and Chips.
The rest of the food is satisfactory, and tends to start tasting better after you have one of these tastey margaritas.
Rio used to be my all-time favorite Mexican resturant about 10 years ago. The marinated beef was out of this world, the tortillas *excellent,* the beans and rice so super yum, and the margs, spectacular. I'd get the tacos al carbon, most often, though I did go through a beef tostada phase.
A few years back, when I moved back to Boulder, I realized that the food just isn't that good anymore. It still has the remnants of its old flavor, which is why we still manage to go about once every few weeks - I think my memory fills in the missing flavor, and I keep hoping against hope that we just went on an off day, but I just don't think the quality is there anymore.
The beef no longer has the scrumptious marinated flavor, and usually comes cold and somewhat overcooked. The tortillas are heavy, and once again often cold. The service is usually mediocre at best. The cheese enchilidas taste as though they're made with velveeta - way way way too cheesy, and more of that fake overly creamy yellow cheesy flavor.
It's still worth going to however - for the margs and ambiance, which is still happening, crowded and fun. The chicken or shrimp fajitas are usually pretty good, as is the tostada. The black beans and rice are still scrumptious and the chicken taquitos are good as an appetizer. The chips and salsa are always yum. My favorite is actually the strawberry margarita - sooo good and really strong. (The regular frozen is great too.)
If you go, I'd avoid the beef these days (so sad!!) as well as the cheese enchildas - for great ones try Efrain's. I'd also avoid the 6pm timeframe on Fridays - phew the wait is about an hour long for two, and you may even wait 15 minutes just to put your name on the list.
A place that makes it's business on selling margaritas better have good margs. The Rio does not.
They are sweet crappy Rose's lime juice junk that has not seen a real lime within miles. The funny thing is a great Marg is easy to make but too expensive for most Mexican restaurants because it involves good tequila, fresh limes, triple sec and salt - nothing else.
Here goes:
1 part fresh lime juice squeezed by your hand
1 part decent triple sec or better Cointreau (spelling)
2-3 parts very good 100% agave tequila ( I prefer white but other may want Anejo).
That's it.
The food at the Rio is OK at best. I give them 4.5 stars for marketing and buzz but nothing else.
THIS IS FOR THE DOWNTOWN DENVER LOCATION!
I finally made it back! AMAZING!
Veggie quesadilla. Chips and Salsa. Margaritas, which were as good as I remembered them. I had two of my own and had about half of my dining partner as she could not finish.
The only complaint I have is that for some reason it was decided by the tables by the restrooms that the area to exit out back to the bar was behind my chair. It was annoying to having to keep scooting in. Especially since the lady being me was sprawled out like a sea lion.
Regardless of this I enjoyed it very much. It was a perfect way to start my evening. I think I will have to return for another visit, or maybe check out the rooftop on the Boulder location. Check back for an update.
I love this place! I have been to the Boulder and Denver locations. Both get pretty packed during… Read more »
The Rio has come up with a fantastic marketing ploy with its three's the limit on margaritas. In fact, you'll never hear anyone mention the food, and that's because it's so average.
So, the margaritas. You arrive for dinner and your server mentions that that you can only have three. So you think, oh, these must be fantastic, and you try one. It isn't great, but it's no terrible either, just ok. Then you think, well I'd better prove that I can hold my alcohol, so I'm going for three. So you have your three margaritas, which is three times as many as you'd normally have during dinner, and you've successfully padded the owners' wallets. I'll admit it, I did it myself. Actually I had a friend keep ordering for me, so I had five. The problem is, the margaritas just don't deserve their reputation. They don't taste that good, and they really aren't strong.
Want a margarita that will stomp all over anything that the Rio has to offer? Stop by Effrain's. While you're there, have some food it's also excellent and it's a bad idea to drink so much good tequila on an empty stomach.
One star lost for mediocre food.
A second star lost for mediocre drinks.
A third star lost because I'm sick and tired of hearing of hearing about said drinks.
A fourth star lost for taking up a great location on Walnut that a different better restaurant could be in.
The Rio is centrally located just off the Pearl Street Mall. They have a delicious menu that will satisfy most dietary needs. They also have infamous "killer" margaritas (three drink limit).
The bar side is enjoyable, although I have not spent a lot of time there.
3 stars for the great margs. Nothing else at all for the fact that they are nothing else at all... bad food, and overpriced.
Stay Away. Walk a block to Juanita's.
My friend will always take me here for margs. It's limit 3 per person, and for a good reason. These babies are strong! I am a bit biased against mexican food in general (just not my thing) and I still think the food here is very good. Sometimes you can have a bit of a wait, it's a popular restaurant, but if you catch it right it's a great place.
When my boyrfriend and I moved to Boulder my aunt got us a gift certificate. She boasted the quality of the margaritas and the 3 margarita limit. While i'd have to say the margaritas are great, the food is NOT. We had some enchiladas and other various dishes and they were really just OK. The enchilada sauce was totally sub par. It's expensive for what you get and not very satisfying. I will say that you should come here for a few margaritas with friends and some chips and salsa/guac. Don't count on a fabulous meal but do count on the fact that they weren't kidding when they made that 3 margarita limit- watch out!
Our male waiter had better eyebrows then anybody in the restaurant hands down. This might have been my distraction to the not-so-good mush Mexican food.
The tortilla soup was plane and powerless, yet it did have chunks of fresh celery, avocado, and carrots... Would have been nice to find a piece of chicken here and there as I went fishing with my spoon. The tortilla strips on top of the soup were barely there and I had to add some salsa from the table to give it some oomph.
I slurped along and would have preferred a thicker tortilla soup with a little more zing.
The margs are strong, tis why I opted out of having one on my one-hour lunch break... Hey, just speaking for myself here.
The chips and salsa however are pretty good and I went to town... the chips tasted fresh and oily and I couldn't keep my hands off of them.
Strategy: Like the others, go for the margs and the chips and salsa, and skip out on that bloated full feeling everyone always seems to have when they leave Mexican restaurants.
* Star one is for a great urban location... Making it a nice central place to meet up before going out
** Spicy star two is for nice big windows and a great outdoor seating area for those spring and summer fun times
*** Our final star is for getting people so drunk that they think they are eating good food.
Star four was guacamoleed out of there because parking is horrible and the food follows right behind.
Food: Not awful, but not good either. Merely "enh", which is not quite as good as mediocre. If you want mediocre tex-mex, try anywhere else in Boulder.
Salsa: rather decent.
Margaritas: Excellent, potent.
Go here for chips, salsa and margaritas, and don't bother with anything else on the menu.
Review for margaritas only. Many many people said this was a must stop on the trip for the margs, and they weren't wrong. Great margaritas, lots of options. I had my usual, frozen mango and it was delightful. Restaurant was super crowded, might want to make reso's if you were staying for dinner.
The only good thing about the Rio is their margs and queso atomica. Everything else is average and bland. I have never had an entree there that I really enjoyed or remembered. Come here for happy hour and go elsewhere for dinner.
I'm tired of hearing people rave about the Rio. They do have *potent* margs but there are *tastier* ones around the corner at Juanita's. With all the college kids in town, this is probably why it gets such (undeserved) rave reviews: it's the quickest and cheapest way to get drunk.
I have never been impressed with their food, which is usually is skimpy (IE guac tostada = shell, 2 cups of shredded lettuce, literally 4 cheese shreds and a tablespoon of guac) and some combination of greasy/overcooked/flavorless/less-than-fresh. Not that I'm request greater quantities for bad food.
They won't take reservations so unless you plan to squeeze into the bar, you'll have to wait a good long while, especially if you have a larger group. Also, they won't seat you until your whole party arrives so count on another delay if you're there with a group.
And for those of you thinking "gosh, it sounds like she's been there a lot for hating it so much"; you're right. God knows why, but it seems to be the restaurant of choice for visiting with former Boulderites. =P
Typically, I loooove their veggie fajitas. I have no complaints, except I was up till the sun came up holding my boyfriends hair back last night after dining at the Rio.
super great atmosphepre, but if you are considering ordering the Mahi Mahi tacos, I would highly suggest not to, and order everyhing else with caution for the time being. poor guy was hurting.....I have never seen someone with such painful, bad food poisoning....gnarly.. Unfortunately due to this experience, we'll probably not be able to dine there in the future.
I really love the margaritas here. They're effective. Word on the street is that they cut you off after two. I can't remember whether I've ever tested this. I do remember ordering a (very large) table full of Patron shots one night. I wound up drunkity drunk drunk. Anyway, they also have queso dip. Cheese dip. But with peppers. It's really creamy. And we inhaled a bowl of it. Inhaled. And had to order another. I could have prolly eaten two bowls by myself. It's so completely addictive. Try it, but don't say I didn't warn you.
My girlfriend will kill me if I don't give this place--her favorite restaurant--at least 4 stars! If you happen to run into her, don't tell her that I only gave it 3.
Here's the deal, the food is good here, and the margs are tasty but WAY overrated. My biggest problem with the place is that it's always WAY, WAY too crowded, and it's impossible to get comfortable in there. Add to that the fact that I'm not a fan of Mexican food and I would likely give it only 2 stars.
But relationships are all about compromise, so between my girlfriend and I the Rio gets 3 stars.
The smothered burritoes here are pretty awesome. I haven't really tried anything else, but a lot of people come here for the margaritas, they are massive and will get you a good buzz.
It's also good to hit ths place up while bar hopping on Pearl street too!
when we walked by the rio, we went there for one reason - they're chips.
obviously not, it's all about the margaritas. i mean don't get me wrong, the food was excellent. whenever i'm back west, i have got to get green chili over my burrito (is it just me, or can you not find good green chili in the east?) so i got a beef burrito smothered in green chili.
the margarita was decent. it wasn't the best i've ever had at the rio or ever, but it was fine for the night. it tasted like the ice was freezer burnt, but that was just that night i'm sure. i'd recommend going still.
Not a big fan of the Rio. Yes, the margaritas are strong, but they are not good. The food is not authentic and is unimpressive
My experience with the Rio has been mediocre at best. Yes, they do have great margs, but their food is always greasy and/or not cooked correctly (overcooked or undercooked). However I do like the Mahi Mahi tacos, which despite being overpriced are quite good.
Best bets: Strawberry margaritas, mahi mahi tacos.
Julia is correct about the Margaritas. Expect that she left out that they taste absolutely fantastic, as well as packing some serious punch.
The food is average Mexican - nothing exciting. Its mostly just for washing down the Margs.
You know, I really dig this place. Went for the first time last night with a friend, both seeking to drown a whacky work week in the legendary margaritas. First off, I dunno what goes in those, but I was like, happy-giggly 3/4 of the way through my first one. Ole, baby. The chips and salsa were fresh and yummy, and we shared the steak quesadilla (wow, YUM) with the wonderfully garlicky, kinda salty guacamole and the verde enchiladas. Great verde salsa, and I'm a little snobby about that. I know there are some haters saying the food here is yuck and the margs aren't all they are cracked up to be, but I've got to disagree. I think both are totally tasty and I will for sure be back.
Kick arse margs and better than average food.
just ok small burritos, nothing special!
i. love. the. rio.
mmmmmmargaritas! yes, they're great, yes, they're strong, yes, they get you messed up... quickly. i happen to really like the food too... after reading other people's reviews, though, my love for their food might be attributed to the fact that i'm on about drink #3 when it arrives. NONETHELESS, it tastes great and you can tell they use quality ingredients.
last time i was there the waitress took an extra 10 minutes to get my entree to the table... but she kindly gave me free sopapillas to make up for the little mishap. FREE SOPAPILLAS!? wow, please bring my food late EVERY TIME, waitress!
all in all, the rio is yum and super fun. don't be surprised if you wait up to an hour for your table though... especially on the weekends. trust me, as long as you're at the bar and have a drink in your hand, you won't mind!
CHIPS AND SALSA! Forget the the margaritas... yeah they are perfect and delish... but i caught myself saying out loud "i could drink this salsa." Those chips are perfect too. Warm, light, salty--i dig the complimentary chips and salsa while i got fired up on my brimming margarita. One's my limit senor. I loved this place and hope to be back some day and bring my Minneapolis friends.
Margs that'll kick your ass, but that's about all that's good at this place.
More mexican food from slopped from the steam table. Rio Grande has more windows than Juanita's. Rio's Margaritas are legendary.
Boulder, CO
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Northwest
Category: Mexican
Boulder, CO
Category: Mexican
Boulder, CO
Category: Spanish
Boulder, CO
Category: Japanese
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