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    Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican

    3.0 (186 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Closed 10:30 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 1 week ago

    Order Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican Takeout or Delivery

    Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican Photos

    CAFE RIO FRESH MODERN MEXICAN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Carne Asada salad
    Cathie A.

    Much like Qdoba, you order the style, protein and sides for your meal. I'd never been before and was pleasantly surprised.

    Christopher C.

    First time visiting this chain. Generally compares with Chipotle or Qdoba, but I liked this one better. Wide range of food options. The meat and ingredients/toppings were very fresh. They have a lot of vegetarian options and everything can be customized to whatever you like. Portions are large. Be prepared to carry home some leftovers. The drink station was impressive, with a variety of iced teas, lemonades, and horchata. The staff were friendly and patient. The restaurant was clean. Plenty of tables and places to sit. There is a patio where you can eat outside if the weather cooperates.

    Salad with tortilla
    Monica R.

    Quick lunch salad. I knew exactly what I wanted so that made my order quick & easy for the fast paced staff. Salad with tortilla, rice, black beans, shredded chicken & all the toppings. Vinaigrette on the side. If you're new, there's so many choices & options. Ambiance is always bright & spacious. Staff here are very energetic & fun.

    Salsas
    Richard F.

    "GUAC SO SALTY I ALMOST DROWNED" The guacamole was extremely salty I could not even finish it after the first bite and considering it's $2 I was very disappointed. The food is bland and flavors are lackluster. Burritos are flimsy and served in a pan because they can't hold their shape. Sour cream is extra which I find offensive. Nothing tasted good to me. I'm never coming back. CHIPOTLE is 100x better. I didn't even finish my meal! IT WAS THAT BAD!! The Horchata is good tho!

    the inside of the restaurant
    Harold S.

    I had never been to a Cafe Rio, and this particular location was within short proximity of the hotel I was staying at in Flagstaff, so I decided to give it a try. Frankly, I did not enjoy myself there. They serve cafeteria style here and build your order to your specifications much like Chipotle. There was a line and it moved very slowly. The food was mediocre and although it was spacious inside, the place was noisy, chaotic and crowded.

    Pork. Ordered chicken and paid extra for it. If someone ordered this, maybe you'd actually cut it into portions? Pathetic
    JM C.

    What a terrible place. I've tried to give this place a try multiple times and it gets worse each visit. I wish you the best but what an awful business. Went in today for a chicken quesadilla with queso and chips. Ordered online. Simple. Bag had a quesadilla in it, no salsa, sour cream, or guac which I paid extra for....and no chips and queso. Went to front to ask for my queso and chips that I paid. Fat attitude guy at counter said in Spanish to the other people, "The fucking clown complains." Too bad I speak Spanish. The fat manager in the blue shirt simply laughed with the others. Pathetic. Best of luck. I will never return and will absolutely let everyone I know not to go to this business.

    Corrected Taco Order  Grilled Chicken and Steak Tacos
    Karina F.

    How can I start.... We came here for the first time back in February 25 2024... We came to Flagstaff for a mini vacation. We like the food at cafe rio. BUT the service in this location sadly is very bad surprisingly from the GM or AM of that day. She was very rude, bad attitude, her face said it all emotions. I don't know exactly why or what was going on but she was helping the line that day. Maybe short stuff or maybe not a good day. But coming from the main person of the establishment that should be the stronger bone of the shift was the weakest that day. After all of this we ordered two tacos each that day. Two steak and two grilled chicken. Unfortunately she the manager gave us one of the plates wrong. So when I got to the cashier is when we find out it was grown. So the cashier told her and the Manager was more unhappy. Is sad to see this to feel it and know that employees are not happy doing what they do. I been behind the salad area and the end of the line in fact I been in all positions. And I never gave attitude to anyone even if the day was bad somehow. Customers don't need to pay for a bad day. Hope it was a bad day luck for us. And hope is not every shift. The location still in the old original seething design. Was little dirty and we got there around 1pm.

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    2 months ago

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    2 months ago

    I ordered a quesadilla and it was overly greasy and yucky. Too much grease. Chicken super dry. Too much seasoning.

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    Photo of Tom S.
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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    Photo of David R.
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    11 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    7 months ago

    Service is always great even when super busy! The food is always fresh. The staff aims to please. I am a frequent customer.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    9 months ago

    19 dollars for 1 plate without a drink and no togo containers, go somewhere else lol gmfu

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    Photo of Joyce L.
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    2 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Pretty terrible place to pickup doordash orders from took me 20 minutes to pick up a quesadilla and nachos

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Especially on taco tuesdays!! Thanks Cafe Rio!

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican

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    El Tapatio

    El Tapatio

    4.4
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    We decided to come back to this restaurant because the last time we ordered food here, it was…read morereally amazing. Based on that experience, I chose to stick with the Ground Beef Burrito, priced at $14.25 as of January 2026. It was just as good as I remembered and still amazing. During this visit, we also tried two other dishes. The first was the Creamy Chimichanga, also known as Chimichanga a la Crema, which cost $19.25. This dish was savory, creamy, and very indulgent. Like the burrito dishes, it came in a large portion and was served in a huge tray. I liked it, but I felt it was a little too heavy for me because of all the cream. Even so, it was still very delicious. We also ordered the Veggie Super Burrito for $14.99. It was filled with beans and was pretty good overall, but I didn't think it was anything especially memorable. Out of everything we ordered this time, the Ground Beef Burrito remained my favorite. Overall, I was once again satisfied with the food from this restaurant and felt very impressed with the experience.

    My boyfriend and I stopped by since it was near us and it sounded good! They give you complimentary…read morechips n salsa and the salsa is good! The service was also good, they were pretty busy. The ambiance in here is also very unique and colorful, loved it! I ordered the Burrito De Asada and my man ordered the mexican molcajete and we both loved what we got! Super flavorful. I forgot to take pictures of the food we were so hungry we just ate LOL! If you have not tried this place I definitely recommend to try it!

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    Tons of liquor on display
    Tons of liquor on display
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    Enchilada with rice
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    Salsa Brava

    Salsa Brava

    3.9
    (1.7k reviews)
    3.5 mi
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    Food was delicious and waitress was polite and friendly thanks Lana…read more Awesome food and location.. overall great experience

    We walked into Salsa Brava on rainy Monday evening for dinner. It wasn't too busy at 5:30PM and we…read morewere seated immediately at a six person booth for our party of two. Overall the service was very prompt and friendly, a welcome experience after hiking outside most of the day. The restaurant itself is an interesting blend of Tex-Mex and Native American cuisine, with frybread living alongside cheesy lunch combos and plenty of dairy rich cream sauces. Chips & Salsa (Complimentary) - The chips are normal white corn tortilla chips, nothing really to comment about. Salsa Brava has three types of salsa. The first is a mild pico with fresh tangy tomatoes, red onions, and cilantro stem in a watery base that's somewhat sour from citrus. The second is a medium spicy salsa that's a bit warming, filled with comforting smoky and tomato flavors. The last is the spiciest, but doesn't really top out much higher than spicy jalapeno. It's so fruity at the start it's almost like drinking salted pineapple juice. Navajo Taco ($19.50) - The base is a piece of frybread around 7 inch in diameter. It's rather thin, not puffy at all, making it somewhat dense and chewy. The frybread is slathered with some refried beans that are tender and thick. They aren't pureed until completely uniform; instead, there are some pinto pieces strewn throughout. On top is a mound of their famous carnitas, full of pork flavor, seasoned well and braised until very tender, almost fall-apart so. There's a tiny bit of a tang but I'm not sure I can identify the flavor as citrus as the menu indicates. Plenty of cheese is melted on top, then a pile of mixed lettuce, tomato, pickled onions, and lime creme. Finally, there's a huge mound of sour cream. It all adds up to an extremely filling meal. It's fatty, it's rich, it's decadent. It sits so heavily in the stomach that it feeds two very hungry people. On the side, they give a small cup of Mexican rice. It has some charred bits inside and also some whole corn kernels. It's pretty much the perfect texture, no complaints. (5/5) Stuffed Sopapilla ($19.50) - Even with the taco being so rich, this dish is even more so. It's the same frybread base, but folded over with tons of ingredients stuffed inside, placed on a bunch of lime creme, and then topped with even more dairy. The lime creme is interesting in that it doesn't really taste like crema. For some reason, I taste nutmeg which reminds me heavily of alfredo sauce. On top is a bunch of melted cheese and cilantro cream, and then some diced onion, cilantro, and pickled onion. There's not enough acidity for that much richness from the rest of the dish. And that's why they give a side of sour cream. Which also adds more dairy richness, but also a pleasing tangy note. There's so much varied dairy, there's probably enough saturated fat to make even a cardiologist blush. Stuffed in the sopapilla there's even more cheese! And then refried beans and a ton of pulled chicken. The chicken is surprisingly moist - usually dishes with this many fatty and saucy elements means the chicken is an afterthought and cooked until super dry. This one's actually quite nice though, seasoned well with great chicken flavor. (5/5) Both plates are broiled so everything is warm and the cheese is all melty and delicious. This is one of the few places I've visited where they give you a ton more food than the menu pictures online indicate. Even with us hiking the entire day, we could not finish more than half of each plate. I feel like this is one of those restaurants which I wouldn't have given such a high review if I hadn't been ravenous going in. But I can only rate on how much I enjoyed the food as I ate it - and for that, Salsa Brava deserves a 5. Bathrooms - Two larger ones with multiple stalls Note: Salsa Brava charges an automatic 4% service charge. This is labeled on the menu.

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    Salsa Brava
    Stuffed Sopapilla
    Stuffed Sopapilla
    Outside view

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    Outside view
    MartAnne's

    MartAnne's

    4.2
    (2.5k reviews)
    1.8 mi
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    After eating next door for a lunch, we saw the signs all over MartAnne's claiming they are "The…read moreHouse That Chilaquiles Built!" We were intrigued enough that we visited MartAnne's the very next night for dinner. That was on a Tuesday at around 6PM and it wasn't too busy the entire time we were there. House Horchata ($5.99) - This drink comes in a giant 32 oz Ball jar with tons of ice. Per the server it's made with milk and condensed milk, no rice milk at all. It's rich, thick, creamy, sweet, filled with earthy notes of vanilla and cinnamon. There's so much spice included that at some points, there's almost a gritty feeling while drinking. It's perfect for a hot day after hiking. Buckwheat Pancake ala carte ($4.99) - Buckwheat pancakes are something we've never seen before on a diner menu in the past. It seems to be pretty common around Arizona, so we had to give it a try before leaving Flagstaff. This one's pretty big, almost plate sized. It's really moist, fluffy, bouncy, and light with a slight sweetness and a certain earthy flavor. It's moist enough that it sticks to the ceramic plate it's served on. The pancake is somewhat crumbly due to the low gluten content of buckwheat, although I believe they use a mix of buckwheat and wheat flour to give some more stability. It's bluish grey in color with black specks of ground buckwheat throughout. It's dusted with powdered sugar, but it's not a ton, making the pancake not really sweet at all. The pancake comes with a small cup of their cinnamon honey butter. It's not mixed that well, leaving it mostly unhomogenized with streaks of honey and spice through the softened salted butter. Tamale ala carte ($4.99) - MartAnne's offers two types of tamales - the first a red chile beef, and the second a green corn and cheese. We went with the latter, which is a homemade tamale with a somewhat looser, coarsely ground masa shell surrounding an interior of yellow sweet corn kernels, a bouncy and somewhat spongy block of Oaxaca cheese, and a fragrant green chile. There's a slight sweetness throughout and the tamale overall is easy to eat. Chilaquiles, Xmas, Fratelli ($17.99) - This is a monster sized plate of a mishmash of ingredients. There are three things as essentially a base layer. Firstly some Mexican rice that's tender, moist, and fluffy, totally unlike the more common dry and and compact version. My guess is that they skip the initial frying step that helps keeps the starch together. It's quite fragrant and has gives a bit of heat. On top of the rice is a layer of hash browns. The potatoes are tender on the interior, griddled on one side to give a delightful crunch, although there's some acridity that develops. Another third of the plate is covered with chili beans - tender pinto beans that are well salted and seasoned. Then there's the eggs stuffed in between layers of corn tortilla chips, smothered with sauce. I went with the Christmas combination of red and green sauce, followed up by the Fratelli-style pork green chile. The green sauce is fragrant and vegetal, while the red sauce is more smoky. The pork, which is cut into chunks, on top is a bit tough and dry but there's more than enough sauce to make up for that slight demerit. Finally, there's a small mound of I believe jalapeno peppers, cut into small neon-green colored pieces. Some pieces are spicy, some are mild, all have a vegetal pepper taste. I found the food at MartAnne's to be pretty good. It definitely hits the spot after hiking all around the area for most of the day. Bathrooms - Two individual rooms, one for men, one for women. Note: MartAnne's charges a 3.5% credit card fee. This is labeled on the menu.

    Not dog-friendly as listed…read more I've eaten here before and the place is fantastic! Both the ambience and food is top-notch. The only problem I have with it is that on a recent trip through town I made a point of stopping here with my dog, both their yelp listing and Apple maps listing have them down as dog friendly. I was turned away at the door because they do not allow dogs.

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    Inside
    Inside
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    Tacos Los Altos

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    3.9
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    Rarely 5 stars..always room for improvement…read more That said...once you find this place it's a gem it's hidden in a marketplace with crappy signage and directions from Siri sucked. But, when we found it...parking is ample and the entry is loud and proud. Bright interior colors and lots of Mexican pastries and other items before the order desk. The menu is ample and service is friendly...they acknowledged the poor directions ‍ I had the rolled taco special which came with rice beans and a drink (the horchata is AMAZING!). My friend had a huge breakfast burrito. In small places like this a salsa bar usually is a huge indicator of good food for me. The salsa bar was beyond impressive. All made in house...and do NOT bypass the pickled carrots and jalapeños. OH MY The interior is huge and it is definite a local take out place. I will be back to try more!

    Stopped for lunch at the recommendation of a friend who lives in town. Order at the counter and…read morethen pick a seat, they'll bring you your food. The staff was very attentive and offered exceptional service. There is a cold bar with salsas and toppings in the seating area. My food was good - but some complaints. The carne asada taco was excellent and tender and the beans were exactly as expected. The carnitas taco had a strong nutmeg or allspice flavor that overpowered the taco and the rice was dry.

    Photos
    Tables
    Tables
    Here's the adada tostada, in the background are tomatillo sauce, guacamole sauce, and spicy red salsa
    Here's the adada tostada, in the background are tomatillo sauce, guacamole sauce, and spicy red salsa
    The menu as of today, March 1st, 2024

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    The menu as of today, March 1st, 2024

    Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican - mexican - Updated July 2026

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