Employees are always nice even during the busiest times. Food is great overall. Would like to make a few suggestions though. Queso and guacamole are always inconsistent. Queso is sometimes so spicy you can't eat it and the guac goes from brown, to more like salsa to sometimes decent. The chips are always awful. Today the bag was so greasy it looked like it was soaked in water but it was from the chips which were also stale and tasteless. I keep trying and it just gets worse. If all of these are made in house someone or someones are not following the recipes well. read more

The food is really good but ordering to pick up or via UberEats you get what they feel like. They need to work on the quality control. They have a 40% of getting it right. Orders with No protein, blacks beans versus pinto bean, no cilantro rice. It looks like they give you whatever they want or a plate that was prepared for someone else. UberEats have had to refund me money 5-6 times already. It's a shame. read more

Pretty great tacos for a chain restaurant, the handmade tortillas is what sold me! The chicken is my preferred; nice flavor and not dried out. The sweet barbacoa was a bit too sweet for me or maybe i just had too much of the meat aju on my tortilla. The home made house sauce/dressing is delicious, definitely takes it up a notch. One of the line workers i didn't get the name but she was a DOLL! It was a bit busy and she made sure she checked up on us, let us know she was finishing up a previous order. Maybe if it was a different customer they would've not liked waiting but she made sure to let us know she was finishing and then attending us and gave us her entire attention. When we did eventually talk it was beyond the my order. She made the conversation personal and ending with smiles, for me it was worth the wait. She deserves all the recognition! Great workers they have there! read more

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absolutely glad I found this gem!! it's so cute and they are so many options. Unlike other Mexican restaurants, this place actually serves good. Season flavorful food. The service was great. Seeing that I walked in right before they were about to close, but they were able to assist me and the place still look like it time to open. The sitting area was very clean and the floors were very clean. I'm harping on this because you don't see this much and restaurants and I appreciate it. I absolutely loved the quantity of food and the value paid. It was nice to actually go somewhere and get a taco and really can be full off of two and they weren't many tacos. They were a real size taco. I will be back. Can't wait to share all of the amazing things I try. read more

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Atmosphere is nice and the lay out is nice. They have outdoor seating. First time here so I don't know what the best choices are. I got enchiladas. I got one with the sweet pork and the other with the chicken. I added cheese and mild sauce. I regret adding sauce to these. The sweet pork tastes weird an kinda gross with Mexican spices n cheese. Service was fast though. Place is clean.they load you up with rice and beans. 16 bucks for this + a drink seems like a waste. Could have gotten better at a sit down resturaunt for the same price. read more

Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican - Mexican Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

My wife and I have stopped at Cafe Rio on several Saturday evenings after spending the day with family in suburban DC. I typically order the grilled steak bowl and my wife has ordered the chicken salad, chips and salsa, chicken tacos, etc. She likes the mint limeaid. Some of the tables are occasionally a bit dirty, but we usually manage to find a clean table. The employees are nice and treat us well. read more

Usually, I really like the food at Café Rio, but tonight I was very disappointed and disgusted. Not only did I find a clump of hair in my food but so did my friend in hers. I got a refund not sure I'll be going back there anytime soon. And I gave them a good tip too. Wish I'd taken pictures. read more

Always a favorite of mine even though we now live in San Antonio. I'm hesitant to eat any Mexican or Tex-mex food away from home because it's just not the same or good at all. Cafe Rio though, they always do it right and you will never go away hungry, so thank you to the team here in Frederick for always doing a good job keeping the food fresh and good. I would like to offer a suggestion, sell the fresh tortillas that you make. Good tortillas are not available in the area and there is definitely a market for these. read more

We ordered from here, through delivery while we weren't in town. We ordered bowls, and chips, and cheese,. We also ordered beverages. Everything arrived to us correct, and warm. The food itself was delicious and we will definitely order there again. read more

For quick Mexican food this has always been my favorite spot. On my latest visit to Frederick, I made sure I stopped in for my favorite, the sweet pork barbacoa tacos. I think what makes the difference with their food is that it is made fresh right in front of you. The fact that they use fresh ingredients makes the food that much more flavorful. In addition, you are hard pressed to find homemade tortillas in Mexican restaurants in the area. Their rice is flavorful and all the sauces that can be added to your meal are fresh, I love the tomatillo sauce myself. From the queso to the giant burritos, Cafe Rio will leave you satisfied for sure! read more

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Love this location. Food is prepared quickly and consistently good. Wish there was one in Hagerstown, but it closed years ago and another one hasn't opened. read more

BEST SWEET PORK TACOS! Wow, I can't stop thinking about Cafe Rio's sweet pork. It's tender and juicy and packed full of flavor. The taco shell is perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I recommend ordering the rice, pinto beans, cilantro, tomato and lettuce. I don't mind the taco falling apart when I eat because then I can enjoy eating the fallout afterwards! I drive an hour happily from College Park to eat at Cafe Rio and drink their Mello Yello read more

Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican - Mexican Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

On December 26, I had a craving for Café Rio's chips!  I love the freshness of the chips.  I ordered through my app and went to pick up my order.  I was extremely disappointed when I got home and noticed the chips.  These were NOT the same type of chips typically sold.  When I called to ask about the change, I was informed that there the ingredients necessary for the chips weren't delivered.   I wish there was a sign on the door indicating the chip change. It was the only reason I came to the restaurant.  Is there a way for me to receive a refund or coupon for new chips?? read more

Pleasantly surprised. My first time eating here. Yes a little more pricy than your average carry out Mexican spot. However... well worth it. I got the salad w/shredded pork: with a side a Pico and both dressings on the side. I also tried the chips and queso; which was good too. I ate from my Salad and still a lot left read more

Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican - Salad with Pork - Mexican Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

Great food, but this location has forgotten to add the salad dressing nearly every time we order online- the last two times included. You have to pay extra for it with certain entrees, so it's frustrating to get home and realize it wasn't added. For those who know, the dressing is the best part of the meal! Must check your online order thoroughly at pickup read more

One word to sum it up: Irritating. The food tastes good but we constantly have problems with this location. We ask for fire grilled chicken ($2 up charge) and on multiple occasions they either put it in the wrong dish or didn't add it in at all. Their app is confusing - it does not show what each meal includes. So for example, it does not show that cheese is usually melted onto tacos or that sour cream is usually included with a quesadilla. Therefore, it becomes complicated to decide on if you should add it as an up charge or if it will actually be added correctly this time around as an included item. There was another item that we were incorrectly charged for at one point, charged us for one thing and gave us another. Rewards - also complicated. Seems like they've changed. It doesn't allow you to use the full reward now even though the total is over $10? Corporate has gotta fix the internal issues so it doesn't cause some of the local issues. Positive note, they do have outdoor seating. read more

The food is usually always good and that's why I torture myself once every few Months anymore to get it. BUT they always forget something when you order online. And I mean ALWAYS. There has never been a time When I order online which use to be once a week that they haven't forgotten something or Multiple things. I feel like it's a company scam and it's done on purpose. This also happened while I was living in great falls Montana. So that's why I feel it's a company wide scam. So you are missing out on once a week ordering because of your incompetence. Update: Got the food home and that was not queso we got but some greasy non cheesey concoction of undetermined origin and my husbands steak quesadilla had a piece fat in it about 2"x2". Nope never again. read more

I love their sweet pork tacos! The sauce is always so good. I enjoy their small chips too! Their horchata is good. A great place in westview! read more

Good little spot in the mall for good Mexican food prices are decent food selection is also every good will be back soon seating is Frist come Frist serve they have like 6 or so tables read more

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Food is always amazing, fresh and tasty. Customer service could raise a bar or two. Workers aren't always pleasant. Sometimes you feel like you're bothering them by coming in! But the food keeps me coming back so I give it a solid 4 read more

Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican - Pulled port salad, pulled chicken quesadilla & house dressing - Mexican Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

I find myself writing a lot of reviews lately, mainly because customer service in a COVID era is constantly deteriorating. Staff was rude. Had to ask for what I needed several times. I told the cashier he was rude after half the order was wrong, and then when he called the manager over, she got in my face, and then called her staff over to chastise me. I've never experienced a situation before where a manager doesn't attempt to de-escalate a customer's complaint, but rather adds fuel to the fire, and calls the staff over to challenge the customer. The manager is rude, and angry, and frankly should be fired. read more

More like 4.25 stars. 1 star for running out of things and often. 1 star for some of the prices 5 star for all the specials 5 stars for "saucing it" enchilada style option 5 stars for the lemonade options 10 stars for the ice. Small, crunchy, soft enough to chew and oh lalaa 5 stars for fresh pressed tortillas 2 stars for employees doing everything with the same pair of gloves on 5 stars for the management getting on top of things once I brought it to their attention 4 stars for the lobby 2 stars for the closing hour needs updating. Is it 10pm or 11pm? 5 stars for offering a return on the survey 2.5 stars for getting rid of the punch card but having an app. I'm just particular about my storage space. See, the way my storage space is set up.... This place is worth swinging by & trying a number of things if you've never been. It has a separate place for me but it is truly TexMex. Salsa options are good. Fresh chopped cilantro is always best. I've only had steak and shredded beef as they've been out of shrimp and chicken on various visits. Daily specials are generally $5.99 and worth the effort. read more

Slowest line in the history of lines. These employees have no sense of urgency and the line can not move for up to 10 minutes at a time. They could learn a thing or two from chick fila read more

My enchiladas dropped on the floor and I saw two employees laughing like it was all a game. Then they're lack of attention they didn't see that was my order. The buffet line looked like a tornado hit it. There was lettuce in the beans. There was chips in the pico. It was a complete wreck. It's a shame because the food is good but the location needs help or needs to shut down. read more

I really enjoy the food here. It always tastes so fresh and the sweet pork is my favorite. Great sized portions too for the value.

Ever have a burrito baby? No? Maybe you're wondering what it's like to be pregnant with a burrito. You've found the right place to do so. As you probably know, it's a spin-off of chipotle. It's practically the same style of getting your food but a bit pricier. I went with the burrito with pork. It was decent but I wasn't really feeling too great after eating the whole thing. It is definitely a meal that can be split into two. The two guys who were preparing my food were nice and generous on the proportions. I'd definitely say this was a good experience. I do know that I arrived there just before the rush so I can see how the wait can be frustrating. read more

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I used to eat at the Layton, UT, Cafe Rio often ever since they opened in the early 2000s. Life got busy and I didn't visit the restaurant for a time. A few months ago I was craving a sweet pork salad and bought one. Something was off about it, specifically the tortilla. I figured that the tortilla maker had an off day, and I didn't think much more about it. After a couple of months, I returned and ordered another sweet pork salad. Once again the tortilla was awful. I don't know if the recipes have changed or what, but I really have no desire to go back, which is sad because there was a time I loved Cafe Rio. read more

Don't usually complain but here we go! I ordered my food and it was prepared sloppy I understand it's a salad but give some pride into prepping but least of issues today! So once you get your food watch out! After they ring up your order and take your payment a option comes up for a tip.The guy working just reached over really fast and hit the 15% button. It's my choice on the amount if any I'd like to leave! To me that's stealing the employee took my money without asking. Didn't wanna make scene there due to it being 3 bucks but still feel taken advantage of and wanted to protect other guest from this "scam" "theft" or what ever you wanna call it. Will not be going back to this Frederick location corporate has been emailed. I'm sure I'm not the only one and I know times are hard but don't steal read more

Least favorite place. Food was ok, and people serving were very unpleasant. They upcharge on everything. We wanted a cheese quesadilla, they charged us for a beef quesadilla $10 for cheese and flour tortilla. When I mentioned we got a cheese quesadilla not beef they said they charge the same price. That is crazy! The prices are high and food just ok. read more

This used to be my go-to place for some quick mexican food. I used to love to get a pork salad and even uber eats it to my house for those high delivery fees. Anyways, I got the pork salad, my go-to order. And low and behold, a hair. A decently long gross hair that was light colored that I knew wasnt mine since I have very dark hair. I was so put off by this that I threw my salad away. I haven't been back since. I also used to love the chips and queso and have gave it many chances to redeem itself lately but omg it is so clumpy and lumpy and cold bits of the cheese that isn't even melted. So sad, it used to be so good! read more

Good was not prepared properly. Under seasoned meat in tacos. Minimal rice and beans and too much salt in the beans. The service was trash. I ordered curbside and some kid brings my food out, swinging my bag with the plat lopsided inside of the bag. Safe to say I won't be returning here read more

Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican - Portion of rice and beans are small for the price you pay along with just two tacos - Mexican Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

Came here on a whim for lunch. I happened to be in the shopping center and a burrito seemed like a good idea. I should have just left when we first arrived and we're basically ignored for two minutes while standing in front of the order sign. When we finally got some attention, we received no greeting, no eye contact and the bare minimum of interaction to pass us along to the next stand in line. Where I also had to stand and wait for someone to become available to finish the order. Where it was then set off to the side until someone could be bothered to ring us up. When they came to the register, they again ignored us except for the bare minimum to get the order processed. While smiling and talking to their coworker on the prep line. They weren't paying enough attention to ring up the bag of chips my wife requested, then gave her an attitude about how she "didn't pay for the chips" when she asked for them. Finally, when I get to my table and take two bites of the burrito, I realize it is COLD and bland. I'm not going to eat cold pork. I've literally taken more time typing this up than I would have spent just enjoying my food if it had been hot & fresh. read more

Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican - Cold barbacoa burrito in the trash - Mexican Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

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Try to stay away from this location, they're really sloppy when handling the food and the grill looked like they never cleaned it I saw the lady try to scrape up some remains and just put a tortilla on top of the scrape to cook. I even saw a piece of meat in the salad dressing somehow (so much cross contamination not for vegans) I should've took that as a red flag and left but I've had a better experience with different locations. I'm a pescatarian and haven't ate meat since I was a kid and I'm so sad that today was the day a sneaky piece got into my mouth and I chewed it. :( it was the littlest piece but it was so strong it made me sick I don't want to get into detail how sick I got but be careful if you don't eat meat(if you are also a vegan pescatarian you understand how bad this can be). *The picture below is cause I got sick and had to run to the br but I threw it away after as I don't condone littering. read more

Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican - Mexican Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

Came here for the first time last week and I was surprised at how good this place was. I had a salad and it was plentiful and fresh. I really enjoyed their cold chunky salsa and the hot verde sauce (I used it as the dressing on my salad) My mom had a steak quesadilla she said was really good and my dad and boyfriend had a burrito (which were huge) read more

it's a great restaurant with great and kind workers. the food is great and the design is nice

Hands down the worst "Mexican" food I have ever had. My husband and I arrived at 8:30 (they close at 10) and this was the absolutely filthiest restaurant I have ever been in. The floors were sticky. All the bins in the food line appeared to not have been cleaned all day. Food absolutely everywhere. The rice and beans had been all mixed together and cheese all over the counters. The sauces were spilled everywhere and food was in the sauces. I watched the worker touch her face and her clothing and then she prepared my food. The drink station had sticky residue everywhere. Even the little station where the salt and pepper are stored in a bin was filthy and sticky. The trash stunk, there was food and garbage all over the floors. We ate outside and the picnic tables had trash around them and the tables were sticky. I had a burrito bowl. My food was lukewarm and absolutely mushy and disgusting. The guacamole was brown, the black beans were overcooked. Honestly, this restaurant needs to hire a company to deep clean the entire place because the staff obviously does not care about maintaining a clean environment. Absolutely disgusting and I will never ever eat here again. I would genuinely be worried about getting food poisoning from a place that has zero interest in cleanliness. read more

I wish I had looked at the ratings on here instead of on Ubereats before ordering! Many things were wrong with my order: * They left out the chips and queso * They gave me mild green sauce instead of the hot red sauce I selected * They gave me 2 barbacoa enchiladas instead of 1 cheese and 1 barbacoa like I ordered * The enchiladas were COLD. Not even as warm as room temperature. Like they had been refrigerated and then not even heated up. * The barbacoa filling was way too sweet and the tortillas were tough * The guacamole was brown I'm being generous by giving them 2 stars. I'd like to give them 1.5. This meal was barely edible and certainly not worth anything like what I paid for it. read more

I went in there today since it was taco Tuesday and got 3 tacos. One steak, which was amazing and had a lot of flavor. One pulled chicken which was also really good and one pork which was good but very watery. The salsas and lettuce were fresh and tasted great and the tortillas were made perfect. I sat in the outdoor seating area and it's a relatively large area for them. read more

Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican - Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

I have been here 2-3 times per month for the last couple of years and while food is 5 stars, service is mediocre at best. I downloaded the rewards app for the convenience of online ordering but it's not convenient at all because the order is always wrong! There's always something missing or incorrectly prepared. I don't understand it at all. I continue coming because the food really is yummy. Love the nachos, quesadillas, and tacos! The fresh salsa is delicious! With a 2 year old that doesn't eat an entire kids meal, I appreciate the free niño quesadillas they offer. And even though the staff has trouble preparing orders correctly, they are very friendly even when the place is packed. read more

Was on point! Food/service great! Beyond great! Came in 30minutes for closing time on a week day, They've already cleaned the lobby, chairs up on a table ready to roll out but was so kind and took my order for a take out! Bam! Would give this cafe rio 5.5 ! Common in people! Try it out! No doubt! No mistake! You will love it! read more