I'm new to Evansville, and missed the delicious mexican food found in Indianapolis so I scoured the internet for places to satisfy my need for enchiladas and queso. El Rio nailed it. The enchiladas are incredible, spicy, but not overwhelming. We got the chicken enchiladas with verde sauce, queso, chips, and a side of rice and refined beans. The food was hot when it was delivered, I can only imagine it would taste even better in restaurant (and hopefully Ill be able to try that soon once the pandemic ends)! Give em a chance, because they are totally worth it. read more

We dined here last week, after a six year hiatus. We moved in 2008, and when I returned to Evansville, we were glad to see that El Rio was still open, and actually have remodeled, and expanded. Back in the day, pre-marriage, I was a regular here, after they first opened. The owners are transplants from Mexico, and barely even spoke fluent English when they opened. Their food, which is authentic- not the typical Tex Mex crap, was the first of this type in Evansville. I was hooked. I generally get the chicken quesadillas, or anything with chicken in it. They use the freshest ingredients, and their cheese is unlike most Mexican restaurants. Honestly, I think they have live chickens in the back, as it really does taste that fresh, and not frozen. Who knows? Margaritas. Yep, they have them, and the owner proudly gloats how they put 30% more tequila in them, as opposed to most other restaurants. Great service, great food, and great margaritas. What's not to like! read more

A very humble restaurant with a large dining area and bar. A stage is set for live music. A lovely staff and evening. I ordered a margarita, since work was meh. I was a little disappointed at the size, but the price was right and it was still good. Chips and salsa, not bad, had a nice kick with savory tomato. I had the cactus pork. Pork was tender and delicious. The cactus leaves had a nice succulent taste that complimented the pork. Refried beans were alright and Spanish was pretty good, but the pork was the best. read more

We came in a large group of almost 20 and we called ahead. They had a table ready for our large group, and we were all impressed we were able to quickly sit down. I had a vegetarian c combo and it was great! Our drinks were kept filled and the food came out quick. Tip- if you are in a large group remember the number of what you ordered to help them quickly serve your food! read more

Great food Authentic and most hospitable restaurant in Evansville clean environment perfect for a date or for treating yourself 10/10 will return read more

Interior is pretty sparse, looks like it is setup more as a night club than a restaurant. Staff was friendly and my food was cheap and pretty tasty. No complaints. Plenty of televisions to keep you entertained during lunch. read more

My husband and I were invited by a large group of friends to El Rio to hear a band that was playing. We had never been to El Rio and were pleasantly surprised by our experience. It is a large place with a bar, dance floor and stage next to a large dining area. Our server was a family member of the owners and was very knowledgeable about the HUGH menu ( too large for pictures). My husband had a pork dish and I had a chicken dish. Both were very good. I reason I gave 5 stars is I loved the "dinner and a show" atmosphere. We had a great time and will definitely go back. read more

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This place will never get anymore business from me I heard how this owner or guy that runs this place y'all to customer and workers. He's very rude. Plus the food is rated at a C at the very best. read more

My coworker and I are only visiting for the weekend and were both craving Mexican Cuisine, and stumbled upon El Rio via Google. We came at lunch time and received excellent service and great food! Our favorite item had to be the Guacamole! Freshly made in house. Would highly recommend read more

Decent Mexican food. Large portions and consistent. Not a place for families on a weekend night when it turns more in to a club atmosphere weekdays are fine though. read more

We used to go every week with friends and without fail my order was always messed up. I finally came to the conclusion that the server did not like me for some reason so after many tries I told my friends that I will never come back to this place again. There are other places that will treat me better than this place has.... read more

While the food was ok, not the best Mexican food in town for sure, but that might be overlooked if the service wasn't so lacking. The servers were apathetic and disinterested. One server couldn't be bothered to wait on us (and it was not busy at all!) so her coworker came by after a long wait and asked if our order had been taken (ah no....not even drink order) and apologized for the other server. Although when it came time to clear plates the first disinterested server was pulling our plates from the table before one in our party was even finished eating. So yeah... servers leave a lot to be desired. It seams to be more of a family hangout for the people who work there. All in all, not friendly, slow service, and meh food. read more

It's very loud when the band is playing, so I suggest that you get a take out order.. The food is very good. Salsa could be a lil better.. I don't go there for that though, lol.. Staff is super friendly. Restaurant is always clean! You won't be dissapointed in this place at all!! read more

We have been eating here for several years. They have kept improving and finessing their menu. They offer a good range of vegetarian options, and I really mean to try some others, but my favorite is the Vegetarian Combo A. I never seem to be able to order anything else because I look forward to Combo A from the time we decide to eat there (or carry out). Combo A consists of a big Chili Relleno -- poblano pepper, filled with cheese, potato dice, and carrots, dipped in an egg batter and fried. Also included are a refried bean chalupa with lettuce, tomato, and guacamole on top, and a serving of Spanish rice. It is a most excellent meal, but we usually take more than half of it home because... they have started offering a chunky guacamole bowl (same ingredients as regular, but chopped up, not whizzed in a blender. With that and the chips and salsa (both good) while we are waiting for the meal, we are pretty full; just enough room for the relleno while it is hot! Over the last year, the family has enlarged the restaurant and put in a stage, a bar, and some bright carved and painted booths around the perimeter. There is room for dances, bingo, and other activities. The atmosphere is casual, and the family who operate it are friendly and nice. read more

El Rio Mexican Cuisine - Vegetarian Combo A - Mexican Near Me - Evansville, Indiana

Great food and super low prices. They go out of their way to make the food just how you want it. Some of the nicest staff I have ever met.

Decent place. I really think that the interiors have no great decorations or anything like that. It basically looks like a car garage with many tables and chairs. Service is fine , I had the lunch 22 which was average or maybe slightly below average in terms of taste . Avg pricing read more

We love Mexican food, entertainment, and great atmospheres, and this def made our #1 pick for Mexican from now on we know where we'll be going! Service was exceptional and the food was amazing! Can't wait to go back ;) read more

Poor service and food was simply not good. Took almost 15 minutes to get our drinks and refills never came. Salsa was the worst ever and had a significant metallic taste - canned diced tomatoes is a better description. No one in our dinner party finished their food and no one even thought about asking for a Go-Box. Concrete floor was cold and not inviting. Nothing redeeming about this place, I would much rather eat at Taco Bell. Pick any other Mexican place around. Prices were cheap, but not worth even that. read more

I ordered the lunch chicken fajita to go. It was perfect. Hot, cooked well, fast delicious.

Visited for the second time since moving to Evansville a few months ago. The food was mediocre. Nothing fabulous, but nothing bad. The salsa appeared to be crushed can tomatoes or tomato purée with spices and who knows what else added to it, but it was actually okay! Our waitress asked if we wanted more chips and salsa, but forgot, which is fine. We asked her next time we saw her, and then our food came out. We asked the gentleman who delivered our entrees for some, and he seemed less than thrilled- he never brought it out. We asked a 4th time, and never got any either. Soooo, I guess you're only allowed one serving of chips and salsa. We didn't have great service like we did the only other time we visited. I was pretty disappointed after spending a ton of $$ on my family of 9. read more

Evansville has several excellent, local Mexican restaurants to choose from. El Rio is not one of them. The salsa isn't bad, and the food can be good, but the service is awful. They are consistently understaffed, abrasive, and forgetful. What should be a quick 30 minute lunch turns into a 90 minute frustrating waiting game. Go to Los Bravos. read more

We are repeat customers of El Rio. Enjoy the great food, great service and reasonable prices!

We started going to this restaurant 4 or 5 years ago when we were in Evansville for a yearly weekend trip. We liked it so much the first 2 years, we went twice each time during our stay. This last visit will be our last. The food is average, but don't make any special requests and heaven forbid if you have a food allergy. Once I requested no cheese or sour creamand got both, decided to just eat it. This last time my son asked for no mushrooms in his dish, the smell of themmake him sick. He pushed the plate to the end of the table and ent it back, that all went well Our wait person was very congenial. The dish came back, it ws not redone, they had simply picked the mushrooms out. The odor of mushrooms remains if they were cooked in the dish. If he had been allergic, this would not have ended well. Mexican food is pretty darn cheap,the $2 they saved sending the dish back this way has lost them our business forever. We will not be back. read more