Surprisingly decent food in this strip mall setting. Perhaps not the most authentic Mexican food to be had but tasty nonetheless. Good margaritas, fun decor (even if kitschy and a bit over the top), strolling mariachi dude (the kids in the place loved him!), good service and reasonable prices. We went on a Saturday night and the place was jam packed with families and celebrations. Definitely not a quiet romantic dinner kind of place but perfect for a crowd...especially with kids. read more

Great food very tasty and generous portions. Free guacamole was outstanding and really really good. Also the habanero hot sauce provided at the table was a great addition. Had fish tacos and the Rio veggie burrito platter. Really really good food. read more

Really good Mexican - planning our next visit.

I was here earlier and they make fabulous and tasty chicken tacos and fajitas. Guacamole and salsa was fresh and delicious. Food arrived very quickly and staff was very attentive. I love the atmosphere of this place, mirrors and images of celebrities. Will definitely come back again. read more

Been going here for years. Always a great meal and drinks. Only downside is it's always packed but that's because it's a fun place to dine. read more

Excellent Mexican Food It is Delicious Lots to Choose From They Even Have Something For the Kids i Have Been There Many Times with Friends and Family read more

I come here every so often to get food with friends. Food is always very tasty and fresh! The guitarist that comes and sings to you at the table is also a great touch. Would definitely recommend. read more

Fantastic family atmosphere and the best food. I would highly recommend Rio. Love the live musical entertainment too!!

I really love the food at Rio but the servers are just downright rude and unfriendly. The only reason I keep back is the food but not sure how many more times I'm going to be able to deal with the wait staff. read more

Best Mexican place in Norwalk. Great service, food and atmosphere. My only tip is to not get the 1 guy server because he sucks, but any of the women servers are great. read more

I love eating here! The food is always hot, quick, and delicious, and the service is fantastic. The piñatas and the mariachi give it an authentic Mexican vibe, so it's always a good time! I would definitely recommend it. Not to mention, it's right next to a T.J. Maxx and a Best Buy, which is awesome and convenient! Take my word for it, I hardly ever write reviews, but here I am! read more

This is an excellent restaurant, with high quality food and prompt service. I used to live in the Southwest, and know something about authentic Mexican/TexMex from my time there. I was also ready to pronounce most East Coast Mexican restaurant food to be but a very pale imitation, but Rio Border changed my mind today. Today was our first visit, and we'll be back, again and again! Vegetarian-friendly as well. We has several vegetarians in our party. As others have remarked, it looks a bit like a hole in the wall, but the food's good, as is the hospitality, and the prices. read more

Love this place their food is great i love their chimichangas and fried ice cream!!! The best plate is The Grande!

We moved from So Cal to Connecticut 15 years ago and have become regulars at Rio's because it reminds us most of the good Mexican food we enjoyed back in Los Angeles. Our favorites are the carnitas, enchiladas and burritos. Margaritas are good, service great and prices reasonable. They sometimes have mariachi's, are family friendly and a fun place to celebrate a birthday. read more

Food was pretty good and so were the margaritas. Went during a slow period and the service was still stow. When it gets busy, it is even worse. Large groups seem to confuse them terribly. if you can deal with the noise and slow service, then you should go but it is not a place to go relax and enjoy. It is more like Chucky Cheese than a good Mexican restaurant. read more

I love the steaks and the way it's served on a hot plate sizzling hot , waitress was fair and nice , my date for got her ID so no alcohol for her . I hate that rule lol , read more

Some of the food such as the yellow rice and the chips was extremely bland and lacked flavor. They automatically added a 15 percent gratuity to my bill for a party of two. It's OK to add gratuity to bills for large parties. However, adding a gratuity to a bill for two people is ridiculous and insulting. It's almost like they assumed I wasn't going to tip them so they added it for me. Once I paid the bill, the tip line was on the receipt asking for more money. I did not add an additional tip. There's two food trucks in Norwalk with better Mexican food than this place. I will not be going back to Rio Border. read more

The location is very funky (in a shopping center next to a craft store) but this is the best and tastiest Mexican food in the area, hands-down read more

Very good tex mex food at reasonable prices.

Tonight was my first time trying this place. Food was eh, okay... but, HORRIBLE SERVICE. Im a waitress and i felt bad leaving a bad tip but the waitor did not deserve a good tip. He threw the menus on the table, didnt check up on us, lied and said they dont have plastic spoons ( to feed my 2 year old ) also just handed us the check didnt ask if we wanted anything else. Never going back read more

I came for the first time on a friend's recommendation, and I've been back once a week for almost two months. The nachos, tacos, and quesadillas are delicious, as are the $5 happy hour margaritas. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good time, accompanied by a guitar player and fresh, authentic food. read more

We have been going to Rio since our girls were toddlers and appreciate the fun atmosphere, good food and gracious, friendly staff. We also appreciate their continuing support of the community, including the recent fundraiser this week to support the Brookside Elementary school! read more

Went there for lunch and had a fairly nice veggie burrito. Returned for dinner a few months later and had a bad experience. I know I'm not in the majority but as a vegetarian this place messed up my order twice. Not enough veggie options and I had to substitute chicken for veggies. Of course, I get veggies AND chicken instead of just veggies. Sent it back and out comes a chicken burrito. I was clear when I said politely,"no meat please". Third times a charm, I finally get a cheese (no veggie) enchilada which was sloppy and tasteless. I don't get the hype about this place. It's loud which I wouldn't mind except for the fact that it is also pretty dingy and dirty. There are better Mexican places in the area and I'll stick to those instead. On the bright side the margaritas are okay but Tequila Mockingbird's in New Canaan are better. read more

We go to Rio regularly. Their margaritas are incredible and their food is good Mexican comfort food that is always consistently good. The decor is a bit tacky and the marichis can be great, or not. read more

Best Mexican food around. Love it, my kids love it and our school gets a kick back. Who wouldn't want to go?

Excellent food and fun place to go for lunch or dinner and any celebratory occasion. The Rio Extravanganza Veggie is my favorite, as well as the nachos. The ambiance is lively and fun. read more

Rio is a great go-to restaurant. It's always busy, reasonably priced and fun. The menu is typical No. American Mexican with a few nice twists/specials. The portions are well-sized, the staff is attentive and the food is reasonably priced. It's good Mexican for CT but a far cry from what I've had in Mexico and Calif. The tables can be a bit cramped and the place can be a bit noisy- especially when the guitar guys assault your table mid-conversation. I will always go back because it's good, predictable and reasonably priced. read more

LOVEEEEE this place!!! Not the best mexican place on earth, but kind of like home made food. Not super inventive or adventurous, but delicious and basic. I'm obsessed. read more

I love rios I have been going there for the awesome food for years. Definitely authentic Mexican food and great drinks. The setup of the restaurant is pretty neat with all the different pictures on the walls and piñatas hanging from the ceiling. Only thing I could say is a con is that they get packed crazy on the weekends so expect to maybe wait for a table and their prices but I guess that's why it's such good food and margaritas LOl read more

Some of the best, cheapest, and fast Mexican food in CT! We have been coming here for years, and it is always delicious! The service is always very friendly and accommodating, and the food is always delicious! My favorite is their enchilada combo with all chicken (which is shredded as opposed to grilled or fried). Their rice is also out of this world! Service is super quick, and there's always some type of entertainment going on. Seating is sometimes very tight, but great place to take kids! read more

The staff could use a little lesson in service, but the food was delicious.....if they could just meet up this place would be incredible!

Love this place.no matter how busy they are, hospitality is always on point. Nancy is the best!!!!

love this place! Went here for the first time with my wife and three kids recently and couldn't have been happier. Décor is awesome...lots of stuff on the walls and ceiling to look at. Great pictures of old movie stars and musicians. Food was absolutely awesome, everybody had a great meal, and very reasonable. Margaritas were delicious and priced right. Mario was a big hit with the kids with all his maracas and things, and entertained all with his guitar. Our waitress was friendly and the service was prompt. We found our new Mexican hangout! Great job Rio, we will be back!! read more

I've never been a big fan of Mexican food (besides Taco Bell) but my girlfriend loves it so we gave it a shot and it is now our "go-to" restaurant. It looks pretty tacky when you first walk in- pinatas everywhere and photos of celebrities lining the walls. Not the place I would take my boss to lunch, but it's a great happy hour place. The margaritas are really good but be careful because they are really strong and after a couple, it'll knock you off your barstool. We always get the nachos with beef on them and they are out of this world. I would definetly recommend this place but like I said, be aware of who you are taking there... read more

Best margaritas around, food is great closely reminds me of being back in Texas! Had the fajitas def recommend. Service was great, keep up good work! read more

An all-time favorite. The Pollo Ranchero and Mango Margaritas are the best I've ever had, and worth the trip alone. The soft tortillas are the real corn ones, not the wimpy flour variety, so the flavor is quite pronounced. Incredibly fast service, and great salsa with warm, salty chips for the brief time that you wait, even when it's packed (which it often, and rightfully, is). You'd never know that a hole-in-the-wall strip-mall restaurant could be quite so good until you've been here! read more