Best salsa I've had in a long time. The tomatoes really feature well, not like a pico de gallo but as a true salsa. All the staff I interacted with were friendly and helpful. The restaurant itself is in an old firehouse, and it's got a fun vibe and a great outdoor patio and indoor bar area as well. TVs for game day, and no bad seats. My steak quesadillas would probably have been better with chicken. Not sure why, but they were pretty wet on the bottoms. Lots of liquid; not a lot of flavor. read more

Rio Grande Cafe - Steak quesadillas - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

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The service was horrible. Our waitress Melissa told us that after we had ordered chips and salsa that we couldn't order guac because she would have to walk downstairs and that we should've ordered it with our chips and salsa. She was flustered. She got my order wrong as well. The margaritas were great though. We were in from out of town dropping our daughter off at the University Of Utah. My husband found this place and thought it would be good because our daughter wanted Mexican food, but we will never go back. read more

Its amazing to me that the Diner doesn't know how to make authentic Huevos Rancheros. The plate is made traditionally with a large flour tortilla and not blue corn. We wont be going back until or if they change the way they prepare this dish. read more

Margaritas were delicious ! Though an expensive plate, it is jam-packed ! The meal was delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed my time here ! Our server was quiet and seemed impatient at times, which was definitely noticed. Aside from our service this day, I enjoyed rio grande ! read more

Rio Grande Cafe - Enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Mexican food does not get any better than this. The freshest, most delicious salsa on earth. The halibut tacos were also outstanding.

We had the best "bad" experience here last night! We've dined here many times and have always enjoyed both the food and the service. Last night, we had reservations for a larger group to celebrate a family birthday. Our server, Junior, was incredibly kind, attentive, and made sure everyone felt taken care of. Unfortunately, several dishes were overcooked, and a few orders came out incorrectly. However, what could have been a disappointing evening turned into a great one because of the outstanding customer service. Manager Kacey handled every issue with kindness, professionalism, and genuine care. Between Junior's attentiveness and Kacey's exceptional service, they made sure we could still enjoy our meal and celebrate our special occasion. Their commitment to making things right truly stood out, and we left having had a wonderful evening. read more

I came here again for my cousin's birthday party. I am more impressed with the drinks than the food. The best thing they have are the nachos and salsa. Their snow (blended margarita) that you can add on top of any beer is the best drink I've ever had! The service was a bit slow as we had to request water refills often, but our server was still friendly and upbeat. read more

Merek Jeter is a 10/10 server. Great speed. Very fast. Very strong. Big biceps. She recommended the chicken tacos so naturally I ordered pork. Mmm the pork was so good. read more

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Took a group of nine, ranging from a 5yo to 80+yo. They were able to get us seated quickly, even after a necessary location shift due to members of the party being unable to navigate stairs. We had a team of waiters and everyone was happy and helpful and on the ball. Food was great, as always. The student menu is perfect for smaller appetites. The brunch menu is delicious, plenty of options. Pro tip: my chilaquiles reheated in the airfryer were just as good the next day! read more

Fun little place tucked away near the U of U. The ambiance was great & service was fair. I think they're a little low on staff as there were many tables open, but a 45 min wait when we arrived. Food was adequate & came out hot. A bit on the pricey side - par for the area. Definitely somewhere to try once for the nostalgia of the area, but not something I'd go out of my way for. read more

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Ok so what was good. It's a cool place, the interior is really nice, great atmosphere, comfortable and spacious seating. The food? It was fine. I don't know how Mexican food got to be more expensive than sushi, but for $20 I was expecting more. It wasn't bad at all, but I just don't think the cost justifies the quality and quantity. It tasted like almost every other Tex-Mex place I've been to, it was good. But I don't think I'd go back just because of the cost and limited parking. read more

Rio Grande Cafe - Burrito and enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Service was not great, I don't know if they speak English and it was very loud in the restaurant, they kept putting queso on my burrito even after I said stop leaving a horrible cheese taste in every bite. read more

Great food and even better service!! Me and my friends come every weekday for snow caps and nachos!!! I love when mitch is our server! He is super super awesome and the greatest service we've ever had!!!! read more

Rio Grande Cafe - So good my friends cant stop eating - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Mitch was a great server. The service was amazing. He didn't even have to write down our order!! I would recommend read more

Rio Grande Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

This place has been around forever. It used to be down by the Rio Grande railroad station. It was sad to see them leave that historic location of which they were a community anchor but things change. There's still some things they do very well. Their cheese enchiladas are so simple and delicious. It's hard for me to overstate my appreciation, Their chimichangas are delicious...I mean seriously. The top shelf Margaritas and frozen margaritas are great. You'll be plastered before you know it. This is not sophisticated dining by any means, but just really great comfort food. They've never been really famous for their service at either location. They have a habit of assigning too many tables to their overworked waiters but they do a good job, all things considered. read more

I got charged $9 per individual taco! Rio Grande's building is an old station. I would say that's the best part of this restaurant & don't recommend the food for the price. Staff have tough moments and I was totally fine with the waitress forgetting water or spilling the soup a bit. But, I was already on a tight budget and my check went, what I was assuming to be a $20 check, to a $35 check. I had the waitress check twice and said the check was correct. It completely embarrassed me and ruined my day because what I saw in the menu didn't not compute to the check I recieved. This makes Rio Grande the bottom of my list. read more

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Absolutely our most favorite Mexi restaurant ever. Excellent service from Gage most recently. Love the ambiance and the different seating area options. Fabulous flavor. Great chips. I had the Chicken Flautas 5 and my husband had the Flauta Taco Grande. Also 5. read more

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Rio Grande Cafe has been a staple of the SLC dining experience since they were located at the old Rio Grande train station. Now up on the hill next to the U, they are in a gorgeous converted fire station. Amazing location, that would be a great place to show off to out of town family/friends. Delicious Mexican food, and brunch on the weekends. Stellar option if catching a game at the Huntsman or Rice Eccles. Various beers on tap with a full bar as well. Myself or guests have never had a complaint on the food or service provided. read more

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I grew up going to the Rio Grande Cafe every Friday night with my family starting 30 years ago when it was located downtown. At 17, it was where I got my first job. I was thrilled to hear it was being saved from closing and transferred to the east side. However I was nervous about the new owners possibly altering it from what made the Rio great. The Rio is just as great as it used to be and I seek to visit every time I'm in town. Even though they no longer have the original burritos on the menu, Joaquin and the kitchen team did a fantastic job making sure we could enjoy them again like old times. Great service, great ambiance, and great food. Thank you for preserving the old Rio! read more

Rio Grande Cafe - Original chicken burrito smothered with chile verde - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Great atmosphere. Mitch was so friendly and made our dinner very enjoyable. Will definitely come back soon!

We love the food!! Have been coming since the mid-90s. We LOVE their chips and salsa! The service has always been great! The ambiance of this location is warm and cozy. Love to sit outside when the weather is great. read more

This used to be the old Porcupine Cafe location. It looks very similar with changes to decor. There is an outside patio area for when it gets warmer too. We went on a Tuesday so there was a few specials - half off appetizers and $3 draft beers. I got the halibut tacos but I didn't really taste the halibut at all. It was very small pieces of fish with ALOT of toppings. The sauce given was okay and gave a tiny bit more but was still flavorless. I wish I was given salsa over the orange sauce, and less toppings. The rio grande taco has similar feedback, not a lot of flavor. I'll be back to try something different next time! read more

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Love the ambiance here for a quick lunch, girls night out, or dinner with friends. Casual, yet upbeat, airy, and positive vibes. Service is fantastic. Always good people serving. No wow factor with the food, but it's always good, just good. read more

My husband and I came for lunch on. Sunday afternoon. We sat upstairs. Hank was our server. We were impressed with the atmosphere, service, food, and cleanliness I highly recommend the Rio Grande. read more

Great place for a good bite. Our server was very nice and brought us a plate of their house salsas to try on our nacho appetizer. The servings are large so you get a good amount for what you pay. The outside seating is excellent and shaded well with umbrellas as well as the shade provided by the building. Would come here again read more

We had heard of the Rio Grande Cafe and decided to have lunch there. We were greeted by a hostess and decided to eat out on the patio, since the weather was so nice. Our waitress let us know they had just finished making a fresh batch of horchata. The chips and salsa are separate menu items, but what's a Mexican meal without chips and salsa? All three of us got our own dish of salsa (a plus in any restaurant). Our orders came quickly. The tamale combo with enchilada was a little heavy on the masa but filled with plenty of shredded chicken. There was plenty of sauce to give the tamale a good flavor. The Horchata drink was one of better ones I've had. The Chicken Mole Enchilada had a different texture than expected. There was a heavy cinnamon flavor.There was a generous chicken filling. The #5 combo with one taco & Chili Rellenos was okay. The taco came with two corn tortillas (both tortillas totally fell apaand was more like a street taco. It's always a disappointment that nobody makes crunchy tacos anymore. The rellenos batter was different, but there was a ton of yummy cheese filling! Not sure I would order it again. read more

Usually I have such an incredible experience with the staff here. However, at my past visit our waiter Christian was hostile and seemed bothered at any request. He was very unpleasant. He brought our checks before we asked, obviously trying to scoot us out when the restaurant wasn't even busy. We continued to try to give him grace, but his rude manner ruined our meal. Did not show us one smile. Would not return if he was or waiter again. read more

We loved this place so much we decided to go back for lunch for my Birthday. The chips & salsa were delicious . I ordered the chicken flauta grande . I thought this would be like regular flautas that are rolled up & deep fried . This definitely was not! This was like a taco salad in a tortilla. Everything was cold the lettuce , guacamole , sour cream & cheese & chicken on top of a grilled tortilla. It was disappointing. I usually love it here . If you looking for good chicken flautas I would not recommend ordering this . The service was good . The waiter had several tables so it took him longer to help us. Hoping for better food next time read more

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Monday is free queso night! You get one free per every 4 people. They gave us our own salsa bowl too which was nice! The queso was smooth and delicious! I ordered the taco loco with beef and it was heavenly. Every bite was perfect and had so much flavor. The portions are all large so you could get away with sharing! Music was throwback and it was nice. Not too loud that you can't have nice conversations with your party. read more

Rio Grande Cafe - Chips and queso - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

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I came into the bar and Kyle was so attentive and so wonderful I will definitely be coming back! I also overheard it was short staffed this day but everyone was working so hard and pulling their weight I would've never known! This is not the last of me me friends :) read more

Excellent chili rellenos. Not too noisey, great service. Easy parking. Clean, good choices nitro expensive

Food was decent, service was below average, and the unnecessary charge on the final bill was the catalyst to give a two star review. As a result of our server giving me a dish that was different than what I ordered, and telling my daughter they would charge her for another dish if they removed the sour cream which she didn't order, and charging us a gratuity tax as shown on the final bill we aren't going back. This is the first time I've seen a gratuity tax. I will not be going back. read more

An absolute institution for years! Today, Chandler the bartender did something for us that was amazing. He blended the salsa and it is crazy good. Perfect compliment to everything in the menu. Love this place! read more

Rio Grande Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Probably should be one star but covid times. This is a nostalgia restaurant. It's one of the few places close to campus and open late that serves alcohol. It's part of the rotation when you're attending a PTC show or some other event on campus. The short. The good: - Close to campus, so you'll pay a premium. - The Rio Grande margarita. - Over priced fajitas. Pretty hard to mess up but just average. - Steak Ranchero quesadilla. The bad: - Everything else - Inconsistent charge of chips and salsa. While most places don't charge, or at least the first bowl, of chips and salsa is NOT free here, sometimes. I've been here several times since they moved to this location. There are times we are charged and others not for chips and salsa. They don't believe in fryers (a long standing issue) so these chips are very generic. Be consistent and if you charge, don't have the servers bring it to you automatically as if it were free. The last dish I had was the chimichanga "Rio Style" cause it's grilled, remember they don't believe in fryers. The issue is they drown it with a wet mess of salsa and lettuce. Their rice is also a soggy mess. Multiple visits with different dishes and everytime the rice is soggy. Is it boil in bag stuff? If you have to go here, stick with the few items above. I just hope they do better since this place has a long history. read more

Rio Grande Cafe - #9 - Chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

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This spot must have a new kitchen or be experiencing turnover. I visit here quite a bit being on campus all year, and the last two visits have been rough. This time, I ordered the enchilada with blue corn chips (which has long been a favorite). The chips were burnt badly enough that the waiter called them "specialty charred" (LMAO). The entire plate was burned badly around the edges, and the meal was mostly inedible. I would have requested a refund, but I was with other guests. One of them had a similar enchilada that was charred on the underside. Another had a burnt meal that didn't include the normal sauce that comes with it. The wait staff was solid, but whew, the kitchen needs some help right now. read more

The food, drink, and margaritas are stellar. Sitting outside is my favorite! A little pricey compared to other Tex Mex restaurants.

First of all the location, vibe and more importantly the staff are amazing ! The staff was accommodating, friendly and helpful but unfortunately the food was lacking. We ordered drinks and I had the S&M which tasted so complex that in the end all I could taste was just the chunks of jalapeños. I ordered the shrimp fajitas and I have to say you do get a lot for what you pay but unfortunately the veggies were unseasoned and the shrimp was just salt. It was disappointing because they looked nice and juicy but that first bit was my last. My partner ordered the halibut tacos and instead of being a nice soft grilled fish it was chewy and again unseasoned. Overall, great atmosphere, wonderful staff and large portions just wish the drinks and food had been seasoned better read more

The food doesn't taste fresh and comes out as an over heated pile of mush. The salsa tasted like tomato paste with canned vegetables. When we complained about the salas they sold us $9.99 cup of queso dip, which wasn't much better. When we mentioned our unpleasant experience with the food to the manager he said "sound good, let me know if you need anything else"... clearly he didn't hear us. Later he offered us a dessert on the house, which we advised that we are not interested in eating anything else from the restaurant. Service was cherry and friendly, just inexperienced. read more

Generous portion served steaming hot. I think it's tasty and would come back anytime. Love that they have more gourmet hot sauce and will always ask for habanero anytime I stop by. read more

Rio Grande Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Excellent food. Good price for the amount you receive. Nice outdoor seating area. We enjoyed the Steak Ranchero Quesadilla and the Grande Nachos with carnitas. And a Hefeweizen with orange slices. For dessert we had the Key Lime Pie..... Excellent!!! I would highly recommend this restaurant! read more

Rio Grande Cafe - Grande Nachos w/carnitas and Steak Ranchero Quesadilla...... Excellent!!! - Mexican Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah