Not impressed. This place feels like a copy-and-paste version of every other Mexican restaurant in the area--same menu, same entrées, and the same uninspired flavors. What really stood out was how quickly the food arrived. Our meals came out in less than five minutes, even though the restaurant was crowded. That raises serious questions about how fresh anything actually is. It gave the impression that most of the food is pre-made and simply reheated. With so many similar options around, there's nothing here that makes this place worth recommending. Noteworthy was our server. read more

Went back for the exact same order of Shrimp fajitas chimichanga and I'm pretty sure there were 3 to 4 shrimp less In this chimi than last. Their shrimp has a nice charred grill flavor without being dry and rubbery. Needs more shrimp.. pics included read more

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We came in for a drink and watch baseball game. We are visiting from CA wanted to see dodgers game. We had fun watching game and chilling. Food was good however we had to ask on a few things. Overall it's a good spot very busy. Will stop again and try something else. Ambiance was nice too. read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Taquitos and combo plate - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

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I ordered the El Jalisco Special lunch to go. This is my go to when I'm hungry and not sure what to get. It didn't take long to receive my order and I was on my way. read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - El Jalisco Special without tomatoes and bell peppers - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

Best spicy mezcal margarita I've ever had. Their white sauce is delicious and really unique. Service was great, too. Just a heads up that they get very busy around dinner time and the parking lot fills up quickly, so plan accordingly. read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina is a Mexican American restaurant located in Fairview Heights, IL (St Louis area). We went with a large group (party of 8). I tried their Strawberry Mezcal Margarita, Birria Tacos, and Carne Su Jugo. Really loved the Birria Tacos. Be careful of the large Mezcal Margarita.... it's really large. LOL. Service was a little slow but definitely friendly. Don't plan to rush there. ENJOY!! read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

I really wanted to love it here and I didn't. The salsa was meh, the white sauce was unusual. My husband had the chicken enchiladas with beans, the beans never arrived, I had the beef, chicken, shrimp, rice and cheese with onions and peppers, it had lots of favor but huge chunks of onion and peppers and far too much cheese. The most unsettling part was the bathroom it was filthy which had me looking around the restaurant, trash every where on the floor. Don't think I can overlook those issues. It wasn't so busy that someone couldn't pick up. read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

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I went to Rio Grande MX Cocina the day after Valentine's Day, so the place was crowded. Only waited about 10 minutes to be seated. Once the food was ordered, it came out fast. I had a shrimp chimichanga with shredded chicken. The entree came with refried beans, rice, pico and sour cream. My friend had a taco and the steak, chicken and shrimp fajitas. The food was good. The margaritas were disappointing, couldn't taste any tequilla. Customer service was lacking. Once we ordered, we didn't see our waiter. I had to stop another waiter and ask him to send our waiter over. I'm not sure if I'll go back again.... read more

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I ate here while visiting the area , the parking lot was pretty full so I figured the food would be good. The dining area was clean and neat with plenty of seating. The service was really good, the wait staff was very attentive and checked on us often. The food was outstanding, there were four in our party and everyone said their food was great. The pricing was good, the portions were good and I would gladly recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

Got take out on 7/2/25. Mediocre Mexican food. Nothing special. They forgot our margarita. Kid's quesadilla wasn't even put together. Ordered some tacos, nachos and enchiladas. It was good for the moment. read more

We came in as a party of 4 The Birria Tacos were excellent & everything else we ordered was good. Service was great, aside from the dishes coming out staggered - with a decent amount of time between guests 1&2, then 3&4. Regular check-ins at the table & quick to clear plates. The water cups are huge, no refills were needed on this visit. No room for dessert & the only clean plate was the plate of birria tacos - tender, juicy, drippy goodness It came to right at $80 for 4 with water to drink. read more

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A coworker told me about this place so I figured I'd give it a try. let's start off with a very nice gal that welcomed us in and sat us At our table. I ordered a Menchilada beer coworker had a Margarita. oh let's not forget the warm chips and salsa brought to us. now the salsa was more like blended tomato with onion & cilantro but zero spice, so it didn't hit the spot for me but did have a good flavor. Now back to the drinks, my beer was super sized!! I loved it and the beer mix was just perfect!! The margarita, well wasn't my drink but the coworker said... " ooooh wow, this girl knows how to make a good drink!" so I take it the margarita was perfect also! The Food... I got the taco combo. I did think I was getting corn tacos but they were flour all good but not sure why they were wrapped individually in aluminum foil that was strange to me. Then the beans & rice were on a separate plate, also strange and finally another separate small bowl with some pico. if they had 1 plate I could've got better serving of beans & rice plus 1 less dish to wash and they should eliminate the tin foil that could save them $$ if this is what they do for in house orders not to go orders. The Ambience... very Mexican. they have Spanish music and decor overall it felt as authentic as it could be for illinois. I've been to other Mexican places but this now has become my fav so far They are a little on the pricey side but I think they're less than competitors and they're also worth every dollar of it! I didn't get pic as I was too hungry after a long day at work but enjoy the drink photo read more

Horrible service. We ordered to go orders. Beef nachos and fajitas. Neither order had queso with it. Called the restaurant and they wanted to argue that they did have queso included. Second time this has happened and will not be going back. read more

The reason that this Mexican restaurant stands out and is different from others is they serve this white sauce with their chips and salsa and it is so good! I'm not even sure what it is but it's good enough to make us pick this place over other Mexican restaurants when in the area. They have those giant margarita towers that everyone at the table can share. Their food tastes great and the service is good even when they are packed. I'm glad this place has been doing good and have been several times. The setup is a lot like an Applebees (I think it used to be one.) read more

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Went here with some friends because it is their go to spot. The restaurant was clean. The staff was very friendly and service was excellent. We all got different dishes and every one enjoyed their meal. The salsa was very good. The big margaritas were indeed BIG ! They packed a punch as well. I would recommend you give this place a try if you are looking for good Mexican food at reasonable prices with great margaritas. read more

First timer, stopped in for lunch yesterday. First of all, the margaritas were delicious! My fried and I ordered the Burrito Popeye. They brought our food and it looked good so we started eating it. We quickly realized that it was not chicken and there was no spinach in it or avocado on it. The waitress was passing by so we asked about it. She confirmed that it was not what we ordered and did offer to take it back. We has already tasted it and it was like a marinated steak and was pretty tasty so we opted to keep it if she brought us some avocado. It was really good but the bad thing ism], we have no idea what it was to order it again. The restaurant was nicely decorated and was casual dining. Would go back again if in the area. read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Medium Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

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This place was a solid Mexican restaurant, but not the best I've ever had. The chips and salsa were pretty good. They also brought an odd creamy white dip that I've never seen before at a Mexican restaurant. It was a bit sweet. It was ok. But, the salsa was much better. I had the shrimp tacos. They were solid. Plenty of shrimp. Just wish they packed a little more flavor. The black beans were meh. (To be fair, I don't love black beans on their own.) Bit, the rice was pretty tasty. All in all, we'd try it again. Think some places do some dishes better than others. read more

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Food was ok. The spit was clean and inviting. The waitresses were friendly and helpful in ordering food.

So good! David took great care of us! We stopped in while staying at the Drury Inn next door, unfortunately, really close to closing. Despite this, we received stellar service. Drink prices are SO GOOD! A pitcher of beer was around $14, my brother in laws giant schooner of margarita was only $13. The bartenders and workers here were so friendly and nice. We didn't get any food at the actual restaurant to eat there since it was so close to closing but my BIL got their sampler platter to go; which we enjoyed later at the hotel and it was ballin. The sauce they include for the quesadillas? OMG chefs kiss! DEFINITELY ask for that. It was something like a chipotle ranch. Kinda smokey tasting. I don't know but we all really dug it. We only came by because they were open later than the other places and I hate that we did that! Because I wish we had showed up earlier to have our full on dinner here to have gotten to taste more of their things! If you're staying nearby from other states like us (we're from Texas) you're probably thinking "I don't want something I can get at home" and I would normally agree with that; however the taste of the food and the service and the prices really made this place worthwhile. I even mentioned to my husband that we should come stay in this area again on our return trip so we could come back. Needless to say, if you're staying nearby, this place is an extremely solid choice I'm willing to vouch for. read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Giant schooner of margarita- really well priced - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

Really good service! Waiter was friendly and attentive. Great price ! Excellent food ! Good service ! Inviting atmosphere ! Started off with chips, salsa, queso and beef dip Apps| Appetizers Sampler Had good assortment of different types of Mexican food: Cheese quesadilla, chicken quesadilla, tacos , and taquitos Entree| Alambre Tacos Came out sizzling on a hot pan With two seasoned pineapples to top the three delicious tacos This is some great Mexican food and I'm sure I'll definitely revisit this place again *thumbs up* read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Alambre Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

Arrived about 5:10 for a party of 5 and were seated right away by a sweet lady! Another lady brought out chips and water. After a while of waiting a different person finally came and took our drink order. This would be our waitress. No idea what her name was and assumed she was our waitress. Hard to hear as she spoke so soft. All of our drinks were gone and we finally ordered. The food came out quickly and was delicious. We did not see the server again. Our drinks stayed empty. We asked another server around 7 pm for to go boxes. A gentleman was confronted about needing our checks and still nothing. At 7:30 I spotted the server on her phone. I walked over to her and she was on social media. I asked for our check. We finally got it and paid shortly around 7:45. The woman's restroom was not clean either. Overall we used to love this place but it seems to be declining. read more

Cinco De Mayo.great atmosphere .first time stopped in , food was amazing. Service was excellant. Highly recommend!!

Friendly service Fast service and with a smile. Yes you can get to go orders only at this time. They are safe with gloves & mask. From the pictures I provided you can see these dishes are yummy. Golden fried, chrispy, crunchy, cool, spicy, warm & melted perfectly to your liking. I give this place stars and more stars 10 stars. Try it your gonna love it. read more

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This place used to be great. However, the last few visits the service was very lacking, the food and drinks were not as good as they once were. Our last visit had us arrive and get seated while we waited for the others joining us. I ordered waters for the table and our server never came back. Waited and waited. Finally asked another server and she went and found our server sitting down chatting with others that were on break. We walked out. We won't be back or recommend them to anyone. read more

This is a very fun and tasty Mexican restaurant in a great location. Very family friendly and they have a patio that is covered but can be open as well. Great for the summer time. I love a good patio! The service was great, we were seated right away and the staff was very friendly. The food came out soooo fast I was definitely impressed!! I ordered the loaded steak fries, they were delicious but I would have liked a little more queso on the fries. We also ordered a large pitcher of the passion fruit margarita, it was so delicious but it was a lot of margarita to split between two people. Talk about a fiesta!! We had to take to go cups home. This was definitely a great date night destination and would recommend for a date night or family gathering. read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Large pitcher margarita. - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

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Stopped in for dinner with a large group. They were very accommodating. Large menu with lots of options to choose from. Desserts were tasty! read more

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We've been here a few times and this place is amazing. Food is delicious and staff are attentive. Pricing is very reasonable and servings are plenty large. Definitely worth the visit read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Steak fries are on the appetizers menu but are enough for its own meal. The fries are crisp and sauce is beyond delicious. - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

The bummer about restaurants like this is that people are going to eat this food and think it's Mexican food. It's not. Table chips were stale and chewy and there's some weird sweet ranch-type dressing that comes with them. Entrees were super average. Service was barely existent and there were no drink refills or anything beyond a walking "everything good?" Lastly, the floors are pretty dirty and we were seated at a cleared but not wiped or reset table. Don't go here. read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Shredded chicken nachos - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

Great good!!! Tamales were on point!! Great service!! We will definitely be back! Great Mexican food.

Coming from CA to IL it's hard to find good Mexican food. This place has become one of our favorite places when we get Mexican food! I recommend the Carnitas dinner plate and the Carne Arrachera the Guacamole is 10/10 and the Asada fries are delicious! Service is friendly and they are constant checking in on you. Restaurant is clean and never had any issues when going. We have gone there with large groups and the accommodate us quickly and food doesn't take to long. Definitely worth checking out. read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Carne Arrachera - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

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Don't get me wrong. I had the burritos Azteca and they were amazing. The food was amazing and fresh and hot, but I called myself. Try to get something sweet afterwards and try the sopapillas. After getting myself, all hyped up by looking up pictures online of the sopapillas, I was highly disappointed when I got back some cinnamon sugar, tortilla strips, covered sprinkles, whipped cream, and ice cream. You guys have the audacity to call yourself a real authentic Mexican place you can't even have real sopapillas.. disappointed. Fix this issue. This is a shame. I should never have to feed my family this. Not only with the sopapillas despicable, the service was so slow . It's almost as if they have better service when they're busy. I guess the trick is to go on a busy day. read more

Best Mexican food in my area, this food is seasoned perfect. The staff are friendly and very helpful. My favorite is the Alcapulco, it has shrimp, crab, scallops over the best green rice I've ever had. read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Alcapulco - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

been to this restaurant a few times now, i love the at atmosphere, the chips and salsa are great, you get some kind of tangy sauce with it as well i've been looking for birria tacos and found some here! first time trying birria tacos and i like them and will order again! full of flavor, meat is tender, hot food. the service was okay. i would have liked our hostess to stop by the table a bit more frequently but she may have had other things to do of course, overall good service. will return again & again! read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Quesa Birria - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

This is my favorite Mexican Restaurant, the flavor of their food s fabulous! Even when you get steak it's tender and however they season their foods are awesome. It's hard for me to get past my favorite, The Acapulco, it's a seafood delicacy, and the green rice is fantastic. They bring out the drinks in a large cup; but they are right there if you need a refill. Love their Salsa and chips and they will give you as much as you want. The servers are always friendly and very helpful. read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Ice Tea - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

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In from out of town and did a maps search for "nearby Mexican"-boy did we get lucky!! We did takeout and it was ready when we got there. My son always gets the same dish no matter where he eats Mexican and he said this was the best he ever had. The garlic sauce they served with my jalapeño fajitas was addictive! The slices of grilled jalapeños were huge and so delicious! This is definitely one of the tastiest fajitas dishes I've ever had. Run! Don't walk to eat there! read more

Rio Grande MX Cocina - Jalapeño fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Fairview Heights, Illinois

Beef queso dip watery and barely no cheese in the bowl. I addressed this with the waitress, and she came back after speaking with her manager saying "I can take it back, but he said you still have to pay for it because you ate out of it." read more

Lunch today was delicious. Our service was also top notch. Quiet for a Sunday afternoon. No negatives with todays visit.

Went there Saturday. Food was good. Not an easy restaurant to navigate for handicap people with steps to go up for the tables. Typical Mexican restaurant. Same menu as Tres Camino's in Caseyville and the Mexican restaurants in Clinton county. We were all happy with our food. read more

Hands down one of my favorite mexican places to visit! The El Jalisco Special is the best dish & their queso is to DIE for!! Their shrimp enchiladas are my next favorite!! Also, if you're ready for a fun time, order a margarita, they kick!! read more

Good spectacular! Well presented and tasty. Reasonably priced the shrimp salad had many shrimp and was delicious