First off, I like to read what others write and found some reviews that had me thinking that I would be extra critical about my visit for reading the reviews before visiting and giving my own personal opinion... I called in my order, the young woman on the phone was super nice, drove to the newest location at the old mar-val shopping center and as soon as I walked in I was hit with a " welcome in!" Wait? What?! The barrita was busy washing equipment, but she stopped what she was doing to come take my order, my drinks were already ready to go! What? That quick? I ordered what my beautiful wife said that she loved when she was an elementary school teacher at Rio Linda elementary in the early 2000's. The drinks were pretty. When I gave my wife the kona mocha she wanted, her smile went from ear to ear... it was exactly like she remembered! This drink is absolutely delicious and I highly recommend you to go get a drink, some pastries and food. This place is legit. read more

Rio Java Coffee House - Kona mocha - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Rio Linda, California

My favorite coffee shop in town. Nice area to socialize and get some work or studying done. The coffee sizes are bigger then Starbucks and the people here are nice and welcoming. I recommend this place. read more

It's crazy how there seems to be varying experiences. Reminder: This isn't a commercial starbucks, and you're just not going to get that same experience. Take it or leave it. The staff has always been friendly, I never have to wait very long, and they sell their families home-made soaps and other bath care that absolutely SLAPS. I bought a ton last year for Christmas and for myself. Also, I think it's odd that another review mentioned it was rude that two employees were engaged with a customer but also simultaneously upset that they weren't acknowledged. I get there were two of them, but it sounded like they were both engaged with their only other 2 customers in the building before you walked in. I don't necessarily see the problem.. I especially love their infused redbulls and mango smoothies! Thanks, Rio Java! read more

I've been all over this country and this is one of the best coffee shops around the people here are outstanding. The service is top-tier, the coffee and food are exceptional, there's nothing not to like about this place. If you're in California it's worth stopping by. read more

Rio Java Coffee House - Front sign - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Rio Linda, California

Do you want some good homemade coffee? This is definitely the place to go very well worth it delicious friendly people must try if you have not tried this place and they have a really delicious restaurant right next-door food also pretty good ambience amazing. read more

I love the new location. The ambience is awesome! It's so roomy and welcoming. A great place to hang out with friends and enjoy a great cup of coffee or tea. Or bring your laptop for a quiet place to work or create. The service is great! read more

The place is SO nice. I've also never had such great customer service. The gal working was seriously amazing! I believe her name was Rose? I had to ask her for her name because she definitely was someone I would come back to support. You don't get customer service like this anymore! The drink she custom made me was also amazing and my new favorite drink! I had no idea what I wanted, she came up with the perfect concoction. read more

So I have been a two a day @ Starbucks for several years my neighbor gave me a gift card to try and buy from local small business I went to try this morning and was sorry to say dissatisfied and disappointed as a small business I know you have to work harder than the big corporates I wasn't welcomed into the business and there was one couple at the counter and one other guy both employees helping the couple make a decision on a order now. Mind you I have a gift card so it's free to me but always a but if I was acknowledged when I came in I might be more patient I don't plan on returning I will give my gift card to one of rio Linda's homeless to enjoy sorry wanted to support the local business but can't see that they care enough about my business as a general manager is the service business it starts with the owner of the business to teach the employees or you become one yourself oh I drove straight to my regular Starbucks read more

Service is great. Drinks are better than Starbucks. Great food options and kids friendly. Unlike Starbucks this place has plenty of seating. Definitely will come back read more

One of the best parts of Yelp is finding those diamonds in the rough. Rio Java Coffee House is easy to miss in the Food 4 Less shopping center at Rio Linda Blvd and Elkhorn, but it is worth a drive. You can literally see the Starbucks across the street from inside the coffee shop! Parking is decent and shared with the rest of the center. The outside is rather unassuming, but the sticker on the front door announcing their use of Temple Coffee was a really good sign. Inside, the owners have turned a rather basic commercial space into a nice and homey design with soft furniture and fun signs on the wall. The menu is rather expansive with a focus on espresso drinks. They do offer prepackaged food. On my visit I got a nice espresso and an old fashioned Moon Pie. The wait time was a bit long, but there was only one person working so that is expected. The coffee was worth the wait especially given the lack of good places in the area. The basic espresso was pulled nicely, and the other customers seemed to enjoy their drinks as well. Now that we are coming out of our COVID shells, it is a perfect time to meet a friend at a coffee shop. Rio Java Coffee House is perfect for those living in Rio Linda, but it is also a short drive from North Natomas or North Highlands too. A little rough around the edges, but who isn't these days! read more

Rio Java Coffee House - Exactly - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Rio Linda, California

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This cute cozy coffee place is great! Staff is friendly and service is on point. Coffee and smoothies are delicious! read more

Rio Java Coffee House - Vanilla Almond ice latte and peach passion smoothie - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Rio Linda, California

This place is ran by a bunch of rude kids. No customer service, energy is off as soon as you walk in like they're upset you are there and making them work, and the kids in the back are all just talking about their own drama. My drink was overly sweet just straight up sugar water. Would not come back. I feel like a lot of their reviews are fake because the bad reviews seem to be accurate from my experience. read more

The Iced White Is my favorite! But everything I've had from there is good! The owners and all the employees are just absolutely wonderful.

Rosie & Jaycee always have such a great spirit and energy when I come to Rio Java! They are always willing to make my crazy drink ideas a reality and serve it with the biggest smile!! I haven't been to Rio Java in a long time but I'll be a regular now because of these ladies!!! Thank you for being the best!! read more

Went to Rio Java for the first time in a long time and was graced by the sweetest barista! I think her name was Rose which was very fitting to her sweet personality and the beautiful red hair. She helped me come up with my drink order since I was being so indecisive. Whatever she ended up making me was amazing and I was thankful for her great help and advise. Also told her to remember for next time because I would absolutely be back! Also I really like what has been done with the place. Very warm and welcoming and can't wait for my next trip to town. read more

A super fun family run business. They have always been friendly and professional. I love the new larger place and all of the fun gift stuff too! Support our local places. read more

I really love this place but most of the girls are extremely snobby and pushy. I called to place a pick up order and I couldn't even finish my small order because she continued to interrupt me. "Is that it" "is that it" before I was even finished with my sentence. I always try to support small businesses but that was it for me on this place. I'm over it. It happens every time but today was just too much. The attitudes are annoying and childish. Treat people with respect especially when they are giving you their money to provide a SIMPLE service. Starbucks it is! read more

Love this place! And so does everyone I've taken there who comes to visit me. Best summer time treat for me! Hot coffee is also so good, not bitter at all. Service is so good. Great atmosphere, roomy, plenty of tables. ! I'm so thankful to have them in my neighborhood. read more

Honestly can't believe I haven't written a Yelp review years ago! My daughter, hubby and I stop at rio Java almost daily. We love their blended spiced chai. Staff is always great. I see reviews they're pricey and honestly shocked bc it's equivalent with Starbucks as far as I can tell and you get more drink based on the sizes. Been going to rio Java since they were on M street and I was a kid. If you have your kids they usually will offer a lollipop and they'll make a great chocolate milk with sprinkles for them. read more

I love this unassuming mom and pop coffee house. The place is clean, I love the signs and decorations, and the staff are genuinely nice people. I've never gone in and had something be out of stock (like oat milk, almond milk, etc.). They have a great variety of snacks, Red Bull mixed drinks, coffees, lattes, and blended ice beverages. If you like the small-town, at-home feeling, head here for your beverage, snack or conversation! read more

Small and personable with great value! A welcome alternative to the likes of the larger coffee houses.

My family and I have been coming here for years and have always enjoyed the coffee and the service. But the real reason why I'm writing a review is because of how this place handles business with the COVID19 pandemic going on right now. My husband and I truly appreciate the efforts the employees and the owners are doing to help. We came in a Saturday afternoon, ordered our drinks, and while waiting, more customers started to come in. One of the ladies came from behind the counter with a towel and a spray and disinfected everything from the counters to the door handles. She even propped open one of the door for customers to go in and out without touching the door at all. GENIUS!!! And to mention, it was getting packed and busier. But she was definitely paying full attention the entire time and made it safe and clean for the customers. I was amazed by her actions. Especially during this pandemic. We've always enjoyed this coffee shop and will always be coming here for a long time. We just wanted to send a huge THANK YOU to the owners and employees for working so hard to make us great drinks, and especially for keeping us all safe and sanitary at this crazy time. Thank you and bless you all! read more

I grew up in Rio Linda, so I always came to Rio Java. But since I've moved I haven't been there in a while, my daughter and I went to get our hair cut at the Klip joint I was about 15 minutes early so I decided to go to Rio java (plus I haven't been to the new location so I wanted to check it out.) When I went in there there was absolutely nobody(customers) in there there were two young kids working in there and I ordered two drinks and another customer came in and he was a regular so they already knew his drink they immediately started making his drinks instead of mine and the two behind the counter were constantly flirting and putting ice on each other about 10-15 minutes later my drinks were finally made. I'm just super upset that the guy who came after me got his drinks first and they were throwing stuff at each other flirting instead of working. I went on Saturday 10/21/23 around 10:45/11 am. I loved the new place you guys just need better staff. Also, he asked me if I had the app and I do, I had 2 stars on there when I logged into the clover app and I still only have 2 stars on there he never checked me in or I would have a total of 4 stars right now on my app. read more

Not worth the drink if there's a therapy session going on in there. There's either a favoritism on a customer or they're just plain rude. My presence and my money wasn't worth to stop a very strong political conversation just to get a coffee. I ended up going to McDonald's, faster and professional. read more

Way overpriced, the staff was VERY RUDE, no mask for staff. This was the second chance I was giving this place since the first experience was Horrible , guess that's just the way this place runs. Don't waste your money or time here !!!! read more

Rio Java is a recent discovery for us. We're so impressed by the great coffee, cheery ambiance, and friendly staff. Love that they've memorized the favorite brews of their regulars! read more

Rio Java Coffee House - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Rio Linda, California

Great coffee shop! My favorites are their white mocha and their chai latte! So very good..I've been coming here for the last 4 years for my coffee when I can before work. I like to support small family businesses rather than the big chains. Thanks Rio Java for always making great coffee. read more

Been coming here for years, since it was on Mst. The drinks are good but the staff needs to sharpen up their customer service and multi tasking abilities. I called in an order to avoid waiting inside w my two kids, and to have it ready when I went in. (Usually the purpose of a phone order). It was 10:30am when I called and said I wanted to put in an order "real quick " and Riley stated it probably won't be quick bc Shes so busy. I said no problem and she went ahead and took my order. Since she said it was busy, I got there and waited in my car to give her more time and to reduce my time waiting in the store. I went in at 10:45 and there was 2 people ahead of me in line. when I was next she told me she never had the chance to make my order. She mentioned again being busy, which I totally understand. But she could've said over the phone look, I'm too busy just come in and order please since there was no reason for her taking my order over the phone. I tried explaining I waited in my car to give her time so now Ive waited way longer for nothing. It wasn't the fact that they were busy that irritated me it's the fact that she took my order and should've just had me come in since it was pointless that I called In. I finally left and got in my car it was 11:05am. read more

If you love to support local Mom N Pop Shops like I do, then this is the place for you! I absolutely love the business and employees! They are very welcoming and always happy :) Iced white mocha is my fave! Call ahead and have it ready when you get there! read more

Rio Java Coffee House - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Rio Linda, California

Great little mom-and-pop coffee joint. They get their coffee from Temple and from Chocolate Fish. Oh, and their mobile coffee truck is EVERYTHING. read more

Best drinks. Blended drinks are way better than Starbucks. Worth the wait. If you're in a hurry, call it in.

I decided to venture out today and try a new coffee place instead of going to the ones that I usually go to nearby. Based on the Yelp reviews, I thought for sure this place would be worth my gas and time, but boy was I sadly disappointed. Rio Java is located in the same shopping center as the Food Source and is next door to Subway. Upon driving up to the place, I noticed that there is plenty of parking and also outside seating to enjoy your drink and catch up with friends. Upon walking inside, the place was surprisingly very spacious with a lot of bar stools and counter on the right side and a small table on the left with seating. The place looked fairly clean. That is basically it as far as talking about the positives for Rio Java. Now let's talk about all the things that went wrong with my first and last visit to Rio Java. As much as I love coffee and supporting local businesses, this place left a bad taste in my mouth and I will not be returning. As far as I know, most normal places greet or at least acknowledge customers when they first step through the doors. If a needle dropped on the floor, I would have heard it. It was that quiet in there. The barista, a blonde young girl was making a drink for the customer before me so she was kind of hidden behind the coffee and espresso machines. There was an older woman with dark hair who saw me come up to the counter, but did not say a single thing. She kept making eye contact with me while holding a whole bunch of bills. I didn't hear a single "Hello" or "We'll be right with you." Nada! I didn't even hear her tell the blonde barista that there was another customer (me) waiting at the counter. This went on for a little bit and more eye contact from the older lady until the blonde barista was done making the previous customer's drink. The blonde barista then greeted me and rang me up for my drink. She then asked me for my number to enter into their system. I told her it was my first time there. Instead of her taking this opportunity to tell me all about their program and offering to sign me up, she completely skipped over that part and told me my total for the drink. If it weren't for Yelp, I wouldn't have known what the hell she was talking about, but I'm assuming she was referring to the drink program that they have. I've been in customer service for years and I know it's all about the sales and customer service that keeps customers coming back. Or maybe she knew that the place was so horrible and that I wouldn't be coming back so there was no point in signing up? My drink came out pretty fast, and when the barista announced it was ready and left it on the counter for me to pick up, I thanked her, but I got absolutely nothing in return. I didn't get, "You're welcome!" or even a "See you next time" or "Come back soon!" The two employees there that I unfortunately encountered appeared to be completely miserable and lifeless. They looked like they needed a shot of espresso. I don't even know how this place has 4 stars on Yelp, but all I can assume is that friends and family of the business owners are probably leaving biased reviews. I feel like as a Yelp Elite, it is my duty to steer you from spending your hard earned money here where it is not appreciated. The coffee itself was okay, but not something worth driving back for. read more

Good coffee, okay prices and super friendly staff. That being said the decor could use a little help. It just seems a little cold and sterile, it doesn't have that coffee house charm. They have tons of flavorings and staff that seems to really like what they are doing. They recently added some bakery items made by Hardy Breads out of Carmichael. The Banana Nut & Chocolate bread was pretty damn tasty. We will continue to come here to support our local establishments. read more

The coffee is better than Starbuck's overpriced, over-roasted meh. But it ends there. Since the place was sold and moved from the original M street location, it's continually gone downhill. There was so much more vitality and ambience at the old location; this new place is as sterile as Kaiser. They succeed in spite of themselves, having cornered the caffiene addiction market in Rio Linda... but wait... Tummy's is open early now, and the do indeed have better coffee. read more

Superb in every way. I'll never (ever) go to the skanky Star Bucks that just opened across the street. Support your small, local businesses!

I used to love this place. When they moved to the Elkhorn location it lost all it's charm. The last time my girlfriend and I went in we were at the counter and no one greeted us. The two kids working stared at us for a couple minutes with their mouths hanging open and wide eyes, and the look on their faces was that of shock and horror. The coffee never was that great but the service was so horrible that we will NEVER, EVER go there again. EVER! The owner is a super nice guy but his choice in staff now makes me wonder. I know Rio Linda isn't known for there liberal free thinking ways but seriously what bubble are you living in that you have never seen lesbians. read more

Family owned company with amazing customer service and out of this world coffee!!! Endless choices and flavor combination's passes up Starbucks with flying colors. Owner is super nice :) and the facility is very cozy. Despite the location, I make it a habit to visit this location on a regular basis. read more

So the ambiance was great. Fun shop with very friendly employees. They had an ice cream bar which looked great. The coffee was just so so. Kind of what I'd expect from an am pm or 7-11. Not bad but not good. Price was fine. My big thing is coffee taste. Just give me a good cup of coffee and I'll be happy. As a "coffee house" focus on giving me good coffee. I've been spoiled by all the good local roasters. That's the new standard folks. read more

Best latte I've had in a long time! The customer service is great & the atmosphere is cozy. Perfect for studying or just chatting with a friend. Love everything about this place except the music sucks. read more

Rio Java Coffee House - Cozy coffee shop + delicous latte = one happy coffee lover - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Rio Linda, California

Way better than "the bux". And the staff is awesome. Especially the little bearded hipster dude! he's fast, super friendly and makes the best coffee. read more

Rio Java Coffee House - They have awesome local art! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Rio Linda, California