hands down the best food and service I have ever had at a Mexican restaurant. Highly recommend it.

We had an exceptionally fine experience by arriving at approximately 4:15 on a Friday afternoon. Even without reservations, we were seated immediately, in a quiet corner booth where it remained quiet for our entire meal. This meant a great deal for the 2 out of 4 of us who have hearing aides. Annika was especially attentive and returned frequently to see if there was anything she could bring us. Without asking, she brought extra napkins, took our pictures, and explained the menu items. The food was picturesque and memorable. We had 4 different items on the menu and all happily had generous portions to take home. read more

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Have to start with chips and salsa-Yuck! Chips were cold-not tasty at all! Salsa was onions and cilantro -tomatoes tasteless!! Not a good start. Prices are sky high for small portions -meals prices without rice and beans???? Ordered in the side paid as much as a full meal! No combo meals- Disappointed all the way around!!! read more

This place was a complete surprise. Awesome food. Great atmosphere. Service was very friendly and quick. I would definitely come back if I was ever in the area again. read more

Even though I haven't been there in a while I have an awesome menu and an awesome Mexican food. I know Mexican food when it's good.

My favorite Mexican restaurant in the Rochester region and worth the drive to Canandaigua. There are three, nicely decorated dining areas inside and a large, comfortable deck out back... Even better as it's not on a main street or by the large parking lot so no street noise. There is usually a wait on weekends but that is offset by a great bar area and lots of comfortable seating in the waiting area. On our latest visit we had about a 15 min wait (they told us it might be 30 min.) The wait went quickly with some delicious margaritas. We were seated outside and offered more drinks and appetizers. Chips are chips but the guacamole and salsa were both house made and tasty. Our dinners were beautifully presented, generous and delicious. I had a Burro Rafael (one of my favorites) which is a twist on a burrito that might make ruin the chain Tex Mex places for you it's so good! I've never had a bad meal at Rio. Plenty of options for vegitarians as well. Service (including the hostess, bar and wait staff) were a bit befuddled but they got the job done and were all delightful... With the exception of the young man busing tables... He was not at all befuddled and was quick witted, efficient and delightful. I love Rio... Great for a quick lunch, a comfortable evening of food and drinks or a nice dinner before a concert at CMAC. Give them a try. You will not be disappointed. read more

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My friends have telling us that this restaurant is an authentic Mexican restaurant! So we had the table reserved and we went there. Omg- I was so overwhelmed with the menu because a lot of them I never see on other restaurants menu like this! Definitely authentic Mexican food! We decided to order family style dinner and man food was so good! It is worth my trip for this and perfect way to end the day! I definitely would go back there next year!!! If you guys want to get some authentic mexician food and this place is perfect place to go!!! read more

Dowling scoring system Ambiance: 7/10 Food: 7/10 Service: 8/10 Value: 6/10 ---------------------- Total: 28/40 Shrimp Burrita read more

As the last place I got to dine at with family before departing Fingerlakes NY, this was a nice way to go out with a bang. I did not think much of a Mexican place in upstate NY but my sis and bro in law raved about it as the best they had. I can see why! Cool place, tons of culture and color, awesome back patio for outdoor dining. We ate inside with my group of 8. The only star I drop off is that it took 30 mins from the time our order was placed until all of us had our plates in front of us. The place was not too busy at all, about 1230pm on a Saturday so not sure why it took so long really. Portions are fair, prices are good, service is kind and accurate. The food is stupendous! I have not had blue corn tortillas in a while and these were good! My chicken mole was devine! I love a good mole sauce and hate a bad one so to land a winner was a nice find! All my dining companions were very pleased as well and we left with 0 boxes so that to me is a sign we kind liked the food here. If they can speed up the kitchen a bit (or maybe just an off day?) this place is a 5 star southern Mexican cuisine hit for Fingerlakes residence! read more

Rio Tomatlan - Mexican Near Me - Canandaigua, New York

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SPIDER in DRINK, LIED to, Stale/cold food, 1 Hour wait for food, though other party who arrived later got their food MUCH sooner Rio Tomatlan was THE WORST dining experience of our lives, we ALL agreed. I am appalled at the service, food, lies and wait times we experienced when we took our child here to celebrate their birthday. When we arrived we waited 20 minutes to be seated, not too bad for a busy Friday evening. After being seated we waited about 15 minutes to even be greeted by our waitress. When we received our drinks, we ended up discovering that our child's lemonade had a SPIDER IN IT, after we already had drank half (disgusting I hate spiders) I showed to our waitress she was apologetic and handled it well, though when we came back she said sorry about the fly, when it was definitely not a fly, it was a spider. She tried to deceive us and manipulate the situation so it didn't seem so bad. The chips were cooked in old nasty tasting oil, inedible, they didn't even bring us salsa. Next when we received our appetizers, they brought us the wrong appetizer, they brought a massive bowl of beans when we ordered flautas. They apologized and eventually brought back flautas/taquitos that were so burned they tasted disgusting, they were hard and could not even eat. We waited 1 hour to get our food, when the party seated next to us got there 20 minutes after we were seated received their food 15 minutes before us. When we finally got our food, the tortillas (which were supposed to be tacos) were hard, stale and cold. The meat was cold. My child's taco off the children's menu came with a tortilla and a single humongous chunk of meat just placed in the tortilla. My meal, sopes, was cold and though I ordered carnitas I seriously only had a small few shreds of meat with a MASSIVE mound of cabbage (I asked for a bit of cabbage on top). After we realized our meal was cold, stale and gross we were so hungry, frustrated and pissed at our service, meals, spider, food and wait time that we just asked if we could just get our receipt to leave. I told them everything and the manager took off only two items and still charged us $46.00 for food that was gross and inedible and cold and horrible wait times and service. We should have received a full refund since we didn't and couldn't eat our food. Though we just wanted to get the heck out of there. On our way out, we overheard the young hostess girls talking about how they were pissed that they had so many order tickets sitting around and the kitchen was just hanging around doing nothing. We will NEVER dine here again. We never saw a manger and we should have received a full refund. They ruined our child's birthday dinner and unfortunately our night. What a horrible experience. PS- we would have taken pictures, though we were so hungry and pissed and appalled we didn't think of it until we left. Though good luck if you decide to dine here. It's a gamble and for their prices, it's not one worth taking in my opinion. FYI: we had eaten here previously and the food was great, though the service was horrible, we decided to give it another try (since it had been a year since we last went) which led to the above experience. Never again. read more

Always sooo flavorful and delicious, the Paloma was super flavorful and strong as well. My friend had the mole and he said it was kind of spicy. Very cool ambiance read more

Rio Tomatlan - Fried Shrimp tacos - Mexican Near Me - Canandaigua, New York

My go to mexican restaurant. Authentic margarita is the way to go. Fresh squeezed! love the queso fundido, it can be spicy sometimes because of the chorizo. Been going for years...great variety of mezcal too. read more

Rio Tomatlan in Canandaigua, NY is the best Mexican restaurant in the greater Rochester area. Delicious food from sopes, burritos, tacos to flautas and enchiladas. Great service, ambiance and Margaritas! Give it a try...you won"t be sorry read more

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We ordered takeout on a Saturday night. The place was truly hopping, but our order was ready when promised. My "burro" was HUGE and delicious! Wish I could have eaten in, because the place was cute as can be. Definitely recommend! read more

You can order lunch online. The tacos are delicious. Tried guacamole for the first time. Very good , large helping.

Horrible experience. Tried about 4 years ago, not impressed. So we tried it again and now horrified! Bad cheap weak margaritas, non friendly service, skimpy, expensive tasteless food. How can a Mexican restaurant do bad margaritas and food. Lucky your in a tourist town, locals wouldn't come back. I'm done! read more

Waited 20 minutes for someone to even come to our table and walked out because we were so mad. Don't think we will give them another try.

For years I have pined for decent Mexican cuisine in Rochester. From food trucks to sit in restaurants, nothing had that essence, that spice, that boldness, nor the sensory overload that I've been looking for. That was until I came to Rio Tomatlan. I didn't get a chance to see the inside but from the outside it looks like a modest and simplistic restaurant. At the side is a self-sustainable garden with vegetables ripe for the picking, and a temperature monitored brick smoker for their chipotle peppers and various meats to be shredded. But simple looks comes with an amazing personality... Our server, Ryan, was calm and confident with a coolness comparable to Chris Christmas Rodriguez. He was definitely the wind behind our sales in choosing our cuisine and knew the details of the food and business inside and out. With his guidance we promptly ordered our refreshing sangria and several dishes to share. Needless to say, we CRUSHED IT ALL. Highlights- -The fresh guacamole, with its creamy texture and chili oil garnish was a balanced spicy and clean flavor to put on our salty chips. -Mole Poblano, a dish to be reckoned with was abundant with shredded chicken and veggies and a rich chocolate forward sauce that doesn't hide the blend of spices that puts the fiesta in my mouth. The only place that comes close to this awesome flavor is El Ricón in Sodus. - I absolutely hate mayo, but the preparation made in the Salmon tacos made me forget my hate of the condiment and love every bites inside that crispy shell. The meat was flaky, not fishy, and abundant in each taco. - If it's really nice out, don't pass up the Sangria! It was more than enough for my party of 3, and it complimented our spicy dishes well! read more

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We have been patron's since Rio opened at the previous location many years ago. It has always been our favorite spot for great food. There have been a few times we were slightly disappointed but last night was probably the last time we will bother traveling 40 minutes to dine there. The menu has changed several times in recent years and the combination dishes and other favorites are gone. The food was soggy and lukewarm. The chips were broken small pieces. Our entire table was underwhelmed. The fresh made food they were known for was absent.The drinks were still phenomenal. So disappointed. read more

This is my favorite Mexican spot available in Canandaigua. The food is more on the authentic side (I like their tacos and flautas) and inside, you can see they do try to adhere to the traditional Mexican theme. I have to admit that since I am a Latina, I am a bit biased and judge Latin themed restaurants on a more "strict" scale than I do others. It doesn't have to be perfect, but I like to see a restaurant attempt and I feel like Rio does just that. I mean, I didn't even expect to find this type of food in Canadaigua so having this option available is really nice. I look forward to eating here whenever I am in town. read more

Rio Tomatlan - Mexican Near Me - Canandaigua, New York

The food and atmosphere were both very good.The Soft Taco's with Carnitas and Tostadas with Chicken and refried beans were delicious. Service was very slow with long waits for our wine, food, and check . The check was incorrect and they overcharged us for our bottle of wine by 9.00. The server corrected the bill but no apology was given. We will return but for takeout. read more

I was in New York to visit family. Looked for a family friendly place. Figured it was your run of the mill Mexican spot. I WAS WRONG! It was literally the best Mexican bite I've had in a LONG time. My kids even cleaned their plates. Drinks were also delicious. Highly recommend! read more

I really enjoyed my recent experience here, from the food to the environment. The back deck is gorgeous, surrounded by tons of plants, greenery, and gardens. I enjoyed seeing the gardens below the deck as well, showing that they may grow some of their own ingredients in the warmer season. I ordered the tacos surlitas (one with each type of meat; beef, chicken, and pork). The beef and pork had the most stand out flavors for me. If I were to go back, I would order those and skip the chicken. The side of rice with refried beans did not disappoint as well. The rice was cooked perfectly, without dryness, and the refried beans were very flavorful and creamy. I ordered the patron margarita with chili salt instead of normal salt, but I think that I would be more adventurous in the future. The paloma looked tasty, and came in giant wine glasses. If you aren't much of a drinker you can order some Jarritos flavored soda. This made a perfect dinner before walking near the lake. I will definitely come back. read more

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Update 10/2017- went here on a busy Sat night- had to wait close to an hour for a table. Was worth it. They said we could order at the bar but there weren't any seats there- plenty of ppl waiting for tables. There was another option to order from the hostess and sit on the back deck- we did t take it- waited for the table and had another great meal! Our waitress was Jade- she's great. I had the Dorango- 2 tacos and 2 burritos. Excellent again! Great find thanks to Yelp! Had a great pitcher of margaritas, guacamole appetizer with chips was fresh and delicious. Wife had the mole enchiladas and I had the Burro Rafael- both were excellent. I couldn't finish the burro and brought 1/2 home. Will definitely be back! read more

Rio Tomatlan - Mexican Near Me - Canandaigua, New York

This has been my go to Mexican restaurant for over a decade! My fiancé, and I had our first date here, and we always bring guests to share the authentic Mexican food. This is not the kind of place where you'll find the Americanized versions of Mexican food. Instead, you'll find authentically prepared dishes. I recommend all of their enchiladas, especially ones prepared with Molé sauce. I also recommend chipotle chicken, and their margaritas! This is really one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever been to. read more

Looked forward to our small group dinner. I noticed Bingo game was announced for the same night. Our event planner called to ask if our gathering would work with the game - she was told yes. Wrong. We were as close to the game caller as many of the players. We strained voices and ears when ordering. The conversation we crave remained difficult throughout the evening. As I noticed in previous visits, the menu uses Spanish terms for ingredients. For many guests, deciphering the dishes challenges. Also as in previous visits, the waitress proved unhelpful. The corn chips are cold- highlighting the excessive oil used to prepare them. Food arrived after a decent interval. Mine was delicious and generous - I took half home. It took considerable time to get our checks. Waitress wonderful at straightening out the transactions including with one dear friend who was confused. Very thankful for QR code payment. Exhausted after 2.5 hours of corny Bingo humor (including talk about using the restroom) and straining to talk with friends, I was so excited to leave i drove off as some in the party were still making their way to the door. This was a golden storm of unfortunate circumstances that could mostly have been avoided had we been seated in the empty room on the other side of the bar OR had the suggestion we book on a non Bingo night. read more

I haven't dined here in years. I'm glad we stopped here for lunch. I had the chipotle chicken. It was really good, which was complimented by a nice cold beer. Although they were understaffed and overwhelmed by the late lunch crowd, the service was excellent. The hostess ended up as our server. She apologized for being a novice, but she was wonderful. The restaurant manager/ bartender also waited on us. The combination of the two made the experience positive. Although the location was new, the food and experience was just as good as the original, which is what we remembered about this place - fantastic food and a wide variety of margaritas to choose from. We will certainly be back! read more

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Friday night was PERFECT!! Alexandria helped me plan the best private dinner for 17 ladies on a bachelorette. She was accommodating, knowledgeable, professional, and responsive throughout the whole planning process. The night of, the whole staff was absolutely amazing and made it such a fun, special night! Everyone kept raving how amazing the private upstairs space was and how delicious the food was. It was truly delicious!! We still talk about it almost a month later! Thank YOU thank YOU a million times! read more

Okay! That is it! Not coming back ever!!!! They charged us twice for a quesadilla! Asked twice for our dinner! The last two times, it had been horrible! No more! We came to Rio a bunch of times but it's not worth it any more! 3.8 stars? Not worth 2 stars! read more

Best Mexican in the Rochester area by far. Worth the drive from the city. First of all, start with the guacamole ($8, but actually a good amount and quality for that price). They don't make guac if they don't have good avocados. Seriously. Next, the sopes ($9). If you've never had a sope or an arepa, you are in for a treat. Sweet and savory, meaty, satisfying goodness. Wow. And if you're a fan of mole, or if you haven't had it before, GET IT [the mole poblano, $16] HERE. Heavenly. My mom enjoyed her chicken tacos and I happily shared my mole with my friend in exchange for one of her beer battered shrimp tacos ($14 for 3 or $26 for "family style"). I had a hard time deciding my suite of platos for the meal because I really wanted fish as well (was leaning toward the ceviche) so this was an excellent trade. I'm usually meh about tacos because they're either not enough for the money or something I can make at home, but dang these were good. We paired our meal with a pitcher of the (strong, delicious) house margarita (and a side of the hibiscus syrup because my mom and friend didn't think they'd like it... spoiler they loved it and you will too) for $30 (it meant we each got a little more than one margarita each for the price of three margaritas) and finished it off with a slice of tres leches cake ($8, I think) to go because we were so full but I couldn't pass it up (and I'm glad I didn't). Service matched the food, too! read more

Rio Tomatlan - Beer-battered fish tacos! I shared with my friend so this is 1/3 - Mexican Near Me - Canandaigua, New York

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This is probably the worst Mexican restaurant I've been to. The super was super slow and the restaurant wasn't even that busy. The food was super bland. I ordered the chicken enchiladas. And, the mojito tasted like water. I sent it back twice and it didn't taste any better when they remade it. I definitely wouldn't go back. read more

Went out with a friend of 30 years. Food was very good. They pad the bill from beginning to end. Usually chips and salsa. Want guacamole??? $7 more at the end of the meal. Want shrimp deshelled?? $3 more. Service and Ambiance were OK. Not rushin back. Other Mexican restaurants in area don"t nickel and dime you. Portion size average. Cannot recommend. Will not be returning. read more

Rio is one of the best restaurants in town, and the absolute best for Mexican. We understand there are some issues with business during the pandemic, and we went in with an open mind. We called a few times over 2 hours so we decided to just head over. When you arrive, the door says to please wait outside. It was approx 20 minutes until someone even came out to speak to us. She asked if people had reservations, one group said yes, and she took them in. About 10 minutes later (now 30 minutes in) the host came back out to tell us they couldn't take any walk ins because they only had one waitress. Not only did she not tell us that earlier, she was incredibly short and rude. The situation itself isn't a huge deal, however, the fact that we were not greeted at all and then told this after we waited over 30 minutes isn't great on customer service. A few groups were there waiting, and all were disappointed to wait so long only to find out we could have left to go get food elsewhere. A quick pop out to tell us all that prior to having us wait is pretty frustrating. As a host of a restaurant, I completely understand when things happen, but it is also my job to communicate clearly and efficiently. It's a new world we are all living in and communication is key. It's also important to not be rude and demeaning to people just trying to support local. We will be back eventually, but definitely recommend taking a little more time to let guests know what is happening and to not be so angry at customers. read more

I wanna start off by saying I had huge expectations for this place because of the reviews. Even after I walked into this place I still had really high hopes as the inside is really unique and beautiful. You could imagine my excitement when most of the reviews said this was the best Mexican food and most AUTHENTIC. The menu included so many "traditional" dishes that I love that are rarely seen in most Americanized tex mex places. I was so excited. It all subdued once we got our drink order. First the poor waitress was completely alone had a party of what looked like 20 and three other booths with people to attend to. Our took forever to get to the table and when I look over to the bar the bartender is doing shots with two customers at 1pm . No wonder the drinks took over 15 minutes to arrive. The sangria was meh and the michelada was okay. When our appetizers arrived once the waitress left the ceviche me and my boyfriend and to laugh at our shock. We got the smallest cup and two tostadas a Cholula smeared all over the plate. A failed attempt at making it look gourmet I don't know. It was awful. The queso fundido was not. That is not queso fundido. And the tostadas and sope meat had no flavor chicken was boiled with only salt and they think throwing fresh lettuce ect will add some sort of flavor ... it was disgusting. I will never eat here again this is not authentic. This is clearly an American owner and American staff not Mexican. Please stop confusing authentic in your reviews and please put very American take on traditional dishes. Worst Mexican food ever. read more

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How can I put this delicately ... the food was outstanding but the service and management piss poor. After waiting 45 min for a table for 4 we were seated .. placed an order for chips and pico which appeared really fast... we flagged the waitress down to place our dinner order and that was the last we saw of her for half an hour ... she passed in proximity at least three times but never came to see if we needed more drinks, water refilled, chips etc... we finally walked up to the bar to get our water refilled - flagged down a busboy to clear dirty dishes and check on Our order. Our waitress finally reappeared and asked what she could get us - pen and pad in hand... had she forgotten she's already taken our order ...more than 30 minutes ago?!? When we asked about the order she said she'd check... after 15 min it finally appeared ... saying the kitchen was busy... When it came time to pay the bill we sent back a credit card to be swiped and the bill that came back to be signed was for a different table but rung through on our card... we went to manager to get this fixed ... no apology just rerung the bill ... just awful service on all fronts read more

I have to get my Rio fix every time I visit the area. Love their salsa-wish they'd give you a larger portion. Great chips. Their guacamole is yummy! Love the chicken verde enchiladas! Please bring back the stuffed poblano. Very good margaritas too. read more

Well, let me start by saying that Rio Tomatlan is the most original mexican restaurant that I have ever experienced in Rochester or Canandaigua. Located in the heart of Canandaigua, this restaurant is a really exciting find. The dishes are colorful and fresh. The walls are art in their own right and they have a minnie mouse pinata near the kitchen entrance that has captured my heart. My number one dish that I keep coming back for are the flautas de pollo. Pretty much similar to taquitos, the flautas are fried tortillas wrapped around white chicken and topped with traditional red and green sauces, creme Mexicana and cotija cheese. The platter comes with rice & beans and is accented by gorgeous thin tendrils of purple cabbage, a signature topper on most of the dishes. This dish is as fun to eat as it is to look at. The service is usually pretty attentive. It is definitely a fun place to come with a group, for its lively taquila bar and free flowing chips and salsa. I appreciate the jug of water on every table for immediate relief when the spiciness hits. There are a couple of issues with this place. First, there is no regular guacamole appetizer at this restaurant--only a special that pops up seasonally. The menu begs for avocado. Second, the combos are one note, even with the seeming variety of options. If you open your eyes and eat the chalupa, it looks fun and you think it tastes great. If you close your eyes to the prettiness of the dish and eat the chalupa, it doesnt really taste like anything. Does this place look better than it actually is?--Maybe. Does this place add a fresh dose of hipness to Canandaigua?--Definitely. For that, I give it more credit. read more

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I was told by reviews and online this was a vegan friendly - it is 100% not!!!!!!! I was told by the hostess as well. I was excited- I was pumped to order. The guacamole is NOT vegan- loaded with cheese and sour cream. Gross. And it's mixed in- you cannot ask for it without. The "veggie tacos" tacos they made were store bought tortillas with Bad tasting veggies. The "vegan" dishes they create off the menu are not good. It is not authentic Mexican. Skip this joint. And go somewhere better - I should have known western NY could not tailor their menu to a foodie. #rednecks #notauthentic #gross read more

Fairly large casual Mexican restaurant. They have their own online reservation system that was a little weird to navigate, had the wrong phone number listed, and didn't send a confirmation email as promised..so I'd recommend to try calling instead! Our food was good, service started out strong and then became oddly nonexistent. Ordered guacamole and the queso fundido to start and the mole poblano and chicken tostada for entrees. The guacamole and queso fundido were the highlights. Our waitress was quick to take our orders and bring the guac..but then we didn't see her again until it was time to pay. We had to wave someone down after several attempts to get silverware after ours was cleared with the apps, didn't manage to get any water refills, and then another waitress realized we'd been waiting for awhile and cleared our table. Not sure what happened, but it wasn't a big deal and seemed like a fluke thing. read more

I enjoyed the guacamole with pepitas and red onion. The tres leches cake with toasted coconut was divine. The waitress was so nice and sweet. The main dish, enchiladas verdes with pork was pretty good, although the salsa Verde was a little spicier than I thought it was going to be. The inside looks really cool. read more

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