Nice atmosphere. The food was decent. I had the street corn that i did like, also had the skirt chimichuri steak . It was almost a medium rare witch was cooked right but the texture of the meat was extremely chewy and stringy/ fat. I felt like i was chewing too much was afraid of potentially choking . Really wouldn't recommend it .The soda was flat / watery in a long skimpy cup. For a drink i had the pineapple margarita colada , it was good. Overall i did like the restaurant but i expected the steak to be of a better quality meat, thats why i rated 3 stars . would i ever eat there again?. No. Really nice people though.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
June Decker
Great happy hour Mexican meatballs and beerSuper
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kev V
Went here for dinner for the first time this past Friday. My friend and I ordered shrimpBurritos. Absolutely delicious!! It was so good I took a family friend back the next night. Once again we ordered the shrimp burritos because they were so incredible the first time. We sat at the bar and Barbara was our server. She was so friendly and accommodating. This little Mexican restaurant definitely made me feel like I was in a cantina somewhere in Mexico and really enjoyed talking with Barbara. Thank you.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Taylor Bomely
Great hidden gem spot, the decor of overhead lights and background palm trees is super cute and just sets a nice vibe! Margaritas are amazing, tacos are great too. Loved the sirloin taco off the happy hour menu. The yucca fries are a must get when we come here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dax Sousa
Great food! We loved the tacos and yucca fries so much, we had to come back. Great ambiance—lights on the ceiling and trees make you feel like you’re in a tropical oasis. Not sure why people have given this place 1 star, far from that! Worth to check out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David S.
Great food, ambiance, and staff. Happy hour specials are great tasting and not overcooked.
Juan E.
Best Mexican flavors I have had in years. Our waitress gave us recommendations which is much appreciated because everything sounded amazing. I ordered the passion-ate margarita- silver tequila, passionfruit-pomegranate purée, lime juice, lemon and lime and the picante peach margarita- silver tequila, peach puree, lime juice, and sliced jalapeño for drinks! I loved the Baja tacos, baja shrimp tacos, and carnitas tacos! The tacos were fresh and full of authentic flavors. I highly recommend. Viva la Fiesta!!
Ivana F.
Welcome to the Jungle! You would never know by pulling up to the building what was hidden inside. Tequila Rio is a Mexican cantina serving up the best margaritas. The manager Aerie was the best and made ours, and the blood orange margarita was so refreshing! It was made with tequila, triple sec, and fresh lime juice with a sugar rim and orange slice. It was perfection after a long work week. We stopped in for their happy hour, which is from Tuesday through Saturday from 4-6pm. We started with the chicken chili nachos that were so delicious that we ordered a second round of those with our drinks, too! We also tried the chorizo flatbread with no jalapeños. It was drizzled with bbq sauce and so yummy. I also had the Rio Baja, a fried cod fish taco in a corn shell with a crema sauce. The decor is "wild" with trees and lights and had a fun time taking pictures! I had a great time, and Aerie made the experience so fun that I'd definitely be back!
John Budaj
If you want authentic Mexican food, this isn't the place. First, I ordered a Dos Equis beer as listed on menu. They said they no longer carry, only Corona or Modelo. Also, nothing on tap. Ordered a carnitas and fish taco. Wife ordered a chicken burrito. We were told everything is a la carte, so we both ordered sides of Mexican rice and refried beans. The carnitas taco was ok. Pork was dry. Fish taco flavors were not good and it was very greasy. Chicken burrito was chuck full of "Mexican" rice and some chicken. On top was BBQ sauce. The refried beans were a soupy mess and almost like bean soup. The Mexican rice was not authentic and seemed to be their version of fried rice. Flavors were off, as well as the actual rice itself. This is the sister restaurant of The River. Seems that they take whatever they order for The River and use the same stuff for this small restaurant.I would not recommend this if you want anything close to authentic. Also food took a long time to come out and we were the only diners at the time telling me the focus of the kitchen staff is The River. Mexican food is pretty quick to prepare but not here because this is not their focus. If the focus isn't there, you question if it will survive. I won't be back as there are much better options for Mexican food that aren't off the beaten path.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
PH091318
We can check that box, been there, don't need to go back. What a strange place! They made a makeshift “restaurant” in the middle of the lobby of the building. Like why?! Maybe this place has a better atmosphere in the summer. Food is outrageously OVERPRICED for what they give you. Salsa flight, but it doesn't come with chips? Table was dirty, but wait staff had nothing to clean with. 4/5 staff members just hanging out and one lady checked on us three times - give her a job to do! Once again - what is with the prices ! ? !
"Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand Just like that river twists across a dusty land Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande" (Duran Duran) Tequila Rio's location is different from 99% of the restaurants you've probably visited. As you follow your GPS to 100 Great Meadow Road, you may wonder if you input the wrong address, or if your GPS was under the influence of demons, because as you approach the address, you sure don't seem to be near any restaurant at all. Instead, what you'll see is a big office building (seven stories tall in one section) known as Putnam Park (aka the CBS Building). So, trust your GPS, be brave about it, walk up the office building stairs, enter the massive atrium of Putnam Park, stay to your right, and you'll soon see a hostess station for a very cool Mexican restaurant. The space you see by that hostess station has a jungle décor with a pink neon sign that proclaims, "Feed me Tacos and Tell Me I'm Pretty." The dining space seats 50 or so during the cold winter months. They have a warm weather outdoor space (with a great view of the Connecticut River) that can accommodate up to 120. Their menu includes a salsa flight, nachos, empanadas, chicharrónes and Yucca fries for appetizers, six taco choices, three burrito choices, four "mains", five sides, and a children's cheese quesadilla. A charitable organization I belong to held a board of directors meeting here Thursday night, and the five of us all left very impressed with their food quality and pricing. I started off with one of their cocktails, an Are You Red-Dy Sangria ($10) with dark rum, Pinot Noir, Orange juice, and Blood Orange puree. It was excellent. Their tacos were priced on an individual a la carte basis between $6 and $7. These are not your Americanized tacos on a crunchy shell with lettuce and tomato. They're the California style "street" taco served open faced on a soft tortilla. I went with a Baja Cod taco ($7) served with slaw, pico, and a cilantro lime aioli, a Baja shrimp taco ($6.50) with grilled sliced jumbo shrimp, slaw, pico, a drizzle of barbecue sauce and Cotija cheese. I also ordered a side of Mexican rice $5. Everything was terrific. The tacos had plenty of flavor and contrasting textures, and the rice was great - a big portion with just enough zip to keep it from being ordinary. There were some service delays in getting one of our drinks, so it was comped, and one of our dinners was late in arriving, so a free drink was added in. But overall, service was good with numerous checkbacks on the food and beverages from our server and the manager. Most importantly, the food was terrific. PRO TIP Tequila Rio has a Happy Hour from 3:00 - 6:00!!
Tiffany B.
The customer service at Tequila was exceptional. Super kind workers and they frequently check in to ensure that you have a great dining experience. Regarding their tacos, I was able to try most of their selection, including carnitas, chicken mole, shrimp diablo (marked as spicy on the menu), Rio Baja (cod), birria, and arrachera steak. Overall the tacos were nothing to write home about, did not have that true Mexican flavor to me. The tacos that were noted as spicy did not have any kick to them - and my tolerance for spice is on the lower side. However, their guacamole was incredible, and their chips were perfectly salted. Margaritas were great. The chicken chili nachos were delicious. Dessert was my favorite part - their "Hot Chocolate Lava Cake" with vanilla ice cream was to die for. Sweet, but had the perfect kick.
Monique F.
In an office building is a cute lil spot for tequila and tacos. Start off with some cocktails.... Definitely love the sweet and spicy strawberry. Margarita. Can never go wrong with a traditional margarita as well. I love the starters that they had. Can never go wrong with nachos, chicken chili nachosssss chips and salsa. Also chips dipped into fresh guacamole hits the spot. My personal fave was the chiccaronnes. Beautifully seasoned and cooked. The yucca fries are something to check out as well. Feed me tacos and tell me I'm pretty and let me tell you tequila Rio has plenty of tacos to feed me... My fave Birria tacos. But they have carnitas tacos. Arrachera steak, They have some seafood like Baja cod or the Baja shrimp tacos Nice shredded chicken tacos as well All the employees including Adela. The bartender were so polite. We got to meet all the kitchen staff as well. Also, to finish everything off, I definitely recommend the Mexican hot chocolate lava cake it's spiced chocolate cake with pepper infused ganache, pink peppercorn ice cream and gra ham cracker
ouiouidottie
Our first trip to Tequila Rio was wonderful! Our party of 8 (5 adults and 3 children ) was looking for a spot for dinner after a hockey game in Hartford and we ended up having the place to ourselves! Great food and drinks and lots of flavor- we will definitely be going back soon! Really appreciated the management allowing us to order from the kid's menu from River for one of our picky eaters. Especially looking forward to going when it's warm and we can sit outside!
AshleyM
First time eating here & everything was more than I expected. Attentive service, food came out in a timely fashion and the ambiance was amazing. I would definitely recommend and go back.
Nice atmosphere. The food was decent. I had the street corn that i did like, also had the skirt chimichuri steak . It was almost a medium rare witch was cooked right but the texture of the meat was extremely chewy and stringy/ fat. I felt like i was chewing too much was afraid of potentially choking . Really wouldn't recommend it .The soda was flat / watery in a long skimpy cup. For a drink i had the pineapple margarita colada , it was good. Overall i did like the restaurant but i expected the steak to be of a better quality meat, thats why i rated 3 stars . would i ever eat there again?. No. Really nice people though.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Great happy hour Mexican meatballs and beerSuper
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went here for dinner for the first time this past Friday. My friend and I ordered shrimpBurritos. Absolutely delicious!! It was so good I took a family friend back the next night. Once again we ordered the shrimp burritos because they were so incredible the first time. We sat at the bar and Barbara was our server. She was so friendly and accommodating. This little Mexican restaurant definitely made me feel like I was in a cantina somewhere in Mexico and really enjoyed talking with Barbara. Thank you.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great hidden gem spot, the decor of overhead lights and background palm trees is super cute and just sets a nice vibe! Margaritas are amazing, tacos are great too. Loved the sirloin taco off the happy hour menu. The yucca fries are a must get when we come here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food! We loved the tacos and yucca fries so much, we had to come back. Great ambiance—lights on the ceiling and trees make you feel like you’re in a tropical oasis. Not sure why people have given this place 1 star, far from that! Worth to check out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food, ambiance, and staff. Happy hour specials are great tasting and not overcooked.
Best Mexican flavors I have had in years. Our waitress gave us recommendations which is much appreciated because everything sounded amazing. I ordered the passion-ate margarita- silver tequila, passionfruit-pomegranate purée, lime juice, lemon and lime and the picante peach margarita- silver tequila, peach puree, lime juice, and sliced jalapeño for drinks! I loved the Baja tacos, baja shrimp tacos, and carnitas tacos! The tacos were fresh and full of authentic flavors. I highly recommend. Viva la Fiesta!!
Welcome to the Jungle! You would never know by pulling up to the building what was hidden inside. Tequila Rio is a Mexican cantina serving up the best margaritas. The manager Aerie was the best and made ours, and the blood orange margarita was so refreshing! It was made with tequila, triple sec, and fresh lime juice with a sugar rim and orange slice. It was perfection after a long work week. We stopped in for their happy hour, which is from Tuesday through Saturday from 4-6pm. We started with the chicken chili nachos that were so delicious that we ordered a second round of those with our drinks, too! We also tried the chorizo flatbread with no jalapeños. It was drizzled with bbq sauce and so yummy. I also had the Rio Baja, a fried cod fish taco in a corn shell with a crema sauce. The decor is "wild" with trees and lights and had a fun time taking pictures! I had a great time, and Aerie made the experience so fun that I'd definitely be back!
If you want authentic Mexican food, this isn't the place. First, I ordered a Dos Equis beer as listed on menu. They said they no longer carry, only Corona or Modelo. Also, nothing on tap. Ordered a carnitas and fish taco. Wife ordered a chicken burrito. We were told everything is a la carte, so we both ordered sides of Mexican rice and refried beans. The carnitas taco was ok. Pork was dry. Fish taco flavors were not good and it was very greasy. Chicken burrito was chuck full of "Mexican" rice and some chicken. On top was BBQ sauce. The refried beans were a soupy mess and almost like bean soup. The Mexican rice was not authentic and seemed to be their version of fried rice. Flavors were off, as well as the actual rice itself. This is the sister restaurant of The River. Seems that they take whatever they order for The River and use the same stuff for this small restaurant.I would not recommend this if you want anything close to authentic. Also food took a long time to come out and we were the only diners at the time telling me the focus of the kitchen staff is The River. Mexican food is pretty quick to prepare but not here because this is not their focus. If the focus isn't there, you question if it will survive. I won't be back as there are much better options for Mexican food that aren't off the beaten path.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
We can check that box, been there, don't need to go back. What a strange place! They made a makeshift “restaurant” in the middle of the lobby of the building. Like why?! Maybe this place has a better atmosphere in the summer. Food is outrageously OVERPRICED for what they give you. Salsa flight, but it doesn't come with chips? Table was dirty, but wait staff had nothing to clean with. 4/5 staff members just hanging out and one lady checked on us three times - give her a job to do! Once again - what is with the prices ! ? !
Restaurantji Recommends
"Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand Just like that river twists across a dusty land Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande" (Duran Duran) Tequila Rio's location is different from 99% of the restaurants you've probably visited. As you follow your GPS to 100 Great Meadow Road, you may wonder if you input the wrong address, or if your GPS was under the influence of demons, because as you approach the address, you sure don't seem to be near any restaurant at all. Instead, what you'll see is a big office building (seven stories tall in one section) known as Putnam Park (aka the CBS Building). So, trust your GPS, be brave about it, walk up the office building stairs, enter the massive atrium of Putnam Park, stay to your right, and you'll soon see a hostess station for a very cool Mexican restaurant. The space you see by that hostess station has a jungle décor with a pink neon sign that proclaims, "Feed me Tacos and Tell Me I'm Pretty." The dining space seats 50 or so during the cold winter months. They have a warm weather outdoor space (with a great view of the Connecticut River) that can accommodate up to 120. Their menu includes a salsa flight, nachos, empanadas, chicharrónes and Yucca fries for appetizers, six taco choices, three burrito choices, four "mains", five sides, and a children's cheese quesadilla. A charitable organization I belong to held a board of directors meeting here Thursday night, and the five of us all left very impressed with their food quality and pricing. I started off with one of their cocktails, an Are You Red-Dy Sangria ($10) with dark rum, Pinot Noir, Orange juice, and Blood Orange puree. It was excellent. Their tacos were priced on an individual a la carte basis between $6 and $7. These are not your Americanized tacos on a crunchy shell with lettuce and tomato. They're the California style "street" taco served open faced on a soft tortilla. I went with a Baja Cod taco ($7) served with slaw, pico, and a cilantro lime aioli, a Baja shrimp taco ($6.50) with grilled sliced jumbo shrimp, slaw, pico, a drizzle of barbecue sauce and Cotija cheese. I also ordered a side of Mexican rice $5. Everything was terrific. The tacos had plenty of flavor and contrasting textures, and the rice was great - a big portion with just enough zip to keep it from being ordinary. There were some service delays in getting one of our drinks, so it was comped, and one of our dinners was late in arriving, so a free drink was added in. But overall, service was good with numerous checkbacks on the food and beverages from our server and the manager. Most importantly, the food was terrific. PRO TIP Tequila Rio has a Happy Hour from 3:00 - 6:00!!
The customer service at Tequila was exceptional. Super kind workers and they frequently check in to ensure that you have a great dining experience. Regarding their tacos, I was able to try most of their selection, including carnitas, chicken mole, shrimp diablo (marked as spicy on the menu), Rio Baja (cod), birria, and arrachera steak. Overall the tacos were nothing to write home about, did not have that true Mexican flavor to me. The tacos that were noted as spicy did not have any kick to them - and my tolerance for spice is on the lower side. However, their guacamole was incredible, and their chips were perfectly salted. Margaritas were great. The chicken chili nachos were delicious. Dessert was my favorite part - their "Hot Chocolate Lava Cake" with vanilla ice cream was to die for. Sweet, but had the perfect kick.
In an office building is a cute lil spot for tequila and tacos. Start off with some cocktails.... Definitely love the sweet and spicy strawberry. Margarita. Can never go wrong with a traditional margarita as well. I love the starters that they had. Can never go wrong with nachos, chicken chili nachosssss chips and salsa. Also chips dipped into fresh guacamole hits the spot. My personal fave was the chiccaronnes. Beautifully seasoned and cooked. The yucca fries are something to check out as well. Feed me tacos and tell me I'm pretty and let me tell you tequila Rio has plenty of tacos to feed me... My fave Birria tacos. But they have carnitas tacos. Arrachera steak, They have some seafood like Baja cod or the Baja shrimp tacos Nice shredded chicken tacos as well All the employees including Adela. The bartender were so polite. We got to meet all the kitchen staff as well. Also, to finish everything off, I definitely recommend the Mexican hot chocolate lava cake it's spiced chocolate cake with pepper infused ganache, pink peppercorn ice cream and gra ham cracker
Our first trip to Tequila Rio was wonderful! Our party of 8 (5 adults and 3 children ) was looking for a spot for dinner after a hockey game in Hartford and we ended up having the place to ourselves! Great food and drinks and lots of flavor- we will definitely be going back soon! Really appreciated the management allowing us to order from the kid's menu from River for one of our picky eaters. Especially looking forward to going when it's warm and we can sit outside!
First time eating here & everything was more than I expected. Attentive service, food came out in a timely fashion and the ambiance was amazing. I would definitely recommend and go back.