I have been to cafe rio before in another city and the food was amazing. So I decided to bring my family to this location and I made the mistake of doing so twice. The first time was a busy Sunday later in the afternoon so I gave them a pass on how bad it was. The food looked like it was sitting out all day or reheated from the day before. The counter was an absolute mess like they didnt clean it. None of the tables were clean. The limeade mint looked old as well. My family enjoyed it so I took my son again during the week earlier in the day. It wasnt busy but the same thing except worse. This place needs a surprise food inspection before someone gets food poisoning. One of the containers had a film on it the guac was brown and dingy and the counters were even dirtier. My chicken was just sitting in liquid and it was thrown onto my tortilla. The rice and beans werent even edible tasted like old stale microwaved leftovers not fresh at all. My sons quesadilla was a sad excuse of some cheese thrown on a tortilla and heated up. It was tiny. They forgot the rest of his kids meal. The workers all seem miserable with their jobs. The tables were filthy yet again and I had to ask someone for napkins. I didnt bother trying the limeade cause it looked old. I was nauseated and couldnt eat my lunch ended up throwing it away. Will never eat here again thats for sure.
Carmen Cather
Ordered off GrubHub. Order perfect. No mistakes. Food relish. Free delivery!!
Rose Generazio
My go to burrito place ! I moved to pennsylvania a few years ago and still will stop by cafe rio whenever I'm in town! Delish !
Kayla B
First time eating here. Blows Chipotle out of the water! The staff was super nice and the potions are generous! I had half barbacoa half steak salad. Everything was well seasoned and flavorful! I can’t wait to go back and try a burrito!
Andrea Marbury
First time visiting their Newport News location. We ordered curbside at 6:40 and the place was empty. It started to get busy with customers ordering in person. We waited until 7:20 to go inside and inquire about the long wait (considering we had an email confirmation that order would be ready at 7:10). The cashier threw up her hands and gave mu husband the brush offMeanwhile, walk in Customers are coming in and oit with their food. At 7:30 we were heated that they completely ignored the customers who placed their orders online. Rather than fixing our meal they offered my husband a refund. We left hungry and disappointed.
Samantha F.
The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because I was charged extra. The cashier didn't seem like he knew what he was doing.However I came in the 14th of September. I ordered some tacos and queso, the queso needed to be remade which I said I'll wait, and I did. But about 15-20 mins go by and it still wasn't done. The women in the back knew I was waiting, she actually came up to me asked what I had and remade my whole order. About 5mins after that the queso was finished.I wish I had gotten her name. She had long braids, she is such a gem.
Dean N.
The absolute worst. I know they're franchises, but under no circumstances will I ever eat at any of these places as long as I live. I ordered through Yelp, and selected curbside pickup. For starters, they have 3 parking spots for curbside pickup. They are #3, #4, and #5. Where the f*** is 1 and 2? I park and wait and wait and wait. 20 minutes later I go inside. They ask my name and then say it's not ready, so I wait inside. Someone comes and asks my name again. They go back and it was there the whole time. However, the reason they couldn't find my order is because they turned it sideways and slid it in like a book on a shelf. A to-go container turned sideways. The sauce and everything obviously dripping out of the container. The soda was a fountain drink filled almost entirely with ice and the soda was 3/4 full. The people were rude and uncaring. Sickening experience.
PC Watson
Grilled chicken tasted like cardboard. It was so dry, I could not eat it.
Clevverly Q.
Today was my first time trying Café Rio. I'd heard good reviews so I had to check out the hype! I ordered the double enchiladas, one shredded chicken and the other sweet pork. I also tried their horchata, because "Why not?" So I received my order through doordash, and they forgot the chips and salsa I ordered. Which was no biggie doordash gave me a $5.92 credit for my next order. The food looked appealing so I was very ready to dig in. The chicken enchilada was delicious! I loved the black beans, pico de Gallo and lettuce they added to the side of the plate. That was delicious as well. Now, the sweet pork was good...it's sweet and has a flavor that I cannot quite describe. It's almost a burnt flavor but it's a good burnt flavor lol, I don't know. I enjoyed the food though. Next time I'll try the quesadillas
Curtis Braun
This place is better than Moes or Chipotle, fresh made tortillas and I love the sweet pork barbacoa, I always get the mint limeade too, best quick service Tex-Mex
One of my absolute favorite places to eat! Amazing Mexican food! Better tasting good than Chipotle! Seriously go!!
Caleb Nielson
I grew up in St. George Utah eating Cafe Rio from their original restaurant since the day the opened. I went into this restaurant with high expectations and it did not disappoint. It was exactly as I remembered and they made it to order just like I like it. The service was quick and professional and the food quality was just like the original. Thank you for opening a store here on the east coast. Only thing that could make it better is if it was a little closer to Virginia Beach, but I will make the 45 minute drive.
B K.
Stopped in ina Saturday for lunch. Employees had their mask under their noses. Food was horrible. I got the burrito which was just meat, cheese and rice. No flavor. The beef was tough and chewy. Half their stuff and the end station had a thin skinny not fro sitting out. My wife's quesadilla look like it was made from pita bread and also was not good. Tables were dirty so was the cashier station.
Kenneth Crabbs
We've enjoyed eating here in the past, so we decided to take a road trip yesterday from Williamsburg to have lunch. As always, the food looked and smelled good. However, we noted that several of the employees' masks weren't covering their noses, and in some cases, not even their mouths. One particular employee, whose mask was off both her nose and mouth, was alternately touching her face and apparently staging plastic forks for customer use.We decided that we couldn't chance it. We left hungry and disappointed. This morning I noted that Newport News has gone red on the COVID map. I think we made the right choice.
Lisa Hatcher
Taco Tuesday is a big hit with my family! They take care of our big order for pickup. Thanks to the staff for wearing masks and keeping us safe ?
I have been to cafe rio before in another city and the food was amazing. So I decided to bring my family to this location and I made the mistake of doing so twice. The first time was a busy Sunday later in the afternoon so I gave them a pass on how bad it was. The food looked like it was sitting out all day or reheated from the day before. The counter was an absolute mess like they didnt clean it. None of the tables were clean. The limeade mint looked old as well. My family enjoyed it so I took my son again during the week earlier in the day. It wasnt busy but the same thing except worse. This place needs a surprise food inspection before someone gets food poisoning. One of the containers had a film on it the guac was brown and dingy and the counters were even dirtier. My chicken was just sitting in liquid and it was thrown onto my tortilla. The rice and beans werent even edible tasted like old stale microwaved leftovers not fresh at all. My sons quesadilla was a sad excuse of some cheese thrown on a tortilla and heated up. It was tiny. They forgot the rest of his kids meal. The workers all seem miserable with their jobs. The tables were filthy yet again and I had to ask someone for napkins. I didnt bother trying the limeade cause it looked old. I was nauseated and couldnt eat my lunch ended up throwing it away. Will never eat here again thats for sure.
Ordered off GrubHub. Order perfect. No mistakes. Food relish. Free delivery!!
My go to burrito place ! I moved to pennsylvania a few years ago and still will stop by cafe rio whenever I'm in town! Delish !
First time eating here. Blows Chipotle out of the water! The staff was super nice and the potions are generous! I had half barbacoa half steak salad. Everything was well seasoned and flavorful! I can’t wait to go back and try a burrito!
First time visiting their Newport News location. We ordered curbside at 6:40 and the place was empty. It started to get busy with customers ordering in person. We waited until 7:20 to go inside and inquire about the long wait (considering we had an email confirmation that order would be ready at 7:10). The cashier threw up her hands and gave mu husband the brush offMeanwhile, walk in Customers are coming in and oit with their food. At 7:30 we were heated that they completely ignored the customers who placed their orders online. Rather than fixing our meal they offered my husband a refund. We left hungry and disappointed.
The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because I was charged extra. The cashier didn't seem like he knew what he was doing.However I came in the 14th of September. I ordered some tacos and queso, the queso needed to be remade which I said I'll wait, and I did. But about 15-20 mins go by and it still wasn't done. The women in the back knew I was waiting, she actually came up to me asked what I had and remade my whole order. About 5mins after that the queso was finished.I wish I had gotten her name. She had long braids, she is such a gem.
The absolute worst. I know they're franchises, but under no circumstances will I ever eat at any of these places as long as I live. I ordered through Yelp, and selected curbside pickup. For starters, they have 3 parking spots for curbside pickup. They are #3, #4, and #5. Where the f*** is 1 and 2? I park and wait and wait and wait. 20 minutes later I go inside. They ask my name and then say it's not ready, so I wait inside. Someone comes and asks my name again. They go back and it was there the whole time. However, the reason they couldn't find my order is because they turned it sideways and slid it in like a book on a shelf. A to-go container turned sideways. The sauce and everything obviously dripping out of the container. The soda was a fountain drink filled almost entirely with ice and the soda was 3/4 full. The people were rude and uncaring. Sickening experience.
Grilled chicken tasted like cardboard. It was so dry, I could not eat it.
Today was my first time trying Café Rio. I'd heard good reviews so I had to check out the hype! I ordered the double enchiladas, one shredded chicken and the other sweet pork. I also tried their horchata, because "Why not?" So I received my order through doordash, and they forgot the chips and salsa I ordered. Which was no biggie doordash gave me a $5.92 credit for my next order. The food looked appealing so I was very ready to dig in. The chicken enchilada was delicious! I loved the black beans, pico de Gallo and lettuce they added to the side of the plate. That was delicious as well. Now, the sweet pork was good...it's sweet and has a flavor that I cannot quite describe. It's almost a burnt flavor but it's a good burnt flavor lol, I don't know. I enjoyed the food though. Next time I'll try the quesadillas
This place is better than Moes or Chipotle, fresh made tortillas and I love the sweet pork barbacoa, I always get the mint limeade too, best quick service Tex-Mex
Restaurantji Recommends
One of my absolute favorite places to eat! Amazing Mexican food! Better tasting good than Chipotle! Seriously go!!
I grew up in St. George Utah eating Cafe Rio from their original restaurant since the day the opened. I went into this restaurant with high expectations and it did not disappoint. It was exactly as I remembered and they made it to order just like I like it. The service was quick and professional and the food quality was just like the original. Thank you for opening a store here on the east coast. Only thing that could make it better is if it was a little closer to Virginia Beach, but I will make the 45 minute drive.
Stopped in ina Saturday for lunch. Employees had their mask under their noses. Food was horrible. I got the burrito which was just meat, cheese and rice. No flavor. The beef was tough and chewy. Half their stuff and the end station had a thin skinny not fro sitting out. My wife's quesadilla look like it was made from pita bread and also was not good. Tables were dirty so was the cashier station.
We've enjoyed eating here in the past, so we decided to take a road trip yesterday from Williamsburg to have lunch. As always, the food looked and smelled good. However, we noted that several of the employees' masks weren't covering their noses, and in some cases, not even their mouths. One particular employee, whose mask was off both her nose and mouth, was alternately touching her face and apparently staging plastic forks for customer use.We decided that we couldn't chance it. We left hungry and disappointed. This morning I noted that Newport News has gone red on the COVID map. I think we made the right choice.
Taco Tuesday is a big hit with my family! They take care of our big order for pickup. Thanks to the staff for wearing masks and keeping us safe ?