Took a day trip to Stevenson, WA with a few friends. They had been to this restaurant before and really liked it. I had never been to Stevenson or this restaurant. I love little adventures. Service was really friendly, they had a wall of hot sauces that you can choose from and the food was very fresh. I'll post some pics here that I took once I figure out how to do that. They started us out with a basket of chips and fresh salsa. Full of tomatoes and other goodness, the salsa was super good. The chips were nice and warm. One person in our party ordered a sangria which I had to take a sip of. A bit too sweet for me, but the presentation was nice. Photo soon.........hopefully. I ordered the Smoked Pork Chili Verde. This is how the menu describes it: Succulent chunks of house smoked pork in a mildly spicy green chili & tomatillo sauce. Nobody makes Chili Verde like this! Served with warm tortillas. If that doesn't make your mouth water, you aren't human. The pork was as described. Succulent. I like that word so much I'm going to type it again. Succulent. Ok, I'm done. All plates come with a side of mexican rice and your choice of black or pinto beans. Standard stuff, true, but everything was really good. The portions were huge and as I said, the food was very fresh. Cool little place in a cool little town along the Columbia River in southern Washington State. Worth the drive. read more

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Just had lunch here today. Super amazing service and excellent food. Portions were large and everything was so ridiculously delicious probably should have been rolled out the door. Will definitely be back! read more

El Rio Texicantina - Special of the day. Don't recall what it was called but delicious stewed beef with dipping sauce - Mexican Near Me - Stevenson, Washington

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I grew up in Southern California and live in Northern California. I have had many a home-cooked or authentic Mexican meal. This meal was great! I had blue corn enchiladas. They were well-made and tasty. I ate the whole thing and some of my dining partner's combination burrito and taco meal. Hours later I'm still full. read more

El Rio Texicantina - Blue corn chicken enchiladas suizas - Mexican Near Me - Stevenson, Washington

We ordered burrito, kid's burrito and their special item. everything taste same, (cheese and beans). we were super hungry but the look and taste of food killed the appetite lol. There is nothing wrong with this place, like staff is very good, ambiance is west style and seating arrangement was also fine but food is not good. only reason we had to come here because food trucks were closed on Sunday. read more

I would eat here again! The service was great and the food was good. There were so many items on the menu that looked delicious, which is GREAT for someone like me who had to eat gluten-free and hates seafood. The chips tasted stale and flavorless and the salsa was okay. I LOVE chips & salsa but I say back and watched my husband gobble it up. He loved it and thought the chips were as good as Chili's and he could handle the salsa - and he thinks ketchup is spicy. He loved his seafood enchiladas with cilantro garlic sauce but he ordered a side of veggies that were tossed in a seasoning way too spicy so he gave them to me. I enjoyed my pork taco and was happy I had a lot of choices of hot sauce (back of the restaurant) to pour on it. The fried and smoked Cojita cheese and fried jalapeños were really good!! read more

El Rio Texicantina - I had the smoked, fried cojita cheese and fried jalapeños with a side taco. YUM!! - Mexican Near Me - Stevenson, Washington

I'm giving this place 5 starts because the damn appetizer that has the fried cheese things are so good. We literally ate here 3x over a 5 day span because these things were so go. The bartender dude was very nice & gave us some good local recs. Also the spicy marg was 10/10. read more

Great food, warm hospitality and friendly locals. We drove here from Hood River to check out kitesurfing. Such a charming town with warm locals. Can't forget the delicious margaritas! read more

Huge shout out to the folks at El Rio! We went there last night about an hour before they were set to close and they were slammed. We had to wait a bit for a table and service, but the entire time they were communicative and totally hustling. When we were seated, everyone we interacted with was smiling and friendly despite what had to have been a really stressful time. They continued to seat folks who were waiting and had gotten there before closing, even though it meant many were still there nearly an hour after closing. They apologized a couple of times for the wait, noting they'd just re-opened for full seating a couple days before and, like many right now, we're having trouble getting staff. The food was great and I highly recommend the blueberry margarita, but even more so I want to compliment their team on their hustle, good attitude under stress and great customer service/communication. You all rock! read more

I had Seafood enchilada with Shrimp and Scallops. Loved it! Margarita was perfect! Recommend!!! read more

Loved the salsa and chips. This is how I judge a good Mexican place. I took a chance with their combination of my to favorite things, salmon and Mexican food. Only in the Northwest. The salmon fishing tacos were so good. read more

El Rio Texicantina - Salmon fishing tacos. Yes. How Northwest?!? So good. - Mexican Near Me - Stevenson, Washington

This place is really good. I'd definitely go back when in the area. We escaped here while staying at Skamania Lodge to get away from the horrid food and service at the Lodge. El Rio is a small place with a friendly vibe and awesome service. The salsa was great, the enchilada suizas were great, and the sangria was so huge I only drank about 1/3 of it. Had we been around for another meal, I would have tried the chile relleno special that other reviewers mentioned. If in or around Stevenson and you like Mexican food, try it. read more

I read the reviews that stated this place had bland food. Believe them - this might be the blandest Mexican food I have ever had. The extensive hot sauce rack is there for a reason, but basically I can make better food myself. Bleh. read more

On our way home from a hike in the Indian Heaven Wilderness, we stopped at this Dan H. recommended spot. Way to call it Dan! Someone in the kitchen knows what they're doin'. Fresh chips, great salsa. The Chile relleno special rocked. The house smoked pork in green chiles was amazing, Dos X's on tap. Classic Tex-Mex, really well done. read more

I'm a little bit torn because my wife would give them a 3. We had the Blue Corn Enchilada Suizes and I enjoyed mine more than she did hers. It was a verrrrrry slow night and our server was delightful. I had a very good cadillac margarita (ok, two) and my wife had a classic that she enjoyed and then the server suggested the skinny margarita which was too sweet and neither of us liked. There aren't many restaurants in Stevenson to compare with so I would go back. read more

Take the pillow from your bed. Start at one end and carefully roll it into a cylinder, squeezing out the air. Examine the resulting object and you'll a rough sense of the size and shape of the Gigante Burrito I was served here last night. It was filled with tasty shredded chicken, beans and sides of chopped tomatoes, pickled jalapenos and sour cream. I thought there was no way one person could consume, but always up for the challenge, I paced myself. The waitstaff sensed weakness at the 75% mark and offered to take my plate, which only strengthened my will. I waved them off. In the home stretch I faltered momentarily, but was buoyed by the thought of kitchen staff streaming out to congratulate me upon completion of said burrito--perhaps they'd even give me a t-shirt or name it after me, "El Jaime." Unfortunately, people must polish these things off more regularly than expected as there were no pyrotechnics, clapping or high-fiving when I wrapped up. That said, it was one large tasty burrito and sometimes just consuming one is reward enough. read more

On my 2nd night In Cascade Locks, OR, I headed back over the river and through the woods to El Rio. This was the best choice in the area. Service was prompt and friendly. Natalie was awesome and gave great recommendations. I ordered the Chips and Salsa and was pleased that I did, since they are homemade. The salsa is spicy and I guess people order buckets of this just to take home. One couple came in to just order that, but decided to eat as well, before taking their salsa home. It was tasty if I say so myself. I then ordered the Flame Grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos. Two giant tacos came out and the flavors exploded in goodness. Overall Rating: 90% Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Price: 4/5 Ambiance: 4/5 read more

In general, Stevenson has some tasty food choices. I guess you gotta be good to make it through the downtime and so only the strong survive. El Rio is one of those survivors. You might not think of good mexican food when your out in the middle of the Columbia river gorge, but the El Rio Mexican Cafe is making sure you think twice. I don't really eat meat but there are plenty of really good vegetarian options at El Rio. I got a bean tostada and cheese enchilada. Both were great. The service is very friendly and personable. Like all places in the Pacific NW, they have good beers on tap also. I overheard a couple of guys talking about their burritos and saying that the meat is smoked and the bartender confirmed that saying that they smoke their own meat everyday. read more

I was expecting Mexican food. This is far from authentic Mexican. It is Tex/mex! So for what it is, it is what you expect at a Tex/mex restaurant, bland over priced food. Server was nice & the place is clean with a nice list of strong drinks. read more

El Rio Texicantina - Mexican Near Me - Stevenson, Washington

This is a cute location right on a main road with ample parking nearby. Service was great. There were lots of other customers. However I didn't care much for the food. I'm particular about salsa and this was pretty bland. My margarita was possibly the worst one I've ever had but I did opt for the house option so maybe that is my fault. I got the veggie fajitas veggies were too peppery or something. Rice and beans were dry and dull. Gauc was good. Boyfriend's steak was looking raw despite being ordered medium rare. I wouldn't go back here and debated a 2 star rating but as I said service was good and other reviewers seem to be fans. I did like that they had a wall of hot sauce but sadly I didn't see this until it was too late. read more

The burrito was JUST as Jim C. reviewed it on 7/31/13. I vastly prefer corn tortillas as it seems to me that get slightly less soggy as next day consumables. The margaritas were above average, and the atmosphere was terrific. Yes, the service was, at best, indifferent. The criticisms about the quality/variety of food are just silly. I've eaten goulash in Hungary. Guess what?!? It's better in Hungary! Yeah, I know, a SHOCKER! You want top drawer goulash, get on a plane. Same for Mexican food. Stop your weeping, peeps. Adapt. El Rio, in out-of-the-way Stevenson, Washington makes swell enough Mexican food, and all you had to do was go up the Gorge (fun, fun, FUN!) to get it. With Walking Man Brewery closed on Tuesday this place is just fine. Now if the grumpy wait staff would just smile a bit more ... read more

I've never had a blander experience with mexican food in my life. Seriously, this was the worst dining experience I've had in years. The salmon tacos were dried out and tasteless. The corn tortillas weren't even heated. Come on, you're in Salmon country and you can't even do that right. Beans and rice were as if they ran out of salt, onion, and garlic...so bland they were almost bitter. My wife had three different things on a combo platter and there was no discerning one from the other. There was no flavor difference between the burrito, the chicken enchilada, and the tostada. Totally unremarkable. Absolute waste of $46. read more

Came to this restaurant first but ended up at Big river grill. The reason I walked out was because of the ambiance and especially nobody came up to us to offer us drinks and we didn't even get a menu. (10 minute wait then I left) read more

Nice looking restaurant, attractive, well decorated and comfortable. Fast service with a good selection of food. We will be back again. read more

El Rio Texicantina - Mexican Near Me - Stevenson, Washington

Great food, excellent drinks, good service, friendly new owners - a nice find! The cactus margarita is like a piña colada with tequila - highly recommended. The cotija cheese/jalapeño platter was also a big winner. Eat a bite of both at once. Delish! The new owners nearly took the seafood enchiladas off the menu, but we're glad they did not, as that one is a keeper for sure. read more

I cannot for the life of me figure out why this place is still in business. Started out our dinner with a Margarita on the rocks. All I could taste was cheap tequila and high fructose corn syrup. Hands down the worst Margarita I've ever had. The salsa was ok. A little too much on the sweet/tomato paste side for me. My party also ordered the large guacamole. Which consisted of 3 small ice cream scoops in a very small salsa dish. We could smell the guacamole coming before it even hit our table. We had 10 people in our party. Everyone described the smell as the same smell that wafts out from a Porta potty. After removing the guacamole from our table we waited 40 min for our food. I myself ordered a shredded chicken burrito. It came out in size of a dry 4in by 4in square. The chicken was gray in color. My daughter ordered a bean and cheese burrito from the kid menu. It came out last and was 100% uncooked or heated. It was also a dry cold 4in by 4in square. When I cut through the cold hard flour tortilla the dry bagged shredded cheese fell out. Not melted, not cooked. The beans were cold. I could continue with describing the other ridiculous entrees that hit our table but I believe I've said enough. If you still choose to eat here.. what happens to your bowels is on you. read more

El Rio Texicantina - Kids menu bean and cheese burrito. Cold, dry, uncooked - Mexican Near Me - Stevenson, Washington

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We are local but haven't tried it for a couple of years. Atmosphere was friendly and very upbeat. Caesar salad with sockeye salmon was both good and disappointing. Salmon was excellent. Done just right, well seasoned. Not at all dried out. But salad was just a soup bowl of romaine with a tiny bit of dressing. No detectable cheese. Tiny, teardrop tomatoes saved it. Wife had ribs. Too spicy for her but she was warned. So that's on us. Not a big selection of tap beers but we will go back. I saw other tables with great looking dishes that I want to try. read more

Having spent a weekend at the Skamania Lodge in Stevenson WA, I did not expect to have many choices of cuisine outside of the lodge itself. El Rio was a great, casual restaurant to go to for lunch or dinner. The food is excellent. I had the fish tacos once and the pork chili verde another time. They start you with good chips and salsa, and though I did not try any drinks, it was a pretty busy bar, as well. For taste, service, and atmosphere, I give this place excellent value. If you are looking for something more romantic or formal, this is not the place. The dessert menu is also lacking. read more

We stopped into El Rio on our drive back from the Gorge--This was not our goal destination, however. We had hoped (as other reviewers have written) to go to Walking Man but showed up at 6pm on a gorgeous Saturday only to find that they were closed for the day due to a pipe burst! Ick. We were very sad (as this had been our second failed attempt to eat and drink at Walking man) so we pulled up Yelp and decided on El Rio only a few blocks away instead. It's a little old restaurant, quite dark actually. We sat down and were offered chips and salsa. I was ravenous by that time, so I slurped down the appetizer before the waiter could even ask what we'd like to order. My hunger curbed, we decided to split the Smoked Pork Chile Verde. When it arrived, we had a nice spread of meat and fillings but they only gave us two measly tortillas! I stopped the waiter and requested enough to finish the dish, and after that we were left to finish our meal in peace. Now I love me some Mexican--we cook it almost once a week at home (and I'm not just talking Taco Bell-style family taco nights either), and this dish just fell totally flat for us. We were happy to see things like whole cloves of garlic and the house smoked pork was ok according to my husband (I wasn't blown away), but nothing else in the dish really ...tasted like anything? It was sort of hard to put a finger on but, needless to say, I spent most of that meal whining about how we had missed Walking Man AGAIN and were stuck with a subpar meal to boot. The menu had stated "Nobody makes Chile Verde like this!" and I'm pretty sure that's because it's not very good. The help at this restaurant wasn't bad so that earned back a star, and the chips and salsa were nice to have on the house--but next time you go through Stevenson, if Walking Man isn't open--keep driving. read more

We found this place by chance after crossing the Bridge of the Gods. We had very good service and really enjoyed the food. My wife had a seafood enchilada that she is still raving about. I tried their burrito that someone else had ordered and it was also excellent. Also tried their steak taco and it was very tasty. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good meal and good service. Try the black cherry margarita!! read more

My wife and I live 35 miles away and eat there 4 or more times a month. Knowing we'll eat at El Rio later in the week always gives me days of pleasure looking forward. Their staff is consistently helpful and the food is always full of unique flavor--no two dishes taste the same. The steak is tender and as tasty as any, ever. read more

Very good mexican in a place you wouldn't expect it. My wife had some excellent Chile Rellenos (only Wends and Saturday) while I had tasty Blue Corn Enchiladas. Good salsa and chips. Everything tasted fresh. They also had Walking Man on tap which was a nice bonus. read more

Two years ago, Rio changed owners. Prior to that, my experience that the food was just so awful, I vowed to never return. Two years have passed, and the new owner seems to be making improvements and maintains a solid following; so, we decided to check it out. The atmosphere there is really fun and inviting. The service was superb. This place has a great bar with a fine list of Tequila House drinks. They also have a wall of nearly every hot sauce you can think of! I was thoroughly impressed. The best of all, the owner and his wife were actually working and involved with their customers. Their personal pride in the business was refreshing and clearly showed. I had no bad offerings in my selections. Everything was good! I was pleased and will be back. My only critique would be that everything lacked traditional Mexican spices. Cilantro, Oregano, Cumin, Coriander, Allspice, and Clove are bare minimum, if present at all. They seem to cater to the majority without any risk to cause offense. This is understandable in a small wayward town. Nonetheless, this is a good restaurant and I had no regrets. I'm sure you will enjoy it too...... read more

We saw this place received an average of 4 out of 5 stars and decided to give it a try. We always try to support small, local businesses. There is absolutely no way that people who dined here rated it highly. The only thing we can think is that the owner and friends / family "seeded" the reviews to make it look better. Well, it worked. We were suckered in. Please do yourself a favor and dine elsewhere. The portions are tiny, stale and tasteless. Everything must have come out of a can and cooked in a microwave. The entree burritos are tiny, made with a 5" tortilla. Most places make burritos with 10" tortillas. Soggy beans and greasy rice and one or two tiny chunks of meat. The kids nachos were a handful of greasy chips with a dash of melted cheese. If you are like me, you work way too hard for your money to waste it on terrible food to feed your family. We gave this place a 1 star out of five because this site will not accept reviews with 0 stars. If the owners read this review - you should be ashamed of yourselves. For some reason, the first time I posted this review, it was removed from yelp. I will keep checking back to make sure yelp users get the real story about this place. read more

We ordered the stacked enchiladas. The cold tortillas had room temp steak bits, a little cheese sprinkled between and topped with canned enchilada sauce. The black beans where cold and looked like they had sat a while. No sour cream and the rice was just ok. How the heck am I reading such good reviews? Did I go on a way off night? New cook? Who knows but it was so bad I won't be back. The waitress however was sweet as she could be and the bartender made awesome drinks. So the bad review is for the food and the cook only. Christ, it was bad. read more

The most authentic Tex-Mex I've found in the Pacific NW. Excellent food and drink. Their margaritas are real - not artificially-flavored corn syrup concoctions. Great theme decor, and friendly servers. We'll be back asap! read more

We loved this place. I knew they made their own sauces fresh each day and that they prepared their own meats but I still was surprised by just how good our meal was. First thing you notice is that your food isn't buried under a half pound of melted cheddar cheese! When did Mexican food become Pizza? Most other Mexican restaurant's dished all taste the same but not at Joe's! This food was exceptional. The flavors came through wonderfully! We had the Smoked Pork Chili Verde and the Blue Corn Enchilada Suiza. Both were great! I want to go back! I wish it wasn't 4 hours from home. The service was excellent as well. It's always nice to be waited on and not just waiting. I recommend Joe's to everyone who appreciates good food. Go there! read more

We have talked about stopping here many times on the way through Stevenson but this Sunday we actually stopped. Great choice! The food was really high quality Tex Mex. The had some great cocktails on the drink menu and the best collection of tequilas I have seen in this part of the state. It is fun to go somewhere that has new drinks to try and good food to go with them. Prices were very reasonable. Under $50 for dinner and drinks and desert for two. That includes the tip. read more

Service, food, and margaritas were all excellent. My girlfriend couldn't stop talking about how good the prickly pear margarita was (the purple looking drink in the pictures). read more

I brought in a group of 15 after a hike at Falls Creek Falls on Sunday. I had spoken to the manager a few weeks beforehand, but was shocked when the restaurant not only remembered our party several weeks later without a call to remind them, but set up our tables beforehand, and kept an extra staff member on hand to help with serving. The food was excellent, the customer service amazing, and the atmosphere cozy and inviting. If I could, I would give these folks 8 stars! Pamela read more

Drove over from Cascade Locks, OR to eat here and wasn't disappointed. El Rio is small, very friendly restaurant with excellent service. Monday is Margarita night with $2 off, but I elected to have Dos Equis Amber on tap - hit the spot. Chips were fresh and hot and salsa was thick and fairly spicy - I liked it. I ordered Blue Corn Enchiladas and asked to substitute black beans for vegetables which they agreed to do. Food was excellent. Highly recommend this restaurant if you're in the area. read more