When I review restaurants, I am often asked about the food, the service, and the ambience. First,…read moreI'll start with the last - ambience. This restaurant is well decorated and taken care of. When you arrive at the large expeditious parking area and you come inside, immediately you feel like you are in an authentic Mexican environment, complete with natural native music - at the proper volume level. Next, service, since I speak Spanish, I enjoy speaking with the staff, however, they treat everyone in a cordial manner. My wait for food to arrive on the table was normal, and I did not see anyone complaining. Finally, the delicious filling food is excellent, and again, I hate to use the word redundantly but, it is very authentic and properly spiced. I have had the taco salad in both chicken and beef, which unlike many others, has more than enough sour cream and guacamole to enhance the dish. Today I opted for an appetizer, the shrimp cocktail. This dish is rather deceiving. You only see four shrimp on top, garnished by lime slices. However, in the sweet relish sauce, you will find more tender fresh plump shrimp. A wonderful beautiful cool dish for a hot day. I would encourage everyone to come by and not only enjoy the restaurant, but the magnificent view of the largest man-made lake in Illinois - Carlyle Lake. Next time, I am going to have the combination shrimp, steak, and chicken tropical pina fajita served on a pineapple half, or maybe, perhaps the Pollo Fiesta. We shall see. Until then "Tener un apetito agradable!"

Good street tacos Especially the pork. I love when there's a…read morelittle bit of char on my meat Service was good

Steak quesadilla.. I guess these are homemade tortillas that are griddled on a flat top. Was…read moredefinitely different than I've had previously. The jury is still out...the chimichanga we also had could have been more crispy, was more like a slightly fried burrito. The rice and beans are by far more flavorful than most IMO. Service was good... wife chose this place instead of grabbing some burgers at Wally's.. I tried to tell her.. we came from Belleville to grab some Ski from Excel bottling..

Dependable, delicious Mexican food... chicken, steak, shrimp - all good…read more Phenomenal, friendly, fast service. Always willing to accommodate large groups. Great decor. Spacious. Excellent bar. Last but not least... the absolute best margaritas you will ever drink.

We were on our way home from a softball tournament ans decided to stop…read more It is a higher end Mexican restaurant, but portion size and taste cancels out the price. Food was delicious, and service was great!

After a referral by our camp hosts we decided to see for ourselves. Our party of 4 arrived and were…read moreseated in a booth. The Resturant is beautifully appointed, too. We ordered Margaritas and a Paloma ... everything was delicious! The staff very sweetly attended to our party by regularly checking in on us. We will be back whenever in town. Drop by you'll be glad you did.

Being from California (and on Ca time) my party didn't expect much for a late dinner in southern…read moreIllinois. Especially concerned about quality of Mexican food in this tiny town in Ill. Thus, we were hesitant...but hungry with little expectations. Upon entry, we were pleasantly surprised to hear Mexican music and Spanish speakers in the back. I had hope! Although the salsa was bland (& I avoid spicy), we shared the taco plate and a nachos. We were not disappointed. However, I recommend skipping the mojito entirely- I had to send it back. And yes, i know mojito is a cuban drink. They knew we weren't from town, lol- so we got to talking and learned they had roots from Mexico, then grew up not terribly far from me in Ca. He admitted they've had to adjust the way they make some items due to the mid-west clientele they have who aren't used to anything remotely authentic.

The atmosphere is like you are family. The owner/manager (…read moreI don't know which he is) greets you while you are there. They promptly take your order and bring you chips & salsa with little bowls to pour the salsa in, so everyone at the table has their own bowl. The prices are good and the food is great! We usually end up with a to-go box because the servings are generous.

Great Authentic Mexican Restaurant in the area! Carne…read moreasada is really good and also the Homemade Carnitas, very good authentic flavor. Free salsa and chips! The salsa flavor was delicious and also the cheese dip so Good. We love the agua fresca Horchata. Plus very nice and friendly people there.

We met here for a birthday celebration. 7 adults. Food was…read morefast getting to us, food was hot and everyone enjoyed their plate. Service was great, he asked several times if everything was ok or if needed something. It wasn't crowded. Nice and quiet. We got to wear the birthday hat and free ice cream treat. We usually go once a year here and will be back.

Riviera Maya is one of the better Mexican Restaurants in the Alton area. I enjoy their Top Shelf…read moreMargaritas, because they actually look and taste like a Top Shelf. I am a fan of their Quesadillas, especially the Shrimp. They serve ample sides of guacamole and sour cream. The Grilled Shrimp Taco is pretty awesome, too. Another favorite item is the salsa that comes with the complimentary chips. It has a spicy kick and the chips are always served warm. The restaurant is always clean and the tables are never sticky when you are seated. I'm glad that they've expanded the sitting area with a covered patio. My last couple of visits, the servers have been primarily female and to be honest they're not as attentive as the male servers. Their service is good, it's just that the men are more friendly and attentive.

Updating review to share that they now have outdoor dining, and the patio is fabulous! So happy…read morethey added this, as outdoor dining is our fav when weather permitting. As always the food and service are great.

Good food and good service! Employees were really attentive. They brought out complimentary chips…read moreand salsa. I had some of the juiciest chicken fajitas! Had the perfect amount of flavor. Their piña colada was also great. If you love authentic Mexican food, come here!! My hubby had steak tacos and also enjoyed his meal!

The food was good and the portions were large. This is a good place to stop for a bite to eat if…read moreyou're traveling through the area.

DONT EAT HERE!!! food was cold, queso was watery, it took forever to get someone's attention. we…read morehad to go up to the desk to get someone. chicken was soggy, chips were hard and stale...paid 80 dollars for a cold and nasty meal!!! should've went to mcdonald's or made something at home!!! 10/10 don't recommend DISGUSTING!!!!!

Delish Mexican food. Had the chimichanga and it was amazing would come again. Service was fast and…read morefriendly.

Burrito was humongous, but half of the filling was rice. The rest was okay, but too much moisture…read moremade the tortilla soggy. The salsa verde was good. If I were to eat here again. I'd get a bowl so I wouldn't need to worry about the mess.

I've been wanting to try this place for a long time and finally got the chance today. It was a…read moregreat experience all around. The ambiance was very pleasant, everything was clean, service was great and, best of all, the food was delicious. I lived in San Diego for 20 years, ate and loved a lot of fish tacos while there so I ordered (grilled) fish tacos with a side of black beans. They did not disappoint, best fish tacos I've had since leaving San Diego. The fish was perfectly cooked, the seasonings were great, the corn tortillas hot and fresh, and they had a nice assortment of sauces. The avocado lime sauce paired perfectly with the fish. I'm not a huge black bean fan but these were really tasty. My wife is a picky eater, not big on Mexican food beyond the traditional seasoned ground beef so she got the traditional soft taco (seasoned ground beef, lettuce, cheese) and she loved it, even the cheese, probably a queso fresco but not sure. Oh, and the basket of tortilla chips served with salsa, they were great too. Still hot from the fryer, they were thick and crispy and the salsa was nice with just a little kick. We love this place and will return whenever we're in the area. I'm hoping to convince them to make me a "surf & turf" type burrito with carne asada and shrimp.

10 out of 10! Great food, great drinks, great service. Highly recommend. Stop by and try the…read moremargarita flight!

Decent Mexican food. Not the best in the area, but honestly pretty good. And the colorful decor is…read morefun.