The atmosphere is lively and welcoming! Service is friendly and fast ! Food is excellent!!! I always leave satisfied, and smiling read more

Service was amazing. Staff is the kindest I've ever met. The fried ice cream was the best I've ever had. One of my favorite desserts of all time. Best quesadilla and enchilada I've had in a while. read more

Rio Border Cafe - Thai is the fried ice cream best ever - Mexican Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

This was such an amazing experience! Highly recommend! the staff was so nice! The enchiladas and fried ice cream were amazing! The decorations are so festive! read more

Great place to eat. Good food, friendly staff and fun atmosphere (they have music entertainment). Standouts: Their margarita was well done, though smaller in size than other places. Food: Was fresh, and they use organic and fresh meats, so the taste is evident in the freshness of the food. However, with the chicken fajitas, they could have served more rice and included shredded cheese to use on the tortillas like they do in other places. Pricing: it's in Norwalk, so the pricing will be a bit higher, the plates are around 21.95 and 25.95. read more

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If you want a fun authentic Mexican restaurant this place is great. We had the enchilada suiza, chicken burrito and the carne asada. Everything was very good. We have came here before and had the paella and fajitas also very good. For appetizers we had the Mexican wings and the table-side guacamole- both delicious! Service is always fast and efficient. On weekends they have a guitar player going around the restaurant which is fun! Food is very authentic and good- would recommend it. read more

Place is super friendly, they welcomed us at the door and sat us quickly with menu's. It's nicely decorated, has a fun Mexican vibe and the margarita's are fresh. Food smells and tastes delicious. This place was a pleasant surprise! read more

Best restaurant in the area! We have been eating at Rio for close to 20 years and have never had a bad meal. The staff is fantastic and so is the food- Mariscada is the best seafood dish on the planet!! Try it! You will not be disappointed!! read more

So sad Rio used to be one of our favorite places - we rarely eat out any more and were in the mood for Mexican - sadly, we were very disappointed - cheese enchiladas with absolutely no flavor but floating in grease. Very soggy and greasy shrimp burrito. The guacamole was decent as were the rice and beans - and all for $70!!! read more

The most insultingly small portions for the price I paid. Beyond disappointed in how overpriced the whole menu was. The $14 appetizer was the most unappealing plate of food I've ever seen. $5.49 for a side of rice. $5.49 For a side of beans. $6.49 for a side order of mole sauce. Absolutely disgraceful prices for side orders of inexpensive food like rice and beans and sauce. The owner will probably make excuses about rising food prices and inflation, but that's a sorry excuse to charge $6.49 for a side order of sauce. I am beside myself. This place needs new ownership. The owner doesn't know anything about providing bang for my buck. I feel sorry for anyone that is foolish enough to believe this is a good restaurant. Just go out of business already. Stop ripping off your customers. read more

Rio Border Cafe - $14 for this????? What a joke. - Mexican Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

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Rio is an excellent spot for Americanized Mexican food. You know exactly what you're getting, but they do it quite well. I'm partial to the enchiladas mole poblano and their tamales. Better than their food are the *strong* margaritas. Very reasonably priced and they have dozens of combinations of flavors and spirits to try. read more

This place has withstood the test of time. It has been in the same spot in norwalk for many years. So the interior is very kitschy and dated. The staff is friendly and quick. Old style Mexican food and drink. So it is not flashy but the food is good. read more

Food is good , service es very nice , ambiente está agradable . Se siente el ambiente

Food delicious Service amazing My husband thought he lost his credit card we called and they searched every where even outside in the parking lot. They continued to search and stay in contact with us until we found it at home. The time and energy they spent was undeniable thank you!! read more

I had an amazing waitress Jasmine. She was helpful in my menu choice and brought me the PERFECT MARGARITA. I will be back.

They gave me wrong order Service was terrible Asked for water three times Gave my husband wrong thing in order Took them over 15 minutes to come to table we had to ask This might've been the wrong worst service we've ever had in this restaurant read more

Walk in and i am asked what i am here for... food or drinks... I said both! They wouldn't let me take a seat on the bar, because they speak in Spanish and I don't understand what they saying There was room for one more party of 2, but they chose not to give it to me. But ok whatever, its my first time.. I don't know how the rules.. but after 10 mins someone else get that bar seat... wtf Sit down and order a Margarita. I am given my Margarita with a menu. Then i am asked what i want to order to eat, i said nothing because the menu is not exciting, and they say, no food.. no drinks.. basically get out of here. So i am like.... Ok if they told me before I would never enter this place, but lets not ruin anyone's evening here alright. I guess its COVID and everyone is hurting so give them a chance alright. Then i order food ($16.99 a plate for a veggie fajita) and one more drink... and they offer me chips and salsa on the house!! OMG I am flattered!! And then here comes a couple (white), sits right next to me, and as soon as they sit they are given the chips and salsa.. hmmm.. Did I mention I am a single brown man? Not hispnic, but brown. Basically a complete shit hole of a place, meant for white people. When no customer is hispanic, you know this place isn't what it says it is.. Food is horrible, nowhere close to Mexican food, and it says happy hour, but each margarita was $11. SHUT IT DOWN!!!! read more

Consistent food quality and service. Roving guitar player on the weekends. Can get crowded during peak times

My parents love Rio, in fact I've been going there since before I was born (27 years)! It is truly authentic Mexican and the prices are reasonable (and strong $9 Margaritas) The pulled pork taco salad and taquitos are to die for and I would recommend the guacamole to start. I remember coming here as a kid and being welcomed by the amazing mariachi band and then pointing out our favorite piñata (there used to be hundreds!) There were also tons of pictures of family, friends and celebrities on the walls. Of course times have changed but the staff and recipes remains the same. read more

I ordered food from this restaurant via GrubHub. Instead of delivery, I mistakenly ordered it as "pick up" which is my usual way of getting food. This was my mistake. And one that should have been easily cured. However on this night I could not pick up my food. GrubHub directed me to the restaurant. I called the restaurant within minutes of order to say that I put the order through as delivery instead of pick up The person said "there's nothing we can do about that". So $45 of food sat collected and I was charged for the order. This is ridiculous and basically robbery. Thanks for nothing RIO. read more

Great food, excellent service and fun, kid friendly environment. My favorites are the carne asada and chicken enchiladas mole poblano!

wonderful food! nice and friendly experience!! good service!! good price, highly recommended !!

Came in here only for drinks but it made me want to come back for more. My mango martini was excellent and strong (maybe it was just a long day for me). We sat at the high tops in the bar and were immediately greeted upon sitting down. Our drinks came out quickly and I had to order a second. Despite not ordering food, we still got to enjoy the chips and salsa, which tasted homemade. Next time we are in the area, we will stop by for lunch or dinner. read more

Rio Border Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

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My wife and I dined regularly at Rio. Wait staff are great (especially Antonia), food is always excellent and the drinks were just as good. The ambience is festive and there's always good selection on the menu. We definitely recommend ! read more

SCAM ARTISTS!! Do not go here. They will overcharge you for drinks, as their menu doesn't have drink prices therefore they can theoretically charge whatever they feel like it. On top of that if you order a double shot they only pour a single however still charge you for a double. Despite terrible service and overprice drinks we paid the bill without issue. However they then ADDED $10 to the tip that we already left, giving themselves a total of 30 more dollars on top of the highway robbery they already performed. It is truly disgusting a place can do this without repercussion and not have any sort of repercussion for it. There are hundreds of other better Mexican restaurants in the area that you should go to. Skipping the scumbag place is the only way to go. They have overpriced drinks - that are terrible by the way - and scam you out of money for no fucking reason. They should be ashamed of themselves, total pieces of trash. read more

Ordered takeout, it was terrible, cold, soggy, missing items etc. I'm sure the driver was partly responsible for part of the issue, but some things were clearly on the restaurant. The wings were referigator cold and tossed with salsa and covered in lettuce, easily the worst wings I've ever had. read more

My friend Arabella now thinks this is the best Mexican in the area. But, she hasn't been to Los Angeles or San Diego so she really doesn't know anything. She also brings me cheap "Mommy Time Out" wine when she visits, so take her recommendation with a grain of salt. Based on her enthusiasm, I ventured back here after trying it once many years ago. It was fine. The setting itself is definitely more reminiscent of SoCal places than other Mexican restaurants around here, so they get an A+ for that. I like festive. It probably is one of the better Mexican, more like Tex Mex places around, so try it if in the area. As for me and my adoration of Mexican food, I simply wait until I'm in Cali to indulge. And, what I focus on while on the East Coast, is Italian food. Though, there is always hope. :-) read more

We have been ordering from Rio for over a year since we moved to Norwalk. Love their food. However, tonight we ordered via Seamless and the order was delayed twice. We were ok with this, since they are usually very good. The Seamless driver finally showed up and the bag seemed light. I looked down and it was from Chipolte! I figured the driver had messed up the order and was trying to huxter me into taking someone else's order. I then called Rio and spoke to a person who didn't see our order (although we had it in our Seamless) and asked what telephone number I had for Rio (PS: I'm calling you on that number! :0) When they found our order, they said "the driver came a while ago, and it's in Seamlesses' hands." So apparently we've ordered hundreds of dollars in food with them over the past year and they are totally disinterested in helping out. You just lost our business. read more

I love Rio and was excited to find them on Seamless when I placed my first order on that app (I would order directly from the restaurant if they offered delivery vs using a third party to deliver their food). I'm only giving them one star because they didn't follow my notes and I had to throw away my food. I specifically asked to hold the olives and jalapeños on my nachos and they didn't. I'm not a fan of olives but I can't eat jalapeños. So after trying to pick them all out then realizing in my second bite that there was no way I could find them all in the mix of melty cheese and toppings, I gave up and threw them away. Based on my experience, I can't say I would order from them again. Update: I just saw the manager's response and am updating my review because I'm so impressed by her. I did not email them directly but I did give them another try and my notes were all followed. Love their food and will definitely order again in the future! read more

Where do I start? We ordered fountain sodas that were completely flat. Upon telling the waitress that the sodas were flat she said okay and removed them without offering anything else in place or so much as acknowledging that there was an issue. Ordered water with lemon for the table and returned one without because it was a child. We asked for additional lemon and were asked if it was for the child, yes that's what we asked for. Ordered the seafood enchiladas which the menu states consists of "crab, pollock, cod, scrod, whiting, and shrimp" but only had imitation crab meat a few tiny frozen shrimps. I was highly disappointed and dissatisfied with the food and the service. Would not recommend it to anyone and would not return. read more

After eating here for 6 plus years, Rio remains our favorite Mexican restaurant, and really our favorite place to eat out consistently. Food is really good and never disappoints, service is excellent and friendly. read more

This place getting worse and worse every time, I was loved the place long time ago, food is good , but they charged now for the containers, and fee , I order a enchiladas de mole , $16, plus $1 side lettuce, $1.5 side sour cream, $1container, $1 fee, and I order salsa verde fresca and that's the most important thing I told the guy and when I got home I have not the salsa ! What a angry meal, so disappointed with this place , we support the business and they just don't care about customers, even the city give them So Much help for pandemia relief, so dissatisfied read more

This is a regular place that we go as a family with two young boys. I have to say it is my 5yr old's favorite restaurant: loves their kids meal, their tableside guacamole, and the guitarist that especially plays fun songs, highly recommend for families! I considered myself "picky" with margaritas and this place always makes the best, very consistent and so tasty! The red sangria is also very good. The food is consistently great- we have had many different items and never not enjoyed our meals..... whether it's nachos, enchilada, or tacos. I especially enjoy their mole sauce. The service is always nice, attentive, and quick. It's a popular place in Norwalk and it should be! read more

If you're in the mood for good margaritas and cheap, greasy food, Rio is the place to chill. It's a hole in the wall but food is decent. It's not healthy by any means and it's not authentic, but the food is good (I love their beef tacos, beef chimichangas, and tamales) and the margaritas are awesome! It's my boyfriend's and my go-to when we go to Norwalk. Expect to spend about $75 on two entrees and 4 margaritas. read more

*** Restaurant dining (indoor and outdoor) available, correct website is http://riomexicancafe.com/ *** Love this restaurant. Great food, friendly staff, entertaining atmosphere. Food is hot off the grill and delicious. Portion sizes are perfect. Their churros are a great dessert. read more

Decent food, nothing to really brag about. The service on the other hand was horrible! I knew when I saw the menu and it stated an automatic 18% gratuity on parties of 5 or more the service would suck. Our waitress was horrible, we constantly had to seek her out for drink refills or ask other staff members and then she would bumble over. It was ridiculous. Sad part is she made 31$ for absolutely nothing! With all the good Mexican restaurants with better food and service makes me wonder how this place is even in business! read more

Rio Border Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

Not bad, fun place good food . Prices are fair. Stays busy. Mariachi usually here too . Love Mexican, this is a good place to stop by. read more

Rio Border Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

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Don't waste your time coming here if u are black and don't want to make your bed here. So anyhoo we came approx. at 815/830pm and was seated in the back. Several ppl was seated after us in the same area and was served and checked on multiple times. We waited for 30 mins just for salsa and still no drinks. I had to wave down a busboy for assistance. AND WAS TOLD OK THEY ARE COMING. 15 mins past my boyfriend had to get the security guard to get someone to take our order. Someone finally came and took our order. 20 minutes later someone else randomly served us the wrong food. 5 mins later we got our food and no one came to check if we got our food or drinks or if we ready for the bill etc. Mind you ppl who were seated after us left and was served MULTIPLE TIMES. They might have served a bunch of underage girls liquor. The amount of time we waited after we was done eating we could have left and they wouldn't have noticed! Finally the same lady who took our order came over and we told her our complaint and her excuse is this was not her assigned table and she does not know who was assigned to our table. She made excuses that it is CINCO DE MAYO and it too much ppl there. But yet other ppl (non -blacks) was served right away. She was quick to say pay ur bill as if we was trying to get out if paying. THAT IS NOT THE CASE HONEY. She claimed there was no manager and that she was the "manager" but doesn't know who is assigned to tables in the restaurant. Despite the fact we complained she didn't accommodate or apologize for the terrible customer service. After we complained and was willing to pay she told the owner MARK what happened to try to cover herself. DO NOT GO HERE IF WANT TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. read more

I give it 5 stars for the margaritas. Best margaritas ever. Great vibe. Great place for families. A musician is always walking around and singing with his guitar. I like the chicken quesadillas and fried calamari. I tried other dishes but they were not very tasty. I always come back for the margaritas. read more

Rio Border Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

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I say 3.5 stars. Food is really good...I was really pleased with the food quality and flavors. Very good service and the prices were reasonable. Location main drag in Norwalk so easy on and off I95...busy parking lot shared with a handful of other retailers. Kind of kitchy interior....which I guess adds to the attraction. I'd come back for sure. read more

$8.00 for a margarita serviced out a slurpee Machine Are you kidding me, they don't have any prices listed for there liquor, is that even Legal in CT? read more