Riva’s Taco Shop

Food is delicious. Service is meh, but I think it’s due more to language barriers than anything else. Next to Burrito Boy it’s the most authentic Mexican food you’re going to get around here. Try the carne asada tacos or the carne asada burritos, they’re the best.

My favorite taco ahop in town. I’m from San Diego and eating here brings back a little of home. Delicious almost every time I order. I could bathe in their hot sauce! If you’re looking for a good greasy Mexican taco ahop, this is the place to try. Many Eugenians just don’t understand that this is what true Mexican taco shop food is. It’s not burrito boy, and that has to be the highest of compliments. Try their Carne Asada burrito, yum!

Went through the drive thur and ordered nachos and 2 horchatias. The woman at the window handed my husband the drinks first he told her he didn’t want ice in his drink and all she said was «oh sorry about that» then closed the window in his face. Plus the nachos are super dry and way to many onions. I will never go back.

Went right before lunch. Busy even then, that’s why I went. Great service! Had 2 different kinds of tacos. Average. Thought it’d be great with all the people. Prices were good,

The Rivas location in downtown Eugene is pretty skeevy and notorious for bad service. This one opened fairly recently, but aside from the better atmosphere, doesn’t have much to recommend it.
I ordered taquitos as a combo at lunch, and received five large rolls topped with lettuce and tomato, no rice or beans. Though it was plenty of food at a reasonable price, it was quite dry and bland. Not even green salsa, which usually perks up any Mexican dish in my book, did much to help. You can definitely do better than this place.

The BEST Mexican food in town! Fast, friendly service and decent prices. Don’t even bother going anywhere else.

Love the muchacca burrito! Clean restaurant and friendly service. My favorite taco shop around. Sometimes the little places are the best.

I absolutely LOVE this location. The ownership (also the staff) have been exceedingly courteous to not only myself… but the several friends I’ve directed to their establishment. I couldn’t offer higher praise to a taco shop than I am for Rivas on 99. I’ve never tried the Willamette location, but I’ve recently dined at their Corvallis restaurant – and found it to be consistent with the 99 location.
I generally order one of 5 dishes (with the «monster» carne Asada burrito not being on the menu)… the monster carne asada burrito, the shredded beef nachos, 5 beef tacos w/​sour cream, the chimichanga, or the carnitas, with the burrito and tacos winning out the majority of the time. I’ve also had their loaded quesadilla = VERY yummy. That monster burrito is just amazing though. I’ve sent a few friends to try it, and all have sent others as a result. It’s gotten to the point where the owner now informs me of which of my friends just dropped by for said burrito. He usually stuffs some napkins in his sleeves and «flexes» his muscles for me, too. Always a laugh with that guy. Quite a character.
I generally support any place wherein the people are pleasant and seem to care about what they’re doing… the staff here at Rivas has exceeded what I think that might look like. And their food always leaves me with a budget struggle. At $ 10 per «monster» burrito… I sometimes really have to budget the 3 – 5 I eat per week.
In summary, I really appreciate how well this place operates, and love the food and banter offered within. They do a good job of keeping the food handling areas and dining areas clean. I’ve eaten here enough to make a solid assessment of this. If you’ve seen their establishment in any less than reasonable conditions… I’d be confident in saying it wasn’t the norm, and/​or you’re the most unreasonable kind of person there is.
If you want some delicious and reasonably priced food… give these folks a shot. They’ve certainly got my business, as long as they’re around.

Riva’s opened up a new store on Hwy 99 so I decided to try it… with apprehension. The Riva’s on Willamette is hit and miss at best. I will say one thing about Riva’s though, which is the reason I continue to go there, is that they make a proper hard shell taco. All those Mexican places that sell you a ‘hard’ taco in a pre-​fab shell (ESPECIALLY the taqueria’s who are supposed to specialize in tacos) are a massive disappointment and have no right to call themselves authentic.
Authentic shredded beef ‘hard’ shell taco: A REAL corn tortilla filled with meat, held together with toothpicks, and deep fried until crispy. Drained as well as possible then stuffed with veggies and cheese. Don’t like your delicious, properly made taco a little greasy? F*** off and go to Taco Bell.
Now… on to my experience. The tacos tasted fresher… much fresher than the store on Willamette but you can certainly tell they’re from Riva’s. Is that good or bad? Well… on a good day Riva’s tacos kick ass. On a bad day, well, let’s just say I’ve chucked my $ 7 lunch into the trash more than once. The rice is still hopelessly lacking flavor. The beans were good. Better than the store on Willamette for sure.
You still get a ton of food for a low price, which is good and it’s fairly close to work and on the way home so I’m sure I’ll become somewhat of a regular.