El Rio Grande

My friends and I tried this place for lunch. Ordered margarita’s to drink. Supposed to be frozen but was part liquid and tasted terrible. Couldn’t drink them. Food was average. Checked this place off our list.

A group of eight people from work went here for lunch and we were SO PLEASED! The service was excellent and the food was terrific!
The regular salsa was freshly made and very good (not spicy at all). The white ranch salsa was good (not my fav) and several people loved it. The queso dip (costs extra) was a great value and just at the edge of being too spicy (I don’t like very spicy), but I loved it.
We all ordered from the lunch menu (watch the board outside, because sometimes the lunch items are on special). Prices ranged from $ 5.99 (for the Speedy Gonzales) to $ 8.99 (Fajitas). All lunch items (as I recall) were served with both beans and rice. The beans were exceptional, not spicy, but spiced. Much better than the usual bland refried beans at most Mexican restaurants.
I had the two enchiladas (chicken & cheese) and they were very good. The portions are large, so I ended up taking home half my food. Because it was my birthday, I was given a flan for dessert. The flan was excellent! A true custard that wasn’t very sweet, except for the burnt sugar on top.
Next time I go (and there will be a next time) — I plan to order the Burritos Al Carbon. My coworker had these and they looked wonderful.
Also, El Rio Grande serves the lunch menu on the weekends (Saturday & Sunday) until 3 PM.

I always get excited about trying a New Mexican place but this one was underwhelming. I wanted so badly to like it! The service was friendly and the location is convenient for us. But the food was really boring. It just wasn’t good. It was almost like it’d be a good place to bring people who don’t like Mexican food very much — they brought a bowl of ranch out with the chips and salsa. I was really sad not to like this place! But when you have Guacamole right behind you, you’ve gotta step up your game.

Stopped in here on Tuesday excellent atmosphere. Best décor I’ve seen in Louisville in regards to a Mexican restaurant. Staff is very nice and extremely helpful. Loved the fajitas the seasoning was amazing on it. Topped it off with a few margaritas. Defiantly check it out.

Fajitas were good and even though it’s not on the menu they will make you a pretty good Michelada … Good addition to the area

El Rio Grande… The food here is Fantastic. will be returning. very clean and, everyone is so nice. Great lunch menu.

This is a local business and we should all do our best to support the things that keep Louisville weird. Rio grande is the business that took the place of the limestone restaurant after it closed.
You can still see remnants of limestone here in the rock columns and the ceiling fans. The inside has been completely opened up so there’s less of a claustrophobic feeling while dining.
The décor is very standard Mexican like el nopal but in better condition. There are some quirky accents like mismatched chairs and a Disney booth.
The chips and salsa were good. The salsa was super spicy and fresh. The chips were hefty thick tortilla chips. They served a creamier side with the chips (sort of like chuy’s creamy jalapeño ranch dip) but this had no spice and was very heavy on the sour cream.
I’m sad to report everything was way over salted. I ordered the grand burrito and my lunch partner ordered the chimichanga. Preface this: I salt EVERYTHING. Even ketchup for fries. The beans and chicken here were still way over salted even in my opinion
The cheese sauce is very heavy melted white cheese. It was so heavy I ended up opening my burrito not to eat it. The shell was soggy on the burrito and the chimichanga.
So the entrees were just so-​so. I would give two stars but the stellar service brought it up to three. The servers and manager were very kind and accommodating. The sweet tea was also excellent.
I hope this is just growing pains and this fun local place continues to improve.

Tonight was the first time eating at this restaurant, that resides in the spot that once was Limestone. I had not read or heard any reviews before going, and was unsure if this place was upscale Mexican due to the location or a run-​of-​the-​mill cheaper joint. As we walked in, what was noticeable was the décor is a mix of the two: very open, bright, new feel, with a mix of El Nopal-​style booths and the usual Mexican restaurant wall decorations. Once we were seated, a quick look at the menu answered my question. This was a budget-​friendly restaurant with the usual offerings and combinations. The waiter and host were both friendly and attentive, and the chips come with a salsa and white sauce similar to ranch dressing and the white sauce served at Señor Iguanas. The waiter asked us if we like hot salsa, and after we both said yes, brought us out a third salsa for the chips. This salsa was habanero and was excellent! It is hot (you’ve been warned!), chunky (not watery), and full of flavor. The regular salsa is good, but the hot salsa was probably the best I have had at a Mexican restaurant. As for the food, my girlfriend ordered a vegetarian combination, an enchilada, chalupa with rice and beans, and I ordered a combination that includes a enchilada (chicken), Chili Relleno, with rice and beans. One thing I noticed was the small number of combinations, only a hand full of vegetarian and 6 – 7 regular combos. The dinners came out hot, well-​presented and looked delicious. The portions are on par with similar restaurants, a good amount of food for the money. The Chili Relleno was good, it was firm, not mushy. The Enchilada was OK, nothing to write home about. The rice and beans were decent, the beans a little runny for my taste but not bad. I ate my girlfriend’s chalupa, it was delicious with fresh guacamole. Overall good food on par with most Mexican restaurants. For dessert we shared a fried ice cream, once again a well-​presented, huge portion that is made for two. For all the food we ate, plus two soft drinks, our total came to $ 27.00. With a $ 6.00 tip for prompt and friendly service, the grand total came to $ 33.00. Overall a good experience that won’t be are last at this new addition in the Lyndon area.

Three of us went this past Wednesday night. Probably 25. people in the place. The service was great and my combo meal was very good. I had the best chili relleno ever and a. very tasty chicken enchilada. The salsa, made in house, was very good. The taco was average but my daughter loved her burrito. We will be back.

Great Atmosphere, Great Food, Great Staff! Can’t wait to go back

The décor tipped me off to the inevitable disappointment awaiting within before I even walked in the door. Limestone’s elegant interior has been gutted, the lights turned up as bright as they’ll go, and cheap formica-​topped tables with mismatched chairs fill the floor. The booths arranged around the edges have technicolor varnished scenes of stereotypical Mexican villages on the backs, except for one inexplicable outlier bearing a badly proportioned image of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto frolicking in a field as if rejoicing at your impending misery.
The chips and salsa did nothing to raise my hopes. It was as if I was dipping cardboard, and the salsa was oddly flavorless, more like the sauce off a cheap slice of pizza than actual salsa roja. The menu contained typos in both languages involved, and a somewhat thin offering of standard Amerimexican fare. I went with the Burrito Rio Grande, the house special, which was neither Grande nor special. The tortilla was limp and semi soaked from the cheese sauce on top, and the much touted fresh pico de gallo was more like two tablespoons of halfheartedly diced tomatoes and red onion. The chicken within was overly salted, and I was honestly shocked that they hadn’t managed to somehow ruin the grilled bell peppers in the filling. The refried beans had the distinct metallic flavor of canned food, and I didn’t even bother to try the rice.
During this gastric ordeal, which only lasted maybe 45 minutes, our server came by the table about 4 or 5 times, making keeping a conversation going pretty awkward. The entire waitstaff seemed a little too quick, a little too smiley, like they were trying too hard. It bore a whiff of desperation that made the atmosphere entirely uncomfortable. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
I doubt this restaurant will last long in this location, and I feel sorry for the employees, but every minute El Rio Grande spends in this space is another stain on Limestone’s memory.

We came to this restaurant because it was recommended by the hotel we are staying at. It’s seriously the best Mexican food I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot!). The staff is REALLY nice. It’s refreshing because good food and good service is rare these days. I very highly recommend this place!!! Yum!!!

This restaurant recently opened near my office on North Hurstborne. I tried it for lunch and was pleasantly surprised. They gave me chips and salsa in the custom of so many Mexican restaurants however, they also had a ranch dipping sauce to go with it and it was very good. I had a typical Mexican dish, Arroz con Pollo, but it turned out to not be so typical after all. It had a spicy kick to it and the guacamole on the side was really good. The only thing I would warn is if you like things mild you might ask them to hold back on the pepper. For my taste however, this dish was perfectly seasoned and full of flavor. The décor of the restaurant was very nice and it had decorative elements to cater to children too. For instance, my booth had a carving of Tinkerbell on the back. So this place would be an OK place to have a business dinner but good for a family outing too. I definitely recommend giving this place a try.

This place just opened the Wednesday before Halloween. Tonight was my first visit. I got the Three Enchiladas — one cheese with cheese sauce, one chicken with an enchilada sauce, and one beef with chili sauce. My friend got 2 burritos al carbon.
First of all, the interior — decoration, lighting, layout, etc is nicer than any other Mexican restaurant I’ve been to in Louisville. Soft lighting and tables set apart in groups, rather than the one, large room that most other places have. The bar is set apart from the restaurant with plenty of tvs to watch the games, and a little bit of privacy that most places lack.
The enchiladas tasted different than I’m use to… the seasoning and sauces were awesome! The steak burritos were also spectacular… a soft, creamy, slightly spicy sauce and meat that was perfectly cooked.
We had at least 5 staff members stop by to ask how everything was, and just to talk and get our opinions — very, very friendly yet professional staff.
After our entrees we couldn’t resist the tres leches, which was probably the best that I’ve ever had in my life.
This Mexican restaurant is definitely different than what you’ll be used to in Louisville — the interior is much nicer and more upscale, the sauces and seasoning are a little different but very tasty, and the staff is wonderful. This is definitely worth a try for anyone looking for a different Mexican restaurant than the typical family joint.