Cafe Rio

We stopped in for lunch as a group… They were busy, with a long line, but the line went very fast and the amount of staff they had behind the counter made them ready to accommodate the customers in a FAST, efficient way that allowed us to sit down and enjoy their tasty food expeditiously!
The food is very fresh and prepared to order.
The staff is friendly, smiling and checks on you to ensure you’re enjoying the meal.
The menu is quite diverse, having a nice selections of salads and enchiladas too! And meats to use in your meal.
I can’t wait to go back!

Can be Hit or Miss; the taste of the food is great and of course the specials help in this economy, but who is behind the counter makes a difference.. . If u end up going when there are teens who don’t care behind the counter and are more interested in rushing u out even when there is no line just to go talk to their friends or get their part done then u won’t have a good experience; but I try to avoid those days, but other days when u have folks who do make ur food in a timely manner, it makes it so much better!

Worst experience staff is rude they didn’t even ask me what sauce I wanted. Not coming back

Great place for a yummy meal for under 40 for a family of 6 :) clean and friendly staff.

Ugh, do I have to break my promise twice in one week? Okay… but that’s it. I mean it!
Café Rio is special. I eat here approximately once a week because of the fact they have amazing specials. Taco Tuesdays, Tostada Wednesdays, and Tamale Thursdays, all of which are fantastic deals and the food that’s made here is too good to not want more of.
Their main courses are fantastic. I’ve had all 3 of the aforementioned items, plus the burrito (get it enchilada style it tastes so much better) and the quesadillas (a bit heavy on the cheese, but holds up well). Everything that the make here is fresh, as you watch them prepare the tortillas on their spinner. It tastes really good. Plus they toss their cheese and cook the meats right in front of you so you know there’s nothing skimped. Not to mention they have unlimited drink refills and some really good selections of them too. I do knock one star on them because the rice is a bit bland, but their beans? Wow. Excellent texture and flavor and boy do they add something special to the dish.
I’ve never eaten at any of these places before, and only recently did I discover it’s a chain, but it’s worth the price of $ 10 to eat here, plus you get a $ 10 credit for every 100 points you get when you use the app! And it’s totally worth getting the app. Use it! Use it! Use it!
Think of this place like Chipotle… with options. Yeah, I like that. And I also like their food, a lot.

Raising from 1 star to 4. I’ve discovered that it’s the sickeningly sweet salsa that ruins meals for me. Today I had the tacos for the first time, which came with lettuce and pico (none of that salsa!) Added hot sauce to it, and WOW… Super yum. On Tuesdays, tacos are $ 1.95 each, which is $ 1.00 off. Lots of meat and delicious. The pork barbacoa is sweet and delightful. The beef is more traditional meat flavor. Add beans, rice, and beverage for $ 2.00 more. A great meal for just $ 3.95, or get 2 tacos and call it a happy belly night. I’m a new fan!

Bland!!! I ordered the Beef burrito smothered with enchilada sauce, the cheese on top was the only thing that had any flavor whatsoever. However the portions were great and the price was very wallet friendly. Probably will never eat there again, not worth the time on the toilet.

This is a go through a line and get place, not a ‘you will be served’ place so know that before you go in. The food is pricey considering this is Manassas not downtown DC but other than that, it’s really good. The food itself is great, fresh, and they even have a set up to take home your plates if you want to doggy bag it. The atmosphere is casual with what look like grade school chairs, tables and decorations. The staff has always been really nice and friendly when I’ve been there. My only complaint is that they don’t have refried beans which makes no sense to me. They have a choice of pinto beans or black beans. But the food is great and that will make you return.

What a great place to eat. Very different than your traditional Mexican or Latin flavored restaurant. The problem is, once you try it, you love it.
Generally speaking they have great service also at all of their locations. This particular location we had our first unfriendly customer service representation. It felt bizarre as if we were at a different restaurant.
We went back a week later and the negative employee wasn’t there.
Try it. You’ll love it.

I have no complaints about them and for a fast food style concept you would think that was impossible. Food is great. Staff is always friendly. Tuesday Taco is to crowded for me but they handle it really well. Quality and portion size is better then Chipotle. And their mystery greenish dressing is AWESOME! Still haven’t figured what’s in it but it’s like Franks Red Hot — I add that sh$t to everything. They should bottle that up and sell on the side to go.

So, anyone who’s read my other reviews knows that Chipotle is my gold standard for fast casual AmeriMex joints. But I ended up coming here with a friend who likes it, so what the heck.
At first glance, Café Rio is very much in the same mold as Chipotle. It’s got a corral for the line where you order what you want at each station and pay at the end. Very casual. Their menu is what you expect: tacos, burritos, tostadas, enchiladas, etc. — all the tortilla-​centric AmeriMex items you’d expect. I ordered a vegetarian burrito. Side note, only the mild green enchilada sauce is vegetarian. I asked for hot, but the knowledgeable server pointed out that the hot sauce is beef-​based. That was a nice catch and very much appreciated!
Where Café Rio diverges is in the construction of its food. Its burritos are of the «wet» variety. They make it, douse it in a sauce of your choice, top with cheese, then bake it. I have to admit, the combination is pretty delicious. The melty, saucy cheese forms a delectable topping on the not-​quite-​crispy exterior of the tortilla. For vegetarians, the filling is double rice, double beans, which isn’t as good as sofritas and peppers, but isn’t bad. The overall size of the meal is actually bigger than your typical Chipotle burrito (?!) — I was completely stuffed at the end, and I’ve eaten two Chipotle burritos at one time before.
For drinks, they’ve got the usual soda spread, as well as house-​made horchata and a few different types of limeade. The horchata was definitely good (by my white-​boy standards, anyway) — get that. I tried the mint limeade as well, and it’s good, but it’s sweet enough to make Paula Deen flinch. They also have dessert, but I couldn’t even consider it given how full I was.
For about 10 bucks all-​inclusive, I really did like this place. If they added another vegetarian item (peppers, tofu, etc.) I would probably nudge it up to five stars. Give it a shot if you’re in the mood for a burrito!

Drove past this a hundred times… not 101 times though! Great food! Don’t pass this up!

Love this place. Always very fresh and very yummy with pretty generous portions. I docked a star as they have raised their prices, particularly with the steak which is the only thing my husbands will get here. The steak prices are ridiculous now, and has caused us to come less with how much they have gone up. But we can’t avoid them for long. It’s too tasty.
Their pork salad is my personal favorite, and what they are known for. I some times get a pork tostada which is basically just a smaller and cheaper version of the salad.
Their burritos are also HUGE and very good. Good for two people to share.
Don’t forget to stop by on Taco Tuesday for discount tacos (but I’m not really a fan of their tacos — their tortillas are too thick for my liking)
They also offer free quesadillas for young kids. Yay!
Even when they are busy the service is fast. Some people say this place is a bad copy of Chipotle, but I say Chipotle is the worst, tastes super bland and processed — but Café Rio is heaven.

I come here all the way from NY!
To be true, I occasionally travel to the area for work, BUT I always squeeze in Café Rio into my trip.
Gotta love the daily specials (FYI, they’re the same each week). Love me a chicken tostada salad. You’re variety of fill-​ins are similar to Chipotle, but let me be clear, Chipotle is all burritos. All Day, Everyday. Café Rio has different items so you won’t experience ‘choice fatigue.’ Their creamy crack cilantro dressing is addictive (think Peruvian aji verde) You will need at least 2 cups to complete your meal.
My only problems here are with the nickel n’ diming for extra dressing ($ 0.50/cup) and they don’t chop their sprigs of fresh cilantro into small pieces.
Lastly, do not say no to a drink. $ 2 for a cup and go to town at the juice station. Mint Lemonade and Horchata all day…

My wife and I decided to try this place since we always pass it when we are shopping around the area. We decided to hit up Rio Café and sit outside since the weather was amazing today for a February day.
My wife decided to order the Quesadilla and I ordered the Burrito enchilada style. The gentleman at the counter was very nice but the cashier seemed to be on her lunch break? We stood for about 7 minutes while the line behind us just got longer until she finally decided to show up and check us out.. When my wife and I sat down we realized that her quesadilla was overcooked and falling apart (see pic) My burrito was soaking in there sauce. For $ 20 I was expecting a little more. The food really tasted like they put no «love» into it. The food really made us feel like we were sitting in a chipotle style knockoff. Won’t be coming here again. The only reason I gave this two stars was because the outside seating.

Pork tacos. Need I say more? Have been here a couple times now and i get them everytime.
The first time we went i got the pork tacos and fell in love. The pork has a perfect sweet flavor that i love, mixed with a little hot sauce and mmmm.
I have tried the chicken tacos here as well and didnt like them nearly as much, a little bland to me. Their burritos are good too and pretty good size. I like that they have horchata and a good variety of sauces. The only thing that was kind of annoying was that they asked if you wanted rice and beans with your meal but dont tell you its extra.

We are never disappointed! A little pricey for «fast food», but well Worth it. Military is 50% on Mondays, and there’s a special everyday.
Good Mexican food is hard to find on the east coast… This is as good as it gets.

This is my 2^nd review for the chain and my 1^st for this location and I must say its a refreshing change from the other location. Restaurant was clean, staff organization and friendly and food was great!

I think the only reason I wouldn’t give this place 5 STARS is because they got rid of my favorite dish… the fish tacos with Mahi Mahi. I used to go here almost every Friday for this special.
However, their other dishes are very good as well. I’ve been here probably 30x, never had a bad meal. Their ingredients are very fresh!
Here are some tips if you are new…
Tip #1– Pay the extra $ 1 for the Fire Grilled Chicken, it’s on point.
Tip #2– If you want to eat healthy, try the Tostada. You’ll probably end up taking some home, they give you so much.
Tip #3– If it’s your first time, tell them and they will sing to you.
Tip #4– If you have room, try the Tres Leches. I didn’t expect it to be so good from a chain burrito place.
I hope you enjoy Café Rio as much as I have!

I always keep my word when I say I will do something, so I went back to Café Rio to give it another go.
It gets another star for me, since I tried a salad this time and found the online ordering much more convenient than standing in line, and the customization seamless. The chicken is better quality than Chipotle’s and like I said before, the options are different and the menu is a bit larger for variety. I definitely enjoyed my food, but can’t give any more stars until I try other options to be fair. I’ll update as I go along!