Cantina Del Rio

I’ve eaten fish tacos from Mexico to Kansas City, these are hands down the best fish tacos you’ll find. Fresh Corn Tortillas, generous helpings of grilled fish, tasty sauce and veggies with a fresh Alice of avocado. Order the Barack brains with your Spanish rice and enjoy! The margaritas are also the best in town! Great ambiance and less crowded than other attractions in Gruene.
Locals eat here!

Headed here to answer a craving for some Tex-​Mex. actually found a spot in the front lot and then headed in. Although the town itself was really busy, there were many empty tables so we were seated immediately. Unfortunately, we were seated at a table where the wait staff go to get chips, salsa, and drinks. Since they weren’t busy there were always 5 or 6 staff loitering around chatting really loudly. Slightly annoying– not that they shouldn’t have fun at work but it was hard to even have a conversation. Bright side was that we got great service! The steak fajitas were fabulous, super tender and flavorful. The chicken fajitas were really dry and lacking any flavor. Next time, just the steak for us. Reasonably priced too. Will go back to try the margaritas that they are known for with our steak fajitas.

The food was excellent
Happy hour margaritas only four dollars
Salsa and chips best I’ve had
great Service

Don’t like this Unilocal app. I tried to review on check in but it didn’t work well.
Anyway, we were unimpressed. No AC or at least no AC seating offered to us. It’s about 90 outside with average humidity. The slow oscillating outdoor fans just weren’t enough to offset the heat, even in the shade. We came for the Margs; you know «the best Margs in the area»? Disappointed on that too. The wife got a swirl, which was ok to start. But at the halfway point it got too salty to finish. The mixed fajitas were ok but nothing to talk about. They don’t come close to beating or tying any of our favs back in Katy. So, overall, not a great place to spend your time, unless you like heat exhaustion, ehh food and not good margaritas.

I am sad to say my once 4 star review has gone down to 2. This used to be our go to place for yummy food and drinks but the last two times we have visited we haven’t been impressed. If you want a good sangrita, this is the place. Want decent fajita nachos? Come by for a visit. Everything else is hit or miss and mostly a miss. Rice was mushy and overlooked. My kids noticed right away that the rice looked different. Beans (had both refried and charro) were tasteless. Son ordered cheese enchiladas and got one cheese and one beef. Daughter ordered chicken enchiladas and they were drowned in verde sauce. Hubby had shrimp tacos and they just fell apart in the corn tortillas. My chicken and beef fajita tacos were the only thing worth coming back for which means I am likely not coming back.
A friend told us they were under new management and maybe this explains the quality of our food, the reason why we saw our server a few times and how empty the place was.
Such a great location too.

I will not be visiting this establishment again. We ordered a hamburger, and nachos. The hamburger was good but the fajita nachos were something I could have made better at home. The beans tasted like it was a can, and there was little seasoning. All I know is for the price of that meal we could have gone to a nicer place. Not a good value for my money.

They had the best bang for your buck margaritas, 4 – 7 p.m. $ 4.00 drinks. The chips and salsa are fresh and good. Enchiladas and tacos are worth the drive. I would highly recommend this diamond in the rough.

The happy hour margs, while not my fav flavor-​wise, were strong and well priced. The chips and salsa though– oddly incredible– spicy and delicious.
Will return for happy hour again if I am in the area.

came for an early dinner and were seated instantly, cute little restaurant. happy hour margs ($ 4) were great and potent. I had the classic and the strawberry. order the fish tacos on flour they were delicious but couldn’t touch the side of beans and rice because i was so full from the chips and homemade salsa. Had a great college student waitress named Jillian she answered all our questions about the menu. Will be coming back!

I like the vibe of this place! It’s basically a house/​shack (excuse my lack of a better word) that’s been colorfully decorated and lets you enjoy the nature around you in the Gruene area (picture attached). It’s mainly outdoor seating, so if it’s a hot day and you’re not a fan of the heat and eating, you may not dig this place as much– however they do have some indoor seating.
The wait was about 30 – 35 minutes (as they told me), but it may be shorter on days when there’s not stuff going on locally (it was busy in the area with it being Mother’s Day and all). However, they do have an outdoor bar right outside the entrance, so you can order a margarita like we did (or whatever your drooling for) and sip while you wait. The frozen margarita (pictured) I got was pretty strong as well, which I’m a fan of! So if you are too, I highly recommend.
Our waitress was very attentive– our drinks never emptied. Though our food did take a while to bring out, but it was hot– I guess it was cooking, I hear it tastes better that way/​? *wink wink*. I got the shrimp tacos (pictured!) and they were so good! Not spicy (for us wimps out there), but still plenty tasty. Also, like most Tex-​Mex places, you got a complimentary appetizer of chips and salsa. I don’t know if it was the pre-​food margarita or what, but their chips are DELICIOUS.
Not including the drinks we got before we sat down, our total was a little over $ 30– for three people. So cheap!
Overall, a very nice mother’s day lunch. Highly recommend!

So let’s start with the plus’s
— happy hour good
— margaritas
— queso… mmmm yum!
— chips were fresh and seasoned well
— salsa was food but a little spicy
— chalupa was yummy with white cheese and guacamole
Overall the meal was good.
Enchiladas were average. Carne sauce on enchiladas was greasy.
I really enjoyed the chalupa dinner. I could only eat one after the chips and queso.
Overall we will come back

It’s not so much the quality of the food that was dissatisfying at Cantina Del Rio, it’s the people who work there. All of the servers were standing around while my server was no where to be found. The tall, blonde serving the table next to us took better care of us than our actual server (we tried to tip her but she wouldn’t accept). 3 managers were walking around, yet not a single one stopped to ask us how we were doing. On top of that poor service, the food was cold and the tortillas were greasy.
Will not be going back, and will definitely not recommend to anyone.

Food was really good– I’ve had better tacos but the atmosphere & service is what makes this place great. We had Kat as our server and she was awesome! We will be back!

The food and atmosphere were really good. We ordered the nachos with beef fajita and chicken combined. The beef nachos were superior. Great location, close to the river. I would recommend.

I am visiting this State from the Pacific Northwest. The fact that the town. was bustling and the parking lot was almost empty was a good clue if what to expect. The service was great, the limited and the food mediocre. I also noticed they served a burger with CHEEZ WHIZ! We ordered nacho as we were hungry and left to eat dinner. elsewhere

Had lunch here and it was great! My son said The El Ray Burger changed his life lol
The beef fajitas were really good also :)
Our server Erica was very nice. Highly recommend :)

I guess when you’re in a tourist area you’re supposed to just accept shitty food and shitty service? No way man.
-/​+ List form:
— Notice there are no photos of the ‘salsa’? Because it’s virtually non-​existent. It was like water with a bit of tomato swimming in it. Absolutely disgusting.
— Party of six. Everyone got their food except for one. He said «where’s my food?» Waitress said «Sorry, my fault! it’ll be right out!» 15 minutes later… «Where’s my food?» «Sorry, my fault, it’ll be right out!»
— Saddest order of fajitas I have EVER seen. (We take our fajitas pretty seriously). A small pile of meat with a couple onions, virtually NO peppers or anything. I don’t think they were sizzling either (likely cold).
— I had the shrimp tacos. I picked them up, the tortilla broke and all (6) my (tiny) shrimp fell out and half ended up on the floor. Fucking great. I tried to piece together what I had left and just salvage the mess. Nothing particularly good about any of it — shrimp were nothing to write home about (but certainly enough to complain on Unilocal about!)
+ Chips were good. Too bad there wasn’t good salsa to go with it.
Steer clear. There must be better places to eat, CERTAINLY better Tex-​mex places.

This was a return visit after my family had a wonderful experience here. Unfortunately, this visit did not stack up.
My dad ordered the fish tacos, which along with the chips and salsa, were pretty decent. He traded me a taco, so I can say it was well seasoned and full of toppings like avocado, tomatoes and slaw.
My mom ordered the shrimp tacos. They had about 4 small shrimp in each, and not much in the realm of toppings: a small slice of avocado, onions and cilantro. They also got her sides wrong and argued with her about what she ordered. It was busy from a coupon promotion that was going on, so I’ll give the waiter the benefit of the doubt about his mood — I’m sure they were frantic, and that can be rough. He offered a few times to bring her something different when he realized she didn’t like (and wasn’t eating) the tacos, but it was too little too late for her.
My pork tacos were in a similar state. Barely any meat, garnished with a few red onions and some cilantro. I joked that I’ve never had a taco in Texas that you could actually close before — there was hardly anything on the tortilla. The meat was all but completely unseasoned and very dry and chewy. I stopped after one bite. My dad, who will pretty much eat anything, ate the other taco but agreed it wasn’t very good.
I wish this had been a better first experience for me, because my family had loved the food when they went a few weeks ago, but I have to say it’s not topping my list of places to return to, especially with all the exceptional restaurants in Gruene.

It wasn’t bad bad, but there’s lots of better tasting places to go to.
Today, my wife ordered the beef fajitas and I had the El Rey burger.
In my sampling of her plate I found the fajitas were tender. They came out sizzling, too sizzling really, a good deal of the just softened onions burnt crisp to the iron plate. I found the steak to be a bit strong on the lemon marinade. The borracho beans were just beans, no spice and cooked down to a thick sauce. I didn’t try the rice as my wife had two bites and set it aside. I assume the guac was good as she ate all of it. I tested the cheese and as expected it was bagged pre-​shredded cheese. If you don’t know bagged pre-​shredded cheese is coated with cellulose, aka sawdust. If you taste the cheese by itself, you’ll notice.
On to the El Rey, the burger was okay, if you’re into mild and meh. The patty was fine, but covered by everything else. The cheese was mild cheddar. Ranchero sauce, carmelized tomato, garlic, I didn’t notice at all. Onions were just softed. The jalapenos were mild, or I’d put them at –273°F on a hotness scale. The brioche bun barely held up to the task. All in all, it was food, but not very flavorful. It’s heavy enough to fill you cup, but my taste buds weren’t satiated.
The waitress service was good and attentive to the right degree. The other one who brought the food, forgot the fajita condiments and had to be asked for, then he totally ignored a request for more salsa. Oh, the salsa was pretty salty, the chips were pretty good.
Of the 3 here, the Cantina, Mozie’s, Gristmill (same owner), Mozie’s is the best. Gruene River Grill has the best food in Gruene if you a more upscale dining experience.

Hidden amongst the trees in the corner of town, we just discovered this place after visiting Gruene numerous times. Relaxed atmosphere with loads of outdoor seating under ample shade trees. Friendly service. Food is fresh and tasty. Must return to try their famous margaritas. RECOMMENDED. WILL RETURN.