Cafe Rio

We eat here all the time. I’m not sure why there are lousy reviews here… they are always packed with return customers (like me) who love it! Famous for their pulled pork burrito or salad. I always get the shredded chicken salad, black beans, extra pico, salsa fresco and the house dressing. Yummy! So large, it is easily two meals. They win best of state every year and are expanding the franchise because it is fresh, delicious and a great value. Get a soda for the soft ice, Italian flavoring and great selection of teas, juice and sodas. Grab a punch card to start earning a freebie meal.

Love, love, love Café Rio! But this location, not so much! It’s dark in there. It looks old and very outdated. Not to mention they have horrible service! Everyone is rude and (hate to be mean) but kinda sloppy looking. Def not ppl I would like to handle my food. I’m very observant and noticed most employees at some point touched some part of their head and face while handling food. Gross! Location in West Jordan is way better!

Café Rio gets no love.
Is this inspired cuisine? No. Is it as good as what I’ve eaten at seaside adobe-​bricked cafes in Mexico? No, of course not.
But come on, Utah, it’s still better than two stars. I get that most of us are «over» this kind of food. It’s a little like your iPod Classic, ombré hair, or a good pair of Juicy Couture sweats – it was once a staple in your life that’s now a little out of date and kind of embarrassing. But deep in your heart, I know a part of you will always love the Sweet Pork Burrito (enchilada style, of course).
Look, I’m convinced that at least two-​thirds of Utahans had never heard of cotija cheese before the Café Rio salad. And even though it’s everywhere now, cilantro lime rice was once an exotic creation you probably tried first at good old CR.
My husband just looked over my shoulder and asked «why are you writing a review of Café Rio? Does anyone really need Unilocal to know it’s good?»
Exactly.
It’s not very unique and it’s not the best place in town, but it’s still kind of good, in an embarrassing-​to-​admit way. Better than two stars, anyway. Embrace the kitsch. It’s worth the occasional visit.

As a person who can’t raise their voice above 21 decibels I find it difficult to order. But I loveeeee soggy burritos so i can look past all of the «Qué“‘s. Order the Barnyard which is steak pork and chicken and you gotta soak that sucker in mild sauce, not too hot and not too wild.

Terrible pick up service. Do not call in your order. Would have been much faster to wait in line. Absolute joke.

Ran out of drinks on two recent visits! Staff did not care about no more tea… WOW!!! Cleanliness is always an issue!!! Throwing food around does not make it taste better, floor are full of food everywhere. Flavors are good, price is reasonable.

Let me start by saying that I love café rio. However, I just had the WORST take out experience of my entire adult life. I placed my order online with a 6:15 pickup. I arrived at 6:15 and waited nearly an hour to receive my food. I went up to the cashier 3 different times to check on my order all while people that came in after me left with their meals. I finally asked for my money back and one employee said that my food had been done for «awhile» and that she had called out my name all while I was waiting patiently in your lobby. I am a restaurant owner myself and as such, I suggested that your staff give each and every person with a confirmed pick up time that had to wait more than 15 min a free meal certificate. I barely got an apology. I know that it is not your staffs fault, it seems there is a glitch in your online ordering system. I was able to select my pick up time from a drop down list and chose the earliest one, which clearly was not doable on a busy Saturday night.
I was very frustrated so I did not check my order and Once I got home, I realized that one of my meals was missing.
I’m not sure if I will ever go back to your store again. I live equally between a costa vida and your store. I choose café rio because it is better but the terrible service has changed things.

Read the reviews and believe. Poorly managed, with poorly trained disrespectful employees. Called in an order for pickup. Arrived a few minutes past the time I was told food would be ready. After waiting in the pickup line, they said it wasn’t ready. Then went back and then was told they were out of one item, and they decided to substitute it with something else off the menu. Didn’t ask what I’d like instead. In the meantime employees are eating food behind the line which last time I worked in a restaurant was against health code. Whatever. Got home and they left out dressings and had to go back. Train wreck of a meal.

Best café rio ever. Amazingly yummy fire grilled chicken, fire grilled steak, and pork burritos. Love the mint limeaid too.

We frequent this paticular café rio. Tonight the employees seemed off. They were shot and impatient even though there was no line and they are opened for another hour. We felt as though we were wasting their time. The pork was low and rather than use the new fresh one they gave me tiny bits and scraps of the old one. The food was good and tasty we will be back but might be awhile.

The WORST CALL IN SERVICE EVER. I typically don’t write reviews, but just be warned, if you call ahead. They’ll tell you it’ll be ready in a certain time, but it wont, pull end up waiting in the pick up line way past your promised time of pick up, maybe with a «free» drink, like that makes up for the inconvenience of lost time, a beverage, come on… And all the while… there’s no one in line, so no excuse to not have your meal ready, and thus wasn’t just a one time thing, this happens nearly every time we call in.
Horrible customer service. It’s almost be worth it to just go elsewhere. Get it together café rio. Foods great, service sucks

Terrible café Rio. They mess up the orders every single time when we order online. The service is rude and annoyed with anything you say. My wife ordered nachos with everything and queso and it came with chips and shredded cheese and meat. That would be fine except when we go up to say it was wrong they act super annoyed that we would even say anything.

This was a great restaurant a few years ago. I live nearby and frequent this location and I will not order takeout here again. I ordered a pork salad no black beans no guacamole and it had both on it. I also ordered pork tacos and received a chicken quesadilla. I should have made them go through the bag before I left the restaurant. I tried to call back 5 minutes after they closed to let the manager know and they do not answer their phone. I miss the days when café rio was consistent.

I’ve eaten at quite a few Café Rios in Utah, and one in another state, and this is my favorite location. I’ve been going to it for years, and it’s in a good location.
They’re usually swamped; which isn’t a good thing, but because it’s a normal thing for them they get through the line quick, in my opinion. The food is usually «fresh» in a sense that it hasn’t been sitting in the warming trays long too. The service is usually pretty good as well. Café Rio as a whole, has always been more focused on getting through orders ASAP, than customer service; but they’re about as nice as you can be while still being efficient.
The food is amazing, as it usually is. I’ve only ever ordered burritos, because they’re what I like. «If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it». Obviously I can’t speak about the quality of the enchiladas, tamales, or salads.
Café Rio is a great place to get 1 huge meal, if you’re really hungry; or two smaller meals if you’re not starving for about 9 – 10 bucks. It’s also something that «holds» well and makes for good leftovers. The lettuce and pico don’t hold super well, but produce traditionally doesn’t keep very well anyway.
One of the things I love most about Café Rio is the consistency. Not consistency in portion size, as that’s largely determined by the staff that day, but it’s consistently good. It’s «safe». If you’re unsure where you want to eat and you’re in a decently large group of people; Café Rio is usually a safe bet as most people will enjoy SOMETHING on the menu. I’ve never suggested Café Rio in a group of friends and had it turned down.
My only complaint with Café Rio, and it’s Café Rio as a whole, not just this location. Is the price of the burritos are listed at about 7.79? and «enchilada style» (sauce and cheese on top) is an extra dollar. I’ve never gotten a burrito not enchilada style, my friends have never gotten a burrito not enchilada style, my family has never gotten burritos not enchilada style; Hell, I’ve never heard anyone in line in front, or behind me say «No» when they ask if you want it enchilada style… So that 7-​something dollar burrito automatically (for 90% of people) becomes around 9.50 after tax.
Overall, I’ll continue to love Café Rio and I still go to it at least a few times a month. The fact they have «free meal» cards after 10 purchases definitely helps as I feel like I’m getting a little more out of my purchase. It’s always nice to get free food, even though one could argue it’s technically not free as they probably jack up their prices 10% to compensate. Either way, it’s a fun place. Great food, casual environment, and good for groups. What’s not to like?

I love Café Rio, but I hate this location. We always have issues with our order and their signature drinks have been empty every time I have gone here. I don’t know why they can’t keep them filled up. I hate paying money for a drink and then I get my cup and find out that all their signature drinks are gone. I have asked several times for them to fill them up and it either takes until I’m half way done with my meal, or twice, they never got around to it. Last time we walked in and the place was a mess, the line was back to the door and the drinks were empty again. We ended up driving to the one in Herriman where we never have issues.

I’m usually a fan of CR, most of their food is delicious! There’s something about this location in SJ that just isn’t good. For one thing every time I’ve gone during lunch I end up waiting for forever to get my food and pay for it, usually around 35 min. That wouldn’t bother me too much if the food tasted good, but this location seems like it puts too much salt in its sauce. It stands out every time I’ve gone!
They’ve also messed up on at least 3 of my orders. They try to move so fast and just assume someone wants lettuce or pico de gallo that they basically throw it on before you can answer. Then they end up taking as much of it off as they can but by that time the liquid has gotten over everything and your food tastes like it. They definitely need to make some changes!

I think this is my favorite Café Rio in the area. The service is always super nice, and they give generous portions of the meat. The sweet pork is the way to ggo, Café Rio’s pork salad is so amazingly delicious. The pork is a little bit sweet and spicy all at once and mixed with their cilantro lime rice it is the perfect bite. They always give you a giant pile of lettuce, topped with pico, lime, cilantro, cheese, and crispy chip strips. Then you get a big container of their tomatillo ranch dressing, which is like the most delicious thing ever, I could drink it on its own. All of this is served on a cheesy tortilla. The only thing I will say is that I feel like their tortillas aren’t always the freshest, and they are usually cold. They are making them fresh off to the side, but the add cheese and then make a stack off to the side that just sits there until ordered.
Their burritos are also really good, and smothered is definitely the way to go. Covered in enchilada sauce and smothered in cheese, then baked to perfection.
The restaurant is always loud and full of people, but that is the atmosphere they are going for, and it is always fun.
It is a little on the pricey side, but it is worth it and I always find myself craving a delicious pork salad.
Be sure to get a punch card when you go, so that your 10^th meal is free!
This location is always one of the busiest around, so if you’re there at dinner time be ready for a line.

Café Rio is trending down a familiar path where lack of change brings apathy. When they were the only game in town, they could command higher prices for their food. Now that there are burrito shops on virtually every corner, it is time for reinvention.
A limited selection of meat and toppings, and a price tag that gets you for $ 13 for a burrito and a drink. Not exactly a «cheap» lunch. Rio, how I loved thee. Time to put the «fresh» back in «fresh Mex» and get something new going on.

I am shocked to see all the negative reviews about this location. I’ve been coming to this location for 10 years now and it has always treated me right.
Other than the normal things with this chain (minimal seating/​long lines) we love their food! If you go during non-​meal times you can get in and out in no time. We came in at 5:45 on a Wednesday evening and had no issue. Food was great as usual.

My previous review here has been for times I have been here for lunch. This update is in regards to a dinner visit and yes it was so bad it does deserve 1 star.
It wasn’t too busy but it took forever. It literally took 30 minutes to get through the line. It was rediculous! The lady making tortillas began yelling to people waiting in line, taking thier orders. You had to yell back your order. This created too many problems because you weren’t near them while they were making your food, causing mess ups with nearly every order.
I have been here for lunch while it’s twice as busy and get through the line in half the time.
The food wasn’t fresh like I’ve had at lunch and mine was messed up like others for the reasons mentioned above.
The dinner crew needs to take some notes from the lunch time crew. I will probably be back for lunch but only because my coworkers like to come here.