Cafe @ Rio

Well done! So I had a conference and brought some snacks with me. I was in need of something more substancial, but was faced with needing to stay at the conference and only leave for a few mins at a time. I saw and heard that there was a café on campus right next door and decided I would check it out.
Now, let me be clear, this is a cafeteria. So the ambiance isn’t really there, but by cafeteria standards, this place was clean, had plenty of seating and even outdoor patio seating. What a treat!
The coolest things about the café is that the college has a garden they keep up and that you can visit, right near the café! They use the ingredients as well as locally roasted coffee and ingredients in your meal! AMAZING.
I had their special of the day. It was roasted chicken (¼) with brown rice and spinach. The chicken was juicy and well prepared. Could have used more seasoning or time marinating, but it was fresh and I was able to add some seasoning to it afterwards. The rice was fluffy and well-​cooked and the spinach was very well seasoned. This whole meal cost $ 4.99. WELL worth it.
I would check this place out again in a heartbeat if I am at another conference. Well done students, well done!

It’s at Rio Salado College. Cafeteria type setting and ambiance. They have a big garden where they grow their own vegetables. everything else is local. Cafeteria is ran by their sustainable. Awesome salads, some of the best I have had in the valley. They have a great sandwich and Panini Press along with outstanding soups. New pizzas everyday and great specials on the main grill that change daily. Menu changes with what is seasonal. Morning Biscuits and Gravy are the best in the valley. No joke. Best Biscuits ever. Coffee barista is on point.

There are many better places than this for anything. Poor hours not very good don’t eat here unless you have to even than maybe just wait

Food is good — student prepared, fresh, and local. Folks, they maintain their own garden. Very reasonably priced. Nice people. Consistent preparation. Panini station is a treat.

I work nearby so I eat here a few times every week and love the featured items that are different every day. They also have a preferred dining card which gets you a free meal every 7^th visit. Excellent lunch food, options, and it’s cheap for what you are getting.

Ahh I would walk over hot coals to eat here! They have a new item everyday. Also some mainstay items like the veggie burger that’s to die for. There’s even a little garden that you can walk through to see some of the produce that they use. So inexpensive as well. You can take advantage of the frequent buyer card. 6 punches and your meal is free! I’ve sampled a lot of items here like the bleu cheese pizza, fresh baked brownies, couscous and an Asian salad that I have tried to replicate but cannot for the life of me get the spices right. I ride a bike so it’s a little out of the way for me but I have been known to take hour lunches just to take advantage of their savory meals. Everyone there is so friendly too and I have never had a bad experience. And right next to this café is a yummy coffee bar where they serve Italian soda. I don’t know how a place like this exists but I am so glad I have had a chance to experience it. Thanks to Bonnie G. for pushing me in the right direction!
P. S. Try their iced tea located next to the soda fountain. You will thank me later.

First off, this is a college cafeteria and it makes no qualms about that.
Secondly, this is an amazing lunch place for foodies on a budget. Not only is it based on sustainable, local produce sourced daily, their prices are insane. I bought a huge plate of salad, fruit cup, large iced coffee and a coffee cake for barely 8 dollars. And it was all huge servings and delicious.
The atmosphere is crisp and clean and decidedly modern without being too cheeky or smirky about it. You still have all the food stations you remember from state run institutions like the salad bar, the pizza bar, the hot meal bar and the deli counter. The baked goods and coffee stand is a little across the ways.
I rode my bike from work, excited after reading about the café in Edible Phoenix that I could finally have a quick lunch place to go to that wasn’t fast food. There were helpful signs around the driveway but hard to find parking for my bike. I was overwhelmed by the set up when I first got in and probably freaked out the poor employee ordering a Greek Salad at the salad stations b/​c I was overwhelmed by the size of his entrée. However, for $ 3.25, I got a huge half salad that had: quinoa, flax seed, sunflower seeds, local goat cheese, fresh cut peppers, tomatoes and spring mix with a just made cilantro dressing. Incredible. The fruit cup I bought for $ 1.75 tasted like real fruit, they had plenty of soy milk for my iced organic coffee and the coffee cake was delicious and huge; I shared it with 3 co-​workers! It tasted truly home-​made too, you could actually taste the egg, butter, milk, brown sugar, etc that made the silky textured dessert hard to resist.
The phrase is over-​used a lot, but considering very few people know about this place, it is truly a hidden gem and worth you getting to know it and their admirable mission. After all, you gotta love a lunch place with compost-​able plates and cups!