Cafe Rio Mexican Grill

The food is good. Except for when they don’t have grilled chicken. Which is like 98% of the time. They never think to make the chicken before it runs out. They instead wait until it runs outs, then make it. It takes them 35 minutes to make it, but it’s never ready. It’s absolutely insane how a place so busy never has something like that ready. Like I stated food is good. Customer service is decent.

Plus side– food is actually pretty decent. And Taco Tuesday! Salads are pretty huge. And barbacoa is yummy.
Bad side– THEY WILL EFF UP YOUR ORDER EVERY EFFING TIME IF YOU DON’T WATCH THEM. We work nearby– have been there 4 times, and have caught them doing our orders totally wrong– luckily we were watching and were able to correct it. For some reason, these folks do not have their system down smoothly and it SHOWS big time. Its quite disorganized– and they’ve been in business long enough to know how to get their sh*t right. The last order we did was an internet order that was picked up. They completely messed up 3 of the 4 orders, and some of our stuff was even missing.
Seating area is kinda small and whenever I’ve been in around lunch it is crawling with children. (Obviously my mom-​gene isn’t kicking in when I come for tacos.)

Stopped here for lunch because we were in the area and found a coupon online.
+ the burritos are HUGE
+ the tortillas are freshly made and tasty
+ the meat (we tried the shredded chicken and barbacoa) is tender and well-​seasoned
+ we found a BOGO coupon on the website, making for a great value!
+ wall of different hot sauces to try
+ crushed ice that is a perfect consistency (I have a weird thing for this kind of ice…)
+ quick, friendly service
— «enchilada style» burrito (with cheese and enchilada sauce on top, offered as an option for no additional charge) has overpowering sauce, not recommended
–few options for fillings (there were no veggies in the burritos, only meat, rice, and cheese)
Overall, this is a really decent, quick burrito/​tex mex joint that is actually about 3.5 stars. There is a lot to like about it, but our burritos just tasted pretty good rather than great.

The service at this particular location in Falls Church is some of the worst I’ve seen and it is really damaging the Café Rio brand. Café Rio food is great in other locations (Utah, Nevada), but the service at the Falls Church location is so appalling the food can’t make up for it (and poor service often leads to sub-​par food at this particular location). I like Café Rio at other locations, so I’ve held out for years, hoping the service at the Falls Church location would get better, but it just gets worse and I’ve decided to stop trying.
Last night an employee named Russell (who appeared to be the manager) actually jumped in line ahead of me and saved a spot for another employee who then cut in line to order her food (I presume before going home or taking a break). All of the employees thought it was hilarious because they were all laughing and snickering at me, including the manager. Really? Your employee (ahem, a manager) jumps the line ahead of your customers? Really? Your employees think it is okay to laugh at your customers? Now I understand the reviewer below who complained about the employees rolling their eyes at her deaf friend — I believe her story 100%. I’ve seen bad service at this location many times (food isn’t stocked or prepared, employees run out of meat two hours before closing because they are too lazy to restock the food, employees are annoyed they have customers, etc.), but last night takes the cake.
After reading Cherise L.‘s responses to every negative review posted here, it’s apparent the Café Rio customer service team is aware they have a «situation» with the service in Falls Church, VA; yet nothing changes for the better. I don’t like seeing anyone lose their jobs, but the reality is the Café Rio founders should fire anyone who is associated with this particular location and start over — with a big fat apology to their local customers. Unless you don’t care about your brand…
Buh-​bye Café Rio! I’ll be going elsewhere (you already lost three of my friends six months ago).

The staff were incredibly rude. I placed an online order an hour ahead of time. When I got there, I told them my order then was completely ignored for more than 10 minutes as they were assisting other customers and they clearly didn’t have my food ready. Then when I asked what was going on, he «directed» me to someone else and told me they were out of grilled chicken. When I asked why they didn’t say something before, they ignored me so I just left. I was not helped for at all and was completely ignored. I will never go back again due to this rude experience.

Just wanted to give an update that we did catering through Café Rio for a birthday party. It was amazing. The food was delicious, they gave us everything just as we had ordered (which was enough to feed 30 adults). All of the guests loved the pulled pork, guacamole and making delicious burritos. I’m so glad Café Rio is here in Falls Church.

I visited about 2 weeks ago. Set up similar to Chipotle. I thought the food was good and plentiful. I had a burrito enchilada style with pork. For the price I think a small container of chips and salsa could be included (like at Baja Fresh). I paid essentially what I pay for a similar item at Guapos and that comes with table service and unlimited salsa/​chips. Several table tops were quite wobbly and could use some routine maintenance. Will I go back? Definitely. I’d like to try some different items next time. If I could give a half star my rating would actually be 3.5.

The sweet pork is amazing! Tried the salad for the first time with their cilantro-​lime dressing, which was delish! The portions are also enough for 2 meals and they have $ 1.99 tacos on Tuesdays =) The service however was lacking — the staff preparing the food was very efficient, however there was no cashier so we were all bottlenecked until one of the customers asked for a cashier. The cashier that came did not seem aware that there was a problem. Later when I went to the register to get a to-​go lid and bag, she saw me and finished helping the customer she was with, but then turned around to fill out some tags and left me standing there waiting. Another customer came up to buy a drink and was also waiting until another staff member that was cleaning told the cashier we were waiting. Overall, the food is great, but the service could be improved.

Overall standard Mexican fast food. Chipotle style ordering where you go down the line. Staff was ok, but I felt a bit rushed. Lol I don’t mind being rushed at chipotle cause it’s good. This place rushed me for an average burrito. Not cool bro

Tuesday is 1.95 taco (pork, shredded beef or chicken). got one pork and one beef with rice, beans and drink for $ 2 more ($ 6 for a hefty meal). the line was long, but the food was well worth the wait. the pork was sweet and juicy. the house made flour tortilla was grilled and delicious. choice of pinto or black beans. and the limeades would have been awesome with a splash of vodka or tequila. mmmmm. definitely coming back.

Eh.
Café Rio is a near-​fast-​food joint that specializes in Mexican food. The interior is fairly large and pretty nice, though it did feel a bit dark. Ordering is fairly similar to Chipotle, though the range of choices seems a bit smaller. Prices are pretty average for the area, though they can get quite pricey depending on what you order.
This place is like Chipotle without the pizazz. I got a two beef taco meal, which comprised of the tacos themselves, beans, rice, and a drink. The beef in the tacos was surprisingly tender and tasty, but the tacos were a bit overwhelmed by tasteless lettuce. The salsa helped. The beans were perhaps a little undercooked, though I know some people prefer that. The rice was okay, but nothing to call home about.
Honestly, I wasn’t super impressed.

The steak salad is huge and makes 2 ½ meals for me! Love the creamy dressing and tortilla shell!

Love Café Rio but this location seems to be missing a few things. On Mondays I can’t get there any earlier than 8pm. Every time I show up they never have grilled steak or grilled chicken. I mean I could understand if it was like 20 min till closing, but they are open for 2 mor hours.
My wife is pregnant and loves there food. I guess I will take my chances and hope they make some steak and chicken for me one night.

I love taco Tuesday! Especially with 3 kids 6 and under, you can feed a family of 5 for under 20 $
It’s alway busy but I’ve never had trouble finding seating, service is normally pretty fast and friendly.

A business associate told me about Café Rio and Taco Tuesday. While working in the area, I decided to try it out. It was a little hard to fine, but my GPS did not fail me!
Wow! Was it ever good! The taco’s were the BEST I have ever had. I asked what the best seller was, and was told the pork. That is what my associate said was her favorite, too. I decided to get one chicken and one pork. Yum, yum for both. The pork had a sweet taste to it, like none I had ever had before. The tortillas were fresh and so tasty. I can’t wait to try something else next time, but the taco’s were so good, I may want to get them again and again.
I will definitely be back for lunch when I am working in the area. It was clean, tasty, and the price was right on Taco Tuesday!

Café Rio is my favorite tex mex. The burrito (enchilada style!) is the best of the best. I get it with black beans, rice, and a side of the green tomatillo dressing and it’s mouthwateringly good.
The horchata is a creamy, sweet, refreshing treat (load up on ice and it’ll taste like a milkshake) but the last two times I’ve gone to this location, they’ve been out of it. So sad!
This restaurant definitely attracts the kiddies and they tend to slow down the line, so try to avoid 5pm dinner or weekend lunchtime and you’ll be able to get in and out quickly.
It’s not the nicest of locations (when you sit outside, you’re just looking out at the parking lot) but the food is so fresh and tasty, it doesn’t even matter.
Don’t go here expecting a fancy meal — you can walk away with dinner for 2 and leftovers for under $ 20, but I find it a step above Chipotle and a great way to refuel after a particularly active day.

Its 8:55 they close at 11pm and they refuse to stock the steak even after numerous people asked for it. I’ve spoked to the manager before about this as this happens every time i come here (i’m sure its every day) and he assured me they would take care of it and to just ask.
Well today they just refused to make some steak and their excuse of closing soon doesn’t work. Thumbs dows

Went here for 1.95 Taco Tuesday… line was long! Took a good 25 minutes to get my order in
They were sold out of the steak, got the shreddded chicken and sweet pork… sweet pork is great and really stands out from all the other americanized taco places out there
really fresh toppings and wide range of hot sauces
they have great soft drinks like horchata from my last experience, would like to give the other dishes a try…

I came here again last week with a friend, who happens to be deaf, and the staff wasn’t as kind this time around. Obviously there was a communication issue because my friend typed out his order in big font so they could read it. They found it strange and one of them became frustrated that my friend wasn’t answering their questions. My friend was extremely frustrated too and felt like it was their fault they couldn’t understand the order. I was furious at that time and I remember saying very loudly, «He’s deaf and he can’t understand you because he cannot hear you.» This seemed to not matter.
I am exceptionally disappointed with the service here. Instead of enjoying Café Rio’s delicious food, we were both in a bad mood from the customer service we had just experienced. I’m afraid I have to update my review and instead of five stars – three stars it is.
It’s not in the interest of business to treat those with disabilities that might not be obvious differently once you realize it.

Taco Tuesdays — $ 1.99.
Me and my coworkers frequent this place fairly often and we work in Courthouse, so we make the drive up there. On this particular day, I ordered three chicken tacos and my colleagues ordered the other ones such as beef and barbacoa, etc. Two of them also ordered chips and queso and guac.
**Warning — stay away from chips if you are trying to watch your waist** I could not stop eating them. Its not that they were the best (I love Guapos personally), its just that they were in front of me and its hard to resist a chip! You can dip the chip in the house dressing and its equally good:)
I’ve tried their chicken salad in the past and it was ok, nothing to write about. I think its their salad they use. Overall, a great value for Tuesdays. What can I say cheap eats and fills you up! What more can you ask for?