Rio Rico

the food was good, really just okay, not great. the salsa/​hot sauce was quite good, though! for us, it was the kind of place you would be willing to go back to, but not necessarily make a point to with other choices. I have to agree with some others that the service was lacking. the waitress, an older woman, was just rude and unfriendly, not to mention not attentive at all. the one acting as hostess, a younger girl, was very nice and helpful. with lacking waitstaff service and meh food, I would say we will give it a try again, but won’t be rushing to go back anytime soon.

Oh my, YUM! Ceviche was light and refreshing, sampler platter was delicious and generous, and the service was warm and attentive. I will definitely be back.

Great tasting food! I ordered through the Unilocal «order online» option for pickup. I ordered a Mole dinner, cheese enchilada dinner, chicken enchilada kids plate, and a guacamole appetizer. When we arrived to the reataurant to pick up order they said they were out of Mole and suggested pork carnitas. They said they tried to call my phone number but didn’t get a hold of anyone, although I double checked my order status and it showed the correct phone number. My advice is to call and speak to the actual restaurant attendant to be sure the food you want is available. (I really craved Mole and looked forward to it.) Also check your order containers to be sure you have the correct order. Very tasty food, though.

Solid 4 stars. Food was great! Also had the fried ice cream and it was very good. Service was good but not great. My server didn’t seem happy to be working and was quick to get me out of there. Otherwise, she was prompt and didn’t mess up my order. My wife wants to come back.

Have not been here for years and was delighted to see they have not changed. Great food and service. Had the green chile verde and the sauce is fantastic! Way to keep up the great food Rio Rico!

Visiting family in Mesa. Wanted authentic Mexican cuisine, no chains, this place was great. My brother-​in-​law is very picky, he LOVED it! Nuff said.

Good good in a small casual dinning environment, service struggles and can’t quite seem to figure out what’s going on even after close to a decade in business. the food tastes fresh and is served hot when you get it. if I could just get over the fact that they share a building with a veterinary animal clinic! Who thinks of this stuff? They should change there logo to either way your pet comes home with you. Or maybe it warmed your heart now your stomach

The Best Mexican food in the East Valley. Our friends from China were so impressed but the quality and the large servings. The service was equally as good. It is a drive from CG but well worth it.

Hubby & I wanted to try New Mexican restaurant, we are new to the location. We were unsatisfied with the service and the food. I’m been looking around for our waitress to flag her for refills even our check table is filled with our dirty plates & even dessert!

We have been visiting Rio Rico for quite some time. ALWAYS, the food is great — both taste and portions — as well as the staff (mostly family, I believe) being very prompt and attentive. No matter how busy, Mario always seems to find time to stop by the table and greet each patron.
My normal meal is either the Crab Enchilada or Camarones al Chipotle — though I have strayed to others! I think I started the «Fishbowl Margarita», which I always order!
Definitely, if you would like a really good meal, visit Rio Rico — Val Vista and Guadelupe in Gilbert!

I’ve ordered takeout here several times. I would have to wait a little longer than anticipated to pick up the food because they’re so busy. if they tell you 20 minutes it will be 30 minutes. The food is very very good. I’ve gotten almost everything they have on the menu and it’s always fantastic.

I was invited to lunch with friends. They were buying so… I’m glad they chose this place. It’s a small restaurant behind an animal hospital. They are authentic Mexican. I ordered the burrito Grande. The burrito was loaded with shredded beef and cheese, smothered in a green chili sauce. it came with a side of refried beans topped with cheese, fried rice, and lettuce, not to mention a large bowl of nacho chips and sauce.
The burrito and sides were delicious. I already know what I’m ordering next time. As I was eating, the waitress brought out a steaming, and I mean steaming hot plate of fajita. The mouth watering smell permeated the restaurant. My mouth enjoyed the burrito but my mind was anticipating the fajita. It won’t be long before you see an updated review paying homage to their fajita.

Service was amazing! And the food was so good and such a good price! We will definitely be back!

The food is marvelous. The guacamole and queso dip is wonderful. They’ll make the horchata from scratch– usually have it everday.
The service on the other hand, is 3 stars– which is keeping my review from being 5. They will often mess up the order– whether that be giving you a carne asada steak rather then a burrito or forgetting to put guac and sourcream on the side.
Regardless, wonderful food but struggling customer service.

When you see 3 stars, just know that it’s not because of the food. The food was awesome. Actually some of the best Mexican I’ve had. The service is not good though. We sat outside (which isn’t a big deal). We were the only ones and that was nice. They then brought out a large party (also not a big deal). The problem was when they say them right next to us. There were 10 (not exaggerating) open tables. Our quiet nice evening turned into loud people who stared at us along with loud burping. My water glass was empty twice and was only refilled when I asked. We waited forever for our check. This was because no one came out to check on us. We saw an employee when we ordered, when we got our food, and when they brought the check. That’s all. I will give it another shot sometime to see if this was a fluke or if it’s normal. If it’s normal, this will be a take out only restaurant.

Food is good drinks are good however service is horrible had to actually get up and ask for more drinks and when paying for dinner was asked why we weren’t leaving a tip! FYI paid with debit but left cash on the table. First for me lol but will try it again sometime.

Went to Rio Rico last night with my wife for dinner. I had a gift card so I decided to go. The food is actually very «sanitized» «Western» for me, but then it is expected. I am the kind of person who is more used to going to a place that tends to be slightly more authentic. My wife is similar.
My wife ordered a tamal and chicken enchilada. She said is average, but unfortunately rather salty.
Me, I ordered crab enchiladas. It was okay, but again it was rather salty.
I guess when it comes to Mexican and seafood, we probably should go elsewhere. It just was not the kind of place that my wife and I would go to again. Then again, we tend to like things are little more authentic, and that kind of push the envelope a little.

I first moved to Gilbert in 1992, I was 9. When I first started driving I always got gas at the Diamond Shamrock (now a Valero) that Rio Rico’s shares a parking lot with and found it very strange that a restaurant was next to a vet office. Total turn off for me! A couple friends brought up Rio Rico’s and I kept saying oh ewwww, I am not going there. They swore by it and said it was by far the best Mexican food they have had! Well all these years later I have been 5 times since July. The first 4 times were nearly every weekend in the month of July.
I get the same thing every time, the #13, the chips and salsa are AMAZING! I still think it’s weird being next to a vet office but I’ve gotten past that and just enjoy the delicious food. I could eat their chips and salsa all day long.
I’m already planning my next lunch at Rico’s!

TL;DR: Food and Service were excellent. Get the Guacamole, worth the $ 4. Food is well spiced but not spicy at all.
My wife and I came in for the first time on Sunday evening because most of our normal Mexican food spots were closed.
The sign said please seat yourself but our server was just coming out of the kitchen and showed us to a table before we could even look around.
He took our drink order before heading off to bring us some chips. The high quality and speedy service continued the whole visit.
The chips were fresh and warm and the salsa was tasty but on the mild side for us. When our Guacamole arrived we were immediately pleased, clearly made in the last 5 minutes, it was great and a good size serving.
I ordered a number 2 combo with a cheese enchilada, beef taco and chile rellano. The enchilada was extremely tasty and the taco was well spiced and served with generous amounts of very tasty white and yellow cheese. If you are a chile rellano fan you know there are 3 types, 1 is just egg wrapped, 1 is a very crispy deep fried batter and the third is a very spongy, eggy batter that is prone to get greasy. This rellano was of the latter type, but was done extremely well and wasn’t greasy at all. Generously filled with cheese. If you are looking for the really crispy type of rellano, I would order something else, but it was very good if you like this type.
My wife ordered the mini chimi combo with 1 beef and 1 chicken. It was a great choice because choosing between the 2 would be really hard. They were both delicious.
The rice was well seasoned traditional Mexican rice and the beans were niceley prepared refried beans but only very lightly mashed, preserving a great bean texture.
Overall, excellent food for a very reasonable price. Nothing is overly spicy (we like it hot, like Los Dos Molinos hot), but everything was well spiced and flavorful. Will be on our new list of favorites.

Great little place for dinner.
Service started out horrible, but after being seated Gabby our waitress turned that around. She was nice and truly cared about her job.
Food was delicious! The burritos were stuffed with all ingredients ordered, not just the typical rice & beans. There was plenty of steak.
Price for 2 people was $ 22. Not bad for both of us getting full combo meals.
I will most defiantly return.