Cafe Rio Mexican Grill offers a customizable menu with Tex-Mex inspired made-from-scratch ingredients that include burritos, enchiladas, tacos, nachos, and salads. I share the menu prices for everything on the Cafe Rio menu in 2023 including Daily Specials and other ways to save money on each visit.
Cafe Rio Menu Prices 2023
Entree
| Menu | Size / Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Burrito (611-1250 Calories) Choose: 1. Protein 2. Black or Pinto Beans 3. Sauce (Mild, Med., Hot, Hotter) Enchilada Style (Baked with Cheese & Sauce) Add $1.00 Queso Style (Baked with Queso Cheese on Top) Add $2.19 | $11.19 | |
| Salad (795-1875 Calories) Choose: 1. Protein 2. Black or Pinto Beans 3. Sauce (Creamy Tomatillo Dressing or Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette) | $11.59 | |
| Tostada (399-1120 Calories) Choose: 1. Protein 2. Black or Pinto Beans | $9.59 | |
| Nachos (399-1120 Calories) | $11.59 | |
| Quesadilla (534-1045 Calories) Choose: 1. Protein 2. Sauce (Mild, Med., Hot, Hotter) | $11.49 | |
| Tacos (321-1195 Calories) Choose: 1. Protein 2. Black or Pinto Beans | $10.99 |
Taco and Enchilada Protein Options
Select the protein for your taco or enchilada.
| Menu | Size / Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet Pork Barbacoa | ||
| Shredded Chicken Breast | ||
| Chile Roast Beef | ||
| Rice & Beans | ||
| Fire Grilled Chicken | $0.50 Additional Charge | |
| Pollo Asada | $0.50 Additional Charge | |
| Fire Grilled Steak | $0.90 Additional Charge |
Proteins
Select the protein for any of the entrees listed above.
| Menu | Size / Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet Pork Barbacoa | ||
| Shredded Chicken Breast | ||
| Chile Roast Beef | ||
| Vegetarian | ||
| Fire Grilled Chicken | Add $1.00 Add .50 For Single Item |
|
| Fire Grilled Steak | Add $1.79 Add .90 For Single Item |
Enchilada Style Burrito Options
You can have enchilada sauce or cheese added to any burrito for an uncharge.
| Menu | Size / Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| No Enchilada Style | $0.00 | |
| Sauce & Cheese On Top | $1.00 | |
| Sauce Only, No Cheese | $1.00 | |
| Cheese On Top | $1.00 | |
| Queso Style | $2.19 |
Appetizers
| Menu | Size / Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Chips & Salsa | $3.99 | |
| Guacamole & Chips | $5.99 | |
| Queso & Chips | $6.19 | |
| Tortilla Soup | $5.99 |
Add More Sauce on the Side
| Menu | Size / Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mild - Roasted Tomatillo | 4 oz. | $1.00 |
| Medium - Hatch Green Chile | 4 oz. | $1.00 |
| Hot - Roasted Red Chile | 4 oz. | $1.00 |
| Hotter - Fire-Roasted Habanero | 4 oz. | $1.00 |
Extras
| Menu | Size / Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Tortilla Soup (385-785 Calories) | $5.99 | |
| Chips & Salsa Family Style. Serves 4-6. (1350 Calories) | $3.99 | |
| Guac (1690 Calories) | $5.99 | |
| Queso (1650 Calories) | $6.19 | |
| Tortillas Two 6” Tortillas (140-340 Calories) | $ .99 | |
| Side of Queso (216-458 Calories) | $3.19 | |
| Guacamole Made fresh daily. (50 Calories) | $1.59 | |
| Dressing Made fresh daily. (81-162 Calories) | 2 oz. | $ .50 |
| 4 oz. | $1.00 |
Kids Menu
| Menu | Size / Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Kids Quesadilla Meal | $4.39 | |
| Small Quesadilla | $3.89 | |
| Nino Quesadilla | $0.89 |
Sides
| Menu | Size / Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Creamy Tomatillo Dressing | 2 oz. | $0.50 |
| Creamy Tomatillo Dressing | 2 oz. | $1.00 |
| Pint Creamy Tomatillo Dressing | $5.99 | |
| Lime Vinaigrette Dressing | 2 oz. | $0.50 |
| Lime Vinaigrette Dressing | 4 oz | $1.00 |
| Lime Vinaigrette Dressing | Pint | $5.99 |
| Guacamole | 1 oz. | $1.59 |
| Side Guacamole | 2 oz. | $1.59 |
| Guacamole Appetizer | $2.99 | |
| Pico De Gallo | $0.95 | |
| Pico De Gallo | Pint | $5.99 |
| Salsa Fresca | $0.95 | |
| Salsa Fresca | Pint | $5.99 |
| Side of Sour Cream | $0.59 | |
| Side Flour Tortilla | $0.99 | |
| Side Wheat Tortilla | $0.99 | |
| Side Corn Tortilla | $0.99 | |
| Side Chip Strips | $1.50 | |
| Side Rice | $1.50 | |
| Rice | 1 lb | $6.99 |
| Side Black Beans | $1.50 | |
| Black Beans | 1 lb | $6.99 |
| Side of Pinto Beans | $1.50 | |
| Pinto Beans | 1 lb | $6.99 |
| Side Pollo Asada | 2 oz. | $2.50 |
| Side Shredded Chicken Breast | 2 oz. | $2.00 |
| Side Shredded Beef | 2 oz. | $2.00 |
| Side Sweet Pork Barbacoa | 2 oz. | $2.00 |
| Side Fire Grilled Chicken | 2 oz. | $2.50 |
| Side Fire Grilled Steak | 2 oz. | $3.29 |
| Pollo Asada (Feeds 3 - 5 People) | 1 lb | $19.19 |
| Shredded Chicken Breast (Feeds 3 - 5 People) | 1 lb | $17.19 |
| Shredded Beef (Feeds 3 - 5 People) | 1 lb | $17.19 |
| Sweet Pork Barbacoa (Feeds 3 - 5 People) | 1 lb | $17.19 |
| Fire Grilled Chicken (Feeds 3 - 5 People) | 1 lb | $19.19 |
| Fire Grilled Steak (Feeds 3 - 5 People) | 1 lb | $20.19 |
| Side Cotija Cheese | $1.00 | |
| Side Jack Cheese | $1.50 | |
| Queso | 8 oz | $3.19 |
Side of Sauce
| Menu | Size / Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mild - Roasted Tomatillo | 2 oz. | $0.50 |
| Mild - Roasted Tomatillo | 4 oz. | $1.00 |
| Mild - Roasted Tomatillo | Pint | $5.79 |
| Medium - Hatch Green Chile | 2 oz. | $0.50 |
| Medium - Hatch Green Chile | 4 oz. | $1.00 |
| Medium - Hatch Green Chile | Pint | $5.79 |
| Hot - Roasted Red Chile | 2 oz. | $0.50 |
| Hot - Roasted Red Chile | 4 oz. | $1.00 |
| Hot - Roasted Red Chile | Pint | $5.79 |
| Hotter - Fire-Roasted Habanero | 2 oz. | $0.50 |
| Hotter - Fire-Roasted Habanero | 4 oz. | $1.00 |
| Hotter - Fire-Roasted Habanero | Pint | $5.79 |
Desserts
| Menu | Size / Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Tres Leches | $4.69 | |
| Fresh Lime Pie | $4.69 |
Drink Bar
| Menu | Size / Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Coke, Diet Coke, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, Sprite, Barqs Root Beer, Minute Maid Lemonade, Dr Pepper, Diet Dr Pepper | Regular 20 oz. | $2.79 |
| Large 30 oz. | $2.99 | |
| Bottled Water | $2.79 |
Cafe Rio menu poster.
Daily Specials
Check out the daily specials that can help you save money on Cafe Rio four out of seven days in the week.
- Tuesday: Order a shredded chicken, beef, or pork taco for only $2.49 each. You can add rice, beans, and a drink for an additional $3.00 on Tuesdays.
- Wednesday: Tostada & Drink for $9.69. You can order shredded chicken, beef, and pork to qualify for this deal.
- Thursday: Coconut Shrimp Tacos (2 count) $13.29. This meal includes rice, beans, and mango salsa. This is a rotating menu item that changes each month depending on the promotion.
- Saturday: Baja Citrus Shrimp Tacos (2 count) $13.29. This meal includes rice, beans, and creamy tomatillo dressing.
This is another rotating menu item that changes each month depending on the promotion like the Fire Grilled Salmon that’s being featured during September, 2023.
Daily specials at Cafe Rio.
Ways to Save Money
The simplest way to start saving money at Cafe Rio is by joining the My Rio Rewards program. In this program, you earn 1 point for every $1 you spend at the restaurant. Once you reach 100 points, you get a coupon valued at $10. This represents an automatic saving of 10% just for signing up to the program.
One thing you do need to keep in mind with rewards points is that they will expire after 180 days if you don’t visit a Cafe Rio locations. So make sure to visit the restaurant every few months if you want to preserve the value of the rewards points.
Is your birthday coming up? You’ll also get a $5 off coupon that can be used during your birthday month with My Rio Rewards.
What Tortilla Options are Available at Cafe Rio?
The tortilla options vary at Cafe Rio depending on what you plan to order. Here’s a break down of the options you can order. Of course, you can always opt for no tortilla as well if you prefer a salad or bowl.
- Tostadas: Crunchy corn, flour, wheat, and corn tortillas.
- Burritos: Flour and wheat tortilla shells are available.
- Tacos: Flour, wheat and corn.
- Enchilada: Flour, wheat and corn.
- Quesadilla: Flour and wheat.
What are the Worker Chants at Cafe Rio?
One of the fun things about dining at Cafe Rio is that employees will do little chants or songs depending on what you order or tell employees. For example, I told an employee that it was my wife’s first time at Cafe Rio. The entire staff broke out into a chant that welcomed my wife to the restaurant for the first time. While this was highly embarrassing for my wife, I found it pretty entertaining.
Related Reading: Qdoba Mexican Eats Menu & Price Increase
Depending on what you order you’ll here a variety of employee chants you may hear:
- Nacho, nacho man… I want to be a nacho man. You might hear this when you make an order for nachos.
- Cafe Rio, Cafe Rio, we’re the best!”
- “We make the food, you eat it up!”
- “We’re here to serve you, so come on in!”
- “We’re fast, we’re fresh, and we’re delicious!”
There are other chants that are routinely used when you order guacamole and other menu items too. I’ll be the first to admit depending on the location and the employees that are working at the time you may not hear any of these chants out loud. I can imagine it gets exhausting as an employee to repeat these chants each time someone orders the nachos.
Inside a Cafe Rio Location.
Where can you find a Cafe Rio Location?
According to the Cafe Rio website, there are 160 locations in the United States. You can find the highest concentration of Cafe Rio locations in Utah where the company was founded with 51 locations. But there are also a growing number of locations in Arizona (49), Southern California (24), Colorado (9) and Idaho (9). The chain is continuing to expand on the East Coast around the Washington DC area and now has 10 locations there.
Cafe Rio got its start in 1997 in St. George, Utah. It was founded by Steve and Tricia Stanley, who wanted to create a restaurant that served fresh, authentic Mexican food. The Stanleys were inspired by the traditional cooking of the Rio Grande region of Northern Mexico, Southern Texas, and New Mexico. Cafe Rio quickly became popular in St. George and the Stanleys soon opened additional locations in Utah.
Enchilada Style Burrito and Nachos at Cafe Rio.
Who Owns Cafe Rio?
In 2017, Cafe Rio was acquired by Freeman Spogli, a leading private equity firm with a notable track record of investing in high-growth consumer-related businesses. This acquisition is more than just a change in ownership; it represents a strategic move that could potentially amplify Cafe Rio’s growth trajectory.
Freeman Spogli’s investment approach, which has historically focused on partnering with management teams to drive operational improvements and expansion, might be the catalyst for Cafe Rio’s next phase of expansion. Financial specifics of the deal have not been disclosed as of now, but given the equity firm’s history, it’s likely a substantial investment. For food aficionados this merger means growth is likely on the horizon for this made-from-scratch concept. If there’s no Cafe Rio around you yet, don’t worry the restaurant chain continues to expand into new regions.
