Cafe Rio

Las Vegas' Third "Café Rio Mexican Grill" Es Muy Delicioso

Las Vegas’ newest Café Rio Mexican Grill, located in the northwest part of the Las Vegas valley, opened its doors to the public on September 3rd. Stepping inside the airy interior of the eatery, the decorative mirrors, platters and plates that adorn the walls catch your eye immediately. The open kitchen sparkles with large expanses of stainless steel, punctuated by sudden bursts of color provided by highly placed storage bins full of vibrant red tomatoes right next to bright green limes for contrast.

At Café Rio, you are an active participant in your food’s preparation and you have plenty of help. The friendly, enthusiastic staff wants to get your order just right and will guide and advise you each step of the way in the open Mexican marketplace kitchen. With an extensive menu of burritos, enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, in addition to soups, salads, appetizers and desserts, the culinary choices are further compounded by three kinds of tortilla (flour, corn, and whole wheat) and a variety of ingredients available for inclusion in your entree.

Special requests can be accommodated as well. Café Rio prides itself on freshness and you’ll find no frozen food within its walls. All tortillas are handmade. Green chiles are shipped in from Hatch, NM while red chiles make the journey all the way from Mexico. Bunches of these red “firecrackers” hang from wooden columns, adding to the spicy atmosphere of the place.

Chile Roasted Beef, Fire Grilled Steak or Chicken Breast, and Pork Barbacoa are just some of the various fillings that can provide the stuffing for an expertly rolled and folded tortilla. You can opt to robe your creation with melted cheese (who wouldn’t?) and any number of inclusions to make your creation positively pillow-sized. The chicken is hand shredded, and a burrito is large enough to seem intimidating until you try it; then, after the last bite is gone you’ll be looking for more, amazed at how fast you devoured it. The three scoops of guacamole, sour cream, and salad that accompany such masterpieces encourage you to dive in even more.

Vegetarian fare is no less huge, but stuffed with beans rice and cheese. The Café Rio salad comes with a choice of meat, but can be easily prepared without it. Served in a fresh, hand made flour or stone ground whole wheat tortilla, it’s filled with green chile rice and your choice of black or pinto beans. Toppings included romaine lettuce, pico de gallo, (a mild, chopped tomato salsa) guacamole, tortilla strips, cotija cheese, cilantro and lime wedge. The cilantro-lime vinaigrette dressing is wickedly flavorful and a creamy tomatillo house dressing looked tempting as well.

There’s even a Tortilla Chicken Soup that brings together shredded chicken in broth, with jack cheese, guacamole, and pico de gallo topped with tortilla strips, cilantro and lime for those who crave their comfort in a bowl.

All desserts are baked on the premises and include Tres Leches (three milk) cake, both a Chocolate Cheese and a Coconut Caramel Flan, and a fresh lime pie. The flan I saw being served looked like a piece of heaven on a plate, surrounded by a deep sweet bronze of caramel sauce.

Colorful fruit drinks called Fresh Fruit Frescas tempt the eye and palate even further, along with coffee, tea, milk and soda from a self-serve fountain that experiences intermittent traffic jams due to its own popularity.

Prices range from $1.60 for a small order of chips and salsa to $8.95 for two fire-grilled Salmon Tacos. Everything in between is consistently flavorful, reasonably priced, and hunger-inducing to behold. It’s worth the trip way up north to partake of these south of the border treats and we have Café Rio to thank for the savory passports.


For further information:

Café Rio – Decatur
6675 N. Decatur
Las Vegas, NV 89131

http://www.caferio.com