Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican - Tempe, Arizona

Kenneth B. F.

Another terrible chain!
-salsa's are half water, my meal was just a wet sloppy puddle
-the pork tastes like sweet and sour Chinese pork like it's made out of candy
-the rice doesn't seem cooked, I kept getting hard crunchy bits stuck in my teeth
-I can eat any ethnic food, but this sugar loaded factory food hurts my stomach
-I ordered two tacos for Tuesday special, he rang me up for a meal I wound up paying $10 anyways.

Gary G.

I brought my family here for lunch and wondered why this Cafe Rio had lower review scores than others, but it was convenient to come here. Our burritos were good, and the service at the counter was mediocre.
The issues I had was paying $7 for a tiny cup of elotes & chips, especially since the chops were rancid and soggy, definitely from the night before. I complained about them to the manager who was helpful in swapping out last nights chips to some that were at least fried today.
Then we went to the dining room to sit and eat, where we were greeted by a squished cockroach in the dining area. I thought the kitchen looked clean at first glance through the line, but as I was leaving I looked closer, under their serving stations, and they are nasty underneath. I won’t be returning to this location.

Greg B.

Sad, overworked employees. Rude cashier. Bad food and overpriced. This chicken quesadilla was $15 and was full of cartilage. Terrible value. I spent $17 at subway one time and this might be worse than that.

Mary O.

First ever time we had an issue with this location was Sunday and now today. We ordered our regular order and I asked for nachos with queso sauce. Mind you im 8 months pregnant. To my dismay, no queso whatsoever. Wtf. I start crying lol so my husband goes back to the store and they tell him "oh yeah we didn't add it because we don't have any made" HUH? Well then make some?! And they ask him if he wants to wait for it to be made and he says yes. He says they give him attitude. Wth is wrong with this place? Now I'll eat my cold, soggy nachos. Oh, and on Sunday we placed our order at 530pm only to go pick it up and them scrambling to lock the door because they were "closing early at 6" even tho their hours are not reflecting that. They managed to give us a refund after WE asked 🙄

Jon B.

Wish I could give this place a better rating but I got tacos. They I’ve cooked the tortilla and then added very juicy stuff because they don’t drain the liquid. The sauce was crunchy because it wasn’t cooked enough and the beans was all liquid with about ten pintos. Sloppy preparation. The guy was nice but just busy and rushing I should have asked them to remake it. Ended up not being able to eat most of it because the taco fell apart

Nightshade E. (. E.

I’m a big fan of Cafe Rio, but unfortunately, this particular location consistently falls short of the brand’s usual standards. I live nearby and work near another location, and the difference in quality is like night and day.

Over the past year since I moved closer to this location, I’ve noticed some troubling trends. The fire-grilled chicken is almost always overcooked and chewy, and they use the same tongs for pork, beef, and chicken (which is a major issue if you’re allergic to or avoid pork). They also don’t swap out ingredients to maintain freshness, leaving them out all day until they’re forced to restock, and on occasion key items like limes and fajita veggies are missing entirely. The stations and grills are often messy, and most concerning, the pricing is inconsistent compared to the app. I’ve been charged extra for items like guacamole or fajita veggies, even though those are supposed to be included with the salad. My advice is to order through the app to avoid the unpredictable pricing at this location—but if you care about quality, it’s probably better to drive a little further to another Cafe Rio.

If you decide to come to this location, definitely double-check your order. This location is notorious for missing items. Always make sure everything is there before you leave!

If management reads this, it might be necessary to surprise visit this location occasionally and reevaluate its standards and practices. A little oversight could go a long way in restoring the quality that Cafe Rio is known for.

Andrew P.

The food was decent but be wary about asking for lettuce as they smother the food in lettuce. Also, we were charged extra for dressing and sour cream without being told or knowing we would be until we sat down. They are also a little stingy with the amount of meat they put on as my wifes tacos had barely any on it which is crazy for 30 bucks for 2 meals. The staff felt as if they were rushing us as we ordered. When we left the counter with our food my wife and I both looked at each other and mentioned how we felt extreme anxiety from ordering. To add, the place was filthy. Stains where napkins that touch our face are, tables dirty and not wiped down, windows with splatter, and floors that were sticky. Not the best experience.

Marco G.

I love them. I come in way too much but I love the cafe rio rewards compared to other places and I feel like it’s actually worth it to eat out here. Plus the people who work here are always really nice and the food is always pretty good! They even called me one time to check and see if wanted a substitute for beans because they were out. The lady who called was very nice as well! Wanted to leave a review because they are very consistent and again food is always good!