By Lynette Carrington
Café Rio Mexican Grill is now open in Gilbert. The fast casual concept restaurant is a welcome addition to the southeast corner of Baseline and Higley and incorporates a menu that includes Mexican food dishes with a focus on fresh.
The first thing guests are greeted with at the door is the hot spinning comal where staff is busy making fresh tortillas all day long. There simply is no comparison between a freshly made tortilla and one that has been store bought, and Café Rio has its fresh tortilla recipe down pat!
A microwave? A can opener? A freezer? You won’t find those things at Café Rio. What you will find is a cornucopia of fresh veggies, house made salsas and tomatillo dressing, plus a queso dip that serve as the perfect accompaniments to your meal.
One of the nicest things about Café Rio’s menu is that it is recognizable and approachable. Entrée selections begin with burritos, tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, quesadillas and salad. Then, it’s time for the difficult task of choosing your filling. Choices include chile roast beef, fire-grilled steak or chicken, shredded chicken breast, vegetarian or the chain’s signature sweet pork barbacoa. The sweet pork barbacoa is the star of the menu, so don’t miss the chance to incorporate it into one of your entrees. It is made with a top-quality pork that has been slow braised in Café Rio’s signature sweet sauce. I only wish I knew what the “sweet” was, as it is superb.
Appetizers include loaded nachos that serve four-to-six people, tortilla soup and chips served with fresh salsa, guacamole or the simply sinful queso. If you have any room left, don’t miss the tres leches cake or fresh lime pie made with fresh squeezed lime mixed into a creamy blend and baked into a crumb crust. If you weren’t planning ahead for dessert, order it and take it home. It’s worth it.
Dine-in, take-out and catering are all available. Also, sign up for the Café Rio app and get $5 off your first purchase. Café Rio is located at 1515 N. Higley in Gilbert. Visit www.caferio.com for more information.
New location also in Scottsdale by 101 & Pima/96St
