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| - I'm not their biggest fan, but I give it 3 1/2 stars.
I've heard it before, "Café Rio puts Chipotle to shame.", "Café Rio is better than Chipotle.", "Café Rio is my liiiiifffeeee!" Okay, I didn't hear that last one...but I sure did see the viral video about that for Chipotle. Either way you are getting the same thing...AN EXPENSIVE BURRITO.
I like Chipotle, I do. Doing right for the environment blah, blah, blah. Doing right for the consumer blah, blah, blah. Doing right for the carnitas blah, blah, blah. I get it, responsibility. And I appreciate it. And I appreciate my overstuffed grilled chicken burrito. Sometimes you just want a change to see what else is out there. Hence, the mosey on down to Café Rio.
Décor is very Southwestern meets Latin, unlike Chipotle who is more modern in style. But the ordering process is very much the same. See the menu, go down the factory-style line and choose your entrée, meat, beans, cheese, fillings, extras, then pay at the cashier. Café Rio and Chipotle are very similar in this aspect. Get in, order, get out ASAP. The more people you process per hour, the more money you make. Capitalism with a side of guacamole, I like it.
This is where much of the similarities end. The food itself at both places is vastly different. I've come accustomed over the years with the easy order process at Chipotle. I've grown to like it for it's speed and convenience. Café Rio easily has much more choices on the menu, but at the cost of speed. Sometimes I don't want to wait that long in line. Café Rio lines can get long, which takes up time. I appreciate the many choices but it almost seems more like a sit down restaurant than a fast casual joint. Food menu was a bit confusing for me at Café Rio so it left me a bit pressured to order quickly especially with the line building up rapidly behind me.
Of course I ended up going with an easier choice, a burrito with fire grilled chicken. Burrito with chicken, black beans, cilantro lime rice, pico de gallo, salsa fresca, sour cream, cheese and extra lettuce, then extra lettuce on the side. I like how they use the round foil trays for service as well as take out. Overall it wasn't bad.
It was definitely missing something though, I couldn't put my finger on it. Not enough seasoning? Not enough cilantro? The salsa choices at Chipotle have a bit more flavor, so my burrito at Café Rio ended up somewhat bland. it was OK.
But you know what pi$$ed me off the most about my food? The price! It's already $7.79 for a burrito, but an extra DOLLAR for chicken that's been thrown on the grill? That's $8.79 before tax! Chipotle gives me just as hearty a burrito for $6.95. That my friends, makes a big difference to me. The quality of the burrito at Café Rio does not equate to an extra $1.84, at least not in my opinion.
Wifey got a taco meal which included rice & beans, but that didn't impress me much. One of my kids got the salad which is actually very good because it comes with a tortilla underneath so it's more like a taco salad you see at Taco Bell, but again the price kinda kills it. $8.49! But I give props for that tasty cilantro lime vinaigrette, tangy and sweet. My other kid got the meat quesadilla off the kid's menu, but it didn't fill her up. She ended up sharing food with us. We ordered a side of tortilla chips, salsa, and guacamole to share at the table. Chips and guacamole were great, very fresh.
On the plus side, Café Rio stands out in the drink department over Chipotle. Coca-Cola for everyone! Plus, you can partake in their more traditional drinks like horchata (which is pretty good), all included.
To sum it up, Café Rio isn't bad but it's far from my favorite fast casual place. The food was OK but the prices were too much on the high end of the scale, ends up being comparable to eating in a sit down restaurant. I would come here if I really needed a change of pace from Chipotle, but didn't want the grease of Del Taco or Taco Bell.
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