urban rio cantina & grill

extremely long wait time for mediocre food. the place was dead when we arrived, then we were seated which after about 10 min we ordered our food. we then had to wait more than 30 min until our food arrived, mind you the place was still dead. so even if there was no rush, having such a long wait time is unacceptable for any restaurant standards.

so during the wait we were told a lot of cooks were fired/walked out (this cooks opinion thinks they walked out since that happens more often then mass firing) meaning a lot of cooks that were there are new which is never a good thing. unfortunately when we got our food it shows that they were new.

so for compensation we were told we each get free desert which later were told some were partially free which we're lied to. even then the threese leche cake was horrible, uneatable...this place desperately needs to shut down and retrain their cooks and staff. until that happens steer clear of this place.

my son and i were looking for a late night bite to eat and decided to try urban rio friday night at 10pm. we went in and we're seated promptly. the booth was very comfortable. we reviewed the menu and i decided on brisket tacos and my son got brisket quesadillas. they brought chips and salsa and a black bean dip. the bean dip tasted strongly of cinnamon. it wasn't bad just a surprise. it was also served hot. the salsa was very good. just the right amount of heat. our food came out fairly quickly. mine was served in a kind of taco holder and looked like street tacos. they looked pretty good but had bbq sauce all over the meat and that was a disappointment to me. same thing with the quesadillas. food wasn't bad. just kinda mediocre and pretentious at the same time. we probably won't go back

...ordered their queso blanca with the chorizo flavored ground beef. the queso was above average and the beef gave it a little extra flavor and texture that really added a little something to each bite. we also ordered an order of the chimichurri chicken skewers to share. i was disappointed in the skewers because they were very bland and i expected them to have more flavor....

enjoy the eats at urban rio. i like how urban rio starts you off with chips, salsa and black bean dip. the salsa had a subtle kick and the black bean dip helped neutralize each bite. watch out though, it's addicting...and you will need to leave room for your meal. we also enjoyed a bowl of their homemade guacamole with those chips - which was excellent. for my main course i went with the rack of veggie tacos (mushrooms, garlic, squash, bell peppers and avocado) cheese and their mexican crema sauce are served on the side without which you can keep this a vegan option. for the meat eaters in our party the stuffed avocado earned rave reviews. there are several seating options at this location. the main floor dining room had a certain elegance which was nice. the upstairs features outdoor seating, but definitely feels more bar-like. over all we had a great dining experience. good service and great food.

after our wedding plans had been cancelled due to covid, we decided to reserve the tequila room at urban rio two hours from 4-6 to make sure it was before the busy dinner hour and reduced the number of people to just our children and 80 yr old parents, for a total of 11 people, including the officiant (a family member) and our photographer. we reserved the room months ago and emailed back and forth with kali, who although we we understand covid changed the game, the changes she arbitrarily made to the terms and conditions of the contract had nothing to do with covid. we provided an exact schedule down to the minute, including that we wanted the food not to be served until 30 minutes after we arrived, so that the food would be warm and fresh and so that we could have our unorthodox ceremony that covid had already forced us to cancel more than once, but as soon as we began the ceremony and while it was being videoed, the doors swing open right behind me, the officiant and my new bride and in comes the waitstaff with trays of water glasses....we literally had to stop and move the out of the way, while exchanging vows.
as we worked through that and while the staff frantically attempted to get the room ready and were finally able to complete the very brief ceremony, we were given no instructions on the process, so we all took our seats anticipating that the food would soon arrive. but after interrupting the ceremony, there was no waitstaff to be found. the room was also being used as storage for dishes, warming plates, racks of salt and pepper shakers, etc.....so it took us a few minutes to notice that in some of those piles of pans and warmers, was our buffet style fajitas that had been there the entire time...the same food that kali assured us wouldn't be served until 30 minutes after we arrived. i spent $2,000. to rent a an bright red r8 for the sole purpose of driving off with "just married" plastered on the back window, so please don't think this is me crying about cost vs service, i would have given them $10k to do what they claimed they could. there wasn't enough food for everyone to enjoy a first serving of fajitas, enough so that a couple of people pretended they weren't hungry and opted not to eat anything but chips and salsa. much of our meal was already eaten before we were provided drinks, the room was extremely hot with no a/c or fans...we were all decked out in tommy bahama....not bulky wedding dresses...so just a little a/c is all we needed.
a grumpy, short bald guy rushed in and out a few times, didn't say a word to anyone....kind of looked like a manger who was too good to help his waitress.
after all was said and done, while everyone was sitting with empty glasses, we discovered that the waitress was helping our room that had been reserved for months and still serving tables in the regular dining room. we thanked and had empathy for her situation, but she clearly had no support form management or any other staff.....so we thanked an tipped our waitress and suggest that you spend your money with another establishment who would appreciate your business and not treat you like an inconvenience.

the staff was very polite. all our requests were accomodated without any hesitation. the food was amazing. don't forget to try their specials.

thank you for ruining my meal and then offering to fix it and then never actually doing anything. you acknowledge messing up my order and say you will fix it yet nothing happens. don't be fooled folks.

truly enjoyed the food & experience. urban rio is a very cool restaurant and bar. it's located one full block off the main drag of old town plano. the building is all brick and iron, so it fits nicely into the old town feel. the first floor is all restaurant with a heavy emphasis on browns and blacks. the heavy wood stairs in back take you up to the 2nd floor where the bar is located. it's a little more chic with a lighted bar that rotates colors. part of the building exterior has been removed to create a mid-building patio. the effect, view and atmosphere is just cool.

the food was very good. my wife and i tried rio queso blanco style with chorizo ground beef. for our main course, we tried the chimichurri grilled chicken quesadilla. awesome meal. i am not sure i have had a three layer quesadilla before. i highly recommend urban rio for both the food and experience.

urban rio rocks -nation gibrick. if you’re looking for some mexican cuisine to leave you with a jaw dropping experience look no further. urban rio is a conveniently located restaurant in downtown plano, suitable for anyone looking to chow down on some kick ass mexican food. from stuffed chicken avocados to jalapeno cakes urban rio's menu features a vast amount of unique options. my personal favorite is the “barbacoa-style tamale”. i swear, that with each bite your taste buds will explode and your mind will feel as if it just took a bite of heaven. in addition to the delicious unique options, chefs accommodate for all dietary restrictions. this includes gluten-free, vegan, organic and diabetic options.
urban rio holds true to their hot environment by being the host to a clean, cozy and at home-feeling ambience. the first floor owns a cozy style that lures you in with their calm home-style presence. to top it all off, the restaurant allows guests to enjoy roof-top seating.
evaluating the service of a restaurant can be quite difficult sometimes. however, urban rio contains the perfect collaboration of employees that will leave you satisfied. every time i enter urban rio i feel like a king. truth be told the only thing that’s missing is my throne. all jokes aside, rest assure that when attending urban rio you will receive a warm greeting and will be treated with great hospitality.
unlike most high quality eateries, urban rio maintains an economically friendly price range. competing restaurants like urban crust are far more pricey and often don’t provide the biggest bang for the buck. for example, at urban rio i can get 15 chicken skewers for a price of 12 bucks. you just can’t beat that.
why should you go to urban rio? the environment is hot, the drinks are cold, and the salsas the best you will ever find on either side of rio. business meetings, dates, to family dinners, urban rio is the perfect place to enjoy a meal for all occasions.

hit it out of the park! we came upon urban rio after walking around in downtown plano shopping. i am pleased we did. food, atmosphere, and service was exceptional.

delicious, chic, and budget friendly. this place was great! my husband and i took our 9 month old here for an early dinner on a weekend and had a very positive experience. the wait staff was very friendly, even with our "talkative" child. we enjoyed their yummy tacos and famous tamale pie (would definitely order again and again, by the way). i loved the drink specials and loved that they had revolver blood and honey beer on tap! will be going back here again. thanks for a great experience!

awesome. i took my employees there for a bonus lunch, almost everyone was not interested because they had never been there before and had no idea what to expect.
well the chips and salsa was enough to convince them differently:)

the waitress was fun and very good, the atmosphere was outstanding and the food left everyone saying "let's eat here again real soon"!!!!

kb

love urban rio. i truly love this place. the food is excellent, the service is great, and i love the live music in the bar. i'm never disappointed.

this fun restaurant describes itself as next mex. i enjoyed the tamale pie and my husband had nate's chicken. also, on sunday during brunch, the $1 mimosas are a nice treat. the chips are served with salsa and bean dip. both were delicious. i will return.

maybe my 2nd if 3rd visit- gotta say the food was awesome! i think i will be back more often.

update 8/6/13: went for lunch- really enjoyed the chicken enchiladas en mole. excellent mole sauce! great service too.