The Rio Grande - Fort Collins

The Rio Grande

143 W. Mountain Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80524

970.224.5428

www.riograndemexican.com/fort-collins

Sun- Wed       11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Thurs               11 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Fri  &  Sat       11 a.m. – 12 a.m

There is no question that The Rio Grande or “Rio” is the place to go for margaritas. It seems like every time we stumble in here there is some kind of drink special happening, allowing us to take full advantage of the margarita choices offered.

Atmosphere:  When walking through the front door you immediately get the feel that this place is strictly a restaurant, but once past the hostess stand you will see the bar hiding behind it. The bar seems to always be full of people with a margarita in hand. There is seating at the bar, if you can find a stool as well as in booths along the outer bar area. The place is decorated with a no frills Mexican theme. In fact, not much represents it being a Mexican restaurant except for the name. Off of the back of the restaurant is a nice  and spacious patio. It has a large fountain in the middle and makes up in Mexican flare where the inside falls short. The crowd is always very diverse but between 6 and 9 pm you are likely to see a more family crowd there for dinner.

Service:  The service is usually slow in the bar area because of the crowding factor. If you manage to get a table outside of the bar, the service is better and you are likely to get drinks faster.

Drinks:  The big draw at the Rio is the margaritas – period. They come in 3 sizes and 3 flavors, strawberry, mango and lime. You can mix the flavors if you want to spice things up, but overall they are good margaritas and not too strong. Other than margaritas they have a full stocked bar with an impressive selection of tequila offerings. There are only four beers on draft and the rest in bottles with most being Mexican beers, but again this place is known for margaritas.

Food:  The Rio has an impressive menu but don’t let that fool you. It’s not horrible food, it’s just not that good. They offer burritos, tacos, fajitas, appetizers and a few seafood dishes from $6 to $15. Chips and salsa is served at every table and a great pairing with margaritas.

Amenities:  Private party ballroom, huge outside patio with fountain, tequila vault.

Parking:  Parking available where you can find it in old town.

The Buzz:  College night on Thursdays from 9 to 11 pm with $4 margaritas, Happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 pm, Wednesdays  margaritas are only $5, go big with a $6 Big Tex margarita, Salsa dancing on Tuesdays from 7:30 to 10 pm for $3, weekend brunch.