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.

CLOSED - El Alazan Mexican Restaurant - Windsor

El Alazan Mexican Restaurant
1345 Water Valley Pkwy
Windsor, CO 80550
(970) 674-2851
http://www.elalazanwindsor.com
Sunday – Thursday 11 AM to 10 PM
Friday & Saturday  11  AM – 10:30 PM

Closed Down

It’s no secret that the best Mexican food is found at the mom and pop joints around town. This place however, is owned by three brothers and is quite a secret. Tucked away in a secluded shopping center in Windsor, El Alazan provides authentic Mexican food with a no-nonsense kind of vibe.

Atmosphere: The decor is authentic Mexican, with bright murals (a lot of donkey’s) painted on the tables and chairs. Sombreros are hung up here and there, as well as a variety of piñatas dangling from the ceiling. There are a mix of tables and booths, as well as a small bar area near the back. The walls are painted with bright oranges and yellows in a sponge painted sort of technique. The place was busy with hungry families and people in and out for pick-up orders.

Service: There were two servers working the night we visited, and although a  little overwhelmed, they still managed to take care of everyone in a timely manner. As soon as we sat down, chips and salsa were served!

Drinks: We don’t go out for Mexican food without having margaritas. El Alazan had us covered. With a variety of flavored margaritas (banana, strawberry, peach) and two different sizes, we had to put them at the top of our favorite margarita list. The bars  selection of tequila’s was a little disappointing and they didn’t have much in the way of alcohol or beer choices, having  mostly bottled Mexican imports and a few domestics. But the jumbo margaritas, in front of us, quickly made it a moot point.

Food: This place is authentic. It’s not tex-mex and its definitely not Taco Bell. We dove into an extensive menu with fajitas, chile relleno, chalupas, burritos, shrimp cocktails, ceviche, tacos, and combo plates – just to name a few. The entrees and combination plates where reasonable priced ( from $7-$15 ) and the portions where on the verge of oversized. We tried the carne asada plate and the fajitas – both very good, but we would like to note that the refried beans were phenominal.

Amenities: One small TV in bar area, super sweet Mexican tunes,  kids menu.

Parking: There is ample parking in the shopping center parking lot surrounding the bar.

The Buzz: Happy hour Monday through Friday 3 pm to 5 pm with $3 mexican beer and $5.99 jumbo margaritas.