Rio Alto Authentic Mexican Food — Restaurant in Alberta

This is a gem of a restaurant and we were very grateful that we were able to find it. We won't be passing by High River again without stopping here.

The atmosphere is warm, cozy, and friendly. We were greeted and served by the owner who made several recommendations for our family. After listening to the owner describe the menu I knew that we were in store for a good meal. We started with some delicious Jalapeno/Lime Margaritas on the Rocks while the kids had virgin Mango margaritas.

I had the Tortilla Soup which was fantastic and very reasonably priced. I thought I should have maybe added some chicken to it and was very surprised that it came with chicken for $8.00. It also had avocado, sour cream and a good amount of spice. In our town we have a Mexican restaurant that's is very similar and their Tortilla Soup would be at least $12.00 and this soup was definitely as good if not better.

We were not overly hungry and decided on the Rio Alto platter which came with hard tacos, soft tacos, antojitos, empanadas, guacamole, sopes, etc. It was just the right amount of food for our family and was absolutely delicious. The food was very fresh and authentic and you could tell the ingredients were very high quality. We had another round of Margaritas before we left. Our bill was about $70 which I thought was a steal for a meal of this quality. We have been to Mexico at least a dozen times and ate at several high quality restaurants over the years and I would say this is one of if not the best Mexican restaurants I have ever eaten at. For the money and quality of food it is definitely the best I have eaten at. I had to take a another look at the Menu to see how much the Margarita's were as they were so good and I couldn't believe they were only $7.00. They should easily be $10-$12. They were made with fresh lime juice and not bar lime that is for sure. I could have paid $100.00 + for our meal and still left very satisfied.

I had planned to go back the next day for lunch but unfortunately we were there for a hockey tournament and we had 2 games the next day and the arena was 45 minutes away which meant that we couldn't make it back for lunch. We also had a team supper that evening but I loved the restaurant so much that I went back the next day and had a small supper by myself before our team dinner.

I sincerely hope that this restaurant is well supported by this town because a you don't normally find a restaurant of this calibre in such a small town. I will be back again and if they were open Sunday I would have stopped in again before we headed home to Sherwood Park....

I struggle with what to say about our dining experience last night because I have been there before and never had an issue. We booked a late reservation to celebrate two birthdays (booked for 730pm, the website said open till 9pm, but when we arrived, they said they close at 8 pm). After ordering, we were chatting a bit with our young waiter (who was great given the disappointments we came across that evening). When the owner then yelled across the restaurant to him to hurry up because the line was slowing down and he needed the order NOW. Feeling a little uncomfortable, we asked what time they closed, and he said 8pm (even though the website says 9pm). Why wasn't this mentioned to us when we made a reservation for 7 people at 730pm.....half an hour before they close? That being said, the owner did come over to wish us a happy birthday and explain to us why they didn't have Tres Leche cake, another disappointment as it's the reason we booked there because that is my husband's favorite dessert, and it's on the website! My sister in law also was disappointmented when told she couldn't order veggie tacos (again on the website and something she has ordered there before), with no real explanation leaving us to feel again like we were inconveniencing the staff with our late presence. All this being said, the food and drink were amazing, and the staff were as accommodating and warm as the owner would allow 30 minutes before he would like to go home. So, on one hand I can certainly understand that our late reservation (which we ended up arriving 20 minutes early for by the way), was a irritating, but maybe then instruction your staff to not make them so late in the evening?! If you are going to have a website, keep it updated. I don't care if you want to only carry or make certain things seasonly, then state that on the website, that's what it's for! All this being said, would I eat there again....probably, but not in the evening, not for a birthday and only if I was already in high river for another reason. It's just as easy for us to head to Calgary for great Mexican, where I know I won't be rushed or made to feel unwelcome to sit...

Chose this place as a stop on the way back from Lethbridge. At first, I thought that "authentic Mexican food" was a bold claim, but as soon as I saw the food, I realized that they had every right to that claim.

Atmosphere: Beautifully decorated, warm and inviting. The open kitchen in the restaurant oozes charm and makes the restaurant feel very homey. The restaurant was impeccably clean including the roomy and beautifully designed washroom.

My one complaint is that the music was a bit too loud for my taste. I could talk across the table, but when I tried video calling my brother, I could hardly hear him on full volume through my phone speakers.

Food: Amazing! If you're looking for fast food style Mexican cuisine, this is not your place. I visited the Northern province of Sonora Mexico as a teen and this food took me right back to that place. I didn't get a chance to ask the owner what part of Mexico he was from, but the food was identical to the home cooked food I had in Sonora, right down to the garnishes. Adequate portion sizes, expansive menu, and beautiful dishware and playing.

I only got a photo of the nachos and dip that were offered to us upon entering (sans nachos) because we ate the rest of the food before I could take a picture.

We ordered the 5 layer dip with nachos and the platter. Both were the perfect size for sharing between 2, the platter even had 2 of everything so it was perfect for splitting.

We didn't order drinks or dessert so I can't review those. They had agua jamaica on the menu though, I'll definitely order that next time I eat here.

Service: Excellent, very attentive and when he heard that we were first time customers, he reviewed the whole menu with us and gave us recommendations.

Price: Pricier than fast food Mexican, of course, but worth every penny.

Overall, I highly recommend this place and hope to become somewhat of a regular as I'll be travelling between Lethbridge and home very often in the...