Rio on Wazee — Restaurant in Denver

Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in LoDo is now serving brunch on weekends 10am - 3pm (downtown Denver only) and we couldn’t wait to check out their new breakfast menu. Bottomless Mimosas are available for only $22 with purchase of an entree!

We arrived at Rio and were seated in a booth by the bar. The restaurant was lively as patrons enjoyed generous plates of classic Mexican fare & margaritas. The staff were awesome, and GM Matt ensured we had everything we needed while we dined.

Can’t decide between a Mimosa or Margarita? Rio took care of that with the Mimosarita! The Mimosarita was made with Rio’s own Classic Marg, fresh-squeezed OJ, and champagne. A refreshing blend of frozen orange juice, sparkling champs & zingy tequila.

The Big Tex Marg was made with Cuervo tradicional silver, orange liqueur, & fresh citrus. A solid marg with Rio’s specialty blend of citrus juices served on the rocks.

The Breakfast Burrito was made with scrambled eggs, jack cheese, & braised pork. A hearty dish - the warm tortilla was smothered in melty cheese & packed with piping hot ingredients.

The Pancakes were made with maple cinnamon whipped butter, fresh fruit, & real maple syrup. The pancakes picked up a delicate spice from the hot maple cinnamon butter that was made flavorfully sweet from the real maple syrup.

The Steak & Eggs were made with grilled skirt steak, poached eggs, roasted potatoes, refried beans, avocado cilantro chimichurri, grilled jalapeño, caramelized red onion, & handmade flour tortillas. The tender skirt steak was thinly sliced, seared, & served alongside eggs sunny side up - packed with protein and flavor.

The Crab Cake Benedict was made with Atlantic Red Crab cake, poached eggs, lime-cilantro hollandaise, & roasted potatoes. A tasty variation on the classic benedict - the hollandaise, & runny poached eggs blanketed the crab cakes.

The Diabla Shrimp Empanadas were made with sautéed shrimp, chile de árbol sauce, & jack cheese. The shrimp had firecracker spice and chew in texture that paired well with the crisp fried exterior of the empanada.

The Chile Con Queso was made with a cheese blend and pico de gallo. My favorite queso in town - the TexMex dip was silky smooth in perfect cheesy taste.

We ended our brunch with tequila shots -...

They really need to let reviewers give zero stars as my experience tonight deserved it. I'm really surprised by the awful service me and my wife received tonight considering we've been here more than a few times and I've also attended an office party upstairs, but I will never go back here.

The first problem is that the menu seems to have changed and not for the better, although the salsa and queso was good. The service however was atrocious! Not sure who the lady was that served us, but after a small wait in the beginning (my wife believes the wait was a lot longer) we were simply ignored for long portions of the night, and that wasn't even the worst of it. When our food came out, they had somehow gotten BOTH of our orders wrong. My order was completely wrong and my wife's was just slightly wrong, but still wrong. Then, after we had already eaten half our meal, we were finally asked if everything was ok, only to then get ignored some more after answering. Which makes me wonder, how hard is it to simply see if we need a refill of water? When we finally did get refills, a while after I had to request it, my wife somehow got seltzer water.

To cap the night off, we basically got ignored to the point I had to go ask the extremely nice gentleman at the bar if we could get our check, since our server never came back to our table.

We were told by the nice gentleman at the bar that corporate was coming and everyone was busy making the place look spotless, but I still don't know how you treat people so badly that were nothing but polite and courteous to you. I mean you can't be that busy, and if you are, maybe corporate needs to be reminded who pays their checks. Better yet, that will be the last this place ever sees of my...

I’m deeply disappointed with Rio’s recent menu changes and rebranding. As a downtown resident, it was my favorite spot, visited at least weekly—often multiple times—for happy hour, before Rockies games, or just on a whim. It was my go-to for Tex-Mex and margaritas, with affordable small plates and drinks that my husband and I loved. Over the past 6-9 months, the menu has changed several times, each iteration more frustrating than the last. During our latest visit, we were stunned to find no nachos—once the best in Denver, especially the carnitas—no tacos at dinner, and guacamole, previously a favorite, now tasting like plain mashed avocado with only jalapeño chunks. The guac portion size seemed a lot smaller than the old large, yet only slightly cheaper, despite claims of a price reduction. Prices overall feel higher, and happy hour has been reduced from 3-6 PM to 3-5 PM, making it nearly impossible to attend. The rebranding feels like Rio is chasing a trend by eliminating affordable options like tacos and nachos (the old B.A.P. nachos were a great value, and even the Simpatico nachos were better than the new entrees). It seems they’re pushing costly dishes, alienating regulars like us who enjoyed sharing appetizers and drinks without breaking the bank. Rio was a rare downtown gem, offering casual evenings with excellent food and drinks for a wide range of budgets—such spots are hard to find downtown. Now, it appears they’re catering to a foodie crowd willing to spend heavily. While I understand the desire to align with Denver’s culinary scene, why overhaul something that was already exceptional? For now, I’ll walk the extra mile to Park Avenue Tacos on Marion, where nachos, tacos, and a 7 PM happy hour are...