Cafe Del Rio — Restaurant in Lufkin

This Mexican restaurant is hands down one of the best I've ever dined at. For anyone worried about covid-19, I can assure you this restaurant is taking all the necessary precautions in order to keep its staff and patrons safe and healthy. Everyone was wearing face masks and they are offering contactless pickup. You can pull right up to the front door and someone will come out and take care of you. I even overheard one of the hostesses informing a large group of people coming to eat that they could not seat more than 6 people in an area due to covid-19. They really are trying and doing everything they can to keep their patrons and staff safe. Another thing I noticed was that most people probably didn't, was the lack of salt and pepper shakers and artificial sweeteners at the table. That's pretty standard at any restaurant or Cafe you go to. But that's another precaution they are taking for their patrons. Less touching and handling that could possibly spread germs. It spoke volumes to their attention to detail. My table was freshly cleaned and wiped as well as my seats. I was totally impressed by all the steps they were taking in order to keep their patrons safe.

Now, about the food and service... The food is hot and fresh. Not to mention the portions are Beyond generous. I had beef fajitas and they were the best fajitas I believe I've ever had. Their salsa is great but it is not hot. But you can request a hotter salsa which is just as good and its very hot for all you chili heads like myself. I've only been to this location twice and I've had the same waitress both times and she is by far one of the best waitresses I've ever had. My drink was never empty and we never had to wait on anything. I'm not sure what her name was but on the receipt it said Gloria. If that is who she is I would highly recommend you requesting her as your waitress. She could not have been more accommodating, friendly and did it all with a smile and a great attitude. It couldn't have been a more perfect dining experience. I have probably eaten at a hundred Mexican restaurants all over the United States and some in Mexico and I can tell you this place is one of my favorite establishments to visit. I highly...

This establishment doesn't deserve a star but Ill give it one for being seated right away and the waitress being nice! To start with i ordered a beer and asked for a straw! The waitress gave me a thick milkshake straw not in a wrapper brought it in her hand and she wasnt wearing gloves and put it right in my beer! Second the salsa tasted of nothing but tomato sauce! No salt no spice to it very mild! Third the corn tortillas were soggy and wrapped together which were stuck! Fourth the fajitas were in a very hot skillet , but were cold so they weren't fresh and were precooked and the color of them told me they were old! Fifth the rice was bland and hard not cooked properly. Sixth the charro beans were too salty to eat. Seventh the pico de gallo was all tomato and onion. Eighth the queso was also all tomato and some kind of process cheese! Ninth the corn chips were hot but were all crushed. Tenth my silverware was dirty i opened the napkin and thier was rice stuck to the fork! The place might look authentic and the music might be authentic but the food most definitely was not@ 56.00 dollars for the food to go in the trash! I just could not bring myself to eat it! Im sorry but its not Tex Mex food its wanna be Tex Mex food and thats not a opinion its a fact! I can cook authentic Mexican food and Tex Mex and I have never been so disappointed in my life! Its like if you order a hamburger and they serve you a soy burger! But then again maybe that what people in this town is use too! Go to West Texas and we will show you what Mexican food is suppose to taste like honestly Rosa's Cafe and Taco Villa and Taco Cabana is 100% better! I would have been more satisfied with a Ramen noodle and bolgona sandwich and doritos with tostios queso and a big glass of...

The food was better than average and the beef queso was really good. Unfortunately from start to finish our first visit on the service side all the way to management is a one star. That may be good if you’re a general but if you’re a restaurant that’s bad. We went at 530 on a Friday and was seated right away, but we ask for a booth after the hostess started to seat us at a table and she rolled her eyes and walked away without a word so we sat ourselves. Then our waiter came and took our order which came in a timely manner but no more waiter. Our drinks ran out halfway through our meal, and when he slow walked our way he came with the bill. I ask for a refill and it came back in a go cup. Okay maybe because we finish our meal but we wanted desert but was never ask just a bill left on the table. We paid at the table and walking out the three girls up front never said thanks for coming or anything else that would make you feel appreciated. So instead of writing a review since I worked as a regional manager for a fortune 100 company till I retired I thought I would let management know that some training in customer service would go a long way so I called and Mary said she was the assistant manager so I offered my services in sharing my experience with their employees one day before they opened to give them an opportunity to earn more tips. Unfortunately Mary said no thanks and I ask if she wanted to hear about our experience tonight and she said I’m busy… So overall this is a one star restaurant. But if you want food to go where you don’t feel your tipping for poor service this could be the place…. If you can’t go down the road to El Mariachi’s or Tia Juanita’s for better service then go to Taco Bell before eating at...