Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Midvale

I hate to do this because I have had siblings who worked at Costa Vida for years and I know how hard each location works to give their customers great service and a great meal. This location seemed to lack some of the hard work and precision that I know to be very customary to Costa Vida. Let me first just say that I chose this location because of the drive thru- I have a toddler and it makes it MUCH more convenient to order and not have to chase him around inside if we are getting our food to-go. The drive thru was not open 😕 but we went inside anyway. It was about 5:45 on a Saturday evening and there was no line and I waited there for several minutes with several employees walking right past me without saying a word or asking if I had been helped. Finally, I ordered shrimp tacos and a quesadilla kids meal for my son and everything seemed to be going just fine until I reached the checkout. I had also informed the employee at the checkout that I had a survey code for a free chips & salsa with my purchase. I love giving good reviews to people who provide good food and service. I got to the register and the employee said my total was over $22 😳 I’m not a mathematician, but I quickly calculated my meal to be around $10 (shrimp tacos) and my sons kids meal to be $4.. plus a couple dollars for tax. I asked them to make sure they didn’t charge me for chips & salsa because I gave them the code and then the employee said “oh yeah” and my new total was still almost $20. I couldn’t figure out how it cost so much so I asked again why it was that expensive and the employee proceeded to tell me that my son’s quesadilla DOESN’T come with rice and beans and that it costs extra. I felt so frustrated because I’ve never been told that and I wasn’t informed that when the food was being put together. Honestly, I didn’t want to cause a fuss because I had already asked them to clarify my bill so I just paid for it and left. When I got back to the car, my receipt showed that I paid for a REGULAR pork quesadilla, NOT a kids meal. And was charged $9 for it. No kids meal on the receipt, no “extra charge” for rice & beans, but my chips and salsa were taken off. When we got home, my shrimp tacos were bare- no lettuce or salsa on them... just shrimp and a tortilla. I’ve never been treated so poorly at any Costa Vida location and I most certainly have never been overcharged or given something different than what I’ve paid for. I’m just so frustrated and disappointed. This is the closest location to my home and I would love to continue to support them if some big changes were made. Until then, unfortunately, I’m going to be taking my business elsewhere. I hope this helps solve some issues at this location, because our little family loves the food and Costa Vida is always on our list of favorites if we go...

It's been a few years since I visited a Costa Vida after determining that they were inferior to Cafe Rio but at around the same price. I decided to see how things have changed, and I'm pleased with the experience.

Food: Got a chicken salad (My favorite at Cafe Rio), and the one here at Costa Vida was fairly on-par to the chicken salad at Cafe Rio. The chicken is grilled (which I prefer) vs the base shredded chicken salad at Cafe Rio. The tomatillo dressing is not as zesty and flavorful as Cafe Rio's, unfortunately, but it's still pretty good. The rice and beans were cooked perfectly, better than Cafe Rio IMO. I wish it included a lime in the salad, but no biggie. Overall the flavor is more savory vs the zesty flavor of a Cafe Rio salad. I prefer the more zesty flavor, but this is still a very good alternative.

Drinks: They have horchata!!! One of the very few beverages that I cannot resist.

Service: This is where this location (and perhaps others) really stands out vs Cafe Rio, by which the service at cafe rio has taken a nose dive the past few years. There were only a few people in line, but the employees were very friendly and worked fast and efficiently. Cafe Rio has very slow moving lines, particularly at the Fort Union location, and often mess up on orders and on the register... so glad to see that things went smoothly at Costa Vida.

Pros: Smaller portion options

Cons: No frequent diner service to earn free meals and discounts? Not that I saw. This is one huge perk that I've always loved...

OVERVIEW - 3.2 Came here after not wanting to go to the neighboring 1000 Degree Pizza next store and not wanting to go home a make a meal. After reading my various points, you'll never catch me at this Costa Vida again.

LOCATION - 4 A descent location located along a busy road and near WinCo, makes it a good location for people that are hungry, like I found myself.

PRICE - 4 The prices are comparable to the other Costa Vidas in the area. For a family of three I paid around $22.

PRODUCT/SERVICE - 2 The product and service of this Costa Vida is where I have most of my complaints. I order the sweet pork enchiladas. I felt the tortilla shells were a lot small compared to the other Costa Vidas I have been to. The sweet pork tasted off, it wasn't "sweet" enough as it should have been. Maybe someone messed up on preparing the recipe. I also requested to have cheese sprinkled on top of my meal, and for some odd reason the young man started shaking on Parmesan. Yes, it is a type of cheese, but my assumption is everyone knows that cheese is the grated cheddar...

POINTERS/PERKS - 5 If you have a student id, present it and get a discount for the "daily" specials.

EMPLOYEES - 1 I don't think I've ever received so many deer in the headlight reactions from any other business. My wife said the cashier, I think her name was Juana, needed to learn Customer Service as she was rather cold...