Rio Méxican Restaurant — Restaurant in Mobile

I’m genuinely disappointed with how my friends and I were treated during our visit yesterday. I’ve been to this restaurant multiple times and have always enjoyed the food, but the customer service we received this time was unacceptable.

To start, our waitress either was new or very unprepared. She took our orders one by one but still managed to get them all wrong. One of my friends ordered the Arroz Con Pollo and specifically asked if there would be a price difference when substituting shrimp with chicken instead of steak with chicken. She also inquired if onions and jalapeños would cost extra, and the waitress clearly said they would not. However, the final order included extra shrimp, onions, and jalapeños, all of which added significant charges to the bill.

Another friend ordered a burrito without pico de gallo and a margarita—no ID check was done, which is concerning—and her burrito still came with the ingredients she asked to be excluded.

My order was more straightforward—just the Milanesa and Churros—and that came out correctly, but the billing discrepancies were alarming.

Here’s the breakdown:

My check: $23+ Friend with burrito, margarita, and queso: $24 Friend who ordered one item originally priced at $13.99: $25+, with unexplained add-ons of $5 (shrimp), $2.50 (onions), and $2.75 (jalapeños).

So how in the world was my friend’s check who ordered only 1 item is costing more than mine and my other friend who ordered multiple items….

When we politely raised these concerns to the waitress and manager, we were met with unprofessional and condescending responses like “You touched the food, didn’t you?” and “Why didn’t she say something when she got the food?” — ignoring the fact that the waitress herself said the add-ons weren’t extra.

They offered a measly $2 discount on what was clearly around $10 in unnecessary charges.

To make matters worse, after leaving, we called the restaurant to confirm the price of the dish with the same substitution. We were hung up on during the first call, and when we called again, were finally told it should have been $16.49—much less than what we were charged.

We understand that mistakes happen, but the way this was handled showed a lack of care and professionalism. The orders should have been confirmed before being placed. If the waitress was unsure, she should have checked with her supervisor rather than assume. Being spoken to with attitude, denied fair clarification, and ultimately overcharged leaves a terrible impression.

The food has always been good, but after this experience, it’s hard to justify returning or recommending this...

UPDATE - My second visit - I had the 2-taco lunch with rice. The rice was just OK, not much flavor. The tacos were standard beef, lettuce and tomatoes. Not much meat or flavor. I should have gone with the chicken quesadilla. Cost was $10 before the tip. This review is for 1 visit. I decided to try a different Mexican restaurant. The one on Schellinger was a huge disappointment. The service here was a 10 all day. I got seated and the waitress came right over to take my order. Then the salsa showed up. A little on the thin side, but tasty. Just enough bite. I ordered the chicken quesadilla meal with white cheese. It arrived very quickly and was very delicious! There is outdoor seating - second picture. Bill was $8.39 before the tip. I will be returning in the future. The one problem is access to the parking lot. You cannot get in from Hilcrest Road. I tried and had to get on Airport Boulevard. You can exit onto Hillcrest. and...

WOW!!! We have been going to La Cocina for years and did not think there was anything better, but this place is awesome! I had the chicken soup (caldo de pollo) and I was surprised at how good it was. Everything tastes natural, and fresh. Even the chips taste great! They are perfectly thin and crunchy. My husband shared a burrito with our son as he said he had to get his own next time, it was too good to share. This place also offers great customer service. We go through chips and salsa rather quickly and we didn’t even had to ask for a refill. The waiter asked if we needed anything more than a couple of times. Friendly staff. The food was brought out quickly, which was good because I was so hungry I thought I would pass out. They also had a big party and we did not experience any delays on our food. The place looks clean and neat, and very spacious! They also have tables outside with beautiful lights. We are definitely...