Casa Rio — Restaurant in San Antonio

OK. Don't hate me for this, but it's honest. I grew up in S.A. and South Texas. I live in Houston, but consider S.A. my home. I've been to this restaurant many times over the decades but it's never been this bad.

I was there on Labor Day. The outside area was OK, but it had rained, so sat inside. Got a table and a great server (Ricky?) right away. The inside is what it is. A little dismal and sad. That's OK. I knew what it was like.

Every few minutes you'd hear a loud walkie talkie announce " 3 coming in". I get it. That's their choice to announce customers, but so loud when few tables are filled.

We had the triple appetizer. Salsa, Guac and queso. The queso was some some cheese with a small amount of Rotel-like sauce. It was actually great. The guac was nothing more than crushed avocado with a tiny bit of hot sauce. The salsa though, man, that was so bad. It was what appeared to be Hunts diced tomatoes and a tiny bit of serrano with a hint of garlic. There was something else that my wife described as Thai Fish Sauce in the aroma. That's not good.

The meal was the trio. Meat, chicken, cheese enchiladas with rice and borracho beans. When I say it was cold, it was chilly. The cheese enchilada was like a cheese stick in a thick corn tortilla. The chicken was boiled chicken with zero spices, and the beef enchilada was ground beef with no real seasoning, but honestly was the better part of the meal. The rice took a place on the plate, and the borracho beans were not bad, even though they never gave us a spoon for them.

Here's my suggestion. I know premade plates is a necessity. Nuke them first, then cover in sauces and cheese etc. wait... you are a professional restaurant in business for decades. You know all this.

If you are wanting to de-flavour your food for the one customer from Oregon that thinks it's too spicy, you will fail. Also, people from Oregon like spice too.

Your salsa is absolutely horrible. Stop making it. Full stop. If you need help, I will volunteer, or so, so many wonderful San Antonio residents would help you make something more representative of the area.

Take this to heart. Your food served to us sucks. This is easy for a good owner or kitchen manager to see. You do a disservice to San Antonio and TexMex lovers by presenting this to tourists.

I have to leave a positive review too. Our server was great. While the Margarita hinted at Ghost peppers, it was mostly orange juice and extremely mild. The margarita I had was nice. Small, not cheap, but nice. Also the Miller Lite out of the bottle was perfect.

You can't rely on colourful umbrellas to validate you restaurant. If this is all you have, sell the restaurant to someone that cares.

Sorry, but gods...

Casa Rio: Riverwalk Charm, Surprising Value, and a Very Enthusiastic Tip Stepping onto the San Antonio Riverwalk, we sought out Casa Rio, reputedly the oldest restaurant on this iconic stretch (since 1946!). My initial expectation for prices, given the prime real estate, was "ouch," preparing my wallet for a full body check. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find them significantly more reasonable than other spots we'd eyed. We snagged a coveted outdoor table right by the river, and even on a sweltering day, the breeze made it quite pleasant – a major win for sanity with a family of seven! Service was solid, the food was genuinely good – not mind-blowingly authentic or gourmet, but a perfectly satisfying and tasty meal in a truly cool setting. The chips and salsa, while not complimentary (a $2 charge per basket), were undeniably delicious and addictive. At this point, I was mentally prepping a glowing 5-star review, thinking, "What incredible value for the Riverwalk, even if the food wasn’t aiming for a Michelin star!" I was ready to leave a generous tip, probably in the 20% range, feeling good about the experience and my savvy budgeting. Then the bill arrived. Imagine my surprise (and a slight eyebrow raise that almost hit my hairline) to find a 30% gratuity already added. Yes, thirty percent. We're a family of seven, which I understand often qualifies for an automatic gratuity, but 30% felt... excessive, especially without any prior notice on the menu (or maybe I just missed it, though I tend to scrutinize for things that affect my wallet). To top it off, the payment screen still offered the option to add even more to the tip. My service experience was perfectly fine – attentive enough for a busy spot – but it certainly wasn't an "over-the-top, let's-sell-a-kidney-for-an-extra-10%" kind of performance. What started as a potentially 5-star experience, purely based on location, value, and pleasant food, took a sharp turn. This automatic, undisclosed (to me, at least) 30% felt a bit like being strong-armed by the Riverwalk itself. While the ambiance is unbeatable, and the food hit the spot, this policy leaves a sour taste that outweighs the sweet chips. For that reason, despite the initial positives, we won't be returning. It was a good basic meal in a very cool spot, but the tipping practice pushes it from a charming historic gem to...

This is the place you go if you want to have ok Tex Mex on the riverwalk. Guys, that's about it. This place is not what many would consider "authentic" mexican food.

Overall, the food is fine. There's nothing wrong with it but I can't help to think the location has much to do with this place's success and staying power. This place has been here for a very long time. They just seem to be resting on their laurels, and just checking the boxes they always have. Again, it's fine. Most will enjoy and walk away fulfilled.

There was a wait, we completely understood and it wasn't excessive. In fact, they told us 45 min to an hour. It was less than that.

Getting to the table with a wheel chair (from the riverwalk) was like finding the bat cave. We certainly got there but if you are in a manual wheelchair, be prepared to navigate some steep ramps/grades. No real issue for us, but I can see some folks pushing wheelchairs having trouble in that area. Everyone was very helpful in getting my mom through the maze. Maybe there is another way into the place? If you eat on the riverwalk I don't see this being an issue.

The menu has all the staples. I had the Taco plate and it was fine. Everyone else seemed ok with what they had. We went to a place in town, not far from Casa Rio the next day and everyone said the food was better at the other place. The Queso had a skin on it by the time it got to the table.

Service was adequate. I don't recall us going dry on drinks for long. There were empty tables around us and we were in there late so I'm not sure what the issue was. We sat next to the kitchen door where what I can only assume someone's partner was focused on getting his attention in the kitchen to have an emotional conversation on the dining room floor. Again, It's fine. people have things going on. They weren't loud, it was just odd floor entertainment for me.

Bottom line, this place is fine. It's nothing outstanding. The location is great. Enjoy the riverwalk. If you are in the market for some great Tex Mex or Mexican food...