I lived in Texas for nine years. After this, I'm a little biased towards good mexican & tex/mex food. The residents of Utah, in general, need an education in truly good mexican food... The Rio Grande cafe is not what I would consider good mexican food - it's mediocre preparation of boring, run-of-the-mill, mexican dishes. We've tried a couple different entrees at the Rio Grande only to be disappointed. It's not that the food is really bad, it's just really plain. \r
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The ambience mirrors the food as well. There's nothing mexican about the ambience. It's a large room in the old Rio Grande train station turned into a restaurant. The decor is just plain: a few small, forgettable pictures and trinkets strewn about the walls with obnoxious fluorescent lights overhead. \r
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If this place were a diner and served really good, home-cooked, greasy-spoon type food, then the atmosphere and the food would match, but as it is, it just doesn't.\r
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The staff was appropriate to the atmosphere - mediocre. They didn't seem all that motivated about the place, but I could hardly blame them. It's all just, well, dull.\r
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I wouldn't recommend this place at all (not unless they hire me to go in and redecorate with a $10,000 budget and hire a new, innovative, mexican chef). If you do go and like it, I recommend buying a plane ticket to anywhere in Texas and trying nearly any tex/mex or mexican place and you'll be blown away.
Pros: Plenty of parking
Cons: Boring food, boring atmosphere, unmotivated staff
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