Rio Mirage Cafe- El Mirage Location

This place is exactly the type of Mexican Restaurant that I always look for yet seem not to find nearly enough. The old school Mexican Cafe vibe is perfect. The dining room is welcoming, vibrant and festive, yet pleasantly dark and shady at the same time and it serves as an oasis to the Phoenix heat and sprawl just outside. I kept it relatively basic on this my first visit with the combination of 2 shredded beef tacos and a cheese enchilada with beans and rice and I was not disappointed. Piping hot and infinitely flavorful I didn’t stop until every morsel was gone and I cannot wait to come back and try one of their signature burritos or something else. Before I left I was offered a fresh tortilla by the manager, Valerie made onsite just earlier and needless to say, Rio Mirage has a customer for life! I highly recommend!

- Buck Kirby -

This is by far the better of their two locations. Everything was fresh and the taste backed it up. The red enchilada sauce on the burro and enchilada was great. The green chili burro(red sauce in top) was full of flavor. The rice and beans were well seasoned. The Flan was a little different than expected but still very good. The salsa (chips) was good, but wished it was a little more spicy. Very welcoming environment and great service from the staff.

- Brandon Pickett -

Rio Mirage Cafe sits in El Mirage like exactly that, an oasis mirage in the concrete desert. Just the sun, an incredible patio with real personality like the amazing fountain, and the soft hiss of fajitas hitting the table like they’ve been doing it that way since forever. Star with the El Coyote margarita. It’s the kind of drink that doesn’t hide behind sugar or frills. It’s confident. A little aggressive. The sort of drink that says “You came here to feel something, didn’t you?” Inspired by fresh jalapeno slices. The chips are delicious yet harmless enough until they bring out that salsa, but you have to ask for it. The secret habanero one they don’t advertise. No warnings, no disclaimers. Just a quiet assumption that you’ll figure it out. It hits you slow like a fuse burning toward something explosive. And then it blooms. Heat with flavor. Fear with joy. If pain had a personality, it would be this salsa, and you would thank it. SO GOOD!! The steak fajitas arrive with a sound like applause, or like someone telling the room to pay attention. Smoky, primal, honest. You assemble your own fate with fresh house made corn tortillas that are clearly prepared by someone who respects masa like it’s a language. Soft, fragrant, purposeful. You wrap the steak, the peppers, the onions, an edible snapshot of how good simple food can be. Rio Mirage is making mexican food the way it should be without trying to impress anybody, and that’s exactly why it does!

- C Longiños -

Wife and I had this place on our radar for quite some time just never got around to it. Super glad we did because it replaced our favorite Mexican spot. The Salsa and Chips - best we’ve ever had. Tasted perfectly - not too watery, not too tomato, not too hot. We added an order of the salsa to go home later. We both ordered the large margaritas - we never drink but we finished them. Very strong and delicious. I ordered steak fajitas - couldn’t have picked a better meal. Steak was perfect so were the onions. Overall, this is our new favorite to bring quests and families

- K B -

We love Rio Mirage and typically frequent the location in Surprise. This week for my birthday with a friend we decided to stop in here for lunch. They have a beautiful patio, but unfortunately it was a bit chilly so we opted for inside. We were pleased to be seated right away and our drink order taken. I decided on the tomatillo enchilada. Pork sounded good and I love green sauce. The chips and salsa were so good and never had to ask for a thing. My friend got the pollo especial. I was pleasantly surprised when our waitress brought me a sweet dessert and luckily no embarrassing singing to draw attention. I appreciate that so much. Both service and food were wonderful, the parking lot is pretty small,,but easily can find parking nearby if needed.

- Janelle -

Like this place, can’t really complain. Food is good, service is great especially mid afternoon. And the price is ok, a little high for the same food they are still serving!! I would recommend

- Michele Borowiec -

Incredible service is the first thing that comes to mind about this warm and inviting restaurant. Food is delicious and portions are more than generous. This is my restaurant of choice for entertaining out of town guests. Everyone is always impressed. The outdoor patio is absolutely beautiful days or evenings. Our two servers that deserve mention are Jesus (aka Chewy) and the manager Alda who were Incredibly attentive, to make sure that we were well cared for. I have to mention that this competitively priced restaurant has 5 star service unlike far more expensive restaurants. I have not come to this conclusion on just this visit. This has been my experience on each and every visit.

- Patrick Ameche -

Would like to start off by saying that I live closer to the Restaurant in Surprise AZ than I do this one in El Mirage, but do to the fact my family has been going to the older location for as many years as I can remember, we just love going to the El Mirage location. The food is always excellent! Far better than most other restaurants of the same type. (Macayos) always tastes fresh and piping hot. I feel like they made that exact dish for me that day. My family has literally tried just about everything on the menu. If there is something we haven’t tried, it is because they added it since the last time we were there.since I don’t think they added a whole lot of stuff to the menu often, my original statement stands. The employees and atmosphere are very warm and welcoming. The restaurant is next to a neighborhood and you almost feel like your at a friends house for dinner. I could say a hundred nice things about this location and they are all true!!! But I will share pics so that they can speak for themselves.

- Richard White -