Rio Azul

This business has closed. Drove by a few weeks ago. Sign gone, doors locked, dark inside.
Which is a shame, as it was decent.

Rio Azul didn’t make it. Went to go there last night and it was closed.

Lunch buffet 8.95 has beef enchiladas w/​chile con carne, cheese enchiladas with queso, refried beans AND bean soup, soft tacos, salad, grilled vegetables, grilled chicken, etc. Fresh fruit, not canned, with pineapple, orange, honeydew, kiwi, cantaloupe. Pretty good mexican ambiance too. Def worth a try. oh and lunch buffet is weekdays not just weekends.
Update: Went back for Friday night dinner. Here’s how you can tell its good: The wife liked it, and she hates all my ideas. But seriously. Enchilada plate, taco plate have 3 not 2 ench/​tacos. Again, 8.95. Had chicken tacos, they were loaded with chicken. Wife had enchiladas, which they serve con carne (meat sauce). Am liking this place more and more.
1-​20-​2011 Drove by, does appear to have gone out of business. Sorry to see that, really liked the place.

Fresh guacamole salad… made on site at your table. YUM! And, that’s just the beginning. Brisket, chicken, spinach enchiladas; tacos of all types; upscale Mexican, too… with shrimp, tilapia… Great service!
Loved the chips and the salsa was tasty, but the (green) verde sauce was «on fire» hot! Presentation was colorful, wait staff was efficient and charming; AND the food was delicious. We’ll be back for sure. Lunch buffet is $ 8.95 Monday-​Friday and Sunday brunch is $ 12.95. Evening meals are ordered from the menu. From Taco Bueno in the 70’s to Rio Azul… a moderate to upscale Tex-​Mex delight. We loved it! And, it’s local!

This is our new neighborhood go-​to spot! Quickly seated and served by friendly host and wait staff. The food is fresh and tasty. Fajitas and nachos (forks required on the latter!) are our easy favorites thus far. Although we’ll soon be trying their specialty chicken and seafood dishes. Customizing orders seems to be a cinch. Margaritas are especially good.

This new restaurant opened on ⁰⁴⁄₃₀ in the former space of Café Marrakesh, @ the NW corner of Belt Line & Coit. The owners are Carlos Zuniga and Dave Muellar, both of whom previously worked with the M Crowd group for 15 years. They stated in an interview with Pegasus News that they will be bringing some new «Mexican» items to the menu beyond the enchiladas and tacos. Sounds interesting.
After shopping in the area, stopped by to pick up dinner on the way home. Greeted by a friendly gentlemen and pointed to the dining room. It’s a small space, with a dining room straight ahead of the entrance with booths; the décor is simple and colorful, very «Mexican». There is also a cute covered patio at the front of the building. I see a future opportunity to sit in the cool Fall air and sip a Margarita or two.
I opted to sit at the tiny tiny bar and order a TS Marg while reviewing the menu. They don’t have their liquor license yet, so offered a complimentary house Margarita. (Also offering comp beer & wine). The Marg wasn’t too shabby for a non-​top shelf mix. Being a TS Marg Queen, this wasn’t bad, pretty tasty, even without the Grand Marnier. Jesse was a friendly server and put my drink in front of me rather quickly. Right on!
Menu has some variety; you sorta see some of the Mi Cocina influence; more upscale dishes with shrimp, steak, chicken dishes, ranging $ 15 upwards, along with the usual tex mex offerings. (The menu presentation itself reminds me of MC, one laminated shiny large sheet)
Experience has proven that typical tex mex dishes don’t travel and heat up well, so I decided on the Filete de Pescado (Grilled Tilapia) with a choice of 3 sauces; garlic butter, Mexican (with sauteed tomatoes, bell peppers, onions) and a Diavlo sauce. I knew this meant spicy but took the plunge and went for it. The dish was served with a humongous amount of grilled veges (squash, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, julienned bell peppers) and rice.
I munched on a few chips while imbibing which were pretty good. Wafer thin, warm with the right amount of salt and oil. Not greasy. I wasn’t too impressed with the salsa; it was almost pureed; I like mine chunky. It had a bite of heat, but not overwhelming.
I was the only patron there so the staff was congregating around the TV at the bar watching the World Cup. They were all friendly and engaging in conversation.
My order came out promptly with a bag of chips and servings of the salsa. Pay the check and home I head.
Got all comfy to settle in for a quiet dinner, Plated a portion of the food and took first bite. OMG, instantly my lips and tongue were on fire; I mean, burning beyond the top of the heat scale. Ran to the ‘fridge and drank right from the milk carton. Didn’t really help, but at least it was cold. It took over 10 minutes before the scorching sensation subsided.
Couldn’t let this tender piece of fish go to waste, so took a spoon and scraped off as much of the Diavlo sauce as I could, and then in hunger desperation, rinsed the fish under the faucet. Gross, I know, but couldn’t bear to throw it away. After the sauce was eliminated, I saw the beautiful grill marks on the Tilapia, took a tiny test taste and found it edible. Very flaky and moist; made my own garlic lemon butter sauce, and Wa La, meal is saved.
The grilled veges were slightly undercooked, so tossed them in a sauté’ pan for a few minutes, and this was remedied. They were very flavorful with some good seasonings; really enjoyed these.
The rice was, well, just rice. Can’t say anything good or bad about this side dish.
There’s nothing to top having to «cook» your own take out meal when you get home. But, hey, it was worth it. A nice meal overall after the rinsing and sauteeing!
Would I make a special trip to go back to Rio Azul? Maybe, maybe not, but if in the area, might drop by to sample some of their enchiladas, tamales, flautas, etc.
NOTE — one of the owners (not sure which one he was) told me they serve a lunch buffet Mon-​Fri as well as Sunday brunch.