El Rio Cantina

when u see locals in the restaurant, u kno the food is good— there were lots of mexican people eating when we were there!

food was great, huge portions and def worth it for the price. service was great, i think the resto is run by a family? not so sure. loved the experience i had there. can't wait to go back— sadly im thousands of miles away. hope the business keeps running for a long time i rly rly wanna go back!

We are Utah transplants. One thing that is a common saying where we are from is "This is the place!" Referring to when the settlers of Utah came upon the land for the first time. Well that is a saying we have adopted here in the South for El Rio. We have been here for almost 2 years and are pretty proud to call El Rio our Friday home. They have made some changes, opening up the layout and we are excited for the warm weather and the patio to open. Live music is provided, we are often given free shots when they are testing out new liquor which goes well with the larger than life Margaritas. The staff has always been friendly. My son is always happy to be there because his little girlfriend and aunt meet us there. We have met new friends there as well which is important when you are new to an area and have no existing family or friends. It's pretty rare to find a restaurant that doesn't treat children like they are a burden but El Rio and staff treat the kids like they own the place. It's pretty incredible. There is now a steady flow of regulars we see and as much as I would like (for selfish reasons) to keep El Rio our little secret, I just can't. The atmosphere, the people, the drinks, the food and the live music all make for a great end to the work week.

In business for over 30 years, the Jalisco-born owner brings true authentic Mexican food to North Ga. The hot sauce alone (3 sauces to be exact) is good enough reason to go here. Full bar is available and they make a mean Mojito!...If you have tried other Mexican restaurants in the area, try El Rio- you will never go anywhere else.

Awesome place! Love the new seating and remodle they did. Food has always been great! Service is good too friendly and fun people!! Cant wait for Cinco de mayo!!!

Enjoyed the food. Very nice manager there today. Love the remodeling they have done. The paintings they added are awesome!

I love Mexican food and have had the pleasure of visiting Mexico several times. It’s hard to find authentic street tacos and I’d have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I will definitely eat here again. Our waitress was very friendly and provided great service.

The best Mexican foods I have tried! And staff was really kind, table was clean

My go to mexican restaurant. The food has always been amazing. Its a fun environment, friendly people. I’ve spent my past two birthdays here, I have spent countless hours here just eating and talking to friends making memories with them. DEFINITELY RECOMMEND

The staff is very friendly, the restaurant from everything I saw was extremely clean. The food it delicious haven't ever had anything I didn't enjoy. The overall atmosphere could use a little bit of work but they are still 5 stars. The layout of the restaurant is kinda like a cafeteria and the bright paint isnt very appealing but very unique. I went in one night and the owner was there and he was very friendly. Also not to offend anyone but the staff was very diverse, not just your average bilingual waiter's.

I have eaten here a couple of times and the food is always good. They have more authentic food then some of the other similar places. They do make a nice high-quality tamale. The service is good. This restaurant is a little bit quieter than other places. I feel like I should go to eat here more often than I typically do.

This is our favorite place to eat in Cumming. We came here for the first time and I started crying over the tamales tasting just like my grandmothers did growing up.
Now we come every Friday, drink margaritas and listen to good music and eat great food. We always meet new people (being transplants to the area worth it!) and the staff is amazing! Always happy and enjoying work - they treat our son like a prince and always have a moment to check in chat us up and cater to us.

I was skeptical about going here at first because of the reviews. But I guess since they are under new management this place is definitely awesome. Old school Mexican food and awesome Margaritas! All the other Mexican restaurants around Cumming GA are even close to this place. Try the Mexican Guacamole dip it is awesome along with the Texas margarita. We are definitely coming back to sit out on the patio again.

This restaurant not only serves delicious food but the staff here is second to none!! Everyone who works here is so friendly and will remember you by name after just a few visits. The owner and manager are so welcoming and truly care about their customers. I couldn't recommend this place more. The patio is fantastic for warm seasons. Give this place a try... you won't be disappointed!!!!!

I love this restaurant, the preparation of attention, everything is spectacular. This Sunday when I went to have lunch with my son I really enjoyed it

The food was great and everyone was so nice! Really good service, too - we had a big confusing carryout order, and one of the staff actually came out to our car to bring us a cup of sauce that had been left out (which I didn't even know came with the dish).

Delicious lunch today!
Picture perfect 😋

Great service! Food still rocks!

When I first moved to Cumming about four years ago I was told to stay away from El Rio! That worked out fine because there are two other Mexican restaurants close by and each of them has their best parts about them.

A few months ago I was told that El Rio had a new owner and the quality went way up so we gathered up the family and went. On the first visit we had the opportunity to meet the owner and spoke with him about the changes he had made. He is buying better quality ingredients and the steak, chicken, and shrimp are so much better than both of the other close choices. The tamales are ten times better. The chorizo is so much better both flavor wise and not as greasy. The salsa isnt as spicy as I would make it myself but the ingredients are fresh and it tastes good.

I have been back for about five visits since then and the only negative experience we had was one Saturday the service was a little slow. We went after a softball game so we were all tired and extremely thirsty. It was just after the lunch rush had ended and there may have only been one server working and we had a good size group. The food was still great but we had to wait a little longer than we wanted to get our drinks and future refills. It could have been our extreme thirst as much as not being as quick as we normally receive refills.

I read a couple reviews saying the quality of the food wasn't great. I can tell you we have eaten at a lot of Mexican restaurants (every city I travel to I try out the Mexican restaurants and I travel A LOT for work) and I could eat Mexican food five nights a week and be happy. Whatever quality the negative reviewers are looking for is not going to be found anywhere if they didn't find it here. And to top it off you're not paying an arm and a leg for it. No, it's not the least expensive place I've ever eaten at but it's a good price for great quality.

I will certainly be returning time and time again!

YOU HAVEN’T HAD REAL MEXICAN FOOD UNTIL YOU HAVE EATEN AT EL RIO!!!! My husband and I ate at El Rio this evening. I had the chicken burrito and my husband had the beef. We both agree that the care they put into the ingredients is unlike anything we have ever had. My chicken was moist and so tender. I wish we could buy the salsa by the gallon we can get enough of it. We have come when they have had performers and It’s so much fun. The balance of atmosphere and amazing food is outstanding at El Rio

WOW! What a great Restaurant! This is by far the best Mexican food in Georgia! For real, if you love authentic Mexican food this is the spot! The owner Renee is a great guy as well, they treat you like family, I love this place!!!