by Abby Inwood ’13

When Chipotle opened a few months back to compete against California Tortilla, students probably believed they had all the Tex-Mex options they needed. Not only did they have the two national franchises, but also local restaurants such as Sol Azteca and El Andariego. Surely, four restaurants within a mile or two of each other qualifies as an oversaturated market. Even so, the people behind the creation of Café Rio boldly declared that they can win over customers by offering something much better in terms of the ambiance.

Although Café Rio is new to the Olney area, it is not a brand new restaurant. Café Rio has been operating since 1997 when it was founded by Bob Nilsen, the former CEO of Taco Bell and Burger King. There are 300 Café Rio restaurants operating nationwide, nine of which are in D.C. Olney’s Café Rio is located in the space formerly occupied by Chicken Out which is in the same shopping center as the uber popular Starbucks.

When my mother and I arrived at the restaurant, we immediately noticed the pop music blasting from the speakers on the ceiling and the bright pink and yellow chairs, both of which gave the youthful vibe. However, the vibrancy of the décor was quickly overshadowed by the line that stretched to the entrance of the restaurant. Fortunately, we were offered the opportunity to choose carry-out, which did not have a line at all.

The menu has the standard Tex-Mex options, such as burritos, enchiladas and fajitas. Being adventurous, I opted for the Pork Barbacoa Burrito, one of their award-winning items, while my mom ordered a grilled chicken breast burrito. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the burritos finally arrived. Unbeknownst to us, my mom’s burrito was made in the Café Rio style, which involves coating both the inside and outside of the flour tortilla with cheese and adding a sweet and tangy onion sauce. My mom and I agreed that the cheese and onion sauce were excessive and neither of us finished our burritos.

But at least we could wash down the food with some satisfying lemonade. They offer three flavors of lemonade: mint lemonade, strawberry lemonade and southwestern lemonade, which is the worst, tasting like an excessively sugary fruit punch. The strawberry lemonade was average with a fruity but tangy taste like that of natural strawberries. However, the best lemonade of the bunch is the addictive mint lemonade with tiny flecks of mint.

Café Rio’s food offerings don’t stand out from the burritos and quesadillas offered at Chipotle and California Tortilla. Especially considering that, for my taste, Chipotle’s food is delicious, and Café Rio’s, not so much. Even so, the youthful ambiance makes up for the unsatisfying food. For a great place to hang out and have fun with friends, Café Rio is the place to be, but for great food, you should probably stick to Chipotle.