Our Cafe Rio Copycat Recipes have been a huge hit, so we thought we would compile them ALL in one post! Our salad, beans, rice, soup, burritos and more!
Cafe Rio Copycat Recipes
Here they are! All our Cafe Rio copycat recipes all in one easy to find post! You will find quite a few Cafe Rio copycat recipes floating around out there, however, we are proud to be the home of the ORIGINAL Copycat Cafe Rio Recipes (If there is such a thing as an “original” copycat. I guess that’s kind of an oxymoron). When I first posted the sweet pork recipe back in 2007 I couldn’t find a copycat recipe anywhere (at least one that looked somewhat accurate)! So, I created my own. Eventually we started coming up with more and more recipes until we got ourselves quite the collection.
What is Cafe Rio
Before I get ahead of myself, for those of you who have never heard of Cafe Rio allow me to elaborate. Cafe Rio is a quick-serve Mexican grill where you can create your own burritos, salads, enchiladas, and more. It is similar to Chipotle but served enchilada style (not wrapped in foil and hand-held).
Meats
Most of the menu items at Cafe Rio or Costa Vida begin with some kind of meat. Your meat choices consist of sweet pork, shredded chicken, grilled chicken, shredded beef, or grilled steak. The most popular meat at Cafe Rio is the shredded sweet pork. This is made with enchilada sauce, brown sugar, and Coca Cola. 
Our Mexican Shredded Beef is very similar to the shredded beef the serve at Cafe Rio. In fact, we like our recipe better because it has more flavor. Any time we make Cafe Rio recipes using the shredded beef we will use this recipe.
You can find our Cafe Rio Shredded Chicken recipe in our first cookbook but we will be adding it soon to the website! Keep an eye out for it!
Cafe Rio Burrito
Cafe Rio burritos (click HERE for full recipe) are made with a giant homemade tortilla and served with lettuce and pico de gallo. They are filled with:
- Your favorite meat (see above)
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Black beans or pinto beans
- Enchilada sauce (red, medium green, or mild green)
- Mexican blend shredded cheese
Once your burrito is assembled, you can make it “enchilada style” by adding more enchilada sauce, topping it with more cheese, and heating in the oven until the cheese is melted. Add shredded lettuce and pico de gallo to the side and you are ready to go!
Cafe Rio Salad
Cafe Rio Salads (click HERE for full salad recipe) also start with a large tortilla. Add a little cheese to the tortilla and place in the oven until cheese melts. Then add:
- You favorite meat (see above)
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Black beans or pinto beans
- Chopped green or Romaine lettuce
- Guacamole
- Pico de Gallo
- Tortilla Strips
- Cotija cheese
- Cilantro and lime wedge (for garnish)
- Dressing: Tomatillo Ranch or Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Enchiladas
If you are making enchiladas for your family, it is more practical to make enchiladas family-style. We just call them Family Style Burritos. You can assemble a bunch at once and then serve! This is our favorite way of making them. If you are wanting to stay authentic to Cafe Rio, you can make them individually by assembling them with your favorite meat, enchilada sauce, and cheese wrapped in a flour enchilada-sized tortilla. The beans and rice are served on the side along with lettuce and pico de gallo.
Tacos
The tacos are served with your favorite meat in a small flour tortilla and topped with lettuce, pico, and cheese. The rice and beans are served on the side. You can order (or make) these with softened corn tortillas as well.
Cafe Rio Soup
The tortilla soup at Cafe Rio is one of my very favorite soups EVER (full recipe here)! It is so easy to make! You just get a bowl and add:
- shredded chicken
- pico del gallo
- guacamole (or avocado)
- pinto beans
- cheese
- seasoned chicken broth
- tortilla strips
- cilantro and lime (for garnish)
If you can’t find the recipes here on our site try looking in our first COOKBOOK [HERE].
Here are the recipes you will find:
Cafe Rio Pinto Beans
Medium Enchilada Sauce
Cafe Rio Chicken Enchiladas
Cafe Rio Shredded Chicken
