Great food, wine and service. Worth checking out if you are in the area or after you are done with a hike close by.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lawyerpoet
I've been going to the Rio Grill when the 1/2 smoked chicken was $10 (now $32 and still worth every penny). Kelly was our server, and was an excellent, thoughtful, and polite. We look forward to returning soon. Thank you.
Carly
Delicious brunch menu. Had the avocado toast special with poached eggs and chicken vegetable noodle soup. Eggs perfectly poached. Crunchy toast. Very tasty soup filled with chicken and vegetables. Both just yummy. Ended the meal with the lemon meringue tart. Always the best. Our server was polite, efficient, and non intrusive. Can't wait to return.
DavidW
We have been going to Rio Grill for almost 30 years. Many things have changed over that time , but it remains excellent with ongoing menu updates and ownership changes. Great food, service and bar, as always.
Peninsulalien
I felt we spent too much for the quality of food we received. The carpaccio should of been labeled as a salad since that what it pretty much what it was. The focus was all the leafy greens covering up how little your are getting of the thinly sliced beef. Calamari was rubbery and chewy. Sadly the tourist traps on the wharf and Cannery row would be comparable. Venison tenderloin was very under seasoned and just tasted of grill markings. I had to leave the parts that I could not chew due to how under cooked it was. It was probably too cold when it got seared on the grill. Over cooked on the outside and under cooked on the inside. Sauce had a weird bitter taste that just intensified the seared flavor. My child's rib dinner was very tough meat. I couldn't believe that a chef checked the ribs and was like yeah that is okay. The
Gary G.
They do not have any outdoor dog friendly seating even though they state they do. We can't review the food because we could not get inside!
EricC
One of the best things about Rio Grill is, it is consistently wonderful. The menu changes seasonally and has great options. The bar is great. The bar also has a fireplace in it going on cold days. Wonderful Restaurant! Plenty of free parking. 
Natasha
I've been a customer of Rio Grill for over 20 years. Excellent and super friendly service. The Dungeness crab Louie salad was lackluster. with cheap ice berg lettuce cut in huge chunks and piled up to disguise the small portion of crab. Underneath , thinly sliced red cabbage and carrots that looked like they were straight out a grocery store. It was just okay and to be honest a disappointment compared to other dishes I've had.
Geneo
The service, the food, the ambience everything was excellent! Our reservation was for 6 and we were seated promptly at 6 even though the restaurant was very busy on Valentines day! The manager was kind and made sure our dining experience was top notch
XavierC
If you serve your homemade pickles, they should not look like albino anchovies. They should look like pickles and should be identified on your menu. Salads were great but should be carefully screen as the root of the salad was still in the mix. Other than we still had a enjoyable dinner at your restaurant, one which we have dined at many times.
First time we've been to this restaurant and we're sorry it took us so long. The service was exceptional, the food was outstanding. I had the venison which was so tender and delicious I believe I would have it again and again. My wife had the scallops which was just as tasty. We also shared a wedge salad. Nice wine list and a great atmosphere for dining. We highly recommend visiting this establishment for fine dining, excellent service and a great venue.
John R.
Well well so many great things to say about Rio one of our favorite memories was levi conversation (bartender) from the great drinks to unexpected heartfelt conversations he shared with me and my partner. On top of the food being great,peaceful environment &the service was definitely top tier. Thank you Rio and a special thank you to Levi!!
Pamela N.
My go-to in Carmel for a sure thing if you're looking for great food and fun! Nice bar and menu, easy parking.
Food and service were great and the artichoke was superb although it has gotten expensive. We have been eating at Rio Grill for years when we lived in the San Francisco Bay area. We now live in Scottsdale Arizona and we still eat at Rio Grill when we come back to the Carmel area.
Alex L.
We recently went to Carmel and when arriving decided to get some lunch. We stopped at the Rio Grill as they were just opening, so we were quickly sat. Server was friendly, we ordered the Charred Romaine Heart with chicken and the Works Burger with Fries. My wife really really liked the chicken with her salad, so much that she ate the chicken basically by itself lol. She liked the dressing as well, but did have to ask for a bit more. I really enjoyed my burger, perfectly cooked as asked, tons of flavor with onions and mushrooms. My wife also ordered a Mocktail, the No-Jito, she loved it. Atmosphere was great, place super clean, service was great and fast. Definitely will be here again when we pass through.
Great food, wine and service. Worth checking out if you are in the area or after you are done with a hike close by.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I've been going to the Rio Grill when the 1/2 smoked chicken was $10 (now $32 and still worth every penny). Kelly was our server, and was an excellent, thoughtful, and polite. We look forward to returning soon. Thank you.
Delicious brunch menu. Had the avocado toast special with poached eggs and chicken vegetable noodle soup. Eggs perfectly poached. Crunchy toast. Very tasty soup filled with chicken and vegetables. Both just yummy. Ended the meal with the lemon meringue tart. Always the best. Our server was polite, efficient, and non intrusive. Can't wait to return.
We have been going to Rio Grill for almost 30 years. Many things have changed over that time , but it remains excellent with ongoing menu updates and ownership changes. Great food, service and bar, as always.
I felt we spent too much for the quality of food we received. The carpaccio should of been labeled as a salad since that what it pretty much what it was. The focus was all the leafy greens covering up how little your are getting of the thinly sliced beef. Calamari was rubbery and chewy. Sadly the tourist traps on the wharf and Cannery row would be comparable. Venison tenderloin was very under seasoned and just tasted of grill markings. I had to leave the parts that I could not chew due to how under cooked it was. It was probably too cold when it got seared on the grill. Over cooked on the outside and under cooked on the inside. Sauce had a weird bitter taste that just intensified the seared flavor. My child's rib dinner was very tough meat. I couldn't believe that a chef checked the ribs and was like yeah that is okay. The
They do not have any outdoor dog friendly seating even though they state they do. We can't review the food because we could not get inside!
One of the best things about Rio Grill is, it is consistently wonderful. The menu changes seasonally and has great options. The bar is great. The bar also has a fireplace in it going on cold days. Wonderful Restaurant! Plenty of free parking. 
I've been a customer of Rio Grill for over 20 years. Excellent and super friendly service. The Dungeness crab Louie salad was lackluster. with cheap ice berg lettuce cut in huge chunks and piled up to disguise the small portion of crab. Underneath , thinly sliced red cabbage and carrots that looked like they were straight out a grocery store. It was just okay and to be honest a disappointment compared to other dishes I've had.
The service, the food, the ambience everything was excellent! Our reservation was for 6 and we were seated promptly at 6 even though the restaurant was very busy on Valentines day! The manager was kind and made sure our dining experience was top notch
If you serve your homemade pickles, they should not look like albino anchovies. They should look like pickles and should be identified on your menu. Salads were great but should be carefully screen as the root of the salad was still in the mix. Other than we still had a enjoyable dinner at your restaurant, one which we have dined at many times.
Restaurantji Recommends
First time we've been to this restaurant and we're sorry it took us so long. The service was exceptional, the food was outstanding. I had the venison which was so tender and delicious I believe I would have it again and again. My wife had the scallops which was just as tasty. We also shared a wedge salad. Nice wine list and a great atmosphere for dining. We highly recommend visiting this establishment for fine dining, excellent service and a great venue.
Well well so many great things to say about Rio one of our favorite memories was levi conversation (bartender) from the great drinks to unexpected heartfelt conversations he shared with me and my partner. On top of the food being great,peaceful environment &the service was definitely top tier. Thank you Rio and a special thank you to Levi!!
My go-to in Carmel for a sure thing if you're looking for great food and fun! Nice bar and menu, easy parking.
Food and service were great and the artichoke was superb although it has gotten expensive. We have been eating at Rio Grill for years when we lived in the San Francisco Bay area. We now live in Scottsdale Arizona and we still eat at Rio Grill when we come back to the Carmel area.
We recently went to Carmel and when arriving decided to get some lunch. We stopped at the Rio Grill as they were just opening, so we were quickly sat. Server was friendly, we ordered the Charred Romaine Heart with chicken and the Works Burger with Fries. My wife really really liked the chicken with her salad, so much that she ate the chicken basically by itself lol. She liked the dressing as well, but did have to ask for a bit more. I really enjoyed my burger, perfectly cooked as asked, tons of flavor with onions and mushrooms. My wife also ordered a Mocktail, the No-Jito, she loved it. Atmosphere was great, place super clean, service was great and fast. Definitely will be here again when we pass through.