ALL Your Favorite Cafe Rio Recipes IN ONE PLACE!

I decided, so it could be easier for both you and I, to put all these great Cafe-Rio inspired recipes in one place! I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as my family does!

CAFE RIO SWEET PORK

CAFE RIO SWEET PORK
recipe from: “One Good Thing” By Jilliee

2 pounds pork roast2 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso and I used only 3/4 of can)
1 c. brown sugar

 

Put the pork in a reclosable bag to marinate, pour in one of the cans of Coke and 1/2 c. brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight. (I’ve done both…they both work.)Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of Coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours. Remove pork from crock pot, drain off liquid, shred pork.Mix together (in a bowl or in the blender) other 1/2 can of Coke, can of chiles, enchilada sauce and brown sugar.Put shredded pork back in the crock pot, cover with sauce, heat just until warmed through.

 

 

CAFE RIO CHICKEN

CAFE RIO CHICKEN
found recipe at: Mandy’s Recipe Box

2 lbs chicken breasts
1/2 a small bottle of zesty Italian dressing
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 pkt ranch dressing mix (mixed with 1/2 cup of water)
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin

 

Place all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on High 5-6 hours OR on Low 8 hours. Shred with fork and serve in salads, burritos, tacos…etc. You can also double or triple this to make extras for freezing. Then simply thaw and reheat for a fast and delicious meal.

 

 

CAFE RIO LIME CILANTRO RICE

CAFE RIO’S LIME CILANTRO RICE
recipe from: The Girl Who Ate Everything

2 Tb. Butter pepper to taste
1 ¼ cup rice (I used long grain)
juice and zest from 1 large or 2 small limes
2 ¼ cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cumin

In a skillet melt butter with rice.Add liquid, and other ingredients.Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is done.

GUACAMOLE

GUACAMOLE

3 medium avocados, halved
1 lime, juiced
1/3 cup onion, minced
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
1/4 cup of your favorite salsa, (or diced up tomatoes)
kosher salt and fresh pepper

Slice avocados in half and take out the pit. Scrape out the pulp from the avocados in a medium bowl and slightly mash with a fork or a potato masher leaving some large chunks. Add lime juice, salt, pepper, cilantro, salsa/tomato and onion and stir to mix thoroughly.

PICO DE GALLO

PICO DE GALLO

4-5 plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 of a sweet onion, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
juice from 1 large lime
1-2 jalapenos (optional-just adds some extra spice), chopped

Mix ingredients together and enjoy!

CAFE RIO CREAMY TOMATILLO DRESSING

CAFE RIO’S CREAMY TOMATILLO DRESSING
recipe from: A Mommy’s Life with a Touch of Yellow

1 packet of buttermilk ranch dressing
1 Cup mayo
1 Cup buttermilk (the smallest carton is perfect)
1 bunch of cilantro
2 tomatillos, husked
1 jalapeno (take the rib and seeds out)
Garlic powder (just a few shakes)
juice from 1 lime

Blend mayo, dressing mix, buttermilk, and garlic in a blender until blended and smoothDice up tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro and place in the blender.Juice up the lime and add that to the blender.Blend up all ingredients until smooth and creamy.Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

To make your salad Cafe Rio Style you will need:(any are optional of course)

Flour tortilla
shredded cheddar cheese
Lime cilantro rice
Black or Pinto Beans (I tend to prefer black beans in my salad, my picture below is with pinto because I was out)
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork or Chicken
Romaine lettuce
Pico de Gallo
Avacado or Guacamole
Parmesan Cheese
Tortilla strips (Or crumbled tortilla chips)
Cafe Rio’s Tomatillo Dressing

For those that either haven’t been or haven’t heard of Cafe Rio, Here is how they layer and make their yummy salads!…

ENJOY!

This is my all-time favorite salad! It is DELICIOUS!

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Comments

  1. Carla

    Thanks this will be helpful. I don't have a Cafe Rio where I live so this will be helpful. I love all your recipes.

  2. like mother like daughter

    Oh my gosh, this all sounds so great! I love cafe rio, but the lines and the prices keep us from going often. I've got my own version of the pork, but I need to try the cilantro lime rice and the tomatillo dressing to make the salad. MMMMM!lmld.org

  3. Z

    oh, wow. Thank you! Having them all together on one post means I can hit "print" and stick them straight into my cookbook.By the way, thanks for your hard work and recipes--you've saved dinner at my house on countless occasions!

  4. Jeannine

    Delicious! ...Made the chicken this weekend and brought leftovers for lunch today. Thought one of my co-worker's was going to nab it from me! (I named the dish I made, "Cafe Rio Chicken Inside and Out" :).

  5. Artsy VaVa

    Thanks! Pinning this post! I made the Cafe Rio chicken and my family loved it!!!

  6. Bonnie and Trish @ Uncommon

    I have never heard of Cafe Rio, but it looks like it has fabulous food! Will have to try out some of these recipes! Thanks for sharing!Take care, Trish

  7. Jeff

    This is great! Thanks! Does anyone know the recipe for Cafe Rio's Salsa Fresca?

  8. Marie

    Thank you for posting these delicious Café Rio recipes! I absolutely love Cafe Rio's food, especially the sweet pork and these recipes are amazing. I made pork salads last night and they were so delicious and tasted just like the real thing. Thanks again for sharing!

  9. Debbie

    Thank You! We made this for lunch today, and it was amazing. We left Provo two years ago, and I have been craving Cafe Rio ever since!

  10. Lindsey

    For more authentic Cafe Rio cheese, use cotija instead of parmesan.

  11. Renee

    I made the chicken salads for dinner tonight and they were fabulous. We are adding them to the dinner rotation. I used tostada shells instead of flour tortillas and it turned out great. The tomatillo ranch is fantastic and so worth the extra step. Thanks for putting all these recipes in one place!

  12. michelle

    do you use red or green enchilada sauce in your pork? it just says el paso brand.
    thanks

  13. lori bird

    thank you so much for posting these recipes! they're all easy and taste really good :)

  14. Crysta

    Thank u so much I loved going to cafe rio then I moved to California I think I miss this the most

  15. Jessica

    They combine pico de gallo with their guacamole just before serving. Seen them do it right in front of me.

  16. Carmen

    I used to be a cook at cafe tip and those are not even close to the real recipes the rice has salsa verde in it

    1. Kristin

      Carmen,
      Can you help us with the quest recipe from Cafe Rio?

  17. Demi

    I made the pork and dressing, sadly the dressing was average at best. The pork was pretty good and kind of close to the original... I'll try another dressing recipe next time.

    1. Sharon

      I know what you mean about the dressing. Next time try it with out the tomatillos. That's how I usually make it and it seams to turn out a little better in my opinion. Hope this helps.

  18. Jaime

    I have never eaten at Cafe Rio but have seen the recipes all around the blogosphere and have always wanted to try it. Well, last night I made your posting of the chicken and holy craziness- it's DELICIOUS!!!!!

  19. Sharon

    This is so perfect! It is almost an exact replica of the real thing. We made this for my cousins family tonight. Her husband just passed away in a tragic accident and they are all in great need of comfort. We made enough for 10 people which would have cost a fortune to buy at Cafe Rio. Anyway, they loved it! It was the perfect comfort food. Of course we made enough for ourselves, and I have to say I am so satisfied to be able to make this meal whenever I want. This is my favorite salad! Thank you so much for This recipe!!! I will definitely make this many times again! 5 STARS!

  20. Amie

    And don't forget the...
    Cilantro Vinaigrette!--(an optional topping to the buttermilk one)

    ¼ cup Vinegar
    ½ cup Canola Oil
    ¼ cup fresh Lime juice

    1/3 of a can of diced Green Chiles

    1 Garlic clove

    ½ cup fresh Cilantro

    1 tsp. Salt

    3 tsp. Sugar

    Pinch of Cumin

    Pepper to taste

    --Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate. Stir before serving.

  21. Chris

    I found your Cafe Rio Salad recipes while looking for a recipe for a salad to add to a build your own taco and margarita party. It looks delicious. How did you prepare the flour tortillas and how do you suggest I take them with me? It seems like they would be very fragile. What do you think of quartering them and layering them in a dish after they are prepared? Should they be warmed up before serving? Thanks for sharing your recipes.

  22. Kendra

    Made the pork and lime rice tonight and they were both delicious! And a nice pairing, too :) I subbed the long grain white rice for brown rice and it still came out amazing!

  23. brian

    Not even close to the actual recipies

  24. Merlin

    Woohoo! I made your CAFE RIO SWEET PORK recipe last night with about 12 pounds of meat. It tasted just like I remember it from the restaurant. I pressure canned about 6 quarts of the recipe.
    Hey brian - use coke instead of coors.

  25. Carol

    Do you have a recipe for the queso? A worker told me it has cheese, butter , pico and salsa. What kind of cheese and quantities needed I don't know, I'm hoping someone does!

  26. Mrs. Kaiya Yancey

    5

    This website help me very much with all these fantastic recipes. I actually used most of the famous " Cafe Rio" recipes for my birthday party. Its very easy and no hassle to make things home made, rather than spend like $200 for them to cater.

  27. Anna

    How many servings would you say these recipes make?

  28. Kitty Harris

    Do you have the receipe for the poppy dressing?