During my birthday week this year I wanted to go somewhere special for Taco Tuesday since I absolutely love Mexican food. My friend talked up this restaurant in Canandaigua that he had been to a few times for cheap, yummy Tex-Mex food and I was dying to try it. From what I could tell, Rio Tomatlan doesn't have any food specials for Taco Tuesday like some of my other favorites, Bitter Honey or Silver Iguana, but they did have some cute drink specials for the day, such as a Pomegranate Negroni made with local Honeoye Falls Distilling Devil's Bathtub Gin, and the food was so inexpensive anyway that it was 100% worth the trip. According to their website, they also import many of their ingredients directly from Mexico to make sure they get the right flavor and feel in their menu items. However, they claim that their produce specifically is locally sourced where possible.
There was a little wait when we arrived which showed just how much Taco Tuesday is a growing weekly outing for families. My friend and I took a seat at the bar and ordered a couple of Modelo beers while we waited. The atmosphere had a very colorful, Mexicano flare that reminded me of the inside of La Casa in the South Wedge. Speaking of families, compared to the inner city of Rochester, there were a lot more families with children at the restaurant. Once we were seated at a small table and chairs near the bar, we quickly noticed that we were surrounded by children running around. There were other places in the restaurant to sit and eat; I might have preferred to sit in the room next to us which had booths that may have deterred any wandering children from getting up out of their seats as much - a suggestion I would make to any parents with squirmy children to help keep them seated.
The menu was definitely a beauty to behold. While not completely focused on the handheld tacos themselves, Rio Tomatlan seemed to have more of a focus on more indulgent Mexican cuisine while still at a fantastic price. For example, most enchiladas and quesadillas plates were under $10, and many of the seafood options were under $15. If you can't decide and want a little of everything, you can even order from the "Variados" menu which pairs a taste of some menu items together as a mixed plate.
I have been toying with the idea of making enchiladas verdes at home but had never tried it myself, so I decided to go with Rio's own version for $8 with chicken rolled into three corn tortillas with onions and cilantro, topped with a red guajillo pepper sauce, romaine, pickled cabbage, crema Mexicana, and cotija cheese. If you are a fan of cheese, you would love this dish - the crema was so light and tangy and the chicken and cheese stuffed inside the tortillas were just oozing with flavor. The romaine gave it a somewhat taco salad-type vibe, while the pickled cabbage just added on another layer of sweet and sour to a fantastic palate. I felt very full afterwards which was great for the price. I am definitely making this at home now!
My friend ordered the Tamales del Dia which was different than his usual order of a plate of tacos. The dish consisted of corn masa dough steamed in a corn husked filled with chef’s choice of chicken or pork served with our chile de arbol sauce and jalapeño tomatillo sauce, and it looked simply breathtaking as well. For a unique dish, the price of $9 seemed right on par with what I would have paid and with the amount of food they gave him, as well. We would have probably stayed for another drink but since the restaurant was quite busy, the waiter was difficult to get a hold of and we sort of just wanted to escape the children dancing about. Again, I think that it was simply the layout of the dining area we were in, and had we sat somewhere else it wouldn't have been an issue.
All in all, I would definitely recommend to anyone to try the food at Rio Tomatlan. I have noticed lately that they have branched out at different festivals in the inner city, I saw them at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival partnering with Nagle's Observance with an adorable taco cart. Whether you are coming back from the lake or the mountain, be sure to hit up Rio Tomatlan for some tacos you won't forget. I still can taste that cheesy enchilada to this day and can't wait to return to try something new and exciting.
Rio Tomatlan is located at 106 Bemis Street in Canandaigua, NY and is open Tuesday through Saturday until 10pm and Sunday until 9pm. You can follow them on their Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! Thank you for reading my restaurant review, keep an eye out for more articles like this by following my Twitter or my Instagram for post updates!
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