Café Rio

The place was closed on Friday, May 2 at 7:30pm. Even though they have posted hours on both google maps and in their window. Maybe that's being Berkeley, they still celebrated May Day.

OVERCHARGED me. I wish I had seen the reviews below before going, because I would have asked for receipt. Their menu says $5.9 for cream cheese bagel. With 10.25% tax, it should be $6.5 for my to-go order, but they did not use a software to calculate taxes and just charged me $7.85. I even asked to clarify but they were vague about it. It's not a good business practice.

FRAUD! HECK NO! I paid $16 for a croissant and an Italian soda. When a asked for a receipt after I ate, the price came to $13.83. WHAT??? I'm so confused. FRAUD ALERT! FRAUD ALERT! FRAUD ALERT! It's $1.75 for cheese and $1.75 Avocado; I was willing, about there was barely any avocado on it. Too bad ZERO stars isn't an option. CHECK YOUR RECEIPT!! The man in the below picture was terrible and has terrible customer service! Also, why wear a mask if you're gonna wear it on your chin?? Not wearing the mask properly which is beyond me🙄

The owners are so sweet and friendly, the coffee is fresh, and my bacon egg sandwich was simple and great

Horrible! Ordered a cheeseburger with no bun. As I waited, I heard a microwave warming and was praying that it wasn’t my burger. When I got my burger , It was a dried thin overheated patty with no cheese and some old lettuce, in which I was charged $11 for. I asked him where was the cheese, he threw a cold piece of chese on it and didn’t even bother to melt it, Then when I asked him to melt it , he melted it in the same microwave that he made my burger. This was horrible , took one piece and almost threw up! I did even bother to argue, I just politely took the burger , said they can have $13 in total I spent and told myself that I would never , and I mean NEVER EVER return ! I don’t even write reviews, but it was no way I could LET THIS SLIDE!! I Pray they see this too !!

I asked the employee if I could purchase a cup of hot water, and he said he couldn’t sell it to me. I then noticed they sold tea and asked if I could buy a tea—just without the tea bag. He agreed, but then charged me $4 for what was essentially a cup of hot water. That kind of customer service is disappointing and not justifiable. Hence, the 1-star rating.

This is a hidden gem family business! Sara and Roy are absolutely amazing. Friendly, kind, and always make sure I’ve got everything I need when I work and eat there. You MUST try to the BLT breakfast sandwich if you’re there for breakfast. And hot pastrami for lunch. Thank me later. And they are fast!

I love this little place! The couple who own/run it are incredibly sweet (it feels like popping in to see my grandparents!), and they have a great variety of breakfast and lunch foods, drinks, and snacks. Perfect hole-in-the-wall to grab a bite on the way in or to take a lunch break. *** Google's description is off, it is not Mexican food focused. I don't believe they make or sell tortillas, and most of the food is not self-serve***

I like visiting the town of berkeley..I'm older now...eventually ...nice here..sunny...nice town...walkable...Bart...u pay for transportation and library card..taxes...it's nice and drink soda and snacks...fun place near the college...for me an asian girl..I'm older though

If you're looking for something nearly akin to a bodega this is worth checking out, wide assortment of drinks in the fridge and a tasty sandwich selection. The owner is always super sweet and quick with orders! I love the croissant sandwiches!!

Food: 6./10 Bagel is not memorable but what carried was the EGG. It was so fluffy, flavorful, tender, and not dry at all and very delicious and wholesome. Unfortunately, the cucumber was not fresh at all and seemed like it had been frozen. It also did not feel the most sanitary as everything was placed on a thin parchment paper that was soaking through with liquid Im assuming from the egg? Ambience/service: 8/10 Very cozy and vintage vibe. There is a big selection of drinks and even an ice cream selection! The man who helped me that day was very kind as well, although I was very confused by the high price of the bagel and felt the menus prices did not match it..

The service at Cafe Rio is so warm and welcoming. The owners are friendly locals and very nice to us every time we visit. I would recommend the espresso selection, the doppio, and machiato if you're in for caffeine. These are just two choices in a cafe with lots of options.

I stopped by cafe rio for a smoothie. I got their cafe rio special and placed my order through snackpass. The order was ready really fast. This was my first time visiting this establishment and Im glad I made the choice to stop by. The inside is very clean and has seating. The family who works the place is super sweet. The smoothie was also incredible! You can really taste the flavors of the different fruits that go into the smoothie (which isn't always the case with smoothies as some fruits tend to overpower). They got the ratios down well! I will definitely be coming back here for smoothies. I hope to try some of their food items in the future as well. Oh! And it was really affordable! Win!

I am staying across the street at the residence Inn and pleased to find café Rio for breakfast and a latte at a convenience.

I come here quite often to study, it's cozy, has good coffee and a wide variety of food options too. Definitely worth a visit if you are looking for a chill place to get some work done. Friendly service.

they messed up our order and charged us 75$ for a 40$ meal. i am very understanding but this was difficult. they were rude and demanded we paid extra for something we didn't order. there was hair in our food and it wasn't any of ours. disappointed.

This was one of my favorites places to eat a small meal for two years, but now it is closed due to the new building on Center Street. I hope it opens in a new location.

The guy took my card and ran it through his scanner. He didn't present me with a tip option, so I threw some cash in the jar. Only later, when I looked at my email receipt, did I find out he'd rounded up the total a few bucks and then given himself a 30% tip. And the food? Perfectly fine. I just didn't like being tricked with the money stuff

I liked the atmosphere, and as a Hispanic it was a bit comforting being around my culture. Wanted to try a coffee to see how it was. Ordered a latte and this is when I started disliking the place. I looked at the price of my order which was 4.75 and dude looks up at the menu to see the price and mistakes it for the mocha latte for 5 bucks. I know it's a literal quarter but still, dawg you litterally work there get the pricing right. Then I didn't hear him when he pointed at the sugars to put in my coffee and thought he was just pointing at the tip jar. I left, tried the coffee and it was bitter. I must be spoiled or something, guess I got to used to Starbucks making my lattes with sugar. But dude charged me 5 bucks for a small milk and coffee. Like dude fr, least you could do is put some sugar in my drink.

We stopped by because my nephew was hungry. He read a sign in the café that said "Good food" and he continued by saying, "That's true!" Haha! The sausage egg and cheese sandwich was pretty good, reminded me of a breakfast sandwich in nyc. The owner was delightful and helpful. Thank you for making our Saturday morning even better.

This place was very low quality. I ordered a 7 dollar soup, and got half a can of off-brand chicken soup, heated up in the microwave. I also ordered a BLT, and the bacon was burned. Also way too much mayo. The only good point is that its pretty cheap, but the reason is that they don't actually make the food, they just heat up off brand instant foods. The staff is also rude.

Cafe Rio.. I wish the title would stand up to it's name. Am not saying I will never go back here but it's shame that the really sweet husband and wife haven't figured out why they aren't busier. Maybe the should read their Yelp reviews..{wink wink} The place is huge and they have a variety of breakfast and lunch sandwiches to your hearts content. Although the prices are quite high for a Mom & Pop cafe, they do have great service. They offer free WiFi and really comfortable chairs to relax in. And they have the most beverages I have ever seen. You name- they got it! I ordered an egg salad sandwich. By the time I grabbed a bag of chips and decided upon a drink, my lunch was ready. That's great and all, but do I get to pick my bread or let you know which condiments am allergic too? Guess not.. I should of been more specific when I placed my order.. Not sure how I ended up spending $9.75 but I did enjoy the chair I parked my butt in as I write this Yelp review!

Very friendly staff! I paid $8.99 for an Iced Vanilla Latte & Avocado Toast. Everything was yummy, thank you!

TL;DR super nice mom and pop shop PLUSES: + friendly staff + latte (3/5)- not burnt, but bitter + huge variety of drinks + free wifi + lightning fast service

It's okay. Looks cool on the outside but food and atmosphere are mediocre. Like everything in the area, pricy. Only go if you know Spanish or ordering will be impossible.

I almost don't want people to know about this hidden gem! This is the place for a reasonably priced and yummy coffee or sandwich in Berkeley. They have amazing vegan options with no sugar added to the soy/almond/oat milks. They sell real food and it's family run. Much love!

Came into this place as we wanted a change from Peet's and immediately regretted it. I ordered the house blend which was admittedly the cheapest coffee on the menu but was saddened to see it come from a ready made, coffee dispenser. The coffee came out quite cold and I considered asking them to microwave it for me. This should not be the case. That being said, there was a nice, quaint ambiance to the cafe and I appreciated it's simplicity. The service was very quick also. They would benefit from making the front desk a lot simpler by losing all of the tacky shit like the confectionary and chewing gum. If they are a cafe as they claim to be, why does it look like a 7-11? Could not recommend until these faults are amended.

Try and avoid this place at all costs. Just got served a cold latte (if you could even call it that) in a dirty cup for $4.65. Basically consisted of watered down cold coffee with slightly warm milk. Really disappointing and the whole place seems really dirty. I don't usually post bad reviews but sometimes people need to be informed so they dont make the same mistake by entering this establishment.

Stopped in this little cafe while on the way to my brothers Berkeley graduation and found it to be a wonderful pit stop! We ordered 3 mochas, 1 latte, and 3 breakfast sandwiches with a bagel and cream cheese. We had a tall order but the older woman who helped us was sweet and got all of our order in and prepared perfectly completely by herself. The mochas were rich and indulgent while the breakfast sandwiches had perfect flaky croissants, my only wish is that I had ordered cheese on mine! Overall, great spot to stop in, but be ready to wait a little for your food if you have a big order or have a line ahead of you.

Love this family-run cafe so much. Been here many times, get the hot pastrami sandwich or BLT. Both are amazing. super clean & decent prices. Always good service when I go!

Cafe Rio has moved one door to the west; its address is now 2146 Center Street. The new location is more open and generally much nicer than its old iteration, and whereas I never saw anyone sitting at the old Cafe Rio's tables, both times I've stopped by here I've seen people actually sitting down--and enjoying themselves? So why am I knocking them down a star? It's nothing personal, really, but $2 for a twenty-ounce soda is a ripoff. I'm not saying I refuse to be ripped off, but I refuse to be ripped off by a five-star entity. The drink selection at the old location was better (they had more coolers), but I get the impression they're still getting used to their new space. The owners were also less friendly than normal both times I came, but maybe they're nervous about having spent all this money to upgrade. UPDATE: 11/26/10 =============== I'm bumping Cafe Rio back up to five stars because they've slightly lowered their soda prices--and because everyone else has raised their soda prices. The owners have also settled down nicely in their new digs. Unfortunately, a new breakfast place has opened up next door in their old location, but for some reason, I have faith that Cafe Rio will survive. Oh, and if you buy something, even just a soda, they'll let you sit at one of the tables and work on crossword puzzles until it's late enough that you're not too early for work.

This place is super underrated. Food is delicious but also the cafe owners are the nicest people in Berkeley. They deserve more love and much more customers.

For the modern age foodie, this place probably wouldn't satisfy your cravings. I ordered the sausage egg croissant: the egg was a microwaved scramble; the sausage was generic, prepackaged, frozen and reheated; the croissant was toasted. My overall impression of the breakfast croissant was maybe a little bit under-seasoned but not disappointing. What I expected for the price point. The ambiance of the restaurant I am a fan of! It has the mom and pa vibe and the owner seems very nice and sweet. They have wifi and outlets and comfortable seating, it is also close to campus so I can definitely seeing myself grabbing a seat here; Starbucks is too crowded.

Cafe Rio is a modern looking cafe with average food/drink/snack offerings. eats: lunch special (smoked ham sandwich w/coffee, 5.99) -or chips, water, soda, other options too -ham didn't taste smoked, just 3 thin slices -regular mayo, lettuce, tomato , dressing on cold bread. -coffee average. -just ok, filling. \ crumbs" -smiling service -ok value, ala carte would be pricey. -snacks, sodas, expresso also available.

I think if Starbucks wasn't so jam-packed, I wouldn't have ended up at this cafe. The pros would be that this place was super empty with a decent amount of outlets. The owners are pretty friendly. The bathroom is not nasty considering it's unisex. Oh they sell lotto tickets and scratchers here, not many but a few. Onward to the cons? They do have wi-fi here for free, but very weak and spotty. Drinks here are not exactly worthy of their prices, Americano for $2.50 tasting like a regular house coffee. If I'm using Starbucks as minimum,then their coffee here is worse than Starbucks for the same price. Food here is overpriced considering how it's deli ham or turkey with Kraft American singles, unchopped veggies, canned soup heated up, etc. That's one hell of a premium to pay someone to serve me food out of a package. Bathroom is constantly out of seat covers, so learn how to make your toilet paper temp covers.

Such a great place to read, study, hang out or even come for a quick snack. It's now my go to! Has been for almost a year now. I love the owners, such a sweet couple! Love the hot food and drinks here. Also such a vast selection of cold beverages, candies and snacks. About time I posted a review! :)

Owner is very nice, their mochas are great and there's plenty of seating! I got a mushroom spinach & cheese egg sandwich which was very good and he even substituted caramel instead of chocolate into my mocha

The Honest Truth: Small sandwiches, more bread than meat, bread is dry, price is decent ($6) The Details: I needed a quick bite to eat before heading to class and I decided to stop here since it was on the way. I got my sandwich and headed off to class. When I decided to eat it, I was a little disappointed. There were only 3 flat slices of pastrami and the bread was pretty thick. The bread was also pretty dry, so the combination didn't make it very good. The price was decent (6 dollars including tax), but if you're near shattuck, there are a number of places that would give you better sandwiches... Sorry Cafe Rio!

Really nice mom and pop place. Got a breakfast sandwich and enjoyed it. Happy to support a local food place!

I don't know why but I have a soft spot for this place. They usually don't get much business and sure their menu items are so random and diverse that you get the sense they'll sell pretty much anything you can think of. So why do I continue to eat here? The owner. He always delivers the food to you with all the possible condiments you could ever want. He'll also ask you if you need anything and once in a while ask if the food was good. Also, if he sees you have a smart phone or a laptop he'll run over to give you the WiFi password. That's what I call quality service. They also have bottled drinks, packaged snacks, Costco muffins! It's kind of a convenience store merged with a small cafe. I recommend: -bagel with cream cheese (simple. classic. delicious) -veggie burger (surprisingly flavorful) I would avoid: -blended drinks or basically any of their drinks on the menu (overpriced and when you realize that Purple Kow and Starbucks are right next door you'll regret it) -pastries (you don't know how long it's been there) Other than that everything is decent tasting but it's their warm friendly service that has me returning for more!

Came here on a Saturday afternoon to drink some tea and do some reading. What a great place. The owners were really nice. I was the only person, so they changed the radio station to my liking. It does have several fridges with soft drinks and one with icecream which screws up the decor, but... there's wifi, wall plugs, a large menu of hot & cold sandwiches, hot & cold drinks, and both indoor and outdoor tables + a couch.

Quick service, decent coffee (and soy milk is available!). I came here on a Sunday morning, when almost everything else nearby was closed. All I ordered was a coffee, but the coffee was good, and they had soy milk. I'd rather spend my money at a small mom-and-pop store than the Starbucks that's just down the block from Cafe Rio.

This is my favorite to go place to work. The place is nice and quiet, and the owners are a cute couple that are very friendly. The wifi here is super fast, and the espressos are like a triple shot that get me going in the morning. If you need a place to hang out and do some work, not like the slow wifi at Starbucks, I highly recommend the place!

This cafe is SO overpriced! For less the the cost of a water, small bag of chips, and a donut you can go 15 feet down the street and get a huge slice of pizza! Also, one time I stopped by just to buy a small bag of Chex mix, and it was $3.00!!! The clerk there is never friendly anyway. Or perhaps I should be taking it personally? Perhaps he's only unfriendly toward ME? Doubtful.

What they sell is basically identical to any other cafe in the area, including People's Cafe, which I went to earlier in the month. However, the layout is more modern and clean. I generally liked the atmosphere, especially the pull-out chairs and table. The price is decent. I ordered a fruit shake (which was not that good) and a muffin (pretty good.)

Sweetest man working the counter! I ordered a veggie burger tonight on my way home from working in SF all weekend and wanted to split the payment between my card and the $10 bill I gave to him. After checking my bank statement after I got settled into my apartment, I saw that he charged me the total price instead of it without the $10. I was a little annoyed at first but I called the cafe to ask if I could have my dollar bill back and before I could even ask he said "I just noticed that you left it here, I owe you ten dollars, you can come pick it up whenever you like" because I guess he works there every day. A lot of negativity in the reviews, but maybe I'm just stoked that he didn't try to pocket it or accuse me of lying. I'll be back for another veggie burger (which hit the spot!!) and my ten dollars, lol.

Cafe Rio is cute and conveniently located, right on Center St. It's a great place for me to stop by for a quick breakfast especially since it's on the way from my bus stop to campus. I haven't tried anything on their menu aside from the spinach pie. It's huge - bigger than my face and only about $4 or $5...I don't remember the price. It's not the best spinach pie but it's cheap, satisfying, and filling, which is the perfect combination for a breakfast for someone who is on-the-go.

I'm kind of shocked that this place hasn't been reviewed yet. It's right on the path that everyone takes from BART to campus. I've only been there once, so the four star rating is the result of optimism and one really good experience. My day was off to a not-so-great start. I needed coffee and something substantial for breakfast. A lot of places near my office don't open till 8 AM, which is when I need to be at work. This place was on the way, so I ducked in, disoriented, hungry, and dying for coffee. I ordered egg and cheese on a bagel and a cup of coffee. I can't remember what I paid, but I think it was pretty cheap and the coffee came in a huge cup. It was also delicious - strong, but not bitter. My egg and cheese on wheat bagel was tasty and the man who made it seemed nice, friendly, and understanding of how hard it is to think when you need coffee. I definitely want to go back: they have lots of muffins, bagels, patries, etc. A surprising variety of options available and you can even dine in if you so desire. I wasn't paying attention when I went that morning but, according to Yelp, the place is also a deli. Don't know what their lunch is like yet, but breakfast is worth trying IMO. UPDATE: they have veg-friendly lunch options, always a plus.

I ordered a breakfast sandwich here -- menu listed a price of $3.25 and they tried to charge me $5.75... what the hell? I find it kind of hard to believe that was a mistake. If you get overcharged here, definitely speak up. That's not ok. Reading the reviews and seeing how completely empty this place was, I feel a little bad for the couple running Cafe Rio. They probably aren't making enough money, but it's still not ok to overcharge! If you want it to cost $5.75 fair enough, but put that price on the menu and don't try to tell me the difference is "tax." The sandwich itself was fine. Pretty standard cheap breakfast fare.

This place is convenient, quick, and no fuss. The couple who owns and runs the business work really hard and are super nice! They have everything you could think of, lots of drinks to choose in the fridge, yummy sandwiches, and not to mention free WiFi and a nice clean bathroom for customers! They've been in business for over twenty years, and there's a reason why! Rather give my business to then instead of boring overrated Starbucks.

I decided to give this little cafe a try instead of waiting in line at Starbucks. One look at all their coffee prices made me want to step out and go to Starbucks instead. But nope! I decided to contribute to this mom and pop shop. A huge disappointment came from their soy latte. One regular cup of this cost me $4. This is too expensive! There was more soy milk taste than coffee. Alas, no coffee kick for me this morning. :(

Went to eat here one morning. Food comes out fast and I was on my way to work with my partner. The man making my food DROPS A KNIFE on the floor, and uses it to cut my sandwich in half. I go to pay and ask the man if he dropped the knife he used to cut my sandwich, giving him a chance to think and be honest-- he lies and says no. I paid, I have no idea why I paid. Took my sandwich, put it on a table and left it there. Trying to send a message of "I'm still paying for it because you made it, but I'm not eating it and you know why." Don't make the same mistake I did. Watch your food being prepared if you decide to go to this place, or don't go at all if you want to eat food you can trust was handled right.

Ugh. Don't know what to really say about this place other than DON'T GO! Ordered a sandwich and the lettuce tasted stale. Like, more than several days old stale. YECH! Only thing going for them is that they're somewhat cheap. But they're not even the cheapest option around. So it's not at all worth it, given the wealth of options available for lunch in Berkeley.

Wednesday, 3:45 Pm. Quickie: + Food quality - Hygiene -- Customer service + Turnaround And then...? Did I catch the folks at Cafe Rio on a bad day? The staff was rude and abrasive. ********** Stuffed my face in: 1. Hummus, tomato, cucumber on sesame bagel - Each bite was mundane; had to be the ingredients. Constructive comments: *Option to compost *Source ingredients

Came in here to buy lotto tickets and guy is rude. He lectured me on how I better have money before I order. So I gave him my direct orders, screwed up my tickets and said I had to take them. First time in this establishment, it will definitely be my last. You would think he would be more welcoming and nicer considering the store would get a cut of any winnings. RUDE!

I agree with reviewer Anton W. I wish I had read his post before going here-- I ordered a chicken panini as well, which is not a panini, but a piece of tasteless chicken microwaved with nasty (and yet also tasteless) cheese on two insipid slices of bread. Simply gross. I am still dry-heaving. Spend your $5 anywhere else you can.

I'll never eat their food again. I paid $6.75 the most boring turkey "panini". They used the most generic brand wheat bread and turkey, it had lettuce and pesto, but no cheese!!! My mom made better sandwiches than this for me when I was in elementary school! The two stars I gave where for the decent falafel sandwich and chai latte I had a previous visit. But if you are interested in a sandwich, go to Sandwich Zone close by.. Same price range and 10x better!