Joseph H.
Yelp
Going to the Riverwalk in San Antonio is a very 'tourist-y' thing to do when one visits the city. So, expect to see plenty of tourists. However, a lot of locals are there, too. I think the difference is the locals know what to expect because we've experienced the disappointment of Riverwalk dining before.
I'm traveling on business and Wonder Wife decided to come spend the weekend with me, which is a lot like having an angel appear in your presence.
She'd never been to the Riverwalk, so that was an obvious choice. When it comes to dining on the river, there are basically two choices - mediocre food one can afford, or pretty good food one can't.
The nice thing about Casa Rio is there's a ton of seating, and we got to sit next to the water without a wait (at about 7PM). We tossed chips to the ducks and got our picture taken by wandering photographer who gave us a so-so free print and sold us a couple of higher quality/larger prints. Again, typical tourist thing, but we enjoyed it.
The bad thing about Casa Rio is the food. The chips were surprisingly good and the salsa is not bad, either (but, they're not complimentary). But, you can make MUCH better queso at home using Velveeta and Ro-tel, so skip it here. The tamale was thick and dry, the enchilada was barely warm and the rice/beans were forgettable. The taco meat was good, but the shell was too thick and not very crunchy. The guacamole was okay, but if you want guac, go up to street level, cross over and hit Chipotle. It's far superior.
If you want a nice time enjoying the ambiance of the river, then this is not a bad place to hang out. Maybe just have some margaritas (I don't know if they're any good; we both had iced tea) and kick back. I'd eat somewhere else, though.
One great thing about Casa Rio is the price point. It was very inexpensive. Having said that, I'd have gladly paid more for better food.