The Republic of the Rio Grande

As I entered i was greeted by Erica, she took care of my wife and I. The atmosphere here was relaxing, not loud, and very clean. The food was phenomenal. I had the avocado chicken that made me melt with how great it was. Saddest part of the meal was in my last bit knowing it'll be the end. For dessert I had the almond taco. I've traveled to Japan before and hadn't had a similar dessert as good as what I had since then. The cream and berries made me go to heaven. The almond brittle taco itself kept me from dying of how delicious it was. 5/5 stars. I personally asked for the one that made the food. Lenny shook my hand and I asked if I can recommend him again next time to make my food. Will definitely come back. Exquisite place everyone needs to try.

Dinner time in McAllen. Thought I would check out someplace new (to me). This place is fantastic. All of the entries sounded great. I went with the Avocado Salmon with grilled vegetables. Superb. Rounded out the meal with Bananas Foster cheesecake. Heavenly. Lenny was a great server and kept my tea filled like I love. Will definitely be back next time I am in town.

I flew in to the booming metropolis of McAllen, TX for work and had no idea what to expect. A colleague suggested The Republic of Rio Grande. It was about half a mile from the hotel, so we went. The place is large and roomy inside. No blaring music and quiet enough to have conversation. Our waiter, Manny, went above and beyond to take care of us. He also gave us some great local advice on late night taco trucks. We ordered the queso chorizo, beef fajitas, and my wife had a ribeye. She also ordered a watermelon margarita. The steak was perfectly cooked, as were the fajitas. The tortillas are hand made or well done enough that I couldn’t tell. The salsa was SPICY and I loved it. The rice that came with my fajitas was new to me. Not typical Tex-mex or northern Mexican. Made with herbs and cilantro instead of tomato. Delicious. Great place, great service, fantastic food.

Azul was an outstanding waitress—attentive, intuitive, and genuinely warm throughout my visit. She not only took care of every need with impeccable timing but also anticipated them before I had to ask. Her recommendation of the banana bread with ice cream for dessert was simply divine—easily one of the best I’ve ever had. Azul truly elevated the dining experience.

Mr Calderon was professional and attentive. Outstanding service! The food was delicious. And the desserts! The banana bread pudding was so good!

Arlette was a superstar! Not once was my glass empty and her service was excellent! She suggested the ribeye and it did not miss. It was well marbled and juicy. It even came with awesome sides. The atmosphere was also fantastic. We will be coming back🫶🫶🫶

The only real highlight of The Republic of the Rio Grande was the ambiance—dim lighting, stylish decor, and a setting that promised a great dining experience. Unfortunately, the food and service didn’t quite live up to it. Appetizers: We ordered the guacamole ($14) and were surprised when it arrived… unassembled. Instead of a fully prepared, flavorful dip, we were handed a DIY project. I’ve been to places where guacamole is made tableside, allowing you to customize it as the server prepares it—but this wasn’t that. Mixing it ourselves felt awkward, and honestly, if I wanted to make my own guacamole, I would’ve stayed home. Entrées: I went in expecting a steakhouse experience, but the limited steak options were the first red flag. I ordered the chimichurri flank steak, ($24) and while it was cooked correctly (which I appreciate), the chimichurri sauce somehow lacked flavor. Impressive in the worst way. The rice pilaf was dry and just as bland. My guest ordered the chicken fried steak, (16) which didn’t fare much better. The mashed potatoes were dry and crusty, the gravy was sparse and flavorless, and the overall dish lacked the comfort-food appeal it should have had. After two disappointing courses, we opted to skip dessert altogether. Another strange choice? Paper tablecloths that did absolutely nothing to absorb condensation from our drinks, leaving puddles of water everywhere. At this price point, I expected something a little more refined—at the very least, a table setting that didn’t require me to dodge mini floods every time I reached for my glass. Final Thoughts: The restaurant has potential, but for the price, lack of flavor, and overall experience, it’s just not worth a return visit. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t memorable either—except for the moment I nearly took a plate to the head.

We are visiting from San Antonio and this restaurant was recommended to us. Fajitas and Ribeye were delicious and the service by Calderon was great. Also tried the banana nut bread with ice cream for dessert!!!

Nice ambiance nice vibe. Cool patio as you walk in with lots of seating outside. Two separate seating areas inside. Has a cool vibe a little more on the upscale but didn't make me feel out of place. Huge wine menu. We were seated promptly and our server Miguel very attentive. Constantly checking on us making appropriate suggestions. You can tell he has lots of experience. The food was amazing. I had the enchiladas suizas and well I almost had to"slap my momma" they were so good. . Had the tiramisu and the banana bread pudding desert. No not by myself. Don't judge. You have to try the banana bread pudding you will thank me. Just trust. A few observations I didn't partake in was a huge wine menu and oven baked pizzas. Maybe next time. I will gladly be back. I had to check the bathrooms and very clean. Which warms my heart.

We had a great server that was very attentive! Overall our food wasn't great. We had burnt ribeye chicharrones. The salad was ok and our entree was decent. We asked for pepper and parm for the pizza & never received it. We won't be returning but glad we tried a new place!

The enchiladas were so good, the beans and rice were okay. The Texas ceviche tasted a little fishy for me. Service was great and very attentive.

This place requires zero long winded review. It is a top 5 restaurant in the valley. The vibes are upscale and professional. Menu is top shelf. You will never have a bad meal or experience here. Great for dates or parties. Fantastic service every time.

Fantastic experience dining here. I came for a weekday dinner and it was packed, but they still had a couple indoor tables open to where I didn't have any wait. ATMOSPHERE: The inside feels homely and rustic. Lighting is soft and makes for a personal and warm dining experience. Plenty of parking in the lot out front. The night I went, there was also live music outside. FOOD: I got the supreme calzone. It was so good. It was cooked and prepared fresh, crispy on the outside and the ingredients were well balanced on the inside. I also got the almond taco for dessert, which was also great. This is basically a toasted sweet almond taco shell filled with a thick custard-like cream and served with strawberries and pineapples. I thought it had a little too much custard but was overall good. You can ask for more fruit on the side for free so I would recommend doing that to balance the heavy custard. Also they had a ginormous wine selection. SERVICE: So kind. I was originally seated in a corner and I asked if I could sit elsewhere and they were happy to do that. My waitress was prompt and available. PRICE/VALUE: The calzone is a little pricy for a meal in McAllen ($16) but it is large and definitely enough for a heavy single meal. Overall, one of the best dining experiences I have had in McAllen! This is a must try.

Visited this wonderful restaurant on December 3rd 2024. Was seated promptly and wait staff could not have been nicer. I had the Smoked salmon pizza. The crust was phenomenal, the toppings fresh, unique and it has been a very long time since I've had a pizza this good outside my own kitchen and I've been making pizza's for over 50 years. The atmosphere was relaxed, the background music volume, was perfect, not so loud you can't chat with your table companions. If I am ever in S. Texas, I will be sure to visit again!

Amazing appetizers especially their ahi tuna ceviche I was raised in Ensenada so I know good fresh seafood and their ceviche has a twist but fresh.

This restaurant was recommended to us while working in McAllen. We are so glad we did. It was really cool looking inside. They had inside & outside seating but we Saturday in the bar area. Everything was excellent. I had the Beef Nachos which were so yummy. The beef was super tender & it had the right amount of toppings. My husband got the thin sliced ribeye that was rolled up & looked like it was in a blue taco shell but it was just meat. It was great also. Then our friend got a ribeye that was wrapped it fried cheese ( looked like a tortilla). At the end we tried 2 of the desserts one almond taco shell filled with yummy cream & fruit, our friend had the tres leche with goat cheese filling. The food was great, the service was excellent. I highly recommend going here if you get a chance.

Strong, creative cocktails, interesting entrees, good service and a fun, social place, inside or outside. I can't actually remember what my drinks were called! But one was a Serrano pepper infused margarita and the other more of a mezcal margarita. The tuna ceviche was top notch, and the kebab shrimp were very rich and filling. Which didn't stop me from ordering some kind of taco dessert, also yummy! Fun place!

We were in town for a doctors appointment and decided to try this restaurant. Kind of looks outdated both inside and out but the food was very good. I would say the main downside is it is expensive for lunch because there is no lunch menu or special! The only dish really worth its price was the avocado salmon it was huge! We also had the ribeye sandwich, pizza and kids chicken tenders. $71 for that at lunch time is a tad extreme.

This spot is nice. It's an upscale place for nice events or a date night out. I came here for my birthday with a group, and the service was great. We had two servers, and they were very attentive. When they added an ingredient to my friend's food that she had asked to have removed, they immediately took it back to the kitchen and fixed it for her free of charge. The food is good, and dessert is also good. Unfortunately, they do not give complimentary birthday desserts, but they do write happy birthday on cakes. Food was tasty, prices were a bit steep, and the environment was nice. 8.5/10

I planned a first time Galentines dinner with my daughters and grandaughter. I took the time to make reservations ahead of time. When we arrived they sat us at the bar area , in a small hidden area. We were completely forgotten. We immediately went to the hostess to request another place to be seated, and with attitude we were told there is no where else to sit, so we would have to wait 45 minutes. When we requested sitting outside (it was completely empty) , they said they have no availability. They sent another waiter to assist the previous waiter (who we believe was also part of the bar staff). Unfortunately, this was not the Galentine experience we hoped for. This was my first and absolutely last time I or my family will ever visit this Restraunt.

Sadly disappointed with the experience. The steaks were undercooked even after emphasizing our wishes. A large party suddenly became priority for all the servers around us including ours. Extremely long wait just to be served water! Never again.....

Good location, Patio is nice, service was good, they have live band, great place for Mexican food

Great restaurant. Service is sharp food top notch great Rita's. The menu covers everyone's needs

Every trip to McAllen should include a visit to the Republic of Rio Grande. This place is always generally pretty busy every time I have been. For good reasons too. This evening a coworker of mine and I decided to have a late dinner and make our obligatory visit before our trip home. Said coworker and I opted to eat outside on the patio because the weather was nice and we were able to be seated right away. My coworker ordered an unsweet tea with salmon, and I ordered a sweet tea with beef fajitas. Queen's "I Want to Break Free" played over the speakers, and the waiter brought the drinks in good time. My coworker's iced tea was delicious, however, mine tasted stale like it had been sitting all day. I sent the tea back and ordered a Coke. No big deal, but the tea would have been more refreshing. Our entrees arrived in good time and looked great. The salmon looked amazing, and my fajitas were perfect. I devoured my fajitas and was disappointed there was not more meat. For $17, I expected more, and did not expect to be hungry still! But, nonetheless, delicious. I wanted more of the fresh tortillas, as my meal only came with two. I wanted to order more, but our waiter was a bit overworked and overwhelmed. We did not see him for the entire meal, so I had to settle for no tortillas and an empty glass. The one time we did see him, he seemed rushed, and seemed annoyed by our requests. Overall, this was a great visit. It was easily a 5 star visit, but minus one for the stale tea, and poor service. We of course will be back. I'm thinking they just were a little off the mark tonight, but no harm, no foul. Highly recommend for any travelers passing through. Enjoy!

This place is cool. Has a great Ambiance. Great music and a full on menu. Wonderful appetizers and good selection of meats. Soups need work. They do have a bar where you can order your favorite cocktails and drinks. The food is usually good however the service is a hit or miss. Sometimes its great and sometimes is ok. They do take reservations. Place is clean. There is another thing to like about this place and that is that they have the outdoor seating. Look into when they have live bands playing outside. Enjoy!

Have been here numerous of times in a party of 20 to in a party of 2. My favorite seating is on the high chairs close to the TVs by the bar when important games are being hosted. In the weekends seating outside on a sunny day is also great, while enjoying there live music. Menu is just delish. I'll be posting pictures of my most recent visit.

Excellent service by Lenny. He was very attentive and knew the menu very well. The passion flower cocktail and tres leches were both excellent. I had the short rib and it was cooked perfectly. My only dislike was the loaded mashed. Their version has sour cream and cheese mixed in. The potatoes did not seem fresh and were very bland. Otherwise a perfect meal.

Although I haven't been in a while, I used to be a regular. Cocktails are great and I always enjoy the pork chop.

Good food, good music, great ambience. Had dinner here earlier in the day and returned in the evening for the entertainment. Band was good. Food was great, flavorful and fresh. Tried the pasta, great kick to it. Shrimp and sauce were very good. Chips, guacamole and ribeye bites were good with pico de gallo. Flour tortillas were not as fresh or good as homemade. Nice place to relax, listen to music and enjoy food. Would come again.

Food: soup, salad, and meat not good at all Service: Bad Ambiance: Good place to have q drink.

This place isn't what it used to be . It used to have this downtown San Antonio vibe . Now just some other basic restaurant. The hostess and waiter were both great. Seated right away and waiter was attentive. We had the Buffalo shrimp appetizer which was totally flavorless!! There was maybe a drop of Buffalo sauce on these already bland shrimp . The pizza seemed like pizza from papa Johns(not a compliment) . The light fixture above my friend and I was leaking water into its fixture , somehow ... every now and again water would splash out on to us . What the heck is that about ? Overall just a pretty bleh experience. I wanted to throw this restaurant back into my rotation. Sadly , I won't be returning.

Every time we have been there service is excellent. The meals whether cabrito or parriada have been of high quality.

Service was great had the pepperoni calzone should have done the chicken or salmon. This place is very nice and great atmosphere.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Mcallen. The drinks are absolutely delicious, and the food has a classy yet casual feel to it. One of my favorite appetizers is the Quail. Get it you won't regret it. I also recommend the Enchiladas del Mar if you are a fan of seafood. You really can't go wrong with anything you order here and the service is always on point.

The food was okay, where we got sat was horrible.. with reservations. it was in the corner and there were flys and gnats everywhere around us and the couple next to us Food was warm while plate was hot.. maybe we went on a busy day but still not a valid excuse

The service was amazing we were a table of 8 so he had his hands full. The steak was great and very reasonable

Was looking for places to eat while in McAllen on a business trip and found this restaurant on yelp and I'm glad we found this place. We opted to sit outside because it wasn't hot and they had fans to accommodate but it wasn't needed due to the nice night breeze. We were promptly greeted by our waiter who was extremely attentive throughout the night. We ordered the avocado chicken with a side Caesar salad, guacamole and shrimp bisque. The food was very flavorful and plentiful. I really enjoyed the chicken as it was moist and the avocado sauce topped it off perfectly. My coworker said the shrimp bisque was good as well. The guacamole was tasty and probably up there with one of the best guacamole I've had. While we did not order alcoholic drinks, I glanced at the drink menu and the drinks looked delicious. From cucumber martinis, strawberry martinis and many more. The ambience was nice and the restaurant itself was a cute place for date night. If I was closer this would definitely be one of my frequent restaurants that I would visit!

Poor service and so so food. I ordered supreme pizza on menu and was given the large for $10 more (not listed on menu) pizza came out wrong-sent it back and came back again missing toppings. Ugh. Also charged $4 split fee for a salad without being told there was a fee. To top it off, waiter was indifferent. I have been here 2 previous times and it was good. I will not be returning.

Great place to enjoy dinner! Service was awesome and food was fantastic! We started with the Buffalo shrimp appetizer and it was very delicious. We then shared the wedge salad ( which was huge) and the ribeye steak sandwich. Both were ver good. The server suggested we get half French fries and half onion rings. They were homemade onion rings and were very good. The server was exceptional. Fun place. Glad we chose to stop there. My husband ordered an old fashioned and was impressed with the embossed cube. See picture!

Very delicious! Would strongly recommend the Fish Veracruz for your entree. While the portion size was way too big for any one person, the flavors and seasoning were incredible. Also a big fan of the ahi tuna ceviche appetizer. Great space and ambiance. Service was quick and friendly. Too hot for outdoor seating but looked like it was a great space with live music.

OUTSTANDING CHOYCE ! I cant begin to describe this experience. Customer service , quality, efficiency to the price and availability. . If you have the opportunity, don't hesitate!

Excellent meal at a reasonable price. I had the enchilada Del Mar and my wife had the vegetarian enchilada. Both were very good, and we loved the accompanying black bean.

My favorite restaurant Excelente service and food Try the Casablanca drink Perfect ambiance

Came here with a friend and we were greeted immediately when we arrived. The waiter opened the door for us and the host asked us if we wanted to be seated inside or outside. Due to the humidity, we decided it would be best to seat inside. On to the ordering adventure. I first wanted to try their flat iron steak however they were out already out of the flat iron steak when it was 6 pm which I thought was strange. Nevertheless, the waiter offered that the ribeye could be substituted for the flat iron but the price would be for the ribeye which I thought made no sense since I wasn't interested in the ribeye to begin with. After more deliberation, I finally decided on getting the beef fajitas. My friend got a side Greek salad and the filet as the main course. When the Greek salad arrived to the table, it was more like a regular Greek salad then just a side salad so I started laughing asking her how was she going to have her main dish after that. When the main finally arrived the filet didn't look like it would be special. When the fajitas arrived I was disappointed as I keep thinking the fajitas would come on a sizzling iron skillet but once again I was let down. My friend commented that the filet was okay nothing to write home about. It was decent but she definitely had a better filet. Now on to my dish the fajitas after the disappointment I wasn't expecting anything special. The dish came with 2 tortillas which I didn't pay any kind to until later on. The steak itself was bland and I had to add salt and pepper to the dish. Then I asked for more tortillas to wrap my fajitas unbeknownst to me that asking for more tortillas means that I would be charged for asking for more. At the end of the dinner, we ordered desserts, my friend got the brownie with a side of ice cream which was okay and I got the tres leche which was not good. The sponge was not soaked so the cake was dry which is totally opposite of a tres leche. In all, the meal was okay. Nothing too spectacular but nothing horrible as we call it. It was middle of the road... mediocre.

Came by on a Friday evening for a friends birthday and I was very satisfied with the experience. Great atmosphere, very attentive server, and good food. The drinks are great too. While waiting to be seated we enjoyed some time in the bar and had some drinks while we waited for the rest of the party to arrive. I had the appetizer platter which was great and included fried mushrooms, calamari and shrimp. Great place to go once in a while

My favorite place to dine while in McAllen, Tx. The food is outstanding. Always fresh, hot, and delicious. Service never disappoints. Love the patio atmosphere. You must try the Avocado Salmon and the Ahi Tuna Ceviche, my two favorite dishes, although everything on their menu has been incredible.

Easy to get to from S. 10th just north of I-2. Getting into parking was easy. Getting out was a bit of a nightmare though. The building is somewhat hidden by palms and a bit deceiving. You'd not expect to find what you find inside. Inside is a fine dining experience. What a clean, beautiful Rio Grande Valley decor awaits you. Wait staff are all uniform and excellent. There was no wait to be seated and before I could even get through the appetizers portion of the menu I had my Topo Chico (don't judge me!). Stuffed Chiles Fritos for an appetizer. Wow. Flavorful, spicy and just wonderful. I loved the breading on the poblanos and the goat cheese was just tart enough for that taste I was looking for. I had the Desert Fire Pasta. This is one of the tastiest dishes I have eaten in a VERY long time. I'm not sure what stars were in alignment. The pasta was perfectly al dente. The shrimp were butterflied and deveined - perfectly cooked and absolutely flavorful on their own. The poblano sauce deliciously spicy. Tomatoes and onions thrown in at the last were still firm and gave texture that I found pleasing. I've been thinking about this dish since I ate it that night and wish I had dined there earlier in the week. I would have gone back and gotten it again and again. I can't wait to return to McAllen to have another meal here and get this again. Dessert was Tres Leches Cake with black coffee. Moist, perfectly sweet, just as good as the pasta dish. The waiter was perfectly attentive and the whole thing was just great. You should. It pass this place up.

Great food and service!! Our beef panchos were great, the steak was juicy and the cucumber martinis are the best here! The Almond taco dessert is amazing and our waiter was very attentive and kept bringing us drinks! Will be back soon!

First time trying Republic of the Rio Grande and it was not disappointing. The service was great, server was very helpful in explaining the menu. Started off the meal with Artichoke Spinach dip, it was so good, wish it had more dip lol. My entrée was the Avocado Salmon, it was so tender and delicious

Treated my family here for my mom's and brother's birthday. Food and drinks were delicious, and the food didn't take too long to come out. The only thing that we really noticed was that service was rather slow. Our server espulgo take so long so come back, that we were without drinks for a while. Other than that, u I recommend.

This place fills up quickly so make sure to plan ahead. The wait is well worth it in case you haven't made reservations. The food and drinks are amazing!

Went today and had a delicious salad with chicken. My friend had a different salad and we were both impressed. Use to eat here all the time. I am going to start going back once all the road construction is finished.

Good good. Good service. I recommend the goat cheese pizza! Steak was also excellent. Recommend this place!

I give this restaurant a 10 for 10 incredible. I was traveling through on business and I found it. This has to be one of my top 5 restaurants in Texas. The food was exceptional and service was perfect and the ambience is something you need experience for yourself. Definitely will be traveling 5 hours to just experience this again. If you come ask for Marcelo Argentina he is absolutely the best.

Great food, great service, great ambiance. The fish is the best in the valley love going here!

The food was excellent. The service was top notch. The patio was nice to sit outside and enjoy the nice evening!

The service was exceptional and the food was delicious. It was my first time being there and Jesse made the whole experience worth every penny. It was a very nice environment; perfect for date nights. I will definitely be eating there again soon!