Closed - Watsonville

Came to Cafe Rio for New Year dinner. Have to admit was disappointed. Normally Cafe Rio is a solid choice, but tonight was a fail. Though we had reservations at... read more Came to Cafe Rio for New Year dinner. Have to admit was disappointed. Normally Cafe Rio is a solid choice, but tonight was a fail. Though we had reservations at 8:30 our table was not readied until after 9. I'm certain had we not complained we would not have been seated as soon as we had. While waiting for the table we had cocktails. We ordered off of the special New Year's menu. We started with an appetizer of oysters Rockefeller. I had the NY Steak and Lobster tail. My wife and our friend both had lobster ravioli (which supposedly came with prawns, bay scallops and fish in a bisque sauce). Though the steak was cooked to the correct temp, the lobster was a bit raw and tasted a bit fishy...the ravioli was missing scallops it appeared they compensated with some over cooked ahi. When we pointed out the missing scallops to our waitress, she apologized and comp'd one desert. My guess is they were just not prepared to handle the large number of guests.

Nice place. Right on the beach. Sweet patio facing the ocean although it 's across a parking lot. My husband had the swordfish. It was pretty good. I had the ca... read more Nice place. Right on the beach. Sweet patio facing the ocean although it 's across a parking lot. My husband had the swordfish. It was pretty good. I had the calamari steak which I would not recommend. A bit greasy and tasteless. Mixed veggies were mostly carrots. My husband 's asparagus were really good. He always gets the best stuff! Service was great! Fast polite safe!

Excellent food, upscale ambience, and you can't beat the beachfront location. The artichoke with peppernada is a highlight. I've never had a bad meal at the res... read more Excellent food, upscale ambience, and you can't beat the beachfront location. The artichoke with peppernada is a highlight. I've never had a bad meal at the restaurant, and always recommend it to out-of-towners. Also, cheers to the staff for keeping the kitchen open during the bulk of quarantine. It was a treat to be able to take food to go...it felt like we were getting at least a small taste of the restaurant experience when dining out wasn't an option. Note: It's a shame that some local dog-abusers are apparently coordinating a campaign of negative reviews against this restaurant. Hopefully Yelp will start taking down these mean-spirited and disingenuous reviews (which have nothing to do with the business itself). Also, to the reviewers: if you don't want to be called out, maybe don't abuse an animal.

I love Café Rio! Of course I have to shout out my girl Jeanne!! She is a staple in the Aptos community. I love getting the black and blue ahi, HIGHLY RECOMMEND... read more I love Café Rio! Of course I have to shout out my girl Jeanne!! She is a staple in the Aptos community. I love getting the black and blue ahi, HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!! I cannot tell you how addicting that sauce is! Will def be back!

I gave them 3 stars because of Covid. The wait staff was working very hard. We are local and wanted to have cocktails and appetizers for a family's members birt... read more I gave them 3 stars because of Covid. The wait staff was working very hard. We are local and wanted to have cocktails and appetizers for a family's members birthday. The drinks were on the small size but tasty, the appetizers were a disaster. The calamari was sad about 6 rings oh calamari on a bed of fried basil, skimpy , small and tasteless. The eggplant stack was cold and another disappointment. The crab-cakes were the only thing that was decent. Then the soup another flavorless, pasty mess. It is sad and I know that things are tough for restaurants. But when you are open even for outdoor dining you have to up your game on what you serve. This place will not be on my list for dining in Aptos!