Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant

Fort Collins, Colorado has become home to a great number of things, from unique and refreshing breweries and picturesque views from the Rocky Mountain foothills to a state-of-the-art university and one of the country’s best historic Old Town districts. But one thing that seems to go under the radar in such a great city is the diverse and expansive food scene.

Fort Collins is able to boast that they have one of the highest restaurant per square mile quotas in the nation. For Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant owner Pat McGaughran, he is quite proud that his TexMex-style restaurant has been one of the historic staples which helped other foodies and restaurateurs open their own doors throughout Fort Collins.

Originally, the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant was founded by Pat McGaughran, Stephen Mouton, and Andre Mouton in 1986, but as is often the case, their story (and the story of the Rio Grande) goes a bit further back. “The Rio Trio” (as they affectionately called themselves) all grew up in the same dusty Houston neighborhood. As young adults with no money, both Moutons and McGaughran packed up their favorite van and took off on an adventure through Mexico. During their travels through Central America, they met a lot of good people who were brought together by homegrown cooking.

One thing “The Rio Trio” noticed was that every dish – it seemed – was served with black beans. The three became inspired to bring similar dishes back to the United States with the simple goal of bringing people together with their food. Upon visiting Northern Colorado, they quickly discovered that black beans were not being farmed or harvested in the region, so they began farming them in the neighboring city of Longmont. “The Rio Trio” then opened the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in 1986 by writing a check they didn’t even have proper funds for. The first night they were open, however – and to their surprise, they made enough money to cover the check and never looked back. Since that fateful day in 1986, the Rio Grande has become known not only for their unique flavor of TexMex cuisine, but also for their famous margaritas (which have a three drink limit due to their delicious potency). Though in 2000, both Mouton brothers sold their share of the Rio Grande franchise, Pat McGaughran has continued to find a great deal of success and has even expanded, opening Rio Grande restaurants in Greeley, Boulder, Frisco, Lone Tree, and Denver (at Coors Field).

Events & Entertainment

The Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant location in Fort Collins offers a unique venue space for private parties and events called the Agave Room. The space can accommodate anywhere from 30 to 250 guests with catering options that include anything on the Rio Grande menu, including their world famous margaritas. The Agave Room was once a majestic ballroom in 1901, and through careful and thoughtful renovations by Rio Grande, the same charming atmosphere still exists today. To get more information about renting out the Agave Room, please visit their website at https://agaveroomatrio.com/.

What’s on the menu?

Regarding Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant’s menu, some of the local favorites include their carefully crafted fajitas (which come in grilled steak, grilled shrimp, and grilled chicken), their beer-braised carnitas tacos, their crab & shrimp enchiladas, and their jam-packed breakfast burrito. Rio Grande grows and farms their own black beans locally and uses organic responsible ingredients in all of their dishes. Of course, the most popular item on Rio Grande’s menu are their world famous margaritas, which come in at least ten different tantalizing flavors.