El Rio BBQ - 48373 Puerto Vallarta

This is a must! Bring the family swim in a river with seasonal waterfall, excellent food and service above par. Truly a hidden gem close to El Centro, jump on a taxi 12 min and your in paradise for the cost of a meal yes! steps from the river. It's unbelievable. ??

Great ribs and fantastic margaritas, cold beers, including all the appetizers are all very good. Go dip your toes in the river, hence the name “El Rio”. Entertainment most afternoon. Check the schedule before you go.

This place is worth going to as a nice culinary and lovely scenery-setting adventure. However, seeing other's food pictures, I think you need to order the right food here as not all is equal. I had a smoked beef sandwich and it was like a subway sandwich with mayonnaise tomato and lettuce (not picture worthy). I'm from KC where that thing would have twice as much meat and be slathered with BBQ sauce. I was told it came with slaw on it, but nope. Things don't come with sides and most sides are around $5 USD, so almost as much as cheap good meals in many places. They are more like appetizers for sharing. The ketchup was a semi-clear fluid, and just seemed super cheap for a BBQ place that sauces should be part of its specialty. Also my Margarita was not good -strong, but also tasted cheap and very unbalanced. Be aware if you show up at 6pm, like a regular dinner time, you will be the last one there, getting service will be difficult, and the band will already be finished, and they'll be putting away chairs the whole time. My experienced seemed an anomaly where nearly everything was bad but setting, but even that felt awkward coming too late at 6. Gonna give this place another try though when a friend comes and get different things.

Rustic venue out in the countryside, about a 1 hour walk inland along the River Cuale. Good food fare and well known for their racks of BBQ ribs. Live music and shows are often available in the afternoons and early evenings from Tuesday through Sunday. Follow me further on Travel Tips on the Run traveltipsontherun.tumblr.com or other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

I had not been to this restaurant in 5 years or so, but wanted to go back. I went with two friends. Parking was easy (there is a parking lot behind the restaurant near to the river).We got a table right next to the river, back near the bar area so we could be far away from the line music stage. The band was setting up when we arrived. The waiters were all friendly and attentive. The beer was cold and the atmosphere was relaxed. I ordered the shrimp plate prepared Tequila style. It was delicious. The guacamole was fresh and tasty and the salsa was simple but good. Prices were very reasonable. The only issue we had was that the music was so loud one the band started that we couldn't have a conversation except when the band took a break. I would go back, but not when there is live music.

They ambiance is beautiful. The food is excellent. The river, the mountain, the daily live bands are above words Kurt is a great host

We’ve been in Puerto Vallarta for just over a year, and finally made it out to El Rio BBQ. The detour off the Libramiento is short and easy. What a great afternoon, and we stayed for five hours! All I can say is, I wish we’d gone sooner but we’ll definitely be back!

I was sad that they closed down. This was a great place to watch some live music, play some cornhole and get some BBQ. The staff was super friendly although you'd want to order 2 drinks at a time since service was pretty slow since the bar isn't real close to the seating area