Rio Blanco (Family Mexican Restaurant)

If you're looking for standard fair Americanized Mexican food (aka Mexican fast food) here's my pick of the week. While you certainly can't scoff at the portion size of the lunch specials which range from $6.45 to $6.95, you're also not going to write all your friends about it either (unless you happen to write foods blogs, in which case you might).

The staff are all very nice, and though take-out has been the only method we've used to order, I imagine that the experience of sitting down and enjoying the well decorated restaurant could be kind of fun. Food ordered via take-out has always been ready in the 10 or so minutes is takes to get from the office to the restaurant, so you can't complain about how long it takes to get your food.

Food portions are quite acceptable. With my Chimichanga I got a full side of re-fried beans, rice, and a tomato slice, not to mention that with this particular dish, you also get sour cream and guacamole at no extra charge (usually $0.75 and $1.00 respectively). What's most important is that you order extra salsa! Their salsa is very good and is tied with the guacamole for actual flavor. Without one or both of these condiments, you'll find that the food tastes as brown as the various shades it comes in. Finishing one of these meals in a single sitting will definitely cause your stomach to fill out any extra room in your pants and likely result in the loosening of your belt. I'm a mixer and quite enjoy putting the rice, beans, guac, salsa, and sour cream all together and treating it like a dip for the home-made chips that will come with your lunch special.

Not being much further away than any other food destination in the area, this is a very do-able option for lunch, though you may only have 10 minutes to actually eat your meal once you get back.

If you're not going to be on the clock after lunch, you might also want to check out their lunchtime happy hour. With margaritas only $2.50 and draft beer only $2.25, this seems like a great place to grab some drinks (and the bar isn't too bad looking).

Beware that prices will be considerably higher if you're not pulling items off of the Lunch Special menu though.

This is all based on having the same meal three times over the course of a couple months, so please let me know if you have a different opinion of this place, I'd love to hear it!

Bottom Line: It’s definitely worth checking out as it will at least be a change of scenery, just don’t expect any authentic flavors or to walk away feeling hungry. This is a high carb, fill you up, friendly local restaurant.

Distance: 8 of 10
Time: 10 of 10
Food: 5 of 10
Service: 9 of 10

Total: 32 of 40

Rio Blanco
3830 A Street SE
Auburn, WA 98002


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Shake N' Go

Here's a small business alternative to Red Robin. Shake N' Go has a pretty impressive selection to choose from on their menu including 24 different burgers, 16 wraps, an assortment of milk shakes and smoothies, and a number of other entrees. If you're savy, you'll call ahead for take-out and just show up, grab your food, and head back to enjoy it at your desk or favorite lunch-time hang out.

Prices are fairly reasonable, but I was definitely thrown off by having ordered off an older menu and arriving to find out that prices have gone up. Still, you're going to pay less the RR and get a decent quantity of food. No bottom-less fries here though. Burger prices include a side of fries, while a wrap will require you to throw down an extra $1.50 for the deep fried good stuff.

For an Auburn hole-in-the-wall, the quality was decent. We might have been a couple minutes late for pick-up, but the food was luke-warm. Perhaps more disappointing is that the burger I got was tough and required some serious chomping to get through. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the meaty flavors of the Monster Burger, which came with bacon, turkey, and pastrami in addition to the 1/3 LB patty. I would have appreciated a little more house sauce inside as well to round out the overall taste.

The interior is probably the worst part of the experience. With beautiful wall color and an amazing ceiling with chandeliers and icicle lights, to have the walls covered with a creepy amount of artsy pictures of kids and puppies and kittens, I couldn't help but think of Angela from NBC's The Office. How one chooses to decorate their own home is not something I'm about to critique, but this theme does not match the business what-so-ever. If you own this place, please, please, please change the decorum.

Bottom line: This is a fast, slightly less expensive and slightly less tasty alternative to Red Robin, which makes it worth going back to when the overwhelming desire to nosh on a burger hits around lunch.

Distance: 8 of 10
Time: 8 of 10
Food: 6 of 10
Service: 8 of 10

Total: 30 of 40

Shake N' Go
4017 A St. SE, Suite 107
Auburn, WA 98002
(253) 333-6677
M-St: 10am - 9pm


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