Rio Grande in Boulder prepares to celebrate 35 years in business – Boulder Daily Camera

This Saturday, one of downtown Boulder’s most iconic spots, Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, will officially celebrate three and a half decades in business.

Rio, 1101 Walnut St., is a popular meeting place for students, locals and visitors. The restaurant serves casual southern-of-the-border fare, but is perhaps best known for its boozy margaritas, which have been the cause of many a wild weekend on Pearl Street.

“The first rule of Club Rio is don’t talk about Club Rio,” said one of X’s clients.

Another shopper recalled: “By midnight there was so much junk spilled on the floor that it was so sticky you could barely walk without taking off your flip-flops.”

However, Rio, a Pearl Street neighborhood staple since 1989, has weathered the recession and pandemic. It has also outlasted countless other restaurants and bars in the area that have come and gone over the years.

There are five Rio locations scattered throughout the Front Range. The Boulder restaurant is the second oldest location after the original in Fort Collins, which opened its doors in 1986. Later, new locations opened in Greeley (1996), downtown Denver (1999) and the Park Meadows shopping center in Lone Tree (2004).

Amber Betts, 44, grew up eating lunch with her family in the Fort Collins Rio. She has visited many different places over the years and Rio has become a favorite destination for her, her family and friends. Although some of her loved ones have moved away, whenever they come to the city to visit, they always go there.

Betts said going to Rio was “nostalgic” for her. She loves the food and salsa, which she still remembers as it was years ago, but margaritas have a special place in her heart.

“Obviously the margarita is key,” Betts said, laughing as she recalled the time she tried to replicate them at home — and paid for it the next day.

“It was a one-time thing. It was like, ‘Okay, we’ll never do this again,’ because we were so hungover,” she said. “It was stupid.”

This summer, Betts got a tattoo of a Rio margarita on salt rocks as a tribute to her mom, who passed away last year and also loved the restaurant.

“It was our thing to drink margaritas together,” she said. “This is part of the piece: the sun and the moon, the cactus (because she lived in Arizona), and then Margarita. “I told my tattoo artist that’s what I wanted, Rio style,” she said. “He changed that. He took a little liberties with the style, but it’s pretty close. So, we can say that this is the marg of Rio.”

Although Betts has not yet visited the Rio in Boulder, she said it is “unbelievable” that the venue is celebrating its 35th anniversary this weekend.

Pat McGaughran, owner of Rio Restaurants, said the Boulder restaurant has been a “neighborhood fixture” for years.

“Obviously we love our connection to the university and the youth that come from the area, but I really feel like we’ve found our place in Boulder with our customers who support (us), the community that comes to Boulder regularly. “Rio (and it) really was great,” he told the Daily Camera.

Boulder Rio did not start at its current location. It originally opened further east, in a small space near the corner of 17th and Pearl streets, McGaughran said. Rio eventually purchased a larger space next door to the original location, but the restaurant faced “disagreements” with neighbors in the area. In 1996, it moved to 11th and Walnut.

“Local neighbors were just unhappy with people parking on the street. In fact, it became a parking problem because the city said, “We’re not going to create more parking spaces downtown,” he said, adding, “Rather than conflict with the neighborhood, we decided to (move) the place. which was more suitable for crowds to come and go.”

The building that Rio has called home for the past 28 years has a unique history that McGaughran appreciates. Originally it was a livery where horses were fed and boarded. Later, the area turned into a transport hub, and the building was converted into a car garage. McGaughran, a self-described “car nerd,” hung an illuminated Car & Truck Co. sign on the wall to celebrate the building’s history.

There were other restaurants in this location before Rio moved in in 1996. But since then, McGaughran says it has helped “keep the area vibrant” over the years. Rio became an even more popular destination when, after much time, effort and persuasion, the restaurant finally convinced the city to allow it to open a rooftop patio.

A few years ago Rio underwent a major overhaul. McGaughran said the building was worn out and in need of renovation. The bar, which was previously located at the back of the restaurant near the kitchen, was moved into the main dining area, and several other changes were made to improve the flow and continuity of the space.

Other restaurants and bars in the area, such as Old Chicago, Tahona Tequila Bistro, Walrus and Absinthe House, have not stood the test of time. McGaughran said the pandemic has hit his restaurants hard, and they might have had a hard time staying in business if they weren’t able to pivot to takeout and delivery.

But after all this time, he’s glad he’s still in Boulder.

“We have seen some comings and goings over the years. We’re still really happy that people still love coming here,” McGaughran said.

The Boulder Rio will host a Día de los Muertos themed party to celebrate its 35th anniversary on Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m. People of all ages are invited to enjoy live music from the AUPA Band, games and prize draws. There is no charge for the party and a table can be reserved for the day, but is not required to enter.