Taste of Rio Rancho

This event was pretty amazing.As I walked into the Star center, I was greeted with a wonderful array of aromas and smiling faces. It was hard to keep my inner child at bay and not run around from booth to booth trying absolutely everything... but overall, it worked out just fine.Highlights: Street Food truck, Turtle Mountain Brewery, Cheesy Street and Cazuelas.Street food truck had so many delicious little entrees. My favorite had to be the tempura soft taco. So many new and savory flavors all in one mouthful. Turtle Mountain Brewery had an AMAZINGLY mouth watering bacon Mac 'N Cheese and even more wonderfully paired craft brew to boot. Cheesy Street. The name says it all. So many deliciously unique grilled cheeses smothered with all things heavenly... then complimented with a smooth and creamy tomato bisque... What more can you ask for? Oh, man... what can I say about Cazuelas... the food here was nothing short of intensely flavorful and prepared with the utmost care. Tamales, beans, rice and sopapillas all wonderfully seasoned and extremely appealing to my every tastebud.While I appreciated the attendance of the fast food chains present at this event (Little Caesars and Baskin Robbins) I made it a point to venture elsewhere to get a more authentic "Taste of Rio Rancho" ... and I must say, I was not dissatisfied. All in all, I came in hungry and left with a happy and full belly. Knowing the area a little better for future food adventures made it all the better. I look forward to what will happen next year! If you are looking for a truly well-rounded foodie experience with all the fun and social interactions of a small scale festival, then this is the right place for you. Bon Appetit!

This is a really good event. I am sooo full though. Pacing is clearly a responsible thing to do. A shout out to the Yelp team!There were some highlights for the 2015 event. Turtle Mountain Brewery gets my vote for the amazing Mac and Cheese. Spice with green chile and of course BACON! They did it right with chaffing dishes and hot boxes to ensure a good showing. A solid team working the event to make you feel that taking all three samples isn't a bad thing. Second place was the Grilled Cheese Truck. Such and easy item so impressing a crowd is hard to do. They also have a nice bread pudding that is worth a try. The Fat Squirrel also showed well. A friendly staff mixed with a shepherd's pie is a win. The melty cheese on top didn't get greasy which can be a hard task. Overall, this is a good time for families and singles alike.

Taste of Rio Rancho was such a spectacular event, filled with a full list of awesome venders and restaurants. This year event was held at the humongous Santa Ana Star Center, it costs around $10.00 per person however, someone was kind enough and gave me a free ticket at the door as I was waiting in line to purchase ticket. This is the list of the restaurants that I got to taste their yummy food from:Aldo's New York Style Pizzeria, Bagel Deli Bakery, Baskin Robbins, Blake's Lotaburger, Cafe Bella Coffee, Las Cazuela's Seafood & Mexican Grill, Chill Zone, Dairy Queen, Davido's Pizza & More, Einstein Bros. Bagels, El Mezquite Market, Fat Squirrel Pub & Grille, Hot Tamales, Joe's Pasta House, L.A. Subs (Soon to be Alicea's New York Bagels & Subs), Little Caesars Pizza, Matheson Winery, Namaste Restaurant, O'Hares Grille & Pub, Pizza 9, Prime by Vernon's, Rub-N-Wood BBQ, Seferino's New Mexican Restaurant, Subway, Taco John's and Turtle Mountain Brewing Co. I learned that new fast food chain that is quite popular in the MId-West is coming to ABQ and Rio Rancho, that is the awesome Taco John's. Boy I tell you what, their Potato Olés was out of this world, those were crunchy, crispy golden pieces of potato seasoned with their magnificent seasonings. when you come to this event, they give each and everyone 3 chips, you can vote for the restaurants that you thought were your favorites and at the end of the food show, they get a People's choice award. Walking around with my newly, full of flavours, yet refreshing beer whilst tasting food and chllin' with my friends = the best evening.Also I believe it is a cash only event if you want to purchase alcoholic beverages inside the venue. I think you can purchase discounted tickets ahead of time from either Living Social or Groupon. I have got to credit my awesome friend Ms. A and Mr. C for pointing this out to me.

I walked into the Santa Ana Star Center hungry, I left wanting to curl up in a corner with a warm blanket ready for my food coma. This was my first tasting event with Yelp and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Since I don't think I should review any one particular food, I'll review the event as a whole. For starters I would like to thank all the local businesses that participated. I'll start with my only issue. Yes, I know it was called the "The Taste of Rio Rancho" but wow if was far away. Not sure why they couldn't hold the event at the Santa Ana Casino? I really enjoyed tasting what local/ chain restaurants had to offer around Rio Rancho. My wife and I made it a point to try most of everything and there was some very good dishes from restaurants that I can't wait to try out side of this event. The types of samples ranged from enchiladas to froze yogurt and everything was well represented. I must point out that the enchiladas from Hot Tamales was probably the best I've eaten and they were the closes to home, I can't wait to try other items on their menu! In the end the Taste of Rio Rancho event was well organized, well represented by local eateries and it was a good way to market different restaurants to the public. Love it, can't wait for the next one!

Honestly, I'm having a hard time reviewing this event mostly because I know at the heart of it there were good intentions. There was also poor communication and some mishandling which convinces me I won't be back to Taste of Rio Rancho.If you won VIP tickets through yelp, you were instructed to arrive at 4 sharp for a tour and taste during the first 90 minutes of the event. There must have been about twenty of us waiting until 4:15 for someone from the venue (or yelp) to begin this tour. I didn't see a yelp table set up until after the fact.No one showed up until this gentleman instructed us to go right in. One of our fellow elites spoke up and asked if there was a tour after all...? Guess not! He just told us to go in, awkwardly no less. So we went in, and the rest cemented why the low stars. Taste of Rio Rancho was advertised as "the best" restaurants the city has to offer. For that reason alone, I was so excited to make the drive there! Is Village Inn, Chick-fil-a, and Little Ceasars really it? Wow. I was expecting more local places, if not all, to fill the stalls of the Santa Ana Star Center. A sort of emptiness ran that first hour of tasting pies, cakes, pizza, and juice. There were some pub sliders and some delicious enchiladas in the mix. Cazuela's Mexican Grill was our favorite and won our vote. Pizza 9 was predictably there but Sal-e Boys Pizzeria was sorely missed.There's so much more Taste of Rio Rancho could have offered and it missed the mark. Some entertainment or family fun would have been a nice touch. Unfortunately, we could have landed at a drive-thru somewhere in town and it would have been 50% of what was at Taste of Rio Rancho.

The event started off ummm a bit dis organized by the ladies at the box office not know we were to be there by 4pm for the tour...then we get in to the taste of rio and we were waiting for the host to show us where to go....as we walked in we were in shock by not many restaurants showing there support in rio ranch which I though was sad (I thought) its called the TASTE OF RIO RANCHO. the food was good thank for for all the samples my favorite was vanilla beans popcorn reminded me of being a kid my uncle used to make it at his shop and the sausage was great as well sorry I dont remember the name of the resturant..The price to me was a bit expensive which was 20 and dropped to 10 after 6 and ended at 7...thank you yelp for letting me have the experience

While the words "Rio Rancho" don't usually leave a good taste in my mouth, I must admit that they do have some fine cuisine to offer. And I wouldn't have ever know had I not been to this event. I already live on the west side, but the even so, the drive to the Star Center, where this event was hosted, took me a good 30-45 minutes. But that's okay too. The event was fun, lively, with a good variety of local and franchise vendors who offered a fresh sampling of their products. Something for folks of all ages to enjoy. The only thing missing was either a DJ or a live band! They gave a few brochures, coupons, advertisements and such in a little goodie bag upon entering. Also included were two gambling chips to use for "votes" for your favorite vendor. I must admit, this was hard for me. I was tore between a few places that caught my attention, but finally made my decision based on where I would visit if I ever went to or through Rio Rancho. Or better yet, my decision was based more on the places I WOULD specifically drive to Rio Rancho for. Now, more about what was offered, which will hopefully encourage others to attend this event, at least once. It was, if anything, very enjoyable and I left absolutely stuffed! There was a coffee stand, custard and ice cream, fresh squeezed juice, authentic Italian cuisine, BBQ, pie, Chick-Fil-A, soup, desserts and chocolate, sliders, and other little hors d oeurves. You are guaranteed to at least leave full, satisfied and with a smile on your face.

Would like to update they added kids pricing so they longer charge the same entry fee as adults. This makes a huge difference. If you haven't gone to this event it is a must!! Great hidden gem.

Excellent Yelp event! Thanks for putting this together Howie. Nice to get in early, before the crowds and get a taste of some old favorites and new-to-us places in nearby Rio Rancho.

Went to this on an invite. I was amazed at all the great food and restaurants Rio Rancho had to offer. The best pizza for the evening was Davido's Pizza, even if they only had thin crust, although I am told they do make a deep dish if requested! The one place that got my vote was Hot Tamales. I love the name and the food. This is definitely on our list to attend next year. Pay the extra and go in early! Much easier to taste the great food before general admission enters.