According to their daughter and Rio Grande General Manager Priscilla Orona, Cisneros and Maldonado wanted to create a restaurant that serves generations of recipes inspired by their family as well as well-known Tex-Mex favorites.
“My mom liked to be in the kitchen, so she wanted to be able to, along with my grandparents, put recipes out there that ... people would really enjoy,” Orona said.
The restaurant proved popular in Hutto, and by 2011, Cisneros and Maldonado opened a location in Pflugerville off Central Commerce Drive. As of press time, the Pflugerville location was scheduled to close permanently by Aug. 7. Orona said the owners of the property plan to open a new restaurant, but the Hutto restaurant will remain open.
For her part, Orona has been helping her parents at the restaurant since it first opened. After taking some time off to attend school, she rejoined her family and has managed both locations since 2018.
The Hutto location allows for ample space for its 360-degree bar that serves customers inside and outside, a large room for private events and an expansive patio that wraps around the back of the restaurant. The restaurant also has a to-go pickup area.
Additionally, Orona said they have plans for a homemade tortilla station and a bakery.
“You’re going to actually be able to see the tortillas being made,” she said. “That is one of the things our customers have been asking for, for years.”
Rio Grande Tex-Mex Restaurant
551 Ed Schmidt Blvd., Hutto
512-759-1449
www.riograndemex.com
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. 7 a.m.-
10 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Popular dishesRio Grande Tex-Mex has a wide-ranging menu.
