Casa Rio is the San Antonio restaurant recognized as the first restaurant on the city’s River Walk.
The restaurant opened in 1946 beside the San Antonio River, helping establish the waterway as a major dining and tourism destination. Its colorful umbrellas, riverfront tables, and Mexican-inspired menu became closely associated with the visual identity of the River Walk. Casa Rio remains one of the area’s best-known historic restaurants.
The River Walk itself developed from a flood-control and urban-improvement project rather than being built originally as a restaurant district. After major civic investment, businesses gradually began opening along the river. Casa Rio was an early commercial success in that setting and helped show that the narrow riverbanks could support public dining.
Casa Rio is often described as Tex-Mex because its menu combines Mexican culinary traditions with ingredients, preparations, and restaurant customs that developed in Texas. It should not be confused with Mi Tierra, another famous San Antonio Mexican restaurant founded later in Market Square.