Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant has been serving Colorado its own brand of from-scratch TexMex fare since 1986. Founder and Owner, Pat McGaughran, grew up in Houston, Texas, a city known for its cultural diversity, including a strong Latino community, and TexMex cooking. Living in such a melting pot, McGaughran spent his youth eating plenty of fresh, Mexican food, both at his friends’ homes and out at Houston’s well-known TexMex restaurants.

Pat McGaughran and his two friends Andre and Stephen Mouton packed up a van and spent time traveling through northern Mexico and the Yucatan, learning more about the culture, and, of course, the food. McGaughran discovered and fell in love with a whole new cuisine, asking for recipes along the way. After McGaughran’s travels, he settled in Fort Collins, Colorado, and while he loved his new home, he missed the food he enjoyed in Mexico, especially the chile rellenos and the black beans.

He began cooking his favorite recipes for friends and even gave black beans to Lucy Stromquist, a nearby farmer, to grow this non-native crop locally. Shortly after, McGaughran decided to take the leap and open a restaurant, the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, in Old Town, Fort Collins, with Stephen and Andre Mouton, where he could introduce his beloved TexMex food (and slow-cooked black beans!) to everyone. That long, simple, delicious journey through Mexico lives on in every dish “The Rio” will ever make.