Quick Answer
Cafe Rio is build-your-own, so there is no single menu-item calorie count. A fully assembled Grilled Chicken Salad is about 904 calories and 1,443mg sodium — 63% of a day’s sodium limit in one salad. Built lighter, the same salad lands closer to 400 to 500 calories.
- The salad is not the light option by default. Sodium comes from tortilla strips, cheese, dressing and seasoned rice.
- Four levers do most of the work: no fried strips, dressing on the side, grilled protein, easy on cheese.
- A large Horchata is 83g of sugar — more than a can of most sodas.
- Component figures don’t add to a dish total unless you sum every piece yourself.
Why These Numbers Don’t Match a “Whole Dish”
Cafe Rio built its business on made-to-order Mexican food — pick a tortilla or go without one, pick rice, beans, a protein, a dressing, and toppings. Because of that, the brand’s own nutrition calculator lists values by component (one tortilla, one serving of dressing, one protein portion) rather than by finished dish. A “Chicken Quesadilla” figure below is the chicken filling alone; add the tortilla and cheese separately to get the real total. Knowing this prevents the common mistake of comparing a component figure to a competitor’s whole-meal calorie count.
Cafe Rio Nutrition at a Glance
| Item | Serving | Calories | Fat | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grilled Chicken Salad (assembled) | 1 salad | 904 | 35 g | 1,443 mg |
| Horchata (large) | 661 g | 450 | 8 g | 150 mg |
| Nino Quesadilla (tortilla + cheese) | 151 g | 442 | 14 g | — |
| Chile Relleno | 1 serving | 360 | 29 g | 370 mg |
| Grilled Chicken (filling) | 142 g | 240 | 13 g | 210 mg |
| Cilantro Lime Dressing | 116 g | ~230 | 18 g | 170 mg |
| Grilled Flour Tortilla (12″) | 1 | 177 | 6 g | — |
| House Dressing | 1.5 oz | 81 | 5 g | 480 mg |
Claims We Corrected on This Page
Two figures on an earlier version of this page did not survive an arithmetic check, and both have been corrected.
- The 12″ flour tortilla was described as roughly 440 calories in the FAQ, while the page’s own table listed it at 177. The 177 figure is the consistent one — its macros (27g carbs, 6g fat, 4g protein) work out to about 178 calories. The 440 figure appears to have been taken from the Nino Quesadilla, which is a tortilla plus cheese. The FAQ has been corrected.
- Cilantro Lime Dressing was listed at 442 calories, the same number as the Nino Quesadilla directly below it. Its own macros (15g carbs, 18g fat, 1g protein) come to roughly 230 calories, not 442. Every other item on this page reconciles with its macros to within a few percent; this one was off by nearly double, which points to a duplicated cell rather than a real value. We have listed it as approximately 230 and flagged it as worth confirming against Cafe Rio’s live calculator.
We name corrections rather than quietly deleting them.
About Cafe Rio
| Name | Cafe Rio Mexican Grill |
| Founded | 1997, St. George, Utah |
| Headquarters | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Format | Fast-casual, made-to-order |
| Official site | caferio.com |
The Assembled Salad: Where the Sodium Comes From
| Nutrition | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 904 |
| Carbs | 106 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 14 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Fat | 35 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Protein | 43 g |
| Sodium | 1,443 mg |
| Cholesterol | 58 mg |
The 1,443mg of sodium — 63% of the FDA’s 2,300mg daily limit in one salad — is the number most “healthy salad” assumptions miss. It comes mainly from the tortilla strips, cheese, dressing and seasoned rice and beans stacked into a full-size build. In fairness to the dish, 43g of protein and 14g of fiber are genuinely good numbers; the problem is the sodium and the total calorie load, not the underlying ingredients. For comparison, a fast-food chicken sandwich runs 1,100 to 1,700mg, so this salad sits squarely in the same range.
Component Nutrition Facts
House Dressing — serving size 1.5 oz: 81 calories, 9g carbs, 1g fiber, 4g sugar, 5g fat, 1g saturated fat, 1g protein, 480mg sodium, 5mg cholesterol. Note the sodium: this small dressing serving carries more sodium than the Cilantro Lime at nearly three times the portion size.
Cilantro Lime Dressing — serving size 116g: approximately 230 calories, 15g carbs, 1g fiber, 10g sugar, 18g fat, 3g saturated fat, 1g protein, 170mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol. At 18g of fat per serving this is still the richest of the standard dressings, and ordering it on the side rather than tossed in is the single easiest way to cut calories from a Cafe Rio salad.
Nino Quesadilla (12″ flour tortilla, cheese only) — 151g: 442 calories, 67g carbs, 2g fiber, 1g sugar, 14g fat, 4g saturated fat, 9g protein, 0mg cholesterol.
Grilled Chicken (quesadilla filling) — 142g: 240 calories, 13g fat, 3g saturated fat, 29g protein, 210mg sodium, 95mg cholesterol. At 29g of protein for 240 calories, this is the best protein-to-calorie ratio on the menu and the right anchor for a lighter build.
Horchata — 661g (large): 450 calories, 85g carbs, 83g sugar, 8g fat, 6g saturated fat, 10g protein, 150mg sodium, 35mg cholesterol. A large Horchata carries 83g of sugar, more than a full-size can of most sodas, worth knowing if it is being ordered alongside a salad on the assumption that the meal is a light one.
Chile Relleno — 1 serving: 360 calories, 12g carbs, 1g fiber, 7g sugar, 29g fat, 12g saturated fat, 14g protein, 370mg sodium, 105mg cholesterol. This is the highest saturated-fat item on the list at 60% of a day’s limit in one serving — a battered, cheese-stuffed, fried pepper, so that tracks with how it is made.
Grilled Flour Tortilla (12″) — 1 serving: 177 calories, 27g carbs, 1g fiber, 6g fat, 1g saturated fat, 4g protein, 0mg cholesterol.
Building a Lighter Order
The biggest calorie and sodium swings come from four choices: skip the fried tortilla shell or strips, ask for dressing on the side rather than mixed in, choose grilled chicken over fried or heavily sauced proteins, and go easy on cheese and sour cream. A salad built this way can land closer to 400 to 500 calories instead of 900-plus, without dropping the protein or vegetables — the grilled chicken alone still brings 29g of protein.
Frequently Asked Questions
A full-size Grilled Chicken Salad, fully assembled with dressing, cheese, tortilla strips, rice and beans, runs about 904 calories with 1,443mg of sodium. Building it lighter (dressing on the side, no fried strips, less cheese) can bring that down to roughly 400 to 500 calories.
It depends entirely on what goes in it. The 12 inch flour tortilla alone is about 177 calories; add rice, beans, a protein and toppings and a typical build lands between 800 and 1,200 calories depending on protein and extras like cheese, sour cream and guacamole.
About 1,443mg in a fully assembled Grilled Chicken Salad, which is 63% of the FDA’s 2,300mg daily limit in a single dish. The sodium comes mainly from tortilla strips, cheese, dressing and the seasoned rice and beans rather than from the chicken.
Cafe Rio offers a build-your-own nutrition calculator that breaks values down by component (tortilla, protein, rice, beans, sauces, toppings) rather than by finished dish, since almost everything on the menu is customizable. That is why component figures in this guide will not simply add up to a whole burrito or salad total unless you add every piece together yourself.
Skip the tortilla shell and fried strips, ask for dressing on the side and use less of it, and choose grilled chicken over sauced or barbacoa-style proteins. The seasoned rice, beans, cheese and dressing are the main sodium contributors, so a salad built around grilled protein and fresh toppings with dressing on the side cuts sodium the most. Note that the House Dressing carries 480mg per 1.5oz, more than the larger Cilantro Lime serving.
Related Reading
- Chipotle Nutrition Facts — the closest build-your-own comparison.
- Burger King Nutrition Facts — fast-food sodium for context.
- Chili’s Nutrition Facts — sit-down portions compared.
- Fast Food & Brand Nutrition Facts: The Complete Guide — every brand we have broken down.
Sources
- Cafe Rio’s published component nutrition calculator. Because the menu is customizable, verify a specific build on the calculator rather than relying on component figures alone. caferio.com
- US FDA — Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels (basis for the 2,300mg sodium reference and all % DV figures). fda.gov
Daily Value percentages are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Menus and recipes vary by location and change over time, so verify current values before relying on them. Written and fact-checked by the HealthCoachJP editorial team, following our editorial process. No clinician has reviewed this article. This page is general nutrition information, not medical advice. Last updated: August 2026.
