“That’s our best restaurant right there,” the man driving the golf cart told us as he ferried us from our parked car to the front gates of the Appalachian Festival the weekend before last. I remembered hearing about Landing Casa Del Rio when it opened a year or so ago. I’d heard that it had a nice patio area, the food was good, and it was a fun place to drink.
After four hours of visiting vendors, listening to bluegrass and exploring the living history exhibits, we were famished. And so we decided to check out Landing Casa Del Rio for ourselves. But not before visiting New Richmond’s Cardboard Boat Museum and the headquarters of the French Chew candy company.
New Richmond is a pretty cool town, and I’m sure it will only be more interesting once Liberty Landing – a $13.4 million project funded by the State of Ohio’s Appalachian Community Grant program – is completed. The landing will include a new marina and a wider riverfront, which should lure new businesses to this historic Underground Railroad town.
Turns out that Landing Casa Del Rio played a part in the city’s Underground Railroad history. A historical marker on the side of the restaurant lets passers by know the building once belonged to Rev. George C. Light, a Methodist minister and agent for the controversial American Colonization Society, which was founded in 1816 to help formerly enslaved Blacks return to newly established Liberia. I doubt the reverend would recognize his house now with its bright orange exterior walls, its interior decorated with fake tropical birds and tequila bottles.
This restaurant is more about what’s out back: An enormous AstroTurf-ed paradise with an outdoor bar, games, a live-music stage and breathtaking views of the Ohio River. (Yes, I think Ohio River views can be breathtaking.)
The food is good. Mostly familiar Tex-Mex fare, including tacos, enchiladas, Chipotle chicken and fajitas. The chicken mole enchiladas I ordered hit the spot, as did the frozen margarita I used to wash it down.
So yes, I would recommend this spot, if mostly for the views, the friendly service and the festive atmosphere (at some point, a group of middle-aged men took the stage to sing the classic rock of their youth). I’ll come back to New Richmond once Liberty Landing is complete so I can try some more restaurants. But for now I’ll just go with the golf cart driver’s opinion that this one’s the best.
401 Front St., New Richmond, 513-449-4148, casadelriooh.com. Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sunday.
Highly Recommended is a weekly spotlight on some of food writer Keith Pandolfi’s favorite finds as he eats his way across Greater Cincinnati. Come back every Tuesday for more.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: New riverside restaurant serves margaritas and breathtaking views
Reporting by Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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