Our Story

Welcome to Urban Rio!

After bringing an original wood-fired pizza concept, Urban Crust, to the area in 2009, owners Bonnie and Nathan Shea purchased the Old Downtown Plano Ice House at 1000 E. 14th Street (one block south of Urban Crust) and began envisioning a "sister" concept for the area.

Urban Rio means "the river of the city." We adopted the name because of the restaurant's location just east of what is now the DART rail in Downtown Plano. This same thoroughfare was once the Texas Electric Railway, which is why it is known as the "Steel River" of Plano.

Urban Rio's exciting flavors are influenced by both sides of the Rio Grande River. Our team, under the leadership of World Master Chef Salvatore Gisellu, uses only the freshest and most authentic ingredients to make our dishes among the best in town. We make our core offerings from scratch, using ingredients like hand-ground masa for tortillas and tamales and fresh-muddled fruit for the most flavorful cocktails in North Texas!