Downtown Plano’s Urban Rio Cantina & Grill will celebrate its five-year-anniversary with a full-on fiesta on Sunday, June 25 from 5 – 8 p.m. Live music from Chet Stevens, complimentary food and beverages, photo booth, and other activities will fill their location at 1000 E. 14th Street in downtown Plano, and the event is open to the public.
Urban Rio, the sibling to acclaimed wood-fired pizza concept Urban Crust, opened in 2012, making its home in the original Plano Ice House that originally opened in 1917. With awards including D Magazine’s Best 100 Restaurants (2013), Dallas A-List’s Best Margarita (2013), Thrillist’s Best Nachos (2013), and Dallas A-List’s Best Tex Mex (2015, 2016), Urban Rio has seen vast success with its “Next-Mex” fare and craft, signature cocktails.
“The restaurant business is tough, so being open for five, successful years, is definitely something to celebrate,” owner, Nathan Shea, said. “There’s no way Urban Rio could have been as successful as it has without the support from our customers, and this anniversary party is a way for everyone at Urban Rio to celebrate with, and thank, them for their support over the last five years.”
In addition to the complimentary bites, drinks and entertainment, Urban Rio will also host a fundraiser raffle at the event that will directly benefit first responder support organizations in Plano—the Plano Citizen’s Police Academy Alumni Association (PCPAAA) and Plano Fire Rescue Associates (PFRA).
“We love a good party, but also wanted to find a way to give back to our community,” Urban Rio General Manager, Michael Lee, said. “With the Plano Police and Fire Departments basically in our back yard, it was an obvious choice when we were thinking about who we could support at the event.”
Party attendees will be able to purchase raffle tickets at the event for $5 each or 5 tickets for $20 and prizes include floor-seat tickets to a Dallas Mavericks game and a “Police Officer for a Day” experience, among others. In addition to the raffle, Urban Rio will also feature a signature drink at the event and all net proceeds from those sales will be donated to the organizations.
The PCPAAA was formed to provide continuing support to the Plano Police Department in a variety of areas including civic events, fund raising or riding with officers on patrol. Their mission is to bring together the graduates of the Plano Citizens Police Academy to enhance the relations between the community and the police department, and to assist all law enforcement agencies.
The PFRA has championed the cause of the Plano Fire Department and raises funds for fire department related programs. The purpose of the PFRA is to provide a citizen’s volunteer organization to interact with the Plano Fire Department in promoting educational events and awareness in fire/life safety and to facilitate between the general public and the Plano Fire Department.
“We want to give back to the people that constantly give so much to our community,” Shea said. “While we are excited to celebrate five years in business at Urban Rio, we also want to celebrate our first responders. This fundraiser is the least that we can do.”
About Urban Rio
For diners looking for a restaurant that offers a fun night out with their family and friends, Urban Rio offers Next-Mex–a refreshing and inspired chef-driven menu created by World Master Chef Salvatore Gisellu, highlighting Mexican and Spanish influences from the Rio Grande Valley.
Opened in 2012 by restaurateurs Nathan and Bonnie Shea, Urban Rio is located in the original Plano Ice House in Historic Downtown Plano. The menu offers authentic, fresh and innovative items with heavy focus on quality produce and items made from scratch–down to grinding corn for tortillas, freshly muddled fruit for cocktails, and house-made, flavored marshmallows for the signature s’mores dessert.
Urban Rio features a full-service upstairs bar, On the Rocks Cantina that, on beautiful days and nights, features opened garage doors and panoramic views of the city. On the Rocks features 14 beer taps, eight frozen liquor taps, handcrafted cocktails and wines.
The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with brunch also served on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. On the Rocks is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m., and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Learn more about Urban Rio at www.urbanrio.com.
