Costa Vida

Today was my 1^st time visiting this chain and I wasn’t impressed. With that said, I’d need to visit a few more times to really get a feel for the different types of foods/​bowls they offer, but this definitely isn’t on my list of favs.
The food is served Chipotle style and it’s Tex-Mex…sorta. There’s a beach theme going on and it kinda has a Florida/​California vibe.
We went during lunch time and it was very noisy but it wasn’t unbearable.
The service was fast and the employees were pretty nice.
As for now, this place is just «Meh». The food wasn’t horrible and it wasn’t great.

Yes, it’s a chain. Yes it is what one might call «fast food». Yes, the community is extremely picky when it comes to Tex-​Mex in Texas. To be clear, this is NOT an authentic Tex-​Mex place. This is Tex-​Mex mixed with Cali-​Mex fare.
Taking all that into consideration there are a few reasons I LOVE Costa Vida.
1. They slightly toast /​grill the tortillas on their tacos. It creates an amazing, subtle crunch. This is something you don’t get from places that just warm the tortilla.
2. The sweet pork is fantastic (maybe a little too sweet for some)
3. The ingredients appear to be fresh and I never leave feeling like I ingested a processed mess.
Now, a few things I’m not crazy about:
1. There’s a bit too much rice typically in the burrito.
2. The burrito in particular cannot be eaten without a fork. This isn’t Chipotle or Freebirds.
If you’re looking for fast Tex-​Mex that won’t leave you feeling gross, I say give it a shot.

Since moving to Texas I’ve been craving Café rio which Texas does not have. This is the closet thing to it and it’s very good. They even have horchata!!!

A few Sundays ago, we planned to go to Keller to check out some houses. When we left I wasn’t feeling that great to begin with. Half expecting for my husband to do what he usually does; take the 10 min trip to I-​35 and decide to go to Burleson instead of what was planned. Not this day. My husband was like find something for us to eat in Keller. Each mile I literally felt like crud as each mile went on, I didn’t care what we ate. Now you know something is wrong with Krista when Krista isn’t on Unilocal looking for a place to eat.
Anyway, husband came across Costa Vida. «We will eat here.» By now, pounding headache, fever and chills has set in. Death warmed over. Don’t feel like eating even if you take me to a steakhouse! Costa Vida is bright inside. It’s one of those Qdoba/​Chipotle/​FreeBird places. Build your own burritos and bowls.
I sat there. Kids and him ate. He scarfed down his food. Said it was good. Do I want a taste? No. Kids also liked it. The man said to write a review. 3 stars he says. Why don’t you write a review! Ok, I will write the review. I was present, but I didn’t eat. My husband and kids did though. lol
Who knows if I will be back, but the husband gave it a thumb up.

Love the food here! Try the mango chicken salad! Lots of fresh options! Great service. Perfect lunch spot!

First time here seems just like chipotle but different flavors. Had the smothered burrito and my wife had the shrimp taco with rice and beans. We also had the happy hour margarita. Let’s talk liquor first… WHERE IS THE TEQUILA? Sad version of a Shirley Temple!
On to my burrito, it was pretty good after all I chose the ingredients. We tasted the chicken and it had good seasonings. I had my burrito smothered with red sauce and cheese. My wife liked what she got but I thought the shrimp was getting a little funky, ammonia tasting. I would come back but not order the drinks or the shrimp.

Would give 0 stars if I could * WARNING * WARNING * WARNING * both my adult children ate there two days ago (in Texas) and had food poisoning within 12 to 18 hours later. we are now in the process of calling the Health Department

Got food poisoning here from the chicken last night. Throwing up all day and other things. Wife got sick too. Will be calling health department!

We came here because we were around the area and the hubs, Mike had tried it before. When I walked in – I realized it was one of those places where you either get tacos, a burrito/​burrito bowl, a salad or a quesadilla with your choice of meats and toppings. I wasn’t too thrilled about his choice but I went with it because we were there. I ordered the steak taco plate for lunch and Mike ordered the raspberry chipotle chicken taco plate… both came with your choice of beans and rice. I tried both the steak and the chicken tacos and both were pretty good. I think the freshly made tortillas did the trick! My refried beans were delicious too — I wasn’t a fan of the rice though, it reminded me of flavored minute rice BUT if you mix it in with the beans — all is well! This place is really out of the way for us so we probably wouldn’t come back unless we were in the area again. We did enjoy it though!

This is clearly a new location with many kinks to work out. My husband and I both asked for smothered burritos and were presented with bone dry burritos. I had to walk the employee through the smothered burrito in order to get one. I had wondered if I had confused my Costa vida vs. café rio language but looking back at the menu it clearly says smothered. I’m giving them a generous three stars with the hope that they work through the problems.

I’ve been here about 5 times and after my trip tonight I can say I won’t go back. My burrito was not very good, and the fillings were not good either. Sour tomatoes and undercooked black beans. I got an order of queso that can only be described as runny and sweet. I love things with just a sweet hint usually, but this was just nasty. I like the raspberry chicken but it’s just not worth it. Plus the up charge to get vegetables on your burrito is 1.99. Way too high for me. Service isn’t bad but wouldn’t say it’s excellent either.

Very lovely and bright. Food is okay but the service was awesome. Quick so perfect on a lunch break. Their tortilla soup was awesome and had the shredded beef burrito. It is a rather large burrito so you definitely gotta use a fork and knife. The flavor of his item would be considered mediocre. It’s nothing to be amazed with but tolerable for a quick craving. They have a chipotle like setup but with a huge variety of foods.

Pretty good! There are a lot of options, great lunch specials, and the food was delicious. I had a chicken burrito. It tasted great and was very filling. I do wish they had more vegetables, and that they didn’t put the lettuce on the side… that was a bit weird. But overall, I really enjoyed this place. It’s delicious, convenient, and has a ton of variety.

Not sure why the ratings are so low. We had a good experience here. I got the chicken fajita burrito which was delicious. My husband got a regular chicken burrito and he said it was also very good. The service wasn’t bad and there was no confusion with the menu or pricing. We will go back.

I wasn’t very impressed with the food and or the Manger he was barking orders like the employees weren’t human. I wanted to say something to put him in his place… Just not a good vibe… Felt sorry the people who has to work with him

This was my first time here, my boyfriend came here before and had a great first experience. Our experience this time wasn’t that great.
Walked in, very colorful, and bright. Looked at the menu, saw they had a Saturday lunch special which was grilled chicken salad… Asked the manager if that included the mango chicken salad and he said yes. When we got to the cashier they didn’t charge us for the lunch special but the full price, and cashier told us the special didn’t include the mango chicken salad… So the manager lied to us. He was on a break and didn’t bother to tend to us.
My boyfriend got a burrito and he told them the meat, rice, beans but they didn’t ask him about vegetables and they closed the burrito up right away. He told the guy to just put the vegetables on the side. My boyfriend was being rushed and maybe only 2 – 3 people behind us.
This was my boyfriends 2^nd time here and he’s not sure if he wants to come back due to the bad service. I don’t blame him.

We enjoyed our dinner of enchiladas with chili verde and felt that it was good food for good value. We found the service to be inexplicably slow. Although it is pretty inside, it was so loud that we were unable to hear questions asked in line and were forced to eat outside so we could hear each other at all.

$ 4.00 for a taco with nothing on it!!! That’s right, sour cream, guac, extra $ 0.50!!! Insane!!!
Cool place, way to expensive!
Wow!!!

A friend picked this place for lunch. Like a true Unilocaler I checked out the reviews first, and was prepared for a so so meal. FALSE. This place was yummmmy! Super fresh ingredients and not too pricey. Paid $ 10 total and that included a large drink.
I ordered the chicken salad– which salad is a stretch as it came on a fresh (HUGE) tortilla base with rice and beans mixed in with the veggies. Allll great things by the way, in my book. You can get the salad without those items but why?

First time stepping into a Costa Vida, and will likely not be the last. The interior is very «beachy» with bright colors and water themed décor. Served «Chipotle style» (the association to that restaurant stops there) you’ll take a few minutes to ponder the large, illuminated menu at the front of the shop. The choices are pretty great– tacos, burros, enchiladas, salads and bowls. You’ll chose from traditional protein options like steak, chicken or pork but there are some interesting choices as well: raspberry chicken, green chili pork, and some seafood.
The tortillas are made fresh on-​site daily and they are delicious. Fluffy, grilled to perfection and warmed up when you build your order. After selecting your toppings some items are actually finished off in a conveyor-​belt oven or even on a flat-​top grill. I ordered a smothered green chili burrito and it was dang good. The portions are huge and the price is right ($ 7). I fed my family of 3 for under $ 25 and we walked out of that place stuffed to the gills. There’s a great kid’s menu with 4 or 5 options that include rice, beans, a small drink and a cinnamon tortilla desert. My daughter loved the cheese quesedila.
The one thing I might share with management is that the first employee in the build line should ask if this is your first visit to Costa Vida. It can get a little overwhelming since they don’t really ask what you want on your item– when you place the order the toppings are already pre-​selected so they’ll quickly throw in the rice, beans, cheese, etc. You need to read the menu closely to see if there’s anything you want left off your meal before it’s made.
Great food, I’m ready to try the raspberry chicken tacos– see what that’s all about. The staff was friendly and I could see the shift manager was right in the food line helping his employees and interacting with the customers. It’s nice to see that.

Had no idea what I was walking in to. Discovered a cafeteria style, fresh mexican grille with the ordering and serving process similar to chipotle/​freebirds.
I panicked at order time and chose the daily special, which was a burrito. Nothing really sets it apart from burritos at other similar type joints. I consider this my mistake. If I could do it over again I would get enchiladas or tacos or something.
Place was very clean. Nice atmosphere. Prompt friendly service.
My next visit I will try something a little deeper on the menu to see if I can get them up to 4 stars.

This shopping area has completely exploded in recent months! There are so many food options now. My husband and I finally tried this place and a meh rating sounds about right.
Tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, salads, enchiladas with options of steak, chicken, pork, shrimp or fish. My husband ordered the Sunday lunch special, sweet pork burrito. Pretty good value at the lunch special price, they really stuffed this thing. He got it smothered for a small upcharge, in a verde sauce. The pork is very sweet, slightly bbq-​y flavor. I thought it was pretty good but you should avoid it if you aren’t a fan of sweet bbq flavor.
I got a single steak taco which came with either rice and beans or chips. Just chips seems like a weak side, but am not 100% sure if that would include queso or some salsa. Rice and beans were average, steak was ok but I did quite enjoy their tortilla. It was different than a normal flour, with more chew and structure.
We were rung up by the working manager and after I paid and got my receipt, I noticed we were charged the full price on my husband’s lunch special. This was corrected once I pointed it out, but just something to keep in mind.
There were 2 employees on break while we ate, and both decided it was a good time to lie down on the benches. I found this a bit awkward, but as the manager walked by them several times as he cleaned up, I guess it’s acceptable.
Overall, since there’s also a freebirds in the area and I’d probably pick freebirds over costa vida.

I didn’t know what to expect coming in. You walk to the counter and place your order, pay, and carrier your own food to your table.
I would give customer service 2 stars as no one friendly or personable. Sunday night the restaurant was slow, practically empty but several tables and the floor were very dirty.
I was excited to try the sweet pork but it was too sweet for me, almost like BBQ pulled pork. I chose the steak and the only noticeable flavor was chili powder. I thought the tortillas tasted fresh.
The interior décor is colorful and vibrant and the loud music makes for a fun environment. The tv screens showing the food preparation process looks like what you would show new trainees, not your customers. It was like a long, painful commercial.
I don’t plan to return, just because I’d rather have authentic carnitas.

This place is so-​so. All the meats are cold and they try to make up for it by sending it through a Quiznos oven. You have choices of meat. A sweet pork, which is almost candied; a shredded beef, meh; chile verde, fair; chicken; and steak (bland)
It is sort of like a chipotle but not as good. You go through line and pick what you want and then because it’s cold they put through conveyor oven, and it comes out only slightly less cold.
Portions are weak. I got a chile verde bowl. And after loading up on veggies it didn’t fill me at all. Only 1 small spoon of rice, a small ladle and half of chile verde, and spoon of beans. Probably right portion per food pyramid, but gosh darn it this is America! Very disappointed, I’d come back if my friends really wanted too but it won’t ever be my 1^st choice. (or tenth)
I’d recommend Taco Bell, taco villa, taco casa, taco cabana, taco bueno all over this sub par place. Or can go to free birds or chipotle for same type of food with better quality. Staff was kinda snotty too.

ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS FOOD!
My boyfriend and I came in here not knowing what to expect, and we were pleasantly surprised.
The food was delicious, everything tastes fresh and it has a burst of flavor as you make your first bite.
Definitely better than chipotle and freebirds!