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Home > Restaurants > Rosa Mexicano

Rosa Mexicano

9 E. 18th St., New York, NY 10003
nr. Fifth Ave.   See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-533-3350 Send to Phone
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  • Price Range: $$$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
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    • Good
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  • Reader Rating:

    6.0 out of 10

      |  

    4 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: Latin American, Mexican

Official Website

rosamexicano.info

Hours

Mon-Tue, noon-4pm and 5pm-10:30pm; Wed-Fri, noon-4pm and 5pm-11:30pm; Sat, 11am-4pm and 5pm-11:30pm; Sun, 11am-4pm and 5pm-10pm

Nearby Subway Stops

4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W at 14th St.-Union Sq.

Prices

$15-$28

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Bar Scene
  • Brunch - Weekend
  • Business Lunch
  • Dine at the Bar
  • Good for Groups
  • Lunch
  • Private Dining/Party Space
  • Teen Appeal
  • Online Ordering

Alcohol

  • Full Bar

Reservations

Recommended

Delivery

Profile

This David Rockwell-designed downtown addition to the upscale Rosa Mexicano chain is neither chic like its West Side brother, nor intimate like its East Side sister, but over-the-top gaudy, with a 50-seat bar in the front room, bright colors blasted on the walls, and a shimmering blue-tiled centerpiece depicting a water wall, out of which emerge hundreds of teeny cliff-diver figurines in neat geometric form. In the back, the scene is more sedate. Main dishes are hit-or-miss: Unseasoned Chilean sea bass with pineapple-passion fruit sauce strikes out, but rolled corn tortillas stuffed with sweet crabmeat and surrounded by rich, satisfyingly bitter tomatillo sauce are expertly done. One item definitely worth the price is the restaurant's famous guacamole. Ceremoniously prepared to order in a tableside lava-rock molcajete, this chunky mash of creamy avocado and tomato makes a fine dip for warm corn tortillas. — JJ Goode

Extra

For fiestas grandes, Rosa Mexicano has private party facilities for up to 150 guests.

Recommended Dishes

Crab enchiladas, $24; guacamole, $14

6.0 "Mixed Reviews"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
50% Would you go back?
50% Would you take a date?
25% Would you take kids?
0% Would you go on business?
25% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 5.3
Service: 8.0
Décor: 7.8
Value: 5.3

Food got me sick

wavsurfer from 10032 | Posted on 11/9/08

Overall Rating: 5 (Mixed Reviews)
Food: 3
Service: 8
Décor: 7
Value: 5

I ordered the cabrito tacos hoping for something akin to the East LA street tacos I used to get. The ones I got were way too salty. The tenderness and texture were fine, just way too salty. Also, they only supplied 3 small corn tortillas for a mini skillet of meat (capable of making 6 full tacos; also aren't you supposed to double-up on tortillas for soft tacos?) All of the sides (corn, chili, beans, rice) and my date's enchiliadas were way too salty. Worse yet, I got to see my cabrito tacos + sides come out in the toilet about 8 hours after our lunch. Maybe old goat meat from the night before? Maybe just a bad salad (it looked very wilted; I should've eaten it). On the upside, service was good and attentive. They didn't talk down to 2 casually dressed, poor-looking students. Decor was kinda crazy. See photos/ Value? Not quite the value of East LA taco trucks under the freeway , but not bad for NY. Overall: be careful, I got bad diarrhea from the super-salty cabrito tacos.

Good things

dwallack79 from 11106 | Posted on 8/14/08

Overall Rating: 7 (Recommended)
Food: 8
Service: 6
Décor: 9
Value: 7

I took my wife here back when she was not my wife. The overall feel of the place is very elegant, however there is an undertone of a corny family place like a Fridays or Ruby Tuesday. We were promptly seated which was good, except the hostess gave us the impression that we were being squeezed in and would be hurried along at any minute. Their guacamole is indeed very good, and the Filet in Tequila Mushroom sauce was excellent considering we were not in a steakhouse. We did feel kind of hurried along, and overall it was a good experience. I would go back.

Read All 4 Reviews >>

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