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Home > Restaurants > Rocking Horse Cafe

All Reader Reviews of...

Rocking Horse Cafe

182 Eighth Ave., New York, NY, 10011
nr. 19th St.
212-463-9511

6.4 "Mixed Reviews"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
66% Would you go back?
50% Would you take a date?
16% Would you take kids?
33% Would you go on business?
16% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 6.2
Service: 6.7
Décor: 6.5
Value: 5.5
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  • Showing reviews 1 through 6 of 6

Eponymous Experience

dignell from 10025 | Posted on 8/24/09

Overall Rating: 5 (Mixed Reviews)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? No
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 5
Service: 7
Décor: 5
Value: 6

Taking a cue from it's moniker, Rocking Horse Cafe oscillates between delightful and disagreeable, resulting in a mediocre experience overall. The food was hit and miss across the board: the chipotle hollandaise was thin and bland, whereas the corn cakes were soft and moist; the enchilanda sauce in the enchiladas con pollo had a nice flavor, but the pollo had too much gristle to be appetizing; table salsa tastes more like tomato soup than fresh salsa, yet the corn tortillas are made fresh onsite. The one true bright spot in the meal was the coffee: a Mexican blend, the coffee was smooth, robust, and delectably rich. As for aesthetics and service, a lot was left to be desired. White clothe napkins would seem a lavish touch, except the use of bleach was notably absent. Service was normally amenable (the bartender and I had a moment over "Poker Face"), though it can be annoying to wait 10 minutes for the check while your server gets a back rub from the host. As a slightly cheaper alternative to many of its neighbors, Rocking Horse leaves much to be desired.

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2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Not Good Enough to Return

mcnulty75 from 10023 | Posted on 4/21/08

Overall Rating: (NA) (Not Rated)
Would you go back? No
Would you take a date? No
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 4
Service: 5
Décor: 5
Value: 5

I have had much better Mexican food in almost every other Mexican restaurant I have frequented in NYC. The food is bland, the service is amiss and the b&t clientele is obnoxious.

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6 out of 13 people found this review helpful.

Worst Mexican restaurant in the city

ezrachica from 10021 | Posted on 9/25/07

Overall Rating: 2 (Not Recommended)
Would you go back? No
Would you take a date? No
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 2
Service: 5
Décor: 7
Value: 2

I was really thrown for a loop with this one. I had heard from a few people that this place had great food and awesome margaritas. If by great food they meant really terrible and tasteless guacamole and a digusting "wrap" topped with lettuce for a burrito, then okay. The chicken was dry and bland and the cheese was congealed, I kid you not. The guacamole was basically just mashed up avocado with no taste whatsoever. The rice and beans tasted like Goya black beans out of a can dumped on top of a bowl of Minute rice. I am never this harsh about restaurants but this was truly a terrible experience with pretty subpar service. To top it off, the margarita tasted like a can of Minute Maid lemonade. Either that or the TGIFridays margarita mix that you buy in the grocery store (SANS the tequila). Truly awful experience that I had to actually spend $40 on.

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195 out of 318 people found this review helpful.

Taster's Choice

kandy | Posted on 6/14/05

Overall Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? Yes
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 10
Service: 7
Décor: 8
Value: 7

This is a great place to ck out if you are into Organic food. The food here is great and the portions very filling. I cannot think of anything that was on the menu that I wouldn't try. Margaritas were fab.

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315 out of 605 people found this review helpful.

Que Lindo!

Danalleva | Posted on 1/11/04

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 8
Service: 9
Décor: 7
Value: 6

What a treat to eat Mexican style foods that don;t taste like salt tablets covered in salt. Well prepared food is what this place is all about. Simply one of the most suprising finds in this city of suburban mexican cuisine.

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275 out of 545 people found this review helpful.

A Chelsea Treat

hungryjacq from 11215 | Posted on 7/25/03

Overall Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 8
Service: 7
Décor: 7
Value: 7

Great space...I think my friend and I initially chose it for the pictures on the website. The menu will leave you even more impressed. Make sure you try a specialty margarita or frozen drink...everything else on the menu is fabulous so you definitely want to have a drink to celebrate.

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278 out of 601 people found this review helpful.

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