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All Reader Reviews of...

Rocking Horse Cafe

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

Avg. Rating

8
Food: 8
Service: 8
Décor: 7
"Recommended"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

80% would go back.

 Write your own review

Great brunch!

By Adrienne10017 on 7/15/2012

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

I don't often think brunch is worth discussing, but I really enjoyed brunch here- not something I could make at home. The cornbread, spinach eggs benefit were amazing! I'll go again for sure.

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8 out of 16 people found this review helpful.

Neighborhood Gem

By jfkelsey on 5/8/2011

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

Local gem to Chelsea. Rocking Horse Cafe has everything one could want, from the food to the atmosphere. Wait staff is truly amazing. Ask for Diego, he will take good care of you. RHC serves high scale Mexican cuisine. The flavors are truly amazing. I highly recommend the braised pork or the burritos. Drinks are too die for. Stop by and see for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

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20 out of 36 people found this review helpful.

Great After Work Place

By Lectra83 on 4/27/2011

  • Overall Rating: 10
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

While most would come for the food and not necessarily the bar, I love this place for a post work drink. The Margaritas are very tasty but they've got some great wine too; and the chips and dip on the bar help keep me from drinking on an empty stomach :) My favorite food there is the Crepas de Pato and the Budín Azteca.

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15 out of 31 people found this review helpful.

Rocking Horse Cafe, A Superb Dining Experience

By coleenporcher on 4/30/2010

  • Overall Rating: 10
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

This is one of the best Mexican restaurants in the United States. The food is fabulous; the service is superb; and the ambience is excellent. My husband and I went and enjoyed it so much, that my nonprofit held a major donor event there later. The donors loved it too! The fact that it is also socially responsible business is a plus.

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36 out of 65 people found this review helpful.

Eponymous Experience

By dignell on 8/24/2009

  • Overall Rating: 6
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 5
  • Yes, I would go back!

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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54 out of 109 people found this review helpful.

Not Good Enough to Return

By mcnulty75 on 4/21/2008

  • Overall Rating: 4
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 5
  • Décor: 5
  • No, I would not go back!

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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54 out of 118 people found this review helpful.

Worst Mexican restaurant in the city

By ezrachica on 9/25/2007

  • Overall Rating: 4
  • Food: 2
  • Service: 5
  • Décor: 7
  • No, I would not go back!

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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263 out of 454 people found this review helpful.

Taster's Choice

By kandy on 6/14/2005

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

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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390 out of 742 people found this review helpful.

Que Lindo!

By Danalleva on 1/11/2004

  • Overall Rating: 8
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 7
  • Yes, I would go back!

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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321 out of 653 people found this review helpful.

A Chelsea Treat

By hungryjacq on 7/25/2003

  • Overall Rating: 8
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 7
  • Yes, I would go back!

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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327 out of 709 people found this review helpful.

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