Mesa Rosa Restaurant

This place gets 2 stars. 1 star is for their frozen margarita. You will feel it. The other star is for the queso that comes with the meat and avocado. It’s the poor man’s version of Bob Armstrong dip for those of us Northernites that think Matts El Rancho is too far of a drive. This is a so-​so family neighborhood spot and I probably wouldn’t come back except it’s conveniently located walking distance from my house.

Never again. Came in for lunch today. 1^st timer. its one o’clock two or three tables with people. And the service is terrible. I don’t recommend this place. The food isn’t all that either.

I’ve been going here sense I was young. It’s not bad, but has this old feel to it. The food has gotten worse, I definitely don’t recommend anything with shrimp (it’s just the cheap, frozen shrimp). Considering how long it has been there, it should be much more of an establishment. For the money, there are a lot of much better resturants nearby.

I really don’t like giving a restaurant a not so hot review since this was the first time I came to this location. I figure maybe it was an off night, and it will be better next time. Honestly though… I’m just not going to come back. The place is pretty dark inside… not in a romantic kind of way… just freaking dark.
I will say the chips were good. Unfortunately the salsa reminded me of tomato paste. There was absolutely no spice or flavor. I usually order fajitas to be safe when it’s my first time at any Mexican restaurant. I mean it’s pretty hard to mess them up. Usually… damn I should have ordered the fajitas.
I decided to order one of «Rosa’s Best»…the Pechuga Rosa… The menu states a chicken breast stuffed with Jack cheese, bacon and mushrooms lightly fried and topped with queso served over rice with a side of Charro beans. The food was just so bland. I couldn’t find any bacon or mushrooms anywhere on my plate. YES I LOOKED IN THE CHICKEN TOO… it wasn’t there either! The stuffed chicken just seemed to be stuffed with a whole lot of gooey BLAND cheese!
So the good… chips, and the Charro beans were great!
I should have ordered the fajitas.

Best. Place. Ever! Fine prices, great food, large portions, we had a fantastic server our first time (older lady with white hair), good salsa. I crave this place often — the enchiladas are on point and exactly as expected. It’s all your regular ol’ Mexican dishes, nothing more, ceeertainly nothing less, and I find that incredibly appetizing. So happy to have found it in a sea of truly awful Mexican restaurants.

I’m from Phoenix and for years have not been able to find a decent Mexican food restaurant in Austin. I attend a church a few doors down from Mesa Rosa. Decided to give it a try. The food is good and the prices are great.

Can’t really say much about this place. We went here for our anniversary a few years ago and wanted to have margaritas. They told me my Indiana license wasn’t acceptable at the time so we walked out.

Always a great experience when I come to this place! It’s quiet and tucked away in a small shopping center which makes it a great place to stop on the way home from work or if you need some peace and quiet. The staff is always helpful and friendly Everytime I’ve ever been in for a meal. Prices are very fair and even drink prices are Lower than most !! If you like a good Mexican food place with not such a loud and busy environment this is the place !! Thanks guys !!

Pretty generic tex-​mex. Not bad, but not great. I visit this location every three or four months, mostly out of convenience, since it happens to be around the corner from my house, and I generally don’t have any complaints. Their mixed drinks tend to be a little watered down; had to send one back one time. Service is always prompt and friendly.

We were looking for a quick Margarita and bite.
It’s in the neighborhood, it’s not fancy, it’s not amazing, it’s not exceptional. Its run of the mill tex mex, it is a ‘safe’ bet and it delivered what we needed it to.
We left full and mildly buzzing.
The mushroom enchilada with tomatillo sauce instead of suiza was a good choice. Their salsa is fresh and tasty.
They do close early at 9pm, so expect people sweeping and cleaning around you if you show up at 8:30pm, like we did! It’s one of my pet peeves. 9pm closing time means you seat till 9pm and give the guests a chance to enjoy their meal before sweeping and lifting the days dust & dirt accumulation into the air to settle on their food!

This place has decent food and its in the neighborhood which is nice. The waiters are not very good at all though. They’re not busy enough to not be able to serve customers. I would not recommend getting a drink here either-​I ordered a frozen margarita and took one sip of it and I swear it was like drinking finger nail polish remover. I stirred it up thinking it wasn’t mixed well, and it still tasted like finger nail polish remover. I mean, if you’re into to that Id say go for it. Overall, its ~okayyy.

We love this Mesa Rosa, it is never too loud or crowded, the servers are always very friendly and the food is always delicious. We have had negative experiences at other locations but are so happy we’ve never had a bad experience at this one. My boyfriend makes fun of them because they’re not «authentic Mexican» food but I don’t care, that TexMex is yummy.

First. Let me preface this review by saying that it appeared we had arrived immediately following a rush.
That being said, the dining area was a complete disaster. Almost every table was dirty and filled with dishes and leftover food. They actually had to clean off a table for us to have anywhere to sit. They only had 2 other people in the entire restaurant at this time. However, we decided to stay and give it a shot. The atmosphere was about what you would expect from a strip mall restaurant. Out waitress was friendly and eager to help. We started off with the Rosa Dip and it was delicious. Could have used more guacamole but it was still great. We both ordered Enchiladas. The Rosa Enchiladas and the Santa Fe Enchiladas. Both came out quickly and steaming hot. The rice was great and so was the sauce they used. We didn’t see a dessert menu, but honestly don’t think I had room for it anyway. Overall, the food was better than average tex mex but the tables never got cleared and one of the waiters ended up sitting with another couple and eating before cleaning up. Slightly disappointed but I’m sure it was a one time thing.

It’s not the worst TexMex in town but close. Bland enchiladas, soupy refried beans — no seasoning. It’s not good but at least it’s really expensive for bad food. $ 36 not including tip for 1 beer, 1 small Marg and a couple of standard combo dinners. $ 24 would have been over priced. Avoid this place.

Our lil neighborhood spot. Love this place, if we ever can’t decide we always know we are happy with this spot. LOVE the mexican martinis and the tortilla soup!

This isn’t amazing Tex-​Mex but it will hit the spot if you are having a craving and this is the closest thing to you. Since I’ve moved near the Anderson Mill area, I’ve been trying to find a place to replace Maudie’s (in my heart and in my belly) and haven’t quite found it.
I tried Mesa Rosa and the queso was quite good, but the cheese enchiladas were just average. I might try a few more things on the menu, but I am constantly looking to the equivalent of Maudie’s cheese enchiladas.

This Mesa Rosa restaurant is a nice neighborhood Tex-​Mex place to go on a busy weeknight. It’s very family friendly. The waitstaff is always friendly and so patient with kids.
The food I’ve had is good… it’s definitely comfort food Tex-​Mex. The only thing I have not enjoyed were the tamales – they were quite dry. Except for that one dish, everything else has been good. It’s not fancy, but it’s always hot and served with a smile.
My only other complaint pertains to their margaritas. I swear they changed something. I used to be able to order a house margarita that wasn’t fancy, but it was simple and good. I don’t know if they are now using a lime high frutose corn syrup addition of some sort, but the last margarita I had was so weirdly fake lime tasting and sweet, that I could not finish it. Yes, I could not finish a small margarita. Yes, I should have sent it back. I tried a fancier margarita on my last visit, and it has the same weird fake lime syrup taste. I did finish that, because it was a bit better than the house margarita (it was their Mexican Martini, I think… oh, and here’s a tip. If you want to check out their cocktail menu, grab one from the bar tables. They don’t bring them to the dining tables automatically… although I’m sure they would bring you one if you asked). So my advice at this point: if you want alcohol, stick to beer. I’ll be back for cheese enchiladas and Negra Modelo.

This is another of our favorite cheap and cheerful places for dinner. You know, easy, familiar, and not too expensive.
They offer a basic, but solid Tex-​Mex menu. I usually favor the mushroom enchiladas, but the cheese enchiladas are also very good. Sometimes a plate of simple enchiladas and a bottle of Negra Modelo can be very soothing.
The staff is very friendly and accommodating.
The only thing that I would change is the margaritas. It wasn’t always like this, but the last couple of times they were just too sweet. They have a cocktail menu, but you have to ask for it or grab one at the bar.

I go here a lot. I like it because it reminds me of the watered-​down Tex-​Mex of my childhood. I always get the same thing: the chalupa plate.
Their service is pretty good. The fact that they are a family place shows in that they always serve the children first, which keeps them from acting all jealous that you got your food before they did. It’s pandering to children and excusing bad behavior, but who wants to deal with a whiny little kid at the table?
It’s true about the gnats. Gnats every time.

WOW! -
After months of Flores/​Maudies/​Trudys/​Sorrentos I finally found somewhere that I can go back and eat again. I love chimis… and the bigger the better. The wifey and I ate there last night (to go at that) and loved it.
2 Chimichanga de pollo with rice and refried AND chips and salsa (homemade of course) for 20?
The Salsa — the best I have had in Austin — a combination of pico and blended tomatoes with a hint of jalapeño (Im a heat wuss– sorry)
The Chimi — straightforward — chicken chunks, red sauce cheese — wow AND the chimi was still crispy! To quote Fred Astaire — «heaven…Im in heaven…» Look it up LOL
I will be back!