El Rosal #5

Cheap Mexican food and good salsa, but that’s about it. Their margaritas are pure ice and sugar, could not taste one trace of tequila, it was more like a snow cone. Food is ok, not great.

THIS IS THE WORST MEXICAN PLACE IVE EVER BEEN TOO. Salsa = tomato paste cheese and gravy = red enchilada sauce. I got huevos rancheros. it was disgusting so soupy and grease filled my plate. I had to ask for another place to put my food on it because Everytime I put my fork on my plate grease was falling over! My boyfriend had machaca and hated it. Service is HORRIBLE j came an hour before closing the servers were mopping VACUUMING while we were eating it bothered me that she emptied out the vacuum filter than asked if we needed anything… Took for ever to give us check. They never even did I had to walk up to the counter stand for 5 minutes until she finished vacuuming. seriously? Never again!!! Also have the shits!

Family friendly and familiar faces are what makes this family business so special. I would like everyone to know that this Lodi establishment was made into reality by a very wonderful lady who is also a single mother. On her own she began her dream as a restaurant owner in 1997. She involved her daughters in the business and thought them about responsibility, the importance of commitments, and how to be hard working individuals. She’s such a caring loving person and this restaurant is her life. She works hard every single day and makes presence known. She enjoys cooking and loves the public service. She is a true example of a caring owner who cares about her community and takes at heart what customers have to say. She appreciates and takes in count very single comment made on here good and bad. And I have to say that the bad will always exists because it’s human nature and it is impossible to make every single person happy but she tries her best everyday. Some issues have been circumstantial and to do with the maintanence of the owners of the shopping center themselves. You will find that not only is her home cooking amazing but that she is also a very clean person and runs her crew that was as well. She will gladly give you a tour of her kitchen and back storage areas where you will see for yourself the cleansiness and organization of her business. Thank you all for your amazing support! And please like our EL Rosal Lodi Facebook page, where you will find our daily speacials, discounts and chances to win free dining! From our family to yours thank you for your business.

I’ve come here about 6 times at lunch time since they have great lunch specials and cheap drinks. Today was the worst experience I’ve had with a local business in a long time. A group of 5 of us sat down and only 3 were eating. The waitress offered my brother a refill on the chips and salsa and instead or bringing more the owner came out and said that anymore chips will be charged to our tab. We were all pretty shocked that a business owner would go out of her way to point out something so petty when we were the only customers there. To top it off their menu states first 2 refills of chips and salsa were free and we were on our first round. I was pretty upset that we were being treated like this so I called the owner back out just to have her argue with me that she had never seen me there before and this rule was always in place. It wasn’t even the point of the chips and salsa, which probably cost her about .20 a serving if that when buying in bulk, but wouldn’t it be more important to keep 5 paying customers happy over losing some change on giving them some corn chips??? Besides all this, the food is bland, the place stinks, and the reviews of bugs are true since you can see dead roaches in the lights above where you’re eating. I probably won’t be returning and wouldn’t recommend anyone here

So we are doing a road trip… craving fresh authentic Mexican food so decided to look for a farm area that may possibly have those who can cook it. Our thoughts were a local «roach coach» or an authentic mom & pop shop. Instead we drove 5 miles off I5 into Lodi and after not wanting to bear off of our road trip… Stumbled upon El Rosa. What LUCK! Yeah so it was in a strip mall & the ambience & décor had much to be desired but the food was some of the best I’ve ever had! Everything was fresh, flavorful, made on the spot and delish!!! So good, will go back if I ever find myself passing through!

It KILLS me to write this review. This was one of my favorites in Lodi when I still lived here. I recently moved back in the area and took my husband here. While the main food was good for both of us we had some other complaints about the food and drinks. My enchilada verdes were good, honestly some of the best I’ve had. The rice was very bland though and very mushy. And then there was my «margarita» that tasted like nothing but sweet and sour mix. My husband enjoyed his chimichanga’s but also found the rice mushy and bland, he also did not care for the beans as they were flavorless.
But the most important and main reason I gave this place 1 star was the BUGS! While sitting at the table I was glancing through other Unilocal reviews and there was a picture included of a cockroach. I gave them the benefit of the doubt that they had addressed this problem ’cause the food was good. But then I saw NOT ONE, NOT TWO but THREE cockroaches. GROSS! I instantly felt sick thinking about the food I had just devoured.
And since this appears to be an ongoing problem, I don’t have a lot of faith that anything will be done to exterminate the bugs so I don’t plan on ever coming back.

We’ve been coming to El Rosal for 16 years now. It is our favorite Mexican restaurant, ever. Nothing else comes close, except maybe a beachfront seafood café in Matzatlan! The food is not horribly expensive, and the portions are generous. The meats and produce are always fresh. The quality of the food has remained consistent every time we’ve been there. It’s a good place to take the whole family!

So good. They have Negra modelo on tap. Food is great. Beer is great. Love the chicken tacos and whole beans. Yum. One of my favorite places in lodi to eat

Walked there since it was close to work. Ordered carne asada lunch taco special. They bring out chicken taco instead. I was starving so I did not mention it. Taco was good. Rice and beans were OK. I will only go back if I need quick food since it is close to work. Otherwise lots of better choices for good Mexican food in Lodi.

Chips were alright, food was relatively mediocre, and there were no lunch specials on Saturday. Normally a 3 star sorta place. But in my case, service was slow as heck. Took 25 minutes for the older girl to pick up my check (and im one of two tables in the place). Would not recommend

Food is good but service is super slow– be prepared to wait a long time… Even when the place is dead.

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Lodi they offer so many choices on their menu and some are costly but you get what you pay trust me! I love the #33 chicken not sure how to spell the actual dish but it’s chicken with onions and jalapeños and unusually get garlic shrimp with it. My husband LOVES the green chicken enchiladas, the green sauce is amazing! He changes from enchiladas to chicken Milanesa that also comes with the green sauce. The service there is great there was this young girl there that recommended dishes but she is no longer there. But the staff although a little quiet are very attentive. They also have this great Blue coconut margarita! It’s amazing. It’s a must try in Lodi

Being a LP Agent I travel a lot! So while working a store in the shopping center my partner and I needed lunch so instead of getting something in store or Burger King, We decided to sit down for some Mexican food. Got sat down, And instantly saw flies every where, Staff spoke little English and it was like pulling teeth asking questions about the menu. Once we got our food and started eating than we started noticing cockroaches crawling on the wall and under the table. We took pictures and notified the employee. Who seemed like she either could not understand us or did not care. Either way we ran out and will NEVER be back. I uploaded the picture as well.

I only came here because I had bought the groupon. Boy was that a waste. This is the worst Mexican restaurant I have ever eaten at. The meat tasted rancid, the rice had peas in it and it was so bland and gross. Oh and the cheese was scarce and smelled like feet. I am not exaggerating at all I really had high hopes because I was told by so many friends this was the best place in town. I feel like maybe they haven’t ventured to far from this place. Right down the street is casa mexicana. Go there they have delicious food and they make tortillas on site. Oh and el rosal had store bought tortillas that were so bad. What Mexican restaurant has store bought tortillas? Just save your money and go elsewhere.

I hate this place. The staff is friendly but the food is HORRIBLE. The quality doesn’t even come close to what you are paying for. The place is dated and needs a new menu and chef. Not authentic at all.

Consistency seems to be an issue. Sometimes the food is good… sometimes it is just okay. Probably has to do with who’s cooking.

This place is a real dive. Both of the times I’ve been here the chicken has been dry and unflavored. The rice is mushy, the beans are watered down and the service is horrible.

Been eating here a lot more lately and have been extremely satisfied each time. I went twice last week and once the week before. The service is amazing and the chips and salsa is phenomenal as always. They also have really great soda that sounds weird to some I’m sure but many places make the mistake when they change syrup and they don’t rotate so the soda isn’t up to par. But el rosal has got it down. I got the chicken chimichanga with the red sauce each time delicious! And I love their rice and beans. Can’t wait to go back!

Camerones ala diabla (Spicy Prawns) is my favorite place in the valley for this.
Salsa and chips are good also.

El Rosal used to be one of my all-​time-​favorite Mexican restaurants. It had been a long time since my last visit and when I had lunch there recently, I felt like I had stepped back in time. Aside from the bar area, not a lot has changed.
The food was exactly as I remembered it, which was nice. Right away the waitress brought out chips and salsa. When I visited them years ago one of my favorite parts of the meal was their cabbage salsa. I asked the waitress if they still made the salsa and sure enough, they did! She brought out the little treasure from the back and it was just like I remembered it, yum!
For my entrée I had the beef sope lunch, which came with a side of rice and beans. The sope was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. It was generously topped with refried beans, chopped carne asada, lettuce, and Mexican cheese. I love when you remember a meal a certain way and when you finally have it, it is everything you remembered and more! My taste buds were very happy.
We ordered an additional lunch to go, so a total of three one-​item lunch combos and two drinks came to $ 23. A delicious lunch for less than $ 8 per person. Not a bad deal!