Rose Cafe No 1

I feel really bad saying this but the 2 stars are for the yummy salsa and chips. We waited about 40 minutes for our food just to be let down. I ordered the New Mexico enchilada with chicken and it just did not taste good. The only meal that was decent was the chicken enchiladas with green sauce. The chiles rellenos were ok. I would say pick the more popular meals.

Isaac Hayes once said «If you enjoy the fragrance of a rose, you must accept the thorns which it bears.»
I have a confession: I have lived in Santa Barbara since 1962 and until last weekend I had never eaten at Rose Café on Haley Street! There I said it!
For decades I have assumed I was missing something special, a Santa Barbara institution, an icon of this great town. I envisioned authentic Mexican food made with love and tradition, expected recipes handed down through generations with secrets that other restaurants have been trying to figure out since FDR was president.
What I had was a big fat disappointment! I ordered the Chili Relleno and Beef Taco combination. Basic, straightforward. Out came a plate that kind of reminded me of a Swanson TV dinner. There was a Chili Relleno and a taco with rice and refried beans. I love Chili Rellenos! I love them so much. This one was bland, this one was small and flavorless. The chili, the batter, the cheese all seemed to taste the same, the textures all seemed to be kind of pasty. Kind of imagine making a poor chili relleno, over cooking it, freezing it for two weeks and then microwaving it for three minutes too long… kind of like that. The taco was better but that isn’t saying too much. Ground beef, thoroughly overcooked as well with basic taco ingredients. Taco Bell does it just as good.
Maybe I went in with expectations that are way too high and maybe an awesome Mexican restaurant from the 60’s can’t keep up with the delicious creations of newer restaurants a few blocks away. I left appreciating La Superica a whole lot more when I realized what a quantum leap it was to create taqueria food that compared to my Rose Café experience so many years ago.
So now I can cross Rose Café of my bucket list of places to eat – all thorns no fragrance.

my boss took me here for the first time a while back and it was really yummy and their salsa was on pointt. get the spicier one on the side if you like spicy salsa. The enchiladas are really good and ugh the rice is super good as well. I love the staff because they are really friendly and my boss is a frequent customer there. The tacos are good and it really has a nice mexican vibe on the inside which i appreciate. Come hereeeee if you cannn

Authentic and family owned! What more do you need?!

Ok… I have lived in SB since 1971. Back in the day, Rose was a go to spot for Mexican. The food is basically the same tired old canned sauces, only one choice of salsa in an DMV environment. There are so many better choices in SB.
I ordered chili rellenos and they were crap coated with, what looked like cat vomit, sauce that tasted the way it looked. Good luck if you go there.

I’ve been to the other Rose Café in SB, which is delicious, but this Rose has a homey feeling to it, with superb food. The staff is very kind and welcoming to the Café, and the chef himself comes out to see how the food is, and told a joke out loud to the entire café. Very good experience here! Order the chilaquilles!

* Mexican Hole-​in-​the-​Wall Diner *
rose is 97 yr old. she wasn’t present at the café but her daughter was working that day. rose café has been open for 68 years. wow. it’s a family owned business.
i love mexican food for breakfast. one of my favorite items to order for breakfast whenever they offer it is the breakfast burrito.
complimentary chips and salsa — WHOA! that salsa was HOT HOT HOT!!! spicy in a good way but i couldn’t have too much of it… heheh.
chilaquiles — had chilaquiles with chicken served with rice and beans. great dish. i particularly liked the crunch of the tortilla and the cheese on top with the roasted bell peppers
chile colorado pork burrito with ranchero sauce — their burritos are smaller sized than usual. the ranchero sauce with the pork was tasty. had it with flour tortilla. it was served with some shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.
it wasn’t the best mexican food i’ve ever had but it was quite enjoyable. service was friendly.
3.5 stars
*NOTE:
it was pretty awesome to see a guy with a bentley come in to this family restaurant for good olé mexican food.

Huevos rancheros con carne to die for. Loved this dish for 20+ years. Best salsa in town also.

I really wish I could give this a better review b/​c our waitress was very friendly but when it comes down to the food, there’s better out there. Reading all these other reviews, maybe we just came on a «bad day». My bf initially wanted the carne asada plate but they were out of carne asada… He ended up getting the pork torta which only had 3 chunky piece of pork in it, and it wasn’t tender. He commented that at least you can’t screw up rice and beans, which he just ended up having. My enchilada was pretty good, and the beef taco was okay. It had ground beef which I expected something a bit different — perhaps shredded beef. The beef also didn’t look fresh — perhaps microwaved and added to my taco? But just like my bf, at least the rice and beans worked out well w my enchilada.
I must say though, the SALSA is where it’s at. We should’ve just stopped at the chips and salsa. I would actually buy their salsa separately. It seems like they received many awards for it … and probably just that…