Mesa Rosa

My husband and I come here at least 3x's a month after work on Friday to sit at the bar and chat. Love the bar atmosphere - plenty of room, friendly staff. Very willing to make substitutions on the menu. Good vibe. Love the patio, especially since there's nothing behind it. It's the one restaurant patio in the RR / N Austin area that doesn't boast a view of the parking lot! Love the rosa dip (their beefed up queso) and the sangria swirl margaritas - yum! The building is kind of a mish/mash of different rooms but if you're not going to sit at the bar or the patio, request the back room, it has a nice open feeling and view of the fountain. Highly recommend! Pros: Close to my house! Love the Bar and the Patio more

MR is our favorite place to eat out at. When we used to live closer to the 620 location we'd go there nearly once a week. Now it's more likely to be once or twice a month with it being a longer drive, but we are always excited when it's Mesa Rosa night (or morning). The restaurant I've read about in some of these negative reviews is not the Mesa Rosa I know and love. The food is second to none. Their salsa is the best I've ever had. Their queso is spectacular. And be sure to try their jalapeno cream sauce over any of their burritos or chimis. The wait staff are always friendly and well trained. It is extremely rare that an order gets messed up and we're always exchanging charro beans for refried or sour cream for guac. Don't miss this awesome restaurant. Heck, it's so much my favorite restaurant in Austin that whenever I have family or friends come from out of town, it is the only place I can assure them we'll be visiting. Pros: Awesome Food, Great Service, Excellent Salsa more

Usually my Mexican food favorite (at least in Austin) is Chuy's. I recently moved from San Antonio, so I know what good Mexican food is. I decided to try someplace new with a group of friends, so we hit up the 620 location of Mesa Rosa as it is close to where we all live. BIG, BIG, BIG mistake! Upon entering Mesa Rosa, it smelled dirty and dank. The hostess sat us at a table that had not been cleaned adequately. The server didnt come around until 30 minutes after we were seated and it was a week night, so it was not crowded at all. The server didnt know anything about the dishes or drinks. I ordered crispy tacos which were disgusting. All of the dishes were way overpriced. My dish was one taco, a small dabble of velveta-like queso and a teeny, tiny guac salad for $7.99, that is ridiculous! Usually I can get a plate of enchiladas at any other Mexican restaurant for about $7.99. At Mesa Rosa they were $9.69. I also ordered a strawberry daiquiri, it was basically one huge block of ice in the middle that hadn't been mixed with some strawberry sludge. So in conclusion Mesa Rosa is dirty, overpriced, has awful food and poor service. I go out to eat twice a week to common places like Chuy's, Mighty Fine, Hoovers, Jason's Deli, Rudy's, Pei Wei, etc... I am not a snobby ""foody"" that complains about every little thing. Actually, I am eager to let restaurants slide when they don't live up to every expectations, but Mesa Rosa took the cake, everything that could be wrong with a restaurant was wrong with Mesa Rosa. I would have totally sent the food back and walked out, but I was with friends and didn't want to look like a jerk. Just give me decent food at a reasonable price and I will be happy. Is that soooo hard??? Pros: nothing Cons: gross food, overpriced, awful drinks, dirty restaurant more

I tried Mesa last week and wasn't impressed. The Guac was horrible and the bacon app was horrible. I thought the queso was decent and the enchiladas were ok, but with so many other great mexican places in the area I wouldn't waste my time on this one... at least not until they get all of their new glitches worked out. Pros: Good Location more

i like the food here....the decor is nice too...they only thing that I didn't like is the lighting...seriously it was too dark inside..... Pros: Good food, great ambience Cons: Its a little too dark in the restaurent more

I have tried five times. Three times tried the specials on menu. Did not try them again - nothing special. Fourth time I ordered tradional enchiladas, beans, rice, and tacos. Not crowded, quiet, average food, tacos were an entire plate of fresh produce and two shells. The best. Fifth time went on a night when they had Mexican band playing tables, tv's going, service slow to show, served, and slow to ever come back for drinks or payment. They are always hiring - and even the marquee has said join our team. I do not know who manages FM620 place - if they changed or promoted to I-35 store then FM620 sufferred in last few months. Someone got it right and who ever that is please make them teach another manager, or at least pay the good one more and bring in managers at the price you pay - that is all I can imagine though. It is family owned and now has opened a new place on I-35, this place in about five years old with high property taxes for sure - they can't afford good staff members. Share the knowledge. I hate seeing the hiring sign on both sides for the past three months - something isn't right. The economy is fried and you are hiring - maybe they don't pay well or lost their cooking staff when they returned to their homeland. I really do not know why they are always hiring. The health inspections scores were in the 70's and then went to 90's. Not inspected for a few months and hiring - makes me worried about eating there. They almost got it going on - and were on the right track. so why doesn't anyone want to work there? Why so dark inside? I like seeing my food. Pros: fresh vegetables, close by, casual, tacos overflowing Cons: dark, loud, could not hear each other, food average more

I went here for lunch one day and was wowed- the atmosphere and decor was very warm and open, the service impeccable and the food was uber-fresh, from the hotter than usual salsa to the fluffy rice and sauces on the tortillas. The chicken was so moist and tender (unlike the often acclaimed Chuys), and the prices extremely reasonable. Can't wait to show my friends! Pros: Freshness, out of the way, prices Cons: None! more

Have been to this location a few times and have not been disappointed with service at all. Found a really tasty item on their menu that I can eat again and again. Chicken burrito w/ ranch Jalapeno. Mmmm. Not sure of the real name but is very tasty. Had it at the Anderson Mill location and it wasn't as good. Will return to this location only. Pros: Service, outfoor patio, food above average Cons: Didn't have any! more

I read several of the reviews, but I have never had the issues that I read. The salsa is great as well as the food. I teach school, so I often take a quick lunch on my short lunch break at Mesa Rosa, and the service is always accurate and speedy. The food is also, in my opinion, delicious. I lunch at the Mesa Rosa on 620. If ever you are blessed with a waitress with short blonde hair, tip her well. She is awesome. She always knows what I will be ordering as well as many of the others that work there. It is a great atmosphere for children or for co-workers/friends. On the rare incident that my order comes to me wrong (and I mean rare), it has always been quickly corrected with very little wait. I highly recommend this restaurant. :) Pros: speedy and accurate Cons: cats at the outdoor seating more

This restaurant is in my neighborhood and I really want to like it because its convenient and it has a terrific outdoor patio and general atmosphere. But I've given it 3 chances and each time the food has been mediocre, the drinks small and somewhat watered-down, and the service unattentive. The standard in the Austin area for Mexican restaurants is fairly high and its very easy to do better than Mesa Rosa, especially since its prices seem about 15% to 20% higher than similar restaurants in the area. So, alas, I can't recommend it. Pros: Atmosphere, Outdoor patio Cons: Food quality, Drink quality, Service attentiveness more

There is a new Mesa Rosa over off of 35 in round rock just off of 3406. Their Carne Gusiada is as good as the one off of 620 but there serivce needs some improvement. Also the tortias (SP) were hard. But overall the food and resturant was very nice. I would go back again. more

The food are service were ok, but certainly nothing note worthy. NOt likely to return as there are several options in the Austin area. more

This was my first time to visit Mesa Rosa and the experience was wonderful. The wait staff quickly served me and there wasn't one moment when I wasn't fully satisfied. The food was wonderful and the atmosphere itself is very comfortable. I would recommend Mesa Rosa to anyone interested in good food and good people. more

I dropped in one cold afternoon and ordered a bowl of their tortilla soup-delicious! Chips warm and fresh and salsa perfectly seasoned. This place will rock in the summer-their patio is huge. I'll go back! Pros: great location, happy atmosphere, good value Cons: busy street more