La Rosita Mexican Grill

Horrible service. It’s fine that they charge for chips and salsa, but it’s unnecessary to post it everywhere. Food is good. A little in the expensive side.

La Rosita is back in effect. Chef Israel closed down his Louisville location and has returned to New Albany. I was entirely ready to write off La Rosita due to several trips with sub-​par service and poorly executed dishes (I was served expired beans on one visit). Once I heard Chef Israel was back at the New Albany location, I decided to give the restaurant another chance. I’m glad I did as the food was superb and the service was excellent. La Rosita has found its second wind.

Absolutely fantastic. Authentica! Awesome carnitas and lengua. Love the salsa sampler (extra fee but definitely worth it). Not your run of the mill Mexican joint, but not a fine dining linen table cloth place either. Service was a solid B B+ but the food was ethereal. Thanks for a great experience, and we’ll be back. (fyi — new to Unilocal — this is a review from Feb 2012)

I used to dine at La Rosita with some frequency and used to love it. Since Chef Israel has branched out into a local chain, the New Albany eatery has gone downhill drastically. As an aside, the usual crowd has died down to a very small handful of diners, now, and I realize why…
Server was new so could be somewhat excused but, Wow, what a dingbat (read on). Once seated, we ordered soft drinks and the famous guacamole dip and chips. She perhaps assumed we had the menu memorized then as she asked us if we wished to order. Of course, we told her we’d needed to look over the menus. She promptly went to the cook counter and chatted with the other waitress while waiting for the cooks to put the guacamole together.
About five minutes later, her conversation and our guacamole complete, she showed up with the guacamole. Then she decided we might like our drinks, though that was unsaid. While we began on the guacamole, we could hear that she was indeed getting our drinks. Finally, drinks on the table, it was time to order. Totally unfamiliar with the menu, she struggled with getting our orders but appeared to understand, after great description; pointing to the appropriate menu item; and describing as succinctly as possible to her.
About ten minutes later, she reappeared to tell us my wife’s menu choice was not available. My wife chose another item, while I realized my menu choice was undoubtedly being kept warm while they finally began hers. We ran out of chips but not the guacamole — guacamole is poor finger food and the server obviously assumed we needed nothing more at that point and avoided us.
Eventually, I was able to catch our server’s attention and asked for more chips. She headed that general direction and realized our food was up. She brought our food and said she would get more chips. The food was not what we ordered at all… neither mine or my wife’s. She got back with the chips and, when I explained the order being incorrect, she said she would get the manager.
We sat at the table over cooling, incorrect orders while she served two guys their beer and then finally remembered to get the manager. The manager finally showed up. I again explained that we had received food we hadn’t ordered. She tried to say it was somewhat akin to what we’d ordered but, unfortunately, I wasn’t into what I’d been served. She took the plates back to the counter and that was that. I wasn’t wanting into waiting for them to possibly get something right so we left, after leaving seven bucks on the table to cover the guacamole and drinks.
I was highly disappointed, though I never once acted it or spoke rudely; however, this experience has soured me completely on La Rosita and I do not intend to ever return. Now, I understand their newfound lack of patrons.
When they were on Market St. in New Albany, they were awesome — and crowded. They did well and the profits were well-​spent on their downtown move, where they really spiffied the new place up; however, it would appear that, though New Albany was good for their origination, it is now an afterthought. Very very sad.

WHAT HAPPENED!!!
I have been eating their food since they had the taqueria on Charlestown Road…
went last night we left in disbelief, the server kept making mistakes, there was no bartender, our margaritas tasted like lime juice. We placed an order for guacamole half a hour later he brought us queso and then argued with us on what we ordered. Two of us ordered there posted special for the night, fifteen minutes after we placed the order the server came over to tell us they could not fill the order, mind you this was at 6:30pm they had to order something else. The food finally came an hour later, which on the whole was bland, the taste and quality of the food was unacceptable/​if this was my first time here I would never come back again. The owners wife had to be in the kitchen cooking instead of watching the front of the house, the waite staff was in disarray. Several of us had to use the bathrooms and ALL of them smelled like urine, toilets over flowing and not working, sinks not working, I would rather use a bathroom in a prison cell.
So you know I had La Rosita cater my rehearsal dinner, I have recommended this restaurant to many friends and strangers over the years, I will never recommend it again!!!
I guess the owner Iserale is more focused on his new space in Louisville, it’s a shame that he has let this one turn to shit.

I have actually never dined inside their restaurant but my fiancé has. He loves their food and so does his good friend. He talked me into getting carry out from here twice. Yuck! It was terrible both times. We don’t live far either so it isn’t that the food is cold by the time we get home. Its still fresh and hot but to me I have had a lot better. I wouldn’t go here again. To dine in or for carry out.

The first time I went here, it was wonderful! Great food, acceptable service!
The second time… as with many other reviews, the service was terrible. The hostess was, as best I can tell, a friend or relative. Our waiter’s English was spotty at best, and he couldn’t answer some questions about the food.
When my dish came, it was missing two ingredients, and the food was lukewarm at best.
We order Fried Ice Cream for dessert… we got ice cream rolled in corn flake cereal.
Rosita’s will get one more chance, and if my waitperson can’t communicate, I’m outta there for good.
It’s worth one visit if you have never been, keep your fingers crossed you go on a good day.

I’m really torn on how to evaluate La Rosita. There are so few Mexican restaurants in this town and I really want it to be good. So let’s look at it.
The good:
The food is excellent. The chefs know what they’re doing. I’ve had several different dishes here and almost all of them have been delicious. The chips and salsa are also top notch. Yes, unlike every other Mexican restaurant you’ve ever been to in the world, you have to pay $ 2.50 for chips and salsa. Drop the coin and do it.
The bad:
Ugh, the service is slow, unresponsive and waiters seem to have a tough time with hearing you. This may be because the restaurant itself is so open (it is located in what used to be a large department store and they haven’t bothered to put up partitions or sound deadening). If you get the stockier waiter with the spiked hair, he’s good; everyone else we’ve had has been sub-​par.
Also, watch your fluid intake. There is only one bathroom on the main floor. Not one men’s and one women’s, one total. I’m not sure how that passes regulations, but whatever. There are other bathrooms downstairs in a dark hallway with motion sensor lights that might work. I’ve never been down there.
Overall:
If you want good food, this is a safe bet. Just make sure that you make your requests far in advance since you may not see the wait staff for a while.

I used to love this place, since the new location I have come to hate it. I have given them 6,7,&8^th chances. The SERVICE HAS ALWAYS BEEN TERRIBLE! But the breaking point was when I received a shrimp quesadilla with straight ketchup poured into it, …could not eat it. That’s it guys no more horrible service and bad food for me.

I’m very hesitant to write this review because I do adore this restaurant.
The food is generally stellar but the service has been less than impressive at times, so bad in fact that I feel the need to give this a 1 star. The experience, this round, is in regards to a living social coupon that was not honored at the end of the dinner. We had a server lie to us 3 times and then by the end was saying he was the manager, which was a complete lie. I understand that living social must be the bane to many restaurant owners but to not honor coupons that YOU opt into seems extremely shady to me. It was obvious that these people have had it w living social but I’d rather have some one be honest and forthright before the service than to screw you at the end and then lie in order to justify their reasoning for not honoring their coupon. I have had good experiences in the past but this experience was awful and has ended w me feeling cheated and lied to, repeatedly. Service was terrible and insulting and simply uncalled for in my opinion. There were signs hanging on the door and 3 other visible locations from my table to «READ THE FINE PRINT» this however does not give them the right to make up rules and regulations not disclosed on the terms and frankly causes me to regret giving them my business today. The lies were unacceptable and very easily given by the server who magically became a manager by the end of the meal. He conducted himself poorly and was rude when confronted on his misrepresentation and denied when two people told him that he said one thing and refused to honor what he said. Over all experience ended up running me $ 40 extra and a horrible impression of the restaurant, that I honestly love and have recommended numerous times. Not sure if I’ll be returning after this last time.

This is by far the largest Mexican restaurant I’ve ever been in. The food was good. The bathroom, however is weird. Just putting that out there. All and all, I was not blown away by the experience and like others have said, the chips and salsa are not free.

Just went back for the first time since the employee royal rumble a few months ago… No fights or entertainment to speak of, but the food was wonderful and the atmosphere was very nice. Hope they can keep it up.

First of all the service was slow. I have been a server in the past, and am very understanding. Second the server completely ignored that we wanted dessert (after two people at the table had tried to order it), he promptly brought our checks. My sister had noticed that she was charged for food that she did not get. He proceeded to tell her to go and talk to the manger about it. The manger said it was her fault, she must be mistaken, and would not remove the unknown item from the check (my sister is a General Manager of a restaurant). She was super rude with lots of attitude, continuing to congratulate my sister for being a manager, and saying she knows the law and crazy things. To avoid any unlawful situation my sister paid the tab and we left the building. After walking to the car and cooling off my sister called the restaurant to ask for the managers name to report her. The manager would not give her name, laughed and said,“nice try Angel”. My sister had not given her name during this call, meaning the manager had saved her credit card info (creepy) My sister called the police. When they arrived after talking to both parties all they could say was, «watch your account», insinuating it could be charged for more money!!! What, holly crap, I’ve never had anything remotely close to this experience. I would never recommend supporting a business that condones (happily) stealing from it’s patrons.

I can’t speak to the authenticity of this place as I’ve never been to Mexico, but all I know is that it tastes damned good. For me, the highlights are the Mayan Quesadilla and the Sopapillas de Huevos.
I’m marking one star off because the service here is definitely secondary. Our server disappeared the other night for the better part of 30 minutes.
Oh yes, order the chips and salsa… yes, you’ll have to pay for them, but they’re worth every penny.

We’ve been to La Rosita’s 3 times, twice at the old location on Market & once at the new location on Pearl.
I’m not going to lie. The first two trips were like religious experiences with their quesadillas. This last trip was just kinda meh. I’m hoping we just caught them on a bad day… The one kind of so-​so trip is far out shined by the two previous amazing trips.
The new location is MASSIVE. We went around 4pm on a Sunday afternoon, but I can only imagine the kind of nutty party happening on weekend nights there.
Is anyone else kind of disturbed by whatever it is hanging over the bar? From the distance it kind of looks like a zombie…

Great Food!
This place may not look like much from the outside but the appearance just adds to the overall atmosphere.
This is probably the most authentic Mexican food I have had in Southern Indiana after spending two years in San Diego.
Have not yet had a repeat visit but I see that changing very soon.
P. S. The front door can be trick so read the sign.

Not the typical Mexican restaurant you might find in Kentuckiana. The menu is full of uniquely delicious items and the portions are large and freshly prepared. The quacamole with chiles is the tastiest I’ve had in all my world travels. The food is so authentic I’m almost afraid to drink the water!

Best Mexican food in the Louisville area. I had the Mayan quesadilla and it was delicious. My wife had the pamblata and it was very good too. This was second time I ate there and it has been great both times. Only minor drawback is that they only serve bottled beers, no liquor, wine or draft beer.

This restaurant has moved to 336 Pearl Street. I updated the Business Info on this page but not sure how long that takes (or if it gets updated at all). I haven’t been to the new location but want to go soon.
*** ***
This place still rules as of April 2009. Our service took a while as we got behind a table of 12 (near infinity, restaurant wise). They now charge for chips it seems? Not to worry. I ordered something called Papain, which was chicken in a delicious pumpkin-​seed sauce, served with corn tortillas, black beans, and rice. Good deal.

I hate to give La Rosita’s five stars in fear that I won’t be able to get a table anymore. Best Mexican food in the area. Period. Authentic Mexican food at that. The ingredients always taste fresh. The food always comes out hot. The food is always amazing. La Rosita’s is food made by hand by people who love and understand what they’re doing.
I implore you, go to La Rosita’s and order something you won’t find at Los Aztecas. This is «last meal» good.