Overall, drinks and atmosphere were nice. However, the "Mexican" food was anything but. Rice appeared to be white rice covered with sauce as some of my rice wasn't entirely covered (this is not how you make Mexican rice). I've never been to an "authentic Mexican" restaurant where I've had to pay for chips and salsa and where the enchiladas were served on a hard shell tortilla. Food was overpriced with small portions. Service was fine. Maybe I'll return for drinks, but I'll be eating elsewhere. read more

Came here for a goodbye dinner for a coworker! Food was great and very promptly brought out! The restaurant was very open which led to it being a bit loud, and was very busy with indoor and outdoor seating. read more

Best food is Kalamazoo! We loved how different the food is compared to a lot of restaurants in town. The rice was delicious and the fish is amazing. Great drinks/cocktails and appetizer list. read more

Roca - Chorizo Queso Fundido - Latin American Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

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Enjoyed every dish ! It's a more eclectic flair to Mexican food. And they have chorizo !!! Love love .

Late Sunday evening meal. Food, drinks, and service were top notch. Caleb our server was great. Kept out amazing drinks coming. Had drinks and then a bottle of wine with meal (Salmon and the bream). Pour and taste were perfect. Had desert (cheesecake) and they made us hot French press coffee to have with our desert. Beautiful evening with the back window open, perfect music and lighting and very clean. Love this place. read more

Great tacos. Great appetizers. The drinks were good, but I wish for a larger menu. The rice served as a side was a bit dry and uninspired, and I might not get it again. read more

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Great ambiance, service and drinks. Food, very small portions but great flavor. I did like the upscale twist on the food though. I think it would be more Midwest if you just stated what the food option was. Most people in this region aren't aware of the correct names or upscale names. Our server was attentive, kind, and quick. You could tell they were all on their best behavior because said owner was working the front. He seemed very kind. I wish that chips and salsa were "for the table" and that they offered a steak/carne asada taco. Obviously, not a deal breaker. Would go back again but definitely not knocking down the doors to get in. read more

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I made a reservation for my birthday which was very easy. When we came in it was basically nobody in there! We got seated right away and it did have very cute decor. I started with the Queso which was very good and they even gave us chips and extra bread. I ordered the fish which was also good, just a little under seasoned. I had some drinks, they were okay I definitely wasn't tasting too much alcohol, especially it being my 21st birthday. However, my friends ordered different types of tacos and they just weren't good. For the price of them the tacos were very dry and unseasoned. When we told them about it basically there was nothing they could do and gave them chips to make their own nachos. Overall I'm not that inclined to come back I've had better restaurants experiences & authentic food for a lower price. read more

Roca - Drink - Latin American Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

My son and I enjoyed this restaurant so much! The spicy margarita, the queso with chorizo, pork enchilada, tacos Al pastor, a side of refried black beans, and the dessert of apple, fried ice cream, and homemade peanut brittle- excellent, beautifully presented! The service was perfect - our server was attentive but not pesky, knowledgeable of menu items. It's a very nice atmosphere, very clean, not noisy. A wonderful experience, and we will return to try some of the other offerings. read more

So we are not latin food experts--but we tried the new restaurant in town. Enjoyed the roca marg with our tacos. Ambience was upbeat and cool with the purple lighting. Probably will try other items on the list another day. Get the Al Pastor and Grilled trumpet tacos. Beef cheek tacos so so. read more

Roca - Latin American Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

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Food is great! Service is excellent. However, the second loudest restaurant in Kalamazoo. Get there when they open to avoid the crowd do you can have a conversation. read more

I think it's overrated, over priced and overhyped. Maybe I'm in my feelings because I had to wait an hour for cold mediocre food and the person waiting my table seemed unbothered. I've tried twice. read more

Great food and drinks. Waiter was on point and knows the menu inside and out. we will be back!

Yuck! Save your money and go elsewhere! Way over priced. Went a couple months ago and I got pork tacos with rice and beans. Rice and beans were gross, the pork was RAW!!!! They promised me it wasn't due to the way they prepare it and then server came back and apologized and told me it was definitely raw! NASTY! If you are down to save your money and try authentic Mexican food check out Los Brothers unless you just are there for the tequila and drinking then it's probably not a bad place to hang but eat elsewhere. read more

Incredible. Welcomed not only be the Hostess but also by the owner, Casey Longton. Because of the weather and the fact that we were driving from Holland for a play, we were a little late but they held a beautiful table for us and our amazing experience was off! Our server, Emma, guided us through the menu, but also, as we are alcohol free - helped us select mocktails that were fabulous! The recommended appetizer, the Crispy Pancito, so good!!! We ordered a Taco assortment that was unique and ever so tasty! Casey came by to visit and we found out he owned our favorite restaurant in Fenville, Salt of the Earth, and another in Kalamazoo, Principle. We had such a great experience, we made reservations for the following, Tuesday as we were returning for a concert! read more

Had dinner at ROCA in Kalamazoo. Good was excellent, service was great and the atmosphere was very comfortable. I had the Hanger steak and it was very tasty. We had some empanadas for an appetizer, guacamole and chips, and the tuna ceviche. They were all very tasty. We will be back again to try other items. read more

Such a beautiful atmosphere! Pretty and tasty cocktails! Perfect spot for girls night! The food was amazing as well! We will definitely be back! read more

Papas Taquitos are SO delicious! Such a fun vibe! Highly recommend for date night or a night out on the town with friends!

Roca felt like a trendy Mexican restaurant. The environment is minimal and clean. It was comfortable and the service was very good. The Good: service, atmosphere. I also really liked the homemade corn shells on the tacos & chips were good! The Bad: appetizers were lackluster and expensive- we had corn fritters, and queso /chiarzo (so?) the queso came with white bread and the fritters were a little dry. It wasn't that imaginative, and white bread?? I also ordered smashed avocado and it was soo citriusy with lime, it tasted super sour. The Ugly: I ordered shrimp tacos & the smell of fish almost knocked me out! I scraped them all off the tacos so I didn't get sick while traveling. Overall, not too bad, but not great. Luckily the service & company I was with made up for it. read more

Fantastic food and drinks!!! My new favorite spot downtown for a fun girls night out!

The space was inviting and the server was nice, but the experience was overall fairly poor. We got the guac and chips and an order of Escabeche to start and it was all pretty good. The price for the guacamole seemed excessive for what was provided. We were there for Downtown Restaurant Week and I ordered the beef empanada, mahi mahi, and flan for desert as a three course meal while my wife ordered shrimp tacos. We were asked if we would like the empanada, mahi, and tacos to come out together and we agreed to that. Instead the empanada, tacos, and the flan came out together and the mahi some 10 minutes later. I had never been served desert before my entrée before but there's a first time for everything I guess. The empanada was fairly bland, but the cabbage slaw it was served on was very flavorful, if a bit rough in how it was cut. The shrimp tacos were terrible, with a single soggy corn tortilla for each that fell apart and tiny shrimp that has no flavor at all. We are glad not to get too much salt in a restaurant, but the food was very under seasoned. The mahi finally arrived and it was cooked very well and was very succulent. Unfortunately it was served with an avocado puree on top that must have been made from very under ripe avocados as it was quite bitter. The fish was also placed upon what looked and tasted to be canned corn, though when I asked I was informed that they make it in house. It was indistinguishable from canned corn at least. The flan had a house made strawberry compote on top and was an excellent desert that I enjoyed very much after having had to work around it for the rest of the meal. As we were getting ready to leave we heard a pianist doing a sound check and were informed that they have live music from 6-9 pm and it was about to start. Our reservation was for 6 pm and it was now close to 7. That seemed fitting overall. We had been to Roca a couple of times previously and had good experiences but after this I don't expect we will be going back. read more

Great food, service, prices, and atmosphere. I like the queso appetizer w/ their homemade bread and the mushroom tacos w/ Brussels sprouts and the soy reduction. read more

After a terrible experience at Jungle Bird (terrible service - no, no service) we had a delicious meal sitting at the bar. Smashed avocados (some may call this guacamole ) was great along with everything else, including the churro cheesecake and flan. Service was exceptional. We will return to Roca! read more

First the positive: This is a good place for an appetizer and a margarita, both the apps and the drinks are very good. My favorite apps were the cold shrimp ceviche dish and the queso dip. The negative: The service is meh and some of the menu seems low quality/poorly prepared. We had the flat iron steak and it was not a nice cut of meat, very chewy and sinewy and not cooked well at all, just kind of bloody and flavorless and unappetizing. Had the bass and the presentation was very odd- much too big of a piece of fish with the mushy skin still on and sauce and veg placed on top- you had to scrape off the sauce and the mushy skin to get to the fish, leaving you with a rather bland yet giant brick of fish on your plate. It was also gross and unappetizing. Tacos were OK only, not great (and not cheap, think $18 for 3 small tacos and rice and beans are ala carte). Service was also odd. The timing was all off and we felt like we were doing a lot of waiting. It took quite awhile for everything and we swore our server was pointedly avoiding us- they would avoid eye contact whenever they walked by. The atmosphere is very loud. Would probably go back unenthusiastically for the drinks and apps if someone else wanted to go, but this was already my second visit so I definitely won't be rushing to go back. I am resigned to the fact that restaurants will never be the same. 3 star is the new 5 star. read more

Great atmosphere, food, service and cocktails! We can't wait to come back!! We came planning to have tacos but had fish and pork tenderloin. Loved it! Passed on dressers to enjoy another cocktail because they were so well done! read more

t's a whole vibe. Upscale yet approachable. You can try something you've never had before, or stay with the well done classics. Oh...did I mention the cocktails? Lots of well crafted options and the tequila list is the best in town. Do yourself a favor and check it out. read more

Nice space and great service. Food is solid; in a couple visits one or two dishes a little under seasoned. I look forward to working through the tequila menu! read more

Typically I would give this place 3 stars but considering how new they are they probably just need to work out some kinks. Cocktails: Lacked balance. All verged on too tart or sour. Definitely not what I expected from the owners of Principle where drinks were crafted to perfection. Food: The chips, pico and smashed avocado were delicious. Would return and order just that. Ordered the tacos for dinner (beef and lamb) and they were both screaming for acidity. Dessert: This is where they really crashed and burned. Tres leche cake was dry. The cake tasted as if it just came out the freezer. Service: Server was nice and attentive. Kept the drinks coming quickly but the entree took quite a while. Ambiance: Loved how they decorated the place. Very comfortable. Trendy and lively without being too loud. Look forward to trying again in the future and reviewing again. read more

Great food, great service, nice atmosphere - good all around. Would definitely come back again.

The god was over priced and not good. It was flavorless and small portions. My drink was terrible. It was supposed to be sour but tasted more like sweet syrup. I switched drinks but it took the wait staff forever to notice I even needed their attention. read more

Great food now work on balancing your atmosphere your colors and artwork are a bit confusing

Everything was wonderful - service, drinks, atmosphere, and the food. This menu seriously adds some flavor that the downtown area was aching for - you definitely want to make a reservation to be sure that you get a table. The desserts looked great - we ate too much to get dessert, but we'll be back soon ;) read more

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Food is always wonderful, drinks are beautifully crafted and Casey and the staff is always warm and inviting. Highly recommend the fundido and lamb tacos! read more

Not overly impressed. The service was good but then it was mostly empty. I never understood the menu at the Principal and they own Roca now as well. Nothing really struck me as tasty. Overly seasoned and odd. Probably will not return. Very strange experience. On a positive note my date said the bathrooms were nice read more

Really love the environment. The servers were great, food was served in a timely manner and hot. The drinks were delicious and the music just makes it even better. The whole experience I had was perfect. No complaints here, will go back again :) read more

Great place for cocktails and food. Highly recommend. For cocktails we pretty much had all the cocktails on the shaken menu. All were great! For food 3 of our party had the Baja bass, two of us had the tacos. I had the tinga de pollo and friend had the beef barbacoa. Awesome find! read more

2nd visit, both were exceptional! Great food and drinks, professional service provided by Julia and Ariel (first visit). Manager (Casey) visible, engaged, and made a point of chatting with us on both visits. Our new go-to place in Kalamazoo. read more

We enjoyed the shareables and the entrees. The food, services was delicious, and amazing. The 5 people who attended last night loved everything about our experiences, and we would recommend this restaurant in Kalamazoo, MI. read more

Everything I've had the pleasure of tasting at Roca has been nothing short of delightful. My two faves are the octopus and ANY tacos! I only have one BIG complaint: The 1st time I went I had trouble hearing people across the table from me in our party (2 family members). Thought maybe it was an oddly loud evening or I'm (frankly) just getting older. However, the next time I went to Roca, I was so excited to give it another chance. I was with a group of 5 friends that were 10-20 years younger than I am with a 5:30 reservation. As we crept towards 6:00-6:15 and as the dinner crowd grew, my younger friends were complaining about not being able to hear each other. I felt kind of vindicated. Guess I'm not THAT old, but the acoustic really are that bad at Roca. I don't find it enjoyable to have to raise my voice to carry on a conversation across my own table or try to lip read those I can't hear. In subsequent conversations with others that have been there, they, like me, hesitate to go back because of the noise level. It is a shame that the noise issue should overpower such tasty cuisine! read more

Everything from the atmosphere to the food was excellent. Definitely over indulged being the first day open. I loved the taquitos de papa. Can't wait to go back and try more menu items! read more

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