Tacos La Rosa in Willimantic has been on my Try List for years. So long -- I don't remember how…read moremany years. A while ago, I had seen TLR listed as a best taco in CT contender on one or more internet and/or media lists. An interesting thing happened in all those years. More and more authentic taquerias started opening in CT. Also, Willimantic itself became a known hot spot for tacos and Mexican food in general. So much so, that people would say "I have a taco spot for you in Willimantic." I was ready for them to say Tacos La Rosa, and sometimes, it would be a different place. I recently started a deep dive on the Willimantic taco scene. I'm not finished yet, but I can say the following based upon my extensive taqueria visits across CT in the past few years. Tacos La Rosa, makes a traditional style taco, and TLR is in the top tier of CT authentic taquerias. As you stand in the TLR parking lot, you can see the buildings of Eastern Connecticut State University. Inside, if you took all of the Mexican decor away, the restaurant sort of looks like an old school pizza joint. There's a black and white checkered floor. Brick walls. Open kitchen. Solid tan tables that are bolted to the floor or wall, and red benches snuggly positioned on both sides. I ordered three tacos at the Counter. Pastor. Bistec. And Chorizo con jalapeno. The person who helped me spoke very good English, but I'm not sure that we perfectly understood each other. He asked me if I wanted everything on the tacos. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I have a rule, that if a place asks me if I want everything, I say yes because I assume that's how they intend it. So the tacos each came with avocado, lettuce, queso fresco, tomato, cilantro and onion. Red salsa, lime and green salsa came on the side. Each taco had a substantial house made corn tortilla that held its structure despite all the filling. The tortilla was a cut or two above average. The pastor and the chorizo were about as good as you'll find in CT. The Bistec was pretty good, but didn't stand out. The chorizo had a sliced or chopped sort of texture rather than the crumbled chorizo you sometimes see. It was flavorful and manageably spicy. The pastor consisted of tender, saucy-red pork chunks. They tasted great. There were no pineapple chunks like you often get. I'm not sure that the toppings brought anything to the pastor, but they worked nicely for the chorizo and Bistec. The salsas were authentic and spicy. Throughout my time in Willimantic, I observed a robust Mexican population that was supporting these authentic Mexican restaurants. This was definitely the case at Tacos La Rosa. I'm glad I finally made it to Tacos La Rosa and I'm happy to see that their outstanding reputation is deserved. 4.5 Stars

We found ourselves in Willimantic a bit past the luncheon hour so we again stopped at this taqueria…read morefor a light bite. The price of an individual taco has increased to $5.99 which seemed a bit high so we decided to share an al pastor burrito that was jam packed with ingredients, flavor and a bit of heat.

Very nice staff and amazing food. We had the birria fries and the quesabirria and both were…read moreoutstanding. Highly recommend this place!

Stoped in to grab something quick to eat while I was in the area. I ordered the steak taco platter…read moreit came with 3 Homemade tortillas with steak and a side of cilantro, onion, green and red salsa. Food was fresh and tasted good. Staff were friendly and service was fast.

This restaurant was so cute! Even though their sign is big, the store is so small it's easy to…read moremiss. Walking in, it looked like a regular cute family own restaurant. They had snacks to buy at the register too. We all sat down for lunch and they were quick to attend. Rough prices: the birria tacos (4 tacos) were about $18. The other tacos ranged from $4.50-5.50/taco. Honestly was not bad of a price considering how much protein was stacked into them. Two others at the table had gotten burritos with mushrooms instead of meat, and those burritos were comically huge in size. I think the prices are definitely worth the size and quality of the food! The tacos were absolutely delicious! The birria meat was not dry without the consommé! They were very generous with how much filling it got. The carne taco was much better than the chicken one but both were very very good. Nothing in the meal was dry or felt like it's been sitting out for a while. The food is definitely made-to-order! No one at the table had any complaints, only compliments! Hopefully they get much more foot traffic; for lunch time it was not super busy, just a small family and a singular customer. I would recommend this place, very homey feeling too!

On my IG Food Blog, I released a reel of taco places to visit and some people recommended places…read morefor me to try. One recommendation was Taqueria Cordoba. I recently visited and loved it. TC is located in the heart of the main drag in Willimantic. It's not fancy. It's part market. Part takeout. And there's functional seating for maybe up to about 15 people. But I wouldn't call it comfortable. After looking at the menu and what was going on at some of the tables, I ordered a pastor taco, a shredded lamb taco and a Mango Guava Agua Fresca for takeout. The tacos were traditional in that the meats were served with cilantro, onions, a lime, red salsa and green salsa on corn tortillas. The pastor was very tasty and tender. The serving size of the pastor was substantial. The lamb had good shredded texture and moisture. Almost like lamb carnitas. It needed more salt though. Both salsas were spicy, but good. I don't know if the the tortillas were made in house because they were too busy to ask. They seemed like they probably were though. I ordered the Mango Guava Agua Fresca after seeing it on so many tables. There were so many apparently knowledgeable Mexican diners there, I figured they knew something I didn't know. They did. It was delicious and had a substantially to it. If you need a fancier place to eat and don't live in the area for takeout, TC might not be your first choice. I don't need a fancy place. And I loved it. 4.5 Stars

This the first Mexican restaurant I've been to that did not have salsa and chips brought to the…read moretable. We decided to order a large guacamole. It was absolutely delicious with just the right amount of spice. What frustrated me is the fact we ordered a large guacamole and had to get a second bowl of chips to finish our guacamole and they charged us $2 for an extra bowl. That's not right. Food was decent but expensive. Not in any hurry to return except to get guac to go and I'll use my own chips.

Ordered 2 cokes with a wings and fries to split with my boyfriend came to 28 bucks woooohhh the…read morewings were deep friend with a Kentucky fried chicken batter Wanted tacos and burritos but they all came with 4 to a meal the food is probably great But not for wings

So fresh. So clean. Great service. Great drinks. I think I'm on Mexico. I l o ve this restaurantread more

Solidly average Mexican fare. The verde chicken enchiladas were fine. Nothing special. Drinks were…read moresmall and pricey.

Willibrew has been a staple for more than 25 years, and that history is honestly the only thing…read morekeeping this from being a much lower rating. There's a lot of nostalgia tied to this place, but the experience today feels like a shadow of what it used to be. The quality has dropped drastically. Service was, frankly, atrocious--slow, disengaged, and bordering on indifferent. The beer selection is still decent, but it doesn't matter much when every pour arrives tasting off. Whether it's bad kegs or hot glasses, the result is the same: lukewarm, skunky beer that's hard to enjoy. Food was another disappointment. Every item came out cold, and the flavors were on par with grade‑D fast food--bland, lifeless, and nowhere near the standard this place once had. Giving three stars feels generous, but it's a nod to the legacy Willibrew built over the decades. I truly hope they find their footing again, because right now, the nostalgia is doing all the heavy lifting. Ummmmm cheers I guess

Maybe the beer is so good it warrants the huge space it occupies. The review below is baffling to…read moreme based on the love this place gets on Yelp and other review sites. The atmosphere and service were terrific. Expansive place in an old bank. Quirky, charming, and fun all at the same time. Loved the vibe - added to the excitement of having lunch. Server was terrific. The food: IF we ever go back I/we will get apps for the table only. Wide variety of options - all fairly good. They do no harm. Think airport or mid-level hotel restaurant. Appetizer portions (especially the nachos) gigantic. Clearly it's for the wow factor to distract diners from the 100% food service supplier, heat and eat options. Even all sauces and dressings come in the 2oz /4oz soufflé cup with the LID STILL ON. like we are literally in the airport. Wings to start along with nachos with shredded beef. The only wing sauce (we tried 4) that tasted like anything was their "Oy-Vey" which is hotter than their bottled, ready to serve buffalo. The buffalo, bbq, and dry rub jerk were tasteless, as was the blue cheese. The wings were medium size. Not the jumbo party wings that come in the 40lbs box. Nachos were ok. Good portion of cheese and meat. But the thimble of sour cream and tasteless pour from the bottle salsa were embarrassing But... if we were drinking and enjoying friends ... it would have been fine to soak up the microbrews, I suppose. Sandwiches were disastrous. One had the friend catfish sandwich, one the spicy shrimp wrap, and I had the farmers wrap/add blackened chicken. Portion sparse. Fries and/or onion rings mid-grade coated/cover the plate type. And I added coleslaw (maybe my favorite food on the planet) at our server's suggestion...the dry, tasteless cabbage set coleslaw back 50 years. KFC slaw is miles better (and I hate that). What ruined it was all sandwiches had the same "funk" to them. Each member of our table tried to identify in their own order, and sharing some of each others, what it was. The common denominator was the funky/carbon/dirty grease taste and smell that came from their grill (all wraps and sandwich bread/roll/wrap) was heated on it. It clearly was filthy. Taste permeated everything. They don't create/chef here. It's food service supplier "speed scratch" which is assembled in the kitchen. I know staffing is hard. I know no one wants to work (they do, however, want to get paid), but really really really disappointed based on reviews and menu. Best part, I asked for a small cup of oy-vey sauce as my tasteless wrap was so dry. Server said that she'd be happy to. But it would be $4 from the kitchen. Ummm... hard pass. Again, maybe phenomenal if you're a college student at East Conn. but if you're not drinking the food simply does not stand up on its own. Worst $178 with tip (with no alcohol) I have ever spent.

Poor service with my online order and an even more unacceptable response to my complaint from their…read moreVP - Director Of Operations, Kyle Lynch. He was snarky and condescending. According to his email, he oversees locations in UConn, Vernon, Windsor, Dayville, West Hartford & Willimantic. I would not recommend any business he is involved with.

First time here and my last. The gentleman behind the food bar greeted me and was very kind. I…read moreasked for extra salsa on my bowl, and a few seconds later a manager behind me scolded him on giving big portions. I turned around to tell her it was my fault, that I had asked for extra salsa. She told me she'd have to charge me for two bowls because I can't be taking all that food... I have never had an issue asking for extra of a topping. Meat or sauces are extra $ as always, but salsa? I tried to reason with her, but she became very aggressive and I was super uncomfortable. The man went to listen to her instruction, and I apologized to him and walked out. Definitely not paying close to $30 for one bowl with a scoop of extra tomato. Please eat elsewhere until management finds a replacement.

Overall, had a nice breakfast here. As someone who loves crafted espresso drinks, this is not the…read moreplace--more of a diner vibe with unlimited hot coffee brought to your table. But, the food was delicious. I opted for a sweet breakfast and was very happy with my choice. The service was also great (and quick)! For a quicker, sit-down, diner-style breakfast in the area, I'd definitely recommend.

Attentive and friendly service, delicious and generous portions. Feels like a breakfast place…read moreshould - the best of the old time diner feel. Eggs Benedict, hash browns from the grill, 3 egg omelettes - and two gluten free bread options - whole grain and Italian.