Only reasonable part of our experience was the service. the food was mediocre to say the least. the nachos were ok.... but the tacos were old, leathery and super salty. could NOT eat them. such a dn waste. and that was for both of us. horrible. that they even dared to serve them. read more

Carlos was amazing!! He was very attentive and helpful. We never had to ask for anything, as he anticipated our needs before we had to ask. Exceptional service and the food was wonderful. Thank you!!! read more

i used to love this place and it was great value for HH. Today I went in at happy hour, ordered a house margarita and a Pacifico draft and it was $22 for happy hour! Quite exorbitant, compared to El Torito where a house margarita is six dollars and a Pacifico is four dollars Often I don't look at my tabs, and I should Today when I left, I found out that my server charged me regular price for the margarita. It literally was about 6 ounces of liquid average at best and she charged me $14. Due to the exorbitant pricing, servers overcharging, today, this place lost my business. Last few times I've been there I was thinking how expensive the place had become and I'm sure now I've been charge regular price all along. I do think most of the staff is great and the food is pretty good but it's the delivery and the price gouging that has turned me off and I feel like I've been taken advantage of. There are plenty of choices and Taco Rosa will no longer be one for me, from today on. read more

Got take out here hoping the food was going to be like their original Taco Mesa. Tried the lobster taco ($9) and calamari taco ($8). They were good but not OMG good as they are at the Taco Mesa in Costa Mesa. I had picked up the Taco Mesa/Taco Rosa gift cards newly available at Costco now (4 $25 gift cards for $69.99) so that helped with the cost. Be aware that you must use up the whole value of each gift card... they cannot leave remaining balances on the cards or give cash back. read more

We came here during Happy Hour and we came with a large group of about 20 people. We sat at the patio and it was the perfect place for a large party. To our surprise, the happy hour menu had a lot of options and it was very reasonably priced. We ordered a lot of items for my fiancé and I because I was really hungry. Everyone decided to put everything on on bill, and to our surprise, the total bill was about $300- that is pretty good for 20 people! The majority of people had shots, tacos, and margaritas all from the happy hour menu. I'm only knocking one star because it would've been nicer and more comfortable for everyone if there was a curtain or shades to block out the sun on the patio- we were rotating chair to chair because the area we were in had a lot of sun and no shade at all; however, it did work out in our favor because it made us socialize with everybody! Overall, I do recommend Taco Rosa for happy hour read more

Taco Rosa - Esquites - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

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I had the three seafood tacos and they were AMAZING!!!! So delicious, not spicy, super flavorful!!

The food is hit and miss but the service needs immediate attention. My husband and I called for reservations and we were told that they were completely slammed and could not get us in for another 2 1/2 hours so we proceeded to just drive to the restaurant to see if we stood there at the door a the table would open up. Much to our surprise when we got there there were multiple open seats and no one standing in line and as we proceeded inside, we were immediately sat at a table. I further sat there to wait and see where all of these fully slammed reservations were coming from and for that hour and a half that we sat there, we saw nothing to support the call that we had claiming to be fully 'booked' it seemed as though it was a lazy employee not really wanting to work that evening. The restaurant was barely half full. It was basically turning business away! It's unbelievable that in today's economy, anyone would turn business away. We proceeded to order a skinny margarita and a regular margarita. The regular margarita was so sugar filled. It was disgusting and a skinny margarita was so blatantly sour with nothing but lime juice that it was not drinkable without being sick to your stomach. The food was mediocre not bad, not great. Definitely not the experience we were looking for. read more

So my 9 year old and I came here after a local camp looking for tacos. And boy did we find them.... We tried three different tacos along with the chili lime chips w/ the bean dip (also comes w/ 2 salsas!). The Gorditas were fabulous too. I'm a sucker for pastor in pretty much any form. We had plenty of food and had a great time trying something new..... our waiter was so kind and really made our lunch with how personable he was. read more

Taco Rosa - Sloan enjoying the hugely delicious chile limon chips and bean dip. - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

I'm upset. - They forgot my water. - Misunderstood my order. - Forgot to bring me a part of my order until I reminded them. Then. Told me the burritos I ordered for my kid was not spicy. I came home and the burrito had jalapeños. Seriously? - taste: okay. I wanted to support local restaurants, even ordering alcohol when I don't really want it..but with only 3 clients in the restaurant they messed up big on my order. read more

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Taco rosa is a must if you live in OC. Me and my boyfriend are obsessed! The best food and experience every single time! read more

Taco Rosa - Nachos, The Rosa combo, and a blackened chicken wet burrito. - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

For being my first time going it was a great experience. Great food, service, everything was great. High recommendation read more

Taco Rosa - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

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While it's not traditional Mexican food, there's a lot of interesting menu items that are very enjoyable. A nice one is the Alambre taco which is grilled steak with bacon. Another good one is Vampiro, which is al pastor pork. The Rosa Quesedilla is equally delicious with either blackened chicken or steak. And, best of all, the service is very friendly and helpful. They are very welcoming! read more

Taco Rosa has been around for a while. I remember seeing it years ago when I lived closer and it's good to see that it's still around. They have a nice outside patio area to be seated at and that's where almost everyone sits. The inside felt a little stuffy and dark but I'm sure when it's cold it's what every guest wants. To start I had the taquitos with chicken which was very good, crispy and had good flavor. The next item I got was the empanada; which was probably my favorite item of the day. It was crispy, flavorful and had a good over texture and flavor balance. The mole enchilada was good too, it comes with rice and beans served on the side. The server was attentive and filled the water and drinks frequently. Lastly for the desserts I ordered the churros. Definitely finished the night weak as it may have been some of the worst churros I've had since they were hard, dry and didn't really have a good flavor. Even though it comes with the dip and ice cream I would probably live happily without it. But that doesn't take away from the good food and service. A good average rating for a Mexican restaurant in the busy Tustin market place. read more

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The food is good but their ambience definitely needs an upgrade. Their service is reasonably good. Sometimes you need to request for the most obvious, but once asked they are prompt and attentive. Their menu card is really old and blurry. I hope they upgrade their interiors soon. read more

Taco Rosa - Back wall with a rose! - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

The food was very bland and needs flavor. The tamale had a refrigerator tasted. The server never offered chips and salsa. We had to ask another waiter. In fact the server never ask us how the food was. The price and quality of the food was very disappointing. However the margarita tasted delicious. read more

Taco Rosa is for Taco Rosa people. It's esoteric. If you want a city type Mexican food, void of refried beans, cheddar cheese, lettuce, pico, free chips and salsa, then go there. It's for you. For the rest of the 95% Californians, we want variety. We want chips, salsa, cheese and pico, and lettuce. The decor is dark, dated, and cold. Pros: decent fajitas Cons: esoteric, lacks warmth, pricy, no chips, no salsa, nothing is free. No cheese, lettuce, pico, fresh ingredients. Cha Cha is across the parking lot and much better. read more

Came here for their taco Tuesday and I wasn't really impressed. The good parts: there's a ton of parking, our sever was very friendly, everyone wore masks. Bathrooms were very clean! Improvement parts: They must've been short staffed because there was no hostess when we arrived and we weren't greeted for like 5 mins. The food was a 3/5 it was too salty. But they were good portions for the price a friend and I split the enchilada. Margaritas were average, tasted a lot like juice. Not sure I'll be back but it's worth trying. read more

Taco Rosa - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Every thing was great... food for sure... service was excellent!!! And ambiance was easy to visit in.

If you are considering eating here, do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. Odds are you will be disappointed. If you want "Mexican" style food, Cha Cha's is across the parking lot and you'll be much much happier eating there. There is a reason this restaurant isn't busy, including on the weekends. The service is slow and poor and the food is probably worse than the service. We came by for lunch with a small group. We chose it on a recommendation and because they had outdoor seating. The place wasn't busy at all when we arrived maybe 4-5 tables had people at them in the entire place. After we ordered our drinks and food another table arrived that was sat behind us with 6 people. We waited a long time for our food. The table behind us with a larger party ordered, was already served, and half way through eating by the time I got up to track down our server and ask where our order was because we waited almost an hour. Incredibly the order came to the table 60 seconds later. Not so incredible, was it was obviously sitting in the window for a long while. No apology, no acknowledgment of the wait time, no manager stop by, nothing. There were plenty of employees standing around talking to each other though like the guests were just there to hand them money. Even if the food had been brought out when it was prepared, I can't say it would have been much better. The pork that was edible in my dish was extremely dry, and bland. Like it had been prepared a few days before and reheated for the last two days. If you have even reheated leftover meat at home, you know what I'm talking about. The other half of the pork they served me was inedible gristle and fat. The house made fried tortilla's In the entree were soggy by the time they got served. The refried beans tasted like the came straight out of a can. Absolute disaster of a restaurant and guest experience. I would not come back even if the manager agreed to comp my next meal here. read more

The food and my margarita were good, not super blown away for the prices though. Our server also seemed to be a little peeved after I sent my daughter's virgin pina colada back for tasting like straight frozen lemonade. It actually tasted terrible but I was trying to be nice by letting her know it tasting nothing like a pina colada. She wasn't the one to bring our food out to us and didn't check back until we were almost done eating to see how we were doing or if we needed anything. I work in a service industry as well, so I was super polite knowing how it feels and it wasn't her fault that the drink wasn't made well but her attitude towards a customer for a small request for a fix seemed off putting. It's your job to make a customer feel comfortable and try your best to make things right, not to make them feel bad for not getting what they asked for. So my overall experience was just meh after spending $106 for two adults and child, unfortunately. read more

My favorite dishes. Chicken mole enchiladas and carnita plate with a side of pork pozole. Happy brunch day to me :) on a cold sunday evening. read more

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So dissatisfied! Saw the reviews and got excited drove all the way there to be received by a very rude young cashier who made it clear I was an inconvenience. Then I tried to order some traditional tacos that were on their past posts, to which she rudely pointed to the sign above her and told me that's what they were serving. Then I asked for a side of the tomatillo sauce listed on the board to which she said they no longer serve. I almost walked out and I should have but i didn't and I regret it. You never get a second chance to make a first impression! read more

Love certain dishes on their menu and go back again and again for them. Nice area for patio dining. Service always prompt.

wow!!! rosa girl u have done it again!!! everything was soooo good!!! and dont even get me started on the churro!!! Our waitress Luisa was phenomenal! holla for her when u come!! read more

Taco Rosa - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Excellent service. Excellent food. The husband had the fish taco and the calamari taco. Both were tasty. I had the fresh halibut with the sautéed squash, spinach vegetables, cilantro, rice. The blue corn, tamale with mushrooms, onion, and a delicious mole sauce was above and beyond. Highly recommended. read more

super yummy! i love the workers there and the enchiladas and rice and beans are amazing. gorgeous atmosphere thank you!

Total Meh! It was good, but not great. First off, you have to pay for chips and salsa?!? Most Mexican restaurants offer chips and salsa complimentary. Not here. Oh well! Moving on to the dinner, it had decent flavor, but noting to write home about. Both of us felt like we could have had more when done. The service was good, but nothing outstanding. The waitress did her job, but we did not get a warm fuzzy from her. She went through the motions, and nothing more. We did not feel welcomed to be here. The decor is decent, but it needs to be refreshed a bit. And the hours, given they are by the movie theater, are not the greatest. Closing at 8 pm on Sunday?!? Good luck with that. We probably will not return any time soon. read more

We came here for the first time on a Sunday and were seated right away. It took a little while for our server to come over to our table, but once he came the service was great. The food and drinks were excellent. It was nice to be able to order Valle de Guadalupe wines in the OC. We will definitely come back. read more

Am I missing something? Some of the bad reviews here are straight up ridiculous. We came here tonight (Saturday 9/16/23). The service since we walked in was excellent, the food was great and we will definitely come back. My wife enjoyed her birthday dinner. Ps...Yes they charge for chips and salsa, I mean they also come with beans and a few different salsas. People be living in affluent Irvine and complain about a couple dollars for chips . read more

Stumbled upon what I assume is a neighborhood gem over by the Bonita Canyon port streets on my evening walk. They said they've been there for 30 years! The place feels very authentic - cute but not fancy in a strip mall. We had queso fundido and a couple tacos. The salsas come with a jalepenos salsa, red salsa, and bean dip. All three were delicious. we agreed we'd come here just for that. The Fundido was flaming with tasty veggies within and on top. The carnitas tacos was perfection. I look forward to returning and trying a margarita! The service was nice and attentive despite being closing time - They close at 8P on Thursday. read more

Great service & delicious food!! Stumbled upon this restaurant because a nearby restaurant was too long of a wait. So glad we came here. Every staff member from the Host, to the server, even the Busser were extremely friendly. Our server, Luisa, was great! All of us, even the kids loved the food. The best part was when 7 staff members stopped what they were doing to sing Happy Birthday and brought a complimentary dessert. We will definitely be back! Ps. The bad reviews on here are ridiculous & comical. read more

Every time we go the service is very good. The tables are clean and a lot of options on the menu. 4 stars because it is a little overpriced. Food is good. read more

Gave Taco Rosa a second chance and my experience was so much better than the first! Service was exceptional by Octavio. He was very attentive and quick whenever we needed anything. Really enjoy the complimentary sopes provided that have been different the two times I've visited. Both very good and a great way to start the meal. This time I ordered the combo #2 ($16) which was a huge! The meal came with one decently sized taco (so good), one chicken enchilada (really packed with chicken), sweet corn tamale, rice, beans and a mixed salad. There is a nice front patio now for those who wish to sit outside. read more

Taco Rosa - Combo #2 - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

Always enjoy coming here. Oscar is always our waiter and one of the nicest guys around. Food is always on point, hot and delicious. This has become our weekly go to spot for tacos and a cold beverage. read more

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I really wanted to love this place. The ambiance is nice, and I was greeted warmly. The food on the other hand, was not good. I was very surprised. I would ordinarily say it could have been what I ordered, but I ordered a few items and not one single item was good. A sample style meal. The taquitos were extremely dry and bland (beef) with a burnt aftertaste. The shrimp tostada was flavorless, and the empanada (chorizo and cheese) was do dry it was hard to swallow with edges so crunchy they weren't edible. Definitely shocked at the lack of authenticity and flavor. There was also so many fillers on my plate to make the plate look full, a bunch of lettuce and other random vegetables. A complete waste of $25. (Post tip). I wouldn't eat here again. read more

Taco Rosa - Mexican Near Me - Irvine, California

I unexpectedly went to Taco Rosa due to a mix up at a nearby yelp* event/perk; it was a choice by default. Taco Rosa was nearby, overall reviews were hit & miss but thought I'd take a chance anyway. Restaurant front - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=8RxXqvTLPXGnbEP7n3JFEQ&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Walked in, waited a few minutes for the host, placed a simple to-go order: Al Pastor Burrito ($15) - Fair sized burrito; too salty For $15 burrito, I expected a pretty epic meal... 'Not. I've had better for less @ many other restaurants; waste $$. Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=CmXHNotBovK9sXz-_ZpNMQ&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Steak Fajitas ($22) - Nice flavor; meat tough & chewy The $22 fajitas were equally unimpressive with the tough strips of beef. I could only guess that the meat was old, overcooked, improper cut or: C) All of the above Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=hDGNGMA9cLscki-DGOcjmA&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Grand total w/tip: $45 One word, "M'eh." However, the small container of spicy guacamole & salsa were quite good. Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=0Eu7S_Z01qo4oxbBkjqi7Q&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Bottomline: Overpriced, mediocre Mexican food; waste $$. I believe most people come for the ambiance, their Taco Tuesdays and/or Happy Hours. Taco Rosa has a nice, open air patio, and the inside dining area is quite spacious as well. Patio - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=2mnT9y9anPtJJLM8D4bfTw&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ As many other yelp*ers have chimed in on, the food is a bit overpriced for what you get; something most people can find for less $$ with more flavor from a local taqueria. Front bar area - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=wwxmssPqE3nF9xaJXMqQXQ&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Dining area - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=9UbD0Skqe-sBPjAO5liTPA&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ As the nation and world are slowly reopening, getting the world back in motion, and vaccines being distributed; we still need to be vigilant and take precautions. Help support your local businesses; be well, be safe. - Big Aloha! Overall rating: 2 1/2 Stars (Rounding down) Food: 2 Ambiance: 3 (To-go order) Service: 3 Value: 2 read more

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We tried Taco Rosa on the weekend for an early lunch. It was difficult to get service here at first and we had like 3 different people serving us, so we didn't know who are real server was. Please note that chips and salsa is NOT complimentary here. The chips and salsa you can order is about $6, however, it is worth it. The chips are seasoned, which makes them very yummy (not spicy, just good)! The chips and salsa order comes with three salsa and a bean dip. This is refillable, but not automatic, you have to ask if you want a chips refill. For entree, we ordered the fajitas for two people. It was just about $40 and was large (see my picture). It is truly for two people, or two adults and one child. The picture of this one speaks for itself! On a separate occasion, we ordered the tacos and just felt like they were small and not a good value. In the future, we will always be ordering the fajitas. The booths in here are large and can accomodate groups. We sat in the dining room, but you can sit at the bar as well. read more

Food is awful. Service poor. Table sticky and yucky. Super expensive. Never again.

Location: located in Irvine at the Tustin market place right across from the Edwards theatre. Also ample of parking upfront which is always a win in my book! Food 5/5: came here to kick off OC Restaurant Week 3/3 which goes on until 3/9. Picked this restaurant in particular because not too far from work and was in the mood for margaritas. Margaritas are $15 for a schooner size and do not disappoint! The dinner option for restaurant week was $30 for a three course meal which was absolutely divine! We started off with taquitos and the chips with guacamole. Then for our main course we went with the chicken mole and the steak fajitas. Oh my goodness the vegetables on both plates were sautéed so well and just melted in my mouth. The chicken and steak were also done to perfection! And the tres leches cake for dessert was AMAZING! Overall, the plating and experience was five stars. I will definitely be returning for brunch and other dishes. Service 5/5: our server Edgardo was so pleasant and very knowledgeable. He had great recommendations and was very friendly. He told us this taco Rosa in particular has been around for 7 years. I was like "whattttt, i remember it like yesterday being on the border!" I was also always disappointed with on the border so never made an effort to try taco Rosa. Well, I have been missing on some delicious food and great service. I will definitely be returning! read more

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I went there to celebrate a family celebration, our party was 12 people and we went on a Saturday. I was very pleased with the service that was provided our waiter made sure we didn't run low on drinks and he was able to explain the menu for allergies that one of our guest had! The food was delicious! I would definitely go again! read more