Mexicali Rosa's — Restaurant in Ottawa

It is with considerable disappointment and dismay that I submit this review, following an egregiously inhospitable experience at Mexicali Rosa’s, Ottawa, on the evening of 11 May 2025. The experience was marred not merely by substandard service but by conduct that I assert infringes upon the fundamental rights of a patron within a commercial hospitality establishment.

Upon arrival, I courteously informed the hostess that my spouse and I had recently solemnised our marriage and had selected this establishment for what ought to have been an unassuming celebratory dinner. I did not solicit preferential treatment; I merely sought the quiet enjoyment of the services purportedly offered.

Regrettably, what ensued was an incessant and intrusive campaign by the assigned server (blonde female) to expedite our departure. Despite ordering drinks and entrees in accordance with the ordinary custom of restaurant patrons, we were subjected to harassment manifesting through persistent interruptions, ostensibly under the guise of ‘checking in.’ This harassment reached the intolerable frequency of six separate intrusions within an hour—culminating in no fewer than twelve disruptions over the course of our dining experience. This conduct contravenes the implied contractual right of a paying customer to consume their meal in peace, free from undue coercion or pressure to vacate the premises prematurely.

In addition, the establishment’s alleged status as a ‘Mexican’ restaurant is rendered risible by the conspicuous absence of basic staples such as guacamole and avocado—products so emblematic of Mexican cuisine that their unavailability denotes either gross mismanagement or calculated misrepresentation.

I must take this opportunity to formally remind the proprietor that under general principles of contract law, particularly those enshrined within the doctrines of consumer protection, there exists an implied term that the service provided will be rendered with reasonable care and skill, affording the customer the undisturbed enjoyment of the services for which they have tendered consideration. The premature presentation of the bill, absent any lawful cause or notice, constitutes a material breach of the implied contract and a violation of consumer autonomy. Furthermore, there is no statutory or common law obligation upon a customer to request or accept the cheque until such time as they have concluded their use of the services for which payment is contemplated.

In the circumstances, I reluctantly exercised my discretion to leave a nominal gratuity, reflective of the contemptuous service received. For the avoidance of doubt, gratuities are a discretionary act, not an entitlement, and any suggestion that patrons should be coerced to accelerate their dining experience to accommodate staff’s personal preferences for early closure is an affront to commercial hospitality standards.

To the owner, I respectfully submit that if the prevailing attitude of your staff is that of disdain toward clientele and an overbearing eagerness to vacate the premises, then perhaps the business model should be reconstituted as a self-service canteen, obviating the need for table service entirely. To maintain the current course is to invite further reputational damage and attrition of clientele.

In conclusion, I assert my experience at Mexicali Rosa’s constitutes a dereliction of the most basic hospitality principles, an affront to consumer dignity, and an operational model that warrants...

I wish I could give 0 stars. I had the worst service here. Me my sister and my friend went here for dinner and both my sister and my friend are vegetarians. My sister decided to try the 7 layer dip but after she ordered she noticed there was beef in the dip and when she asked our waitress if it was too late to change it she said it probably was already made but she will check. She comes back with the dip (take in their 7 "layer" dip is just piles of dips in a circle with some chips shoved around it) and says it was already made. My sister says how she can't eat it as her and my friend are vegetarians but the waitress just kept saying "it was already made" "it was already made" like a broken record I swear she didn't know how to say anything else. So instead of taking it back like a normal waitress she asks if I will take it and I obviously was not comfortable taking it I said and I quote "I guess" with a super uncomfortable look on my face, she then puts it on the table and leaves. She then brings us a vegetarian dip and there was pieces of chicken in it! There is not even supposed to be chicken in the dip it is supposed to be beef so the chicken was due to negligence in the kitchen or I don't know. So we show her the chicken and she still has an attitude like we somehow we planted the chicken like?? So we just say we don't want anything else. Now I am someone with high social anxiety so I am not aways good at defending myself in social settings. Gladly my friend had no problem telling the waitress that I did not want to take this dip, maybe I would have been fine taking it if she was nice but the way she spoke to us about a stupid not even 7 layer dip was rude she had no customer service which was weird because at first she was fine, I don't know what her deal is with dip but her whole attitude changed over a simple mistake. Anyway my friend tells her that I really don't want this dip and then with an attitude she says "well it was already made" so we were like okay can we speak to a manager and she said she would go speak to him. She comes back and says that "since it was already made" (her catch phrase) she could only take off 50% so at this point the lack of customer service is annoying all of us so I jut pay and leave the dip that is how much I didn't want it and not even because I did not order it but because her attitude made me so uncomfortable that I just wanted to leave. Mind you my sister and I have both worked in restaurants and know that you do not handle a situation like that in such a manner. We actually have both been in the same situation where a customer did not realize something until after the fact and you know what we both did. We both took back the incorrect dish and had it remade with a positive attitude not a defensive one so both her and her manager need some training. Also me, my sister and friend are all women of colour and every waitress there was Caucasian so I really hope that this was not a moment of discrimination but honestly it might have been because why else would she be so rude over something so small. I wish this review was not true but it is and if the waitress ever sees this review I just want you to know that you ruined my whole dining experience and I wish I did not tip you because you did not...

It is with professional dismay that I recount an incident of grave consumer rights infringement, occurring at Mexicali Rosa's, Ottawa, on 11 May 2025. This narrative is submitted not merely as a dissatisfied patron but as a citizen asserting entitlements afforded under Canadian consumer law.

My spouse and I attended the establishment to commemorate our recent marriage—an occasion duly disclosed to the hostess. We sought no special indulgence, only the lawful and peaceful enjoyment of our meal, as is our right under Canadian common law and the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 (Ontario) (the "Act").

Despite this, the conduct of our assigned server, a blonde female, flagrantly violated Section 14 of the Act, which proscribes unfair practices, including harassment, coercion, and undue pressure. The server intrusively interrupted our meal no fewer than twelve times in an hour—six during our mains—evidently to hasten our departure while we were actively consuming ordered beverages and food. This oppressive behaviour contravenes Sections 9 and 10 of the Act, which imply a statutory duty to provide services with reasonable care and skill and permit consumers uninterrupted enjoyment absent lawful justification.

Compounding these infractions, the establishment failed to supply essential staples of Mexican cuisine—guacamole and avocado—despite its branding as a Mexican restaurant. This omission constitutes a misrepresentation contrary to Section 52 of the Competition Act (Canada), which prohibits deceptive marketing and misrepresentation by omission or conduct likely to mislead consumers.

Moreover, I unequivocally state there exists no statutory, regulatory, or common law obligation in Canada requiring a consumer to accept or request the cheque prior to concluding their meal. The server’s coercive insistence upon prematurely presenting the bill constitutes commercial pressure in breach of Section 17 of the Act, which expressly prohibits representations falsely implying legal obligations.

I duly exercised my lawful discretion to leave a nominal gratuity, as tipping remains a voluntary act under Canadian and common law, absent explicit contractual stipulation.

Additionally, under the Occupiers' Liability Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.2, the proprietor bears a non-delegable duty to ensure patrons are not subjected to hostile treatment and that services are rendered consistent with reasonable expectations and public policy standards. The egregious staff conduct and mismanagement of core inventory items represent a failure of that duty, exposing the business to reputational harm and potential regulatory scrutiny.

In conclusion, the experience at Mexicali Rosa's is not merely unsatisfactory but reflective of systemic disregard for statutory obligations, consumer protection rights, and common law duties of care. I urge the proprietor to critically reassess their operational model and staff management to avert further violations, which may warrant regulatory intervention and legal redress.

In its current form, this establishment is, in my assessment, wholly unfit...