Restaurante Rosetta — Restaurant in Mexico City

Preface: according to Michelin's website, the style of service offered and the level of formality do NOT influence whether a restaurant gets a star. Stars are awarded only based on quality of food. I feel like some of the customers who left negative reviews were expecting a more upscale dining experience because of the Michelin star, and the fact that they were disappointed isn't necessarily a reflection of Rosetta, but rather their failure to properly research the restaurant beforehand. This isn't to say that Rosetta is a casual restaurant; however, for a more upscale dining experience in CDMX, Quintonil or Pujol may be better choices.

Now onto the review: we booked a table online for lunch (I recommend making a reservation). The day before, I got a Whatsapp message from Rosetta to remind us of our booking and to answer any questions we had; this was very thoughtful. When we arrived, we were quickly seated at our table. Below are my full thoughts.

Setting: visually, the restaurant is stunning. The center dining area is a high-ceiling room with a skylight and hanging plants. The restrooms are clean and elegant. Everything on our table, from the plates to the silverware to the menus themselves, are made of high-quality materials. I was very impressed, 10/10

Service: like other restaurants of this caliber, it felt as though there were more servers than tables. On the one hand, this was nice as it ensured our plates were cleared quickly, our waters were constantly filled, etc. On the other hand, it was a bit confusing because it felt like every interaction we had with was with a different person. While most of the staff were hospitable and helpful, there were a few who were less so. When leaving a tip, I wasn't sure how it would be split among the staff; I wished this could've been clarified somehow. I was also hoping the staff would explain the dishes when they were served, but this only happened with the hoja santa dessert we ordered. Overall though I was satisfied with the service, 7/10

Food: Rosetta uses local ingredients and thus their menu changes slightly each day; this is reflected in the date printed on the menus (available in Spanish or English). For appetizers, we had the artichokes with mushrooms and the white mole with carrots. I didn't try the artichokes but my group said they were very good. The white mole was incredible. The taste was almost indescribable and went great with the complimentary bread provided. This was one of the highlights of the meal.

For entrees, we had the chicken liver pasta, the sea bass, and the chile sausage pasta. I didn't try the first two but my group said they enjoyed their entrees. The chile sausage pasta was just fantastic, one of the best pasta dishes I've had at a restaurant. While it wasn't the fanciest or most inventive dish (similar to a beef ragu), I thought it was prepared near perfectly.

For dessert, we had the hoja santa with cacao criollo and the honey cubes with ice cream. The presentation of both desserts was outstanding; they looked amazing! I liked that the honey cubes really tasted like honey, and that the hoja santa was deliciously crunchy over the rich cacao. At the end of our meal, we ordered some more drinks (they have a selection of hot tea, coffee, and spirits) and they served it to us with a plate of small guava cookies. 10/10 for the food overall.

Value: for our group of three, we spent ~$65 USD per person before tip. Considering the quality of the food we ordered, I feel Rosetta is a good value overall. Yes, it's an expensive restaurant for the area, and the portions of food are on the smaller side. But this is to be expected for a restaurant of this level, and the price felt reasonable for what we received. 8/10

Overall: 9.5/10. There were a few hiccups with the service, but otherwise this was an incredible dining experience without feeling overwhelmingly fancy....

Rosetta is a restaurant that had been on my list due to its reputation, but unfortunately, it fell far short of expectations. While it had a few high points, the overall experience left much to be desired.

Ambience and Atmosphere The vibe of the venue was completely off. The lighting was overly bright, more fitting for a casual daytime café than a high-end restaurant, and the music—a mix of generic pop—felt out of place and uninspired. These elements combined to create an awkward and unwelcoming atmosphere.

Bar Experience The bar was equally disappointing. It was cramped, with no real space to sit or relax. Service was inconsistent—while others were offered water, we weren’t. The staff seemed ill-prepared, unable to list their gins and revealing they only had three options, none of which were top-shelf. To top it off, Schweppes tonic was served with the gin, which, regardless of the quality of the gin, completely ruined the drink.

Service Throughout the evening, we encountered at least four different waiters, resulting in a lack of consistency and coordination. Basic details were overlooked—sparkling water was only offered once, no bread or entrée plates were provided, and staff failed to explain dishes properly. For example, the scallops were presented with no context, leaving us to guess at what should have been an interesting starter. When it came to dietary requirements, they seemed clueless. Despite making my garlic allergy clear, I was served food with garlic, leaving me sick for the rest of the night—a serious oversight that is unacceptable in any restaurant, let alone one of this calibre. My husband’s plate has a chip missing and the glass wear honestly looked like plastic cups!

The Food The dishes were a mixed bag.

Bread: While there were different types available, no one bothered to explain them. A missed opportunity to add a personal touch to the experience.

Scallops: Served cold and utterly underwhelming. The flavours were weak and uninspired—I've had better ceviche from street vendors.

Salad with National Fruit: The standout of the evening. It was truly delicious, with pistachios adding a fantastic crunch and depth of flavour. This dish was a rare highlight and came close to redeeming the meal.

Lobster Ravioli: Bland and forgettable, lacking the richness and flavour one would expect.

Steak: Ordered medium-rare but arrived rare and chewy, without the necessary steak knife to cut it properly. The spinach served alongside was enjoyable, but the sauce was unimpressive.

Final Thoughts Rosetta is far from deserving of the hype. The service was chaotic and inattentive, the atmosphere lacked charm, and the food was inconsistent, with only one dish leaving a memorable impression. To top it off, their inability to handle allergies safely is a major red flag.

I would not return or recommend Rosetta. There are countless other restaurants that can deliver a better experience without these...

Summary: Service is good and Food is good to extraordinary at this place. Nothing really wrong, but given how famous it is I was expecting an excellent dish after another. I recommend to stick to the proven classics over trying new dishes if this is your first visit. Service was good but at the end check took forever to arrive.

First I ordered the "Mole Blanco" = White Mole. Mole Blanco has a great flavor, well balanced mix between the spicy and sweetness. Combining it with fermented carrots was a great idea, they carry the mole flavor really well and add to the texture. If desired can be combined with the different kinds of bread that are provided too. The dark honey bread and focaccia were my favorite. Definetely a must try in the menu.

Then I got the Minestrone soup. Soup was really elegant looking, flavor was good but nothing extraordinary. Vegetables and broth are mixed togethere upon arrival to keep the vegetable texture. "Flor de Calabaza" = Squash blossom was included and provided an uncommon flavor to the soup and an elegant final touch (cleaning and handling the raw flowers while keeping the flower looking pretty is rather hard in most recipes). The minestrone soup is a needed element in the menu to provide a lighter and refreshing alternative to the otherwise heavy dough section of the menu, it must be there as an alternative but needs some flavor tweeking.

Next I got the chicken. The chicken was well cooked, skin well roasted, but its flavor was eclipsed by the mushroom side. The muushroom side was tasty and had different tones of savory and umami flavor mixed in the creamy background. Definetely something needs a change here, the chicken is by no means the stat of the dish and without the side this dish would be lost to oblivion.

Finally I got the dessert: chocolate with caramelized "Hoja Santa" (Piper auritum, Mexican pepper Leaf, Acuyo or Anisillo, is an aromatic herb with heart-shaped velvety leaves). This is the best thing I tried at the restaurant. The Hoja Santa in a chocolate dessert is something I had never tried before. Hoja santa is a great alternative to mint or anise, it has a more palatable and manegable flavor and mixes better than other leaves (at least the way the use it here, there might be some cook magic here I am not aware of). Caramelizing it makes it easy to separate in small sugary fragments that can be combined with the bitter sweet chocolate to tailor each bite to the like of the costumer. Definetely a must try in the menu and an item I would go back to...