Rosario Cocina Mexicana — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Dare I say it! The best Mexican restaurant in Amsterdam. The food… incredible! The service… exceptional! The presentation… attention to detail!

Location & Layout: (5/5) Rosario is located in trendy Jordaan area of Amsterdam. The beauty of this place is the fact that it is walking distance from the central station (and crowd) and yet it’s got an almost cozy feel to itself. The street has many other places to quickly grab a drink Incase you are waiting for your table here. Great views of the iconic Amsterdam architecture.

The restaurant is in the thin longer building on the ground floor. With one table on the outside and the rest inside. Table range from for 2 and can be added together for much more. The attention to detail with the unique interior elements like the colourful corn/cactus and the awesome posters! The vibe comes alive. It’s cozy and feels so natural to sit here and share a meal. Almost like I have been here countless times.

Food & Drink: (5/5) Oh wow oh wow! Okay, now this came highly recommended by a Mexican friend of mine. I wish they had told me about it earlier. Any way, we had 3 different dishes.

(1) Flautas con Pollo - shredded chicken and potato in a deep fried tortilla. This came in an incredible slightly spicy sauce that balanced the flavour of the chicken and potato so well. The texture crunch paired with the tangy/spicy flavour of the sauce was heaven in each bite. The presentation was excellent with a beautifully cut piece of avocado placed on top. (2) Taco Suadero - crispy fried beef brisket taco. The meat was cooked to perfection. When they say crispy, they are not kidding. Perfectly sized and the other filling helps to balance flavours. (3) Tacos de Milpa - our favourite of the night. This was a vegetarian taco with roasted cauliflower and sweet potato and salsa macha. Oh wow! This was just divine. The balance of flavours, the beautiful colours and need I say the lovely textures all made for a treat in every bite. I really recommend getting this one. You will thank yourself!

You can just tell that everything we ate was made with so much love! Thank you chefs!

Service: (6/5) That’s right, I give service here a 6 on 5! Have to call out the three most incredible staff who made our dinner experience fabulous. Juanita, Nina and Amy - the three of you have really set the bar high when I go to other restaurants. From the attention to detail to even suggesting a better quantity that would be better to share and accommodating that. Also the wonderful smiling faces and enthusiasm when serving. Loved it all! Any restaurants reading this, go here and see what real service is like.

Summary: (5/5) Should you go? YES!! This is a must try for anyone who likes Mexican food. But also someone who wants to try some interesting plates of beautifully prepare food. I really enjoyed this place and planning to visit more often. HIGHLY...

“Hidden gem”? It should stay buried. Do yourself a favor and skip this overpriced tourist trap. I ordered the enchiladas—what I got was a laughably small portion of what I can only describe as baby food wrapped in a rubbery tortilla, stuffed with unseasoned, boiled chicken. The dish was not only bland, it was served cold. No flavor. No care. Just sadness on a plate.

Then came the birria tacos—except they weren’t tacos at all. They arrived disassembled, with maybe two spoonfuls of lukewarm meat, no cheese (which is standard), and a garnish so tiny it could fit on a cracker: a measly pinch of onions and cilantro, plus four dry tortillas. We were told we could ask for more tortillas if needed—no mention of a charge—then got billed for them anyway.

When asked how the food was, I calmly explained everything. The response? A blank stare, zero acknowledgment, and a full-price bill for one of the most underwhelming meals I’ve ever had.

To make matters worse, the restaurant was freezing. Every time the front door opened, icy air rushed in. I got up several times to close it myself, only for the manager to come by and blatantly prop it open again, ignoring guest comfort entirely.

I left hungry and frustrated—and ended up stopping for fries afterward just to feel like I’d eaten something.

If you know anything about real Mexican food—or basic hospitality—you’ll understand why this place is an embarrassment. It’s a lazy, soulless cash grab aimed at tourists who don’t know better.

Avoid at all costs.

P.S. The music and overall vibe have absolutely nothing to do with Mexican culture. As a Latino with a Mexican fiancée, we both found it...

A small Mexican restaurant in the Jordaan serving Mexican dishes packed with flavour and freshness, perfect for sharing. We were a party of 4 and ended up ordering majority of the items on the menu. So here is a pick of our favourites.

In the starters, sikilpak was a standout for it's flavours and freshness. We ended up ordering it twice.

Sere de pescado in red coconut sauce was also great.

We also had the enchilada with chicken and quesadilla with artichoke. Both good but nothing special.

Among the tacos, we liked the pulled pork the best. It had a perfect balance of the flavours with the meat.

We also tried the veggie option, tacos with Camarones and the beef taco with the extra bone marrow. They were all good.

Their cocktails are refreshing and a perfect combo for the food. We tried the smokey margarita and smokey paloma and liked them both.

The pricing is a bit on the expensive side. Given the portion sizes are small you will end up ordering multiple items. But the quality, freshness and the taste makes up for the cost. So it's a worthwhile visit for a night out with friends.

Service is very friendly and nice. It is a very small place which is typical in the Jordaan. So do make a reservation.

The only downside is when you make a reservation you will have to pay 20 euro per person as deposit, which is a bit much imo. Reservation is cancellable...