Rosalita's Cantina — Restaurant in Des Peres

What started out well, ended with an EMPLOYEE WAITRESS following us to the register, badgering me, because I let them know just how I felt about the terrible, absolute worst, wait service EVER. Not only did she follow me to register in front til I signed the receipt, she had the nerve to call me aggressive, when SHE ran her mouth, and got personal about it, asking MY WIFE if that's how I am at home, all in front of staff and management, that just stood there, and did absolutely nothing to quiet her, and said nothing at all to her, or us, so in reality, she was the aggressor, just trying to turn the tables, because she screwed up. After we ordered our dinner, she forgot our apps, she was semi rude, and paid no attention to us, as I tried to flag her down numerous times, to correct my order, but she just ignored us after our order was taken, & that's what set all this in motion. The staff followed me to the register, like some kind of security detail, thinking I wasn't going to pay my bill. The waitress should have been told to walk away from the situation by management, but she chose to insult & harass me until we left, and management did absolutely nothing to stop her. Trying to rectify the scene earlier, they cut my bill in half, which was satisfactory, as far as the bill was concerned, but expecting that to resolve the entire issue, was insulting. The real issue, is the employee, and lacking control by management of their EMPLOYEES. What kind of establishment allows their employee to follow a paying, unhappy customer to the register bickering with a customer, and since when does managment make no effort to come to the table to resolve matters? I had to find management on my own. Absolutely the worst experience ever, we'll never be back. Go ahead and run that security cam footage, and you shall see she was at the register, running her mouth, while the rest of the staff just stood there, and did absolutely nothing, and as far as I know, not a manager in sight for such a confrontation, other than the person who ran my debit card, who may or may not have been management. The waitress should be held accountable, as this waitress absolutely ruined a Saturday night date & dinner. She also spoke down to us when we asked about a drink on the menu, she kept referring to an upcharge to change the drink, which was fine by us, but she spoke like we couldn't afford it, or it was a hastle for her to take care of. All the security footage, you'll see we were ignored once we ordered, besides dropping off 1 drink & queso, we were ignored, never once asked how our meal was or anything. We were a 2 top table, she didn't have a problem waiting on the 6 top next to us, and everyone around us, but ignored us after we ordered. Bad employees, are bad for business. I will remove and delete this review, once top managment reaches out to apologize for their employee. No, we do not want a free meal either, this isn't about getting something for free, we don't want compensation in any way. And btw, she also stated "In case you haven't noticed, I have other tables besides you and we are busy tonight" That's how we were treated when it all kicked off. We were a 2 top, could have been easy money and a big tip, but she...

I've eaten at this location about 3-4 times now and every visit has been enjoyable and positive, until Friday night. We called a week in advanced to make a reservation, or see if we could make a reservation, and we were told we could so we made a reservation last Monday for dinner Friday (6/22/18). There was 6 girls, celebrating a recent engagement and we requested a table outside. When we got there, we were told our reservation was taken by a hostess who was in training, and she wasn't suppose to take a reservation for parties under 10. Our first question was why nobody called to notify us or let us know so we could plan accordingly, she then told us that when the manager realized the hostess had messed up, the manager just deleted our reservation all together so there was no way to contact us - which is the most unprofessional thing I've ever heard. Luckily. we were there 40 minutes ahead of our "reservation" so we were able to put our name in and get a table in a reasonable time still. This was of course after being told we could wait at the bar or an open table outside while we waited for our table....so we found a small table for 2 just to stand at while we waited but were instantly rudely told to leave as that table was "reserved", which is fine but kind of hard to know if there is no sign on it saying so. Shortly after, we were sat inside in a big booth which was nice, until about 20 minutes into our meal when the lighting in our booth basically turned completely off. It was so dark we literally could not see our food. When I asked to get the light turned back on or up a little, I was told "all the lights were on a timer and there was nothing they could do". When we stepped out of our booth at the end of the meal, every other booth had 3x the lighting we had in our booth. See the pictures attached for what all the other booths looked like compared to ours, and this picture doesn't even do justice. We were using the flashlights on our phone to pay our bills., because that's truly how dark it was. On top of all of this, the first thing we ordered was guacamole for the table....which tasted absolutely awful to all 6 of us at the table who tried it before sending it back. When I told the waiter it didn't taste right, I assumed he would offer to make a fresh new bowl of it but he instead just took it off the bill without giving me the option, then annoyingly walked away as if I was being a huge pain. On top of all of this, someone in our party received the completely wrong order, nowhere near what she actually ordered but since she could hardly even see what she was eating it was too late at that point to send it back which is beyond frustrating. The food & atmosphere are usually always great here but the lack of management/customer service is the reason none of us...

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5 stars) - OK

Rosalita's Cantina, nestled in the heart of Des Peres, Missouri, offers an exciting, albeit somewhat kitschy, journey through its interpretation of Mexican cuisine. The moment you step in, you're greeted by an explosion of vibrant colors, reminiscent of a Mexican fiesta, albeit somewhat inauthentic in its over-commercialized design. Despite the touches of chain-style generic flair, there's no denying that the space is visually appealing. A seat outdoors during pleasant weather can provide a buzzing, lively ambiance that adds a certain charm to the dining experience.

Our service experience was, in one word, "fine". Our server, while training a new recruit, maintained a professional demeanor throughout our visit. The rookie server, however, was a bit too pushy with the dessert menu, a sales pitch that felt more like a guilt trip than an enticing suggestion.

Now, on to the heart of the matter: the food. Rosalita's has been touted as a leading destination for Mexican cuisine in St. Louis, and we ventured in with high hopes. We ordered an array of dishes, each promising a tantalizing journey of flavors. However, our expectations fell flat. The Tex-Mex Fajitas, a sizzling skillet of onions and peppers with chorizo, shrimp, chicken, and corn, were standard fare, surprisingly salty for a dish marinated in guajillo chiles​. The same saltiness marred the Chimichanga, a fried flour tortilla filled with cheese and tinga chicken, topped with chile con queso, lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole​.

The Al-Pastor street tacos, soft corn tortillas served with cabbage, cilantro, onion, queso fresco, and a choice of salsa, didn't live up to the hype either, succumbing to the same salty fate​​. The enchiladas, soft corn tortillas rolled with cheese, served with rice and beans, were just "eh"​. The Cauliflower-Lime Rice Bowl, an intriguing concoction of cauliflower rice, avocado slices, cilantro, shredded cabbage, mango black bean salsa, and pickled red onions, seemed promising but failed to deliver in terms of flavor​.

The drinks were not particularly impressive either. My fiancée’s standard margarita fell short of expectations, adding a sour note to the already lukewarm dining experience.

In the end, Rosalita's Cantina serves up an array of Mexican dishes in an eye-catching setting, but unfortunately, the flavors failed to match the visual aesthetics of the restaurant. The dishes were overly salty and fell short of the hype that had brought us in. It's a spot that might be worth a visit for its lively atmosphere, but for those seeking authentic, flavorful Mexican cuisine, it's likely best to...