La Rosita Mexican Store and Taqueria — Restaurant in Monona

It’s definitely the place to go if you speak Spanish. I do not so it’s nice there are some English speaking folks who work here, but usually I tend to come with my Spanish speaking girlfriend. Ordering food from the bar in the back is a totally different story sometimes

One time I went in there and it seemed pretty obvious I didn’t speak Spanish so when they called my number out in espanol after waiting for a while the girl didn’t look at me and they put my food behind the counter so I didn’t even realize it was ready. I was trying to listen but after like 10-15 minutes of waiting I walked up and had to wait for this young girl to realize I was standing there for a few minutes, I showed my receipt and the same girl who took my order asked if she could help me, even though she had just took my money for an order and they hadn’t given me my food yet. I had to call my Spanish speaking girlfriend to talk to them to see if our food was ready at the same time because I was texting her like “I am not sure if they called my number, my Spanish is really rusty” and of course they realized oh yeah your foods been here behind the counter this whole time! I kind of internally facepalmed and went okay you didn’t see me sitting here waiting for it by myself? Lol it was more an error on that young girls part than anything and it wasn’t a huge deal but still something I remember.

There are a few times we’ve come in and bought a bunch of tacos and asked for the cilantro and onions to be put on the side since not everyone in my gf’s family likes it on their food, but multiple trips there they’ve not listened or remembered (this is my gf telling them to do this is Spanish btw) so it seems they don’t pay attention occasionally.

Their food is pretty good and not too expensive but for the same price at Finca Coffee on Rimrock road I can get tacos with so much more on them, that taste just as good, so it’s basically a place of convenience to get food at the same time my girlfriend shops here to get stuff for making meals.

If you like looking for specialized things for Honduran dishes or whatever they have it here, the food in the back bar/restaurant area is decent, and that’s about...

I heard a lot about this place, so expectations were high. I got two tacos, carne asada and al pastor; the carne asada was too dry, like they over-cooked the meat, while the al pastor was pretty good. I also got some carnitas to go, which was also good. Only the el pastor lived up to my (very high) expectations, however.

I also got a dozen tamales to go. They were all pork, I think that is all they make. That is fine with me because I usually prefer the pork tamales over the chicken or cheese ones, anyways. They were a decent size and very good. The tamales definitely lived up to my (very high) expectations.

I had read reviews about the staff being rude or disrespectful. I did not really have this issue there, although I have only been once. They certainly were not warm and friendly, but I would not say they were rude or mean, either.

I would definitely give tacos and the other food another shot here. Overall, it was good. A guy I know says the torats are awesome, that is all he ever eats there (and he goes quite often). Carnitas were good, al pastor was very good, and carne asada wasn't bad but would have been better if not overcooked. I would definitely buy tamales here again. They also had a very good assortment of hispanic grocery items and some fresh produce. They actually had some red jalapenos that I wanted to get to smoke for chipotle peppers, although they told me they don't always have them. This was back in April, so I don't know if they still have them but might have to make a trip down there soon...

The restaurant was in need of a deep deep clean. Everything you touched was stuck on grease & sticky. Dirty plates to serve yourself with. The basket the bought out our tortillas shells in had stuck on food and hair. Not our hair!! We were the 1st one's to the buffet for the day, and all the food on the buffet was crusted over the top like it had been there for hours or was from the day before. They didn't even have enough money in the till to give me change. We had to wait until we were three quarters of the way done with our meal to even get change and you have to pay before you can be seated. To paint the picture for you. The food on the buffet was either labeled in Spanish only, or was improperly labeled, or not labeled at all! My husband and I went there expecting authentic Mexican, delicious tasting food. After tasting a few things my husband and I kind of had wish we had gone to Taco Bell instead. Not saying Taco Bell is bad but it's not the best food it's quick and cheap but it would have been better than today's experience. Not on there ever try again list I'd give about a half a star if it...