Rosy's Taco Bar — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I want to preface this review by saying we have been here many times and always had an amazing experience and have really enjoyed the food. However, yesterday, we had a horrifying experience which will deter me from ever choosing Rosy’s again.

We were promptly seated at our reservation time and greeted by our unfriendly waitress. I don’t expect every server to be warm and friendly, so it was fine—until it wasn’t. When she came back to take our drink order, she yelled at someone in our party and said “Just tell me what you want” after he had changed his mind on what he wanted to drink. Mind you, at this point she was just writing drinks on paper, nothing had been submitted in the system. Another person in our group wasn’t ready to order a drink yet, so he said he could give her his order when she came back, as not to hold her up at our table while he made a decision. She scoffed at him, rolled her eyes and stormed away.

While I thought maybe the first outwardly rude thing she did might just be a joke, the second instance really took us all by surprise and we ultimately made the decision to leave. I asked her to cancel our drink order, which she hadn’t put in yet and let her know we wouldn’t be dining there. When I asked her to cancel it she said “Perfect” and when I told her to have a good night, she laughed at me. She then proceeded to start talking about us to another server, while I was still standing next to her.

I spoke to a manager, who was receptive but I’m not sure if anything will change. Overall, we were really taken back by the negative experience and will not dine here again. I am the type of person to give people grace when they are having a bad day but the servers attitude was completely uncalled for.

We walked to Mission Taqueria instead and had an excellent meal and fabulous service!

EDITED TO ADD ON 10/17: I appreciate Google’s ability to update your review following Rosy’s Taco Bar’s response to my review on 10/17.

To be clear, I wasn't looking for a response or any kind of remedy to the situation. I simply left a poor review because I was floored at the poor experience we had here and felt like it should be shared.

Despite Rosy’s patronizing response, I do understand what it’s like to be a server, as I was a server for 10+ years. Given that, I understand more than anyone how difficult the job can be but also how important it is to provide good service.

What I do not appreciate is the false accusations in the response from the restaurant. Our party was nothing but kind, patient and understanding. We even briefly considered staying after being yelled at by our waitress. No comments were made about the servers ability to write things down, as there was no reason to make a comment about that, nor would there ever be. I’m not sure what you are referring to as “underhand comments” but the only words spoken at the table were the drink orders we were able to give in the extremely limited (and terrible) experience we had in your restaurant.

Additionally, I would like to point out in my review that I stated the manager was receptive to what I said and we had no issue with the manager.

After Saturday night, we brushed this off as a bad experience and something we could all laugh about because it was so unbelievable. However, I do not tolerate false accusations about my friends and family. I am certain we will never be back and I will be sharing my experience beyond Google reviews due to the absolute lack of professionalism...

The food here was genuinely good—the guacamole stood out as especially fresh and well-portioned, and the atmosphere was inviting overall.

That said, I did have an issue with the service that left a less-than-great impression. My sister and I arrived around 6:30 PM and placed our full order shortly after being seated: chips & guac and six tacos. The chips & guac came out fairly quickly, but the tacos took noticeably longer. During the wait, we noticed that other guests who arrived after us were getting their tacos much sooner, which is what prompted me to ask the bartender about the status of our order. At some point during the wait, I asked the bartender about the status of our tacos. Later—either when the food arrived or shortly after—I asked why they had taken some time. I asked calmly and out of genuine curiosity, but instead of a helpful response, I was met with defensiveness. The bartender immediately pulled up the ticket to point out it had only been 23 minutes, and said something along the lines of “it’s Taco Tuesday” in a dismissive tone.

What made the experience more frustrating was the lack of attentiveness overall. Aside from greeting us when we arrived, the bartender didn’t check in with us at all. We had to flag her down for anything we needed—including drinks and any follow-ups. After I asked about the tacos, she largely disengaged and had other staff handle the rest of our service.

I understand that busy nights can be stressful and delays happen, but a little courtesy and communication go a long way. I really did enjoy the food and would consider coming back for that reason, but I hope future visits come with a more attentive and respectful...

I've been wanting to try this place for so long and I finally did! It's often busy and even reserving a spot is tough, but we finally did it. First things first, they are located on a rather busy intersection, but they sectioned off a nice outdoor area for people to sit at during COVID times. The inside is really nice and has a rustic feel to it. Once seated, they indicate you only have 90 minutes of sitting until they might have to ask for you to finish up (one reason why I didn't give 5 stars). The staff is rather responsive, and super friendly! As for the food/drinks, I think their tacos are amazing!!! They are the smaller kinds with 1 tortilla (instead 2), and they don't really break apart. They are really full, which is great. I've split a couple with a friend, and in order from favorite to least favorite: coreanos (a korean BBQ short rib that's super tasty), bistec (the beef with a somewhat refreshing taste), the carnitas (solid choice), and chorizo (tasty but somewhat dry). The only issue I have with the tacos I do think they are a tad bit pricey and wished there were more in a dish. I have heard that they a have a good deal before COVID during happy hour, and not sure if it's still happening. They also have a selection of hot sauce you can choose from as well. They also give you homemade chips/salsa, which is decent. Finally, in regards to drinks, they have a decent selection. I highly recommend the strawberry margarita, which is surprisingly good and did not taste super artificial!

Rating: 7.5/10 Pros: Great tacos, good flavor, trendy spot Cons: 90-minute sit time, somewhat $$ Recommendations: Coreanos,...