Mesita Rockville Centre — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

Just went here on Valentines 2020;

The atmosphere was incredible, the FOH manager was on the floor and I witnessed him making sure everyone was happy, tables were nice (as something fell off my table and he put it back), very welcoming. Their DJ, DJ Chopps was pretty good too, I felt as I was back in the 90’s and it was very nice to dance while enjoying my meal. From furniture, to ceiling, the décor, menus, etc:, a very nice interior appearance.

Your 2 top tables are the only reason you got 4 stars. There was NO room for my drink and water. We ordered the Guacamole, made to order, and that alone took up our entire table, no complaints it was soo worth it and the gentleman was great! Fast with a smile and very polite. Worth the extra $$

Our food came out pretty quick & unfortunately we had no room for our main course. We were forced to throw away the Guac. But my partner was not allowing it lol .. that good you see lol; Need to say presented in a stone dish so we made the best of it. Nothing sucks more is when you cant even ask for extra napkins that can not fit on the table. Our server, Mey, was very attentive. She read our body language and saw we were having a romantic night, laughing, chatting and only came by when necessary but I saw her watching from a distance in case we needed her. Great server!

Bar – I had a double rum shot neat but I got it mixed with my drink, could be worse, but was decent. To much soda for a double shot but was fair

Host – Gorgeous young woman but lack of smiles at the front, they are is the appetizer for the restaurant. Even if I am not the best to look at, fake it, that’s how the table gets more of a tip and the tip out is bigger for the service bar, host, busser. TIP: Do not ever say you have nothing available just because reservations are fully booked. Any and just about every restaurants accommodates walk ins. I called in earlier that am/afternoon to check for a 2 top, instead of saying no, tell them to call closer and their may be a possibility a table may open; things happen and people bail, but can not promise; that now puts it BACK in the customers hands. I had a reservation at cabo up the block and had my driver drop me off by you first, it was 100% worth the try… to walk in to 5+ tables open incl. many two tops, bar open, no wait … to be sat right away. I was so happy to followed my gut and experience I have dealt with in hospitality field. This was dinner at 9:15pm.

Wrapping up – I suggested you double bag, we took home dinner to have the bag rip right outside. Also, VERY disappointing, they did not wrap up the main dish I couldn’t stop raving about … GUACAMOLE!! Great dish and great idea making it as a to-go station/made to order I will def. return, with more guests and if only my partner & I, will request a table of 3 or an extra chair at your 2 Tops.

The rose handed out at the end was a great touch for such a wonderful holiday… even tho I had a bouquet at home, the little things are the best & you made this place stand out!

I will be returning and hope the service stays the same!

Great team who worked...

Just to be clear this was MY experience, this is MY opinion. I don't post this to bash Mesita but in fact hope they will be better.

We decided to try a new Mexican place since we are new to the area. Looked at reviews for Mesita and saw they were pretty good. As for most adults we all have been to many places to eat and the prices were normal for the most part. 15$ drinks, 10-20$ appetizers, 20-40$ main courses. All normal prices give or take for a dine in restaurant place.

Made a reservation online and put it was somebodies birthday in the party. Arrived and we were seated right away. We notice right away, tables are small, cramped, right on top of strangers setting. (we all been there). Dark barely read the menus, music a little too loud we couldn't really speak to one another(we all been there). Party gets seated right next to us. They barely spoke as well, thank God because we were so close if they had convo we would feel like we are eavesdropping (we all been there). We order drinks and appetizers. Ordered 3 appetizers one order was wrong, he probably could not hear us. But man when the drinks came, it was the usual small 5 ounce glass cup with 2/3rds ice. The old usual "too much ice in drink for profit margins sake". The food was mediocre Fajita main course and other person had enchilada. My God are they skimpy with the food. Small little cup of rice even the enchilada order had only a little thing of rice. They are very skimpy with the food and drinks. Waiter was too busy, he was cool but he had too many tables. Outside of delivering and ordering he was too busy to get his attention.

TL:DR Dark, cramped barely read, too loud and too close to have convo with others. Food is skimpy, rice and beans. I mean unusually skimpy like meant for a child, or a 2 year old. Food itself was mediocre Seemed like more busboys than waiters by 3 to 1 ratio. Drinks are insultingly small with tons of ice. The ol "fill it up with ice to make it seem more" trick, problem is the cup is small too.

Ultimately, we have all been to these type of places, it feels like a profit machine. Like the owner brought in a consultant on how to increase profit margins and the person said cut back on food and liquor. I hope Mesita gets better, but it was our first time and our last time. There are other places to eat...

Hostess on 7/8 needs a serious attitude adjustment. My friend and I weren’t greeted upon arrival. She made it obvious she didn’t want to assist us. It made us feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome. It might be a good idea if all of the staff (especially the hostess) are trained in customer service, diversity and inclusivity. She was very condescending towards us and ignored our request for a different table. Females, let’s stop hating on one another. Instead we need to support and uplift one another! Communication is key and she was very abrupt in her delivery.

I ordered a pork tamale, it was dry and lacking any real substance/flavor. I had to drink half a cup of water to remove it from my throat, haha. The drinks were okay, there were VERY sweet — we ordered frozen margarita with sangria. My friend ordered a quesadilla. She said it was edible. I ordered a steak burrito it came with cabbage and yuca. I couldn’t eat the yuca due to a food allergy. My friend said they were bland and undercooked. I assumed the steak would be cut into pieces inside of the burrito. Nope, basically they cut the steak in half and rolled it in a large tortilla. It was very unpleasant to eat and I continuously pulled out huge slabs of steak to cut into pieces.

The waiter was nice, but due to staffing limitations his attentiveness was definitely lacking. We never got refills of water or asked if we’d like another drink or desert. We waited for about 10-15 for the check. I think the best solution would be to hire additional staff, since it was apparent the restaurant was quite understaffed. Or maybe it because we weren’t siting in the rsvp section, lol.

We would have stayed longer, ordered more drinks and food if the atmosphere wasn’t pretentious and was more inviting. Overall, we will support other local establishments, but will not go back to this restaurant due to their lack of customer service and hospitality. I told my friends and family “please do not go here.”

P.S. - Please hire a customer service consultant. Great customer service and a warm atmosphere is what leads to long term customer retention and word of mouth referrals. I’ve been in the CS field for over 18 yrs doing consulting, which is why I...