Rosa’s Cantina & Sunset Grill
75-5805 Alii Dr, Kailua-Kona, HI, 96740
Rosa’s Cantina & Sunset Grill Menu
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Address :
75-5805 Alii Dr
Kailua-Kona, HI, 96740 - Phone (808) 326-1198
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Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Late Night
Parking : Street, Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Touristy
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Mexican Cuisine
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
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Megan F.
It can be hard to meet a Texan's Mexican food standards. Rosa's definitely does not meet those standards, but they had surprisingly tasty chips and salsa which is a VERY important part of the meal. I had the fish tacos which were just "okay" (but hard for me to compare as I usually have tilapia in my tacos & these were ono). They were very generous with the fish, but I would have preferred a little less. I know...I'm weird. Hubby had chicken enchiladas--not the worst, not the best either. Also, the beans and rice were overcooked. However, if you are desperate for TexMex, Rosa's is worth a try. There aren't many options in Kona! It's a great spot to watch the sunset & maybe catch some live music, too.
(3)Valerie M.
CLOSED - OUT OF BUSINESS As of March 1, 2015 It was our favorite Mexican restaurant. Good food, and great drinks :(
(4)Valerie E.
Terrible margarita, Terrible guacamole. Think these people could get two Mexican staples right given the citrus and avocado trees they have available to them. I've have better Mexican landlocked in Iowa than here. My advice, get a beer, enjoy the balcony, that's all they can do right.
(1)Zuel D.
PLEASE DO NOT EAT HERE OR BRING YOUR FAMILY TO THIS ESTABLISHMENT This is not an easy yelp for me to write. My family had perhaps the worst dining experience of our lives. I am still upset about this and it has been four months since our trip to Hawaii. We had a wonderful time in Kailua Kona until we went to Rosa's Cantina. The weather is perfect the people are friendly. It is a place where the true spirit of Aloha is felt everywhere! It is a shame that our experience at Rosa's Cantina had to leave a bitter taste in our mouths. Literally! The food honestly is grade D or below! The guacamole was discolored and rancid. It looked like it had been sitting out on a hot kitchen counter for a few days. We had just taken a drive to napoopoo bay and saw thousands of fresh ripe local avocados in trees everywhere! For someone like myself who loves guacamole this place truly is paradise. With abundance like that on the same island it is a mystery to me why someone would not just throw away old stale guacamole and make a fresh batch unless they were lazy or did not care about the health and safety of the customer? I unfortunately was so hungry from snorkeling at Kealakekua bay all day that I just started eating when the chips came. I started to feel sick to my stomach after inspecting the guacamole and excused myself to go to the restroom. I had to sit down in one of the bathroom stalls. (This is embarrassing but I have to tell this story just in case there is a chance I can save you and your family a horrible experience.) when I was in the stall two loud men came into the bathroom yelling and screaming drunkenly. Both of the men went into the bathroom stall next to me together! Two men in one bathroom stall! Now I felt truly sick! I heard them talking about drugs and heard very distinct sniffing or snorting sounds as if they were doing drugs together in that bathroom stall! I finished up a quickly as I could and went to wash my hands. While I was washing my hands the two men exited the stall laughing. One of them bumped into me and knocked me into the sink and said "watch where you are going haole" and left the restroom without washing their hands! I was very offended but I did not want to make a big scene while I was at dinner with my family on vacation in Hawaii. When I finished washing my hands and exited the bathroom I saw the two men who were together in the bathroom stall at my family's table hitting on my wife, teenage daughters and eating our chips with their unwashed hands! (I am shaking as I am writing this it makes me so angry.) I approached the two men and asked if I could help them and that this was a private family dinner and that we did not want any company. The same man who had bumped into me in the bathroom claimed that he owned Rosie's Cantina and that he could: "do whatever or whoever he wanted" he then disrespectfully placed his unwashed hand on my youngest daughters shoulder and said "ain't that right lil muffin!" I jumped out of my chair in an instant, the sight of a intoxicated man, who was just in a public bathroom stall with another man doing God knows what, touching my teenage daughter with his unwashed hand was to much for me to bear! I swatted his hand from off my daughters shoulder and delivered a swift strike to his solar plexus knocking the intoxicated man who claimed to be the owner of Rosie's Cantina into a waitress who was bringing food to the table next to us knocking food everywhere. I quickly gathered my wife and daughters together and left right away. The owner and his friend had brought some friends to follow us, but thank God there was a car with a little blue light on top parked in the street. ( in Hawaii the police have blue lights on top of the cars.) Mahalo HPD! I shudder to think what might have happened had he not been there. We were able to catch a overpriced taxi and get back to our hotel at the King Kemehameha ( the king Kemehameha hotel is quite nice and reasonably priced even for "haoles" but that is another yelp:) I later found out with a little help from a good friend at Homeland Security ( thanks Patriot Act) that the man who claimed to be the owner of Rosie's Cantina was in fact the owner! I also found out he has a history of drug abuse, DUI, and multiple sexual assaults! PLEASE if you listen to one yelp in your life and avoid a unpleasant dining experience listen to this one! Thank you for reading and may all your yelps be happier than this one.
(1)Jon A.
Best Tex Mex in town, hands down. Granted in Kona, that's not saying much, but this guy need some more street tacos and California burritos in his life. Fresh chips, good salsa(mild, not spicy), various margarita options(happy hour "budget" marg's to some craftier and top shelf fresh juice versions). Happy hour( they call it sunset hour, well played Rosas) has great deals (3 tacos for $7, etc) Live music on the evenings! Nice touch. Disco dancing late night on the weekends w fun drink specials. Molcajete. It gets it's own paragraph. Sorry fajitas, tamales, enchiladas and other run of the mill Mexican.... You've been outclassed. Molcajete is a heated stone bowl of deliciousness. It comes out sizzling, and just melts into a delightful cheesy saucy stew to slather on your tortillas. It's like fajitas meets sukiyaki vs shabushabu. Winner! Service is standard, I always seem to get good service, but then again, I'm A happy guy. Most yelpers that complain about service seem pretty angry w life lol! Why not 5 stars? Because I don't give it up that easily
(4)A. L.
After reading the other reviews on here I'm a bit alarmed that we chose to eat here. We were seated quickly and served our drinks quickly. We ordered the fajita supremas for 2, they were good, not great. Our waitress was attentive. Nothing extraordinary... But, knowing what we know now... We will not return there! Ever!
(3)Michele C.
I ate here with some friends and my hubby this evening and was a little skeptical because of some the reviews this restaurant has reviewed but our friends live in Kona and assured us that the food is good. I have to say that both my husband and I were pleasantly surprised the food was very good , I had the mocojeto w/shrimp, chicken and steak it was served bubbling hot with cheesy delicious sauce my husband had the fajitas that were sizzling hot and yummy too. The service was excellent as well, we were greeted as soon as we walked in and received great service throughout our meal.
(4)Rachel C.
I love this restaurant, my friends and I come here at least once a week. The service is amazing and attentive. Lots of aloha to be found here, try the molcajete, it's a house favorite.
(5)Monica P.
John, our bartender and food server was unfriendly, rude. He spilled out chips on the bar, scraped them back into the basket OFF the bar with his hand! That was the same hand I had just seen him wipe his nose with (before making several drinks, touching garnish fruit). I don't normally write reviews but this was unacceptable. We ordered food and drinks AND are locals.
(2)Moses M.
This should be a 3.5 rating. Salsa was not bad but not what I'm used to in California. Beans were just a little undercooked but that's as bad as it got. Ordered a ribeye that is topped with a cheese enchilada, it was spectacular. Good sized ribeye cooked just right! Margaritas are full strength. Great view
(3)Evonne L.
Waited for an hour and the food are still not here!!!!!!!! And it's actually not so busy here. Totally not worthy the wait!
(1)Ds A.
This place is sub par at best. We came for happy hour and were pretty disappointed. I got a mai tai and I was ok and then I got a margarita and it was terrible. It was just straight bottled sweet and sour mix with cheap tequila. I only drank a little of it. We got some appetizers and they were really not good either. The only reason I give it two stars is because it has a beautiful ocean view and the staff were nice.
(2)K G.
This place makes fools of their night customers. Got overcharged here several times for stuff I never ordered. It happened to a lot of people I know as well. Bartenders are arrogant and have no respect to honesty. Of course music and dancing is fun there but it feels horrible to be overcharged and treated like a dumb person that wouldn't notice the charges! Plus when you try to I investigate the charges personnel treats you like you are a lier or don't remember anything. Never got to talk to a manager even though tried several times. This place made me feel super disrespected.
(2)Mike C.
Crappy food and crappy drinks. The guy that looks like Frankenstein was rude to my group. Ill never go there again
(1)Francis C.
Good fish tacos, mahi mahi was the fish of day. The wings were dry, could have used more sauce. The food was good and the service was also very good.
(4)Brandi B.
We were in need of some Mexican food and found Rosas on our walk through town. It was late but they were accommodating. The servers were fantastic and efficient. It was dark so there wasn't much of a view, but I'm sure during the day you get a great ocean view. The food was good. The salsa was yummy but mild, the kids loved their plates, my husband got a massive burrito, the flautas were good... All in all it was a good stop!
(3)Rain Greg J.
Nice view! Too bad the power line cuts into it. Nicely priced happy hour drinks. Service was ok. Menu wasn't anything special, typical mexican food. Salsa was good. Can't really complain, the place just doesn't have the ambience or something?? We might be back?
(3)Terri L.
Can't give the food a great review, although the servers were nice... chicken tacos were mediocre
(3)David F.
We tried to drink and sometimes eat in every bar along the oceanfront in Kailua-Kona. Got here three times. The calamari strips are as good as the menu claims: mostly tender meat, with a thin crispy and tasty coating. Also had the ceviche, which was good though the second time too hot for my partner due to an overload of chopped chiles (almost too hot for me as well). Like most Mexican restaurants the bar doesn't feature many beers or wines, though they have a couple on tap including Kona Longboard, and many more in bottles; also a decent house merlot. On New Year's Eve they were the only place that wasn't packed or charging a big cover, and the dance music was great, along with the view of the street action. The two other times this local blues/country guitarist was playing and he's better than good, with an amazing number of classic songs and great technique. Only negative: the third time we stopped by, early in the evening of our last day in town, the (young blond female) bartender was way more interested in talking to her friends than in serving us. We gave her our order and watched as she spent the next 10 minutes about ten feet away from us chatting and taking a couple of margarita orders as if we didn't exist. Finally got our drinks, and some food, and wanted a second round but it was amazing (as we observed to one another) how she could sweep her glance past us and our empty glasses without even registering our presence. Twice we had to get the manager to tell her to pay attention to us, which of course she did in an angrier and angrier way. We go to a lot of bars at home and everywhere, and she was possibly the least qualified bartender we've encountered in years.
(3)Amanda C.
All I've had here are nachos and sangria but yum! Cowboy nachos are so good and by far the best I've had yet in kona. Go to enjoy a beautiful sunset as well! I thought the sangria was over priced but I must admit it was pretty good.
(4)Roy V.
Visited on 02-03-14 at 5:30pm. Hostess wasn't sure if Happy Hour was still going on (5-6pm). Server greeted us and brought our drinks but we waited for a while to get a second round and finally flagged the server. Ordered happy hour pupus. The nachos were sad and the three tacos were swimming in water; and no, they weren't fish tacos. Ground beef, shredded beef and chicken. All with absolutely no taste. Beers on tap were Dos Equis Amber and Coors Light. Server then announced that they tapped a Modelo. Lime wasn't cut today. If you're looking for fresh, I couldn't find it here. Sorry to report. Best part: view.
(2)Sua Y.
their food was just ok.. cocktails were just ok as well... desert was better.. all expensive.. good view.. good sitting area.. I would not go there again though..
(3)Amber W.
If you are going to ear here prepare to wait an hour at least to get your food. The only positive about this place is the view. I saw a whiteboard out front with a special of fresh catch of the day on a bed of greens. Sounds simple enough. After 1 hour and 15 minutes of waiting I finally got my food. It was overcooked Ono that was the texture of steak. It was smothered in some disgusting oily orange sauce, not on a salad. The side salad they brought was disgusting at best, no green lettuce, just the white crunchy part with brown avocado. I'm no food snob, I'll take mediocre but this was terrible.
(1)Tammy H.
Food was ok, had the nachos. The music was live, it was great and we danced. Went there mainly to dance. After eating nachos, drinking two drinks each, we were presented our bill. We were charged for guacamole, we did not receive, we questioned why we didn't get our salsa and guacamole to the server, he then asked us to leave, saying he was "head of security" and felt we were too drunk to have anymore drinks. Really?! Within 5 hours of being in Kona, we had eaten pupus and drank two cocktails, watched the sun set, had another cocktail, ate nachos, danced and had two cocktails each while eating. I may have had a "buzz" but I was way far from being too intoxicated to be cut off and kicked out. Such a disappointment, as a tourist and someone who had rented a room on on the main drag to specifically walk everywhere to enjoy my one night stay in Kona. Went on over to Huggos on the Rocks, the music was awesome and they had no problem serving us a drink or two.
(1)Amber H.
This place is great! I've had nothing but good experiences here. If you are going to complain that the wait was long, do not go at peak lunch and dinner times, this place is on the hottest, busiest strip in Kona, it gets busy...I do agree that the music is sometimes too loud, but I am the minority, most of there customers love it. The owner Jim is awesome, and always trying to make his customers happy... As for the taste of the menu items and the cocktails, everything I ever ordered was very good! Everyone has different tastes and compare their favorites to new experiences so to each his own! Mahalo!
(5)H H.
If you want to hang out with the riff raff of kona go here. Dancing was fun up until some aggro local got in a fight with us. Security did nothing. I would never recommend this place for any reason and would give it a zero star.
(1)D S.
Im a local here in kona and i have to say i like the food here. ive always been happy with my meals here through out the years. The reason why i give 2 stars is because the last time i ate here, our server offered me a childrens menu (im 22 years old with a huge tattoo on my shoulder which was VERY visable to her). then when i corrected her, she tried making excuses and and contradicted what she had said by telling me "oh im so sorry, i didnt think you were a child"....sure.... Anyway, was disappointed the al pastor tacos didnt have the same sauce or come with the same cheese it used to years ago...
(2)Lorna W.
Meal was ok. Nothing to get excited about and not much selection for my 2 year old to choose from.
(2)Claire L.
Chicken enchiladas were a 4... Definitely worth getting. However, they charge you for chips and salsa. And the waitress was not friendly at all. A little pricey for what it is.
(3)Matt A.
We went to a lunch here and enjoyed eating on the patio facing the ocean. I had the fish taco (I substituted grilled fish for deep fried) and a beef taco and both were good; I thought the fish taco was better than the one I had at Humpy's, which advertised that their fish taco was world renowned or something. The best part of the meal was the beer-bacon beans, which I could eat every day. Service was decent.
(4)Mark T.
Nice view of the water from the upper level, except for the utility lines. The food is lackluster at best. It is not bad, but it is common TexMex fare with no special flavors or dishes to get excited about. The salsa was a bland and soupy mix of diced tomato and onion, with the only spice and heat coming from a bottle of Tapatio sauce. I would eat here again only if I were dying for Mexican food and could not find any better Mexican food in Kona.
(3)Jennifer W.
Came here for Father's Day. No wait which was great. Was greeted fairly quickly by the server for drinks. But then waited for over 10 min to get them. Service was mediocre, she was very nice but our drinks sat empty most of the night. Had to ask for napkins And a knife to cut the meat in the fajitas. Chips were good but salsa isn't that great. Overall it was a decent meal, not the best. On a side note, great live music!
(3)owen l.
Staff was friendly and attentive. The food was ok. The calamari steak was bland. The tartar sauce was bland. My soup was good. The fajita for 2 was really big Anouilh for 3. Big servings.
(4)Terry L.
Excellent . Had Ono for lunch. Great food great service, great view. Give this a try.
(5)Howie L.
I went here for Happy Hr on Christmas Day. It was a little quiet during the lunch hour and I heeded the signs instruction to sit myself. This is quite common for all the restaurants. I actually sat for about 3 to 5 minutes before the waitress came up to me (I watched some ESPN programming while I waited), but I've come to realize that Hawaiian's beat at a slower more relaxed rhythm as I've experienced this in many places. Other than that, service was exceptional in terms of my server (she also doubles as co-owner and hostest) who gave me advice on other places to eat, foods and places to avoid, and performed her normal serving duties to a T. I drank a tastey Doseci XX (tap - came w/ lime) which is a darker, but light and sweet beer - lime was a nice touch. The waitress suggested this over the frozen margarita. - Jalapeños poppers - very good, not spicy, waitress said it was a light sweet cream cheese - about 7 or 8 poppers - Beef Chimmychangas - you get 2 pieces that have a nicely crisp and goldenly fried battered outter shell. At first it didn't appear to be enough food to get me full, but upon a quick closer inspection, it has a rather thick diameter filled with shredded beef. The beef is tastey and tender, but not the most moist - but not dry by any means. Putting the sour cream and pico da gallo more than made up for it. - Left happy and full. Tip - a good tip from the server that I wish I would have heard before my wife got food poisoning somewhere else was to AVOID oysters. She explained that the waters in Hawaii are too cold to support Oysters and as a result, all of the oysters on the island are frozen and imported. She told me that I should come back for dinner for the fish as they have their own boat that brings in fresh catch daily. I never got the chance to try.
(4)Orlando V.
This place is OK. Waiters were very attentive. We came during happy hour and got some great drink specials. The view is pretty good, but the food isn't that memorable. I would only recommend this place for happy hour drinks and appetizers.
(3)Kyle R.
For our last meal in Kona we wanted to eat at Rosa's to see the sunset from the balcony. We saw the other restaurants with a lot of people on the balcony, but Rosas was open and a guaranteed view. All in all, should have gone somewhere else. The view was good, and the happy hour prices were ok, but the food was terrible. The chips and salsa with guac was $6. Chips and salsa were good (kinda hard to mess that up) but the guac was just two spoonfuls of not fresh guacamole. Most Mexican restaurants chips and salsa should come out when you order food automatically, not have to order it. We got the 3 tacos trying all the meats. They were the touristy type tacos with regular meat, cheese, and lettuce on top. Nothing special. But the chicken taco was terrible. You could tell the chef did not clean the cooking surface from the prior order. The chicken tasted just like fish. So our chicken tacos turned into fish tacos. Not very appetizing. This place is close to the town center and maybe go for a few drinks or appetizers, but I would not go back for food.
(2)Beau B.
It's not incredibly busy here yet after finally getting seated, I had to approach the bar to get a drink because apparently, I was invisible. Once finally noticed, I ordered some chips and queso to get started. Once they showed up, the chips were stale and the queso was mediocre at best. Still though, I tried to make the best of it as I enjoyed the great view of ali'i drive and the waves crashing within just a stone throws from where I sat and waited for a chili relleno and a chicken taco. I still seemed to be invisible though and had to approach the bar again for another drink. Maybe 10 minutes later, the food finally arrived yet to my disappointment, the rice and beans were so cold that it almost seemedcas if they had just come out of the refrigerator. The taco and chili relleno however were not bad. Not great but not worth complaining over either. On a positive note, the waitress (once she finally showed up) was quite nice and the live music was fantastic. I won't say that I'll never be back but I sure won't be rushing to do so either.
(3)Yvette K.
I was skeptical of Rosa's since it has such mixed Yelp reviews and finding great Mexican food on the Big Island hasn't been easy, but I ended up being very satisfied. A large group of friends gathered at Rosa's last night and we had a great time. Our waitress was very nice and was made herself available to us and we were a bit unruly so it wasn't easy. I completely enjoyed the carnitas plate! I love carnitas and often order it when in a new place to judge their cooking ability. These carnitas were yummy: they were moist, fatty (as they should be) and caramelized nicely. I would be happy to order them again. The rest of the items on my plate (black beans and Mexican rice) were fine, nothing to write home about, but completely fine. My one complaint was the 2 fruit flavored Margaritas we ordered were actually pretty horrible, especially the Mango Margarita, which did NOT taste like mango and actually had a weird flavor. I don't think this was a mistake, it's just that their mango concentrate is a bad product. I will avoid fruit flavored Margaritas next time since you really need to have fresh juice to make them good. I will be back and I'm looking forward to eating my leftover carnitas today!
(4)Jamey M.
We went here for Christmas Eve and LOVED every minute. Food was delicious, margaritas were perfect and the service by our waiter Micah was the best we have had in all of Hawaii.
(5)Chris L.
Apparently you have to know what to order. House margaritas - tasty. Molcajete - excellent!! Salad - marginal.
(4)Karen D.
The food was great the view amazing. I think our server was the worst waiter I have ever had. From the first moment till the last. He was clueless . Didn't know the specials, forgot the sides on my order, dropped my credit card on the floor and never realized it.
(3)Cassandra S.
Just came for drinks on our last night bar crawl. Drink lava flow was fine, a little more alcohol would have been nice!
(3)Melinda R.
The only reason this gets two stars and not one, is because they make a good drink with plenty o' booze in it. I visited this restaurant on 12/30/13 with my husband and his family. We were seated promptly and our server was fairly attentive. I should've been skeptical when I saw on their menu that they dissed the other Mexican restaurant in town several times. If you have to do that, your food clearly can't measure up. We never got the appetizer we ordered and a couple of our sides were incorrect. My tacos were decent, but everyone else thought their food was terrible. The Ono was dry and appeared to be reheated. Also, everything on the menu was extremely overpriced. We've had much better food for less money in Kona. I would only come here again for the Tamarindo Margarita, but only to drink, not to eat.
(2)Rebecka A.
Delicious lilikoi margaritas with a li hing coating on the glass. I had their shrimp tacos which were good, although a little bland. My friend's tostadas were totally delicious, with big slices of avocado on top. The refried beans and rice were very good and helped to zest up the meal of shrimp. Lovely spot for sunset drinks. :)
(4)Vinnie N.
Service was nice; prices were fair; food nothing to write home about-carnitas were really dry.
(3)Johnny E.
Great prices and you cannot beat the ocean view. The device was excellent and the food was pretty good. Not fabulous food but pretty good. Great tourist spot for sure and a must try.
(4)Jenna C.
Rude bartenders. Two times I have been ripped off here. One was false advertising, the second was when I returned a bad drink, she charged me for the second one...bad customer service!!!!
(1)Kathleen M.
We will never know how the food is at Rosa's. We sat ourselves in the middle of the restaurant in front of the bar, at 6pm, with only a few other tables occupied, and were never approached by a server. Several servers looked at us while we awkwardly sat at our table, but not a single person greeted us. There were plenty of opportunities when they could have, like between their conversations at the bar. So we just stood up and left. Nobody tried to stop us. The food might be awesome. Who knows? Not us.
(1)Katrina W.
All I can say is GREAT live music on saturday night, and decent food. It did take kind of a long time to come out, but we were enjoying the music so it was okay. The complimentry chips and salsa are great! Buffalo wings are pretty darn good, everything else (seafood salad, and chicken tacos) were just kinda average. We may return, but mainly just for the live music.
(3)Mike R.
Great sunset views. Service was very friendly
(4)Kayla A.
With all the choices for Happy Hour in Kona, I would bypass this restaurant. After seeing a drink on the whiteboard on the street and upstairs in the Catina, we sat down in the bar. Went up to the bar to order the drinks after waiting awhile for a server. She was too busy so we sat down and waited. Bar wasn't that busy. Ordered two Happy Hour specials. The server came back and said they were out of the peach liquor for the special. If you are out of something then take the drink off the board. Didn't offer a possible other choice and I don't really think they cared. Not recommending this place to any of my friends and I certainly won't be back.
(1)Cheryl S.
We really enjoyed this restaurant. Chips and salsa were very good. The view of the water was great. We both enjoyed our meals, and my request for extra salsa was met with enthusiasm (a big deal for me!). There are a number of choices right here near this restaurant, and I really liked the low key vibe.
(4)Max N.
Here are two one-liners that sum up my visit. "Rosa's Cantina is a cheap copy of a Chili's". "What was I thinking getting Italian-Mexican in Hawaii?" After the initial welcome and pleasantries, the wait staff was less than friendly. Our group was a considerate and polite group but based on the attitude from the wait staff we were a huge burden and that was before we ordered. Apparently in the offseason the friendly Hawaiian spirit takes off, too. Of the 10 people in our party only two people didn't have some type of problem. The first issue was with the refills on soda pop. The only free refill you get there tasted bad. The Dr. Pepper had extra cherry flavor, the Sprite was void the Lemon-Lime flavor. They replaced the drinks but even on the second attempt when one the drinks tasted off. The next debacle was the food. Apparently they serve both ground beef and beef strips in their tacos and burritos. Just a suggestion, perhaps include that on your menu instead of leaving the patron guessing. Also, we learned that Chile Verde translates differently in Hawaii than elsewhere. Rosa's version is basically a burrito with melted cheese on top. My son asked the waiter, if this was the right entrée and he had no clue so my son washed it down with his watery Sprite. The tortillas for the Fajitas were smaller than taco shells. To be more precise they matched the diameter of a McDonald's hamburger bun. The chicken with that meal was large chunks which were better suited for a boneless chicken tender meal and nothing like the grilled chicken strips one might expect. The bill was the topper. Almost exactly double what we would have paid at a Chili's.
(1)Kari M.
Service was great. Food and drinks not so much. I am used to great Mexican food so maybe I am being too critical.
(2)D.C. P.
Rosa's Cantina is comparable to Chevy's or any of those Mexican chain restaurants. Honestly, I think Chevy's is way better. The restaurant has plenty of tables. If you're lucky, you can get a seat along the street to watch people stroll by and look at the beautiful Hawaii water. The service was okay. The waitress was nice, but she didn't bring out the condiments we requested until the end of our meal. The food took quite a while to come out. I guess the chef is full of the Hawaii spirit, laid back, and takes his time cooking, similar to the Hawaiian lifestyle. The burrito that we ordered was totally bland and forgettable. The scallops though were a total surprise! They were a nice size, tender, and well seasoned. Weird how a Mexican restaurant can't make a good burrito but can do a great job with the seafood. The price of each dish was your typical jack up the price because we are in a heavily populated tourist location and they need to eat. I would save my money and go elsewhere, maybe even look for a Taco Bell.
(2)Darren C.
Ate here on 02/03/14. I must say I was disappointed. Food was ok. I ordered "Mini Rosas Nachos and happy tacos." Nachos I would say were good. I ordered the tacos with a soft shell. They came out soggy and lacked flavor. Needed salt. As far as service, it took our server almost 20 minutes to even check on us(after we have finished and placed plates and silverware to the side of the table.) The staff needs a sense of urgency and lacked attentiveness to surroundings.
(2)Courtney S.
It's not like the Mexican food that I can get on the mainland, so don't go here for authenticity. That said, I think what really makes this place is the location. It's up high in downtown Kona and a nice place to grab a seafood lunch. I had the scallops prepared cajun style with mango salsa, and I cannot say that I've had better scallops. But again, these were "cajun" scallops. So, come here with an open mind for food and a good setting. If you want a freshly made corn tortilla kneaded from the hands of an 80-year old Oaxacan grandmother, this isn't that place.
(4)Leo M.
Avoid the food and the margaritas. Otherwise, OK After five or so days without Mexican food my wife's salsa deprivation alarm goes critical...and so after looking the reviews for the limited selection available on the Big Island we chose Rosa's. We figured...how bad could it be? OMG this was not a question we should have asked. We ordered four dishes and two appetizers - all but one were without question the worst Mexican food we have had in twenty years. Really. Even worse, the Margaritas were vile. On the positive side, the view is beautiful, the waitress was attentive, the music is nice and the chips and salsa were almost good. And the nachos and the guacamole were edible. So where does this leave you...the reader? If you are looking for a relaxing experience along with water (or just need a salsa fix) order some beer and maybe some nachos and munch on chips, salsa, and guac. Enjoy, relax, and avoid the food like the plague.
(1)Stephanie B.
This is a really fun place. The food is good and you get hue portions. The bartenders make good drinks. It is clean and the staff very friendly. They had live music which was a nice touch.
(4)Alfonsina S.
While we were seated quickly and our waitress took our order right away, those were the only good things that happened during our visit. We placed an order for the chicken fajitas for 2. Our tortillas were brought out, but 10 minutes later, still no main course. In fact, several tables who'd been seated after us had gotten served already!!! When I finally snagged our waitress , she told us that the kitchen had lost our ticket!! And our food would be ready "soon". We opted to leave, because quite frankly, we didn't trust them to deliver. Will not go back.
(1)Nancy O.
Food was good, especially the shrimp tacos, which were piping hot and really flavorful--a pleasant surprise, as I had low expectations, but service was atrocious. Really slow server who was slimy and obsequious when he did wander by. I probably wouldn't bother returning.
(2)Darl E.
Great food and service. You can watch the sunset here too,
(3)Laura S.
Chips, salsa, guac and ceviche was outstanding. Super friendly bartender, staff and excellent live music.
(4)Crystal C.
My boyfriend and I are on vacation from LA and we came here for a night out and were happily surprised! The DJ spins really good music (hip-hop/old school 90s/MJ) so if ya wanna dance the night away with cheap drinks and friendly employees this place is your spot! Compared to Lulus this spot is hotter in my opinion :) thanks Rosas!
(5)Steve K.
My wife and I live in Kailua, and have been through a few mexican spots over the past 25 years here. We enjoyed our dinner there a great deal. My wife wanted to do her own custom order, a chile relleno and a tamale, and although not on the menu, the waitress was happy to fulfill her request. We started with Patron margaritas which were tasty, and I had the carnitas, which were excellent. The reality of the location is that it is across the street from the ocean, with Alii Drive directly below. There was live entertainment when we went on Friday, and at our table we were finding that the Kava spot downstairs was competing with the musician for Rosa's, which led to some sonic confusion; ukulele blues downstairs was amazing as well. Growing up in northern california, I miss the hole in the wall mexican joints that I'd go to in Woodland when I was at UC Davis. Like they say, you can't go back again. But my wife did say she was amazed by the relleno, and we will definitely go back, but probably not on a Friday :).
(4)Guido L.
I give Rosa's a solid 4 stars, it was a pleasant surprise to find good Mexican food at the beach in Hawaii. Over on Oahu, we usually end up having to settle for Taco Del Mar (hahaha). Earlier in the day my wife and I had coffee below at (Pele's) and noticed quite a few people going up stairs to Rosa's, so we decided to come back later for dinner. It was delicious! I had the carnitas which was a huge serving of very tender pork, black beans, mexican rice, and about a half dozen tortillas. Having lived in central and south Texas for most of the last 10 years, I've had my share of carnitas, and Rosa's had some of the best. Chips and salsa were tasty, the salsa was a little thin, but had good flavor with cilantro and chucks of white onion. Service was good and we had a seat on the balcony to watch the sunset.
(4)Mojos G.
The view here is nice. The service is lacking and the food not that great. I ordered a queso dip that they never brought, and after they finally brought the fajitas, he said "your dip will be out shortly". What?? An appetizer is before your meal. The food was only fair. I wouldn't come back.
(2)Kimberly B.
This is my first yelp review. I wish I could say I was inspired by a good experience to review but unfortunately not. I was at Rosa's 1 1/2 years ago and had great cucumber and mango margarita so I was looking forward to having it again. We brought some friends and ordered drinks and although there were only 5 occupied tables and at least 5 servers our drink delivery was very slow. We realized that the drinks had sat on the bar for at least 10 minutes so the ice was melted when they were served. And there was next to no alcohol either. So we ordered some appetizers including jalapeño pepper poppers. I took a bite and it was so hot (temperature) that it literally burned my lip and left a welt. At this point I realized the server hadn't given us any napkins so I couldn't whip the boiling hot cream chess of my lip. Then a few in our group went to the bar to say the drinks were watered down and they ordered some tequila shots with premium vodka. When those came to our table they had a lime slice inside the shot glass, not on the rim. So, an all in all disappointing experience. Too bad as they have a prime spot. I fully expect Rosa's will not be in business when we return.
(1)Carissa S.
We were visiting from out of town. It was a very quiet weeknight, only less than 10 people at the bar so there was no DJ. Its an average dive bar but an extra star because the bartender was taking requests, playing the music from an ipod. He obliged to pretty much all we asked for. Good stuff!
(4)Judy F.
The music, service, view, handicap provisions great. Food was not so great. Beef enchilada meat tasted like something out of a can. Margarita mix was a premix? Sorry. We won't be back.
(3)Nancy Z.
I was on my way out of town and we stopped in for dinner. My husband had been here with a friend but only had drinks and appetizers (escargot??). Anyway, we thought we'd give them a try for dinner. This restaurant is in a nice location on Alii Drive, directly across the street from the beach. Because the restaurant is upstairs, the view is marred by the telephone poles and thick cable lines. Once you look past the lines, you have a fabulous view of the ocean and sunset. They served local Kona Brew on tap. They also brought complementary chips and salsa. While that is expected on the mainland, it is unheard of here. The menu was huge and confusing. It looked more like a steakhouse menu instead of a Mexican restaurant menu. We searched and found the Mexican food items. Ordered my fav, chili rellenos, only to be told they were not available. We sent the waitress away so we could review the menu and come up with a second choice. Ended up ordering an enchilada plate and a taco plate to be shared. It was OK. Not bad, but not special either. Portions were large. We felt the prices were high. I doubt we'll be back.
(2)Susie O.
Props to the live singer crooning us singing some pop hits Hawaiian style. The Al pastor tacos were DELICIOUS and my friends enjoyed their Poke and calamari. Service was a lil slow...forgetful.
(3)Erin S.
The only reason this place gets two stars instead of one is because the view really is great. Nothing else about this place lived up to expectations. Service was slow at best, with our server disappearing into the kitchen at every chance. She had maybe 3 tables to serve and it still took 20 minutes for us to get her attention to order an appetizer after our second round of drinks. The nachos were blah, the mai tais tasted watered down, and the margaritas were down right disgusting. All of this for what I consider pricy even in downtown Kona.
(2)Ay-Laina D.
Went here on a Saturday night where it turned into an interesting dance club. The DJ was great! A plus plus. The crowd was...varied. There were old women, middle- aged men, and your average young people. It was great to see everyone getting along. The dudes standing on the side and not dancing was weird, but overall, nice atmosphere and drinks are not too pricey. Oh, and no cover!
(3)Robert H.
My best meal in Kona. Mexican is hard to find here. I craved Mexican after 2 weeks in Hawaii. This place was spectacular. View is perfect right off beach. Order the fajitas for 2 and get the fried ice cream. You'll have a fun, satisfying meal for around $40 for 2 (real value here). Want to go back before returning home. Loved it.
(5)Mags L.
I got the chocolate creme brulee, which had a soft top and tasted like mousse, and a pint of beer on draft, which tasted overly carbonated. Service was very slow island speed. Very slow.
(1)Nancy S.
I celebrated my Birthday and we had a great time. Live music added to the fun. The service was good and accommodating our continuously growing group. The coconut Margarita was wonderful. I had the special surf and turf. The shrimp was nice big prawns in garlic. I was disappointing in the steak - thin and over cooked. The price was more than fair and it came with a chocolate dessert. Over all - a really good experience. Fun was had by all - the most important.
(4)Hedda A.
Don't get the ceviche unless you really want to be disappointed. It's pre-made, bland and over priced. I consider myself a ceviche connoisseur and the one here was the saddest I ever had. The only authentic Latino thing about this place is that the server was Latina. Other than that, the bright side was the customer service by the servers and the drink specials.
(2)Bruce P.
When you see these reviews, you wonder if the management ever reads them. Eh, onward...the street side hostess greeted us warmly and immediately took us upstairs to a table. After we sat there longer than necessary without being waited on, we started looking around for a waiter. The couple at the next table saw us and said, "good luck." They told us they waited 30 minutes before they got their food and that the order was wrong. We were about to leave when the busser brought us water, chips, and menus. At this point, we were really hungry, so we stayed and ate the chips/salsa. The busser brought us drinks and apologized for the waiter who was apparently somewhere else. I did observe the waiter at a nearby table, apologizing profusely to the customer and offering to pay for the guys soup with his own money. I then observed the waiter apologize to other diners for being so busy. Odd? I think he may have been a better waiter if he spent less time saying sorry, and more time focusing on being a better waiter. The food wasn't anything special, but the lack of service overshadowed any possibility of a pleasant dining experience. If it weren't for the attentive efforts of the busser, we would have left.
(2)Cecelia E.
Eh... Okay food, good location, better places to spend your money. Enough said.
(2)Miss J.
One star is generous. This is, without a doubt, the worst restaurant I've ever been to. I had high hopes when we walked up the stairs and were greeted by a beautiful ocean breeze and a view of the crashing waves. I started to get a little suspicious when we ordered guacamole and they served us mustard-yellow SLOP on a little plate. WTF? I tried a little bit of it, it tasted like... nothing. I was even more suspicious when I asked for a side of lemons and the waitress brought me 5 MOLDY lemon wedges. Ew. I was afraid to taste my steak and shrimp fajitas. I was right to be. The meat was OLD. I took one bite and almost gagged. It legitimately tasted like 5 day old tough stew meat. FOUL. Worst part? $100 for 4 people. Without tip. I was so pissed. Only bad dining experience we've had on the big island. Congrats Rosa's, you have the honor of being the worst "Mexican" food I've ever tasted. Do your stomach and your wallet a favor and eat somewhere else!
(1)Brad Z.
Not impressed. Ordered a few sodas and some nachos. Chips seemed stale and salsa was boring. Canned jalapeños with some cheese and diced tomatoes really isn't a supreme nacho plate. Only positive was the view from the dining area.
(1)Lauren B.
So the shrimp cocktail had lettuce in it and the tortilla soup tasted like soup secrets? So what? I ate it while watching the waves break not more than 50 ft from me. I'd probably suggest just getting chips and drinks as the Mai Tais were decent and the beer on tap is good.
(3)Whitney M.
I would rank the food 3.5 stars, but the location with patio seating overlooking Kailua Bay makes it a solid 4. I had chicken tacos, which were plenty good and a cold draft beer. The place was still getting a fair amount of traffic for 2:30 pm. The menu is diverse from seafood, hamburgers, to enchiladas, so it's a place to go when people can't decide what they want or want different things. Prices were diverse as well. The taco dishes start at $10, the seafood platter was $25. My beer was $3, but there was a $130 bottle of wine as well.
(4)Doris P.
Yum! We ate here on our last day in Kona and loved it! It was some if the best chips & salsa we have ever had. The price was reasonable too. Tasted authentic!
(5)Harrison H.
We're from Denver and appreciate good Mexican food. While this is not the most fabulous, it is pretty darn good for a Mexican restaurant in Kona. In fact, we went back twice during our week visit there. Each time, we were greeted with a tasty salsa and hot tortilla chips (we asked for second helping). Fish tacos were freshly prepared and quite tasty. The carnitas also had great flavor -- although a bit mild for our tastes. If you like spice, I'd let them know as I think they are preparing for gringo tourists. On both visits, it wasn't crowded -- which was great for us. There were several locals -- a nice break from tourist-infested restaurants nearby on Kona beach. Overall, I recommend a visit. Also enjoyed Huggo's across the street (more upscale fine dining).
(4)andrea m.
We went to Rosa's for the live music and hoped to have a great meal, unfortunately that wasn't the case. The live music was amazing, but food was not great. If I ever go back to visit, I'd go for the live music and drinks...skip the food.
(2)Cary P.
Really not to much to say. Felt bad for the waitress as she seemed sweet. promising location with a great view, dissapointing food. The entire meal and presentation style was dated and amateurish. It was not bad, it simply just was not good. Seems this restaurant could benefit, by a menu overhaul and recipe revision by a well informed food consultant or Chef.
(1)Megan S.
Drinks suck! Don't waste ur money on it. A lot of locals go here, Place is fun to go at night with good music.
(3)Dan A.
Food was worse than most Mexican restaurants on the mainland and you actually have to pay extra to get chips and salsa. Pure heresy I say. Kids meals were just plain bad, in particular the chicken tenders. Service was so-so. View was great but so are another two dozen restaurants in the area -- I'd recommend trying one of those instead.
(2)Aubrey G.
Good DJ! So many other places were recommended to us, not this place but I loved it! It's not as popular as some of the other bars in town but in a way that makes it kinda better :)
(3)Rose T.
We ate a lot at Rosa's Cantina! We started off with calamari appetizers and margaritas. We were also served chips and salsa. We went on Wednesday night to listen to Ponchoman play ukelele. He plays Wed & Thurs nights by the way. What a nice touch to the atmosphere! Between 3 of us we ate a delcious seafood salad and chicken fajitas with black beans and rice. We also order chicken fingers and fries for our son. We had so much food, we took it back to the condo! By the way, they make yummy banana smoothies! We will definitely go back!
(5)Aaron S.
Qeso is the same here as is at 7-11. Bad food & OK service. Which is strange because Pancho & Lefty's down the road is the same owner and their food is much better- neither are very authentic but steer clear.
(1)Jen B.
Great waitress and fun live music
(5)Tim B.
Al Pastor Tacos. Delicious. Saved 1/2 for later in a box given to me by the bartender (Star) Bartender threw my food away. AYFKM??????
(1)Mitch C.
Great service, good location, food is just OK. Keep it simple, tacos and beer and you'll do fine. A fun spot to be with live music at night.
(3)Melissa V.
Our search for Mexican food in Kona led us here - and man, were we thankful! The place was far from crowded and service was speedy. And then there was the food.... Hands down best carnitas I have EVER had. The pork was so tender, absolutely fell apart in my mouth, and the seasoning was perfection. Everyone else at the table raved as well: vegetarian burritos, enchiladas, and grander burritos. Hope to stop in again before heading home. Bonus: great live music!
(4)Kim S.
The food was very good, huge portions, and just as good as any Mexican restaurant on the mainland. Reasonable prices, great location. The waitress was exceptional, especially considering the level of service that is typical of these small restaurants in Hawaii. The only disappointment would be the " salsa" which was watered down tomato sauce with some onions, cilantro and peppers. Hopefully they can improve on this.
(3)