Rosa Mexicano Dinner Review
*This gluten free dining experience took place in April 2023. It includes information about dairy free options, as well as fish/shellfish, peanut, hazelnut, cabbage, and chicken & turkey allergies.
Dinner at Rosa Mexicano
Rosa Mexicano is the newest restaurant to open at Disney’s Dolphin Resort. It replaced Fresh Mediterranean Market (formerly Kitchen), which was located in the same spot in the resort. This restaurant originally opened in 1984 in New York City (and still operates there) and has several locations across the U.S. We had heard good things about Rosa Mexicano’s gluten free options, along with the ability to accommodate special dietary needs. Since we both really enjoy Mexican cuisine, we decided we had to check it out. On this visit, we went with Brandon’s parents and sister to help celebrate their anniversary.
Atmosphere
When arriving to the restaurant, we were all very pleasantly surprised by the decor. Everyone agreed it was very pretty and chic and modern.
Rosa Mexicano - Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
You will find many murals and paintings of Frida Kahlo throughout the restaurant and prominently featured in many of the dining room areas.
Rosa Mexicano - Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Brandon loved the lighting in the restaurant, which really added to the modern vibe. Overall, we all agreed that the restaurant was bright and inviting and definitely felt modern and fresh.
The Food
Because this location is not owned and operated by Disney, they do not have an allergy-friendly menu or the same special diets protocols in place. The restaurant is, however, known for being able to accommodate — especially for gluten free diners. The menu itself does list GF options on it. One word of caution though. Items like the tortilla chips are marked GF, but they must be made in a dedicated fryer. Otherwise, the standard chips will not be safe and risk cross-contamination. More on that later in this review!
Rosa Mexicano - Menu / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Because this was a new restaurant for us, and we were sure what options would be available to Brandon, we really wanted to speak with a manager or chef. For the most part, any non-Disney owned location at the WDW resort will typically provide this as an option, especially because Disney is known to be so accommodating for special dietary needs. Unfortunately, we had a lot of challenges with our server on this visit being willing to let us speak to a chef or manager. He was insistent that he could navigate our special dietary needs but also gave us a ton of mixed information.
Because we did not feel comfortable with the information given, we really had to insist on speaking to a manager or chef. Ultimately, we were able to do so, but it was a pretty frustrating experience. We have spoken to other friends who have been who did not have the same experience, which is reassuring. We always recommend that you use your own comfort and judgement when eating someplace, and if you do not feel comfortable, ask to speak directly to a chef or manager. The chef was very helpful and really made us feel more at ease dining at the restaurant. As we always say, be your own advocate whenever you don’t feel safe!
Rosa Mexicano - Chips & Queso / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
The chef confirmed with us that if you are gluten free or have allergies to make sure you get the chips made in a dedicated fryer. Otherwise, cross-contamination may occur. We did find the wait time for this to be a little bit longer, which was fine with us, as long as they are safe! Just watch out for any chips brought to the table when you are seated.
We requested the Chips & Queso which is marked gluten free on the menu and vegetarian. It does contain dairy, and as of right now, there are no dairy free cheese options in the restaurant. We confirmed with a chef that it was safe for Brandon’s special dietary needs, so if you’re allergic to fish/shellfish or peanuts/tree nuts, this should be good for you too.
Overall, we liked this but didn’t love it. We both agreed that the tortilla chips were very unevenly cooked and some were not fully cooked at all. The queso was tasty but not our favorite version on Disney property. For that, we’d recommend Maya Grill or Three Bridges Bar & Grill at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort for better versions. We agreed that we’d probably get again but it wasn’t our favorite.
Rosa Mexicano - Wine / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
I did get a glass of wine at the restaurant, because I wanted to try the Mexican wines available. I opted for a Rose, “Casa Jipi, Rosado Barbera, Valle de San Vincente, MX.” Overall, I liked this but didn’t love it. It was actually very cool to try a Mexican Rose, and the flavor profile was different than some other rose wines. If you like rose, I’d recommend it.
Rosa Mexicano - Enchilada Tasting / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
For my entree, I opted for the Enchilada Tasting which comes with your choice of three types of enchiladas. I decided to get the Roasted Chicken Suizas with salsa verde, Beef Brisket with red guajillo sauce, and Chihuahua Cheese also with the red guajillio sauce. This dish was marked gluten free on the menu. The enchiladas do contain dairy.
I have to say that my expectations for this dish were exceeded, because all three enchiladas were super tasty. My favorite was the chicken enchilada and salsa verde, but I would not hesitate to get all three of these again. Each was super flavorful and had different flavor profiles. If you like enchiladas and can have dairy, these are a high recommend from me.
My entree was also served with a choice of Mexican or white rice. I got the Mexican Rice, and it was pretty good. Not my favorite or anything special, but good.
Rosa Mexicano - Steak Tacos (NOT Gluten Free) / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Brandon got both a steak mac & cheese along with the tacos shown above. Though the ones in this photo are on a flour tortilla, the chef did confirm you can get corn tortillas instead, and these would be gluten free. Brandon liked these but didn’t love them. They were served pretty plainly, because Brandon is not a big fan of certain sauces, so next time he’d probably skip these or ask for salsa.
If you want to hear more about our experience at Rosa Mexicano, check out the vlog we did for our YouTube channel for more information.
Overall
While we enjoyed the food we had at Rosa Mexicano, all of us agreed that there were some real challenges during our dining experience with service and special dietary needs accommodations. Because this is a new restaurant, we would wait to go back for a while to dine here. The restaurant seems to be still getting its footing, and we are hoping that over time that the special diets protocols will be a bit easier and clearer. If you do like Mexican cuisine, we’d recommend heading to Maya Grill, La Hacienda de San Angel, or San Angel Inn at Disney World. All of those locations have been operating for a long time and have good protocols in place (and tasty food!). We do look forward to going back again in the future, but if you’re looking for a restaurant on Disney property, we would probably recommend another location instead, unless you’re staying at the Swan & Dolphin resorts.
Have you been to Rosa Mexicano? What was your experience dining there?