Location: Highway 620 in the strip mall in across from Mountain Star Lodge

This morning before church we decided we’d try to find a new, local place to have a bite to eat.  We’d just gotten back from a wonderful trip to the East coast Saturday night, but were so happy to be home in Austin.  Local flavor is what we were looking for.

Driving up 620 North past the strip mall by Home Depot, we decided to slow down and see if there was anything new.  Sure enough, a new place popped up on our radar:  Mesa Rosa.  At least Jennifer and I hadn’t seen it before.  There were quite a few cars parked out front, so we knew it had to be open, and already had some type of following.

Upon walking in, we were warmly greeted and felt at ease with the bright colors and really interesting décor.  It turns out that the owners take care of the design and décor themselves – we were very impressed.  We were given our choice of seats, which was pretty nice.  Of course, Jenn was looking amazing and I’d let her have any seat in the house if I were them.  So, putting that bias aside, we were treated really well.  Upon being seated in the comfortable booth, we found the music to be nice and pleasing – Latin music that completely blended in with the background.

While waiting for our meal, we found the place filling up very quickly.  The atmosphere was really a surprise for a strip mall – it felt like we were in an entirely different place.  Amanda made certain our coffee cups and chip bowl were always full.  Our food came out fast, fresh and hot.  Jennifer loved her taco and even had me take a bite to taste before digging into my eggs.  She was right, it was great!  On my own order, I particularly loved the ranchero sauce – flavorful with lots of spice.  The beans were great as well.  There was plenty of food, Jennifer even brought some home – we never waste great food.

Amanda let us know that while Mesa Rosa was new in the Bee Cave area, it wasn’t new to Austin.   Now fifteen years in Austin and four locations , these folks have lots of experience in running a great place.  Amanda encouraged us to come back for dinner and check out their bar in the evening.  The bar did look really fun, so we’ll plan on that sometime.  By the way, if you drop by, and we certainly encourage you to, say ‘hi’ to Amanda, she has lots of information about the place and many fun waitressing tales to share.

J&J