Since they opened 4 years ago, we always make a point to dine at Roca Roja. This year was different. While the food was delicious and drinks were flavorful, the atmosphere and service left me underwhelmed. Plus the tables and chairs looked tired and well worn. Our drinks were ordered first and not served until after we started eating...and only after a couple of inquiries. They were quite flavorful. Especially the cucumber jalapeño martini. It appeared the only bartender was also waiting tables. The kitchen staff were the highlight of our experience, because our food was delivered at the speed of light! Carnitas Verde were tender and mouth watering. They were so good that I ate them with a fork vs wrapping them in a tortilla. The verde sauce had the perfect amount of heat. Plus the portion size was generous. We sat inside by the door to the back porch. Unfortunately the door leading outside didn't close properly, so every time staff went outside, we were blasted with nuclear hot heat. Even after closing the door ourselves and mentioning the issue several times, it appeared the staff was unable to keep the door closed which made for a very unpleasant dining experience. I think we were all sweating profusely and ready to leave quickly to get back to the comfort of our AC! Our table service for 6 was also subpar. We had to repeatedly find our server to ask for drink refills and finally our checks. When preparing our checks, he came back to the table 3 times to ask us which orders were on our 3 checks. Even then our checks were incorrect. We simply decided to pay without attempting to rectify the error with our server. I understand staffing can be a challenge. Besides the bar, the restaurant appeared adequately staffed for a 5:30pm dinner service. Possibly they were having POS issues. Maybe it was an off night. Or maybe our server was new and inexperienced. Bottom line, I'll have a difficult time convincing my family to indulge me with my annual visit to Roca Roja visit next year. read more

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The southern hospitality given to us by Karissa was outstanding! She went above and beyond to accommodate our party of six with two children. The tacos made with short ribs of beef, were amazing and my favorite. The freshly made tortilla chips and guacamole, were fresh and better than any chips I have had in a while. read more

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Roca Roja Cantina Mexican restaurant has flavorful Mexican dishes. The wait staff is friendly and helpful. You sit overlooking a marsh inlet. read more

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Karissa our server. Got to sit outside during a nice thunderstorm and the view from the balcony over the water was beautiful The food was very good too! I had the Shrimp Tacos and to say I was pleased would be an understatement ! Wife had Nachos which were very good and piled high. I enjoyed them as well since she is a lightweight when it comes to eating lol Her drinks were cold beer (Miller light) and mine was Vodka with ginger ale ! Very nice Service was attentive but not overly so! Only downside was no Sunset lol read more

Hubby got Mezcal Flambe Shrimp* (Camarones Al Mezcal), and I got Enchiladas Mix (can't remember the name - but we went for the Lobster Enchiladas on the website menu, which has changed from the in-house menu we got) with Lobster, Crab, and Shrimp with a white sauce. We were both starving, so fell on our food like vultures. Halfway through, I realized it wasn't what I was hoping for - although good. Mine needed more sauce. Hubby said his food was good, but the shrimp was haphazardly peeled - he had legs on some of them. We both hate shrimp that comes with tails in a dish you eat with a fork or spoon, the tails should come off by the chef. Overall, good experience. Nice ambiance. We left before happy hour was over and it had started to get busy. read more

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We stopped in here during our trip to North Myrtle Beach in early March 2024. We wanted to take advantage of the happy hour specials on the top floor. I was surprised to see that even on a weekday in the off season, the place was bustling. There was a DJ and a various senior citizens line dancing, it was cute! Our visit was on a gray and cloudy day, but we had nice marsh views from our table. The service was the biggest problem, seemed very disorganized and took a long time to get drinks, plus order food and pay. Food was pretty solid and decent margaritas. Overall, I'm going to give it 3.5 due to the poor service experience we had. I'd still come back, but I'd try eating in the main dining room next time. read more

I'm visiting and wanted to take my daughter and her boyfriend out for a nice dinner they love this place beside the fact our waiter had no idea about the dishes and I was advised wrong All three of us got extremely sick through the night and today read more

Amazing food and drinks. Went with a classic margarita. Delish. Service was great even though they were understaffed. They were honest on only having one server and the bartender taking care of the whole floor. We were in no hurry so it was ok with us. We sat outside and watched the tide come in on the salt marshes and watched the birds hunt. It was beautiful. Check them out if you're in town and want to try some good Mexican! read more

Absolutely delicious! Service was quick and attentive. Chips were warm and crispy, served with a slightly smoky salsa. House margarita was generous and reasonably priced. We had the enchilada suisas, and steak fajitas, both of which were delicious and large portions. Either one could have been shared. read more

I got the Burrito Ala Dia, which happened to be chicken today. I was expecting shredded chicken, but it was chicken chopped up in little squares like it was pre packaged chicken. Also, had veggies and black beans over a bed of refried beans. The rice and refried beans were very good, but I'm not a fan of black beans. Margeritas were excellent! read more

Roca Roja Cantina - Burrito Ala Dia (chicken) - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

This place was legit. Ended up ordering way more food than we could eat, but being so far away from home, we wanted to try as much as possible. Started with some queso and guacamole, both were good. Also ordered some octopus ceviche which was fresh, good and honestly could have been my meal in and of itself. Followed up with some birria tacos which were sloppy and delicious. Al pastor tacos were good but the birria was preferred. Great creekside view and staff were all friendly and effective read more

My wife and pup were on a business trip with me and we popped in here for a quick lunch on the marsh. They let us bring our dog through the restaurant out to the patio so that gets them some brownie points and our waitress was very attentive and polite! The food was actually just ok, not the best. But the experience and ambience was nice! Wife had crispy tacos and the meat was dry and they needed a little something. My burrito was not dry, but there was almost no protein, it was basically a veggie burrito instead of a chicken burrito with a little veggies. To those about to dine, enjoy the view ! read more

Roca Roja Cantina - Tacos - crispy, but meat was dry and they needed a sauce - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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What a unique find on the intercoastal marsh. Loved the overall environment and appeal of this restaurant. We sat outside on the back porch over looking the marsh (low tide problems haha) but it was a good feel after a long day on the beach. The food was amazing! I got the chicken and steak fajitas; all I can say is WOW! The steak was so tender and full of flavor. My family got the shrimp tacos, arroz con pollo, and carne asada tacos. I additionally got a side of the papas and holy cow I have never had cheesy potatoes so good. We were all raving about the food. I am knocking off one star for the drinks. I could say it's because I'd consider myself a margarita snob and Texas/Arizona desert margaritas have ruined me. However they just did not live up to the excitement here. Otherwise we will be coming back for sure! read more

Horrible experience! The server named Nikki N spoiled our visit here! Nikki was rude, inappropriate, lazy and less than attentive! Our table ordered drinks and when I asked for water Nikki said "Nope" and I didn't appreciate her humor. We started out with queso and guacamole to go with the chips. The queso dip was very bland and the guacamole was substandard and cold. Everyone at our table agreed they could have made both of these at home that tasted a whole lot better. We were brought one serving of chips for both sides of the table, the opposite end of table asked for more chips you think she (Nikki N) would check both portions at our table and fill them up. Not the case. We wanted more drinks but were never asked. Poor service! Most servers would be more attentive and want to increase the tab by suggesting more drinks. My wife had to walk over to the bar to request additional lime for her beer as the waitress ignored her request. My wife ordered the salmon dinner and I noticed that she stopped eating it very quickly and I asked her was a good. She said it was OK. On our way home I asked her was she feeling OK because I noticed she didn't eat much at dinner and she said the waitress really turned her off and made her lose her appetite. I ordered Pescado en Paplardo it was overcooked very dry and lacked broth. The bathroom was dark and dingy. We always try and support local businesses and not chain restaurants. We will not return to this place and make sure we tell our friends and family to stay far away and to choose another local Mexican restaurant instead. read more

Roca Roja Cantina - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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Food was great. I had the shrimp with pineapple over rice. The service was excellent. We had a nice table over looking the water. I recommend it b read more

If I could give half ratings, I'd give this place a 3 1/2. Not quite up to 4 stars. Arrived here after golf yesterday about 5 pm. The place was far from full (at least on the second level). There were lots of staff around, but the service was a bit slow. Based on the tempting photos online, perhaps I ordered wrong. I had the short rib tacos. Rice was good. Meat seemed like it had been overlong on a steam table. Very few pickled onions. My husband had the arroz con pollo. His looked better, but he said the chicken strips were a little dry. He liked the queso topping and the rice. read more

Roca Roja Cantina - arroz con pollo - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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Food was good but they definitely made some changes to the menu. You used to get the sauces with chips now you get one. Which has no flavor. I get cost inflation. My friend requested a margarita with no salt which never seems to happen. The staff were really nice and tried. Not sure if it's under new management or what but used to brag about how great it was.. and needless to say with the changes that have been made to the menu this last time.. I don't care to ever go back, which sucks cause we used to frequent here a lot. read more

Consome was not acctualy consome it was like chipotle sauce soup 0/10 would not recommend. There forks were straight on dirty you could see the stains.service lady didn't know what my mom was saying when she asked if they had michelladas and they dont but its supposed to be a mexican restaurant... read more

Food was ok. They had dueling pianos but it terrible. Lots of steps so be prepared to get your steps in.

We had a very good waitress, he provided excellent service. He was very knowledgeable about the menu. Drinks were delicious not *strong*. I got the chicken taco salad, I didn't like it and the waitress understood and replaced it with a chicken quesadillas.. oh man it was so good and tasty!! read more

Roca Roja Cantina - The front of the restaurant, they do have an elevator for the ones who can not walk up them - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Roca Roja Cantina is a terrific addition to Cherry Grove. A very spacious dining room with marsh views offering indoor and outdoor seating. We dined for lunch on Sunday so the menu was limited but it still offered plenty of delicious options. Most Mexican restaurants are so similar in their offerings and preparation so when you find one that is different, jump in. Roca Roja differentiated itself right off with three unique homemade salsas and unique tortilla chips. The first salsa was habanero which had a good kick but not so much that your tastebuds couldn't enjoy your meal. The second was a mild guacamole based salsa, and the third was a more traditional chunky mild salsa. Right off you know they ain't dishing up beans with a scoop of rice and canned cheese poured over it all. This food is fresh. I had the Buffalo Chicken Chimichanga with rice which was excellent. The chimichanga rested on a bed of delicious rice and shredded lettuce. Very good! My wife had their chicken quesadilla which she proclaimed to be the best she's had...and she's had many. I'm looking forward to coming back for dinner and perusing their entire menu. Service was friendly and relaxed. The cantina is upstairs and they regularly have live music. Roca Roja is a fun place with a full bar and great food. When you're ready for a break from seafood, give it a try. read more

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I have been here twice now. The first time we sat outside and it was an awesome experience. Tonight, not so much. We came in with a party of 5 and was seated. I asked out server if we could move to another table or slide a table over as 3 of us at our table we're going to order fajitas. He got the manager, I believe Johnathan, and he said absolutely not! He said they had lots of reservations tonight and that there was nothing he could do with an attitude. I found this very odd and simply said whatever. We went about our business and ordered food. Our food came out about 20-25 min after ordering. Excellent service from our server and the food was awesome! The pictures attached, however, are 30 min after arrival. It's clear to see that we could have been moved to accommodate our table as our bill was well over $100 and would have kept us from making our food in OUR HANDS as we didn't have enough space on the table for 5 peoples plates. Anyway, keep us the great food and server/bartender service. Manager - DO BETTER! read more

Roca Roja Cantina - Empty tables 30 min after ordering. - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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The location is great, we sat right on the marsh on the second floor and they were having Dueling Pianos which was very entertaining. We stayed and had a few drinks once that started. Our server was awesome too, i believe her name was Jessica and she told us what she recommended which I loved! The food was delicious as well!!! read more

Roca Roja Cantina - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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This place looked amazing online but unfortunately had a very rough experience today. Ordered the arrachera medium rare and it came VERY rare. Asked them to remake it and they brought it back clearly microwaved. It was so tough I couldn't even finish it. The fact that they microwaved a steak and sent it out and refused to comp it is what earns this place a low score. Can't recommend if this is how they run the restaurant. Server was amazing though! read more

We spotted Roca Roja when we got close to where we were staying in Cherry Grove, SC. When we arrived on Sat evening, we didn't have to wait and were seated immediately. Their menu is pretty simple, but with plenty of options. We were immediately served and ordered some drinks. I had a classic margarita, which was pretty big and was only $8!!! It tasted pretty good. We opted to order a few dishes to share- crispy chicken tacos, chicken nachos, and esquite. The chicken tacos were my favorite, especially with the hot salsa. The esquite, however, wasn't great...too much lime. Overall good spot in that area. Not to mention our server was great....he had an amazing personality and customer service! read more

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The server greeted us as our large group walked in. She gave us a couple of options for seating and said she would get us set up as soon as she carried what was in her hands to a table. We had a child with a severe peanut allergy in our group. The waitress was asked about peanut use in the restaurant and she said there was one sauce that used cashews, and that was the only nuts used in the restaurant. She asked the kitchen to make sure there weren't any specials that used nuts and to make them aware of the allergy. Wheat and nut allergens are clearly marked on the menu as well as vegetarian items. There is a wide variety of food to choose from, and they have a huge selection of tequila (if that interests you). The house margaritas are delicious and a good size. The homemade tortilla chips are crispy and delicious. The food was beautifully presented and tasted wonderful! Everything at our table- quesadillas, fajitas, salads, tacos and octopus was absolutely delicious! Highly recommend it! read more

Roca Roja Cantina - View from outdoor seating - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

I attended a Drag Show today with 3 others, and we all had food. The food was very good, the show top- notch, very entertaining. But the best was the staff. Talk about A-1 service, attention to customers and friendly, fun people! I love this place!!!! read more

Ayanna F was our server and the food and service was great!! We had an amazing time and the view was gorgeous!

The atmosphere was wonderful and the food portions were plentiful. We had barria tacos. Shrimp tacos, and shrimp fajitas. The meals were hot and fresh. The barria tacos were the favorite. The fajitas had a burned taste; edible but not the best. I will not order the fajitas again if I return in the future. Service was very good. read more

Roca Roja Cantina - Shrimp tacos - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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We came here for dinner and a show, and, boy, did Roca Roja serve! It was Happy Hour, so we tried the watermelon, peach, and mango margaritas! Watermelon was my fave! Delicious! We also had steak nachos, which were incredible! The dueling pianos were fantastic and so much fun! They even took requests! We sang at the top of our lungs! The service was awesome plus there's even a great view since it's on the water! I would def be a regular if I lived in driving distance! Highly recommend! read more

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Ugh. It's really not good. View from outside is nice. Good was ok, my taco was swimming in liquid. I had to use a fork and knife. You have to add sides to the tacos, so right at $20 for 3 tacos and beans. It's overpriced and bland. Our table was also dirty.. we ordered margaritas, they were not good at all. Servers were attentive. I would not eat there again. read more

Word to the wise, Reservation! Reservation! Reservation! Came to dinner with party of 6 and thank you Lord! I had made a reservation or it would have been a 45 minute wait at 7:00 pm, Food is not typical Tex-Mex it is a different menu but drinks are awesome and food pretty decent! Long wait for food to come out though, may be staffing issue not sure. Real shame, started out great then no food or drinks refreshed and been here an hour. An hour in and finally got our food... read more

Roca Roja Cantina - #2 tostada and chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The restaurant was beautiful. The outside is definitely deceiving, looks better inside. Ordered a fajita and it was so good. I also had the deconstructed street corn- it was delicious. The chips and salsa to start were delicious. read more

Roca Roja Cantina - Fajitas - Chicken and Shrimp - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

We went early...4:45p and the service was GREAT! They sat us right away and our server (Dante) was fantastic! Not only was he attentive, he was funny !!! Food was hot (temperature) and good. We went on "Taco Tuesday" and the special was 2 tacos and 1 Margarita for $12! It was perfect!!! Nice size tacos along with a perfect margarita We sat outside and it was good... little breeze not to hot! Would def go back! Thank you Dante for the GREAT service! ((We were 6 adults age range from 24-78) read more

We love this place. Great food. The view out back on the patio is fantastic. And the service is always excellent.

All hype and no bite. Everything was just ok. My meal i had asked for no cheese and sour cream on the side. Meal came w sour cream first time around. My drink took several minutes to make...infact I was told they had to make it twice. My friends meal had no salt or lime on it whatsoever...she had to ask for both. Also I nvr got asked once for water. read more

We dined at Roca Roja this week. We were impressed with the view from the outside deck. We are generally not tequila drinkers but we were inspired by the passion of the wait staff at Roca Roja. We tried a celebrity tequila flight as a starter. Still not tequila fans but we truly enjoyed the experience. The food was very good. The service was very good. Arrive early because Roca Roja appears very popular. read more

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Awesome place to grab a bite to eat in a super quite atmosphere with an outstanding view from their back patio. Very spacious, clean and updated restaurant. Staff were very friendly and pretty attentive. Food came out hot off the grill and was amazingly delicious! I can't rave enough of how tasty the rice was. Will certainly be back again the future. read more

Roca Roja Cantina - Amazing Mexican platter....the rice is to die for! - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Our server, Eden, Chicken Quesadillawas AMAZING! We LOVED all of her food suggestions! read more

Roca Roja Cantina - Our server Eden suggested the best dishes!! We enjoyed absolutely everything!!! - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

We went there because the reviews were great. Well that's where it went wrong. We got there and place wasn't busy. Finally got a table and no one came by for a while. Finally someone asked if we were helped. It still took forever to get the water and chips We ordered guacamole, Chicken tortilla soup octopus ceviche and fajitas combo. The guacamole was tiny; chicken tortilla soup tasted like can tomato soup; they didn't have octopus ceviche and suggested shrimp ceviche, and they look like cocktail shrimp with lime juice. Fajitas was well over cooked. chicken was dry. Food overall it's terrible. I will never go there again even it was free read more

Roca Roja Cantina - Shrimp ceviche - Mexican Near Me - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina