I was excited to try this place because I'd been to the original Yellow Rose in the East Village twice before back in 2022/2023. It's Texas-style Tex-Mex, and while I wouldn't call it the best meal in the city, it's good enough that I've gone back more than once. I never made it to Rose Marie because, as a vegetarian, there was really only one entrée I could eat that sounded mediocre which wasn't enough to go there. So when I heard the space had become Yellow Rose, I was genuinely looking forward to it.
Walking in, though, the experience started off confusing. The bartender told us to sit wherever we wanted, but nobody explained that we needed to order at the bar. There were menus on every table, which made it feel like table service, so we sat waiting for someone to come over. Multiple employees walked by without saying anything. A simple, "Grab any table and order at the bar whenever you're ready," would have eliminated the confusion entirely.
The tacos themselves were good. They were about what I remembered from the East Village location, decent Texas-style Tex-Mex. I don't have any major complaints about the tacos.
The chips and queso, however, were disappointing. The chips tasted stale, which was surprising considering we were eating around 6:15 p.m. We asked for a fresh basket, and while the replacement was a little warmer, it still didn't taste freshly made. It felt like we were getting chips that had been sitting around instead of something freshly prepared.
Then there was the queso itself. It was served in a disposable plastic takeout container even though we were dining in. If a restaurant wants to use disposable serving ware, that's one thing, but I don't think hot food should be served in plastic. Concerns about microplastics in hot food have become much more widely discussed, and there are plenty of inexpensive alternatives like paper or compostable bowls. Beyond that, it just made the whole experience feel cheaper than it needed to.
The drinks also felt overpriced. We ordered a vodka soda and planned to get a whiskey ginger, but they didn't have ginger beer, so we switched to a whiskey and Coke instead. Both were around $15. For basic mixed drinks, especially in this part of Williamsburg, that felt excessive. There are plenty of places in more of Williamsburg proper serving better drinks for less.
By the end of the meal, we had spent about $100 for two people: three tacos each, chips and queso, and one drink apiece. I didn't leave feeling like I'd had a $100 dinner.
More than anything, the experience felt like a business trying to save a struggling concept by flipping the space as quickly as possible without putting the effort into making the new restaurant feel complete. I have no idea what happened behind the scenes, and this is just my impression as a customer, but that's honestly how it came across. The tacos were fine, but everything around them felt rushed. The confusing ordering process, stale chips, hot queso in a plastic container, and expensive basic drinks all made it feel like the focus was on opening quickly rather than creating a polished experience.
That's what made it disappointing. None of these issues are difficult to fix. Explain the ordering process. Serve fresh chips. Don't put hot food in plastic. Make the pricing feel justified. The food itself has potential, but the execution didn't match it. I left feeling less like I'd discovered a great new neighborhood spot and more like I'd visited a restaurant that still felt unfinished. read more
