We went to the Rosa Mexicano located just across the street from Lincoln Center to meet up with friends who were attending a midday performance. The space began to fill up as the other patrons streamed in to what is one of the larger restaurants nearest to the Center.
As soon as we walked in we knew that the space was going to be live, as there was a large expanse of glass in the front of the space on both levels. Fortunately there were curtains and a textile floor covering, but it didn’t appear that the textiles helped to absorb much of the sound.
We were seated on the second level. It was fairly noisy, with the main source of the noise coming from the other guests. This is one of the few times that the noise was primarily due to voices rather than music. In fact, we weren’t even certain if music was playing. If it was, we couldn’t hear it because of the chatter. We suspect that the second floor is louder than the first floor, most probably because the chatter from the first floor was wafting up and adding to the chatter on the second.
Rosa Mexicano was fairly crowded but not packed during our lunch visit. We think the combination of the hard surfaces and the lack of a barrier between the two floors made the second floor hard to tolerate. The space simply wasn’t pleasant, and we would advise that you proceed with caution. There aren’t many options that are as close to Lincoln Center, so either plan to eat a little farther away or pack a pair of ear plugs.
HOURS
Sunday and Monday: 11:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday through Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
LOCATION
61 Columbus Avenue (betw. 62nd and 63rd Streets), New York, NY 10028
WEBSITE