Rosita’s Mexican Grill has been feeding people in Seattle’s Green Lake area for 45 years. It is a restaurant, yes, but it also transcends to the status of a community institution.
Sergio Uvence Lopez and his sister Rosa Lopez founded the restaurant in April 1979, just a block from one of Seattle’s most loved city parks.
According to Melisa Manning, Sergio’s daughter, the name “Rosita” comes from Rosa’s childhood nickname.
“When we came from Mexico, my Uncle Perfecto, he owned businesses in San Francisco,” said Rosa Lopez. “We worked with him to learn the restaurant business.”
At just 19, Sergio Lopez attempted to open their first store in San Francisco by partnering with his uncle. But different logistics and licensing requirements made things fall through, Rosa Lopez said.
However, that experience only laid the foundation for their own new venture.
Sergio Lopez, Rosa, and her husband, Wenceslao Anaya, decided to start their own business. They were partners from the very beginning. When the restaurant first opened in Green Lake, Sergio Lopez said, it seated only 50 people.
When it first opened, it was challenging.
“Sergio was in the kitchen, and I was the waitress and the busser and everything,” Rosa Lopez said. “It was a nice experience. We sold like $50 the first day, and then the next day, $100.”
It took time for Rosita’s to attract customers and things to get better.
“We didn’t advertise or anything,” Rosa Lopez, “so my husband came to help us. That weekend, after we opened, we started getting busy from word of mouth.”
The restaurant has undergone two major expansions and remodeling.
It features three sections, each space separated by walls with architectural arches. In the last remodel, they added a bar station in the adjacent space on the far right. It has drawn not only families, but also couples, Sergio Lopez.
Now, Sergio Lopez’s daughter, Melisa Manning, manages the restaurant for the family.
“I was hosting when I was 16, I served when I was 18, and I’ve kind of just filled in, in every position,” she said. “I probably started helping my dad more probably in my mid-20s–like, helping more in the back.”
Manning’s responsibilities have expanded beyond hands-on roles in the restaurant, complementing her father’s leadership.
“I handle all the stuff that’s digital or electronic for him, and he really is the one-man show running, making sure the kitchen’s going well,” she said.
The Green Lake area has undergone some significant changes over the years, but Rosita’s has remained consistent, preserving the family’s heritage and a loved corner of the community.
“I feel like most of the customers that we get are generational,” said Manning. “They’re families. We feel like they’re like family to us.”
The staff at Rosita’s has remained stable over the years, too, with many long-serving employees like Elena Palomera.
“Elena’s been with us for like 40 years,” said Manning. “She’s a server, but she’s basically a manager, because she does all that stuff when my dad isn’t here.”
Rosa and Sergio Lopez were born in Guadalajara, raised in Mexico City, and immersed in the rich traditions of Mexican cuisine.
Sergio Lopez said the menu has mostly stayed the same since the restaurant opened, with a few additions through the years.
“We added enchiladas verdes, enchiladas de mole, and then chile con queso,” he said.
The tortilla-making station, where customers can watch tortillas being made, has been a crowd favorite for years.
“We have families that come. It’s a family restaurant more than anything,” Sergio said. “The kids like the tortillas. ”
Manning added: “My dad recognizes people that were in here as newlyweds are now bringing their grandkids in.” “We celebrate birthdays here, anniversaries.”“There are people that used to come here, and they used to come with their grandkids or their kids were already older. They practically were raised eating here,” Rosa Lopez said.
Natalie Pei Xu is a senior at the University of Washington double majoring in Journalism and Public Interest Communication and Philosophy. She is passionate about exploring the intersection of discourse, ethics, and social impact.