Tacos Gardenias — Restaurant in El Medano Ejidal

My friends and I stumbled upon Tacos Gardenias on our walk to Medano Beach. We were looking for somewhere to eat for lunch, so we just popped in here, and I'm so glad we did. This was my #1 favorite meal in Cabo. Ate here twice (one sit-down, one takeout). Seriously the BEST shrimp taco I have ever had in my entire life and the BEST horchata too! I am not joking, I said "this is so good" at least three times while eating my tacos.

The housemade corn tortillas were so warm, fluffy, and soft, and the shrimp was oh-so succulent. Add some cabbage, cilantro, avocado sauce, and crema to that and you have the perfect shrimp taco. The grilled fish taco is great as well; as long as you don't order any fried/battered options the tacos should be gluten-free (I'm gluten-intolerant). My friends really liked the battered fish tacos here too.

I tried the nopales (cactus) taco for fun and it tasted kind of like a pickled bell pepper. I wouldn't order it again, but it was still good.

I like how they gave us bottles of avocado sauce and crema, and containers with toppings to customize our own tacos.

The prices are pretty cheap, and the portions are huge (at least when we ordered takeout, there was enough protein to make two tacos for a one taco order).

Service was pretty quick and friendly, too. The takeout order took longer because they had a large party dining in at that time. It's the perfect casual lunch or dinner spot pre/post beach. I would come here in a heartbeat if I ever come...

We visited the area during off season rather than peak season. We don't like to deal with the hussle and hassle of crowded tourist groups. Surprisingly, it was quite busy even during off season.

Let's get into the nitty gritty of the place. Service wise, it's great. The moment you enter, they are there to assist your needs. Good communication, and great attentions to your needs. The larger the group, the bigger the presences, the more hospitality they offer to you. We remained humble and hidden to evaluate the foods, and only the foods.

Wife ordered the tacos, from seafoods to meats. We ordered plenty on the menu. Seafood wise, we didn't like it. We do not like to boast, but we can cook better than what were offered. The tuna was over done, tough, and too much smoky flavors. Seafoods were slightly overcooked.Meats are focused too much on specific flavoring, loaded with star anise, and not as deep in flavor profiles. The meats were tender and juicy. It helps to have toppings, but that simply hides the essentials flavors of the traditional tastes. However, if you are hungry, the foods will taste great. If you are in search of traditional foods, this may be more to the tourists' tastes. We've tasted and cook traditional foods that far exceed this fusion type of foods. My kids have stringent taste buds and provided critics as well. We all agreed that 3 out of 5 stars for food chasers. 4 out of 5 for atmosphere, food quality,...

Tacos Gardenias is a very good choice for fish tacos close to the major Playa Medano hotels. The prices are a little high but they are always busy and the food is subsequently quite fresh. We visited at 4:00pm on a random weekday and the restaurant was still 3/4 full. Despite this, we received our order of tacos pretty quickly which arrived hot from the kitchen.

I enjoyed the classic, battered fish taco which had an airy, crisp batter. My wife similarly liked her grilled fish taco which was cooked and seasoned well. The restaurant also offers some meat tacos and other items, but we stuck to seafood. The tortillas are apparently made in house and held the tacos together well. Salsas seemed fresh but the taste of the condiments was average for the area.

Note should be made that this restaurant seems pretty clean. The kitchen is open and has a separate cold station where a gloved employee prepares the salads and salsa. A separate person handles the money and checks. Turnover of food seems high. As such, if you’re worried about getting sick or food poisoning, this restaurant may be a good option.

All told, while this place seems to predominantly cater to tourists it’s a worthy option for a quick bite near the hotels and serves quality tacos. You’ll pay a little more than if you went further in town but the convenience and cleanliness...