Garduños

Stay Away! Bad Service, Slow, poor attitude through out the staff! If you are a team leader or manager here, PAY ATTENTION! If you work for the Palms, Run don’t walk to the GM of this place and shake them awake! They Need HELP!
Food, so, so bad. All three of our entrée’s were barely half eaten. The food is mediocre at best. And it took for… ev…er. The Salsa bar, yuck… clean it more than once a day.
I wish I had asked for my money back, but my thought is if I had asked to see a manager, I would still be sitting there, waiting for them to show up.
My only guess as to why anyone would give a good rating… they were drunk from the pool and didn’t know any better.

located inside the Palms Hotel Casino, this is a gem of a mexican restaurant. Fun and festive without being rowdy. Everything is fresh, the staff is very nice. Plus they have a well stocked salsa bar and a wide array of cocktails. The prices were reasonable. If you find yourself off the strip and want a quick bite to eat or a great cocktail, I say stop in and check it out. Live it up you are in Las Vegas for cryin’ out loud!

I will admit it from the get go! I am emotionally attached to Garduno’s. So I may be more forgiving in some areas. I lived in Albuquerque, NM for 4 years and fell in love with them when it was Pa Pa Felipes. In later years it became Garduno’s. When I walked into the Palms years ago, and saw Garduno’s I was smitten!
The best part is the Sunday brunch served by the pool with unlimited house margaritas. Hello???
The bad news, is that nationwide they have had to claim bankruptcy and rumor has it the Palms will kick them out. As a local… B I G mistake. Garduno’s is the only reason my husband plays at the Palms. Once Gardunos is gone, so will we. :(

Ok the 2 best things about this place 1) whole wheat tortillas for you healthy eaters and 2) their salsa bar that also includes MANGO salsa. Makes me happy :)
It was good enough, again I’m a Mexican food aficionado, so you really have to pull something amazing for me to be wow’ed.
Chicken tacos was pretty good, meat was tender and juicy, as well as, all white.
So you can eat healthy here!!!

If you are a tourist from a land with few Mexican options and you can’t travel far from the Strip… well, I was going to say you should come here just so you can experience a salsa bar, but you know what? Better you should go somewhere else and actually have quality food.
The salsa bar here is shabbily presented, outright messy (congealed spills everywhere, including on the few tiny cups available, and this was in a dead restaurant at 4:00 p.m.), somewhat limited in selection compared to other places, clearly old (the cilantro leaves looked like they died in the sun two days ago), not very finessed in flavor, and — depressingly — the bar has a *permanent* sign for one salsa that reads «AVACADO.»
The vegetarian options go from «standard yawn» (cheese enchiladas, bean burrito, quesadilla, chile relleno, veg fajitas) to «abysmal» when you realize that the cheese of choice here is cheddar. This is a town where almost every grocery store carries Oaxaca, Panela, Cotija, etc., and Gardunos is using not just cheddar, but that Oompa Loompa orange cheddar that, when hot, takes on an oily sheen that slides right off the cheese with a little poking.
I had to specifically ask for the sopapillas that were supposed to come with my plate; complimentary sopapillas during the meal are a touch that sets Gardunos apart and something I enjoyed when I tried their Fiesta Rancho location several years ago. Alas, on this occasion the sopapillas were very thick, chewy, and dry, not the soft, puffy pillows that this veteran sopapillas nommer expects.
Missing sopapillas aside, the service was great. Everyone was friendly and refills were brisk. Of course, I’d expect no less when only three parties are dining, but if the servers have the same helpful, cheerful attitude when the house is full, then that’s one thing Gardunos is doing right.
Locals have absolutely no excuse for eating here.
Tourists, now you know better. The Strip has several better options for what I consider to be the three zones of Mex cuisine: street-​style interpretations of «authentic,» familiar standards good for newbies and old-​hands alike, and Michelin-​bound inventiveness.
(But don’t be lazy and go to the wholly unremarkable La Salsa, which has surely earned its stars on visitors who think it’s okay to go to Taco Bell when you’re sober.)
You’re in Las Vegas. Raise your «Mexpectations.» We can make you *much* happier than this.

Noticed a lot of people on Unilocal praising the food but lamenting poor service at Gardunos. I find myself thinking the opposite.
The wife and I came here today for a late lunch. She ordered the cheese enchiladas and I ordered the nachos with carne asada. Both of our meals arrived with that orange hue of low quality cheddar cheese. My food tasted OK, probably the sort of thing that would have made me very happy a few years ago, but somewhere along the line my standards for Mexican fare have been raised and this felt a little like the sort of «Mexican» you might find in a diner in the heart of Utah. No really distinct flavours, quick to congeal, and the sort of thing I’d be more likely to expect served up in a polystyrene, clamshell box in a food court rather than at a restaurant.
Gardunos has a salsa bar with a decent bean dip and some OK salsas — a good thing since the stuff you get on the table by default tastes like it’s straight from an economy sized plastic Pace bottle — but the salsa bar at Guadalajara at Sunset Station thrashes this one senseless. The other issue I have with the salsa bar is it’s a little dirty and when we were there there were only four of the little salsa bowls for us to use and those were splattered with salsa drippings from the bar. On top of this, they are so small that you have to snap your chips in half if you want to dip.
Throughout our meal our drinks were refilled promptly and everyone was friendly and helpful. The food here isn’t inedible, it’s just very, very average Mexican fare and there’s absolutely no reason to ever go here unless the food is free or you’re trapped at The Palms.

My latest visit will be my last visit
Went for lunch on a Friday with 3 coworkers
All of us felt sick after eating… I personally only managed to eat 2 of the 6 rolled tacos I got.
The only things all four of us had were the complimentary salsa, and margaritas.
No Bueno

My dinner yesterday at Garduños was off because someone was asleep or just didn’t care about doing things correctly. I ordered the Chile verde con machaca – the beef version of their chile. The server brought me Chile verde which is their chile with chicken. I was OK with that because I always order the machaca so this was good for a change.
In addition to that mixup, the dish came without charro beans and without the chopped onion and cilantro that they always serve with the chile. I’m not sure if they were in a hurry or if the quality of staff is suffering. The server could have made an error with my order, but the server didn’t make the error with the plating.
Come on Garduños, get with it or you’ll be off my radar.

Garduno’s is home to one of the best Sunday brunch values in Las Vegas, and one of my favorite dishes in this city.
First the brunch. Every Sunday they serve an all-​you-​can-​eat margarita brunch buffet for about $ 18. The margaritas are about what you’d expect, given the «bottomless» part — cheap and sugary — which is not to say they skimp on the tequila. You can get brunch-​crocked very easily here.
The brunch includes made-​to-​order fajitas and a small assortment of dishes like enchiladas, ribs, chilaquiles, tamales, and more — it’s not a full cross-​section of the menu but it’s more than enough to satisfy. The dessert selection is surprisingly robust too. Be sure to grab some flan.
Now, on to the dish that’s an obsession of mine: the chile rojo. Rich, spicy red Hatch chile and melted cheese smother a huge bowl of flank steak. Add in diced tomatoes, red onions, cilantro and tortilla strips, scoop it all up in soft, warm, fresh flour tortillas and go to town. This is usually good for two meals for me.
The chips and dips served here are quality too. The bean dip is phenomenal (ProTip: you won’t want to eat refried beans after this) and the avocado, jalapeño, arbol, mango and mesa salsas are all worth a taste. At the end of the meal, ask your server for a basket of sopapillas, tear off an end, squeeze some honey inside and drift into heaven.
Some of the more traditional dishes that I’ve eaten here have been unremarkable — the tacos, chiles rellenos and fajitas are all just OK.
Garduno’s isn’t a restaurant that gets everything right, but it is one that does a few things very, very well.

Poor Gardunos. This place used to be really yummy but (I think because they will be closing soon) the cooking staff must not care because the food has really slipped.
One of my girlfriends used to spend a lot of time at the Palms, so Gardunos was a perennial favorite. Plus as an added bonus, all meals here, including the most recent one, were comped for us. Until recently the food was great so I never had any complaints.
I came here a few days ago for a quick lunch with the girls. There were maybe a grand total of 5 patrons in the restaurant (not including us). We opted to sit outside on the patio which overlooks the pool. We ordered our usual to share:
–guacamole
–shrimp cocktail
–salad
–combo of enchilada and a taco
The first offering of guacamole brought to our table was brown. BROWN. I have made home-​made guacamole hundreds of times and I know that if you let it sit out for a day or so (even wrapped in the fridge with a pit and lime juice) it starts to turn color. This first offering of guacamole must have been at least two days old. Hardly «fresh, made to order.»
The waiter saw our faces and immediately took it back. The second offering was made fresh, so he said, and it in fact was the correct color at least (green). However, the taste of it was off and we didn’t eat more than a bite each.
That’s how the meal started and everything went down hill from there. The beans were dried up, almost crunchy, the salad was wilted and the majority of the meal was over-​salted.
Our waiter was very apologetic and I’m giving Gardunos two stars simply because the staff/​service was very good.

Surprised at the 3 star rating.
Came with my family and we all enjoyed our lunch.
Everyone opted for the Fajitas Bar Lunch Special for $ 10.99 11 am — 2 pm (I think). It was pretty much an all-​you-​can-​eat buffet with fajitas made to order, hard ground beef tacos, enchiladas and soups like pasodo (sp?). All tasted good to me.
I would definately come back.

I was still in a San Diego state of mind when I came back from my trip so naturally I wanted some Fish Tacos and Guacamole with chips.
The Guacamole was nice and chunky. I hate the watery stuff especially if it’s just green with nothing in it. The serving size was big enough for three people. It also helps that there is free refills on the chips. My husband and I ended up taking the rest home.
My fish taco packed a soft crunch. It tasted like it was breaded in corn meal. I prefer my fish tacos to have a crunch that is equivalent to eating Captain Crunch or a Cheeto. I want it to be so loud that I can’t hear anyone talk. The fish taco was okay it didn’t taste too fishy and the platter was filling it came with Spanish rice. The rice wasn’t as salty as other places so I had a couple of spoons of that too!

I came here on a date one time with a girl I’d just met. I figured I would try this place because it seemed good, so if the date went south, at least the food would make my night better, right?
End result: ok date, ok meal.
It’s not that the food is bad here, or that the portions are poor, or that the service was bad. Everything was just pretty good. It was good enough that I would come here again if I were hungry and already at the Palms, but it’s not somewhere I would bring a special lady or someone else I might try to impress. It’s just not impressive like that.
I will say, however, that the service was pretty good. I never had an empty water glass, and I was offered another margarita/​cerveza as soon as I’d had 80% of the current one. That’s what makes this place three stars instead of two.

Is really 2 ½ stars in my opinion…
I went here for a late lunch approximately around 3pm. Not many people so it was pretty much quiet and we had the waiter all to ourselves. The food is ok, not good not bad. It will cure your fix for Mexican food but won’t exactly wow you or secure a return visit.
The enchiladas barely had any filling, I had one chicken and one cheese and they were very skimpy just mostly sauce. The rice and beans were moist but tasteless with zero flavor. I feel that I paid 15.99 for bland rice and beans seriously.
The best thing that was fantastic but impossible to screw up was the table side guacamole.
The liquor drinks are strong and good I have to say at least, however I think those are made and brought over from another bar on the property and not the actual restaurant? Not sure I can even give them the credit for the drinks.
Food is just ok and for the higher prices for mediocre, I won’t be back.

I was here again for their Margarita Brunch… I still have to say — how can this be legal???
It’s great — the buffet itself is actually pretty good… my favorite items were the Chimichangas and Green Chile Pork Stew. The Huevos Rancheros were also very good. There are plenty of other options as well as an Omelet Station.
The margaritas here are very good and very strong… be careful!
They have a very friendly staff as well.

I love this place! My son and I go for the «Fajita express» buffet. Both the chicken and the steak are super tender and yummy! The rice is also good, as is the adobada. I always get some guac, cheese, and sour cream.
The salsa bar is also great! I love how they have fresh limes :)
The chips and salsa are soooooooo good! I always wanna ask if they sell them to take home :)
The wait staff are super nice and I love the inside! I paid 11 $ for my son and I to eat :) I’ll def be back!

The key here is there salsa bar, which like Baja Fresh, is all-​you-​can-​serve-​yourself. It’s not bad overall, and the margaritas here are strong and tasty, according to my fellow drinkers. They don’t have spots necessarily for food & watching the TVs over across at the 24/​7, those are drinking only spots? Odd.
The mixed appetizers dish is massive, and the four sauces (bean, spicy, guac, and salsa) dish is good, too, but it almost feels like a Chili’s implanted into the Palms. Not necessarily the best of motivations to go here other than the drinks.
A bit dark, but a place where you can grab chips, salsa, and drinks without too much trouble.

I’ve been here 5 times, because I always stay at The Pams… everytime it’s just OK… they do have some rpetty hot salsa fresca, tho, which is a plus!
THE ORDER:
Chicken Chimichanga: 3 stars… all around deep-​friend yumminess. You have the option of grilled or fried, but who the hell orders a grilled chimichanga? The Rice was a bit on the dry side… beans were good, tho.
Carne Asada Burrito: 2 stars… tasted like overall junk… nothing amazing or a standout… kinda sucked.
Hard Chicken Tacos: 3 stars… crsipy sheel… flavorful meat…
Chicken Salad: 2 stars… Overall bland…
THE SERVICE: 2 stars
just slow and unattentive…
the hostess really needs to communicate with the waitstaff is they move our table… we werent greeted by a server for a LONG time… after we had our orders taken, things did get a little better…
BASICALLY, if your SHITFACED drunk, this place is good…

Creamiest
Sweetest
Frozen
Velvety
Most Delicious
FROZEN COCONUT MARGARITA
ever! Like, OMG. I’m hooked!
I was licking the honey and toasted coconut off my glass.
Recipe anyone? anyone?
Disclaimer: didn’t try the food. Thus, 5*****!

Warning: their giant margaritas are giant. And it’s $ 28 a pop. And no, they don’t put the price on the menu. So watch out.
Also, we thought there was a typo on the menu when we looked at it. A four-​item combo cost more than the five. So obviously we ordered the five-​item, and paid less. That’s a nice bonus.
The shredded beef quesadilla is yummy. And the portion is huge. So go wild.