Tacos Gardenias
Rating
Duration
45 minutes - 1 hour
Best Ages
All ages
About
Tacos Gardenias has been a Cabo San Lucas institution for over 30 years, and it is the restaurant locals will tell you to eat at if you ask where to get the best tacos in town. Located on Paseo de la Marina just a short walk from the waterfront, this open-air taco joint serves some of the freshest, most flavorful tacos in the entire marina area at prices that feel almost impossible by Cabo tourist standards.
The menu is centered on tacos, including fish, shrimp, cochinita pibil, slow-roasted pork, barbacoa, chicken, nopales, cactus, and chicharron. The fish tacos are the star: battered and fried to a crisp, loaded with shredded cabbage, cream, and fresh salsa. The shrimp tacos use plump, well-cooked shrimp.
Everything is made fresh, and you can watch the cooks working the grill and fryer from your seat.
Beyond tacos, the menu includes shrimp cocktails, ceviche, seafood soup, tortilla soup, and the famous shrimp molcajete, served in a traditional stone bowl with salsa, onion, and melted cheese. The molcajete is the dish many adults order while kids fill up on tacos.
The setting is casual to the point of charming. Plastic tables under a corrugated roof, paper plates, a TV showing soccer, and a salsa bar where you can load up on fresh toppings. There is no pretension, no dress code, and no judgment when a toddler drops a taco on the floor. Families eat alongside construction workers, hotel staff, and the occasional tourist who has been tipped off by a local.
Pricing is the other revelation. Cash only, so bring pesos.
It fills up during peak lunch and dinner hours, but turnover is fast, and waits rarely exceed 15 minutes.
For families who want to eat like a local and save their restaurant budget for one or two splurge dinners, Tacos Gardenias should be your default Cabo lunch spot.
Age Suitability
Parent Logistics
Stroller-Friendly
Yes
Nursing / Changing
Not Available
Kid Meals
Available
Setting
Outdoor
Rainy Day
Not ideal
Timing and food
Wait Times
5-15 minutes during peak lunch
Nearby Food
Tacos Gardenias is a few minutes' walk from the marina and Puerto Paraiso Mall. If the wait is too long, try the taco stands on Lazaro Cardenas for similar street-food quality. Baja Brewing Company (craft beer) and Solomon's Landing (seafood) are nearby for a different experience.
Why Kids Love It
Tacos Gardenias is the restaurant locals eat at, and it's been serving some of the best tacos in Cabo for over 30 years. Located right on Paseo de la Marina near the waterfront, it's an open-air, no-frills taco joint where the food does all the talking, and the food is outstanding. The fish tacos are crispy, fresh, and loaded with toppings.
The shrimp tacos are plump and perfectly seasoned. The cochinita pibil (slow-roasted pork) is melt-in-your-mouth tender. Kids who aren't adventurous eaters can stick with simple cheese quesadillas or chicken tacos, but the homemade salsas and fresh toppings often convince even picky eaters to try something new.
The atmosphere is casual to the extreme, plastic tables, paper plates, a TV in the corner, which means zero pressure. Kids can be as loud and messy as they want. The shrimp molcajete (served in a stone bowl with salsa, onion, and cheese) is the must-order for parents.
This is the Cabo dining experience that locals wish tourists would discover instead of eating at overpriced marina restaurants.
Tips for Your Visit
- Cash only, there's an ATM nearby on the marina, but bring pesos to avoid exchange rate losses
- The fish and shrimp tacos are the must-order items, they've been perfecting them for 30+ years
- The shrimp molcajete (stone bowl with salsa, onion, and cheese) is the signature dish for a reason
- Don't be put off by the no-frills setting, the food quality is excellent and the prices can't be beat in the marina area
What to Bring
- Cash in pesos, credit cards are not accepted
- Nothing else needed, this is a casual, quick-service restaurant
