El Jardin Restaurant

Great place to hang out and eat Mex. Staff was friendly and helpful. Food was hot and arrived in a timely manner. Nice bar area to enjoy a drink. Parking lot is small and shared. We ended up parking in the residential area next door. I had the single tamale w/rice and bean combo. Meat was well seasoned and delicious. Rice and beans were too seasoned well. Rice was fluffy and had a rich tomato flavor. The table salsa and warm bean dip was good too. There was a real wood fireplace burning that added a nice home feel for being a cool night.

Great spot and friendly service! Delicious food and beverages. The bean dip is a lovely perk, served with the complimentary chips.

This place is amazing. Great prices on the food and the quality is so amazing . Great big portions ! New favorite sit down Mexican in Santa Cruz

Amazing, first time and I will be back Very nice employees, quick service I ordered chicken taquitos yummm best I’ve ever had, mango mojito was a hit.

I asked our waitress before ordering if they would let me order a kids meal because I have a eating issues or if I should just order a single taco. Not only did the order come wrong but it was good so I ate it any way. I did not eat the whole thing as I stated but the bill came and I said oh you didn't charge me the kids price. She said oh my mistake I couldn't give you that price. I said we'll I told you I would just order a taco then. She said oh well. Not happy since I asked before ordering. I don't have a stomach and lots of restaurants let me order off the kids meal or I order a al a cart item, no problem.

One of my best dinner experience with super ambience and thanks to super service of staff. No hassle for parking. One of the best ice cream shop connected and also in menu to order on table. Coconut drink was so awesome. Fresh complimentary Chips and Salsa added mood to relax ! (ask for mild salsa as spicy is real spicy).

After a busy day sightseeing, we were happy to stop by El Jardin for a snack and a drink. Loved the Non-Quixote drink, a non alcoholic mango, chili, and zero proof tequila drink. Our waiter was efficient and pleasant. The whole vibe of the place was electric on a Saturday night. Maybe it was the DJ, maybe it was the tequila, or maybe it was the beautiful weather, but everyone seemed happy and enjoying themselves. Festive, fun spot!

Best Mexican food I have had in a long time! I got the Torta, and it was mouth-watering good. I could eat that all day and still love it. The Strawberry Margarita was amazing as well! My husband got the Carne Asada and loved it! And we both devoured the bean dip. Everyone was super nice and helpful. The outdoor patio was beautiful! Overall, it was an amazing experience! We will be back!

Walked in and had high hopes. Nice vibe, friendly staff, great service. I ordered a crab enchilada. It tasted worse than canned cat food. It was salty, un-edible. I couldn't believe they would serve something that gross! Wife ordered tamales. They were dry, burnt, probably overcooked in a microwave. The husk was stuck to the burnt brick textured rock they called tamales. This place truly had the worst Mexican food I've ever eaten.

Recently been getting the crispy asada tacos and they are consistently good as are the margaritas! Free chips and salsa great bar or dining room seating and super nice service.

Great Mexican food, very fresh & made to order, I had fish tacos & wanted a few extra bits which the owner/server sorted straight out, friendly staff, great food!

very disappointed. party of 4. 2 of us had bugs in our rice.. I understand this happens with rice sometimes but it seems like they would pay more attention to what they are putting on their plates. We weren't looking for them and they were very visible. Also, the amount of rice and beans they give you with your meal was maybe 2 tablespoons if that. After the first finding we told the waitress and she took the plate and simply said, "oh" ... as if it was normal. after the second finding now in my food I was done and just didn't eat.. i told her and she replied with, " oh another one" took my plate and that was the end of it. we live out of town so I don't have to worry about coming back but still.... it's just the fact that the whole thing was just disregarded as nothing.. our bill was $80 and we left hungry because none of us wanted to eat our food.. we were very disappointed.

I took my aunt and cousin to El Jardin and could not have had a better experience: from being seated by our accommodating host, to our whole experience at the outdoor table, everything was just right. Our server, Hannah, was friendly, attentive, and timely. Our party was very pleased with the quality and quantity of our meals. There was even what seemed to be a server-manager (or second server) who kindly checked in with us a few times and refreshed our drinks and chips. It was just perfect!

Could of definitely been better. A s a Latino myself I was disappointed in the quality of food and service. We waited for a waiter for about 30 minutes after ordering our drinks. The restaurant was primarily empty when I was there. The food quality was very disappointing, ordering a plate of ceviche ( a Mexican cuisine made to expand on the richness of shrimp and its flavor). It was very over-seasoned with black pepper and seemed to not be freshly made. My partner ordered a quesadilla and it was also very disappointing. A piece of parsley to top a sadly made plate. Overall , I do think there is room for improvement as their location is great and the restaurant itself is beautiful. This is not to discourage anyone from trying but rather to warn people in the face of possible disappointment.

All the staff is really nice, they speak English and Spanish and that's necessary. I move on Cali from Lousiana and I can say finally I found a similar flavor on the food like there. For the first time we try quesadilla supreme and it was so delicious, with salsa on top oh la la

Great drinks, good people and good food! Very pretty and well maintained restaurant inside and out. It's the only spot in town I know that has bottomless mimosas on weekends! I sit on the patio with my dogs often, very dog friendly!

This place is the food in terms of ambience.. the owner maintains a beautiful garden of succulents, cacti and plenty of blackbirds flying free.. it was delightful to see plenty of vegan options. Had vegan chicken tacos with whole beans. It was wonderful. The waiters are honest and tell you if anything has animal product.. so my husband ate my share of rice since it was made with chicken stock. I did not mind at all. It was wonderful to be able to trust a restaurant that understood my sentiments

A smaller group of us had appetizers and drinks tonight. We sat in the side room off the bar. Our server, Federico was extremely efficient, polite, and pleasant. He and one of the other attendants checked on us regularly to ensure if we were well taken care of. We ordered a supreme platter and a quesadilla to share. The tortilla chips and the salsa provided were delicious We were all pleased with the food and excellent service. We look forward to returning.

I had a decent dinner here a year ago with a couple friends.....so went back for lunch on Friday. 7/11/2025 The chicken enchilada seemed fresh but wasn't very big and was plenty hot but lacked enough sauce so was on the dry side eating it compared to other enchiladas at other restaurants. The chili Relleno on the other hand was not quite warm even...even cold in spots. It has a very think egg batter ( the worst type of Relleno in my opinion) with no flavor and the chili inside was not a whole one with a stem, it was a thick tough piece that seemed from a can. So not a stuffed chili. So 2-3 stars for the enchilada, and zero (one star) for the Chili relleno. It also has the smallest portion of refried beans I've ever had and I am 71 and Mexican is my favorite so I have had hundreds of Mexican meals from all over. So besides the above, Had to ask for more chips ( the first bowl was tiny and there were two of us...and no one ever came to see if we needed more chips or salsa. We did need more salsa but I was tired of looking around for help. The place was pretty empty. Only one other guy besides us. I doubt I will ever eat there again. Service was a 2....( the guy was friendly) but was more focused on the behind the scenes tasks than being of service to us having lunch. It never looks busy there and this must be why.

The best chicken fajita salad!!! And the chia lime with vodka is amazing. You're gotta give it a try!

ABSOLUTELY the BEST ice cream anywhere!! This ice cream shop within the restaurant is a hidden gem!! Creamy, flavorful , outside the box choices. You won't be sorry you came here, but you will be sorry you can't come back again and again if you live in the east bay. I will be dreaming abt this place!! Until next time!!

The service was outstanding, the owner came out to talk to us and was friendly. The food was amazing and plentiful. The atmosphere was cozy and calming, and I highly recommend it if you want some good Mexican food.

Great good and services. The owner was very sweet and made sure we had everything we needed. Went here on a random Wednesday just a quick date night. Parking itself was easy. I got a Tamerindo margarita, it was delicious. I asked for them to add jalapeño and it was amazing. They also provide chips and salsa free.

My experience at El Jardin was wonderful! Local AirBnB host recommended! So I had great hopes. Another Mexican restaurant had always been the "go to" when in Santa Cruz. Unfortunateley owner died. Let me start by saying the margaritas were fabulous! My Yelp friends know that is important criteria for me!:) And from there it only got better. Nice chips and salsa. Jenny, waitperson, was exceptional. Sit where ever you want! Love that. It was a blue sky, cool breeze kind of Santa Cruz day. How about the patio. Lovely, spacious outdoor area. And dog friendly! Grabbed a table and we were on our way. With that top shelf margarita in hand, perusing the menu options was so much nicer...right? Munching on chips and seeing plenty of choices. Ok...we are ready to order. Jenny was sweet and patient. A quality I am always thankful for because I can be picky. The chicken enchalada sounded perfect and my dining partner settled on a carna asada burrito. Apologies for no menu photo...too hungry I guess. But food pics included. Both plates were absolutely delicious. A perfect meal on such an inviting patio. So beyond the heart-stopping margaritas (yes, they were that good and yes I had more than one), excellent food and customer service, I want to describe how beautiful the inside dining area is. High ceilings, upscale art work, large vases with flowers...breath taking! It was a mid week day and the resturant was pretty empty. I can only imagine the evening and weekend scenerio with people inside and outside...eating, laughing and chatting away in this gorgeous restaurant. There was also a separate room, equally as nice, with a Catina, (bar) to die for. That would be fun! Let's talk Happy Hour. The sign says Every Day 3 p.m. until 6 p.m., Tuesday 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. Cantina and Patio only. Awesome! I do have a photo of that. Any place with an every day HH sounds good to me. So if you find yourself in Santa Cruz and want some good food and a stiff drink with outstanding customer service, El Jardin is your place for sure. Cheers Amigo and gracias Jenny!

The only thing that was decent was the bean dip. This place is not for people looking for authentic Mexican food. The inside of the restaurant was nice and maybe there are better dishes then what I ordered but I was disappointed because the reviews are favorable but definitely not a place I'd ever go back to.

We had a great experience today at El Jardin. We always eat in the bar if we can. EJ has a great set of TV's for sports watching. Our server was Ben, and he was great! EJ has an awesome mix of quality / service / value. Recommended.

I'd been curious about this place for awhile and really wanted to like it. If the review was based on food, I probably would've given 4. But because this is also about service, environment, etc., I have chosen to dock a star. I really like to believe that when I have an underwhelming experience at a restaurant, it's just an off night or day. Perhaps that's the case here, but I can't say I'll go back. The service was pretty unsophisticated, although sweet, and the overall vibe of the place felt scattered and unorganized. The staff had multiple conversations happening with one another that just seemed unprofessional, simply put. I could say more but I suppose I'll just end with, check it out for yourself and see. I hope they take customer feedback and use it to their advantage.

Amazing food and service! We loved the chicken fajitas and enchiladas! Plus the chips and bean dip that were served were great. We will be back!

I have nothing bad to say about our first time at this place....we have driven past this place for 10 years We decided to try it for happy hour (4-6pm every day) sat at the bar and was served chips and salsa and this delicious bean dip with sour cream and cheese...so good! Ordered off the happy hour menu and we enjoyed the sampler platter and tres chicos tacos. Seriously huge portion ended up ordering more of the bean dip Margaritas were good not too sour I will definitely return to this place Service was great Clean restroom

Emily was awesome and the food was excellent So I give this review 10 5 for Emily and 5 for El Jardin Excellent flavor... Great Service all around hot food served with care

We got a soggy taco bowl salad with wimpy chicken, pretty good pozole, ok beef nachos. very disappointing, perhaps might have been better in the restaurant instead of home delivery. won't be back

I've been to El Jardin many times. They do a good job, however, I ordered take out a couple days ago (Caldo de Pollo) and got home to discover my chips were stale. Same thing happened several months ago with a take-out order, Big bummer! I look forward to my chips with my Mexican meal. Seriously - gotta have my chips! The staff is friendly and they work hard. Food is great - the Caldo de Pollo was delicious. Next time, I guess I will have to test my chips before leaving the restaurant when I order take out - or just do take-out someplace else. The fix is simple: taste your damn chips on the daily. Can't be that hard. Stale chips on different take-out orders months apart kinda speaks for itself.

Tired of the same old food, opted to try El Jardin. Ordered the chicken & rice soup and was surprised by the generous portions of tender chicken. The combination of cilantro and cabbage delightful. Filled me up for a long time.

I went there to get hot and warm food but it was cold and had to heat it up when I got home

Their food is good and they recently added a mini Marianne's Ice Cream serving station to their location. Remember this is ice cream folks...so ask about NUTS...don't want to go to the hospital.

Let's start with the best part first. Max, our server was legit. He was professional and attentive. My buddy and I finished a long mountain bike ride and we were starving! Max let us bring in our mountain bikes so they were safe from thieves. I ordered the house margarita and couldn't taste any alcohol. So I got another one, they tasted like the premix stuff you can buy at the local grocery store. Cant say anything good about the drinks. I ordered the burrito and taco combo plate and the food came fast. However it was cold and flavorless. When max brought me the plate I thought the burrito was a microwaveable burrito. The taco was...meh. Beans and rice were...blah. Worst Mexican food I've ever had in my life, Taco Bell puts this place to shame. However this is 10x the price of Taco Bell. The sign on the business says, "Fine Mexican". This was anything but that. I can't believe this place is still in business. With that being said I destroyed my plate because I finished an epic mountain bike ride. If someone put a moose in front of me I would have eaten the entire thing, bones and organs too. I can't recommend this place if you are looking for a good meal. I hope this place re-evaluates their food. Max, if you are reading this, you were an awesome server. I feel bad that you have some attachment to this business because you should be working at an establishment that takes pride in their product. Your service supersedes this place and they do not deserve you. If you are looking for good food, consider another restaurant. I hope the management reads this and either makes changes or shuts the business down. P.S. these people leaving good reviews for the food here, how high are you?!

I don't remember having worse Mexican food at a sit down restaurant. Service was good though. It seems they would want to serve better food. My four person party agreed.

such a wonderful restaurant. best 21st birthday dinner ever. the bean dip was so good. our waiter was so nice and the ambiance was great. killer fireplace. my girl got a jalapeño tequila shot for her birthday. it was lit. they put a candle in it

El jardin had amazing food. Loved it!!! 5 stars for food. Our server Emily was the best server we have had all year. She is definitely 5 star Emily got our order correct the first time, and she was very efficient. Ambiance is excellent!! Thank you

Took 3 friends to early dinner... the staff was great... 4 old ladies asking for different things.. Everyone was helpful and patient... Huge portions... we took over half home... we ordered too much food. They wanted to go to a tourist spot on the beach... I said no... a neighborhood place with good food would be better.

Found this piece of plastic in my tortilla soup. Is that part of the recipe? We've been supporting for years and have had a few instances of messed up orders but nothing like this. This piece of plastic can seriously cut and maim if ingested.

We picked up take-out here last night. It's 5am now & my body has violently rejected whatever that was disguised as Mexican food. Those fried chips they "make" are probably best avoided unless fried food is your thing. Maybe it was the lardy refried beans that did it? The salad had more meat than lettuce and was in another "fried chip" bowl (which was not something a salad makes sense to be in). That was an expensive disappointment for my family, and I'm still regretting it. This place used to be better; not sure what happened:( Oh, and the plastic containers & plastic bag could use an upgrade to something more sustainable for packaging their awful food... not that I'll ever eat here again, but for their fried food followers and the planet.

Food is excellent, service was good and value was good as well. Cute decor, would like to go back the next time in town.

As a real Mexican, I approve! We came here on a whim because we were hungry on our way home and boy oh boy was I driving by a gem almost weekly. Their food is authentic, the rice is like the one your mom makes fluffy flavorful and the beans...yumm! I had the chicken and steak fajitas they were not dry, flavorful and very filling. My husband had the camarones a la diabla and they were spicy but the type you keep wanting more and more. Staff was attentive and very nice! Great music and layout.

I couldn't wait to get here! We walked in the door, sat down at the bar and waited. And waited. Annnnd waited. And 20 minutes later someone said hello and asked us what we would like to drink. Another 20 minutes later we got our drinks. I have been here enough times to know that this is not uncommon, but the food is good, the drinks are good, and for some reason, I really feel positive and happy when I come here. I recommend it highly but they need to pick up their service game!

This place went down hill omg terrible service wasn't even busy in a Friday . The one thing they had that was decent was the chicken tortilla soup . I got a bowl of rice Manny I don't know What is up . Then get there at 5:45 and didn't get the happy hour because the bartender was Mia and then when I asked him he said sorry and looked at the clock . Another Santa Cruz spot fallen

We landed at El Jardine's on a fluke as we originally drove the 35 miles "over the hill" to visit another Mexican restaurant just down the road. When we got there they were holding a private party but neglected to post that on their website. So to El Jardine's we went and am glad we did! First the service: Everyone working that day, from the hostess, busboy, our server and the bartender, were super friendly. They even indulged me and laughed at my dad jokes! The food: All five of us liked the plates we chose. I personally ordered the Enchiladas a la Padilla (steak, chicken & cheese). To my surprise the tortillas had a layer of fried cheese on the outside. OMG they were good and doesn't like cheese? Well communist don't but nobody trusts a communist anyways. Protip - If you are not down for the Whetto salsa typically reserved for people who can't handle the hot stuff, ask for their hot salsa. Disclaimer- I'm a Whetto by definition minus the hair. Drinks: The bar was fully stocked and their Tequila selection was pretty impressive! In the end I found a new Mex restaurant and that makes me happy. So I will be back for more.

The chicken dishes tasted like poor quality reheated chicken. Rubbery and not tasted. The green mole sauce was tasty but didn't save the taste of the chicken.

During Covid I ordered from a lot of local restaurants using my Uber eats ap. I was in the mood for chicken fajitas. When I saw the El Jardin had them I thought I'd give them a try. I also saw on their take out menu that they have tortilla soup - a favorite of mine. And since coming to Santa Cruz I haven't been able to find I ordered the tortilla soup as a ' side' and it was awesome!!! And I got enough for several meals. However The fajitas were barely even so so. The grilled chicken was sparse. And very moist - not in a good way. I won't be ordering fajitas from them again. It's nice to know where I can find great tortilla soup though!

Wish I could say something good about this Mexican restaurant. The service was minimal , food, for two , was delivered at different times , making sharing a meal with a friend a stretch . Bartender apparently was new and hard a difficult time coordinating drink delivery. Don't bother spending your time, money here .

Staff was good but the food experience was a disaster. My kids food was not made correctly (asked for carne asada and got boiled chicken). My wife's burrito wa tiny and made wrong then they "corrected" it and it was ice cold. (We're locals fyi, not acceptable, tourist type experience) Will never come back.

Was in Santa Cruz for a football game and wanted to eat some good food before heading back home to San Jose. I remembered a friend of mine mentioning this place had a good food so my Husband, Granddaughter. and I stopped here to eat. Walking in we were quickly greeted by a older gentleman who was very nice and seated us promptly. Cute little place with beautiful colorful tile and cozy atmosphere. We were seating and a very nice young girl served our drinks. A young man took our order but did not write it down which was odd to me he must have memorized it. 15 minutes after taking our order he comes back to our table to say that there was no more pozole and to choose something else. Ok so I ordered a enchilada with chicken and green sauce. My Granddaughter's taco arrived with chicken but was suppose to be pork but she ate it anyways. My husband's shrimp enchilada plate still had not and I noticed that other couples that were seated after us were already getting their plates of food. I asked about my husband's and they said it's coming soon. So my plate arrives and it was incorrect, this is a why I think they should write the orders down. So the waiter takes my plate back to fix it. Still my husband's plate hasn't arrived and my Granddaughter is now finished eating. My husband is starting to get annoyed so when my fixed plate arrives,I ask where is my husband's plate? Waiter says it's coming...no apologies and walks away. My husband's plate finally arrives 1.5 hours after he ordered it!!! No apologies for how long it took, no one came by to ask how everything was. His plate of food looked like they put 3 shrimp in a rolled up tortilla, and put a scoop of sour cream on top of it!!! My husband was not happy. This was a dinner plate costing over $20 and it looked like a $1.99 taco when it was suppose to be shrimp enchiladas that took forever to cook!!! We had planned on visiting their ice cream shop there after our dinner but my husband was not happy and ready to go. We were so disappointed in the service and food. We will not be coming back!!!

I live fairly close to el Jardin and have been going there for many years so when I say the food is not good anymore believe me. I went there with a couple of friends and immediately was greeted with a rude hostess who wouldn't answer any of our questions and hid in the back on her phone for the majority of the meal. The waiter came out and took our food order but didn't write it down. We got all of the meat options mixed up on our plate and the food was lukewarm with barely any flavor it is comparable to Taco Bell. It's sad to see how down hill it has gone but don't waste your time and money here.

This is definitely one of those kitchen nightmares places everything does not taste fresh every thing over salty greasy leaking/soggy with liquid

Absolutely horrible experience for restaurant week. We went with two friends at 5. We ordered and never got any food for an hour . We asked where are the appetizers? Oh, they are coming, so sorry. Well, we finally got our food over an hour after we ordered and the food was ok but the service was terrible. Never will return to this place. There is something very wrong with management at this place and the lack of customer service. our first time there and definitely our LAST!

We've enjoyed happy hour, brunch, & dinner here. The food and service is constantly good. I realize, through covid, it has been difficult to keep staff. It's a pain reality which many restaurants have experienced; I don't rate ElJardin service missteps during this unpredicted time. We will continue to come and enjoy El Jardin!

To start off the staff is extremely rude and inexperienced, many times rolling their eyes and cussing at customers under their breath while purposely ignoring tables and having extremely explicit conversations with the other servers .I knew a couple of people that have recently worked at el Jardin and I have seen first hand how they keep their beans uncovered on the kitchen floor for 5+ hours as well as many of their termisus having mold on them that is scrapped off before being served to a costumer. They also had underage bussers delivering alcoholic drinks and the food is basically Taco Bell put on a real plate. If you literally have no where else to go check it out but from how they treat their customers to how they run their food safety it's really not worth the risk.