Yummy!! It's been a long time since I had good Mexican food and it did not disappoint! Atmosphere was amazing! Loved it!
Kathleen C.
Second time we've visited Jardines, even better this time. Our party enjoyed tacos, an enchilada, and a burrito, all done to perfection. The patio is so charming, we could have lingered for hours but we had places to go.
scincalifornia
I don’t get here very often, probably because their sister restaurant Manuel’s is 5 minutes from my house, but I’m looking forward to the next time we visit. I was there for a baby shower, so we had a different dining experience than if ordering off the menu. I can tell you the quality of the food and taste was no different than the restaurant. The courtyard where the shower took place is just gorgeous. Blooming flowers and succulents everywhere. The chickens were in their coop this day. Beans are usually a forgotten side dish in Mexican restaurants, but not at Jardin, or Manuel’s. They are amazing. So is the rice. We also had fajitas, cheese enchiladas, Caesar salad and tortillas. Every table had a generous serving of delicious guacamole. The margaritas at the open bar were top notch and exactly what I’m used to at Manuel’s. San Jaun Bautista itself is a treasure. Walking the streets it felt like we were in Old California. People have certainly discovered it since my elementary school days and trips to the mission. It was almost like a young, more fun inland Carmel with so many people out enjoying themselves. I’m definitely coming back and hopefully making it a one night getaway.
John A.
Portions are huge and service is great. The food was OUTSTANDING! Thank you. We'll be back often.
T J.
Beautiful gardens lovely place to eat outdoors or have a gathering or wedding. This restaurant is related to Manuel's in Aptos. Manuel's is my absolute favorite, the food is delicious. Jardines is a close second, food is comparable to Manuel's. Highly recommend for a lovely place to eat outdoors in San Juan.
Darlene S.
Whenever we crave good Mexican food we hop in the car and drive down to Jardines De San Juan. Mexican restaurants are a dime a dozen but this lovey establishment is a step above the others. Once you walk through the iron gates you are transported into another world that makes you feel like you're south of the border. The brick patio is adorned with succulents galore and each table has a different color umbrella that adds a festive touch. The nachos are served hot and fresh. The entrees are so large that I usually take half of mine home to enjoy the next day. I always top off my meal with their sangria but the margaritas are delicious as well!
Stephanie L.
I love this place, I come here every year ok my birthday. I try something new every time and I always like the food. The scenery is also so beautiful and the staff is always very friendly :)
lwadds
My family and I always eat here for lunch when traveling to Santa Cruz. This restaurant was a favorite. Today we were disappointed with not only the service but also the food. The red sauce on our enchiladas and burritos was so thick and starchy that my son asked me if it was caramel sauce. Tasted like flour. I asked for salt and pepper twice and never received it. Never received a refill on a single drink and when we were ready to leave we could get no get anyone to come to our table and provide a ticket. Finally I went to the hostess who got the attention of our server. Sadly, we will not be returning.
Michelle A.
Can't even give 'em 1 stars the food in here is a joke their service is crap I order a sangria sangria taste like a hard liquor doesn't have that fruity flavor at all!!! Never again seems like the server is scared of the manager or so! Cause I told her that I don't like it and she was like what can I do with this one then I I told her just cancel I don't like it and not planning to pay for something I don't like it especially at restaurant she got even more mad!!! First and last time never again here btw they should hire a chef or at least someone that know how to make Mexican fried rice and knows how to use fresh vegetables like a traditional Mexican restaurants their lettuce is from the bag all the way like Macdonald at least we know macdonal is fast food !!!
Michele B.
We went down to San Juan Bautista for the Fourth of July planning to eat at a different restaurant. I had even called ahead to see if they would be open but I think they decided to close early for the festivities. Which ended up being totally OK because Jardines was awesome. The atmosphere is amazing the location is beautiful the garden is breathtaking. All of the succulents and beautiful foliage is miraculous to see . So many little hidden details all over the property this would be an amazing venue for a wedding. The food was good I wish there was some sauce on my chili Reino but it was tasty. My Hubby got their award winning burrito it was way bigger than a water bottle it was stuffed to the max with goodness and he was pretty happy. They do not offer any straws whatsoever so be prepared for that. Also be prepared for some kind of slow service. They were packed and from what I could see there was really only one server tons of young girls running around as far as running food and filling drinks but overall like I said the experience was pretty good. I showed a picture of the water because we ended up asking for bottled just because it was so cloudy that it took us eating a whole meal for it to clear up. Kind of sketchy so we moved past that and enjoyed our time.
I may not be of Mexican ancestry, but I am a California native so I do know good Mexican food when I have it. And Jardines de San Juan is one of the best meals I have had in a long time. The frijoles/beans served as a side are possibly the best I have had, and their enchiladas are equally good. Doing a Golden State tour, reacquainting myself with places in CA I have visited many times in the past, and San Juan Bautista is one of my favorite mission towns, along with Capistrano and Carmel. Traveling solo this time I had the chance to stop in at Jardines de San Juan and the meal was beyond great. I opted to take a seat at the bar, and the bartender, William, was such a nice guy and made me feel very welcome. The service was fantastic and the drinks he whipped up took the meal to an even greater level of perfection. My compliments to the chefs, and William, at Jardines de San Juan for making it a great culinary experience.
Concha A.
I love coming here. Beautiful outside patio you can sit, enjoy your meal, and relax. We always ask for Joe to be our waiter. He always makes us feel special, great service, and always has a smile on his face. Thanks Joe
Bob A. RaNeses
I like the ambiance, outdoor sitting, wide selection of drinks and food, affordable price and accommodating staff. Great place to hangout.
Katie R.
Vibes, sangria, or nachos...can't decide which I liked better! Came here for lunch on a Sunday a little before noon while exploring San Juan Bautista. We were seated immediately on the expansive outdoor patio, that was shaded ever so nicely by trees and umbrellas. Really enjoyed all the greenery and beautiful flowers around the patio. This was truly a leisurely lunch in a leisurely spot. We ordered the small pitcher of sangria for two of us and enjoyed every last drop of it! It was the perfect amount if you wanted more than a glass, but still wanted to be able to drive home after lunch. It was nice and sweet without seeming too sugary, I would definitely order it again! For food we shared the nachos with carnitas, which were absolutely amazing, and each ordered an a la carte taco on the side. The nachos ended up being so loaded and filling that I didn't even touch my soft taco, and it became the next days lunch. It was good the next day but I wished I had brought the salsa with me because it definitely could've used some. My mom ordered the crispy taco a la carte and wasn't a huge fan, she thought the shredded chicken was dry. We also ordered the guac, which was a fairly large portion. Unfortunately they forgot about it, so we didn't get it until a few minutes before our food came out, but we took it home and it was still good the next day. The service started out super fast, almost a little too fast because we hadn't even gotten to look at the drink menu before we were asked. Because we weren't ready to order immediately it took a while to get our food ordered once we were ready. We ended up spending close to two hours here, but we weren't in a rush and truly did enjoy ourselves. Lovely space to have a nice and leisurely meal.
Deary L.
This is my favorite restaurant in SJBI had the shrimp in an exquisite fried tortilla bowl absolutely delicious. An extensive wine list. There's no better spot to sit than on their huge garden patio. I don't think I've actually eaten inside the restaurant because the weather is almost always perfect in SJB.
Yummy!! It's been a long time since I had good Mexican food and it did not disappoint! Atmosphere was amazing! Loved it!
Second time we've visited Jardines, even better this time. Our party enjoyed tacos, an enchilada, and a burrito, all done to perfection. The patio is so charming, we could have lingered for hours but we had places to go.
I don’t get here very often, probably because their sister restaurant Manuel’s is 5 minutes from my house, but I’m looking forward to the next time we visit. I was there for a baby shower, so we had a different dining experience than if ordering off the menu. I can tell you the quality of the food and taste was no different than the restaurant. The courtyard where the shower took place is just gorgeous. Blooming flowers and succulents everywhere. The chickens were in their coop this day. Beans are usually a forgotten side dish in Mexican restaurants, but not at Jardin, or Manuel’s. They are amazing. So is the rice. We also had fajitas, cheese enchiladas, Caesar salad and tortillas. Every table had a generous serving of delicious guacamole. The margaritas at the open bar were top notch and exactly what I’m used to at Manuel’s. San Jaun Bautista itself is a treasure. Walking the streets it felt like we were in Old California. People have certainly discovered it since my elementary school days and trips to the mission. It was almost like a young, more fun inland Carmel with so many people out enjoying themselves. I’m definitely coming back and hopefully making it a one night getaway.
Portions are huge and service is great. The food was OUTSTANDING! Thank you. We'll be back often.
Beautiful gardens lovely place to eat outdoors or have a gathering or wedding. This restaurant is related to Manuel's in Aptos. Manuel's is my absolute favorite, the food is delicious. Jardines is a close second, food is comparable to Manuel's. Highly recommend for a lovely place to eat outdoors in San Juan.
Whenever we crave good Mexican food we hop in the car and drive down to Jardines De San Juan. Mexican restaurants are a dime a dozen but this lovey establishment is a step above the others. Once you walk through the iron gates you are transported into another world that makes you feel like you're south of the border. The brick patio is adorned with succulents galore and each table has a different color umbrella that adds a festive touch. The nachos are served hot and fresh. The entrees are so large that I usually take half of mine home to enjoy the next day. I always top off my meal with their sangria but the margaritas are delicious as well!
I love this place, I come here every year ok my birthday. I try something new every time and I always like the food. The scenery is also so beautiful and the staff is always very friendly :)
My family and I always eat here for lunch when traveling to Santa Cruz. This restaurant was a favorite. Today we were disappointed with not only the service but also the food. The red sauce on our enchiladas and burritos was so thick and starchy that my son asked me if it was caramel sauce. Tasted like flour. I asked for salt and pepper twice and never received it. Never received a refill on a single drink and when we were ready to leave we could get no get anyone to come to our table and provide a ticket. Finally I went to the hostess who got the attention of our server. Sadly, we will not be returning.
Can't even give 'em 1 stars the food in here is a joke their service is crap I order a sangria sangria taste like a hard liquor doesn't have that fruity flavor at all!!! Never again seems like the server is scared of the manager or so! Cause I told her that I don't like it and she was like what can I do with this one then I I told her just cancel I don't like it and not planning to pay for something I don't like it especially at restaurant she got even more mad!!! First and last time never again here btw they should hire a chef or at least someone that know how to make Mexican fried rice and knows how to use fresh vegetables like a traditional Mexican restaurants their lettuce is from the bag all the way like Macdonald at least we know macdonal is fast food !!!
We went down to San Juan Bautista for the Fourth of July planning to eat at a different restaurant. I had even called ahead to see if they would be open but I think they decided to close early for the festivities. Which ended up being totally OK because Jardines was awesome. The atmosphere is amazing the location is beautiful the garden is breathtaking. All of the succulents and beautiful foliage is miraculous to see . So many little hidden details all over the property this would be an amazing venue for a wedding. The food was good I wish there was some sauce on my chili Reino but it was tasty. My Hubby got their award winning burrito it was way bigger than a water bottle it was stuffed to the max with goodness and he was pretty happy. They do not offer any straws whatsoever so be prepared for that. Also be prepared for some kind of slow service. They were packed and from what I could see there was really only one server tons of young girls running around as far as running food and filling drinks but overall like I said the experience was pretty good. I showed a picture of the water because we ended up asking for bottled just because it was so cloudy that it took us eating a whole meal for it to clear up. Kind of sketchy so we moved past that and enjoyed our time.
Restaurantji Recommends
I may not be of Mexican ancestry, but I am a California native so I do know good Mexican food when I have it. And Jardines de San Juan is one of the best meals I have had in a long time. The frijoles/beans served as a side are possibly the best I have had, and their enchiladas are equally good. Doing a Golden State tour, reacquainting myself with places in CA I have visited many times in the past, and San Juan Bautista is one of my favorite mission towns, along with Capistrano and Carmel. Traveling solo this time I had the chance to stop in at Jardines de San Juan and the meal was beyond great. I opted to take a seat at the bar, and the bartender, William, was such a nice guy and made me feel very welcome. The service was fantastic and the drinks he whipped up took the meal to an even greater level of perfection. My compliments to the chefs, and William, at Jardines de San Juan for making it a great culinary experience.
I love coming here. Beautiful outside patio you can sit, enjoy your meal, and relax. We always ask for Joe to be our waiter. He always makes us feel special, great service, and always has a smile on his face. Thanks Joe
I like the ambiance, outdoor sitting, wide selection of drinks and food, affordable price and accommodating staff. Great place to hangout.
Vibes, sangria, or nachos...can't decide which I liked better! Came here for lunch on a Sunday a little before noon while exploring San Juan Bautista. We were seated immediately on the expansive outdoor patio, that was shaded ever so nicely by trees and umbrellas. Really enjoyed all the greenery and beautiful flowers around the patio. This was truly a leisurely lunch in a leisurely spot. We ordered the small pitcher of sangria for two of us and enjoyed every last drop of it! It was the perfect amount if you wanted more than a glass, but still wanted to be able to drive home after lunch. It was nice and sweet without seeming too sugary, I would definitely order it again! For food we shared the nachos with carnitas, which were absolutely amazing, and each ordered an a la carte taco on the side. The nachos ended up being so loaded and filling that I didn't even touch my soft taco, and it became the next days lunch. It was good the next day but I wished I had brought the salsa with me because it definitely could've used some. My mom ordered the crispy taco a la carte and wasn't a huge fan, she thought the shredded chicken was dry. We also ordered the guac, which was a fairly large portion. Unfortunately they forgot about it, so we didn't get it until a few minutes before our food came out, but we took it home and it was still good the next day. The service started out super fast, almost a little too fast because we hadn't even gotten to look at the drink menu before we were asked. Because we weren't ready to order immediately it took a while to get our food ordered once we were ready. We ended up spending close to two hours here, but we weren't in a rush and truly did enjoy ourselves. Lovely space to have a nice and leisurely meal.
This is my favorite restaurant in SJBI had the shrimp in an exquisite fried tortilla bowl absolutely delicious. An extensive wine list. There's no better spot to sit than on their huge garden patio. I don't think I've actually eaten inside the restaurant because the weather is almost always perfect in SJB.