Garduno’s in Santa Fe

A nice room, but run down and dirty overlooking the parking lot with lots of weeds. The service was slow and mediocre. The food poor, they ran our of guacamole and had no salsa. Our signature green chile burger had chiles chopped from a can and took 45 minutes to prepare. One waiter served the entire place and called us guys and told us our order was «cool». Clearly there is no management on site and not enough customers to maintain appropriate staff or inventory. In a city of fine restaurants, it is a place to avoid.

Only reason this place is getting two stars is because the drinks were good, but the food was terrible and so was the service. The waiter took forever to do anything and failed to write down our orders so he kept having to come back and ask us what we wanted. When the food did arrive we didn’t receive sopapillas and were told you had to ask for them when you ordered even though the menu didn’t specify that. The meat was dry in the burrito and the enchiladas. Very disappointed for such a pricey place.

They had no guacamole (a signature appetizer), the chips were stale and when the fajita sides came there was maybe ¼ cup of rice and beans for 2 to share. The one waiter that was doing all tables did his best but it was really bad food.

It’s got a beautiful view of the national cemetery. The waitress, who was also the bartender evidently, and doing double duty covering the entire restaurant last night… was fabulous! and didn’t even flinch when I was ready to go earlier than the rest of my party and wanted a separate check. The chips and salsa are fine, though you would think that they would figure out to split the salsa (when there’s a table of seven) into two bowls… but the dealbreaker was my «chefs specialty» tostada dinner tasted like canned dog food. And gave me diarrhea today. While I was giving a four hour tour of northern New Mexico.: /

As much as I really don’t like writing anything negative about local restaurants, my experience at Garduno’s at The Lodge was so abysmal that I feel compelled to warn others about wasting their money going here. In the ten years that I have lived in Santa Fe, I have never had worse service than what I experienced last night at this pathetic excuse for a restaurant.
The food, at best, was mediocre. Truthfully, Taco Bell would have been both tastier and quicker. Our table of three showed up for a 6:30pm reservation since we were attending the Flamenco show at 8:00pm. We waited at least a half an hour for the waiter to come to our table. It took him another twenty minutes to bring our drinks, but — get this — before he served them to us, he told us that he had to card us! We were celebrating my younger sister’s 59^th birthday and our Mother is pushing 92! And this dolt carded us before he gave us our watered down margaritas? When I objected because of the utter absurdity of the situation, the waiter cited NM state law as his need to see our ID’s. He told me straight up that he wouldn’t serve us unless he could see our driver’s licenses.
When the waiter attempted to take our order, he had to ask each of us multiple times what we wanted. He couldn’t seem to write down our orders correctly on his pad. I seriously wondered whether the waiter was «slow» or maybe just really «high» because he was having so much difficulty writing down our orders. BTW, no one at our table had any special requests. Not only was the waiter incompetent, but he was also surly.
Long story short, when the lukewarm, tasteless food arrived, it was almost 7:30pm. There were only six other tables with customers in this cavernous space, so the long wait had nothing to do with too many tables to serve. We received our desert at almost 8:00pm, and the waiter forgot to bring any utensils to eat the dessert with. I had to go in search of forks, but I couldn’t even find a human being to ask where to find them. I finally spotted a buffet table that wasn’t being used and I found some spoons on it. By this time, we gobbled a few bites but then we had to leave the desserts because we were in jeopardy of not being seated for the Flamenco show downstairs. The chocolate cake and the flan were the only decent parts of an otherwise bland, overcooked meal.
If I had known how terrible the service and the food are at Garduno’s, I would have opted to go to the far better Atrisco’s in DeVargas Mall since it’s so close to The Lodge. Heck, it would have been easier to «tailgate» in the parking lot with some take-​out from Albertson’s or Sprout’s as opposed to eating in this place.
In spite of the restaurant being absolutely awful, the Flamenco show was brilliant. The singing, dancing and music were all top notch. It’s sad to think that this restaurant might infect anyone’s opinion about the show downstairs because the show is fabulous.

Giving this place 3 stars. Food and service were mediocre at best. My wife and I both ordered the shrimp tacos and my son ordered a chicken burrito. Everything seemed out of a can. Only saving grace was there were real shrimp in the tacos. Ordering off the menu said there was a sopaipilla that comes with the meal. After we ate we were given the bill. I asked if we could try a sopaipilla, so the waiter told us it would be a while. After 15 or so minutes we decided to leave. We were staying at the hotel so we went back to our room. Another 10 minutes we hear a knock on the door. This is where the extra star comes in, the waiter brought us the sopaipilla. It was actually the best part of the meal. Don’t say it comes with the meal and not bring it out. Hopefully they will get it together and become a real restaurant someday.

Not a great choice.
Went to Garduños in Santa Fe before a Flamenco Performance since it was in the same Lodge. The servers were over worked and food was marginal.
Servers:
The restaurant was far from full but the servers were running around and seemed unorganized. They couldn’t handle the guests already there AND I saw them turn away a couple of six and four tips because «it will be at least 35-​minutes before we can get your orders in». That told me the kitchen was understaffed too.
The staff was trying so not their bad.
Food:
Just okay. I expected more. I don’t want characterize it as «bad», it was more «sad» than anything else. The food flavor and presentation is not refined as you would expect for a nice Lodge. It’s very chain restaurant quality.
I had the seafood enchiladas. They were alright but nothing I’d order again. My daughter had a bowl of tortilla soup my son had a cup of tortilla soup. The cup actually had more soup than the bowl. The bowl was very shallow and contained more tortilla strips than soup. My wife had flautas that she said were oily, hard, and had little taste. We had other stuff but I think you get the message.
It seemed like they had «line cooks» but no «chef» to run the kitchen.
Message to the management:
Hire more help. Your workers turned away at least $ 500 worth of food business just while I was standing and waiting for a table. The cocktail took too long. At least two of the girls had to leave to work the Flamenco show. Alcohol sales could have brought in a lot more revenue over the $ 500 already mentioned.
BTW:
Flamenco was world class!

Currently sitting at the table. I’m a guest at the hotel, and made reservations for a large party well in advance. There’s only one waitress working, and it seems like she’s forgotten that half the table exists. Half of us got food about 20 minutes ago, but the rest of us are still waiting for ours. I got one glass of water, and no refill for the last hour and a half. Hello? Anybody there?

I had the Tilapia with Shrimp and it was delicious. Pair that with a coconut margarita and Friday night rocks.

Horrible experience!!! We were hotel guests at the lodge. We ordered breakfast and to our surprise they offered to deliver it to our room! Sounds great right, well they said it would be 15 minutes but one hour and three phone calls later the food arrived. INEDIBLE!!! It had clearly been sitting under warmers for the hour we were waiting. The food had congealed into a disgusting dried out blob. Oh and they got my boyfriend’s order wrong. Don’t eat here!!!

Finally ate at this restaurant hoping it would be as great as the Gardunos we loved in downtown Santa Fe. The service was horribly slow and frustrating. Not only did we have to continue to ask our server for missing meal items, she would disappear for minutes on end. Unfortunately, it wasn’t only our server, the folks around us at other tables had the same issues. The food was very good once it arrived and the manager made us a complimentary guacamole appetizer in recognition of the issues they displayed. Our dinner lasted 1 ½ hours. If you want decent food and have a few hours to burn, this Gardunos is the place for you!

My fiancé and I are huge fans of Gardunos in Albuquerque. The «gardunos» in Santa Fe is pretty much a different restaurant chain entirely. I’m pretty sure this place is a training center for the dmv. The waitress was rude and often said things we considered inappropriate to say to a customer. After we ordered and before we got refills the waitress was just sitting in the other room at a table talking on her cell phone loudly. The place runs like it has no manager, or if there is a manager he/​she should fire themselves. At one point the waitress walked towards us, and without stopping asked how we were then didn’t give us a chance to ask for more tortillas and she just walked away. At another point the waitress came loudly joking to the table across from us about their credit card. I rarely refuse to tip, and was still going to tip until as we were paying the waitress came over and stood in front of us watching me put cash into the leather fold. I gave her the smallest tip I’d ever given and would have given less if not for not wanting to be in that place long enough to wait for change. That will be our last visit to Santa Fe Gardunos.

Tried to spend money here but was turned away because the cooks told the girls seating people to not seat anyone until they had fed everyone currently seated.

Possibly the worst Seafood Enchiladas I have every tasted!
The dish cam covered in some type of orange cheese cream sauce, and clearly most of the seafood tasted like it came out of a can.
One of the most expensive items on the menu, Salmon with Mango Salsa, was pleasantly good. Unfortunately, the little bits of jalapenos in the dish gave no real heat.
Breakfast dishes were just okay from what I heard from fellow conference folks. Otherwise, Garduno’s is just another Mexican restaurant for Gringos.
All things aside, the staff is very attentive and try very hard. Each time we entered the restaurant we were greeted well, even when we just needed to take a peek looking for our friends.

Santa Fe’s hidden gem.
One of the very few restaurants in the Northwest corner of Santa Fe, Garduno’s was chosen as the restaurant to serve The Lodge. Garduno’s boasts one of the best views in Santa Fe: a panoramic view of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, whether from inside the dining room or outside on the patio. It has the feel of a mountain lodge.
Their food is consistently good, service is always friendly, and it’s a great location for locals right next door to Santa Fe Spa and the Park and Ride bus stop. Commuters using Park and Ride can stop by to get breakfast in the morning before heading off to work or pick up dinner to go on their way home. Members of Santa Fe Spa can choose from many healthy options on their extensive menu. It’s also a neighborhood restaurant within walking distance from Los Pinones apartments and local condos.
For some reason it’s hard to find good posole in Santa Fe but Garduno’s posole is great!

We were happily surprised and impressed with this hotel restaurant. Very yummy blue corn layered enchiladas, but the other food ordered was standard and good.
The staff was attentive and friendly, the décor very pleasant, and the Chardonnay and pink cactus margarita were quite delicious. Only real complaint (as usual in the US) was too much food!
We will likely eat here again because it is so convenient to the hotel.

Sadly, a waste of time. This place has so much potential, pretty (albeit dusty) interior and a gorgeous view, but that’s where it ends. The service was slow and they are quite proud of their mediocre breakfast options. For a $ 12, I’d at least expect one of our two meals to come out correctly, not so much. Quality of food is *maybe* 3 stars, but the pale whitish tomatoes aren’t helping. I would’ve been happier with a breakfast burrito out of the back of a truck… would’ve been quicker too.

This place is what it is, a watered down version of its namesake in a hotel. Overall I find the food ok though generally overly expensive for its relative unremarkability. But hey, it is in a hotel so I guess I hold it to less lofty standards.
Given the food is ok and it is convenient if you are staying at the lodge I give it three stars. If I drove across town to eat here or was expecting it to live up to its namesake the review would absolutely be 2 stars.

Quite possibly the worst Mexican food I’ve ever had… hands down.
Yes, this is a re-​branded Los Cuates @ the Lodge (we went before the change over) and the menu is completely different. I’m not a huge fan of the original Garduno’s but overall it’s pretty decent Mexican food. I do have to say Garduno’s in Abq has the best queso I’ve ever had in my life. BUT…
…this one is another story. The queso *was* the best part of the meal since it actually had flavor. It wasn’t spicy like I’ve had at every single other Gardunos though. Zero spice. I don’t know if that’s for the tourists or what but I don’t like wussy queso. Just sayin’.
I was torn between a couple of choices but the waitress insisted that the shrimp tacos were to die for. For whatever reason, I tend to trust waitstaff when they praise a dish so highly and it usually helps me make a decision. Well, all I can say is that they had potential. My dining partner had the stuffed sopapilla or something very similar to that, I don’t quite remember. The only thing memorable about this meal was that it was the blandest food I have ever tasted. No spice. No salt. No pepper. The beans were reminiscent of a chunky glue and the Spanish rice, although having the right red color, tasted like plain boiled white rice. I’m not quite sure how Mexican food is screwed up this badly, especially in New Mexico but this place managed to do it.
Back to the shrimp tacos. I was expecting amazing, marinated, and grilled flavors– lime, cilantro, a touch of grilled smokiness. Nothing really that exotic when you really think about it. What I got was shrimp basically thrown into a corn tortilla (which was equally gross and not cooked correctly, or at all) with the only flavor coming from the lettuce. I cannot emphasize enough how bland it tasted… yes, to the point that the lettuce GARNISH was more flavorful. Like everything was boiled in water– that bad. Apparently the sopapilla dish was just as bad.
Margaritas were decent but I’m fairly certain there was zero alcohol or we were severely short changed on it considering I had two and felt nothing. I’m no lightweight but I usually can tell if a margarita has any degree of potency after one.
The place was empty, which seems to be the norm. The staff was reasonably attentive. Admittedly, the best thing about this place is the view. Get a bottled beer and no food and you’ll be good to go.
We had tried the Los Quates before they changed to Gardunos and it was ok. Not like the Los Quates in Abq but leaps and bounds better than this. I can normally be pretty forgiving and am willing to give a 2^nd chance but this was so incredibly awful (especially for the price!), I have absolutely no desire to be disappointed again. Seriously. No words can fully describe how terrible the food was.

Not being the greatest fan of the Garduno’s regional chain, I was a little hesitant to check out the new branch, which replaces the old branch on Lincoln Street after at least a 5 year absence… I’ve also been told that this branch is a re-​branding of the Los Cuates restaurant that used to be at the Lodge. I can’t verify this.
Here’s what I can verify. I ordered the «Pollo Monterrey Chicken» and loved it. I also ordered the classic nachos appetizer and thought it was good, but didn’t understand why it was completely covered in lettuce. And actually there was way too much lettuce across the board, but I kind of think that garnish is a practice that needs to go away.
The salsa for the chips were good. The chips were mediocre. I think they may have been store bought, but that is the same as the rest of the Garduno’s chain, and a lot of other restaurants in this town do this, but should think about not doing it.
There was great free wireless. I would usually bump this restaurant up a star for this, but last week some jerk on the Santa Fe New Mexican website called me out for doing star bump ups when they wrote a critical piece on Unilocal’s business practices… Personally, I still think any business that offers free wifi to their customers is doing a good thing, but I will stop that from coloring my reviews from now on.
The service at Garduno’s was friendly and attentive, but it did seem like we were eating in an empty room (it was empty). A couple of the items that were included with the dishes that we ordered didn’t appear until we asked for them. And we did get one omission given to us as a to-​go order for later…
I think this new location could be really good, and I always think that new endeavors, even if they are based on an already decent concept, usually need a few months to grow into a good thing. I am also kicking myself for not ordering the shrimp and avocado cocktail that another table ordered because it looked fantastic.
So yes. i’ll be back in a few months and see what happens…