Garduno's Offers Affordable Mexican In Casino

Food Won't Blow Your Mind, Margaritas Might

POSTED: 11:34 a.m. EST March 29, 2002
UPDATED: 1:59 p.m. EST March 29, 2002

LAS VEGAS -- The first Garduno's in Las Vegas, located at the Fiesta hotel in the northwest part of town, consistently wins local Las Vegas reader polls when people are asked for their favorite Mexican restaurant. Now there's a new location at the Palms hotel, so you can get a sampling of why people like it so much without having to travel so far.

I have to say that one of the biggest reasons it must be so popular is the margarita selection, which is almost biblical in its scope and presentation. There are literally dozens of variations, including every fruit known to man: cantaloupe, chocolate, Almond Joy, and so many more that I can't even begin to list them here. I played it safe with a strawberry version, and it made me wish I had been more adventurous. Next time I will be.

The menu has an interesting mix of traditional Mexican flavors with a lot of seafood dishes thrown in for good measure. Start with appetizers ($6 to $12) of things like nachos, quesadillas, chili con queso, or the avocado and cilantro shrimp cocktail.

For soups and salads ($3 to $9) you can have the dinnersize taco, Mexican shrimp, or Zia salads, the latter of which featured grilled chicken and pine nuts, or go for the more traditional Caesars. The tortilla soup also looked mighty tempting.

For entrees, you can stick with the usuals -- tamales, burritos, tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, chimichangas or fajitas -- all of which come in a variety of styles, meat offerings, and combos. Or you could go with the more daring pastas like the green chile alfredo or creamy red chile lobster. They even have filets and veal chops with a south of the border flair if you need to hold onto some sort of American flavor.

Prices range dramatically from around $7 for the lower-end tamales and tacos all the way up to $17 for the more expensive filets and the like. Most main courses are within a buck or two of the $10 mark.

We sampled that Zia salad, the chicken fajita burrito, and the traditional steak fajitas for our meal, and although everything was good, we weren't blown away by anything. My burrito was perfectly prepared and the chicken was juicy and tender, but it wasn't so delicious that I'd rank it as the best in Las Vegas. Top 5? Absolutely.

For dessert we sampled the strawberry sopapilla, a cinnamon frosted Mexican pastry stuffed with vanilla ice cream and topped with strawberries and whipped cream. It was quite yummy for only about $4 and big enough to feed the table.

I recommend Garduno's mainly because good Mexican food at reasonable prices is hard to find in the hotels. If you're willing to go off the beaten path there are better Mexican restaurants in Vegas, but Garduno's is definitely a contender.

And heck, after a few of those margaritas, who cares what the food is like?

Grade: B+

Garduno's
Palms Resort & Casino
4321 W. Flamingo Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89103
(866) 942-7770

This Week's Trivia

Q. Coyote Ugly at New York-New York is not the first Las Vegas attraction inspired by a film or television show. What is the other one? ANSWER

The Weekly Trivia Question is sponsored by the Online Memorabilia Museum at Vegas4Visitors.com

The Full Story

In Next Week's Column

Next week: More new show, hotel, and restaurant reviews.

Plus, don't forget to send me your questions about Las Vegas. I've got room for more, so send them in today!

Click here to go to the main page of Vegas4Visitors.com and see all of the fantastic resources Vegas4Visitors has to offer you when planning your next trip to Las Vegas.

You May Also Like ...