The Gardens of Taxco

The food is pretty good. Their open pretty late and they deliver. The manager that works up front is a super nice guy. It’s not my favorite Mexican food but I can always count on them.

Place is disgusting. The décor is outrageously ugly and dated. The AC doesn’t work.

ORDER THIS FOOD FOR DELIVERY IF YOU CAN! Look, the food here was great. If it was food alone I would give it at least 4 stars, but the service left such a sour taste in my mouth that I almost forgot about the great food and it was just the taste of the service was what lingered. I worked in the service industry and I know sometimes you can’t help it, but literally everything done wrong could have easily been prevented and was so unnecessary on every level. Called in to make a reservation, only makes reservations for parties of 4 or more. Whatever, fine. I ask how long the wait they said it would be easy, just a 15 mins wait. So ok fine again, walk over there and they still say 15 mins, fast forward one hour later and I’m still waiting. If I had not hassled the host I would probably still be waiting now. Mind you there were open tables all over the restaurant. They blamed it on the host sitting someone else instead, EXCUSE ME WHAT? Clearly admitting it’s your fault so you should fix it. Why am I having to pay for your service error? And they kept telling us 3 – 4 more minutes and then 20mins would past. I don’t mind waiting, however be honest. If the wait is about an hour, let me, the consumer, be able to make the choice if I would like to wait an hour or not so I’m not blindsided by an hour plus wait when you told me 15mins. If they were honest maybe I would have used my time accordingly like going to a nearby bar and returning. I’m not sure if they just don’t care or they are that confident in their food that they don’t care how they treat their patrons, but if you’re going to end up waiting an hour or so, you might as well drive to the East side of LA to get some bomb ass authentic Mexican. You would probably make it there and back in less time than coming here if you live nearby.
However, shout out to our kind waitress. She almost made the experience bearable.

Step into the Gardens of Taxco, and get transported to a different time, in a different place.
Based on the…“rustic”…exterior and the 70s décor, it’s hard to know what to expect from this place. But once you get started on your dining experience, this will be THE spot you take your friends to. Be prepared: there is no a la carte menu. Dinner is served traditional Mexico City style — you pick your protein, they deal with the rest.
Presentation of your protein options is PROBABLY the best part of the meal. Every ingredient of every dish is described with passion and showmanship. It feels like you are about to get served food that is made with love. I have never felt that way about a restaurant before.
Meals are 5 courses, and some of the items will vary based on the main course item you chose. I picked chicken mole, and it was absolutely perfect. Lots of spices, notes of chocolate, and tender chicken. I couldn’t ask for better.
Definitely recommend trying the wine margaritas. They taste like delicious mango smoothies. Mmmm.

Hands down my favorite Mexican restaurant. Such a gem and the staff is amazing. Don’t forget to try the enchiladas and the tacos!!! The fact they deliver is an extra bonus :)

We have been coming here for over 25 years. Always a fabulous place to eat. The food is always delicious and the service is friendly and over the top. The unique way that the menus are recited, to the great music & voice of the guitar player, Jaime. This is an absolute must go to and come back to.
(PS don’t be surprised when the customers chime in when the menu is verbally recited «Its not hot, its spiceyyyy!!!)

Had a very pleasant and interesting dining experience. They don’t have a menu (except for a la cart menu), but the waiter will tell you about the main dish and you get to pick one, while the appetizer and dessert are selected by the restaurant. The food was good, good interior (too dark for my taste though), and the surprise element made the dining interesting.

My fiancé brought me here on our very first date. The ambiance is great, the staff are friendly, the food is awesome, and the champagne margaritas are AMAZING! I was sad to hear that they may be shutting their doors so I had to write this review in hopes that if they do, they decide to open another location. We can’t let this historical beauty close for good. Not only was this the first 5 course Mexican restaurant I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing, but it was where I had the best first date of my life and with my soulmate.

The wine margarita is a must try! The food is good but the service is kinda slow. Go there with a big appetite for the 5 course meal. Also if it’s your birthday they sing a Mexican happy birthday song loudly for everyone to hear and clap for you

AHHHHH-​MAZING! I used to get delivery at least once a week when I lived right down the street.

For a place to boast about its home style menu and service, it must have meant the 70’s décor and has nothing to do with home comfort or good food. Service was so spotty and slow. Ordering was confusing– we were told they don’t use a menu because they push everyone to order a $ 40 5-​course set menu… painful. It would have taken 3.5 hrs to get through some of the worst Mexican food I’ve had in Los Angeles. I do not usually write reviews but this one deserves noting-​the whole experience was confusing and laborious…

I have been going to Gardens of Taxco since I was in the womb. I loved it as a kid and I love it even more now thanks to their wine margaritas — i know it sounds odd and you have a right to be skeptical, but seriously, trust me. We had a fantastic family meal over the weekend where we introduced our newest generation to chicken that is boooooooorn in the sauce, garlic shrimp & mole that are all simply outstanding.
The ambiance is exactly as I remember, dark paneling, wrought iron lighting fixtures and deep red booths. The service is always excellent — prompt, friendly and just lovely. This restaurant holds such a soft, squishy and delicious place in my heart. Everything about this place just makes me smile.

Great legendary Hollywood restaurant! Been going for 30 years, some of the same waiters the entire time! Had Carnitas for first time and they were great. My favorite are the beef skewers, they are the BEST. Sad to hear their potential lease issues will follow them anywhere but, will miss the historic location.

Hmmm, This place is cute. Fun. An, «experience!» If you want real Mexican food at the appropriate price, I suggest you go elsewhere, but if you’re into safe Mexican cuisine with a mark up, Gardens of Taxco will not disappoint, although Loteria is the better option ;)

I didn’t even know it could possibly get worse but it actually did. Service has been bad for quite some time now that’s obvious but, for a while the food was still good. Not anymore. Disgusting, bland, flavorless Carne asada. My meat was so cold I had to send it back. Gardens of Taxco is a sinking ship headed right down the toilet. After years of being a loyal customer I’m done. Horrible top to bottom

This is my go to Mexican delivery spot! It is great being in such a big city like LA but having a «mom and pop» restaurant experience! When I call and say hello they already know my address! (Someone has been ordering in a lot of Mexican– guilty!) The restaurant is so unique because they don’t have traditional menus. You just tell them what you want/​generally enjoy eating and they make it for you! Definitely recommend trying!

This spot is absolutely under rated! First off reservations were strongly recommended but upon our arrival, the entire place was empty aside from one table. Let me tell you this is the place for an authentic Mexican food experience. Literally feels like food in the comfort of your own home.
valet parking recommended, I mean good look its We Ho.
Booth seating we were a party of 10. Seated comfortably.
Reservations were recommended but aside from a party of 3 we had the place to our selves. Which I enjoyed. Great service.
They’re house margarita is probably the best but beware! It’s a creeper. We ordered two pitchers and shared.
This was the best most authentic (aside from grandmas) Mexican cuisine I’ve had prep to final course this 5 course meal was so great. And the way they don’t do menus (with the exception of you going a la carte) baffled me this guy was announcing the menu in this deep manly tone. While we were all in awe we missed half the menu so he repeated it without a flaw options of beef, chicken, and shrimp (I had the Puerto Vallarta shrimp AMAZING) the mini enchiladas OMG.
GO HERE THIS IS BY FAR. The most underrated Mexican restaurant !!!

Good food but terrible service.
Maybe they should have a better way to explain the whole «Mexico City style» menu thing when it’s your first time. We waited to get a menu for about 10 minutes, we asked for one and instead of getting them the waiter came and said «ready to order?» Huh?

This place is my go-​to for Mexican delivery. The food is consistently solid. The restaurant is a historical landmark. It’s been around for 45 years.
I prefer the steak soft tacos, and typically get it as a combination, with rice, beans, chips and salsa. Their homemade salsa is delicious with a decent amount of kick.

We LOVE this place! That being said, the only reason for the 4 stars is due to the wait time for a table in the main dining area, but it’s still worth the wait.
We all go out to eat for both the food, and the experience, and this place has both in spades.
The atmosphere is perfect for a date, or for a group dinner. The lighting is dark, and the décor is cozy. Part of the experience is when the owner recites the evening’s menu in the most charming way. There are also classic mexican singers who cerenade you if you like.
The food is authentic mexican, pretty much everything is delicious, but we are partial to the chicken in green salasa, and the braised pork carnitas. One of the best aspects of the dinner service is that all regardless of the entrée, you recieve a series of appetizers leading up to your meal, all of which are amazing, and, as mentioned in many other reviews, the cheese quesadilla is remarkable.
It is also worth mentioning that I have visited this location about 4 times over a 10 year period, and their standards of food and service have always remained high. Highly recommended this restaurant!

Never even knew this place existed. Two friends brought us here and told us it would be an experience sans menu.
I was intrigued.
The place is small with classic mexican décor and the staff is very friendly.
They quickly sat us down and asked for our drink order. I ordered the house margarita which sounded delicious and was! It’s wine mixed with a blend of guavas and other fruits. YUMMM.
Then they asked if we were ready to order and explained that you choose what protein you would like and then they tell you your options in terms of sauces. I ordered chicken with mole and the rest of the party ordered the chicken a la crème.
THEN CAME THE 5 COURSE DINING EXPERIENCE…
1) cheese quesadilla with guacamole
2) albondiga soup (meatball)
3) ground beef enchilada with green sauce or chicken enchilada in red crème sauce
4) entrée
5) bananas a la crème with a shot of sherry
The cheese quesadilla was your standard quesadilla. Good
The soup was pretty flavorful but your typical albondiga soup
The enchiladas were pretty good. The green is spicer than the red, but the red was tastier.
The entrée– mole-​was pretty good. Nice white meat chicken in a delicious dark mole that was sweet and a little spicy but not really. I tried my bfs chicken a la crème and that was really great as well. Sauce had a lot of different flavors. It came with beans and rice. Pretty standard as well
The dessert was really good. Cold, refreshing, and light. The sherry went great with it.
I’d say it’s like $ 35 a person with drink. It was a pretty filling meal and it was cool to wonder what they would bring out next!!!
But I see now that they have had the same food for a loooooong while now (I’m talking years) so I mean once you go, it won’t be as exciting the second time because you already know what awaits. I wish they coral switch it up a bit
But I would totally go back and take someone who hasn’t gone, so they can experience it.

Fun and different! I really enjoyed a night out with friends here!
I had read about the concept of The Gardens of Taxco before but I still found myself pleasantly surprised at how fun and enjoyable the experience was here!
Like other Unilocalers have mentioend, this place has no menu! Instead you are verbally presented the menu by a waiter who gives a fabulous description of their dishes for the night. Rolling those «rrrrrrrs» and telling you what is «spicyyyyy,» he has your imagination going and mouths watering with each dish that he describes!
Every dining experience here, unless you choose to go a la carte, is a five course!
The first course is a tasty, crispy cheesy quesadilla with guacamole. With lots of cheese and crispy edges, this sure was tasty!
The second is a warm albondigas soup. I love the meatball in this soup!
The third starter depends on the entrée you got. My friends who got beef, pork and seafood got a cheesy chicken enchilada. I got a chicken entrée, so I got a beef taquito with sour cream and guacamole. My beef taquito was nice and crispy and had lots of beef!
The fourth course is your main meal. I chose to get the chicken a la crema. The waiter had me convinced with this dish that tastes like the chicken is «borrrrrnnnnn in the sauce.» It really did taste like that. The chicken is topped with this tasty, sweet sauce! It is smothered on and the goodness just drizzles all over. I love it with the rice.
The five course ends with a sweet bananas and cream dessert accompanied with sherry. I didn’t have the sherry but the bananas and cream was very nice! It’s creamy and delightful with little chunks of banana and topped with a cherry.
All while we were eating, a guy playing the guitar would come around the tables and serenade. He would ask for any song requests. We got a happy version of La Bamba along with some traditional Mexican songs. He was funny and entertaining.
My friends and I really had an awesome time at The Gardens of Taxco. This place is like no other. Yes, it may seem weird that there’s menu and you don’t know the prices (it’s about $ 28 for the five course). It may also seem weird that they serve their margaritas with wine versus tequila (I didn’t try it but my friends liked it– 3 carafes were flowing at our table for those who chose to drink!) Weird however is not what I would really choose to describe it but instead I would say special qualities. It is these differences that makes The Gardens of Taxco special. This place does not try to be like other restaurants. They truly give a unique and unforgettable dining experience to diners here!