Address: 115 Third St, San Juan Bautista, CA 95045
Jardines De San Juan Restaurant is a stylish, relaxing eatery with a quaint, colorful interior & a cozy garden patio serving authentic Mexican dishes. It is located in the small town of San Juan Bautista in San Benito County, California. In 1977, Alicia and Manuel Santana opened the restaurant but passed away and are still currently owned by the Santana Family. It’s a rare hidden gem of a restaurant in the historic downtown San Juan Bautista. And in 1797, the town of San Juan Bautista was founded by the Spanish under Fermin de Lasuen. The Jardines De San Juan Restaurant is about 1 hour and 30 minutes from San Francisco via 280 South, US-101 South, and CA-156 East/San Benito County ( 90 miles). Jardines De San Juan is open 7 days a week for lunch, brunch, and dinner from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday, and 11 a.m. -7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant also is vegetarian-friendly and have vegan options available on their menu.
Parking was easy as we parked our car on Washington Street close to the side of the Plaza Hotel and the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park. It took us about 3 minutes to walk from the parking area to the Restaurant. As we arrived at the restaurant we were impressed by the cozy ambiance and the Spanish Colonial Era settings of the restaurant. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and were immediately seated at their beautiful outdoor garden patio table surrounded by succulents, a wide variety of plants, and colorful flowers. We were immediately served complimentary tortilla chips and salsa sauce. The friendly and fast server took our orders and provided us with a glass of cold water. As for starters, we ordered the famous, savory Honey-Chipotle Chicken Wings with ten succulent chicken wings, oven-roasted and lightly crisped, smothered in Jardines signature spicy and sweet sauce for $12.99. My wife ordered the People’s Choice Burrito which is the winner of 2015, 2016 & 2017 People’s Choice Awards at the Watsonville Burrito Bash. It’s made up of crispy carnitas, jack cheese, whole beans, sour cream, pico de gallo, cilantro, onions, and red salsa for $14.99. As for my daughter, she ordered the Beef Quesadilla with a crispy shredded beef taco, lettuce, Chon’s guacamole, tomato & cheese enchilada, onions, and black olives for $14.99. And lastly, I ordered the delicious, healthy Rock Cod Fillet which is a seasoned fillet, pan-seared, served with lime wedges and tortillas for $17.99. My wife ordered the Calavera Cocktail for $11 while my daughter had a Pineapple Jarritos drink for $3. We all shared the dessert and ordered the Mexican Classic Flan, smooth creamy baked custard in a light golden caramel sauce, served with whipped cream for $5.99.
After our lunch, we walked a few minutes and visited a small local ice cream parlor shop called Margot’s and we all had their Lappert’s Ice Cream. My daughter ordered the Cookie Monster Dough flavor, while I had the Washington Strawberry and my wife ordered the famous Dole Whip Pineapple.
Overall, we enjoyed our fun family authentic outdoor lunch experience at Jardines De San Juan, especially their relaxing outdoor garden patio seatings surrounded by colorful flowers, plants, and succulents. Nothing compares to eating lunch outdoor with your family on a sunny day with good quality food, fast service, and great ambiance. It was a very memorable experience that made us feel like we were back in time during the Spanish Colonial Mission Era.
Tips: There are a lot of street parking spaces available all around the San Juan Bautista town. There is an Ice Cream Parlor store close by called Margot’s that serves Lapperts ice cream. Jardines is the sister restaurant of Manuel’s in Aptos. The restaurant is within walking distance from San Juan Bautista State Historic Park and the San Juan Bautista Mission. Try to bring a jacket just in case the weather gets cold as the town gets the cool breeze coming from the coast. Most of the food items that they serve come in large portions, especially burritos.
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