REVIEW: Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant #4

On Saturday June 28th, we visited Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant #4 on Fredricksburg Rd. to continue our search for the best breakfast tacos in town.  Our friend and brother, Michael Gonzalez (one of the Dallas area's most finest) recommended this spot way back before we even started blogging.  While he recommended the original spot off Hwy 90, this one was closer and is owned by the same family.  (In full disclosure, Eddie was the teacher to two of the daughters of the family that owns the restaurant, but that won't stop him or us from being totally honest).  What we found here was a good, solid spot that is worth your time.

Ambiance - When you walk into this Garibaldi, if you are lucky, you will be hit with nostalgia as you recognize that it inhabits what used to be a Bonanza Restaurant.  For us, that brings back good memories of family outings in the Valley.  We're off to a good start.  The walls are colored in a soft reddish/orange-ish color and there is some nice, pretty artwork along the walls.  There are some festive, party decorations hanging from the ceiling and it all contributes to a feeling that you are in the home of a nice Mexican family.   4 Tortillas Taco-nazo!

Service - The service at Garibaldi was good and standard.  Nothing above and beyond and nothing below par.  Our server was friendly enough and brought out the food in a timely manner.  We were waiting a bit long for refills on our drinks, but that's okay.  We'll give it a score right down the middle.  Good, solid, average. 3 Tortillas Taco-rale!

Menu Options - The menus at Garibaldi are nicer than you see at most Mexican restaurants we've been to.  We also noticed the taco listings were pretty standard and comparable to what you see elsewhere.  The Bean and Egg that Teno always orders was not listed here, but he had no problem ordering 'off the menu'. Along with the niceness of the menus, we did observe that the prices were also slightly higher than we'd experienced before.  Nothing too pricey or exorbitant, but just ever so slightly higher.  3 Tortillas Taco-rale!

Food - The food at Garibaldi was good overall.  Teno ordered a Bean and Egg, Machacado con Huevo, and Chorizo con Huevo.  Eddie ordered a Bean & Cheese, Chorizo con Bean, and Chorizo con Papa.  Teno liked the flour tortillas and thought they had just the right amount of flour on the outside.  Eddie felt they were a bit thick for his liking.  The Bean and Egg were not mixed together and Teno thought the beans tasted a bit different.  Not good different or bad different.  Just different.  Eddie noted that beans seem to have a hint of chorizo mixed in with them, so that may have been it.  The Chorizo and Egg had just the right amount of grease and the machacado con huevo was spot on.  The bean and cheese rivaled the chorizo and egg in greasiness.  The chorizo con papa was all you could want it to be, as was the chorizo and bean.  As we let that meal settle in a little longer, our feelings for the tacos improve.  A pretty good meal in retrospect.  4 Tortillas Taco-nazo!

Overall Taconacity - Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant was a pretty good spot.  Better than average, but not on the all-time greats list.  We'll probably go back at some point.  Especially if and when our brother Mike visits, only this time we'll go to his original spot off Hwy 90.  The ambiance and the food were good enough to make us want to go back.  3.5 Tortillas Taco-rale/Taco-nazo!

Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant #4
4515 Fredricksburg Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78201
(210) 731-9222

Teno's Tidbits - The two teams I was pulling for in this year's FIFA World Cup, USA and Mexico, have been eliminated in the Round of 16 in heartbreaking fashion.  I've normally only watched soccer during the World Cup and during big qualifying games involving the US and/or Mexico, but I think I now want to jump on the bandwagon and watch more soccer year round.  Who's up for going to a Dynamo game in Houston?

Eddie's Extras - Did you see that first picture with the Garibadi sign?  It tells you that this restaurant shares space with a payday loan company, a window tinter, and a cocktail lounge - it doesn't get much more Westside than that!  Makes you wonder, how come it's easier to customize your car, drink cheap beer, and acquire a stupidly-high interest loan, but not buy a good book or a news magazine?