My wife has been talking about a good Mexican restaurant for a while so we stopped by on a Friday afternoon and from the taste of the "salsa" that was sweet and with carrots..??but when the food came, different story, and not in a good way.. The beans were the driest I've ever seen or eaten... bland... the "quesadilla" was horrible...!!! A flour tortilla filled with greasy beef.. bland... the whole plate was covered, DEEP in that sweet salsa that was a sad first impression of the worst "Mexican" food I've ever seen, smelled and worse yet, tasted...!!! And I'm Spanish and I know what Mexican food looks, smells and tastes like...!!! Their hot sauce was from the store and NOT their own recipe... Please stay away... read more

If you feel like an authentic mexican meal in an authentic mexican atmosphere at a totally reasonable price, then you need to look elsewhere. Gina's will not provide that. There are a couple of things on the menu that are acceptable but the food is generally mediocre and slathered with pre-grated marble cheese...if that is what you think of as authentic Mexican, you have clearly never left the protective gates of an all inclusive while down south. Penny's Palapa, a floating restaurant in the harbour open seasonally, is so much better it is an unfair comparison. read more

Enjoyed a fantastic meal Gina's Mexican Cafe! Our server Sherry was amazing! Food was hot, delicious, and fast! A+!

I was there a couple of days ago with a few friends. We all decided to order many items and share. The place is really neat and the staff is very friendly. Prawn Coriander 3.5/5 Nachos 4/5 very good Pollo con Chipotle 1/5 looked like slop. You can tell alot of it was on a heating tray Chicken Enchilada's 1/5 none of us like it, we couldnt eat it. The positive was the staff was friendly and the prices were ok. Its a really neat place for drink and some of the food. From what I see I would stick to the appetizers. Stay away from anything with baked beans, corn and rice, It all taste overcooked and that is was cooked many hours ago. I may go back for the Nachos alone. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing or it was a bad night. My friends in the past have been speaking high about them. Too bad I wanted to give this place high rating. read more

I have been to so many crappy Mexican restaurants, I was so happy my friend showed me Gina's when I moved here. I personally love the Adobe. And their banana margarita is the best!!! I love the atmosphere the color and decor. I think the highlight for me is their salsa...AMAZING! read more

Stopped here for my first visit to Nanaimo! We had an early lunch/brunch, and had a lovely waitress who answered all of our questions and took good care of us. The portions were big, and there were a lot of options to choose from. They were easily able to accommodate some special requests, and the food was pretty tasty. Decently priced, and pretty fun. read more

This place was good, but the pictures look better than the taste - or many my expectations were too high from all the reviews - the food was yummy but my only issue with it is that everything tasted the same... we got two different platters but they didn't taste all that diffferent. Also, it was clearly a more westernized Mexican food, with less seasoning and more cheese and sour cream. read more

If you want crappy, over-priced tex-mex that has no flavour, bad service, and feeling like you need to shower after you leave then I highly recommend this restaurant. On the other hand, if you want good, authentic Mexican food try Penny's Palapa... light years better than this dump. read more

It's pretty sad people think this is Mexican, obviously they have never been to Mexico... it's kinda tex-mex but not really. I would actually call this food tex-mex inspired if anything. read more

Went here a few times when visiting Nanaimo. On my last visit, we were with a large group, and the servers were fantastic. The food was amazing and the ambience is a lot of fun. My favourite restaurant by far, when visiting Nanaimo. read more

Salsa was awesome. Prices are very reasonable - especially for the portions that you get. Much more authentic than you find at a lot of "Mexican" restaurants. I would definitely go again. read more

We LOVE Gina's. This place has saved us on many occasions where we've come home late on a ferry and nothing else is open. We also go when everything else is open because we love fresh salsa, delicious Mexican fare and shaken, salted margaritas! The festive atmosphere in here helps you relax, get silly and pretend you're on vacation. The service is no-nonsense, generally fast even on busy nights. They are on top of drinks and friendly enough without being at all smarmy. You may want to reserve if you are more than four, it gets packed on peak nights. I gave four stars only because it isn't the absolute best Mexican i've ever had, I tend to add hot sauce and wish for greens other than iceberg lettuce but the prices are really good and I always enjoy my meals here. Big selection on the menu, pick your favourite and enjoy. read more

Quainte little authentic whole in the wall. Awesome food, fabulous Margaritas (a touch small) but still fabulous. The Roll Ups for a late lunch were perfect!!! read more

Excellent! Love their steak wrap! Fun atmosphere too! The only negative is that the tables are close together since it is such a small place. read more

This is our regular family restaurant when we want a meal out with the kids. We've been going here for years and it is a consistent, fun, inexpensive and very tasty spot. The menu doesn't change - at least not in the last 10 years - and that's a good thing. You can have your favourite every time. For example, my wife always orders the Fish Tacos, and she hasn't found a better fish taco anywhere else. I vary my order, but usually get one of their combos with rice, corn and refried beans (great beans, by the way). They do a nice mole sauce, and fairly credible tacos and enchiladas. Four stars is as high as I'd go here; I'd use five stars for a restaurant that really excelled - raised the bar on their cuisine. Gina's doesn't stray outside their comfort zone, but that is exactly what you want for a neighbourhood joint, isn't it? read more

Hands down the best Mexican food in Canada! A reason to stop in Nanaimo. This place has character, it's the opposite of fancy. Instead the decor is rustic and colourful. The beef burrito was kinda gross to be honest, just ground beef wrapped up, but the fish tacos are out of this world good, as are the margaritas, the chimichanga is great, and you get starter salsa and chips. This is really a gem of a place! read more

I seriously don't get the hype. Nothing like real Mexican food. Bland and unoriginal.

Some of the most "Canadian-ized" Mexican food I've had. Everything was bland, and the rice was hard as if it had been made days earlier. No spice, no seasoning, and definitely not fresh. I ordered the Chile Rellenos, *usually* one of my favourite Mexican dishes. My boyfriend ordered the steak fajitas. My rellenos were disgusting -- jalapeno peppers shoved with cold cream cheese. NOT how they are done in Mexico. Boyfriends fajita was ok, but lacking taste and also heat. The service was also not great - we waited nearly 45 minutes for our food, when it arrived cold. Then halfway through our meal, while plates were still on the table, the server tossed our bill to us and said "she was leaving and pay our next server". Super rude. Hard to even get a water to drink, let alone a refill on my margarita. Save your money and dine elsewhere in Nanaimo... There are a couple (cough-cough-Baby Salsa) of great Mexican restaurants here that can truly claim they are authentic. read more

Maybe it was an off day, but my visit here was terrible. The food was bland and dry like it was freshly microwaved and/or under a heat lamp for several hours. When confronting the waitress she got immediately offended and defensive, like I was lying and the food was perfect. If not for that interaction I may try it again but I can't see myself visiting again anytime soon. read more

Just your average Mexican place. The food was just ok. Service was average. Funky atmosphere. Horrible parking.

What a waste of my time and money. Servers complaining about each other at the til, to start the night off. We are seated by a pleasant hostess, only to be greeted by a sour faced server who can't remember my order (try a note pad), and can't smile to save her life despite repeated attempts to engage with eye contact and smiles. Oh well, figured maybe the heat and a long shift has left her tired, no biggie. Food arrives (taco salad and nachos).. uhm... I got a plate which was mostly lettuce, and what wasn't lettuce was covered in tomatoes. Don't get me wrong I like tomatoes, a lot but when I'm paying $17.00+ for a salad I expect you know not $3.00 worth of ingredients topped with a couple dry pieces of chicken... My partner.. his nachos looked identical to my salad except you know more chips, and where I had lettuce... he had EVEN MORE TOMATOES. We spent $50.00 for shit service and a meal I could have cooked at home for about $10.00 with leftover and... flavour. So disappointed Gina's used to be good. I will NEVER go back, Baby Salsa will have my business forever at least they put food in their food.. #GROSS read more

Great food and great service! As I sit here stuffed to the brim waiting for my dessert. The rest was so goo I couldn't risk missing out on dessert... Yup!! go for the fruit burrito. Great finish to a great meal. read more

This is a smaller restaurant that is just FILLED with taste! The menu is perfect for a mexican restaurant and the waitresses are friendly and conscientious of time limitations. I take family here when they visit from the prairies and they appreciate everything about it. Quaint, a bit rustic, homey. Muy bueno!! read more

So good! Staff is super fun and the food is incredible. Best place to eat in Nanaimo.

Its ok. I want to like it more but too often I'm left feeling that there's too much emphasis on fast food (from a "steam tray") and not enough "fresh" or even flavourful. Its a fun atmosphere (a little cramped) but decent sangria, the food is quick (a little too quick if you know what I mean)... The salsa is good... :-) but, thats all read more

I have been to Gina's many times, and have iften found the Margaritas terrific, the service sluggish and the food good but bland.

Good service but the food not so good! Had the shrimp fresh tacos and they were not fresh and had so much cooked tomato and onion in them was ridiculous. Who even puts cooked tomato and onion in a shrimp taco? My husband had the grilled chicken burrito, it was ok. I was expecting fresh ingredients and homemade margaritas and this is not what you get. I found it very expensive for what you got. I would not go back. Was very subpar food. read more

Food is always great!! But the customer service today was terrible.. Always good at supper time but not @ Lunch

Amazing. Perfect. Great prices. Im soooo full. If you are in Nanaimo you should definitely check it put.

Locals like this place because it is cheap. Food portions are large. And it's got cheese on it. For what you're getting - microwaves rice and refried beans as side dishes, and some loosely termed Mexican style food, it's... Ok ish. If you've ever been to Mexico you will know this is North American food. Nowhere in Mexico will you get tacos with Chipotle mayonaisse drippong off them... They've been serving the same stuff for years. It's so so. There is funky bright decor. Cramped seating. They serve alcohol. Not sure what else to say. It's just mediocre. But people keep coming back cuz it's always the same and there's lots of greasy food on the plate. It's been around for a long time. Service is hot or miss. Sometimes they get the order right, sometimes they don't. If you're in a group of more than 4, good luck to you. Splitting bills seems to be a serious difficulty. At least it is near the waterfront so you can walk off the heart attack after haha. read more

Just had dinner there with family. Very tasty food ( vegetarian burrito). Also the staff was very friendly.

This is literally the worst excuse for Mexican food I have ever had in my life. Re fried beans that appeared and tasted like they were reused from what seems like several days prior. Mushy obviously previously frozen (and likely freezer burned) corn. Even the corn tortillas were stale which couldn't be masked by the fact that they actually fry them. Unseasoned chicken and pico de Gallo that is made with chunks of tomatoes and a touch of green onion with no seasoning. To top it all off the service which we received from who I have been told is the owner no less was terrible. She was the most miserable human being I have ever met. I will not be going back and I suggest you drive down the street to Baby Salsa if you are looking for decent Mexican food and god forbid a smile and friendly tone. read more

A classic. Been going here since i was a child and never even got the shits! I would recommend this to anyone. Gina is a bangin old bat with some spunk in her trunk. She also hooked me up with some extra salsa and guac, speechless......... read more

Never a bad meal or experience...Wednesday night good special, even had room for "chocolate truffle" cake

We have been there 4 times. Every Time my husband gets long hair in his food!!!! It is moderately good food otherwise but the hair is a big turn off. read more

Mmmmmm vegan Mexican food galore. Would recommend to anyone in search of authentic Mexican food.

My wife would kill me if she finds out I only gave Gina's 3 stars, she absolutely loves this place, as for me I could take it or leave it. the food is ok, the view is great, the atmosphere - well lets just say you actually feel like you really could be in a restaurant in Mexico, an old dirt one with plastic table cloths... My advice, try it for yourself but don't be disappointed if you're expecting a 5 star Mexican experience ... I warned youyou read more

Great food and usually awesome service. I've not had anything bad there. It's a bit cramped inside and can be a bit loud.

Its ok, and feel like you are in Mexico when you are there. lol In a good way, little rooms, funky layout, old windows and a bit beaten down. The food is ok, you get the Mexican fix you are looking for how ever it is lacking in the fresh side of the Mexican we are use to in Arizona. Nothing like fresh warm tortillas. We still go as its an experience in its self and after a few yummy margarita its all good. read more

I could go on and on, but this place has wasted enough of my time and money. In an nutshell, the WORST Mexican food I have ever tried. Tortilla chips were cold and stale. All of our food was ready in a matter of minutes, because everything came out of a can and was microwaved. Everything was bland and tasteless. My enchiladas were literally covered with spaghetti sauce!! Staff seemed disinterested and service was pretty much absent throughout. The food is just strange. If you are craving Mexican food, go anywhere else but here. What they serve isn't Mexican at all. read more