My go to spot downtown for Mexican food. Staff is super friendly and always comes through with great service. Plenty of seating available if you'd like to dine in but I'm typically calling in my order for a lunch break. Everything I've had here is great, all the meats are seasoned with great flavor and cooked to perfection. My top three in rotation would be the super burrito with carnitas, asada fries and avocado chicken salad. read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Menu - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

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Caught a matinee movie and the State Theater Down the street from this nice little Taqueria . Not busy in the mid afternoon on a Saturday. I ordered 2 crunchy tacos - Carne Asada plate w/ Beans and Rice . Our Son ordered a Quesadilla w/ Carne Asada. Hubby ordered a Burrito Bowl - Shredded Beef . Everything super fresh and flavorful! Fair Prices :) Friendly staff :) Salsa Bar, had a really great Spicy Salsa w/ really liked . Chips came with each meal . Great little place in downtown Modesto ! read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Menu Board - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

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Excellent food. The delivery was quick and arrived hot. Utensils were also included as requested. read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Carne Asada Fry's. Delivery - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

Service was really fast! The nachos were really good and we enjoyed the chile colorado. They serve beer as well which would be nice for when you're out with friends. read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

Had to run an errand at the Supreme Court in Modesto and decided to grab some Mexican food nearby. I found Taqueria Cardenas on Yelp -- it was just a short walk away. The bright, colorful exterior caught my eye -- always a good sign at a Mexican spot. The place was small but packed, with a fast-moving line despite only three employees working. They handled DoorDash, takeout, and dine-in orders efficiently. I placed my order, used the restroom (immaculately clean -- rare for small spots), and found a seat. They brought the food straight to my table without needing a number. Carne Asada Plate:The meat was thicker than most places but very flavorful. The rice, beans, and salad were well-seasoned, making the plate a hearty, satisfying meal on its own. Crispy Shrimp Taco:Good flavor but overpriced at $9. It only had about three shrimp -- not worth the extra $3.50 compared to a regular crispy taco. Overall, I'd definitely recommend Taqueria Cardenas when in the area. They handle rush hour well, the food is tasty, and the salsa bar is a great bonus. read more

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Got their burrito and it was average. The Carne Asada was a little over charred and some parts of it were un edible

Excellent shrimp cocktails! Very highly recommended! Prices are reasonable for the quality of food.

OK, so this has to be the best place ever for tacos I had the best shredded beef tacos ever and their tortillas are amazing. They were deep-fried but they were amazing. Unbelievable food. I was so full after two tacos. It was incredible and their chili is to die for a must place to eat lunch. read more

The lady was super nice. The food was spectacular. She gave the food asap. 10/10 no complains. I WILL be coming back. read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

Amazing food & service. They were really kind helping an older lady with a walker ambulate to her seat & food was amazing and had a home cooked meal vibe. read more

Time for some pre-show dinner. Tonight? The Temptations & The Four Tops! We had time to kill, needed dinner and didn't want to lose our excellent parking space close to the Gallo Center. We did a minor bit of walking and looked at yelp as we walked. This led us to Taqueria Cardenas. Honestly, it wasn't much to look at. Small store front with an enclosed patio area in front with maybe two or three small tables. It was a little wider inside than I had expected. There was one person placing an order to go, otherwise it was empty. The menu is behind and above the counter. We waited our turn and placed our order. We each got an entree, and I ordered an extra Chile Relleno to share. We grabbed a Diet Pepsi from the self-service fridge. There were fountain drinks as well, but we didn't ask about them. We did have our Gallo Center cup with us, and our order taker/server was kind enough to fill it with ice for us. We paid for our food, received some napkins, flatware and a plastic basket of tortilla chips and went to choose a table. There was a Salsa Bar for salsas, limes, and radishes. There is a public restroom for guests. You do have to ask the cashier to open it for you. That's a good thing because that meant that the restroom was very clean. The order taker/server brought our food to our table and checked with us a couple of times to make sure that we were happy and didn't need anything else. It was a small wait for our food from ordering to serving but it was a wait worth waiting for. The rice and beans were as expected. The Chile Rellenos were perfect! Excellent temperature, texture and flavor. She got an Al Pastor Enchilada with Green Sauce and a Carnitas Street Taco. Both were devoured in no time. We have four more shows to attend at the Gallo this season. No doubt, we will be returning. read more

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Not a local but came here to enjoy some Mexican food with family. You get a good greetings when welcome but feeling rushed when you walk in. First thing, what mexican restaurant that doesn't serve horchata or agua frescas but i checked online and it was in stock. all the Salsas were old and fermented. Only the green avocado salsa was good . I have to say food was good but the surrounding environment wasn't a good experience. Only one person working the restaurant. Chips are stacked on the line and re-fried when served to be hot. read more

I don't eat here ever since an ex employee told me they dropped the meat one time on the floor and they just picked it up and continue to serve the people that same meat read more

Waited 15mins for supreme burrito, that's hella expensive btw and to find out they never made it. instantly asked for a refund they shorted me 2 bucks whatever seems like i dodged a bullet by seeing the reviews chips stacked on the counter like a pyramid Lmao! No thanks! read more

Felt the food was pretty skimpy. Ordered carna asada fries but felt the fry to topping ratio was off. Definitely should have had more fries for the dish. Definitely not worth the $15. Could have been a busy night so they were rushing thru and were trying to spread their fries across several dishes instead of making enough for all their orders. read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Carna Asada fries - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

Outstanding quality ingredients. I ordered chicken tortilla soup! Very tasty and fresh read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Chicken tortilla soup - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

Great location. Plenty of seating and a kitchen area had a ton of taco toppings choices. The pollo taco was ok and the the Chile Colorado didn't have a ton of flavor. Perhaps I didn't choose the right toppings. The "mild" salsa was pretty spicy but didn't add much to the taste. read more

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The Yelp rating is legit. Nice little family run restaurant. The food was fresh, served fast, and delicious. read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Chicken Enchiladas and Chicken Taco - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

So I really liked Cardenas and I wanted to bring my wife to enjoy their food. I am going to soon realize this was a bad idea. We arrived at the restaurant to find no one enjoying dinner. No biggie right. I ordered the quesabirra taco plate, the wife went with the enchiladas. My little brother also ordered his meal. He too got the quesabiria taco plate. The food came out and it was time to eat. First impressions, the rice was mush. I had a feeling this dinner was going south quick. I grabbed my first taco and instead of being firm and crisp, my taco was soft and flimsy. I took my first bite and i knew this was not the same meal I had a couple of weeks ago. What a bummer. Lack of flavor even with the dipping juice. I actually regret coming here now because this dinner wasn't what I had weeks prior. The wife said her enchiladas were ok but the rice was mushy and the beans were no bueno. I totally agreed. My brother wasn't impressed either. He too has had a great meal here in the past but tonight's meal fell really short. My original score was five stars a few weeks ago but this meal dropped it to three stars. Should be a two and a half star really. read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Mushy rice and the beans were no bueno - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

Went to a wine tasting event at the taste studio fashion house across the street but needed some carbs in me quick haha so went here for a veggie burrito and it was soo good!! Their beans are delicious which makes all the difference in a veggie burrito. They have a salsa bar which was legit, I loved the green salsas. The red is the spicier one but I like the flavor of the green salsa. My friend ordered a taco salad and she really liked hers too. They were fast and really good quality food. Will definitely be back next time I'm in town. read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Getting food before wine tasting - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

Cockroaches...first sign was the sticky salt shaker, much bigger issue was when the couple at the salsa bar had a cockroach crawl on one of their hands from the chip basket and then multiple others crawl out as well. Immediately requested a refund, which was given, and walked out, never again. read more

Found out about this place because I have a RAD Card -- I would have otherwise never tried this place. I called in my order for camarones rancheros, chile relleno, a quesabirria and large jugo de jamaica. My order was ready on time. It was some man show -- the cook was very friendly! The quesabirria was the best thing. All the food was tasty but was missing that homemade touch. The chile relleno was just dipped in egg -- not that puffy egg white batter. The rice was good, beans were good but canned I think. The camarones rancheros were tasty, spicy sauce, but lite on shrimp. Salsas bar had a good variety with sliced radishes, lime wedges, and four salsas. Plus: food came in recyclable paper board containers. Negative: food didn't hold temperature and boxes got soggy by the time the food got home. Conclusion: I'll give it another try -- especially for the quesabirria. read more

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This spot was walking distance from my hotel so I decided to try it out. The food was alright but the margarita was trash. read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Tacos Plate - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

I asked can you make me a shrimp taco but fried, kinda like a birria taco? His response "YES". And he understood the assignment! This fried shrimp taco was the best I've had! Thank you sir who's name I didn't catch read more

Taqueria Cardenas - A fried shrimp taco is my absolute favorite & i'm in love - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

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Unfortunately I have to give this place a one star. Believe it or not, prior to this visit it was my favorite Taqueria. I always loved getting the carne asadatacos here. The salsa is also very good and spicy. Today unfortunately I noticed someone in the back room with a chronic cough. As I was eating my meal, I noticed an employee cleaning but she was not wearing a mask, and she was the one with the chronic cough! Well this went on for a while and honestly, I would not have ordered any food here knowing that they don't enforce masks for food preparer's. I even witnessed a patron walk in, noticed that she was coughing and not wearing a mask, then she walked right out! Well I'm done here. read more

Kind of hit and miss. The first time ordering a week ago, the food was excellent and we couldn't wait to order from them again. The food was juicy and full of flavor. We ordered today, and the food is abysmal. The meat in each order is half gristle, they forgot the chips and salsa we ordered, forgot the tortillas in the birra plate, which is overcooked and chewy, the enchiladas don't have much sauce on them, and it is not good food. We picked everything apart, throwing out the gristle, and about half of the order went straight in the trash. What happened between this week and last week? Complete overhaul of the food supplier, or something? One nice thing, the food did not taste rotten and did not make me sick. read more

We needed a place near our hotel so we walked over here and we were surprised how great the food is. Very kind service very good tasting food and there were vegan options. Highly recommend we will be coming back. I had the falafel with fries and we also ordered burrito . bowls Were delicious Great selection of sauces. I wanted to take more pictures but they eat it so quickly I only have a picture of mine read more

Taqueria Cardenas - falafel sandwich With fries - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

This is my favorite place to get lunch... they have great enchiladas, taco salads and bowls, tacos, and breakfast food.

Spicy Falafel is perfectly seasoned, not too bland but not too spicy. This is difficult to achieve. I hadn't had one in a long time and forgotten how good. Not over-dressed with lots of crunch. Fries seasoned well even after taking home and stone cold. read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Spicy Falafel is perfect. - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

Disappointed is an understatement. My taco lady's tacos are bigger than what I just paid $11.25 for 2, rice and beans + $0.75 for cheese each taco and $0.50 to use my card. The rice taste like straight tomato sauce. Would not recommend. read more

Taqueria Cardenas - 2 Taco plate w/ rice & beans - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

Super rude couldn't even tell me what they had on the menu and I had to ask for a refund because of how rude and racist they were to me and my son read more

This was recommended as the best Mexican place in town, and when I walked in, I was excited to see the fusion. Chimichanga is a great Tex-Mex dish, typically thought to have originated in Southern US, and is a deep fried burrito, typically filled with ground beef. I was thrilled that this restaurant had the same meat options for its chimichanga as its tacos and burritos. This meant that I could enjoy the goodness of a deep fried shell, without compromising on the filling. There was a small salad bar, with green and red salsa, and a few veggies. The prices were quite reasonable, especially per calorie, the service was excellent, and the food was delicious. We ate at the outdoor tables, and it was fun to people watch, as it's a fairly busy street. I can't wait to frequent this restaurant the next time I'm in town! read more

Our Go To when we visit Modesto. Great food, service and menu choices. Simple, clean decor but it's really all about the food! Excellent!

Mannn... if you haven't tried their birria tacos or quesadillas you're missing out. Grub hubs ain't got shit on them. i worked walking distance to them for almost a year and i swear this was always a must. the food is great. they are quick and great staff. Just know it gets busy too during lunch. it's in downtown modesto. read more

I liked Taqueria Cardenas. It wasn't amazing, but I was impressed when I saw them taking out raw, marinated meat to cook for our order. There were a few good bits of char on the carne asada. It's kind of a small place, not teeny tiny, but it was sad to see a stream of 40+ people slowly leave Cardenas and then go across the street to another place one morning. I'm not sure why they all left. They probably couldn't handle that many customers at once. read more

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Food is terrible don't waste your money and the drink fridge has mold growing on the glass doors

Love this place. Usually get the chorizo breakfast burrito which is great. I got 2 super carne azada tacos this past weekend, and they were amazing. Great service , great food! read more

Yum!! I have been wanting to try this place. I always go to Jalapeños as my "go to" Mexican eatery. The guacamole was super fresh & delicious!! The super veggie burrito was perfect. And loved the salsa bar.... clean, no cross contamination. The ONLY reason I'm giving 4 stars, is you are forced to buy a drink w/ your food or you will be drinking warm city water. I would give 4.5 but that isn't an option. I would take 1/2 point for the water. Staff even came out to ask how everything was even though it's a seat yourself taqueria. Will definitely be going back! read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Yummy homemade FRESH AVOCADO (not from flash frozen fresh bagged avocado. There is a difference, when you are a "foodie" you can tell!! - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

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I always receive amazingly fresh food and the best service. The chicken tortilla soup is one of my personal favorites however everything I've eaten here is just chefs kisss read more

Taqueria Cardenas - Chicken Tortilla Soup - Seafood Near Me - Modesto, California

Stopped by for a quick dinner and was so impressed with the food as well as the service. Husband ordered enchiladas and he LOVED the sauce. I got shrimp taco and they were very good. Highly recommended. read more