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    Gertrude's

    3.6 (818 reviews)
    Open 10:30 am - 7:30 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Gertrude's Photos

    Business Info

    GERTRUDE'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Gertrude's

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    Reviews With Photos

    Duck confit taco and barbacoa taco, bean puree, jicama slaw
    Betty C.

    If you have to be at the garden near dinner time it is a safe enough bet however not great and the food is never warm! The blood orange gin & tonic was fine, not very strong or overly botanical by any means. We had the kale and caramelized onion salad which they split in the kitchen for us - a nice touch. The two tacos were very tasty however they were not very warm and the jicama slaw tasted like - nothing at all. It seemed as if they forgot to dress it. The bean puree was smooth and flavorful - also not hot enough at all. It is a very nice ambiance sitting out on the patio although a few bees tried to join us for dinner which is always annoying! Think it was the lemon slices in the water that attracted them. Service was pleasant although the food did not come out at the same time.

    Mushroom taco with pickled red shallots, jicama-citrus slaw, and smokey white bean puree.
    Jordi Z.

    Some of the best vegetarian food we had during our trip to AZ! I always love visiting the local botanical gardens wherever I travel because the culinary experiences are always impressive, and Gertrude's definitely did not disappoint. The service it amazing, quick and helpful with any questions or available modifications. The outdoor seating is unbeatable, most people opted to sit at an outside table where the rest of the mountains, trees, and flowers from the park were visible. The drinks were tasty and not too strong, and the portion sizes for the food were great! Plenty of vegetarian options and leftovers for us to enjoy the next day.

    Amanda T.

    My friends and I were in town for a business meeting and wanted to grab dinner together before we all parted ways, so we decided on Gertrude's. The ambience was top notch. The restaurant itself is beautiful and the layout is really well done. I also enjoyed browsing through the gift shop while waiting for my food to arrive. On my way back to the patio I stopped to use the ladies room and was pleased to see that it was clean, fully stocked, and had plenty of space--always a nice bonus. Our server was kind, prompt, and knowledgeable when we had questions about a few dishes on the menu, which made the experience feel welcoming and easy. I ordered the Gertrude's burger and the Prickly Path mocktail. Both were fine, but neither really blew my hair back. I kind of wish the Prickly Path had a little less sparkling water flavor and leaned more into the prickly pear with more fruit-forward notes. The burger itself was good, but nothing particularly memorable. The patty seemed a little under-seasoned to me, which made the flavor fall a bit flat. I also didn't love the texture of the roasted pepper, though that's likely more of a personal preference. There was absolutely nothing wrong with our visit--everything was perfectly fine overall. That said, I'm not sure it's somewhere I would go out of my way to return to. If I were visiting the gardens again and wanted something convenient to eat, I'd certainly consider stopping in.

    Kale and golden raisin salad.  Delicious.
    Nancy S.

    Food was delicious. Fairly unique menu with lots of southwestern dishes, such as tacos. We loved it. Ambiance was lovely. We dined on the patio and the weather was great. It was busy so lots of people were there enjoying and the Desert Pulse program. The service was fine but before all of us were finished the busboy kept asking if we were finished and if he could take our plates. It was annoying.

    Corn esquites
    Bridget K.

    The restaurant is nice enough, but the entry was packed with people and felt a little stuffy. Luckily we had a reservation and were seated right away. It appears you have to wait awhile if you don't have a reservation. They have a nice patio that was perfect to sit and dine in with the beautiful sunny weather. The tables we're a little close together, so people on the sides with other diners behind them had difficulty getting out. I had the prickly pear lemonade. It was crisp and cold with a subtle prickly pear flavor. I wish it was slightly sweeter, but a tasty drink nonetheless. I had two appetizers as an entree: The Tempura Battered Nopales with Mole and the Corn Esquites. The nopales were very crispy; the texture of the nopales was similar to eggplant. It has a very distinct flavor. Some bites were super salty, it could have been the nopales in batter, the cotija cheese, or the mole sauce. The mole sauce is more tomato based than I was used to, and not as smooth. While it tasted nice, it wasn't my favorite mole I've had. I wish the sauce was drizzled around the plate or put in a separate dish. The battered nopales on the bottom were soggy, but the portion was SO big that the number of soggy pieces wasn't that many. The corn esquites were FANTASTIC! Everyone in my family raved about it. The combination of fresh corn, green peppers, creamy chile sauce, cotija cheese, and pickled onions was delicious! Another big portion best for sharing. The rest of my family had taco plates. The mushroom tacos were tasty, but I thought the texture of the mushrooms was a bit too chewy. My mom commented that the jicama slaw was "interesting." Overall, this was a convenient option for lunch while at the botanical gardens. I appreciated their regional Arizona food and drink options (prickly pear, nopales, etc.). Everything came out quickly and our server was kind and did a good job. If you're at the botanical gardens and need a bite to eat or a drink to sip, this is a good option!

    Al Pastor Mushroom Sope
    Stephanie K.

    Gertrude's was a fabulous way to cap the night after enjoying the Desert Botanical Garden on an early March evening with a girl friend. We wanted to have a light bite to eat, and ended up both picking the Al Pastor Mushroom Sope. We both thought we were getting soup, but it turns out sope is a thick patty made from corn masa. It was filled with delicious mushrooms. We both loved it, and it was perfect for my friend who is vegan. As for a libation, I had the Botanical Bee- a sweet vodka drink beautifully assembled. We spent the evening here on a Sunday night, so it was calm and not too packed. Our server was a very friendly and charismatic gentleman in his 40s. I forget his name, but he was lovely and added to the overall good vibes at this spot.

    Larissa R.

    This was the first time that I visited Gertrude since it has a new Chef and new menu. I ordered the mushroom sope and it was absolutely delicious. Our waiter was absolutely amazing and the weather was perfect on the patio. I highly recommend that you get a reservation ahead of time just in case. Their drinks were pretty amazing too.

    Hugh N.

    Reservations and modification process were at ease. Outdoor dining was very nice, great weather and nice ambiance. It was a little nosier than I would like to have (from the surrounding tables). It was very busy, our desert was a bit delayed but we got it. I believed that it was due to under staff. For party of six, we got seated in a table for 4, and added 2 chairs -- a little cramped. The menu is simple but good. The wine list fell short as one would expected from Tarbell's name. I asked for a wine list, the staff said that is all on the menu. As the second bottle was poured, she didn't ask to taste first... just to make sure it was not corked. Perhaps, this was not important to the service. I would enjoy this dining more if it was for lunch. For more serious menu and service would be better at Tarbell's and Tavern, with many great wine options. The guests from out of town did enjoy the food and ambiance. I would definitely recommend to try it out -- I always enjoy a nice patio for dining.

    Outside patio
    Christine S.

    We were driving in from Sedona so knew we'd be hungry and want to have a bite and slowly acclimate to the nice warmer weather! The restaurant is located when you first get into the botanical gardens. It is nothing amazing I was expecting something more magical since it was inside a botanical garden. We had a nice table for two on the covered outside patio. I'd recommend getting the burger. The tacos were just okay. Service was good!

    Fish taco plate
    Sue H.

    Reservations for party of four at five pm to start our evening viewing of the Desert Pulse art exhibit in the Garden. There was some hassle at the gate and a snippy Garden employee didn't want to allow us entry to the restaurant without scanning our tickets which were for 90 minutes later. How is this OK? The restaurant is located inside the gate and serves patrons who are not all garden ticket holders. Anyway, we got to the restaurant and were seated on the patio immediately by a pleasant young woman. It was not busy inside or outside, maybe half full or less as community free day patrons don't usually flock to the venue restaurant. There is not a fine dining air to the place, with plastic chairs and mostly unadorned tables. But the menu prices reflect tourist destination dining, it felt a bit like theme park or airport value. Waters were brought immediately but there was a long wait for a server to appear to take drink orders. And an even longer delay before those drinks arrived, frankly inexcusable in a profit driven business. I really thought we were going to enjoy our cocktails for dessert, but they did manage to show up shortly before the entrees. My $8 mocktail was lovely, a tart concoction looking like a frosty martini. Others at our table had an aperol spritz and a Modelo. Drink prices were pretty standard. As we didn't order appetizers (nor were any suggested by our server) we plunged right into our dinner entrees. Taco plates are $24, entrees start at around $30. Two of our group ordered the fish tacos on corn tortillas, which came with a white bean side and slaw. They were nice little tacos, not a huge portion but nicely prepared. The white beans were WAY TOO SALTY. Another dining companion ordered the green chili pork, which was a large unadorned pile of meat on a plate but also WAY TOO SALTY. I ordered the shrimp with polenta. Six very large shrimp with excellent seasoning were perfectly cooked and arranged on the plate around a puddle of polenta, then covered completely with about 2 full cups of cut sweet corn and green chilis. This was not a sprinkle of corn, a garnish, or even a side dish. It was literally an inch deep covering all the polenta with so much corn I did not find a creamy smooth bite anywhere. And unfortunately the polenta also was WAY TOO SALTY. This dish would be vastly improved by simply putting the corn salsa off to one side and laying the shrimp on the polenta artistically. There was a fresh herb garnish, to give them credit. One of my dining companions is celiac and I have a gluten sensitivity so we were very pleased at the large number of choices on the menu that met our restrictions. However, meal preparation and presentation is lacking, with the food just piled on the plate with little concern or garnish. Drink refills not offered. Desserts not suggested. Servers seemed a bit amateur. And SALTY! But again, this is a tourist destination and we need to make allowances. Or do we? For our $150, our party of four will likely take our business elsewhere next time. After dinner, we proceeded to the entry booths again to scan our tickets and tour the garden at night. The Garden employee this time was super friendly, helpful and pleasant. Maybe the first gal was at the end of a long free community day and an anomaly. The exhibits were fascinating and we really recommend Desert Pulse.

    Oily pasta lacked flavor

    Waa really looking forward to this place mostly because of the Tarbell name but was disappointed. Service was spot on and ambuance is welcoming and clean. Drinks were great great. We got the crab cake app which has amazing flavor with a well seasoned aioli. Issue was it was cold and theres so much aioli it lost its crispness. The red pepper Alfredo lacked flavor, pasta was over cooked and it was oily. See photo.

    Fish taco and barbacoa taco.
    Michelle C.

    I had the chance to eat her for an early lunch today. The patio area is beautiful. It's a relaxing environment to dine in. I did make a reservation through opentable. They are under new management and have a new menu. They do not have a brunch menu anymore but I hope that they add it back down the line. The items on the menu seemed a bit heavy for lunch. I did get the tacos which came with your choice of two tacos, beans, and a citrus jicama slaw. The taste of the food was great. I had a fish taco and Barbacoa short rib taco. Portion size was good. My server, Neida, was very pleasant and staff were attentive and nice.

    Patio Area, gorgeous
    Michael M.

    Under new management, been open for a little over a week, out of a lot items but Nick our Server was very knowledgeable about communicating this info. Nick is very nice, kind and very helpful. Avacado Fries were good but need a little seasoning, Burger is fantastic Polenta was excellent, hope they continue to improve, out of a lot of entree's??

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    Page 1 of 21

    Ask the Community - Gertrude's

    Does Gertrude's have a Dress code?

    No. There is not a dress code.

    Do you sell gift cards for Gertrude's?

    Don’t know. I would call and ask.

    Are you open in December? Do you accommodate for groups?

    Hello Friend! Yes, we are open in December. In December, we can accommodate groups up to 12 people.… Read more

    Is your patio dog friendly?

    Unfortunately, we are not licensed for dogs.

    Do you have to purchase a ticket to the botanical gardens to eat here or can you just dine at the restaraunt without a ticket?

    Great question! While we are located inside the Desert Botanical Garden, paying admission is not required to access Gertrude's. Approach the admission booth, let them know you have a reservation with us, and come on in. We are located immediately… Read more

    View All 6 Questions

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    Different Pointe of View patio at sunset

    Gertrude's - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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