The restaurant in Mexico that serves dishes to customers in just 13.5 seconds

If slow service leaves a particularly bitter taste in your mouth, then make a beeline for the restaurant that serves customers in just 13.5 seconds.

Diners at Karne Garibaldi Santa Tere, in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, see their food arrive on their tables mere seconds after they place their order with the waiters.

The restaurant’s speed has even been officially recognised – back in August 1996, it was granted the Guinness World Record for the fastest service in the world.

However, it’s not known for certain if the restaurant still holds the title, because Guinness World Records doesn’t monitor the record anymore.

‘We enjoy international prestige for the fast service we offer, since in just 13.5 seconds you will be receiving your food,’ the restaurant, which first opened in 1970, declares on its website. 

Since earning a reputation for lightning-fast service, the eatery has become hugely popular. Ironically, this means that you’ll often have to wait in a queue to get in.

What’s on the menu? Once you sit down, sharing plates of refried beans, salsa and tortilla chips are placed on the table. 

Next, it’s time to place your order and watch the clock. 

One of the reasons the restaurant is able to serve customers so quickly is because it has only one main dish – ‘carne en su jugo’, which translates to ‘meats in their juice’. It’s a traditional Guadalajara dish that’s described by two travellers who visited the restaurant and filmed their experience as ‘a brothy beef dish with chunks of crispy bacon cooked in its own juices alongside chopped onion, cilantro [coriander], lemon and beans’. Their verdict? ‘Really freaking delicious.’

A large portion at Karne Garibaldi will set you back £6.50 (165 Mexican pesos). 

Above are some of the dishes served at Karne Garibaldi, including their signature – ‘carne en su jugo’, which translates to ‘meats in their juice’ (pictured centre foreground)

Desserts on offer include jericalla (£1.50), a Mexican dessert made with milk, sugar, and cinnamon, and the drinks menu ranges from horchata (£1.20 for a pint), a traditional drink made from rice soaked in water, to sangria (£1.90), wine (£2.15) and beer (£1.50).

The Tripadvisor reviews for the eatery also laud the impressive speed of its staff. User ‘Mariocoto74’ wrote: ‘This place is known for having a Guinness record [for] the fastest service time and I can validate that, we ordered… and in 15 seconds the waiter was coming with the food. The food is delicious!’ 

User ‘luguicastro’ branded the service ‘ridiculously speedy’ while, ‘Clfarias’ said it is the ‘fastest service ever’. 

However, it’s noted that not everyone gets their food in as little as 13.5 seconds – user ‘MarioAG16’ noted that they received their meal ‘one or two minutes’ after placing their order. 

Above is a bird’s eye view of Guadalajara. Thanks to its reputation for lightning-fast service, Karne Garabaldi has become hugely popular in the city, with queues forming at the door 

Karne Garibaldi’s Laura Mariaud revealed to Food and Wine Magazine further explanations for the speedy service: ‘Of course, we train our staff to learn how to be efficient, but there’s a whole process behind the preparation of the food that allows the workflow to be fast and effective. This is how our service turns into a production chain that makes the waiter serve in the fastest way possible to our customers.’ 

It’s a winning recipe, with the success of the original Karne Garibaldi Santa Tere restaurant inspiring the owners to open five new branches around the wider Guadalajara area.

For more information visit karnegaribaldi.com.mx.