When you’re in need of some Mexican cuisine, very few places in Nanaimo will satisfy you the same way Gina’s Mexican Cafe will. The service and food are fantastic, while the environment feels unique and festive. 

Let’s get this out of the way: we’ve all heard tales of Mexican food and its destructive potential on the digestive system.  Being someone who’s stomach isn’t always the most cooperative, hot and spicy food items are usually a gamble.

So if the gorditas happen to win in a standoff against my gut, it’s important to familiarize myself with the fastest route to the best baño I can find.

Thankfully, at Gina’s, the food doesn’t cause any trouble. How does the bathroom hold up though?

Well, they lose points for placing a table right next to the restroom, and I mean right next to it. I would have snapped a photo but I doubt that the family of four eating their meal would have enjoyed appearing in this review.  I definitely got looks as I snuck by and swung open the door.

Hey, they have a cute illustration on the door! Look at that little guy! I’ve never seen such an adorable smiling ..poncho? Chef hiding under a table?  Mushroom growing on a dirty blanket?  Some sort of flasher, waiting to expose himself? Maybe it’s a Roger Hargreaves cartoon after he had a few too many cervezas. 

At any rate, I certainly appreciate the hand drawn artwork. Once inside, I was delighted to find more cartoon friends.

Now, even if I wouldn’t want to think about bugs crawling on the floor while I was doing my business, these little guys are so charming that I almost feel like I’m the filthy, unwelcome guest.  They’re like a cute, dancing cockroach welcoming-committee.

A snake, too? At first glance I thought maybe this guy was a Jalapeño pepper. However, I was pleasantly relieved to find that they decided to maintain the “disgusting and terrifying desert creatures” theme for the facility. Much better than something food related. I mean, come on. How cliché’d would that be?

As for the toilet: it was clean, and the paper was well stocked. I’ve got to wonder though, who is this Jack, and why does he bring a white-out pen everywhere he goes?

Come on Jack. You could have at least gotten creative and wrote “Jose” and drew a cactus or something. No one cares about your big #481. Hell, that’s not even a good number. Were you feeling compelled to mark your territory just in case someone else had the same great idea as you? I guess all the other white-out sniffing restroom gangs missed out this time. You sure showed them.

Apart from a very low soap dispenser, there was nothing unusual about the sink area. The broken window with the bars over it gave the restroom that authentic “Mexican Prison” feel, which almost made me feel like a real-life cholo. 

To sum things up, this place smelled decent and had an entertaining theme. Frankly, it was a pleasure to see that someone took some entrepreneurial initiative and made this bathroom muy bueno! 

Toilet Paper Rating:  3.5 / 5