Red Garden Cafe — Restaurant in Richmond

We accidentally ran into this little cozy cafe while we were waiting for another store nearby to open. It turned out to be such a pleasant surprise! We ordered the butternut squash soup and chicken penne to share (as we weren't that hungry), the owner was so nice that he gave us a complimentary portion; even the penne dish was deliberately larger than we expected, we could even take home the remaining portion, they were so thoughtful! With our first scoop of the soup, we could already taste the homemade quality of the butternut squash, it was so original and surely no msg to it! The Chicken Penne was also very delicious with just the right amount of ingredients and sauce. Not just the 2 dishes we tried were good, the restaurant's atmosphere and setting were very cozy, we were particularly interested in a leafy plant they have hanging on the wall which comes with natural holes on the leaves, go check it out :) The lady owner came over to greet us and ask how we liked the food, she was so friendly and hospitable, she made the guests feel very welcomed and we would surely visit them again when we go to that neighbourhood next time (near IKEA)!

(Unfortunately we can't get the pictures upload here for some reasons, but probably you can see them in...

Edit: business responded with care and grace, bumping up my rating since they certainly deserve it, thank you!

I feel that it's possible that we came on an off day. We came in and there were two people up front, the man seemed to be run ragged being the only waiter for the restaurant, he was super nice!

The problem was mostly the food. We ordered the red garden hash and red garden breakfast. When we got it, my food was missing the bacon and toast, and my partners was missing the toast and his eggs were scrambled when the menu says poached. On top of that, the potatoes were uncooked, so kind of hard and not enjoyable to eat.

I was able to rectify with the man up front to get my bacon, but he's so busy I felt bad about bothering him about all the other issues.

The chefs don't seem to really care about making sure an order is right. When I had gotten my food, I had pointed out that I got the red garden breakfast to the chef-woman who had brought it out, and she just said 'yes' and stared at me blankly. Even though all I had there was eggs and potatoes.

Overall, was a waste of money, which...

Red Garden Café was a great find in this sterile industrial area. The food was tasty, made with fresh, pure ingredients. The atmosphere was clean and both cozy and elegant, with comfy wood chairs, warm lighting that didn’t glare, and gorgeous orchids and other great plants (like the Swiss cheese plant). Talking with the very personable hosts, Rozita and Mike, made us feel like we were in a well-loved neighbourhood. Alert: they will be bringing exciting additions to the menu over the next few months - stay tuned! And check it out, a mere four minutes drive from IKEA! Also, did I mention Rozita is also an artist? The gorgeous painting is one of hers! (Note: the photos w the blue and white checkered table cloths are of the old restaurant, from the previous owners - see the more recent...