The Lemon Tree — Restaurant in Bend

We were smart to get there 15 minutes prior to open, but the communication between the host and servers was not executed well. We were just ordering when people who arrived 20 minutes after us were almost leaving. When we were the 2nd party to arrive, we still waited over 30 minutes after being open before being seated.

That being said, our server did acknowledge that and was kind. Because they didn't turn the heaters on well in advance, which they could of done at open when they saw we had our little pup, the heat lamps did not provide enough heat to keep us warm. The cold was more than uncomfortable and could have been mitigated better. I feel they should have maybe offered more than a small apology for the fine dining price paid.

I would also say they should mention having outdoor heated seating for the wintertime is not ideal, as it was one of the first things mentioned when you look the establishment up on google or I would have gotten a sitter for my pup and ate inside where it would be comfortable.

The food was spectacular and I'm glad we had a very delicious breakfast. I enjoyed a warm scone, and my partner stated the Bloody Mary was perfect. Crab Benedict was fresh and tasty, and the fritatta was flavorful.

If I ever decide to return, I will make sure I make proper adjustments in order to better enjoy my meal.

Edit: All people in the party of just 2 were there at the very get go.. We were the 2nd group to arrive. Everyone else that was there behind us got seated first, maybe because we were having outside seating? Still wasn't fair. Even large groups, we even watched people walk up and get seated before us while the host watched us wait, and my partner had to remind the host we were the 2nd people to arrive. 15 minutes before open because we were trying to be prepared. This was suggested as dog friendly. We did have blankets, jackets, and a dog carrier inside a dog stroller, and I had multiple jackets, but my toes were numb before even getting seated. We were also visiting from out of town, so leaving at home was not an option. I had called prior and was assured that, even if it was cold, it would not be a problem. I did everything in my power to avoid any complications. If I had any hint, we'd be hindered in comfort. I would have paid for a dogsitter, which I did for other restaurant visits that I called in advance as well to make sure I could prepare my out of trip time properly. The tone of the reply was assumptive and condescending. If you were not there, then why not inquire before or investigate before replying? The heat lamps weren't turned on until we sat down and provided zero heat and were barely warm prior to leaving. We didn't just have a scone. We had a driink and two full meals, which the response acknowledged some of this, but still made it an excuse what other people may do. They assumed i was not prepared, but we were all wearing sweaters and jackets and layers upon layer. We wouldn't have been so cold if we were also seated in fair order. This saddens me because I don't feel like I'd be welcomed back. I'm sure the business will do fine without my business, no doubt, but I left an honest review to be met with zero empathy and unkindness. There are also so many other establishments that provide absolutely delicious food. We were just trying something new to maybe add to our route when we visit quarterly until we find the property...

Let me preface by saying that we did come to The Lemon Tree during the Pride celebration, so maybe this is way more traffic than yall usually get.

We put our names down (for 2) and happily waited the 45 minutes to be seated. The restaurant has a great system that shows you how many people are ahead of you.

Once seated, our waiter came over asap and was super friendly. He took our order within 5 minutes of being seated (approx 11:05 am). Our food did not come until an hour later (12pm). We only ordered one Benedict to split and a side of hash browns. When our food finally came, it was cold. The flavor was just ok, nothing to come running back for. The raspberry lemonade was absolutely delicious.

The environment of the restaurant leaves much to be desired. It is a white box with a smattering of souvenirs from Italy. They were also playing techno music the entire time we were there.

The wait staff is very friendly and accommodating. Our waiter knew we had been waiting a long time for our food so he made sure to check in on us a bunch and that we had the check as soon as we wanted it.

We are coming in from Brooklyn, so I understand things aren’t as go go go on the west coast, but I have never waited an hour for cold food before.

Edit to reply to the owner: For some reason you are telling me that from when we were sat, to when we were given our food, you can’t prove that it took over 35 minutes.. I really don’t know what to tell you. I checked a photo I took outside of the restaurant 2 minutes before being seated. The time stamp is 10:54am. We were seated immediately (after waiting on the list for 40 mins) and ordered within 5 minutes of being seated. After waiting for a very long time, my partner said “if we don’t get our food by 12, I’m going to ask what’s going on.” Then at 11:59am our food came. Please do not try to tell your customers they’re...

Update Food: 5 stars Environment: 2 stars Service: 2 stars Food allergy friendly: 5 stars

Update (2 years later). The food is still good, but whoever is the host was exceptionally rude. Ask for a table outside and they said, “we don’t have one outside.” To which we said, “we can’t do inside.” And she responded, “ok, goodbye” and started to talk with the people behind us. I look to my left and see 3 empty tables outside. The construction across the road didn’t help any. We eventually sat down outside after the host said, “oh, I didn’t realize those are available.” It was so chaotic, we had a sip of water and just couldn’t handle the chaos, so we left.

I gave a bad star rating for the environment because it is packed in a small place and the road noise is very jarring... But they have done the best they can do for the space they have.

This place has been a staple for us. We go almost every week. They are VERY gluten free friendly and understand food allergies. My wife has a lot of food allergies and is always stressed about eating out because so many restaurants are not careful and she can easily be affected when something is handled wrong... She loves this place because she knows they take pride in their service and food and are careful.

The servers have all been wonderful and they will occasionally forget about a small items like drinks here and there but ultimately it shows they genuinely care and enjoy working there.

The food is absolutely amazing. We always have such a hard time finishing our food because we don't want it to be over. You can tell the chefs really value what they create and their dishes are absolutely worth it.

The location is nice for it being adjacent to downtown Bend, but it is just not ideal because of the road noise.

Update 9 months later: I still stand behind this review and we still come...