Kentucky Native Café — Restaurant in Lexington

I hate to be putting such a low review on the internet and I am not normally one to leave reviews, but I feel strongly compelled to leave my personal opinion and I hope that this business will take it to heart and work hard to improve the experience for customers.

The ambiance is beautiful. This is a true hidden gem of Lexington and it is a great place to gather with friends and spend time outside in nature.

However, the service is some of the worst service I have had in Lexington, and I am from here and have lived here most of my life. The people that worked there were so rude. I didn’t see a single person smiling, from the cafe to the greenhouse. Everyone looked like they hated their job and that they wanted to be anywhere but at their job. I waited thirty minutes for two black coffees, two lattes, and a pretzel that was already made, they just had to put it on the plate. The line was so long and it never got any shorter (yay for good business!!), but there was literally no sense of urgency from anyone. Also, my friend went to ask if they had called our name to one of the people working the counter and apparently the worker snapped at her and told her they had not called her name yet. I am not sure why there was any reason to snap at a paying customer who was asking a simple question? In my opinion, there is rarely a time or place to treat people in such a disrespectful manner.

Secondly, I came with my wedding photographer and my fiancé to take a few engagement photos around the greenhouse. I called earlier in the week to ask if we were allowed to bring a photographer and how much it would cost. The lady on the phone said 15 dollars and she told me that I did not have to book anything in advance. When I got to the florist shop to let them know we have arrived with the photographer, the lady working the front desk asked if we already bought the permit and charged us 50 dollars. Her explanation was that they have new workers who don’t know all the policies yet. At the expense of paying customers who were prepared to pay 15 and had to pay 50? Not the greatest excuse in my opinion. To be clear, I even specified on the phone, “did you say fif-TEEN or fif-TY,” and she repeated “15.” Then, when she was explaining the rules to me about taking photographs on the property, she said we couldn’t use the bathroom to change into our outfits because the restrooms were for paying customers. So our only other option was to change in the car in their parking lot. At the last minute, she changed her mind and told us we can change in the bathroom as long as we “don’t take forever.” Which by the way, we were paying customers because all four of us got coffees and a plate of pretzels to share after we took pictures.

Needless to say, I was put off by literally every interaction I had with the staff at this establishment. I don’t know if it was just a bad day or if there was something I did or said to annoy them, but honestly I am not enticed to come back. And I would tell people who are trying to get a drink with friends to be prepared to wait in line for at least thirty minutes. Like I said, I have only ever put one other review (positive) on Google Reviews, and I really hope that KY Native Café can use this client’s experience to improve their customer service for all...

I have been a strict vegetarian and health foods fanatic for close to five years now. So when Kentucky Native Cafe opened, I eagerly wanted to visit. My husband and I have lived away from Lexington (which we consider home) for the last several years, but we still visit frequently. My husband is a meat and junk food eater, however, and so visiting a place where I have many options is always a struggle. For at least a year now, Kentucky Native Cafe has been on my KY bucket list and I've been waiting patiently to make my visit.

Today we planned to go with our two best friends and their one year old son. To prepare for the trip, we went through a fast food place to get food for the baby and my husband, who absolutely would not eat anything on the Ky Native Cafe menu. Really, this experience was supposed to be a treat for me and my friends, and my husband was enduring it for me, which is rare. We were awed at the environment when we arrived and I grew more and more excited to try the food I had heard amazing things about.

When we arrived, my husband sat down with our godson and got his food out (apple slices and a hot dog) while we walked to the window to order. My husband was IMMEDIATELY greeted by an employee who told him that they discourage children eating anything but snacks there. My husband told him he wasn't going to eat there, either, but that three people did want to order there. The employee again said he couldn't. We decided to leave and I am sorely disappointed. Not only by this experience but that we arrived only an hour and a half after opening and the food options were very scarce. I would almost be okay with this experience if they said my husband couldn't eat there - that is more understandable - but to say a one year old can't eat his apple slices there when there is no food on the menu that is friendly to children is unacceptable. I had such high hopes and was so looking forward to this experience only to be immediately turned away and disappointed. As I said before, opportunities for dining like this for me are rare. I wish your policies were more considerate of...

The atmosphere is amazing, it's a beautiful garden space that offers various indoor and outdoor seating over the seasons. The garden lights create a nice ambiance in the evening, and you can walk around with a beverage and enjoy the plants. The food is more small bites and appetizers, but the quality and price are solid. There are many vegetarian and light fare options. There are alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The venue is pet-friendly and kid-friendly, and handicap accessible.

The only bad thing about this place is the customer service, which I give zero stars. I have been coming here for years, and the customer service in recent years is horrible. The staff is rude, will not acknowledge you, or ignores you completely when you come to the window. In the last hour of operations, they do not close the food/drink window, but it's nearly impossible to get service. You will want to brave the rude cashiers prior to that final hour, because after that they will be completing their closing duties and will try to ignore you entirely, or act even angrier than normal that they "have" to serve you, to include slamming dishes down in the kitchen, making audible noises of anger in your personal direction, or simply staring at you without answering your questions or ringing up your food/drink. I have spoken to many customers about this while waiting in line, we all have the same issues. In a way, it's comical, but for the business I think it would be embarrassing. I wish they would improve this part of their business and provide standard levels of friendly customer service. I would come here more often, and spend more money when I do. Until that part improves, this will not be a place I recommend to tourists since it's so off-putting.

If you're a local who doesn't mind sacrificing basic customer service for a cool ambiance or social media pictures, order a couple drinks at once to only endure one transaction with the staff, and...