The Garden View Café at the Chicago Botanic Garden — Restaurant in New Trier Township

My negative experience with Ravinia client services: Yesterday July 19th 2023 I have visited that place with my woman. At the front gate I was informed that in order to eat at your restaurant, we need to pay $22/per person to get in. We were there at 3:45pm. We are local residents and have seen many times what Ravinia has to offer. And at that time we just wanted to eat at the restaurant. So at the front gate they insisted us to pay for admission., without informing us that restaurant was already closed for the day at 3 pm. I’m wondering if you are that money hungry to misinform guests visiting your place. Yesterday you have lost two clients who would most likely spend over $60 at your restaurant. I have many friends visited me from Europe and till now, I was taking them to Ravinia., now I will not do that any more. As a business owner, i think you should change your policies., give braces or make face pictures of guests who only wants to use restaurant, you’d make everyone happy, guests, as well restaurant employees. But for now…, none of my guests will visit ravinia. As to everyone reading it., make sure you ask all the right questions before you get in that place so you won’t be stuck with unknown bills to pay or any other...

We went for Sunday Brunch recently. Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 AM to 2 PM. Like all the other times we've eaten here the food was delicious. Lots of little extra flavor touches that make it tasty and interesting. For brunch, you order and pay at a counter and the food is brought to your table. This time we had a mushroom and cheese omelet, lemon-blueberry pancakes with blueberry coulis and a tuna melt sandwich. An outdoor dining terrace with grill is a lovely option when the weather is suitable. All the staff were friendly and helpful. The place was impeccably clean. The Garden View Café is really a gem.

The cost is very reasonable for a "nice" cafe. The only possible downside of eating delicious food in a gorgeous garden is the parking fee. Even though garden admission is free the cost of parking is typically $25 per car on weekdays and $30 on weekends. Less for seniors and free for garden members. Of course, you could Uber here or take public transportation or bike or walk if you lived nearby to avoid the parking fee. But when combined with a nice long garden visit, often with free concerts during the summer, the parking fee for a meal here seems...

My partner and I have been to the Garden View Cafe a couple of times this year. We're happy to report that the new food service (Levy), seems to be doing a good job of providing quality foods for acceptable prices. The variety of sandwiches and other freshly prepared dishes is refreshing and satisfying. We have sampled the tuna melt, the black bean soup and the grilled cheese sandwich. All of these dishes were freshly made and tasty. While the portions were not "American super-size," they have been ample. Prices are what you would expect at a venue like the Chicago Botanic Garden. Another improvement that Levy brings to the Garden View is conscientious service. After ordering our food, we took a table buzzer and sat at a table near a window. Minutes later, a Levy server brought our order to the table. She even offered to get us an extra plate and did so promptly. We hope that Levy will continue to provide high-quality foods at reasonable costs at the Chicago Botanic Garden (where visitors are...