Garden Cafe — Restaurant in New York

Garden Cafe gets points for being in the right place at the right time, but beyond that, it was pretty mediocre. My top tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality and I came here for a strategic lunch/rest this past Saturday during the Great Saunter (an annual event I would heartily recommend to anyone physically and mentally able - five stars all around). After not finishing the Saunter last year, I decided at the very least it was important to get off our feet for a bit, and this location made a lot of sense, literally a few buildings away from the official route off Isham Street very close to the halfway point of our adventures. Given how we were feeling at the time, this was definitely within a quarter mile of where we needed it to be before people started getting VERY yowly.

This area of Inwood is really pleasant; I've been over here now a few times and it's super underrated because most people never bother to wander up past the GW Bridge. But it's super chill and gives off some Brooklyn vibes. And optics-wise, Garden Cafe fits right in. True to its name, it has a great outdoor seating area in the back, which was the perfect antidote on a pleasant day with sore feet. The interior though is dimly lit and very claustrophobic; each time we went through (entering and exiting), we had to wait for other people to pass in the area by the restroom/awkward bar area. I'm not sure how you improve that situation without a full-on reno, but it's not the best. The outdoor space helps for sure in that regard.

We needed carbs like the wolf with 16 miles to go on our trek. I went with the strawberry pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs and a vanilla latte (mostly so my chum and I would remain on speaking terms after only having a fraction of my normal coffee intake at the beginning of the day). Everything was fine though nothing to write home about. The pancakes were a little dry and definitely needed the accompanying syrup, and the eggs conversely were wetter than I typically like. They also needed a bit of seasoning but they did what they were supposed to do. In hindsight, the latte might have actually been the best of the lot - it had a visually pleasing design from the milk pour and was tasty. Most of the patrons we saw nearby were on mimosa benders, which sounded fun but we had a job to do. Next time.

This place got a lot of points off for the service. Our waitress was not particularly friendly - very monotone and never smiled, and once our food came? A ghost. We rarely even saw her in the patio area and we probably ended up staying an extra 15 minutes because we literally just couldn't find her to get the check. Really odd unforced error and it was actually close to the point where one of us was going to have to go inside to actively find her to ask for the bill. Not good at all.

It wasn't a terrible meal by any stretch and I think ultimately you give it a thumbs up for providing a spot to rest and eat, but most people would probably consider that the bare minimum requirement of a restaurant. I'm sure you can find better...

I went to the Garden Cafe for an event. Unfortunately, many of us were not very happy about it. The event was planned weeks ahead, yet when we arrived, the place was not ready. Drinks were only available half an hour late. The beer was not cooled and the drinks - Margharita, Sangria, ..- were not freshly mixed but poured from a cheap premixed jug, and tasted mostly sugary and were undrinkable for me. chesp mixes with cheap tequila. If that's what is served on a day to day basis, I am surprised anyone would order a drink, and if that was substituted because it was an event with a 2 hour open bar and the place wanted to maximize their earnings - it's appalling! the food was mediocre at best. Some appetizers, guacamole came out late and was a rather small bowl for about 60 people and the main dishes were kind of salty but bland - boiled green beans, white rice, grilled chicken and half a burger in half a bun, fries,.... no dessert. So I paid $85 , had no drink because they were undrinkable and the three sips I tried already made my stomach queasy, and some food that would have been maybe $20 in all. If that is how events are run - just don't do it because I will certainly not recommend that place. And talking to my friends who were there.... they won't either. So you lost about 50-60 potential customers who will never come back and won't recommend you....

Where to start? The food is a hit or miss. It's either good/decent or bland and in need of tlc. Not sure why the kitchen thought it was okay to send out a burger with such a small beef patty that it looked like it belonged in a slider. On top of that, it came with none of the ingredients listed in the menu, no lettuce, no tomato. Sent that back real quick. Drinks also took about 15-20 minutes to be brought to us, non alcoholic too, so they clearly just forgot about them.

The biggest issue though is the service. It's really bad. I've given this spot a few tries hoping it will get better because the back patio really is a cute place to have food and drinks. But, no more. The servers seem lost and whenever I speak to them they never say anything back, like no communication. It's very odd... Waiters take forever to come around and check in, which they rarely do because they just disappear. Even basic things like napkins, water refills aren't done at all. You have to constantly ask and when you do all you get are blank stares. I worked in the food industry for years so I'm always sympathetic but this has happened too many times here and doesn't seem to have any sign of improvement. Seriously, folks, it's cute decor wise and all, but save yourself a headache from this food and terrible service. Go elsewhere. Or you know, go, and see...