Garden Social Beer Garden & Kitchen — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

Highly anticipated and long awaited Garden Social is finally unveiled and 5 Stars is not enough for this upscale bar/kitchen new to East Meadow!a WELCOME ADDITION because there is nothing else like it nearby!The place is beautiful from the outside and even more appealing on the inside w the reclaimed wood accents throughout, Cool ambient chandelier lighting,huge distressed and rustic looking full bar and table tops w high chair seating that were perfect to view the big game on the many huge flat screeens throughout!dining room in the back looked perfect for more intimate dining, large parties or corporate/family events,upon entering we were immediately greeted by the lovely & friendly hostess,luckily i made a reservation knowing it would be a jam packed opening night!Upon sitting the busboy served us some delicious and complementary cornbread fresh out of the kitchen,nice touch! Our waitress "Gabby" introduced herself and welcomed us to opening night,she was so professional and informative on the entire menu,started off w the meatball app,kung pao calamari & burrrata w prosciutto..all 3 were simply amazing!the meatballs made w ground beef,veal and pork in a san marzano sauce w shaved asiago were outstanding,better then some of the best Italian restaurants I have frequented, the best part about them were they tasted like my father used to make, oldschool flavor!on to a diiferent region was the kung pao calamari,DeeLish!and wonderfully prepared!moving onto my fav was the burrata cheee/prosciutto,so tasty paired together w the balsamic and evoo!WoW,just a MUST ORDER! For dinner wifey and i split the french dip sandwich w truffle fries and brussel sprouts in a brong sugar glaze, The French dip was honestly the best I ever had, Thinly sliced roasted prime rib, melted gruyere on a toasted French hero,one bite in and i felt the bread was just delivered out back to the kitchen! Aaaand the Au Jus was like crack!Lol brussel sprouts in a brown sugar glaze were really good and made me feel better that I at least I had a vegetable somewhere in the mix of all these good eats!Lol, I washed everything down with a passion fruit margarita off the cocktail list and it was very refreshing with good kick! Finally to satisfy the sweet tooth we went with the warm flourless chocolate cake with fresh blueberries strawberries andwhipped cream!So Yum!Garden Social nailed it on so many levels and kudos to the innovative Owner Bob R. along w his partners & culinary genius executive Chef Kevin L. for finally making this fine establishment come to fruition and I personally think they will be around and a neighborhood favorite/staple for many...

Before coming to the restaurant for dinner I had called numerous times asking if a service dog was allowed on the patio, all times they ensured me it would be no problem. Upon arrival, I asked again and the hostess told me it was not a problem and showed me to a table outside with a friend and my service animal, who was in fact in her proper service uniform. While looking over the menu we were abruptly approached by a man, not in any sort of uniform like the rest of the employees. This man claimed to have been the owner and not only what came out of his mouth to follow was inappropriate but also potentially illegal. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), business owners are allowed to ask only two specific questions about service dogs:

Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

They are not allowed to ask for documentation, proof of certification, or details about your disability (which would violate HIPAA) Businesses must allow access to individuals with disabilities accompanied by their service animals, and asking further invasive questions is not permitted.

This man had asked neither of these questions but rather insisted I NEEDED to show papers to prove my disability and asking what that disability may be. Claiming he is not going to be responsible for my service animal, who was doing nothing but lying under my feet, when she “jumps up and bites a little child.” We immediately left before ordering and apologized to the innocent waitress who seemed nice and just looking to perform her duties. The owner then stated as we said “thank you” and left that we “didn’t have to leave but ok.”

It’s unfortunate that this happened, and it might be worth reporting the...

This place was okay. Went after it opened for dinner around 4pm. The atmosphere was very disruptive thanks to the employees and their boss. A blonde pregnant woman who I assume was the boss or at least a manager was counting money at the next table over. I could hear each bill as she ripped them from one hand to next counting. She was also yelling into the back presumably the bus area/kitchen where a new employee was clearly messing up a lot and need lots of direction. The waitress in our section only had the two two tops for the majority of the time plus a four top just as we were leaving. She managed to be both annoying and too detached. It took a long time for drinks to arrive after ordering. She dropped off our meals shortly after and then was not to be seen for a long time. The busboy came and cleared the table. Thankfully my dining partner was interesting and we were able to pass the time.

The bathrooms are very clean. The women's a bit more than the men's. Yes you read that correctly. I went into the women's bathroom on accident. I checked the door and saw the symbol of a man and went in. Only to be surprised that there were no urinals. So I promptly exited and went to the men's bathroom which was messier with lots of paper towels on the ground and various stains.

Luckily no one saw my mistake as I exited one bathroom and entered the next, thankfully my embarrassing moment won't matter as I do not plan on returning to this...