Garden House — Restaurant in Town of Rosendale

It truly pains me to write this review, especially given the restaurant's claim to serve halal food—a rare and cherished offering for many. But the experience I and my hiking group of 20 endured was so disappointing, it simply cannot be ignored.

First impressions were ominous. We were greeted by the sight of alcohol in a supposedly halal establishment, which already gave us pause. Despite calling two days in advance to ensure they could accommodate our large group, nothing was prepared when we arrived. The outdoor seating area wasn’t arranged, and we were forced to move the tables and chairs ourselves. While this wasn't a huge deal, the attitude we encountered was. The waitress, cigarette in hand, stood over us, directing how we should arrange the furniture rather than lending a hand. It felt like we were at boot camp, not a restaurant.

After finally sitting down, we hoped the service would improve. But instead, the waitress vanished, and the new server was utterly clueless. We received random appetizers with an insufficient amount of bread—just half a pita per person! Anyone familiar with Mediterranean food knows that bread is a staple, especially with mezze. When we requested more, we waited so long that it finally arrived when we were ready to leave.

The main course was the final nail in the coffin. The food arrived lukewarm, and worse, the meat was undercooked, still bloody in some places. It was devoid of seasoning, as if no one in the kitchen had touched a single spice. Any semblance of flavor was missing, leaving us all disappointed and hungry.

Then came the shocker—a $200 increase on our pre-negotiated bill. For what? Certainly not for drinks, since the only liquids on the table were six glasses of water for 20 people. To top it off, the bill wasn't even a proper receipt but a handwritten note with prices scratched out and increased, bringing the total to nearly $800. Oh, and they had the audacity to warn us that using a credit card would tack on an extra $40.

As if the raw food, disorganized service, and inflated bill weren’t bad enough, the manager’s aggressive attitude was the grand finale. Instead of addressing our concerns, he was ready to argue and insisted we were in the wrong while not having a clue what we ordered and the arrangements we made prior. The entire experience was disheartening and left a sour taste—figuratively and literally.

It’s hard to fully capture the strangeness of the entire experience, but one particular moment stands out for its sheer absurdity. While we were still trying to settle in after rearranging the furniture ourselves, the bar attendant, clearly drunk, approached our group with the oddest interaction I’ve ever experienced in a restaurant setting. His only words were, “Hey, do you know Shakira?” followed by stifled, drunken laughter.

At first, we were baffled, but it quickly became uncomfortable as we realized his comment seemed directed at the women in our group wearing hijab. Perhaps he was trying to make some bizarre connection between Shakira’s Lebanese heritage and our group, or worse, attempting to mock us in some racist or inappropriate way. The entire situation felt unsettling, adding another layer of discomfort to an already disappointing night.

I still can't figure out the connection he was trying to make—whether it was ignorance or something more sinister—but it certainly didn’t help the tone of the evening. Instead, it only reinforced the overall lack of professionalism and respect at this establishment.

If you're a local in the area and in the mood to drown your sorrows in alcohol and forget the meal you just had, this might be your spot. Otherwise, steer clear. I’m glad I don’t live nearby because I won't be returning. This place is a letdown, especially considering the community it claims to serve....

Extremely disappointing! We had eaten here a few times before. The first time was great - but that was several years ago. It's been on a downward spiral since then, and has plummeted with our most recent (and final) visit. To begin with, during the COVID times, we phoned to place an order, but no one picks up the phone - ever! I assumed they were closed, but my wife said maybe they're just busy - so we went. We placed our take-out order, and the food was ready in 25 minutes, as they promised. We saw it there on the counter. However, it took another 15 minutes (!!!) before the owner came back to take our money. Another man had been waiting even longer than we were, and he finally just slapped some cash down on the counter and told the chef he was taking his order and leaving. Apparently, the entire operation is being run by just two people. I guess that's why they never answer their phone. Anyway, when the owner finally came she told us that we had to pay cash (not stated anywhere that we could see) - and she gave us our change, rounded up to the next whole dollar - more than 25 cents. Not a huge deal - but really? Not even asking if that's OK? Not cool. Next: we noticed the chef was NOT wearing a mask... and we saw several customers walking around (not seated, but waiting for food, or to order) with their masks below their noses, or even completely without masks at all. But now... the food! We ordered the seasonal squash pizza, which was supposed to come with "caramelized onion, olive oil, mozzarella, and herbs." What we got was a "pizza" that had slices of squash on top of what seriously looked and tasted like KETCHUP. If there were herbs, mozzarella, or olive oil there, you could have fooled me. Or maybe the KETCHUP just obscured it all. We actually intend to go back and ask for a refund for this seriously gross pizza, though who knows if we'll get any satisfaction. Our second pizza was the savory fig & date, which we had eaten there before and enjoyed. This time it was "meh" - not as bad as the ketchup pizza, but it tasted like they scooped some fig jam out of a jar - and whatever cheese it was that they used was not anything like what they had used before, and just not good. We're really bummed out because we had liked this place the first time we ate there, but we're never going back. Our advice to you: STAY AWAY. /// Follow-up: the owner gave me a cash refund without any quarrel... the correct thing to do. But we're still...

This place was absolutely terrible. The wait was horrendous, food was mediocre and service was awful. We were seated but completely ignored by the waitress for at least a good 20 minutes. The food took forever to arrive, then we asked about items missing and were told that they were out of them (it wasn’t until we asked that she even bothered to mention this). One of the dishes was listed as having falafel as part of the entree but when we asked why we didn’t get the falafel she just said that it was wrongly described on the menu and it didn’t actually include falafel! No apology for any of this was made. One of the dishes was a fish tagine but not a morsel of fish was anywhere in sight. The rest of the items were barely short of insipid. When we finally got the check (again after a ridiculous wait) she looked at my credit card like a passport from another planet, though it was clearly marked as a Visa and asked me what it was and if I could go to the next room to check if it was listed on the wall as one they accepted. After I did this and confirmed to her that indeed Visa was one of the accepted forms of payment, she proceeded to complain that using these cards costs the restaurant a lot of money (?!). I was so shocked, dazed and confused that I ended up leaving her a good and undeserved tip anyway. I later found out that « she » was not a new waitress, but rather one of the owners. Will never set foot in this place again. Neither should you. Spend your money and precious...