Flower House Cafe — Restaurant in Whidbey Island

As a loyal customer of the garden store and nursery, I had high hopes for the Flower House Cafe.

Sadly, the experience left much to be desired. The food was mediocre, expensive, and took an outrageously long time to prepare. Even my elderly mother, who has the patience of a saint, joked about whether the kitchen staff were out harvesting ingredients in a field somewhere rather than in the kitchen cooking.

Orders are placed at a counter with apathetic employees, and beverages, such as water and coffee, are self-serve, yet there is a clear expectation that the customer leave a tip above and beyond the outrageous prices.

I might be willing to overlook this and return someday to enjoy a coffee on the lovely patio, except that the restaurant allows dogs—and all manner of disturbances that come with them. On my visit, all of the customers were subjected one dog’s incessant barking, while neither its owner nor the restaurant management intervened. I’m a dog-lover myself but understand that taking them with me to a restaurant (even one with outdoor seating) is...

Meh, I’m not one for this sort of vibe/crowd so I had to be convinced to coming here at first, then I saw the line and had to be convinced even more, then saw the menu and had to be convinced a third time! I was really close to giving this place 3 stars because of all that in addition to their mediocre tasting food, but the scenery, cleanliness and how hard they were trying got this to 4 stars. There’s usually a line when I pass by this place so fair warning there. And it’s menu is pretty small, basically just sandwiches…that taste like ones you could make at home sooo I don’t know. But hey, its fresh, clean, has fun drinks and pastries, they’re definitely on to something. Not a must try on the island, but if in the area and need some sandwiches, try it out. (FYI I also don’t like complaining about small cute businesses like these so this is weird/rare for me but had to be done, all love...

Only thing going for this place is a gorgeous setting. Each time I come, hoping for a meal which matches the lovely garden vibe I am disappointed. This time it was over avocado toast. I asked for a gluten free option and the counter clerk said they'd replace the bread with lettuce leaves. She told me many people ordered it and loved it. I assumed they would make a wrap. My daughter ordered a sandwich with a salad side. We ordered to go and took our bag to nearby Feeland park. Opening our bag, I found 2 boxes but no utensils. Mine contained lettuce pieces and half an avocado (sliced) with a bit of dressing. This was it!--lettuce and avocado! How was a supposed to eat lettuce? With my fingers? For the price, this meal was outrageous--the cost of the ingredients was less than $1. Stay home, make your...