The Garden Cafe — Restaurant in Yuma

We didn't have a reservation but we were seated anyway. The restaurant had some traffic but wasn't full.

One young lady took our drink order and brought out our tea and coffee pretty quickly. A different young lady took our order a couple of minutes later. We didn't ask for suggestions and none were offered. Our food came out in a very reasonable amount of time and tasted fine. My wife's tortilla soup portion was more of a cup than a bowl and included a pinch of shredded cheese, two tiny slivers of avocado and no meat. She ordered a side of black beans which were flavorless, right out of the can with a few chopped green onions on top. Not exactly what you'd expect for $16.

The portion of sliced turkey on my sandwich was very hearty and the flavor was good. I had forgotten to order cranberry with it and would have asked for some had we ever been checked on. The next time an employee stopped by our table was to bring us the bill which she just dropped off without saying anything. Eventually the young lady that took our drink order (none of these people ever introduced themselves by the way) returned to ask if she could clear our plates. My wife had finished her soup so the waitress gladly took that away without offering to refill our drinks, asking how the food was, if we'd like dessert. Nothing.

We sat a while longer wondering just how long we could stay without anyone bothering to actually SERVE us. Eventually drink order girl returned to ask if we'd like dessert to which I responded by airing my grievances. Besides apologizing, she tried to use the excuse that the restaurant was busy, which it wasn't but this place has not only servers, but runners to seat customers and bring food and drinks, which is supposed to free the servers up TO SERVE and somehow we still got neglected.

After she walked away they sent over "cool girl" to smooth things over who started to sweet-talk us, calling us "luv" and "hun" and offering a free dessert, which I'd expect from a chain restaurant like Applebee's or Chili's but not from a local place that's been a fixture in town for decades and where seating is reservation-based. I wasn't out looking for a free meal. I was looking for an enjoyable dining experience. If that's what you're supposedly paying for when you go out to eat, the whole meal should've been free.

But it isn't about the money. There were other tables getting plenty of attention. I felt like my wife and I were unwelcome. Consequently, I won't...

Utterly blown away by this gorgeous spot!! I visited this cafe several times during my week in Yuma, as it was a short walk from the Hilton where I was staying.

My first experience was with their breakfast burrito. Huge, filling, and delicious, served with what very well may be the best fresh salsa I've had anywhere. (From a Texan, that's a HUGE compliment.)

I was lucky to join one of the owners at a lunch table a few days later, and got to experience the overwhelmingly charming patio. Luxuriant trees and flowers make you feel like you've been transported to tropical Hawaii, and a fly-cage with cockatiels and budgie parakeets helps round out the atmosphere. On a gorgeous midwinter day in Yuma, the sun was shining, the cool breeze was dancing in the trees...it was just magical.

It was recommended that I try the "Yuma Spice tea," which is one of their signatures. Black tea with a hint of orange and a blast of spicy cinnamon, faintly sweet, completely exotic. I guzzled my first glass in less than 5 minutes, it was so good.

The regulars wax poetic about the tortilla soup, so I had to have that, and it most certainly did not disappoint. Apparently, if you order it with the tortilla strips on the side, you'll be mistaken for a local.

I also sampled the "tri-tip dip," sort of the local spin on French dip or "sandwich au jus," and it was hearty and delicious. But my favorite bite, other than the tortilla soup, was probably the Southwest quiche.

Their Chocolate Killer Cake is famous throughout the region...so famous that they were out and I didn't get to try it. But if they still have some when you visit, be sure to reserve a piece when you first sit down, because I heard from multiple people in Yuma, when I mentioned I had eaten there, that it's LITERALLY to die for.

My ONLY regret is that I didn't get to try Sunday brunch here, because it's apparently a buffet fit for a king. If you try it...let me...

Awful service!

This was by far one of my favorite places to have breakfast in Yuma, but todays experience was very unpleasant. There was no one greeting when me and my friend walked in and only a couple of tables were taken, so we started looking for a place to sit when the waitress came out from the kitchen yelling at us asking what were we doing and if we wanted to have breakfast we needed to wait to be seated! She had a bad attitude from the beginning, as she figured out we are Mexican she threw a fit and spoke to us in Spanish assuming we did not understand. She seated us and took our order but as soon as we were done eating she brought the check and interrupted our conversation a couple of times to see if we had already payed. We felt very uncomfortable so we payed and stayed chatting a little longer; After a few moments she came back telling us that if we were done we needed to leave because she had a reservation for that exact table ... THE PLACE WAS HALF EMPTY!!!! There were enough tables for her to sit as many people as she wanted without being rude and remove us from our table.

Unfortunatley we did not take the name of the waitress, but she was a hispanic girl with short hair.

Hopefully the owner gets this message and talks to the employees about costumer service and how important it is to be nice to the people who go there. We're definitely not...