This review is based on a Sunday visit during breakfast. The restaurant stresses 'everything local' yet they use liquid eggs from a carton, bland bacon and cheddar cheese and tater tots instead of potatoes. Food was OK, not very exciting and ultimately disappointing given their green claims. Â Sodexo runs this cafeteria, which explains this discrepancy.
Other meals may reflect their localvore philosophy, but until they make serious changes to their breakfast menu (dump Sodexo in favor of a local company?) it's hard to take them seriously. Not worth going out of your way. If you are already there, may as well chow down.
So for those of you who haven't guessed yet, this cafe is a part of the Botanical Gardens of Chicago. During the summer they have grilled chicken and burgers along with refreshing beverages. In addition to the outdoor grill they still keep the indoor kitchen open in case people are in the mood for yogurt, pizza, cookies, or any other snack or dessert. The food is amazing all around, it's very fresh but it is a little on the pricey side but naturally that is to be expected since it is a tourist attraction during the summer.
I love the gardens and I love the cafe. Would not change a thing.
The Garden Cafe has really improved over the years, and it's a decent place to get a bite to eat when you are at the Botanical Gardens.
It's cafeteria-style, but with Greek yogurt and fresh fruit and unsweetened lemon green tea - sort of like you are eating at Whole Foods. Â They have an outdoor grill that has a variety of dishes available, and no line!
Plus, you can't beat the outdoor seating and the view in nice weather.
The Garden Cafe is a night place to grab a meal in the Botanic Gardens. You aren't going to get a great meal here - but something decent with a great view. And it's a tad pricey, but they have you in the Botanic Gardens. I'm not surprised.
My husband had the pizza and I had a salad and some sweet potato fries. Everything was decent - we were starving and didn't know what else to eat in the area (PF Chang's? Max & Benny's?).
Last time we visited, they did NOT have any bottled water. Instead, you had to buy a reusable Botanic Gardens bottle and fill it with water. I understand the sentiment to protect the earth by reducing waste, but they are still serving on paper products and using plastics and aluminum for their other beverages.
If you are a member, you receive 2 10% off coupons every year. This helps a bit with the prices and is an incentive for us to eat there.
Great for kids and wonderful outdoor seating with a grill.
Free WiFi here. Great idea.
Serves breakfast lunch and dinner. So you can get something here anytime. Reduced hours during the winter season, though.
Overall, recommended if you are here. It's not terrible. But a nice meal down the street in Glencoe or Northbrook or HIghland Park is probably better.
This is a review of the Cafe inside the Chicago Botanic Garden. Â Don't misunderstand me, I love the Botanic Garden, and recommend people to visit. Â But the cafe inside that you might consider dining at for lunch or dinner sucks. Â
We just had lunch there, so maybe the dinner would surprise me. Â But lunch is basically 2 lines. Â You can go Express and just get prepared sandwiches, salads and drinks, or go "Full" and get hot pizza, paninis, or something from their "bakery" :)
I got pizza, my wife got a panini. Â The pizza reminded my wife of something made with some kind of instant tomato sauce called "Pizza Quick". Â I don't remember that from my childhood, but regardless it was terrible. Â And the panini only got a couple bites. Â It was some kind of roasted vegetable thing, and it was just gross. Â
The place is also jammed at noon on a weekend, which is understandable since there's a lot of people going through, but just keep that in mind if you thought you wanted to grab a relaxing bite before or after your beautiful stroll. Â There's also lots of flies nipping at your legs because well, your at a garden and the doors to the outside are constantly opening. Â
The only good thing about this cafe is they had beer to buy. Â But still my advice is eat before or find somewhere afterwards.
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