The Garden View Café at the Chicago Botanic Garden

The Garden View Café at the Chicago Botanic Garden

★★★★4.0(208 Google reviews)

Crema's Take

This café trades on its garden location and brunch menu rather than exceptional coffee or food quality, and recent reviews suggest a management change has made things worse—expect to pay premium prices for mediocre drinks and inconsistent service, though the outdoor seating and pastry selection still make it a pleasant spot if you're already at the botanical garden. The coffee is drinkable and some items like the zucchini bread have fans, but you're really paying for the view and mission (proceeds support the garden) rather than the café itself. Worth a casual visit if you're spending the day at the gardens, but don't make a special trip.

What to expect

Classic coffee drinks done right. A slow-sit, quick-grab, outdoor seating spot, good for meetings. Full breakfast, pastries, and light food on the menu. Family friendly. Parking available.

Outdoor seatingTraditional drinksOutdoor seatingParkingSlow sitPastriesQuick grabMeetingsFamily friendlyPastriesFull breakfastLight foodFull breakfast

Google Reviews

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tom sokolinski
★★★★★4 months ago

It certainly seems like you have changed the management company for this restaurant. All four of us in our party complained about the food quality and price. My wife asked for almond milk in her coffee and was charged an extra 1.50 for basically a shot glass of almond milk.

Albert Hernandez
★★★★4 months ago

⭐️ 1 Star – Overpriced Hot Milk & Terrible Customer Service I’m extremely disappointed with the café at the Botanical Garden. We ordered 4 hot chocolates (3 large, 1 small) and paid $26.98, which is already outrageous pricing. The problem is that 2 of the 4 drinks barely had any…

Michael C
★★★★★8 months ago

The food here is good. The prices seem high but I don't mind because it's going toward the garden. Unfortunately, our last experience when it comes to the staff here was not positive. I'm not sure if there is new management running the cafe, but a couple of the staff members…

Zenia Sunavala
★★★★★11 months ago

Excellent coffee. Great bakery with many grab-and-go options. You can tell they put a lot of effort into planning the menu options and actually making this an enjoyable dining experience. Try the zucchini pastry!!!

K Mulcahy
★★★★★6 years ago

We went for Sunday Brunch recently. Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 AM to 2 PM. Like all the other times we've eaten here the food was delicious. Lots of little extra flavor touches that make it tasty and interesting. For brunch, you order and pay at a…

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