Recently moved to Fallbrook and have been trying new restaurants every week. We have enjoyed all the places we have eaten at. Garden Center Cafe was on our list, but due to their limited operating hours, it took us a while to visit. Unfortunately, now we think we understand why they do not operate full hours-not enough customers, maybe. Ambiance, cleanliness, polite/friendly staff all 5 stars , but the food quality did not match the look/feel of restaurant. We ordered a Chinese Chicken Salad 1. Greens had black-gooey-rot. Obviously not fresh, most likely from a container and past it's time. Picture included. Wontons very stale and wax box/package flavor. Assuming they came from a box from warehouse that sold the black rotten greens. Dressing, was poured on thick, which made for a heavy / syrupy salad. Cabbage was dry and at the end of its cycle, you know when it gets those black dots on the white part of red cabbage. Chicken strips bland and maybe 1 1/2 ounces (for a $20 plus salad from a bag of rotten greens) . I kept looking for the chicken. 2. Scrambled eggs, sourdough, black beans and a side of Ham Steak. Eggs not fresh, maybe a carton - liquid eggs, black beans were actually a combo of red/brown/black - not the black bean flavor we were expecting or what menu stated . But, out of the entire breakfast they were the only decent thing. Ham Steak- NOT a Ham Steak just a slice of ham from supermarket -thin-and very processed -cheap quality. Sourdough bread was also the lowest quality sourdough you would find at a discount grocer. To summarize, the ingredients, produce and proteins are of the lowest quality. Bland, spoiled, packaged/processed food. Price for each dish was $20+ AND if you use a credit card you get a 3% surcharge. My husbands final words while dinning, "this place reminds me of one of those restaurants in those rehab shows- where the chef spits the food out because it's so bad" Like I said, it's a shame because the restaurant gives off a good vibe. They gotta work on the food quality and maybe they will get more customers and be able to open normal hours. Definitely will not be coming back read more

Garden Center Cafe - 2 Adult meals ($20 each) and 2 beverages ($4 each) plus tip - plus a 3% fee for using our credit card. - New American Near Me - Fallbrook, California

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The food was decent & met our expectations. The service was good. Prices are about on par with similar places in the area, (slightly on the higher side). They offer both indoor & outdoor seating, with the outdoor area set up like a garden patio. The tables are vintage style glass patio furniture with umbrellas. On bright sunny days, the sun reflects off the glass and can be a bit blinding, as there is no enclosure or overhead cover. Parking, however, can be a bit tricky. The lot is small both street level and upper level, which is a hill, so you'll likely need to walk down to the restaurant. When we arrived, a large box truck was blocking the upper parking area--likely a vendor--and although we were motioned to wait "a couple of minutes," it turned into closer to five. Because the space is narrow and sloped, my friend had no choice but to back up carefully, fortunately with no car behind us. There is additional parking on the opposite side, and street parking. It's clearly a popular spot with locals. read more

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Came here for breakfast and loved it. Adorable decor & vibe, staff was funny, friendly, attentive and food was delicious. Boyfriend had a delicious tortilla soup, and half turkey sandwich. I had scrambled eggs and black beans with toast. Prices were reasonable and would definitely come back! read more

This is a hidden gem in Fallbrook. We were invited to a college graduation/birthday celebration for my niece. The brunch event was scheduled to begin at 1p. We arrived at 12:53p and proceeded to help the host family setup their decorations in the beautiful outdoor dining space. There are very nice tables and fresh open space here for customers. The serving staff is excellent here. They are very patient with customers and all of the special entree requests. The menu is great with great breakfast side options of black beans or house potatoes. The house potatoes have bell pepper and onion cooked into them and are delicious. I highly recommend trying them. All of the brunch entrees that came out looked delicious. My own Chicken Fried Steak was phenomenal. We also enjoyed the blueberry pancakes. I asked for the blueberries in the pancakes but they came out on top of the pancakes...somewhat defeated the purpose of adding blueberries to the pancakes. I still enjoyed them. The batter is a mix between a whole wheat and regular/protein batter for pancakes, with good flavor. I ordered a Coca Cola instead of a mimosa. The mimosas looked DELICIOUS for those who ordered them. I also noted that they have Bloody Mary's, and also other cocktail drinks for $8, an excellent price. I must mention that the cheeseburger looked AMAZING. Please try that out, as I was told that it was delicious. Also, check out my photos of it. Overall, this is a wonderful brunch restaurant. I definitely recommend trying this place out when in Fallbrook or the surrounding area off of the 76 freeway. read more

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Cute restaurant in fallbrook but the food generally fell flat. The stuffed French toast was pretty much just regular toast with way too much bland cream cheese and a bit of butter smashed on top. Ordered it with the meat and it didn't come. The breakfast burrito was ok. Seating was nice especially on the patio though I'm not sure where everyone is expected to park to fill it up! There's only like 6 spots up front from what I could see. Staff were nice though it took an eternity for food to come out and for them to bring my card back after paying. read more

Today I enjoyed the crispy chicken and the tortilla soup. D. E. L. I. S. H. The chicken was nice and crispy at the same time very very tender. The soup- so many vegetables in it and so many taco strips. Yummy. Can't wait to go back! read more

Always a great meal. Monte Cristo is a favorite! Chicken chipotle raspberry sandwiches is a must!

Best food, service and scenery to enjoy. Servers were so polite, food was fresh and delicious!! Coffee was delicious too 4/4 - we'll be back Lord's welling read more

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The food is delicious. I love the salmon with the house salad. The dessert portions are huge & I never have room, but I couldn't resist a slice of cherry pie to go. It was THE BEST cherry pie I've ever eaten! Next time maybe I'll just go for a slice of pie! read more

This is one of my favorite places for over 23 years when I'm in the area. The ambience is really nice outside in the garden and the food is always great. read more

On May 2, I had dinner at Garden Center Cafe with 3 friends and left very disappointed! The atmosphere was nice, our server Tammie was great, the food satisfactory, but WAY!, WAY!, overpriced. When the tab arrived I had a minor issue with the total and was able to speak to the owner. Much to my surprise the owner was extremely arrogant and completely un sympathetic towards my issue. No attempt was made by the owner towards any aspect of service recovery. Avoid patronizing Garden Center Cafe. There are many other establishments that provide far better value and have ownership/management dedicated to quality customer satisfaction. read more

Food is consistently outstanding, and always seems fresh. Nice selection and makes us want to try it all. Love sitting outside in the garden, but has been warmer this week so we sat inside both areas are charming. Service has always been prompt and friendly. Save room for dessert you will get a preview behind the glass counter as you enter. Normally go for lunch, but we went for dinner tonight, New Zealand Rack of lamb was delicious. I believe that dinners are usually only served Fridays and Saturdays with an occational Thursday, best to check. read more

All these years later and this still our fave in Fallbrook! Relaxing surroundings, great servers and the food is the best! Love the chicken raspberry chipotle sandwich, excellent salads too! read more

Garden Center Cafe - Such good sandwiches! - New American Near Me - Fallbrook, California

This restaurant is absolutely quaint. Such a great location with a beautiful patio for Al fresco dining. Came here for Sunday Brunch, ordered two large mimosas , French toast and an egg dish. The French toast arrived very cold, our sweet waitress was quick to have the kitchen remake my dish. Unfortunately the egg dish that arrived perfect temperature was now cold due to the wait. Overall this place is really cute but I think there could be improvements to the brunch menu. Our dishes lacked freshness and flavor. If I ever found myself in the area I would give this Cafe another try! read more

Garden Center Cafe - French Toast - New American Near Me - Fallbrook, California

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Here for the Saturday evening very good prime rib dinner. We made reservations for the prime rib, not necessarily for the seating; and told by the owner, that sometimes the prime rib runs out, so reserving our 'slice' was a good idea. We just ate prime rib in Laughlin at $12 a plate cheaper; and although the plate and dinner was cheaper, the meat in Laughlin was noticeable more tender. Not that this was tough by any measure or the flavor wasn't as good. Both had a terrific rub and flavor, the casino surprisingly had a very nice piece of meat. All of the sides and service were excellent here this evening so our overall experience was very fulfilling. Another great meal here, as seems to be a regular occurrence. Dicks read more

Garden Center Cafe - Street sign from inside. - New American Near Me - Fallbrook, California

Love the ambiance the service was first class from tight when we walked in all through dinner which was probably the best prime rib I have ever had my wife had the salmon outstanding, we tried not to have desert but that bread pudding WOW! The wine was on point as well Just an amazing place read more

Garden Center Cafe - Grandson birthday - New American Near Me - Fallbrook, California

I have dined with friends many times at this restaurant. There is an item only on the weekday menu that we love. It's the grilled salmon with dill sauce served with a garden salad. It is delicious. I have never been disappointed. Unfortunately, visiting during the week was not an option this week. I met friends here today. Our meals were good, but not fantastic. My hamburger was overcooked. The service was excellent. The atmosphere is nice and relaxing. read more

Always great service. They offer great breakfast and lunch need items and their steaks for dinner have been great.

Blueberry bread pudding was AMAZING. I had chicken fried steak,was really good ,wife had the Monti Cristo, the cheese wasn't completly melted but overall was good Will Be Back read more

Consistent quality fresh American style food , served for decades , fair prices and very friendly service . Deserts are legendary and the clam chowder is just the best you will find . Great place to mingle you might be surprised who's eating a great lunch or dinner at the next table ! One of our favorite places to enjoy life in one the most friendly villages on the west coast, Fallbrook, Ca ! read more

Overpriced, under delivers and includes zero smiles. Garden Center Cafe has been a bi-polar experience for the past 20 years. This is primarily a seniors' restaurant. While that shouldn't preclude you from coming here I will advise you that based on my experiences their food is deliberately muted of flavor because of this.. For most people, their sauces and dressings will be too mild for your liking. I would say all negative reviews and many favorable reviews all say that the service sucks here. I can confirm that the service here is likened to those reality TV restaurant shows where a proper chef comes in and has to deal with a belligerent restaurant owner. Because the service was so slow, I was able to observe the infamous owner who stands prominently at the front with a clear view of all the tables inside. It was difficult to determine what exactly the owners does. Despite the waitresses being in the weeds the entire service he just stood there aloof. Apparently his role is to chastise anyone who complains about service, food, or seating.. The food: It's better than Denny's. It's not in the same league as other restaurants that sell salads and sandwiches around $18.. Southwest Salad: A perfect example of the food here. We all have a preconceived notion of what Southwest cuisine tastes Iike and looks like. Garden Center doesn't give a shit about that. To them Southwest means a few black beans tossed into a house salad. Zero color (no corn, peppers, etc etc). Chicken was poached and flavorless. Total "F" as far as a Southwest salad. It's basically a salad with boiled chicken and a ton of red onions. - Owners believe their restaurant is located in Del Mar, Tokyo, Maui or even Bonsall. Prices here are way overpriced for what you actually get. - Only one toilet for the entire restaurant. What's really stupid is that they put tables next to bathroom door and the people waiting in the long line basically "share a seat" with you. - Staff never smile. In summation, if you're not a member of the AARP this is probably not the place for you. read more

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This was a very cute and quaint little vibe. Very much a cafe feel. We were lucky to get the last table for lunch on Saturday. I was a bit disappointed that they only had the Saturday/Sunday menu available to order from versus all of the regular options that they would normally have on their dinner menu, but the food we did order was pretty good. read more

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AMAZING !! Food is delicious and everyone that works at garden center cafe is very sweet and attentive. Definitely recommend to come in for some brunch their pesto sandwich is my favorite ! read more

Totally impressed with their menu.... Service was excellent, quantity of food more than adequate. I had an Italian sausage omelette with sweet potato fries. Wife had Chinese Chicken salad which was enough for 4 people.... We took it home and had it for diner. Can't say enough about quality and quantity, don't miss a chance to visit and enjoy. read more

Everything was fresh, and the service was good. This quaint little place should be on your to do list. It was rated a little low in my book on Yelp. read more

Garden Center Cafe - New American Near Me - Fallbrook, California

The food, service and overall a nice & clean place to eat good food at! The servers are always very welcoming and attentive!

I can't believe this just happened to my husband and I, but we were not served. We're in the area for my son's baseball tournament and stopped in for breakfast before his game. We were sat and after waiting over 30 minutes the waitress simply stated that she lost our ticket. Did not try to make it right or put in our order at all. Very disappointing and clearly a targeted discrimination act! read more

This has been my go to breakfast for many years. Located in Fallbrook on the south end of the main drag. The ambience is a nice garden like setting. If the weather is permitting I recommend sitting outside. When I first started coming here I found out they had a secret menu. Not sure what all was on it but biscuits and gravy is. The biscuit was a good size and the sausage gravy was very good. I do consider myself a biscuits and gravy snob and I do reccomend. Since covid though you can only get breakfast on the weekends. They open for lunch and dinner during the week. Recently we stopped in for lunch. We enjoyed the chicken with raspberry Chipotle and fries. I'm always leary of chicken sandwiches being dry. This sandwich was not dry, it was super delicious and very flavorful. I recommend it. Always good food and good service! read more

Garden Center Cafe - Chicken W/ Raspberry Chipotle - New American Near Me - Fallbrook, California

The food, service, ambiance was all above expectations. Everyone was so friendly. My sister and I got a glass of the Coastal Valley Pinot Grigio. It was one one the best I've ever had. The food was incredibly delicious. I would go to Fallbrook just to eat here again. read more

Garden Center Cafe - Shrimp & Artichoke Linguine - New American Near Me - Fallbrook, California

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This is a Fallbrook staple! The breakfast selection is diverse and the food is consistently good. The open air patio/garden is a great place to dine during the fall and spring months! They make a great mimosa and the serving is generous. We have never had bad service and don't expect we ever will. They occasionally serve menu items from the now closed El Jardin, which we all miss. read more

What can I say we walked in there?We did only ten minutes to be seated, They brought us some water and a menu.. Me and my family order our food.Because we had an engagement , we had to go to that was quick. I do highly recommend this place. read more

Awful. Can I call my credit card and reverse my transaction for terrible _____? There we are, just my date and me. Keep this in mind. A bar waiter asked us what we'd like to drink and we asked for two waters and two coffees. He brings back one water and two tiny cups of coffee. Water is free, but we are already at 7 for the two tiny coffees. Yes 3.50 each. I guess everything is expensive right. While eating , I drank from my date's water, I also drank a few zips of my coffee. Then that bar waiter comes back with their coffee decanter with what little is left of coffee inside it and asks us if we want a top off. We agreed. So They Charged Us Full Priced Coffee For Two Small Top Offs! Four coffees for 14 dollars for two people. RIP OFF! Add insult to injury, the top offs were cold. We wouldn't drink it anymore. Seriously, you can't make this up. Screenwriters, you have my permission to use my horrible experience in one of you sitcoms. The audacity to call themselves a cafe. Pfff. Their overpriced tiny portion of cold coffee is beyond insulting. My suggestion? DO NOT GO THERE! In case you were wondering about the food; if it was good...I guess. I tipped over 20% read more

Garden Center Cafe - Lunch for two. We asked for two coffees. They topped us off once each, and insulted us with a charge for four coffees! ‍ - New American Near Me - Fallbrook, California

My fiancé and I wanted to meet up with a good friend and picked a random spot in Fallbrook, which happened to be the Garden Center Cafe. We called ahead to reserve a table, and once we arrived, the staff were extremely welcoming. They took us to our seats and didn't rush us on ordering while waiting a few minutes for our friend. The restaurant itself gave a very home-y vibe, with seating that felt intimate but not too fancy. The lighting was dim but just perfect enough to see the people in your table. Our waitress gave some great recommendations on specials, and we quickly got to ordering. We got started with soups and salads. I was especially a fan of my Cesar salad, which had a perfect balance of dressing. My fiancé and friend both got the chicken noodle soup and said it had some great flavor. I got the Shrimp and Artichoke Linguine, and the flavor was bursting in each bite. The artichokes and shrimp were very juicy, absorbing the sauce's flavor. My fiancé got the baby back pork ribs, which were also pretty flavorful without feeling overloaded with sauce, with very fine potatoes on the side. Our friend got the berry salad, which she said was very filling and refreshing! Our servers did a good amount of check ins to make sure that we were good with our drinks or if we needed anything else. We even got a dinner deal without realizing, which meant we could have a slice of cake to finish off our meal. We had so much food that we all had leftovers, so we were too full to have the cake. However, we did take it a chocolate cake slice to go (from our waitresses' recommendation), and she was exactly right when she said it's one of the best chocolate cakes we've ever had! We couldn't recommend this spot any more! We'll definitely stop by again if we're ever in the area again! read more

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The food is good, I come here often with my daughter. We both love the place. The service is good, usually never any problems. I like the place as I feel its a clean and relaxing place to come have breakfast at. My problem stems from the fact that my order was not made right earlier today. It wasn't on time. Some things were not brought out quickly. read more

Came here for breakfast because it was next to the hotel. OMG ot was good serice was great had a great experiences

Been here many times; good food, but not great,... ever. Too bad, too, a nice environment. That said, had dinner there last Sunday; wife wanted a steak and our restaurant choices here in Fallbrook are somewhat limited for Steak and seafood. We try very hard to support local establishments/businesses. It's a challenge, however; a very big one. I have not had much luck locally for most anything. This time, the food wasn't good at all IMHO. I had the steak and lobster. It was mediocre, at best. Next time she wants a steak, we'll go into Temecula. How sad is that! Probably won't be back here again, either. $150 for two people seems a bit pricey for Fallbrook, let alone lousy food, to boot. read more

Our trip to Garden Center Cafe was a pleasant surprise! This spot is a little bit dark inside (in a positive way) giving an upscale but comfortable ambiance. Decorations had the same vibe, but it wasn't too fancy in a way that could make folks feel out of place. Right away, we were met with warm greetings by the staff who were personable and fun to chat with. This made me feel very welcome, like I was a regular, even on our very first trip to the restaurant. The menu isn't extensive in terms of options, but has some solid selections and many of them come with sides and soups which is nice since it would otherwise be a tad pricy. I ordered the Berry Salad which came with their soup of the day, chicken noodle, and both were absolutely delicious. I think the salad was one of my favorite salads I've had with all of the berries, nuts, and delicious bits in it. Portions are also very sizeable, which means there were plenty of leftovers to take home. My friends got two different entrees, and the waitress applied them to their special dinner menu to knock a few dollars off the total price of the meals and include a dessert for no extra cost, which was awesome. Overall, I really enjoyed my time and the food here! read more

Garden Center Cafe - Chicken noodle soup - New American Near Me - Fallbrook, California

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Fallbrook is lucky to have such a great restaurant. They have great food, varied menu, excellent service, and a very comfortable atmosphere. Their specials are always interesting and delicious. They need to offer the cream of mushroom soup more frequently, as it is the best soup I have tasted. (hint, hint.) On a warm day, sitting outside is the icing on the cake! And speaking of cake, their deserts are also top-notch! read more

Building, dining area, and outside patio are beautiful, but the food and service was maybe a 3 out of 10. Slow service, food not very tasteful, brought wrong sides and never brought the check at the end. Maybe they were just busy, but everyone in the entire place screamed low sense of urgency. Might give it another try. read more

Nice inside and their patio is too (but not dog friendly-only service dogs). The food here has always been pretty good, but the service this time (and our last too); almost made us walk out. There were two people standing behind us and who came in after us, and they were seated 1st having to walk around past us to be seated. We waited & waited until the girl behind the counter looks over asking if we needed to be seated, YES we're standing at the hostess area, we do. There was a server who brought us waters right away and said our server would be with us shortly (wish he had been our server instead because he was waiting on tables quickly). Took the lady forever to come take our order. Finally does and not very friendly. We could see our salad order sitting at the server window, but our waitress was too busy at the other side of the counter with her face to the food counter and back to us adding up her tickets. The male waiter kept looking at her and us understanding we had waited already close to 25 minutes since ordering our food. Then we see our sandwich put beside our salad. Waited, waited, waited...finally she saunters behind the counter to get and serves us our food. We split the Garden Center Salad is big enough to split, good and really really good salad dressing. We split the Hot Pastrami Sandwich which was pretty good. We chose the onion rings and there were a lot of them, but really greasy. We had to flag her down for dessert. We split the blueberry bread pudding, great size and pretty good. We had to flag her down for the check. About 90 minutes to get through eating lunch. read more