The good: Clean, food ambiance, self-serve drinks, table-side delivery and clean-up, EXCELLENT POTATO SALAD The bad: Please take the chipotle chicken melt off the menu if you're not serving it as stated. Menu notes chicken greast but was gristley dark meat...coulsnt even be sure it was chicken to be honest - it almost looked like dark meat turkey. Also this sandwich was so drenched in an extreeeemely sweet pepper jam or sauce that made the bread completely soggy and overpowered the entire sandwich. When you have chipotle in the title, I was expecting something with a little heat rather than sweet. Probably the worst sandwich I've ever had at a restaurant and threw most of it out...eek. The salads looked wonderful and I also admired the kids grilled cheese as I saw them pass by. I would never order chicken from here again. read more

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We enjoyed dinner vouchers (pre-paid) for a members-only preview of the Patterns in Nature LightForm exhibit at the Botanical Gardens, now open through the Fall. Ordering was easy and at the counter with a pre-pay and "take a number" ordering. The indoor seating is modern and updated. The food is a bit pricey for cafe-style (the only reason for a star deduction), but I imagine there is a premium for being located directly in the gardens. I enjoyed the chipotle chicken sandwich with Avocado. The chipotle sauce was subtly spicy and flavorful. The ciabatta bun was perfectly toasted. The cafe salad was packed with fresh arugula (a very generous serving) with a vinaigrette sauce. We will likely return as the options were healthy, delicious, and right in the gardens. read more

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One of the best sandwiches I've had in recent memory, the mushroom melt lived up to its name with tons of mushrooms. My mom wanted a grilled cheese and they were nice enough to let her order it from the kids menu. We both got fruit; it was a nice lunch before traversing through the gardens. All the staff members were friendly and they even had a few employees who would walk around and clear your dishes. It was too chilly to sit on the patio but the inside is so bright! read more

Sassafras Cafe - Soup Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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Sunny and bright view of the garden entrance. Outside seating available. Nice selection of food choices and labelled for food preferences (gf, etc.,). My salad was good although when it came, not what I had ordered. Fixed the problem quickly and courteously, but must say the price for kale and a few ( very few) toppings was high. Could count the balls of goat cheese, cranberries and seeds. Tossed in dressing when I had asked for side dressing, but did give me the side dressing. Too bad this out- sourced run cafe doesn't really operate for the garden. read more

Sassafras Cafe - Winter salad - Soup Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

The food was good and the ambiance is THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDENS! I mean you can't possible beat THAT. Sat outside and it was LOVELY! Service was sketchy. No directions to tell you to get your own silverware or napkins, and they weren't brought out with the meal. Just feel like they could do better on this. read more

Sassafras Cafe - Southwest Chicken Wrap with Potato Salad - Soup Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

The Sassafras Cafe has good sandwiches and salads. The ordering process is easy at the register and the food is delivered to your table. read more

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Nice convenient restaurant located in the main entrance building of the Botanical Gardens. You order at the counter and they bring the food to your table. Indoor or outdoor seating. Menu has sandwiches and salads at a reasonable cost. It was kind of confusing where to order. I went to the bar area first. When no one came, I peaked around the wall and there was the food counter. The two people working seemed a little confused when I asked about the menu. I got the vegan bean burger with a side salad. Alcohol drink was a little pricey at $12 for the can. Burger had a little kick to it. read more

Sassafras Cafe - Bean Burger with side cafe salad - Soup Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Purchased a ticket for a meal before doing the Christmas lights. We choose so wrong on the food. Service was really really great. The Pastrami on rye was horrible. The Italian dressing or what ever they used was so over powering just gross. Took one bite and was just done. Good thing the potato chips were good. I ended up buying a rice crispy treat, a cookie and a brownie to eat. We choose the wrong dish tonight. And we should never both get the same dish. read more

What a beautiful spot and great food! This is a counter ordering system so you order at the counter and then someone brings you your food to the table. The inside and outdoor area here is unbelievable because you're at the Missouri Botanical Gardens! The line went fairly fast and the food came out at a great pace. I ordered the Climatron Salad and my fiancé ordered the pastrami sandwich. Both were incredible. My salad was so light but filling and the flavor was unreal. I also ordered a rosé which was nice to know that they served alcohol here. All in all, amazing food with some stunning views. read more

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Sassafras Cafe is an awesome restaurant located at the STL Botanical Gardens. The food is surprisingly good, and the pieces are reasonable. The atmosphere is very calming as well. I'd recommend if you want a quick bite to eat! read more

Love the new restaurant. So nice to be able to sit down or grab a quick snack. Inside or outside dining available. Food was great, large portion size for the salads, and the soup was a great way to complete the meal! read more

Sassafras Cafe - Pumpkin soup - Soup Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

So impressed! A friend invited me and a few ladies for a walk through the garden and brunch at the Sassafras Cafe inside the visitor's center. So impressed! What a lovely, modern cafe with a great weekend brunch menu! I got the smoked salmon platter. It was a super hearty amount of smoked salmon on greens, topped with red onions and capers. And a scoop of a creamy trout salad. And a big old buttery bagel and cream cheese. Amazing! And it was under $13! What the what! Another in my group got the same thing and others got the Belgian waffles which looked amazing, smelled amazing and the ladies said they were awesome. Sugary and covered in beautiful fruit. So, I think a chef served it to us. And all the staff seemed happy and were kind. There were other awesome things on the menu like a short rib and a mushroom/leek frittata. Can't wait to go back for a walk and brunch again! read more

Sassafras Cafe - Belgian waffles - Soup Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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Delicious sandwiches in a beautiful space with a gorgeous view of the outdoors. It felt peaceful and unhurried and exactly what was needed on a cold wintry day after a lovely walk in the garden. read more

I ate at the Sassafras Cafe this afternoon. First time in a long time, I used to love it but wow, the food was not good. It's gone way down, very disappointing. I hope they make some changes. read more

Haven't had a chance to try the food here yet, but the coffee unfortunately just did not live up to my expectations. Way too sweet, and I was hoping they might have some interesting floral flavors from the garden but it was a very basic menu. The teas looked good though and I would definitely try that over coffee the next time. read more

Visited the garden recently with some friends we completed our walk around 10:45 am and they wanted to have lunch. It was a little bit too early for me to have lunch and I wasn't very hungry so I asked the girl at the counter if I could order the children's Belgium waffle. She was perfectly happy to allow me to order it. It was the perfect amount of food that I was hungry for. The waffle was delicious. It came with butter, syrup, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream and a good size bowl of fresh fruit. I think it would make any kid or not too hungry adult very satisfied. One of the girls ordered the yogurt bowl and it looked really good as well. The turkey club was also very delicious per a friend who ordered it. Dining here is very casual. You go through the line and order your food and they bring it out to you. You can either eat outside or inside in the air conditioning. I will also put a couple photos of their menu choices. read more

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Our family of three bought the dining option at $18 a person to go with our Garden Glow tickets. We arrived at 5PM and ordered the hot pastrami, a spinach salad with chicken and the meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The salad was supposed to come with soup which was never delivered to our table and the other food was sincerely inedible. Perhaps it was just an off night, but this was not a positive experience. The Garden Glow was lovely. read more

Employees were very nice, but the sandwich was a disaster. The Rustic Caprese sandwich came on refrigerator-cold bread, with the bottom layer soggy from pesto, vinegar, and a cold soft cheese. I asked them to add bacon which was just as cold as the rest. Side salad was OK. But that very cold bread was so bad. Takes a few seconds to warm it up! Not doing that again! read more

I have never been here before even though I have been to the Botanical Gardens so many times in the past. For starters, their menu is quite limited so it has always kept me away. Today, however, was a completely different story. My mom was thirsty and hungry and was already complaining about having to walk halfway through the gardens so we stopped in and had lunch. I ordered their BBQ pork flat bread for $8 and my mom had the same since she couldn't decide after 5 minutes of staring at the menu. I didn't know what I was expecting but I didn't have such great expectations to begin with as to not be so disappointed. I kind of had a feeling this place wouldn't really impress me that much. When the food came, the lady who brought them over was super friendly and that was nice. Her upbeat attitude brightened up my day a little. The BBQ pork flat bread had very little pork, more doughy than anything, a bit of onions and a little bit of barbecue sauce, some cilantro scattered throughout and a bit of cheese. It really wasn't anything too special and the taste was average at best. They did have some nice looking pastries and after getting my flat bread, I kind of regretted not ordering a scone (or what looked like a scone) instead. For now, I will hold further judgement and give this place a 3-star because they did have some quality service and the food was edible at least. I would like to come back and try something else... maybe I will change my mind. read more

Sassafras Cafe - BBQ pork flat bread - Soup Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

The food selection was poor. 8 people were in line waiting for them to open. The staff ignored the customers and when they finally let people in they said the person who opens the barrier had not arrived. When questioned if the cook was there, the staff who seemed put out to take food orders said it is all premade items. The food was dry, and very overpriced. read more

Super unique chicken and waffle combo, decent selection and cheap coffee just on the other side. Food came out fast. Only gripe is each item is not a lot of food. read more

Ordered two dine and glow. Food never came with many people that ordered well after us getting their food we talked to staff and they said our food would be right out. We were brought the wrong food (Shepard pie and meatloaf were brought two salads). They said they would fix after 1 hour 15 minutes from initial order they still didn't have our food and couldn't get refund since did dine and glow. Terrible service. Avoid read more

Had lunch on 9/11. Food was good but the 5-star rating is due to the service. Every young server that came to our table was friendly, upbeat and helpful, which was very refreshing in a time when indifferent service is the norm. read more

Food was good. Not great. We tried several different items. The flatbread with pesto, a salad with avocado that was a little strange, the savory waffle which had a lot of cheese and a chicken sandwich that was ok. The service was very good and the atmosphere was nice being at the gardens. read more

i waited an hour for lunch with my elderly parents and 4 hungry kids in the sun. No food. the counter employee said it is not our fault, they are short staffed, and offered a refund. There should have been up front communication about how long the wait would be. Some overall management changes definitely need to occur. read more

55 minute wait for pizza peanut butter and jelly and cold frittata. Everyone around us had the same wait. Watched cleaning staff half clean tables and walk away. read more

Service was quick and food was delicious! Had the chili and jalapeño muffin before we toured the lights--great experience!

Sassafras Cafe is one of the restaurants sitting in the Missouri Botanical Garden. It offers sandwiches, soups, and salads, along with beautiful porch views of the garden. The food is simple and cafeteria style. I visited with my wife and daughter. I had the tuna melt sandwich, my wife ordered the ham & gruyére sandwich. We choose the cheese quesadilla from the kids menu for our toddler. We sat outside on the patio with a number at a our table for our server. The view is beautiful and on a sunny spring day this was the perfect lunch in the garden. This is a straight forward cafe with reasonable prices and wonderful views. The convenience if you are visiting the garden makes it hard to beat. We live in Shaw and will surely visit again. read more

Excellent food! Got the portabello panini with salad, the Bianca flatbread, and the mushroom soup with is amazing. Will definitely be back 5+ stars read more

This is the cafe inside the Missouri Botanical Garden. It's got good sandwiches and flatbread pizzas. For a tourist place the prices are very reasonable. About $10 to $12 for lunch. Plus you can't best the view. read more

We like Sassafras - went there a while back and never wrote a review but should have. We had two different salads for lunch and they were both better than your average salad. Both had grilled chicken. Can't remember much more than that, but they were good. Look forward to going back and trying more... read more

Be prepared to wait in line for about 25 minutes and then another 20 minutes for food to be sent to your table! The spinach artichoke sandwich was delicious but very thin and I was not full/satisfied afterwards (I was also so starving to the point of considering cannibalism and the 45min wait did not help that cause). The soups were a tad salty, but that's my complaint about most soups lol. Salad was fine; colorful and fresh. This place is fine because it's conveniently located inside the botanical gardens and perfect for grabbing lunch after walking around, but just be prepared to wait quite awhile even though it is set up like a Panera bread co. read more

Food - 5 Service - 4.5 Atmosphere - 5+ We have eaten here several times and have never been disappointed. Went there today and there was no line. Food was great. Sat outside and could see the trees and flowers of the garden. LOVE the quiches, tomato soup, and roast beef - horseradish sandwich. Food normally comes out very quick. The only 'problems', if you can call it that, is you need to get your own drink refills, and they are only till 3pm. Overall, I HIGHLY Recommend this place for lunch. read more

I eat at Sassafras at least once a month. The menu changes several times a year, but mostly consists of acceptable sandwiches, salads, and flatbreads. The specials-soups and quiches- are, without exception, total fat and calorie bombs. The chef is into bacon, sausage, or cheese or all three at once. The one true vegetarian option, the felafel sandwich, is a blah uncooked mess. Too bad. read more

Great location. So nice to sit on the patio at the Botanical Gardens. There's also plenty of indoor seating. I had a meatball sub which was excellent. The bread was the perfect amount of toasted on the outside and soft on the inside. Meatballs and sauce and mozzarella cheese were very flavorful. My wife had a quiche. The quiche flavor of the day was "chicken bacon chili". It was the fluffiest quiche we've ever seen, and very tasty. It was like a soufflé with a crust. read more

Sassafras Cafe - Chicken bacon chili flavored quiche. Delicious and so light and fluffy. Came with tomato soup too. - Soup Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

This is the place you go for convenience because you're at the gardens and not for the food. The food is expensive for what it is and all of the food was pretty bland. The spinach artichoke grilled cheese wasn't really toasted had lots of raw spinach and little cheese. They probably try to push stuff out quickly and it was quick and easy-- order at a counter and get food brought to table. Nothing was bad but it also wasn't good. The staff were friendly. If you have out of town visitors and have some time you'd be better going to one of the many options close by. read more

Pleasantly surprised. Excellent margherita flat bread and roasted veggie sandwich. Friendly service. A bit pricey but considering its location that is not a surprise. read more

It was great, clean, good food, good price, very friendly. Definitely a change from the use getting ripped off by food places at entrainment places and museums. Good food and a great price! read more

This restaurant is inside the botanical gardens (so worth a walkthrough!). There are clearly-marked GF options. I had the butternut squash salad and "mmmmm'd" my way through the meal. I also had the tomato basil bisque soup, which was the second best I've ever had. I love their sustainable choices in compostable cups and locally-sourced ingredients. Classy ambience too. Highly recommended! read more

I thought I would never eat here again after a terrible Cuban sandwich or year ago. But, the setting and our schedule brought us back. I ordered a chicken gyro and it was truly terrible. It was clearly premade and pulled from the cooler and plopped down on the plate. The pita bread was ice cold. The contents had absolutely no flavor. My wife ordered a flat bread which was slightly better, but still not good. Lots of good restaurants in this area. Eat somewhere else before you come to the botanical gardens. read more