Overcast 37° » 5-day

You are not logged in

New York Magazine

Skip to content, or skip to search.

Skip to content, or skip to search.

Home > Restaurants > The Garden Cafe

The Garden Cafe

620 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238
at Prospect Pl.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
718-857-8863 Send to Phone

  • Price Range: $$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
    • Exceptional
    • Generally Excellent
    • Very Good
    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
    • Excellent
    • Delicious
    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
    • Very Expensive
    • Expensive
    • Moderate
    • Cheap
  • Reader Rating:

    8.5 out of 10

      |  

    2 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: American Nouveau
View Slide Show
Photo by Robert K. Chin

Hours

Tue-Sat, 6pm-10pm; Sun-Mon, closed

Nearby Subway Stops

2, 3 at Grand Army Plaza

Prices

$21-$23

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Prix-Fixe

Alcohol

  • Beer and Wine Only

Reservations

Recommended

Profile

This venue is closed.

The Garden Cafe is an experiment in understatement. They almost never advertise, are open only for dinner, and keep their metal gates down all afternoon with only the menu peering out from behind dark windows. Despite being unimposing, even secretive, they’ve created a buzz in the neighborhood for the tiny restaurant. The ever-changing menu reflects the humble philosophy: it’s delicious yet unceremonious. Flank steak with garlic-chive mashed potatoes and veal tenderloin with curried, pureed purple eggplant were particularly scrumptious, as were the sea scallops with white truffle beurre blanc. The room would be romantic (they have only 12 tables) were it not for the all-beige décor that gives it a slightly stodgy air, making it feel like the best restaurant in some small Connecticut town: exclusive, but not in a red velvet rope way. The intimate setting might be best for old friends who wish to catch up over a solidly tasty meal without distraction, or uptight out-of-town relatives who may initially be wary of dining in Brooklyn. — Lisa Selin Davis

Prix-Fixe Dinner

Tue.–Thu., two courses, $28; three courses, $32

Related Stories

Featured In

8.5 "Highly Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
100% Would you go back?
100% Would you take a date?
0% Would you take kids?
0% Would you go on business?
100% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 8.0
Service: 10.0
Décor: 7.0
Value: 8.0

So sad this is closed.

Tuf_Pak from 11238 | Posted on 6/17/09

Overall Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Food: 8
Service: 10
Décor: 6
Value: 8

We ate here for my partner's birthday (frustratingly on Valentine's Day) and the food was quite good. The cloistered laid back environment, and the extraordinary personal attention was the star, however. One comment I'd read is that it's like the best restaurant in a small New England town. I would second that remark with the most positive possible way. It's a dining environment where you are in contact with those for whom the restaurant is their personal passion. The time the proprietors would take with you was so out of character for a restaurant in this city. I don't feel like the food was the best I'd ever had in NY, but it was very good, and lovingly prepared. The city had such a need for dedicated and unassuming little restaurants. In a city where every other restaurant is called Nooch or Chunk or Waddle...staffed with models not maitre d'hotel... there was such a giant hole that a place like the Garden Cafe filled. Boy, that hole is wide open again.

Best kept little secret in Brooklyn

Quees from | Posted on 2/10/05

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Food: 8
Service: 10
Décor: 8
Value: 8

I always get exited when I discover a great place. What gets me even more exited is when no one else has discoveded my little secret. This little hide a away is a great place to have the perfect little rendezvous. The food is great..French/American.The service is very personal and the music and lighting are both soft and romantic. I can not rave anymore about this place..you need to check it out youself .

Read All 2 Reviews >>

Advertising

Latest News Near

Advertising
Advertising