San Antonio Botanical Garden

The Brunch Bunch had a wonderful experience with the outdoor atmosphere, service, and variety of meal options. The interior was stunning but had strong food odors. The waitstaff was attentive, offered excellent recommendations, and were very knowledgeable about the menu. The outdoor seating was ideal, making it a perfect conclusion to a lovely family outing at the botanical gardens with a delightful Mediterranean meal. There were plenty of meat and vegetarian choices available.

This was one of the best restaurants we visited during our time in San Antonio, if not the absolute best. It’s situated within the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. The menu features a variety of small plates and offers a diverse selection. The service was outstanding! I began my meal with the gazpacho, which was the best I've ever had—so full of flavor. I also tried the deviled eggs, crudités, and the grilled cheese, which turned out to be my favorite. Each dish was delicious, and the grilled cheese was presented like a dessert and quite filling.

I had a delightful lunch experience. Even though we made reservations, we were informed that there was no outdoor seating available, so we were seated upstairs, which unfortunately had no view of the gardens. Our server, Hannah, was fantastic—knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, and courteous. The food was delicious, well-portioned, and satisfying. The restaurant's convenient location makes it a great spot for a lunch break while exploring the SA Botanical Gardens.

They didn't have the oven-roasted turkey for the turkey and avocado sandwich I wanted so we both got the Garden Tartine. It was quite tasty. Typically a tartine is an open-faced sandwich, but this one was more like two salads on one plate. But, with the blue crab, fresh veggies and a tasty sauce, it was very good. Nice atmosphere. Good spot to relax after touring the garden and have a glass of wine.

We have eaten at Jardin before and had a better experience, but not outstanding. Service was slow getting to our large table of 20. Drink orders weren't taken for close to 20 minutes and didn't arrive until 20 or more minutes after that--some even later. Food orders followed, and food was also delayed. There was only one person handling our table with occasional help from others. I later discovered she was new--and handling a table for 20! We had a three course price fixed dinner. The highlight were the very good and very plentiful appetizers. The cheese with tomato preserves were my favorite, but the pita bread was a close second. Several other choices, literally all you could want. When the main course FINALLY arrived, almost everyone complained that their food was cold. Almost no one dared to ask for it to be reheated, fearing closing time. My shrimp were so over salted that I left almost all of them uneaten--a first for me. Obviously, COVID and massive unemployment benefits have made staffing a problem, but one would think fairly expensive restaurants such as this (our fixed price menu was $65 each) would have qualified staff anxious to work. To their credit, the manager SLOWLY handled each bill individually and offered compensation to some--but with another 30 minute delay for our party. Hopefully they will recover.