$$ - average
Eclectic (Varied)
American, ethnic, and vegetarian cuisine and bakery set in historic house
The Garland offers both vegetarian and meat-based dishes in a cozy setting. The menu draws inspiration from both American/traditional dishes and ethnic cuisine, with many Mexican dishes on the menu. Vegans may need to modify some dishes (hold the cheese), but the restaurant is willing to cater to special dietary requirements.
On Speedway, east of Stone.
Added by Suzanne on Oct 2 04 (updated Oct 13 06)
Reviews
This is by far the WORST restaurant I have ever been to!! They call themselves a vegetarian-friendly restaurant, but they have on numerous occasions served "vegetarian" dishes filled with chunks of chicken mixed in with tofu! I went there one evening, when there was only one other person in the restaurant, and ordered a tofu dish which was clearly marked as vegetarian on the menu. It took almost AN HOUR for them to bring out my food (even though there was only one other customer!), and the first bite I took was a big chunk of chicken! I was shocked to find that my dish was FILLED with chicken (mixed in with the tofu). I told the waitress (manager/owner?) that my vegetarian meal had chicken in it, and she didn't believe me! She actually asked me to prove it to her! So I showed her all the chicken, and she grudgingly took the dish back to the kitchen, with NO apology. It then took another 45 minutes for them to bring out another dish (which was very bland). And then when she wrote up my check, she tried to charge me for both dishes!!! I had to argue with her to remove the chicken-filled dish from my bill! I was astonished at the terrible service, but even more astonished to find out from numerous coworkers that they have had similar experiences at this restaurant (finding chicken in vegetarian dishes, terrible rude slow service)!! I don't know how they're still open.
I'm not really that taken by the Garland. The food is always good, but rarely fantastic. What I mean is that you won't walk out disappointed, but you also won't be telling everyone you meet that they've just got to go there.
The vegan selection is OK at lunch/dinner, but I don't know about breakfast. I'd recommend calling ahead of time to see what they've got on offer.
I went there for lunch (before they changed management, so who even knows how relevant my experience is now) and was able to have a veggie burger and a chocolate-chip cookie. Other than that, my vegan options were kind of limited. But at least the waiter was knowledgeable, and at least there were vegan options.
The food wasn't bad, but I never went back again because there are so many other places in town that offer better vegan food.