Gertrude’s, the much-anticipated restaurant at the Desert Botanical Garden, offers a fresh new food experience focusing on ingredients directly from the farm and pasture to the plate.
"We had a luncheon at Gertrude's to celebrate a birthday. The service was excellent - the staff was efficient and attentive but not overbearing. We didn't feel rushed and were well taken care of. The food was delicious, notably the fries, the chicken sandwich and the veggie sandwich. Desserts were yummy, especially the doughnut holes. The room was nearly full and the noise level was high, which was the only drawback."
Dined on 5/22/2013
Special Features: great for lunch
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"Excellent food, unique presentations and the service was also excellent. Unfortunately it was too warm to eat outside and the interior is a little loud from the wide open space."
Dined on 5/19/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
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"While the food and service were above par, the ambience was surprisingly lacking. I am not sure how designers were not inspired to create a space that congruous with the unique beauty of the garden, but the fabric, furniture and lay out reminded me of a Holiday Inn lobby. They should hit the gift shop to start looking for linens etc to improve. For example, how great would a wall of those wall planters be?"
Dined on 5/19/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining
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"Service was excellent and quick but ALL of our lunches arrived cold. We ordered Mahi Mahi and pork tacos and a chicken sandwich. We didn't bother sending them back because we were hungry but it was pretty unappetizing and unsatisfying. Not much flavor. Mahi Mahi tasted fresh but, again, was cold and unappetizing. Dessert was very, very good. Nice ambience. We will come back for dessert and possibly entrees. But we will be sure to tell our server that we want our food served warm or hot."
Dined on 5/18/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, kid-friendly, scenic view, late-night find
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"The suggested wine that Stacey recommended was perfect; dinner was delicious (beef loin with rosotto was cooked to perfection and very lean, I never eat meat at night but this was easy to digest) ;and the evening outdoors was memorable. Love this place!"
Dined on 5/18/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, notable wine list, romantic, scenic view, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"We really enjoyed celebrating our annual birthdays at Gertrudes. Love DBG! So happy to have this spot in the magnificent desert to have a truly wonderful gastronomic experience. The lavender champagne was the best!"
Dined on 5/18/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, vibrant bar scene, notable wine list
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"if you like great food and love to be surrounded by the serenity of the desert, then this is the place for you. The food is fresh, organic, and original. I appreciated their comprehensive wine list and delicious cocktails. It is really a great place to go for an intimate, quiet dinner. Also, you just have to have multiple courses here because the chef is particularly creative. Great find!"
Dined on 5/16/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, vibrant bar scene, great for outdoor dining, great for brunch, romantic, scenic view, late-night find, notable wine list, great for lunch, special occasion, kid-friendly
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"With reservation, we were seated in doorway by the busstation & were told te many empty tables were reserved. When we left, tables remained empty! The wine selections, awful & the actual wine worse. Ours tasted corked. Yuk. I ordered over cooked pork with little flavor. My husband, pretty good lamb. Our waiter couldn't explain the dishes. Arrived 6:15 & ordered immediately. Had an 8pm show. Got our first course at 7:05. No bread. But we had our tasty wine! Our waiter couldn't explain a thing on the menu. At 7:00,I smelled the wonderful aroma of a chocolate soufflé & requested a dessert menu. As he handed to us, he said told us to ignore the first dessert (soufflé) as it took 40 minutes. We did get to the show on time, sans soufflé!"
Dined on 5/18/2013
Special Features: great for brunch, scenic view
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"interesting but limited options. needs to add more popular types of dishes. prices a bit high for what is served. plus, if you want bread, you have to pay extra for it.
BTW - reservations are not necessary."
Dined on 5/14/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, scenic view
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"I took my mom for Mother's Day. The food was very good but I had hoped for a more extensive menu on this day. I have read about a great breakfast item of eggs on brioche but we have been to Gurtrudes 2 times and it was not on the menu. It seemed like they were playing it very safe for Mother's Day. The service was excellent. I did not know when I ordered the chicken sandwich that it came with fries, I would have liked to substitute something else. The only real downside was that it was extremely noisy. I know that "industrial" exposed ceilings and ductwork is so popular in dining decor now but to not be able to carry on a conversation without shouting does not make for a great dining experience for me."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, scenic view, great for lunch
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"As an early Mother's Day Dinner, we tried this great location and found it to be an outstanding dining experience. Very relaxing, quiet, and peaceful. Great food presentation, and the service staff couldn't have better. We will go again."
Dined on 5/11/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, notable wine list, romantic, scenic view, late-night find, special occasion
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"When making a reservations, they seat you quickly, while greeting you formally by your last name. It was Mother's Day, and the service was excellent. We had brunch, and the food was very delicious. If you like bacon, they do not skimp out on you and it is cooked crispy, the way I like it. I was very pleased with my decision to go to Gertrude's."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: great for brunch, scenic view, great for lunch, special occasion
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"Entrees took over an hour to get. Food quality good but several items luke warm. Overall ok but not memorable though the botanical garden setting was nice"
Dined on 5/12/2013
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"I had heard from friends that Gertrude's was quite good, but my expectations were exceeded! I highly recommend the Bloody Mary's and the soup was a cornucopia of delight!"
Dined on 5/11/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, great for brunch, notable wine list, kid-friendly, romantic, great for lunch
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"The setting is perfect for those who enjoy the special ambiance of the Botanical Gardens. . . but it's not necessary to be a member of the Botanical Garden to enjoy the restaurant. I was there for a light breakfast before I wandered through the cacti!"
Dined on 5/02/2013
Special Features: good for groups, great for outdoor dining, scenic view, special occasion
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"The quality of the food is excellent; presentation of the meal on the plate is innovative and attractive; service is fast, friendly and knowledgeable; the ambiance is unbeatable."
Dined on 5/10/2013
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, great for outdoor dining, notable wine list, scenic view, late-night find, special occasion
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"Five us met after not all being together in over 10 years. We had five appetizers and much wine. It was a beautiful evening outdoors at the garden. We was so good to remember good times and look forward to many more."
Dined on 5/09/2013
Special Features: good for groups, great for outdoor dining, notable wine list, special occasion
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"We dined at Gertrude's on a weeknight. This restaurant has a beautiful setting at one of our favorite museums. Unfortunately, unless you are the experimental type, the menu will be very strange to you. They call it local. The menu type is very tiny, and the entrees are very expensive. Bread is not served unless you ask for the bread 'entrée,' which is not gratis.
I ordered the chicken with mashed potatoes - just about the only normal entrée item. My husband ordered the scallops as an entrée and stated that they were very salty.
I will return when there is a new summer menu, perhaps with the addition of a nice steak and a soup selection."
Dined on 5/09/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, scenic view
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"This is a great place to enjoy quiet conversation with good friends in an incredible desert setting. You will also enyoy some of the Valleys best food. Great fish dishes! Want to impress out of towners and surprise in towners..."
Dined on 5/09/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, romantic, scenic view, special occasion
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"Spectacular setting; sitting outside on a pleasant day is delightful. Food, while good, and nicely presented is somewhat overpriced--$17 for a salmon salad with very little salmon. Prices should be posted on the online menu. Wait staff was friendly but forgot my guest's request for additional iced tea."
Dined on 5/07/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, scenic view, great for lunch, special occasion
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"We took friend to dine at Gertrudes's as a thank you for helping us with a project. I had only been there for lunch but thought it was nice. Dinner was great, the food was flavorful and the service was excellent , Daniel was our waiter. We look forward to our next visit and will definitely put this on our list to bring out of town visitors."
Dined on 5/04/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, scenic view, great for lunch, special occasion
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"We dined on the patio at 6:15 on a beautiful evening in early May. The setting was lovely and the food was simply delicious. Passing through the indoor dining room, we noticed it was too air-conditioned and the modern decor was on the cool side as well. Most customers were on the patio, which was warm and lovely. Perhaps in July or August indoors would be preferred, but for much of the year the patio is the place to be. Either place, the food we tried made it a good place to revisit. The halibut special was the best fish dinner I have had in a long time. The pastry chef is also very talented."
Dined on 5/04/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, special occasion
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"Outdoor dining just as the sun was setting was perfect. All four os us were delighted with our dinners, and we all enjoyed chatting with the Chef. Service was attentive, but not over done. Great evening all in all!"
Dined on 5/04/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, great for lunch, special occasion
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"the menu is limited but interesting. several of the dishes were quite tasty. however, our server, Stacy, was so bad that everyone left with feeling pretty bad about the place. we had been seated for over 20 minutes before she first acknowledged us. The entire restaurant had only 6-7 tables occupied and there were several other servers but she was never to our table. several dishes were also served cold."
Dined on 5/03/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining
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"I had heard so much about Gertrude's and the menu online looked wonderful, so I was very much looking forward to lunch with two friends. Two of us ordered the beet salad and both of us found it to be VERY salty. The beets were wonderful, but the greens tasted like someone got overly enthusiastic with a salt shaker. We mentioned it to our server and suggested he mention it to the kitchen. There was no follow up or offer to return the salads to the kitchen and we both dutifully ate most of our salads and drank tons of water and tea. I wish now that I had sent mine back. The third salad at our table was, apparently, quite good so I may give Gertrude's another try...some day."
Dined on 5/03/2013
Special Features: scenic view
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"I'll make this short and sweet: if you haven't been to Gertrude's yet, go now!!! Amazing new restaurant!!!!!!!"
Dined on 5/03/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining, notable wine list, romantic, scenic view, late-night find, neighborhood gem, great for lunch, special occasion
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"Lovely setting and delicious healthy food and unique drinks. Highly reocmmend"
Dined on 4/29/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining, vibrant bar scene, great for brunch, romantic, scenic view, great for lunch, special occasion
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"While waiting for my lunch to arrive it was pleasant to look around at all the cacti and birds. Since it was a little later for the lunch crowd it was very serene and quiet. The food was presented in a plain white dish and was very pleasing. Lovely!"
Dined on 4/29/2013
Special Features: good for groups, great for outdoor dining, scenic view, late-night find, great for lunch
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"Been here 3 times now for lunch and the service & food has been inconsistent. The portions were smaller this time & the quality was marginal for the price. Server was good but not very knowledgeable on wines."
Dined on 04/17/2013
2011
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"Great and attentive service. I have been here 4 times since its opening this winter. Consistently pleases with fresh, tasty, healthy fare. I was disappointed in the fish tacos - bland and corn tortillas were rubbery. Not horrible; but certainly a HUGE exception to the other dishes. The hummus is outstanding! The individual chocolate cake with mousse is an absolute must ... and I'm not even a chocoholic. Outdoor setting couldn't be better - the Desert Botanical Garden. Prefer outside to inside. Interior very modern, high ceilings, cement floors and very loud - although not in an offensive way. The local, artisan beer selection is great, too. Highly, highly, highly recommend."
Dined on 04/24/2013
2013
Special Features: great for brunch, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, scenic view, great for lunch
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"We've visited 3 or 4 times now and find the food and service generally excellent, and consider Gertrude's the best dining option in Tempe. The setting in the Desert Botanical Garden is lovely, will only improve as they fine tune the layout and decor. The food is delicious and imaginative, though amounts vary from dish to dish. (That is, 3 $25 or so entrees arrived with quite different amounts of food on the plate. That's an easy one to fix.) I would also quibble with the $6 "bread course," which amounted to 4 sliced of pretty good bread. That's a bit pricy: if the price must be $6 then it would be nice to have the plate refilled. We've had been and wine on different occasions and the choices are excellent and reasonably priced."
Dined on 04/22/2013
2009
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining
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"We had a beautiful evening, Singing bowls, outdoor table. Our waiter was a bit anxious did not want to spend time with details. We are from Portland OR and we really enjoyed our evening at Gertrude's"
Dined on 04/21/2013
2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, special occasion, scenic view
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"THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE WAS GREAT. FOOD IS A 5 STAR AND OUR SERVER, MARY, WAS SO FUNNY AND ATTENTIVE. WE ATE ON THE PATIO, NEXT TO THE FOUNTAIN AND IT WAS LIKE HAVING OUR OWN LITTLE PARTY BUT AS WE WALKED THROUGH THE INDOOR EATING WE NOTICED HOW LOUD IT WAS AND I DON'T THINK WE COULD HAVE EVEN CARRIED ON A CONVERSATION, SO ASK FOR THE PATIO."
Dined on 04/21/2013
2008
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, great for outdoor dining, special occasion
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"The food is delicious, seasoned with interest, presented nicely, ample portions. Service was good, attentive, friendly and helpful.Outdoor ambiance was terrific at Desert Botanical Gardens...how could it not be? We will continue to enjoy Gertrude's again and again.They have a hit!"
Dined on 04/19/2013
2008
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, scenic view, great for lunch
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"We had concert tickets and not a lot of time at the same time as a number of tables suddenly needed to be moved inside. That caused a bit of disorganization but any delays were quickly made up without rushing us. Beet salad good, chicken awesome! Unfortunately we did not sample dessert, but I will definitely go back! Very clean decor and of course the magnificent location at the Botanic Gardens. Service was very attentive and pleasant."
Dined on 04/17/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining
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"My companion and I opted for indoor lunch dining versus a "quickie" food stand at the Desert Botanical Gardens. We needed an indoor respite from the heat of the day. Reservations were recommended by a park docent so I did so on my smartphone. I only gave a 15 minute advance and it was accepted as timely. My companion ordered the Nieman Ranch Burger accompanied by seasoned fries. I was offered a bite and gingerly took it. The beef was tasty with a grilled flavor. Unfortunately, I opted only for the Smothered Fries which were described as:"Kennebec Fries, Poblano Mole, Cilantro Crema, Cheese Curds, Romesco." The description was more innovative and enticing than the fries actually were, albeit a huge portion."
Dined on 04/19/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, scenic view, great for lunch
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"Lovely dining facility, great music, and staff. Great presentation of the meal. The food was yummy, however the main course portions were very small."
Dined on 04/18/2013
2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, scenic view, great for lunch
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"Everything was top knotch! The only complaint that I can think of is the noise from a helecopter flying overhead. Of course the restaurant can't do anything about this and I'm sure it doesn't happen often. I have already reccomended Gertrudes to my friends."
Dined on 04/16/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, scenic view, great for lunch
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"We had an excellent lunch. The wait staff is very attentive, but not pushy. I love there cucumber ginger Collins. There drink and beer menu is refreshing. I was only disappointed that bread was not served with the salad or the mussels. I need some carbs with my vegetables and something to soak up the womderful Bloody Mary sauce from my mussels. We will be back."
Dined on 04/18/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, kid-friendly, great for lunch
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"We got there on a weekday (not Sunday). We made reservations for breakfast. The computer was down and servers did not show up until it was time for the lunch crowd (10:30 am). When the regulars were waiting on tables it was great and the food was fabulous. Suspcet Sunday's would be much better (and more crowded) for the brunch menu."
Dined on 03/23/2013
2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, great for lunch
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"The restaurant and whole lunch experience was delightful. Very bustling during the lunch time, glad that I made reservations first! Great vibe. Food was both aesthetically pleasing and delicious and service was excellent. Gertrude's is located in one of the prettiest spots in Phoenix and fits the surroundings beautifully. Glad you are here!"
Dined on 04/16/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, scenic view, great for lunch
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"Food and presentation were beautiful! Everything done to perfection! Great waiter, hostess, overall wonderful evening! We would have sat outside but it was windy. . .next time!"
Dined on 04/16/2013
2009
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining, notable wine list, scenic view
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"We dined at Gertrude's for a business dinner. We sat at a table on the beautiful patio next to a bubbling fountain surrounded by lush plants and herbs. Our waiter Aaron was perfect, he gave us the time we needed to enjoy our dinner and wine (also suggested a spot-on red wine for dinner, The Riddler). He was professional yet had a good sense of humor, which we loved. The food was cooked to perfection and was not overly fussy, but let the ingredients do the talking. The carpaccio was melt in your mouth fantastic. The swine entree was a pork lovers dream (loved the cassoulet and sausage). I will be back to try everything on the menu, as well as their brunch. A wonderful place to dine in the desert!"
Dined on 04/14/2013
2013
Special Features: good for groups, great for brunch, great for outdoor dining, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, scenic view
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