Garden Cafe

I’ve been coming to Garden Café for the past two years now, ever since my boyfriend brought me here. I’ve had a few rice plates, and they’re tasty and very very good. But what I come here for, is their CHICKEN WINGS. The chicken wings are none like any other. If you have not had vietnamese styled fried chicken wings, I would definitely recommend coming here!
Now as for service, I’m a little bothered by the shallow, rude, and disrespectful reviews about this woman. Because of the strong language/​culture barrier, people may misunderstand the way this woman handles her business. If I were running a business I also would not appreciate people loitering around my tables and chairs. I think people might be mistaking her confrontation for rudeness. Don’t just expect food establishments to treat you like royalty just because you might purchase something. It takes respect to earn it.

Briefly sat down at table, after long hike to YMCA. No intent to buy at that moment, but I admit that I was open to checking it out. I didn’t even know it was a Phở Restaurant and thought it was part of the YMCA. The owner rudely chased me out of there. OK, fine enough. I understand, even if the restaurant was virtually empty. However her attitude is no way to market a food establishment. A better approach would have been for the lady to market. Who knows, I may have very well bought something to try it out. A friendly smile, a welcoming comment such as welcome to our Phở, and some sort of introduction to the menu, would have gone a long way to making me a customer. A more gracious attitude by the owner towards everyone might help the Restaurant profitability if that is what the problem is. I can’t imagine patrons or potential patrons who enjoy being berated.

That fat b***h there is awfully rude. Whoever gives this place more than 3 stars must be friends of the owner coz this place just sucks so much that no one will ever give good stars.
DO NOT EAT AT THIS S**T PLACE PEOPLE. Go to Ala Moana food court.

the fat owner is so rude i will never go back.

Best place to eat Vietnamese food. Their fried chicken with garlic fried rice is bomb!

Located in the Atkinson YMCA is a quaint little Vietnamese restaurant that’s open and feels more like a cafeteria than a restaurant.
As soon as we walked in a husky Vietnamese lady walked in and kind of scared us with her husky voice and directed us where to sit. Taking a friends advice to try their clear noodle seafood soup, we did and it wasn’t bad.
It’s very reminiscent of phở but they add fried pork skin, I think peanuts, and other ingredients. Another odd thing I found was the parsley is given as an option to suit your taste.
For 9.50 it’s pretty pricey but always fun to try something new!

horrible. horrible. horrible service. if the food is good, i can stand horrible service. but this place, the food isnt even that great. i would go into details but i think it would just piss me off more so that’s all i’ll say. effin service is the worst ever.

The YMCA, on Atkinson is where my kids learned to swim. You know it was during the summer when we had to work, and we didn’t have baby sitters to mind our Keiki during the day. I wasn’t a member back then, but when we’d pickup the kids after work, we’d pick up a bag of fries from the small burger joint in the lobby. And for those of you in the know, know,… it was a brown paper bag, and the fries were really, really hot and GOOD too!
So since that time, I’ve become a member at the «Y», and the little burger joint changed hands a couple of times, settling down in becoming The Garden Café. A small family run Vietnamese restaurant.
At the time, (maybe 10, or more years ago) I really wasn’t into Phở (like I am now) all that much. I’d walk past the counter, not focusing on anything much except getting my workout in, and getting out. But on some lazy days I’d stop and take a gander at the little menu, wondering what would I order if ever I needed to. One day I tried the Combination Phở, and was really surprised… I liked it. The fish balls, the ligaments, the meats and veggies, the tasty rich broth … hhmmmm, I think I gotta do more in depth research on this!
Now to the present, would you believe I haven’t eaten here since that time long ago. but I have tried others., Some good, and some not so good, and some jus plane nasty!
Got my work out done around lunch time and I was ‘STAAAHVING!” Ordered a Chicken Noodle Phở, and as I was sitting there waiting for it, I was reflecting back to the first time I ate here, and the long space in between. The first thing I noticed, was that the owner/​waitress has put on a lot of weight (I guess business is good) Another that I noticed, was that the restaurant looked a little less tidy, not shiny and sparkly like I remembered it, more on the used and weathered side. But … so what, where’s the food I’m «STAAAAHVING?»
And then it came in all it’s glory… I could hear the Angels singing…“WHAAAAAAAAH!” I seen the giant Pearly Gates opening in super slow motion, with the blue sky, and puffy white clouds in the background. I made it… I was here… here at last!
The first thing I do is always taste the broth first (don’t you just hate when the first thing others do, is add Shoyu, and pepper before they taste anything) mmmm nice and rich chickeny flavor going on here, not that old watery fowl thing. Then it’s time to go to work… in goes the the fresh Basil, the bean sprouts (not all, cause I like to save some for later when they run out in my bowl, that way they stay crunchy) then the long skinny green leaf thing, sorry don’t know off hand what it’s called, but I know it’s been going in for a swim for over ten years! Then the slice of pepper, and a squeeze or two of lime. Then goes the condiments, Sriracha, Hoi sin, Chili’s in the oil (need help here too, don’t know the name) That’s when the broth turns to a beautiful shade of «OH Brother That Looks Hot!» … perfect!
Y’all gotta know, that once you start down that deliciously steaming hot Phở road, there’s no turning back, and I stuck to my guns… Damn the torpedoes full speed ahead… you’re either in, or in the way!!! If one chop stick was flint, and the other steel… «FAI-​YAH!!!» Stand back folks I’ve got this under control! Eat and sweat, sweat and eat, eat and eat, sweat and sweat, I was a man on a mission, don’t stop that train, cause you can’t get on! Got that ‘In the Zone,” pace going, and then I reach the inevitable end… done… the calm… the deafining silence … then as if on cue everybody starts jumping, and high fiving on the puffy white clouds, under the blue skies, behind the giant gate. You can’t expect more at time like this! Whew… as I wipe the sweat off from my brow.
Now if anybody is reading this… and is willing to contribute their fave Phở eatery to my super scientific conclusionary resultiveness, I’d be only too happy to oblige. «Have Chop-​Stix Will Travel!»

3.5 stars. I ate at Garden Café a few times about a year ago and wanted to Unilocal it but couldn’t remember what it was called and couldn’t find any mention of it on any online search engines. I had to drive by the YMCA several times slowly enough to read the sign so I could remember what it was called.
Garden Café is a casual Vietnamese restaurant in the lobby of the Central YMCA on Atherton across from Ala Moana Center. LIke most Asian restaurants with ‘Garden’ in the title, it is situated nowhere near a garden. It does overlook a little courtyard area by Atherton and you can watch all the crazies check into their rooms while you eat.
My phở buddy Angie took me here because their seafood clear noodle soup came highly recommended by her Vietnamese friend who said it was the best on the island.
I had the seafood clear noodle soup here twice and I thought it was good, but not memorably so. I think 99 Café in Chinatown does the best rendition of this soup, plus you can’t beat Chinatown for the freshest ingredients and the most condiments and fresh herbs. Another time, I tried the crab soup and it was much too sweet, even after I squeezed lemon in it.
The service is good, though. They would have gotten only 3 stars based on the food, but the second time I came, they already recognized me and smiled and said hello. Friendly service. Prices are okay; I had expected them to be a little lower since it was a very casual eatery.