The Grove Cafe

I love this place. My wife and I come here every Saturday. You won’t find a place with better atmosphere and tasty breakfast entrees anywhere near South Phoenix. A+

We love love love love this place!!! I recommend the The Phoenix omelette and a half order of the fabulous french toast. This is great for one of those Saturdays when you wake up and the sun is shining through your window and you want to get up house. Take some time and drive down to the Grove enjoy eating breakfast outside and letting your children run around in the grass. Sip some lemonade, ice tea, and coffee and appreciate the lush and green atmosphere, friendly service and great food.
P.s.
Even though it says I’ve only checked in here once, we have eaten here at least 8 times this summer.

Went here today with a group of friends and we enjoyed breakfast on the last day The Grove Café will be open for normal business. They said you can like them on Facebook and they will be open occasionally for holidays and special events will no longer be open every weekend.
I really enjoyed my last Phoenix omlet, The Grove Café was a great breakfast spot and will be missed!

I’ve heard some great things about this place, which made my visit incredibly disappointing. After sitting 20 minutes without a single «hello» from our waiter we finally got up to flag somebody down. Not a single apology was given as our waiter simply said, «we’re really busy, we’ll be right with you.»
This place has a handful of tables… How busy can it be? Finally they took out order and we waited 15 minutes (no joke) for just drinks. The food was okay but don’t waste your time here. I’ll never be back!

The Grove Café is an enigma… excellent food, decent wait staff, absolutely incompetent host and terrible seating arrangements.
Be prepared to wait, and wait, and wait…
Be prepared to have your name skipped on the host/​hostess list
Be prepared to have the host/​hostess tell you they’ve already seated you.
Be prepared for the host/​hostess to lose their list and have to start over.
Be prepared to sit looking at empty tables while the host/​hostess text their friends.
Be prepared to sit in the sun without water (self-​serve) available.
Be prepared to wait on menus, utensils, and to order.
Be prepared for the clean-​up staff to drop and break dishes every 5 minutes.
Once you’re through all that and your food arrives, you will see why this place is such a hidden gem. The food is excellent, there are plenty of choices, the pecan encrusted french toast is fabulous. I pity the owners… if they keep pulling ten random strangers off the street every day to act as their staff, they won’t last.
Train the staff or replace them, simple as that.

Awesome experience today! Our party of five was seated in 20 minutes outside. Good portions and hot food. We will be back soon.

This is the prime example why I always use Unilocal when out of town. During my recent visit to Phoenix, I ended up staying in Laveen. I wanted a more local option for breakfast before starting the day. The Grove Café locates off Baseline, on my route to South Mountain. I figure anything is better than IHOP.
Since they are off the main road, they actually have a greeter person waving a sign. They only open for breakfast on the weekends from 8 to about noon.
It is the cutest place. They have a nice courtyard for outdoor seating (there are indoor seating as well for those who don’t like being outside, but no one sat inside when we were there). The service was great. We were explained the self served drink station, where you fill your own mason jar of water, tea or lemonade.
There are good options on the menu. They are known for the pecan crusted French toast, which looked yummy and huge. But since I am not a sweet tooth, I went with the ranch style eggs ($ 10). It was a lot of food. 2 eggs (I picked scramble) on top of a mountain created by 2 fried tortilla as layers with beans and green chili pulled pork, topped with a little cheese and pico de gallo. The pork was out of this world good. The fried tortilla was nice and crunchy. Sadly I couldn’t really finish my plate. My cohort had an order of plain olé pancakes. 3 giants flapjacks were fluffy. They came with honey butter. All for $ 6. The only setback was the flies, but can we really blame them for hanging out here with all the yummy food.
This is a great place for weekend breakfast/​brunch. Only if I live here…

I can’t say enough good things about this happy place! I felt like I was in the middle of the country in someones backyard. I love farm to table restaurants and this tops my list of good breakfast places! The ambiance is really sweet with all the dead pecan trees, green grass, country music and drinks served out of mason jars. The food was amazing, I could tell it was really high quality! I had the sausage omelet and it was delish! It was really big, so you could definitely split an omelet with more than 1 person. The cheesy potatoes were my favorite! yummmmmmm Actually, I think the homemade buiscut with the sweet churned butter was my favorite! EVERYTHING is amazing and super fresh!

This is such a pretty little brunch place! I saw it on Unilocal when staying the weekend at my boyfriends place and felt it was on the Unilocalery of my ‘have not trieds’ list. I did not find the place to be slow. but maybe because I was having a much needed date with my much busy boyfriend and my much busy self. IF it were slower than say, Denny’s. Well… suck it up and slow down and enjoy your coffee, impatient consumers. The food is fresh and very good. The portions are huge.
I would improve on the presentation a little of the ice/​water/​ice tea/​lemonade/​coffee station. That felt very much like a potluck at a southern church to me. I would also offer more offerings of espresso drinks on the menu. Add some nicer cream and nicer creamers; agave sweetener and raw sugar. I don’t think people would have an issue spending for that. As the station mentioned above is all complimentary. Also when I asked for jam for the divine flaky biscuit, a treat I never allow myself, as I am gluten free for most of my life with the disclaimer of ‘slip ups’ on the monthly!. I was given a Smuckers jam that I could find at any kiosk at any walk up bar in any hotel or McDonalds. Hmmmm… a place as pretty as this needs to square up with one of the farmers wives and get some fresh honey and jam on the table! Little touches would make this place a 5 in my book. But the meal was superb. Hands down one of the best places for a nice leisurely brunch on the weekend ONLY in the area.

When I first walked in, I had very high hopes. The weather was perfect, and the outdoor patio was very inviting. Self-​service coffee, tea, and lemonade are an interesting concept, though given that this is a venue, I think they could do a little better than red Coleman coolers for ice. Felt a little too backyard-​BBQ. The red and white gingham tablecloths increase this perception.
All of this would be fairly easy to overlook if the table service was anything other than abysmal. The host dropped us off at our table, gave us the specials so fast that I didn’t even hear anything other than «bacon waffle». I decided on the Croque Mad «Ham» and my friend wanted blueberry pancakes. However, it was TWENTY MINUTES before we even knew who our server was, and we certainly didn’t see any milling around outside long enough to get their attention. A table that was seated at the same time decided to leave, and we were about to do the same when our waiter finally appeared. I made it clear to him that a 20 minute wait was unacceptable, but he just said «I’ve got, like, six tables» as if that explained anything to the two of us. Both of us are restaurant industry veterans and know that if you can’t do six tables in your sleep, you’ll never survive as a waiter.
Our food arrived within a far more acceptable time period… maybe 10 minutes. My friend’s pancakes looked decent enough, but my dish was — interesting. A quick culinary lesson — a traditional croque-​monsieur is basically a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. To make it «madame», you add bechamel or hollandaise and a fried or poached egg. This was a «Croque Mad ‘Ham’», so I knew they were going to take some liberties, but what I got was something I would never serve to anyone. On my plate, there were two slices of admittedly delicious french toast, a grilled piece of ham, two prefectly done sunny-​side up eggs, and what must have been a full pint of thick, goopy, undercooked (I could taste flour) cheese sauce. It covered everything but the egg yolks and a limp piece of parsley that had no business on the plate (inedible garnishes are a culinary crime). Croque comes from the french «croquer» which means «crunch». There wasn’t anything crunchy about this dish.
We quickly paid our bill and left, saddened that the great brunch void in South Phoenix has yet to be filled.

I thought that this place would be a great brunch place. The venue itself is quiet and peaceful, comfortably nestled away in South Phoenix.
I sat outside and waited twenty minutes for a waiter to take my order. Had he not come at that moment my party and I were prepared to leave. When asked why there was such a delay in greeting my table, the waiter simply said «I have six table.» The couple that was seated after my party waited longer and left before the waiter even noticed them. When we finally received our food my pancakes were undercooked and still batter in the middle.
This place could be a really great place if they actually pulled it together service wise. I would rather drive further into town to receive better service even if I have to spend a bit more. Also this place would greatly benefit from obtaining their liquor license, not only would it be a hit for breakfast specials but also for the events hosted there.
Furthermore I understand that people have children but they should be controlled. The waitstaff made no effort to ask patrons to keep their children from running all over the place and disturbing other patrons. I am not a fan of children approaching my table only to be taken away by their parents screaming. Again, not the Grove Café’s fault but could be better handled with attentive service.
All in all, two thumbs way down for this place. I won’t be returning and do not recommend it.

It was a very hot week in Phoenix when I went, but we got there after 8am. We ate inside and you can definitely tell this is an event space, but I love that there were other patrons enjoying the restaurant already. I like the self-​serve beverage table and especially the mini coffee creamers that I always use at 7 – 11 and Circle K in the morning. The waiter were friendly and they all had on «The Grove Café» attire, an update
I ordered the Green Chile Omelette (with pork) with hashbrowns and a biscuit on the side. Deelish! My favorite part was the biscuit: it was light and soft on the inside and the outside was crusty annnnd, I’m pretty sure they used whole wheat flour or something similar. Bonus points for added fiber.

South Mountain’s hidden jewel. Good, simple, and delicious menu with decent portion sizes. They even make their own honey butter for your homemade biscuits and yummy pancakes. Definitely something to come back to with your friends and family.

I wanted to come back and mention the various upgrades The Grove has enforced since my very first time eating there.
They’ve done a great job addressing almost all concerns. Now there is «semi» table service, so at least a server comes by to take your order instead of placing your oder outside at a desk fast-​food style. They’ve also amped up their coffee, adding those delish flavored creamers that everyone expects at good breakfast places. I’ve been back several times and am always excited to see what’s new on the menu. Seems like they’re always coming up with new options. Stack of Oreo pancakes with maple oreo topping? HECK YES! I plan to go this weekend just to try this new plate.
*also, they pulled the plug on the cheesy elevator music and switched to country. The residents of Laveen love this! :)

The food was excellent, however it’s hard to eat with no silverware, which we had to get ourselves. But after waiting for over an hour, anything would have tasted good, I guess. Also, it’s serve your own drinks, which we figured out after 15 minutes on our own. Maybe they should have mentioned that when we were seated? All that being said, the food WAS good. It might be a while before we go back…

I’m torn. I really want to give this place 2 stars, but due to lack of better options in the area, I’m leaning towards a 3.
First off– the food. The food was excellent– when it actually arrived. We were there on Saturday, at 11 AM. There were less than 20 people in the building and outside on the patio, and it took 37 minutes from the time we ordered our food until it was put in front of us. For the longest time, there was nothing coming out of the kitchen. I had the Phoenix omelet, and it was fantastic. Fluffy, full of good stuff, and great tasting. The hash browns were just a plate filler and kind of bland. I wish the omelet came with some salsa on the side. Also, the food had one of my pet peeves– garnishes that have nothing to do with on the plate. A fanned strawberry perched on the side of a meat filled omelet is off putting. There was no need for it to even be on the plate.
Ambiance– bland and loud. There were no frills. Not really bothersome, but when you only have 20 people in the building EVERYTHING echos. There has to be a better way of storing ice on the self-​serve beverage bar than a red plastic Playmate cooler, that’s just tacky.
Now, to the thing that drove me absolutely insane– the waiters. I never thought much about what waiters wear anywhere. Until I came to this place. Would it kill the management of The Grove Café to tell their servers that they need to wear a plain black tee-​shirt and khaki shorts? Because the Affliction shirt that my waiter was wearing really bothered me. It honestly looked like The Grove happened to grab the first 8 kids who walked by that morning and threw them into working that day. Uniforms don’t have to be expensive, but putting all the waitstaff into something casual like a single color shirt would go a long way. They’re spending money on those ridiculous catering ear-​buds already, so tell your people to look more professional! Baseball hats on servers– if they must wear them, let’s try to avoid ones that say BONE. I get that it’s a casual place, I’m not even asking for collared shirts! Just something, please!

I wish I could remember the server he was so cute and his service was amazing, I CAN say it was Saturday, April 14^th if that helps? Anyway, ordered the Café Omelette, perfection. Eggs fluffy and yellow not brown & flat. Server willingly brought a flute of diced fruit in place of potatoes and a buttermilk biscuit which was divine. My mom ordered the pecan french toast. Let me tell you, there is no way there is ANY place that makes better french toast, it was like a buttermilk donut dipped in crack, and with the fresh honey butter and syrup, heaven.
I really hope people of South Phoenix continue to support this place so it thrives and they can continue to serve us this amazing food because going to Applebees is just not in my wheelhouse. I’m excited to see their menu grow and incorporate seasonal items, which I’m sure they will execute beautifully. Even the bussers are phenomenally friendly. I really don’t care about the ‘cafeteria’ feel of the dining room and I actually love the fact I get my drinks myself, I don’t like it when servers fill my coffee cup to the brim and it gets cold before I finish anyway. Grove, may I suggest once/​month dinner events, let that chef shine some more I’m sure he’s capable!

Lovely. Local. Friendly. Fresh. This is how I would describe the Grove Café, which serves a delicious breakfast Sat and Sundays. This Venue at the Grove is primarily an event venue in a lovely farm-​like setting amongst pecan groves. I was thrilled when they decided to begin serving the greater public and sharing the lovely local with the rest of us schmoes out there.
If you like The Farm at South Mountain, you’ll love this place — less attitude, more attentive service, and the same great quality food. The owners are often out and about and very friendly. So friendly in fact, that in a passing conversation we had mentioned that our son’s birthday was coming up, and they remembered the next time we saw them. Frankly, I was pleasantly shocked by that detail :)
The food is fantastic! And, if you live in Central Phoenix, it shouldn’t take you more than 20 minutes to get there from the I10 — super fast. You won’t regret spending the morning (especially in this weather) eating out doors in a quiet green setting.
The food is fantastic. The chef comes up with wonderful specials — just last week I had a BLT Omelet (Bacon, Tomato, Cheese and Arugula Salad… stuffed in the omelet). My son and husband love the Stanley Omelet (Sausage and Cheese), and I’m a huge fan of their oatmeal served with fresh fruit and brown sugar.
And for the record, they missed the 5^th star because I’m a coffee snob and really dislike their coffee… but they do make a yummy hot-​coco :)
We are frequent visitors so maybe I’ll run into you sometime? :)

Came by the place when it was fresh and new, saw the big menu board mentioned in a review below, and saw outdoor only seating. We were chilly by the time we approached the hostess stand, so we decided to run back home and make our own pancakes.
But now — totally different experience! They are using in and outdoors — which if you ask me is ALWAYS how it should be no matter what the weather is like. I love eating outside. Some folks have that bug-​attracting-​gene and never have good outdoor eating experiences. But I digress… so there’s no more hostess stand, which actually threw us off a bit as we walked in, but someone saw us and ran right over so that works for me (pssst — I’d bring back the hostess stand!).
The omelets are a good size, but not TOO big. The Belgian waffle is nice and fluffy. They had a Banana Nut pancake special when we were there that looked tasty. The wife really wanted plain pancakes, but only the special and blueberry were on the menu. We saw someone else getting plain pancakes (that looked a-​frickin-​mazing) and asked the server about it. Apparently you can order the blueberry pancakes and just say «hold the blueberry». Good to know!
So, food was good, it’s beautiful to look at but let me mention something here that no one else has yet. This is a spot that folks rent out for weddings or big parties. We first came to this place well before they were doing food when we were looking for a wedding location. Want to know why the wall décor is super simple and the space doesn’t «feel» like a restaurant? Because last night it was a pink princess themed wedding and later tonight it will be a Bar Mitzvah. That outdoor dining space is the dance floor one night and happy hour spot the next. This will also explain why they have a table set up near the entry with wedding photo books and other similarly themed things.
Speaking of that — lets talk about folks working there. On our first time eating there a woman came up to us as we were leaving and asked if we’d finally gotten married. Haven’t seen her in at least 8 months, and only talked to her 2 – 3 other times before that, but she stopped to mention it and say congrats. Heck of a memory — and extra sweet since we obviously hadn’t chosen her location (though it was one of the top 3!)
Nice spot. Nice view. Nice food. Nice folks. Definitely the kind of place you want to enjoy, and support.

The food quality of The Grove Café was excellent. The service was warm, welcoming and attentive. However…
For the price point being the same as a full service restaurant… at The Grove Café when you enter there is a large menu an an easel at the door next to a host stand. You wait awkwardly, as a group, reading the billboard style menu then placing your order with the host; to which, you receive a plastic number card which you then display on the table you pick in the dining area. It felt very Sizzler-​esque.
The space is that of a dining hall. Red checkered table cloths are covered with parchment paper. The banquet tables are each set with 8 chairs, so as a deuce we had plenty of room. Beverages and silverware roll-​ups are on a banquet table at the front of the room for self service.
As I mentioned breakfast came out in a timely manner and was very tasty…
What do you tip a server that doesn’t present or talk about the menu? She was very nice and inquired how the meal was but was simply a food runner/​bus person.
Check out was prohibitive as well for the host who took your order as you came in was the only person to check you out as well. There was enough of a line when we wanted to leave that we sat for a while to wait for the line to have their orders taken before we tried to cash out.
I’m sure it is a lot prettier when the weather is nice to sit outside, but for my dollar if I’m going out I like to be served; especially at a similar price point. I can go to The Farm only minutes down the road to achieve this end.
5 Star breakfast/​staff /​1 star ambiance