The Kitchen At Descanso

Maple is classy and sweet! Environment is ambient, lots of open windows with plants and trees surrounding Descanso. The staff is kind and accommodating, especially our server. With that said, it’s also a great setting for family brunch, a nice middle ground between classy and casual. The coffee is great and high quality (intelligentsia), as is the food with lots of healthy options. 1st time I ordered the vegan hash (really good) and the tomato toast that’s in the photo the last time, which was also really good and perfect for light eating. Parking is easy, you don’t need to buy tickets to Descanso to dine there. Only drawback is it can take long to get a table unless you go early or later than 10am-1pm. Highly recommend!

Food is ok. But the service is horrible! I reserved a table for 1:30 PM and I came a little early. Nobody came for five minutes. Then someone came and told me he'd be there in a minute. I waited for five minutes and he didn't come. Finally, someone came and didn't see me. She was about to leave when I asked her to seat me and that I had a reservation. She didn't even say hi and just grumbled and said there was only one table that was available. I saw a table outside and I pointed to it. This lady had no clue those people who sat there left. When I finally got seated, I ordered a mimosa and specifically told the waiter to bring me a berry mix. Instead, I got one with orange juice. Also, this place is really busy.

The food was delicious but the service still needs a bit of work. We arrived 20 minutes before our reservation and they were able to seat us right away. Unfortunately this meant we were by the entrance door and every time it would open a blast of icy wind would come our way. I asked to move to another table that was empty but needed to be cleared. The hostess said yes, but didn't have anyone clean it up. Our food arrived so we stayed put. We had to ask 3 times before our hot water for tea was refilled despite the fact the restaurant was a third empty. As I said the food was great, but for the amount you're paying the service needs to be up to par.

The food is pretty great and the venue is cute Our table got the fried chicken and beignets, which was fantastic as was the French toast. The mimosa bar has great, non-traditional options. I wish there was a bottomless option! Service was fast and friendly! O recommend making a reservation on the weekends.

Maple's staff is thoughtful and attentive, but the management could use a LOT of work. This review is about my visit 4/14/19 to celebrate my birthday, but I've had multiple similar experiences fwiw. We had a reservation for 2 on Sunday but still had to wait 30 minutes for a table. When I make reservations, I expect the restaurant to *reserve* seats for me; instead, we waited just as long as walk-ins. To make matters worse, it took 20+ minutes for us to get the check. My server, Jamie, was so sweet, but she was dealing with a terribly rude and picky party by herself and she was running (literally) all over the place. Again, these are clearly management problems. The food was fine, maybe even good, but my experience was terrible and left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm a Descanso member, but I won't be eating at Maple any time soon.

A very nice spot if you're visiting the Gardens or if you'd like to get away from hustle bustle. Depending on the the time of day, it's a little overrun with children whose parents let them run around the restaurant, but you can ask to be seated away from them. You may have to wait a minute, but it's worth it. Can't blame the restaurant for sloppy parenting. That said, it's a family friendly place that is also a nice spot for brunch - nicer without screaming kids. Cocktails were great - bourbon cider is on for the season and everyone at the table enjoyed it. I had a bloody Mary, which was pretty basic. Food here is locally and sustainably sourced. The standout dish here was chicken and beignets, but don't expect a NOLA style beignet. It's a little more like the fried dough you find in Philly, but tasty nonetheless. Service was friendly, efficient, but not overbearing. We got everything we needed promptly.

First time here today. Absolutely loved it. We sat on the outside patio. We ate the breakfast burrito- which I recommend to eat with the salsa, the toast and jam-very light and natural jam, mimosas, and the beignets- which is what they are known for. We were treated wonderfully by our server and pampered here. I know we will come back again. Plenty of parking in the lot for Descanso Gardens. If you come on a Sunday you will hear the music being played. Thank you for a wonderful time Jessica!