Gardenia Los Gatos

Gardenia Los Gatos reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. P

   Pierre VIP

   San Francisco21 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   The restaurant was okay, but not great—and I wouldn’t go back. We ordered the Brussels sprouts, which unfortunately had way too much sugar. My wife could only manage a small portion before stopping entirely. I had the Chicken Katsu Sando; the flavor was decent, but the bread was a bit soggy and didn’t hold up well. The ambiance was nice and the service, while friendly, was a bit slow. Overall, it felt too expensive for the quality of the food and experience.
   

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2. D

   David VIP

   San Francisco15 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We'd been to Gardenia once for lunch during the week and once for brunch on a weekend; both times we very much enjoyed the food and service. Those visits were during the winter months, so we sat inside -- once downstairs and once upstairs. Last night we were again seated upstairs, but this time inside the little turret in the corner of the old Victorian-era building housing the restaurant. It was very comfortable and quiet. Last night we tried their dinner service and were not disappointed! As with our prior visits, the food was excellent. We started with the a cocktail (the Mt. Fuji) and a glass of champagne (a Brut Reserve Billecart-Salmon) , followed by the Gardenia Salad (very tasty, though we needed a knife to cut the salad greens into bite-sized portions) and the excellent Tuna Tartare (substituting for the Thai Ceviche, according to our server). We especially enjoyed the tuna's creative presentation: served in a rectangle with the beautiful tuna diced and mixed with fresh avocado puree, topped with mung bean sprouts and dots of a mild red pepper sauce. For our mains, we had the market fish (wild-caught Alaskan halibut grilled, served with bamboo rice and a grilled artichoke and the braised rabbit pasta. Both were wonderful. We also shared a chocolate mousse for dessert -- true to form, it was excellent! The service was excellent as well, as our waiter (an Italian gentleman named Raffaele, who normally works at Evvia in Palo Alto) was very knowledgeable and friendly, as were all the front of house staff we interacted with. The restaurant wasn't very busy for a Saturday night -- something that we hope will change, especially as the weather warms up and the beautiful outside dining area in front of the restaurant becomes a more popular destination. Highly recommended!
   

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3. D

   David VIP

   San Francisco3 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on May 12, 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   skip this one--they need a visit from restaurant impossible!
   

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4. V

   Vivien VIP

   Philadelphia5 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on May 12, 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   Terrible service. We waited an hour and a half after seating and ordering immediately before getting our entrees. Appetizer mussels came out cold.
   

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5. G

   Gary

   San Francisco10 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on May 10, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Delicious food and wonderful ambiance! Staff was friendly and helpful. I will definitely be back.
   

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6. C

   Celia

   San Francisco9 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on May 7, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We ate outside in lovely charming patio area. Our server was excellent her timing of checking in with us was perfect. Her suggestion on wines was spot on. It was a beautiful sunny day noticed two different tables brought their well behaved dogs. I will definitely be returning here with more guests. Too bad can’t recall server’s name to give her a shout out of appreciation
   

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7. S

   Sharmila

   San Francisco9 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on May 3, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We went here for a birthday dinner, excellent ambience. We sat outside on a Friday evening and they had live music. Good was great as well.
   

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8. D

   Danielle

   New York City9 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on April 20, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   The food was decent but the service was terrible. The manager had to come over to take our order because the waitress was MIA. Busboys were on top of service though.
   

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9. V

   Victoria VIP

   San Francisco18 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 20, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   Made a reservation on-line for outdoor seating for two. When I arrived, the hostess would only give me a bar table which I cannot climb up on or an indoor table. I told her I had reserved a table for outside. There were several outdoor tables, including tables for two. Why??????? The other hostess did tell her to seat us at a table with three chairs. The table was small and would have been very cramped with three people. No one sat at the table for two that was next to us the entire time we were there. Very poor customer relations. Will think twice before recommending or returning. Happy Easter
   

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10. G

    Ginny

    San Francisco5 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on April 19, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5

    All of the food here is really outstanding! Some of the best we have ever had! Nice music while dining on the outside grass area. Highly recommended!
    

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