My husband and I met my cousin and his wife here on a beautiful sunny day which made the gardens look fantastic. Two of us had the Fresco burgers. The buns were toasted which made mine dry. The sandwich itself was dry throughout. It had some kind of sauce sparingly on both sides of the burger. It wasn't served with ketchup, which is fine, if there is something to make it moist enough. Maybe if the sandwich had had more than one tomato. I asked for fruit instead of the fries and the fruit was wonderful - strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, pineapple. Another person had a lovely salad, which I didn't catch the name of, but I'm sure the unique part of it was that it had beets on top. The final person had the Nashville Fried Chicken Sandwich. He felt the sandwich was left in the fryer a little too long. Jamie H was our waiter and he was very attentive. He came and filled our drinks before they were even empty. Made sure we were happy with everything. Big problem!!! All they had left for dessert, at lunchtime, was 3 different sorbets. Very disappointing!!! read more

When visiting the Andersen Japanese Garden we started our visit with lunch at Fresco at the Gardens. The dining room is stunning with a full wall of windows that make the inside feel like you're in the garden. They also have two outdoor seating areas and we sat in one. The patio is structured so you feel like you are seating in the trees. The menu was average. I couldn't find anything on the lunch menu that interested me so I ordered the breakfast sandwich. The bagel was huge and it came with a nice portion of scrambled eggs and sausage that seemed made in house. It was served with a bowl of fruit which was topped with delicious granola. The waiter was friendly and attentive. If we return to the garden we definitely get lunch there again. read more

Fresco at The Gardens - Early Start Sandwich - New American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Allergy info: They have gluten free bread. Doesn't seem to be on the menu, but it was offered. Fries have gluten. Not cross contamination, but have flour on them. Small menu, but covers the basics very well. Brunch focused. Nice view, attentive wait staff. read more

Fresco at The Gardens - Image of menu with black coffee - New American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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Stopped in here for lunch after a day of working in rockford. Displace is located in japanese style botanical garden. Pretty large dining room. Tons of options on the menu , including breakfast , salads and sandwich options. Nice selection of alcoholic non alcoholic smoothies , juices and coffees available. I had the chicken fried steak with rosemary gravy breakfast potatoes in your choice of eggs. It was absolutely delicious. Would definitely come back and do a nice walk through the gardens if I was in rockford again. read more

A very nice upscale cafe located in Anderson Japanese Garden. Food and service are both on point. This is a great place to stop while touring the gardens. read more

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Nice setting with view of the beauty of a garden. No reservation but our group was seated with an about a 15 minute wait. Restaurant is just off of gift shop so nice way to wait for your meal. Very nice lunch menu with sandwiches, salads , teas. read more

Fresco at The Gardens - Apple chicken salad - New American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

We went there after seeing the beautiful garden. We ordered got our water and waited 30+ min after ordering yogurt and lemon blueberry crepes. We felt bad, but had to leave. Service was not good and it wasn't even that busy. Im not the person to leave, but we had to go. It was just to long. Would see the garden, just don't eat there. read more

The Restaurant is located at the entrance to the Japanese gardens. It has both outdoor and indoor dining which overlooks the Garden. I came for a lunch and enjoyed the wide variety of the menu ordering chicken and waffles. The food was fresh and tasty. The service was very attentive and friendly. Be sure you visit the gardens after your meal. read more

Fresco at The Gardens - One of the falls in the garden - New American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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I'm curious how a decision is made to eliminate one of the most popular items on a menu (Asian Bowl) and think customers won't notice or care? We went to Anderson Japanese Gardens when it opened for the season and stopped at Fresco beforehand. Alas, the menu has been changed up and the Asian Bowl is gone. Although it was one of the most popular entrees our waiter said they (whoever they is) decided to change things up and eliminate it from the menu. read more

This place is busy -- but for a good reason! The food here is quite delicious, with a menu that also goes along with the fresh theme. However, be prepared to wait a bit to get your food. With that said, I'd still happily stop by here on every visit to the Anderson Japanese Gardens as I really enjoyed both the flavor combinations and quality of the ingredients in all of the different items I tried. In particular, our table really enjoyed the Asian Lettuce Wraps and Apple Chicken Walnut salad. Even items like the Fresco Burger were cooked to perfection and the freshness of the lettuce, tomato, and onion really came through. The seating was comfortable as well, with a nice open dining room that provided a beautiful view and plenty of sunlight. read more

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Wonderful atmosphere, excellent food and service! Highest recommendation I can give. Always consistently excellent. Nice views too!!

One of my favorite lunch spots! Great food, service and ambiance! I've never had a bad experience or meal here. read more

VIEW. The view from the large, north facing windows at Fresco is EPIC. We went in the late summer, and the greenery was, well, green, and the birds were flying. We parked in the lot west of the entrance - the lot was packed. Once we hit the front door, we were greeted and seated promptly, and menus were provided. The menus were impressive - lots of good stuff, not just burgers and chicken fingers. We were provided with water glasses, and the service was so good we didn't have to ask to have them refilled. I ordered their Fresco Burger, which was topped with apple-smoked bacon, white cheddar cheese, and the usual fresh toppings. It was served with hand cut fries, which were nice, hot and fresh. My wife had their Surf and Turf Sliders, which were smaller burgers topped with Cajun Shrimp. That came with White Truffle Asiago Fries - Yum! They had an interesting drink menu - my wife had one with beets in it, and I had their apple Cider which had chunks of fresh apple in it. The food tasted great. The interior is bright wood, with large beams and beautiful woodwork. Eye-candy galore. This is a nice place to visit - give it a try! read more

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We almost always eat here when visiting Anderson Japanese Gardens not only because it's there, but the food is as good as the atmosphere. This afternoon we sat outside and had a fantastic server and I'm a little ashamed I didn't ask for her name. I started by ordering a black tea and when she served it, the cup was super hot and had a cup with honey and lemon served with it. She told us when she has time, she always rinses the cup under really hot water before serving tea or coffee. We had a classic eggs Benedict and a Cuban panini and shared. Benedict was average, the Cuban was amazing but honestly the combination was amazing and next time I want an open faced Cuban with a poached egg and Hollandaise on top. read more

Enjoyed a lovely lunch today at Fresco's. I had the chicken, walnut salad. It was yummy. Two others with me ordered crab cakes and they both said it was a delicious meal. Our waiter was great and provided wonderful service. The setting is lovely, overlooking the Anderson Japanese Gardens. I can highly recommend dining at Fresco's. read more

When you are in Rockford, this is a must-visit spot. The view and Japanese gardens are the highlight of this location. The food is decent, but the crew I was with would beg to differ and say it's delicious. I got the veggie omelet and added salmon. I was assuming it would be lox, but it was full pieces of overcooked salmon-- not my favorite. The mimosa flight was really pretty and yummy. My husband got the burger and it was perfectly cooked. I was really appreciative of the service. We had a reservation for 8 and they were able to accommodate a change to 10 on a Sunday morning with no trouble. Kid friendly and feeding the turtles, ducks and fish in the pond was great. read more

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Everything that makes for a good dining experience is present at Fresco's. Great food is always a good place to start, followed of course with excellent service & then to top it off the scenery or the environment; what could be better than to have your dining experience surrounded by one of the world's Premier Japanese guardians read more

Fresco at The Gardens is a must stop if you're visiting the Anderson Japanese Garden. My husband and I were going to go to the Japanese Garden when we saw a sign for this restaurant. Since it was time for lunch we decided to go there before entering the garden. The first thing that you will notice is how beautiful the restaurant is. Not only is the view of the garden wonderful but the restaurant itself is bright and welcoing with lots of light coming from the high ceilings and large windows. The menu is not extensive, but what they do, they do well. Their menu includes breakfast and lunch items. I ordered the chicken salad. It included apples, walnuts, and blue cheese crumbles. The chicken was seasoned well and the salad was delicious. The staff was very friendly, but everything takes forever. I could understand that the food would take a while, and it was worth it since it tasted great. But it took a long time for our server to come and greet us and it took a long time to get our check when we were finished with our meal. Our meal took so long (over two hours) that when we were finished, we didn't have time to visit the gardens. I recommend Fresco at The Gardens for their food, not their service. read more

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My family was visiting Anderson Japanese Garden and decided to eat at Fresco so we could go back to exploring the garden after lunch. We waited around 15 minutes for our waitress to take our order and another 45 minutes before our food arrived. The restaurant was about 2/3 full at the time. I had the Cubano panini (pulled pork combined with pepper jack cheese, ham, artisan pickles, mustard and mayonnaise). It was much smaller than expected and I gobbled it down in what seemed like a minute since I was starving by the time we got our food. It was served with a lot of fries that were fairly salty. Hubby had the surf and turf sliders (all beef sliders with cajun shrimp, cheddar cheese, arugula, tomato, and garlic aioli) which was supposed to come with white truffle asiago fries but he got regular fries instead. We shared a juice flight with strawberry orange juice, rise 'N' shine (cantaloupe, pineapple, oranges, and basil), and the hulk (kale, mint, honeydew melon, and apples). All three juices were good and I wish they were served in larger glasses but the rise 'N' shine was my favorite. Overall, the food was decent but service needs some work. read more

We had reservations for brunch at 11:30am on 10/25/25 which is an annual outing with the five of us. We waited over an hour for a table, the manager Donna finally seated us at a four top high top for five of us or we could continue to wait. She was unfriendly and rude. She pulled the fifth chair on top of the table next to ours, which made that table uncomfortable to which that table moved their table themselves. Donna didn't care. We asked Donna to move two tables together she told us no. She was awful. Should not be working in customer service. She has single handedly made us rethink our annual visit to this place for their spooktacular event. Was a sad, disheartening experience. read more

We had a reservation for 2 PM on Easter Sunday. We made the reservation online and one of the questions was did anybody in our party? Have any special requests or requirements for lunch. I answered that in the positive suggesting that one of our party was gluten-free. Nowhere was an indicated that it was a buffet. We walked in expecting the menu and found out immediately that a it was a buffet and nowhere did it indicates the price. As a family gathering, I did not want to appear concerned so I did not ask what the price was. We were taken at 2:20, not bad and finally a server came over who was excellent, but who told us that no consideration was available for gluten-free diners. we successfully pleaded with her to discuss it with the chef who eventually came out and a compromise was reached that gluten-free dishes would be brought to our table before they had gone out onto the general buffet. Which was very nice, but clearly not something the restaurant had thought about in advance. Not blaming the chef at that moment and grateful to the server. When the bill came, the buffet cost $55 per person. With an up charge for using a debit card and a 20% tip, the bill came to over $300 for four of us. That included two bloody Mary's, a mimosa, two glasses of wine and a cup of coffee. The food was fine, not spectacular, ample in range, but nothing to remember tomorrow. What I will remember is the amount of money, the lack of advanced notice on the website, and the lack of accommodation for gluten-free diners. read more

Fresco was a great lunch spot from which to gaze onto the Japanese garden, which was being dowsed in vigorous rain that day. My wife had the portabello "burger" and I had the salmon with quinoa. We were both pleased with our selections and with the service. Our only criticism is that the fake flowers on the tables were not very fresco. read more

Fresco at The Gardens - mushroom "burger" - New American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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Food was delicious like always. Option to get oatmilk with my coffee was a plus. Our waiter was very attentive and kind. The whole atmosphere was very calm even for it being pretty busy. read more

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Very disappointed. We used to go there quite often but this time it was a real disappointment : reduced meal selection, hot tea no longer available, careless and useless waiter, eggs benedict cooked as hard boiled eggs and 3% charge if payment of the bill by card. We will not go back ! read more

Excellent service and setting. The price for what you get it's not that great. A glass of champagne is $7 but a mimosa was $11......

Interior/ ambiance: The location is surrounded by flowers and greenery since it is a restaurant and Japanese garden, it is so beautiful. Walking into the restaurant you're greeted by so much greenery and florals. When entering the establishment, you walk through big glass doors into and open dining area. There's a small store where they sell Asian candies and treats, as well as various gift items. We walked to the host desk and checked and were taken to an outdoor eating area that overlooks the gardens. It was such a beautiful sight, so serene. Drink: I ordered an iced brown sugar oat milk espresso drink and it did not disappoint. It was seriously yummy, I will come back just for that drink! Food: I ordered a south of the border hash which consisted of chorizo, pan fried potatoes, tomatoes, onion, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, eggs, cheese, tortillas on the side. It hit the spot!! So super delish!! I was in heaven. I honestly cannot wait to come back again, I should go back to try something else but I may just order these items again haha so yummy! The food arrived super quickly as well. I mean impressively quick. Service: super fast and friendly service. The waiter was very knowledgeable and kind. Pricing: It was very reasonably priced! You get large portions. Definitely doesn't break the bank. Overall: Go check it out, I will definitely be back for the views and chews..the drinks as well haha An amazing find and gem for Rockford! read more

Fresco at The Gardens - Iced Brown sugar oat milk espresso drink - New American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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Salmon tacos were incredible. I substituted the chips for tye Asiago fries, and they were amazing. Food, ambiance, service, and view were all 5/5. My only complaint is that the espresso drinks here really suck, hence the missing star. read more

Fresco at The Gardens - Tacos with substituted fries..Ah-Mazing!! - New American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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The food, drinks,view and service is amazing. There is also outside eating in good weather. I recommend it!

An open floor restaurant with large windows allowing you to take in a gorgeous view of the Anderson Japanese Gardens. The view alone is worth visiting. Had it not been for the rain, I would have loved to sit outside. It's quite serene and breathtaking, especially since it was my first visit. The food I ordered here varied from good to great. The best item was the Loaded Potato Soup, which is their soup du jour for Thursdays. It was hands down, the best loaded potato soup I've ever had. Loaded with bacon pieces and chives, what made it stand out was how rich & creamy it was compared to my past experiences with loaded potato soup. The next item that was highly regarded was the apple cider (available hot or cold). I love warm apple cider on a cold autumn day. Everyone associates pumpkin as the de facto flavor for fall, but not me. Apples, cinnamon, and spice can't be beat. Of course I guess you can't have apple coffee, so maybe that's why it's not as popular. I digress... The cider was not overly sweet, heavily spiced but not to the point where it was earthy. The final item was my main entree, steak and eggs but I wish I had gotten something else. I ordered the steak medium rare with my eggs over medium. The eggs were cooked right and the fresco potatoes were delicious as far as breakfast potatoes go. The New York strip steak was thin, which made it slightly overcooked. It was ok but probably not worth the price. I should have gone with the eggs benedict, which is always my go-to for breakfast. Either way, it was worth eating at Fresco at the Gardens and I would definitely return. read more

If you go here for brunch, you gotta check out the gardens. Got a delicious yogurt parfait, pancakes, create your own omelet, and a Moscow mule. The food was good, not great, but the views really made up for it. The outdoor seating gives it almost a treehouse feel and it's perfect in the summer. The parfait was probably my favorite thing that we got! read more

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I recommend making a reservation. It gets busy very fast. Food was delicious. Service could be better.. read more

Fresco at The Gardens - Lobster roll was pretty good. - New American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Everything is so good! Polite staff. Gorgeous view. Chill vibe. I love the spring rolls, tacos, juices, Swedish pancakes, waffle with fruit, salads, and sandwiches. read more

We planned a bridal shower at Fresco with Katelyn. She was amazing in helping me plan our event for 20. The day of the event everything was absolutely perfect . The food was such a big hit ! We had the mango summer berry salad, turkey avocado wraps, Kobe burgers, and lemon bars . I can't say enough about how excellent my event was and highly recommend this restaurant for events. The food came out hot and beautifully prepared. I could not have asked for more.Thank you! read more

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This was a lovely place to dine prior to our stroll through the Japanese garden. The restaurant is in the visitor center (with the gift shop) & you don't need to pay the entry fee to eat there. The setting is perfect, with an Asian aesthetic and huge windows overlooking part of the garden (we got to watch some guy raking what looked like seaweed out of a pond in the lawn below for the duration of the meal, and if that sounds yucky, it was actually rather meditative). There were many good looking options on the menu but my mom chose the crab cake sandwich and my dad and I both went for the lobster roll. I was a bit annoyed because for all their detailed menu descriptions they didn't mention tomato on the sandwich (which I don't like or want). It was easy enough to get off in this case but for someone with an allergy, not so; why leave that out in the description? The split-top roll was hard to eat from so I finally ate most of the filling with a fork. It was delicious: huge chunks of sweet lobster, not fishy or overly sauced with mayo. Perhaps the star of my meal was the fresh strawberry orange juice; I had two glasses. The vibrant sunset color brightened up the table on a rainy day, and it was sweeter than typical OJ, really quite memorable. Our waitress Taylor was friendly and helpful; good job. Overall, I would come back here for breakfast or lunch (they're only open til 2 PM weekdays and 3 PM weekends) when in Rockford even if I wasn't also going to the gardens! read more

Food was good but the drinks are always kinda bad. The coffee beans are so bitter for their lattes and the fruit juice drinks just weren't very good. The service is usually pretty quick and it's rare you get a friendly server, though it never bothers me too much I still leave an appropriate tip. This restaurants style, ambiance, and overall look is just beautiful, it's probably the prettiest restaurant I've seen in Rockford. My favorite part after a meal is taking a walk. I recommend this place, fun day. read more

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Lovely outdoor seating area with a pretty view of the garden. We got some fruit juices which were light and refreshing. I had steak and eggs which was delicious. My boyfriend had the chicken sandwich we he loved and wasn't too spicy for him. I also tried the Bloody Mary but it was a bit more like cocktail sauce and would try the mimosa next time. read more

Fresco at The Gardens - Steak and Eggs - New American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

A beautiful wide open dining area with huge picture windows overlooking the Japanese gardens. It has a definite upscale vibe, but I also didn't feel out of place stopping for lunch in athletic wear after a warm morning walking the garden. We were greeted promptly and warmly. The service was good throughout our lunch with the food coming out quickly and water being refilled regularly. Everything tasted good, but I did feel the price point was just a little high on some of the items ($11 for a large juice, for example). If I am ever back at the garden I would definitely stop again for a bite! read more

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The service there was amazing and very mellow. The waitress was very friendly and patient and the table was set neatly. It was a quiet space with large windows revealing the beautiful garden. I ordered some French toast and it was absolutely delicious. I would highly recommend this place and it was very affordable for such great quality! read more

Fresco at The Gardens - French Toast - New American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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Beautiful dining area with huge windows. Our server was cheerful and punctual. Food was awesome! I had the steak and eggs. The steak I ordered medium and it was done to perfection. Husband ordered the eggs Benedict and he said it was delicious. We shared a yogurt parfait with fresh fruit and that was awesome. We'll be back! read more

Fresco at The Gardens - Blueberry Mimosa - New American Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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Sunday brunch was great! 8am, not crowded. Drinks were delicious and portions were perfect. Sat right on the window on a gloomy, misty morning but still a beautiful and calming view. Service was good. Look forward to a spring brunch on the outside deck. read more