My last review stands but with updates. While I'd still say this has to be the best place available in Peru, there are some inconsistencies. The ordering process is quirky. During the day, you order at the counter. Menus on a barrel to peruse. Nothing on the wall. You normally receive a number (not today) & your beverages & food are brought to your table. Today, I was given my coffee & water at the counter to carry, but my food was brought out. So, it's counter prepay, & you tip at that time, but it's also self serve at the condiment station while you're also being waited on table side somewhat, some of the time. Confused yet? I did dine here once during dinner hours. Since I was used to the other process, I didn't know you are seated in the evening & fully waited on. I like dinner time best though it's busier. You can get takeout anytime & sweets to go from the case or table. I believe they cater & might possibly deliver, at least for groups. There is also a section which can be reserved. I hadn't been in for a couple months, & hadn't seen my favorite lady for even longer. From chatting today, I don't think she remembered me. The man working the floor is especially great. He's a food runner & busser, etc. I was confused today, as was he, as he'd set something on my table while I was prepping my coffee at the sugar station. He asked if I'd had a bread stick or a pretzel, so I responded it was a pretzel because I had indeed ordered a pretzel stick from the menu. He ended up bringing out a full size pretzel after I sat down, & I felt badly because he thought I'd ordered that. I discovered the pretzel STICK is the same as a bread stick. He was friendly & told us to enjoy the mistake. The person with me was happy to find a device charging station. I'm not sure those are available at every table nor if WiFi is offered. The first timer liked her peach tea. You can get sweetened, unsweetened, or half n half. Cheese sauce is nacho with a lil kick. I fully appreciate that the staff will make me a fresh pot of decaf when I come in. Apparently, decaf isn't too popular around here, I'm finding. I rolled with it, but Garden Gate had Folgers in the past. The Kroger brand they used today definitely didn't taste as good. When I walked up to get a refill, I noticed it was really weak & watered down. I could see through it more than tea. Sometimes you get refills at your table. Not consistently anymore. None today. No non-dairy creamer or milk options nor raw sugar. Again, I roll with it. It's not really a coffee shop per-se. However, with "cafe" in the name... Garden Gate has surprisingly good spaghetti. Not like what I can make at home, but far better than what I expected during visits before today. I would like to see more plant based options, but I remember what town I'm in. You get used to making due with what you can get around here. No fish on the menu either nor any fried foods. Sandwiches come with chips or slaw. They do have a fired pizza oven. If you like meatloaf and mashed potatoes with green beans, this would be the perfect place for you. They have daily specials on a board. Their veggie wrap is okay. The bread/pretzel sticks are buttered & also okay. Mashed potatoes, great. Never had the green beans since may contain bacon. Garden Gate good with accommodating substitution requests. I do like the long bench in back so you can sit as you wait for carryout or to be seated in the evening. Quality furnishings & ambience although the barrels from the brewery this once housed don't exactly jive. It's nice there is a private parking lot with a side door since street parking downtown can be hairy, especially this close to the courthouse. Some outdoor seating. A lot more seating inside & much better air conditioning than the old location. Better tables and chairs which are actually comfortable unlike the old place. I don't like that they pool tips. I tip extremely well, & I would like it to go to the person I tipped. I'm also not a fan of tipping at the beginning of the visit. I'll over tip & not get stellar service afterward. Did they even see it? Now I feel like George Costanza. I have been given rather large to go cups of decaf in the past. I didn't even want to ask for one today. It's usually clean though sometimes the tables & ladies' room could use extra care. Dirty tables can pile up at times. Confusing system. Good food but not much that I want. I really just go to have somewhere in this town to sit & to KNOW it's actually decaf in my cup. Sometimes it's loud, sometimes not. Service isn't quite what it was when this location first opened. It can be hit or miss where I can feel #1 or forgotten. Service usually good but not above and beyond like 6 months ago. I'm sure I'll return because, honestly, where else am I going to go? Possibly the best in Peru, yes, but I'm adjusting stars for everything stated above. It could easily be a five with some tweaks, but I won't hold my breath. read more

See all

I was visiting Peru with a friend and we had some time to kill and wanted a place to get some coffee. This was the closest open cafe. It's really a full service restaurant with salads, sandwiches and brick oven pizza. The ambience is industrial chic with some bare brick walls. Our coffee was served in clear toddy glass. We also ordered the blueberry scone served with Devonshire cream on the side. Wow! The scone was so moist and stuffed with blueberries. The cream was, well, creamy delicious. This was my first ever visit to Peru and if I ever return I'm heading right here! I might drive to Peru just for the scones! read more

Garden Gate Cafe - Dining area - American Near Me - Peru, Indiana

Garden Gate has good food and reasonably priced but not my go to restaurant in Peru. It is a good change of pace. Don't make a special trip. read more

Food was excellent. The service was: Order up front and pay upfront first. Then they brought you your food to the table. I didn't mind that. The place was very nice. read more

Garden Gate Cafe - Garden Gate Cafe - American Near Me - Peru, Indiana

Very cool place with good food. Great atmosphere and good lemon pie. If you like unique experiences, this is the place for you. Stay away from the chains and support private small businesses that bring you a new experience. I'd rather take my chance and experiencing something new even if mediocre and to go to the same Groundhog Day places time and time again. read more

Quick stop on our way home from Michigan. Fun old building with exposed brick inside and tiled ceiling. Great service - food was at the table lightening fast. I enjoyed a salad chicken soup and breadsticks. Hubby had a pulled pork sandwich. All very good. I picked up. Few desserts for later that look great. Bonus: A bathroom with nice toilet paper, not the single ply stuff. :) read more

The interior is decorated in a steam punk style. There are several large tables when larger parties can sit. There is also a room after the entrance to bigger meetings. The service is self service ordering but they deliver the food to your table. Of course the food is fabulous as always. I had the soup flight that was so filling that I could not finish it all. read more

I am so glad that someone locally told me about this little café. It even has a drive-through for your convenience. My salad was really tasty and very large in size for the price. The best part is they make their dressings homemade. And my dressing was fantastic! I went to the drive-through. The gentleman taking my order was very friendly. The service was quick. I would definitely stop again when in Perú! read more

Garden Gate Cafe - a side view mirror on the side of a building - American Near Me - Peru, Indiana

See all

We found Garden Gate purely by accident, but what an amazing find! It has quickly become our local go to spot! Let's start with the atmosphere...a creative blend of industrial / farmhouse. Super comfortable and spacious. The food is top notch, everything is homemade from scratch. The French salad dressing is amazing! The staff...nothing short of excellence! We've had Emma both times, she's the perfect server. Knowledgeable about the building, menu and area. We now request her lol! You absolutely cannot go wrong with this place, they have all the bases covered! read more

So my cousin has been raving about this place and wanting to take me here for months. So I finally got the chance to go with her. I have not been in this building for probably over 30 years when it was Taco Johns. I like the paint job on the outside. They got rid of the grungy greenhouse looking front. Inside was clean and bright. We both ordered Taco Salads. I got a small and she got the large. The small was pretty big. The large was super sized. I also got a side of cottage cheese. And she got a strawberry smoothie. Salads were fresh and had a good amount of ingredients. What made it for me was the crushed Doritos. I was totally full. I honestly don't know how she finished the large salad, but she did. The young man that took our order was friendly. He also brought our food to our table when it was ready. The have quite a large menu for such a small place. I hope they do well. Peru needs good places to eat that aren't fast food or chains. My only critique would be get a new brand of hot sauce. It was super thin and not really all that hot. read more

See all

what a unique place to enjoy a meal. atmosphere is cool, servers are very friendly and polite. meals are good and a real treat is there wonderful desserts read more

Doesn't look like much from the outside but the food was good and the atmosphere was comfortable. We rendezvoused with family there (Peru was roughly halfway in between). Will definitely go back. read more

Es mi primera experiencia en Garden Gate y me encanto, es un lugar muy hermoso para compartir un buen café y vivir un momento diferente. su atención maravillosa y su comida muy buena, volvería... read more

Fresh homemade food and the BEST pies! What a wonderful little gem to discover in my hometown of Peru! read more

Garden Gate Cafe - American Near Me - Peru, Indiana

See all

Garden Gate Cafe is a restaurant where it's clear that the owners and employees really care about what they do. The premises are modest, but that fits the vibe to a T. The menu's not huge, but everything on it is prepared with attention to detail, fresh ingredients and a mouthful of flavor. Save room for one of the personal-size pies. Yum. read more

Over priced, small portions and poor quality. 2 hot dogs and 5 tater tots for 9$ seriously? read more

Second review for me. I had their homemade chicken salad on their homemade bread, fresh slaw made in house and chips. Basically a perfect lunch. The chicken salad, loaded with chicken, just enough other items to create a great taste and mouth feel. Slaw was perfect. The chips are chips but work well with the sandwich and slaw. Service is friendly and the place is spotless! Highly recommend it. read more

Everything there is fabulous... seriously quality in everything.Quality of food, cleanliness, Customer service is amazing.

The best service around! Salads are my favorite and the scones are so delicious! I would most definitely recommend them to my family and friends! The soups on a cold day are perfect with one of their sandwiches or pretzels! read more

The atmosphere was clean, quaint and inviting. We were a party of 5 with an infant and were made to feel very welcome. The staff were very attentive and friendly. The food was excellent! Buttery breadsticks, soup, sandwiches, chicken and noodles....we had a bit of everything. Oh and the SUGAR CREAM PIE...delicious!! We'll be back for sure! read more

Their food is amazing. The service is fast, everyone is so nice. It is family friendly. Everyone there will make you feel live you are home and family read more

Quick service, great food. Had the Italian Roast Beef sandwich and it was terrific. Pretzels are amazing! Would go again.

If you left anything but 5 stars, it's definitely a you issue. We're from Texas, we were here to pick up a Fresian horse I bought. This is one of the best lunch spots I've ever tried, I paid $20 for an incredibly large amount of food. I even had coffee and cookies after my meal while I finished up some work. The place was packed but everyone was kind and low spoken, the food was amazing and huge portions, the coffee and tea were as good as anywhere I've eaten! They brought out a little ranch dip and carrots while I waited on my special. Then my coffee and cookies came. This is a place I'll make a point to stop at if I'm within an hour or two, it was 18 hours one way for me and I'll be trying to figure out how to come back LOL read more

Garden Gate Cafe has been a wonderful addition to the Peru community. They have a standard menu, but they also have specials and a few items that get mixed in, which I particularly enjoy. Two of my favorite menu items are the feta salad and their pretzels. Both are absolutely to die for. Have I mentioned their food is homemade? Oh I haven't?! All of the more reason to stop in! Get amazing, homemade food, made fresh every day by wonderful people from the Peru community. I can't think of a better way to mix up your weekly menu! read more

Stopped by on our way back to Chicago. Great sandwiches! Homemade bread and bacon cooked to perfection. Everything fresh and tasty.

Omg. I want n there a few days ago. To get a couple sandwiches. N lucky me I got food poisoning. Was sick for three days. So hell no don't recommend them never ever. read more

The food is delicious and made fresh. The prices are reasonable and portions are generous. The service, however, is second to none! They are friendly, helpful, and anticipate what you might need before you even ask! read more