Fresco at the Gardens

Fresco is a great food option nestled in the visitor center of the Anderson Japanese Garden. The menu is fairly widely varied. They highlight their organic and artisanal ingredients. Most of what walked past looked great. The space is nice-​open and bright with tons of windows. There is also a decent sized patio. I had the «Cuban» sandwich which was only okay. The pulled pork was delicious but something about the sandwich overall just fell flat. And it was pressed nice and smooshed like a good olé Cuban should be! The homemade chips were excellent though a bit over seasoned. My bf had the charbroiled marlin which he absolutely loved. It came on a super yummy bed of blue corn jalapeño polenta and a great black bean relish. The fish was cooked perfectly. Service was only okay. I can’t say that I’m in a hurry to come back but definitely a solid option while visiting the gardens.

The Anderson Japanese Gardens were totally amazing and the reason for our visit to its restaurant. This restaurant on site, is equally amazing and charming. There was a beautiful view of the gardens and our light lunch of a delicious salad with chicken accompanied by some amazing tea, totally hit the spot. I would return here in a flash!

Was at Fresco’s for the first time on Friday. My wife and I had a wonderful breakfast. Everything was fresh and delicious. Really enjoyed the strawberry orange juice. The waitress was pleasant and very helpful when it came to the menu. We will definitely be back. Can’t wait to give lunch a try.

Fresco at the gardens is one of the best new things to happen in Rockford! The food is beautifully made with only the freshest ingredients! The view into Anderson Gardens is so lovely, and the staff is also very friendly and accommodating. Fresco is an awesome place to eat for both breakfast and lunch. And as a bonus they use Rockford Roasting Company coffee! Local businesses supporting local businesses! U gotta love it!

Ok this is my 4^th breakfast and unfortunately it did not live up to previous visits. Coffee is really good as is the view but Luke warm eggs Benedict and some uncooked potatoes pretty much ruined this visit. I will give it another try because I really like the view. Maybe just a bad day for the cook.

The view and that Fresco blend coffee make it worth it. I have had the eggs Benedict which were impeccable and also the steak and eggs. Mind you I have only gone for Breakfast. The Steak however was greatly over seasoned and was a spice bomb. Too bad it was heavy handed on the rosemary. The potatoes are amazing when fresh. Overall I will come back again and try something else to see how they progress.

Fresco at the Gardens has a warm and calming atmosphere. The food is delicious and the view is beautiful! I will be back again and again!

I was slightly disappointed with the quality of food after all the hype! My friend had ordered the chocolate chip waffles which sounded amazing on paper, looked okay when it arrived, and tasted pretty «meh.» You could slightly taste the chocolate chips in the waffle, and apart from that, there wasn’t much of a taste in the batter. There was a chocolate drizzle over the waffles, but it was pretty runny, like bottled syrup. And the cream on top didn’t hold it’s shape well.
I ordered the portabella mushroom burger which comes with a BACON topped salad (so if you’re vegetarian, make sure you ask for a side salad WITHOUT BACON!!!). The burger was not bad; it did carry some of the smokey flavor of roasted vegetables, but was pretty oily. I was a big fan of the pickled onions on top, though!
For drinks, we ordered a peppermint mocha cappuccino; I was super excited because I saw that it was roasted from Rockford Roasting Company! Sadly, the barista here did not know how to handle the flavors of the coffee; it came out with a super mocha taste with slight peppermints. And by slight, I mean the only peppermint flavor was from the ½ mini stick crushed on top.
The décor is beautiful, though! Inside is a huge window that faces the garden, which in the spring – fall time must be gorgeous. It does get a bit drafty in winter, so I’d bring a shawl or thick-​lined sweater.

I always loved the gardens… But now I love them even more with the addition of fresco. So I can now go and see the gardens year round from their dining room which has great floor to ceiling views from the dining room!
So service has shears been on Skow side. So this a great place for a leisurely lunch with good company. Everything I have had on menu is scrumotious! The menu also changed based on season and most things are locally sourced
Drinks: the hulk is my favorite and refreshing and light especially in summer. You would never realize you are consuming all this healthy and good for you stuff in something so tasty
Appetizers: calamari is perfectly cooked and very tasty. Definitely well portioned to share
Salads: the harvest salad was soooooooooooooo perfect for winter. Bringing out holiday tastes and Really a sweet and savory mix and will leave you full and satisfied. The apple walnut with chicken also filling
The tomato mozzarella flatbread also very tasty and could easily be shared as an appetizer as well
Mains:
Burgers are humongous and filling. If you have nothing ease to do after lunch this is perfect lunch as you will be in a food coma after finishing (if you can)
The meatloaf. Although not traditional is so mouthwatering and tasty! You will be glad it’s not your mamas meatloaf.
The blackened chicken wrap (from summer menu) was really tasty and light
The tacos… The filling great but the shell has been soggy twice when ordering so I have stayed away from that
There were vegetarian options in summer than now
Dessert
They outsource the cheesecake… But if they have it you MUST splurge and get it! Whoever makes this makes a divine slice of heaven. It’s light and fluffy. Butter pecan with extra caramel sauce is my favorite.
The gelato they make locally is also perfect way to end your meal!

Awesome! The restaurant overlooks the gardens. Food was amazing and they serve the best coffee in town, Rockford Roasters. My wife and I had biscuits and gravy and poached eggs with pumpkin risotto. Yum! I went back for lunch later and had a delicious Cuban sandwich. Our original server was Jackie and she was very friendly.

I’ve been here several times trying variety of meals., delicious. The view is amazing and service is excellent. Our server, Damon, was so attentive and sweet. The coffee was delicious and Damon made sure our cups were never empty.

I thought I would never say this but: I wish I lived closer to Rockford. This place was absolutely delicious and you really can’t beat the view. I came here for breakfast with a couple of friends and I was in french toast heaven. I recommend the apples foster french toast, I promise I won’t tell anyone you cheated on your diet. It is so delicious.
Our waiter was really great as well and super attentive. The only negatives was that it was a little pricey (especially for it being in Rockford) and kind of hard to find. Basically, when you see the gardens, go there! You won’t know you’ve found the Fresco’s until you’re at the front door.
But go to the front door. It’s well worth it.

They have it dialed in on service and food! Carmen was wonderful, informative and charming. Made my day! Spiked Apple Cider and Portobello mushroom soup were so good. Asian slaw wasn’t quite my taste. Ordered crab cake blt to go for supper, can’t wait!

We had a lovely Sunday breakfast, overlooking the fall beauty of Anderson Gardens. I loved the Rustic Italian Benedict. The combination of pesto hollandaise, yummy pancetta, and spinach was excellent with a bowl of fresh fruit instead of potatoes. My husband had the Apple Foster French Toast which was quite tasty as well. Great service, great food, perfect breakfast!

It was a wonderful experience. Went for breakfast, and was quite impressed. The setting is gorgeous – beautiful setting and open environment. Great options on the menu. The food was superb. The best part of our dining experience was our server. Damien was professional yet personable. He provided us with great direction on menu items and offered perfect service. He is a great asset to the restaurant!!!

Went for lunch and had The Oinker and the crab cake. The crab cake was excellent. Nicely seasoned, with a lightly crispy crust. The Oinker, the pulled pork sandwich, came with a delicate barbeque sauce that complemented the meat and it was served with fresh potato chips that were outstanding. Great food with an excellent view of the gardens. The service was excellent.

Immediately walking in, you’re amazed by the beautiful view of the gardens and the earthy but upscale feel of the restaurant. My girlfriends and I were given three front and back paper menus. Service was a tad lacking but our waters stayed full. After placing our orders, another staff member offered us the actual Fresco menus (not sure if we had paper ones because they had just rolled out the fall menu or not) Looking at the menu, we noticed a list of cocktails, freshly squeezed juices, coffees and sides. Had we been given this menu before our orders were placed, we probably would’ve spent more money and tried other items as well. How disappointing. Food was generous but flavor wasn’t wowing anyone. My girlfriend found a hair in her soup. It was taken away by some sort of management but there was no apology. As her replacement soup was brought out, I found a hair tangled within the mozzarella on my flatbread. The server took it away. Therefore only one girlfriend actually got to eat her entire meal– hair free. Toward the end of our meal, management was greeting and shaking hands with tables around us but we weren’t even given a second thought.
For three women who work in the food and service industry, this one missed the mark. Maybe next time, Fresco.

A perfect place to end a walk at Anderson Japanese Gardens! Did just that this afternoon. The staff is extremely pleasant and attentive. The food was delicious. I had a mango berry summer salad – organic, local, and refreshing. My husband had the Kobe Fresco Burger – very tasty. The fries were rather disappointing, but french fries often are. The chips might be a better bet. Saw several other diners having those and they looked tasty. Also the pico de gallo was fresh, but a bit bland with not nearly enough jalapeño. But hey, it’s not a Mexican restaurant and this is northern Illinois. Their breakfast menu looks really good, will have to come back with the kids and try that out.
Also, amazing view of the gardens, fresh floral arrangements on every table, and kinda noisy (which will work well with the kids!). There’s also a coffee and juice bar if you want just a quick snack. I would definitely recommend dining at Fresco!

Yesterday my husband and I went here for breakfast. I had the Tuscan eggs Benedict and it was absolutely delicious! A lovely fresh fruit bowl accompanied the plate and it wasn’t just fruit like you get most of the other places but sprinkled with freshly made granola as well. You can’t beat the environment, the view of the gardens is breathtaking. One recommendation is that one of their servers (not ours) was loud and her approach to her customers was more of the type you’d expect in a diner atmosphere, so skill coaching with softer and more relaxing interaction would help I think.
You’ve got to go and keep coming back, thank you to family who saw the potential for this restaurant and did it so RIGHT!

The service was outstanding especially for it just having opened and being during lunch hours. We were seated immediately outdoors in the beautiful gardens. The waiters were well trained and were very patient with our group. Everything we tried was delicious!
Give this gem a try. All local food with a great variety of menu items.