Giving Tree Cafe

Such a lovely and welcoming cafe! It was very inviting and comforting throughout.
I loved the plants, decor and the gifts for sale.
I had to get two bracelets! Everyone was super polite and accommodating.
We enjoyed meeting the chef and appreciated how he took care of us.
The chai latte with homemade almond milk was yummy and I thoroughly enjoyed the pancakes 😊 the cashew butter on the banana bread was the best! I’ll definitely return!

Owner response

Visited this cafe twice on my weekend trip to Phoenix and was immediately captivated by the earthy decor and atmosphere.
Smaller restaurant but still very open and inviting. They have Fresh juices and desserts for a quick grab and go to accompany the well versed menu of vegan and vegetarian options.
I had the tacos, Buddha bowl, banana bread, and two refreshing smoothies on my visits.
It was hard to make a decision! And I will be making this a regular part of my stops whenever in AZ!

Owner response

We've been to The Giving Tree probably 7 times, so this review reflects consistent experiences across multiple visits over two years.
To start, the positive: the food.
We've eaten breakfast items, lunch selections, and dinner fare and all of it has been excellent.
The taste, presentation, portion size, and cleverness of the meal is clearly well thought-through and executed with skill and care.
So, in this sense, the primary function of the restaurant is going very well - i.e., good food. The challenge, from my viewpoint, comes with the consistently subpar service provided by some servers.
Empty tables go un-bussed, promised glasses of water don't materialize, and it often takes staff upwards of 10 minutes to even approach us once we've been seated.
Coffee orders can take almost 20 minutes to arrive and the food even longer.
I say all of this with a sincere sense of affection for the place - I want it to not be like this.
When my spouse suggests TGT as a dinner choice, my first inner reaction is one of hesitance because I worry I will feel ignored or overlooked during my visit.
I've witnessed staff engage in 10 minute long conversations with other tables while we languish waiting for a glass of water - I've even gone to the bar to get it my self before.
This isn't a unique experience for us - it's happened to us almost every visit we've made, and I genuinely hope that this aspect of the restaurant can improve.
One last thing - the owner is ever-present and doing multiple jobs often at the same time.
He is attentive, lovely, and genuinely cares. I want to encourage everyone to visit The Giving Tree for a meal, because it's good, good food and the place is relatively unique for the Valley.
Please don't take this review as a torching of the place, because it's anything but.
Service, though, still matters, and I feel this restaurant could use a reset on this front.

Owner response