Restaurant Degolyer

I recently discovered Restaurant DeGolyer during a visit to the Dallas Arboretum, and it absolutely exceeded expectations. Tucked inside the historic DeGolyer House, the restaurant offers one of the most enchanting lunch settings in Dallas, with indoor seating or a breezy outdoor loggia overlooking White Rock Lake. From the moment we sat down, we were greeted by friendly, genuine service. Our host, Diego, went above and beyond, warm, attentive, and constantly making sure we were comfortable. His positivity set the tone for the whole experience. The menu is simple but thoughtful: fresh ingredients, clean flavors, and multiple plant-based options that all delivered.  What I loved most: the combination of ambiance + food + service. Dining there feels romantic but relaxed, perfect for a date, a special treat for yourself, or a calm afternoon with a view. All in all, Restaurant DeGolyer is a hidden gem that balances scenic elegance, delectable food, and heartfelt service. I’ll definitely be back, and hope to bring friends who’ll fall in love with it too.

My friend and I had a lovely experience here after the nightmarish cluster of unorganization that is the Dallas Arboretum itself. It's important to note that the property is owned by the Arboretum and you still have to pay the $20 parking and $25 per person admission even if you want to eat at the restaurant. Which sucks but HOWEVER!!!!! The restaurant itself is managed by Proof of Pudding catering company, NOT the arboretum. Everyone working there was incredibly knowledgeable and kind. We booked a tea to celebrate my dear friends engagement/bachelorette. The food and tea were exceptional, Olivia and Hugo were both incredible servers. The building was stunning, incredible atmosphere despite the dead, sad botanical gardens outside. Restaurant Degolyer does the best it can in a crappy situation, and truly shines through it. If you can deal with the hidden arboretum fees, I highly recommend this experience.

We went on a very windy day. After having the potted flowers blow over on our table thrice, we opted to remove them and put them in a larger planter. The soil that scattered all over the table would have made it undesirable, if not impossible, to eat. That brings me to the next point: the service. While someone took our initial drink order, an excessive amount of time elapsed before a waiter approached us. He seemed very stressed out and immediately apologized, saying that several tables were “just thrown upon him.” I am guessing that he had just came onto shift.? We also heard him apologizing to several other tables of people that were seated before us. Honestly, he seemed very overwhelmed. All in all, it did not take the food long to arrive after our order was placed, so that was awesome. He did refill my tea with the sweetened peach tea accidentally once. I was not a fan. Maybe we just caught them on an off day, and the high wind gusts were not conducive to the most leisurely lunch, but the atmosphere and views are very lovely.

Went for weekend brunch, really delicious! Everything tasted really good. I took my friend for her birthday and when I told the waitress that, they gave us a little slice of lemon cake which was really delicious. Overall really good food and very sweet staff :)

My family loved our experience here this afternoon! We ordered the Stuffed Avocado Salad, Grilled Cheese W/ Tomato Soup, and Salad Trio. They were all AMAZING! The service from Hugo was excellent! We will be back so he can make us some more French 75’s!

I recently visited Restaurant DeGolyer in Dallas and really enjoyed it. The view of White Rock Lake is beautiful, and the outdoor seating makes it a perfect spot to relax. The food is fresh and tasty, with simple but satisfying options. The staff is friendly and attentive, which makes the experience even better. Definitely a great place to enjoy a meal while taking in the scenery.

Had the kids summer afternoon tea experience. The atmosphere was lovely and service was great. Such a nice opportunity to get fancy and take the kids for an experience combined with a walk at the park. We were lucky with it being not too hot and cloudy to enjoy the walk there from the car and walk around after. The food was fresh and tasty. Our girls loved it. Especially the desert part 😉 The serving was beautiful.

Great vegetarian options! The cauliflower steak was fantastic, eggs were delicious and my friend enjoyed his fish & chips. Service was a bit slow due to the crowd, but the ambience and delicious food made up for it!

We were enjoying the pumpkins and Fall decor at the Arboretum Sunday morning. It was now 1:00 and we realized we were hungry. He headed to the Restaurant DeGolyer and expected a wait. We were pleasantly surprised that our party of 4 was seated immediately. Service was attentive and the food was delicious! The glass topped tables were elegant and even had a fresh rose on every table. I enjoyed the chicken salad croissant with fresh fruit, hubby ordered the club sandwich with breaded green beans and everything was so good! We were only able to eat half of our sandwiches and enjoyed the leftovers the next day. Yummy!

This restaurant was located inside the Arboretum. The ambience was fantastic especially their outdoor patio. They also offer afternoon tea, but I ordered brunch. their portions are very large. I ordered the French toast. It wasn't sweet and it was also very filling. I went in right at opening and they didn't have a line, but as time goes as time went on, it became very packed.

The food is always on point. We have had items from their brunch, lunch and kids menus.That being said I enjoy dining here with my kids and most especially my grandkids when we have outings at the arboretum. The service is amazing as well. Just recently we had a party of 15 and they were most gracious in accommodating us 30 min before closing! As for the ambiance they offer indoor and outdoor seating options and both are magnificent in my opinion. Pre June I would say the outside patio is great to enjoy the views but from june to Aug I would probably opt for inside seating which is also stunning.

Located inside the Dallas Arboretum, Restaurant Degolyer offers a tranquil and relaxing lunch. During my visit for lunch, I chowed the Niçoise salad and the shrimp and seafood stuffed avocado, which left me thoroughly impressed. The dishes were expertly prepared and presented by Gil's Elegant Catering, reflecting the talent of Executive Chef James Sparks. The outdoor courtyard seating provided a serene and calming ambiance, making it an ideal spot for a relaxing meal. I fed a squirrel. I confess.

Service was terrible. We waited 30 minutes before we even ordered drinks. When food finally came, an hour after being seated, they forgot my mom's order. We then waited 20 minutes for the check after the plates were cleared. Manager did intervene, and I realize this is not supposed to be fast, but my gosh.

All the food was delicious and beautiful. Everyone who visited our table provided great service, and our waiter Alexander was cheerful and attentive. He was excellent, and when there was a small issue with one of our dishes he took care of it immediately. You can't beat the atmosphere of eating in a beautiful garden with white tablecloths. We will definitely be back!

We came here to celebrate an engagement and ended up having the rudest interaction we've ever had with a server. There was confusion from the beginning with the staff about the menu options for the group, but the staff were kind and apologetic. When food was being served, one particular staff member was extremely rude to my family members and trying to argue with them on what they ordered. Another individual was able to clear up the misunderstanding, but this staff member's treatment of us ruined the entire meal. The Cobb salad was disappointing, especially the unseasoned, boiled chicken.

If I could give it 0 stars I Would!!! Manager was so rude to his staff, seemed as if he was having a power trip. Me and my wife lost our appetite due to his disgusting demeanor. Food was subpar. DO NOT GO HERE

Our third time visiting and the Degolyer Restaurant does not disappoint. A must if ever visiting the arboretum. The food was exquisite, our waiter Eric was so helpful and wonderful, especially with his suggestions on menu items. The ambiance is always 10/10 and the staff friendly, the Degolyer is one of our favorites restaurant when visiting Dallas.

I hosted a holiday tea event for my girlfriends at this restaurant in December and it was perfection! So, when the same group of girlfriends wanted to go to the Dallas Blooms event at the Arboretum, I suggested we meet here for Sunday brunch and then walk the gardens. Again, a perfect experience! The weather accommodated sitting on the restaurant's patio which offered a lovely view of White Rock Lake. The service was exceptional, as were the brunch and lunch meals. Please note, they don't accept reservations for parties less than eight people, but the line moved quickly (before noon on a Sunday) and we were seated at the table of our choice on the patio.

We had a late lunch here to cool off from the heat in the botanical gardens. Large portions and everything was very fresh and prepared perfectly! They had a wonderful selection of teas as well. Would definitely come back to try more, I just wish they were open for dinner!

We stopped in for lunch on a random weekday and I was pleasantly surprised. You always expect these kind of places (primarily for visitors) to be overpriced and mediocre, but that was not the case. I really enjoyed the tea sandwich plate and it was less than $15 IIRC for quite a good amount of food. Nice option for dining while enjoying a day here.

Your advertisement on "Special Plated Holiday Menu" or "The Elegant Festive Holiday Dinner Experience" is completely the opposite to what we experienced on the night of December 7th, 2022. What you are advertising is not what you really gave to us healthcare professionals. Your Holiday Dining experience deserves ZERO STAR! With this worst experience of a lifetime for a special holiday dinner, I don't think we, the 33 guests, deserve to be treated like that. We Asians, Carribean and Africans (all healthcare professionals) came here in the United States to take care genres of patients in various states regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, etc. I don't want to think that this is a subtle case of discrimination, but it seems it is. Our tables were prepared or placed in an area with no single holiday décor, not even a festive décor on the tables. The worst thing was there were no guests that were eating under the tent area and we were placed or assigned in a non-decorative part of the restaurant. It was very hurtful. It was a huge disappointment. Because of overwhelming evidences (emails, pictures, videos), I believe that Ma and Ann should be suspended or even be fired from their work. These two people should be held accountable of what happened as we evidently informed them way in advance (since October 3rd, 2022) as we provided complete information. This is how mad we are with the whole situation. (Please compare the picture that I posted with the picture they advertised at this link - https://www.dallasarboretum.org/visitor-information/dining/holidaydinner/) LOOK CLOSELY AT THE PICTURE that I took during the night of our Holiday Dining Experience! Did you see any Christmas Holiday decors in our tables or in our side? Did you see any festive Holiday lights? Do you think that this is considered as a "Special Holiday Plated Dinner"? Do you consider this a "Festive Holiday Dining Experience"? Moreover, we were served with cold food (the food is bad actually), we were treated badly, not even one server was welcoming to us, very unfriendly, disrespectful, unprofessional, they shouted our names in our group, we had messy orders, they started late, the server does not know about types of wines and more.

Hidden gem in the arboretum. Food was delicious and was quite affordable. Definitely check it out while you're visiting the arboretum!

Apparently Degolyer was a big oil tycoon, and this restaurant used to be his manor. While we didn't get to experience his wealthy lifestyle, we were treated to a nice meal on the veranda. High tea was being served inside, so we were invited to sit on the covered patio for lunch. If you have a museum membership, put your card away. No discounts are given at this establishment. Although it was a hot Texas day at the end of May, there was a cool breeze passing through the shaded porch where we sat. With the breeze, the fans and some iced tea to quench our thirst, we found the temperature to be quite tolerable. Through the stone archways we had a view of the colorful gardens of the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake. The menu featured mostly sandwiches with just a few fish entrees (salmon or tilapia) if you were looking for something more elevated. Our party of four stuck with the sandwiches which were quite substantial in size. Included was a house salad, Cesar salad or rosemary chips. No one left hungry, and everyone's plate was ready to skip the dishwasher and be placed back on the cupboard. I was pleasantly surprised how nice my grilled cheese ended up being. It wasn't overly greasy. It was made with two large, thick slices of sourdough bread. The melted cheese touched every square inch of the bread and held the tomorrow and crunchy bacon in place without falling apart. My husband even wanted a bite because it looked so good. Meanwhile he enjoyed a French Dip and his mother went for the skinny club sandwich, but there was nothing skinny about it. She contemplated using a fork and knife to cut into it because it was layered high with deli meat and the standard club fixings. Since this place is located on the arboretum grounds, it costs a pretty penny for sandwiches. Our meal and drinks for four with a tip was about $70. However the service was on point, friendly, professional and attentive. The waiter even let me slip him my credit card to pay for everything without letting my father-in-law intervening. The waiter said that the staff offer tours of the manor every 30 minutes. I wish we had stayed to see the interior of the house, but my in-laws were ready to head home. Looks like we will be back to check that out another day.

Beautiful venue at the garden. Love all the flowers and plenty of shade on the patio. The grilled chicken sandwich was great! The ciabatta bread was delicious and it paired great with the mayo. The homemade chips were pretty good, could use some more seasoning but overall pretty good. The waitress was great at making sure our drinks were always full. They were very accommodating to our large group. Prices are a little high, but it's a nice spot to eat at the gardens.

Happened to stroll in here after a hot day at the Dallas Arboretum. The restaurant decor is super old school and outdated. The service was sub par at best and food was okay. The only thing I liked was the cucumber cream sandwich on the three sandwich plate. The chicken salad sandwich - croissant wasn't buttery nor flaky and seems store bought. The chicken salad itself wasn't very flavorful and lacked seasoning. My wife had the salad trio and also wasn't impressed. Overall - at premium prices for a lunch, I wouldn't recommend this place nor would my wife or I be back anytime soon

This place was SO CUTE! It's a great atmosphere with a cute fire place. The sandwiches were scrumptious and the cake was huge and delicious! Michael was our server and was very polite. My fave was the grilled cheese and the turkey with Brie. Oh and the broccoli soup was tasty!!

Food was great And service was extremely good. Well staffed with helpful and courteous staff. Salad was really good and the setting was relaxing!

Wasn't impressed with the food in the least. Visited on a Saturday for a friend's 30th lunch and the restaurant itself was nice. It has a Victorian garden feel the with the majority of the seating available outside. The lunch menu was average - like panera average. I ordered coffee twice and twice it was warm, not hot. Bleh My friend was pretty fond of the pot roast and I did try it and concurred that it was good - the price not so much. French fries were even cold. I don't know if this was an off day for the restaurant but considering you have to pay the garden entrance before even eating at this restaurant, I come with high expectations. The view is beautiful. You have a view of part of the garden with the backdrop of white rock lake which makes for stunning photos but I just wish the restaurant experience was more memorable in a good way. Ah well. You can take pretty pics in the rest of the garden grounds.

Restaurant DeGolyer, located inside the Dallas Arboretum, put on a wonderful Mother's Day Brunch this year. We had our choice of indoor or outdoor seating. Bottomless mimosas of various flavors were available, along with a tremendous variety of food & desserts. A very nice way to celebrate this event.

This is my second time to sit outside on the patio under the massive Elm tree. A true delight. I ordered peach tea with no sugar. It is about as fine as I've ever had. My glass stayed full with quick replenishment the entire time. They served us each a small cheese biscuit with butter. The butter tasted of real rich sweet cream butter, and the biscuits were surprisingly good. I'm glad they were small and only one per person, as I could have made a meal of just the biscuits. They were simply delicious. I ordered a Salad Nicoise with creamy champagne vinaigrette. It was delicious, actually very good and highly recommended. It had a well cooked slab of generous salmon on a bed of fresh lettuce variety mix. About 8 or so Kalamata style olives on the side, two fresh warm hard boiled eggs cut in half, a few slabs of tomatoes, small tender well roast warm red potatoes sliced in half, and a good mild creamy dressing. It came with a cheese biscuit, which was a nice touch. I will be ordering this salad again, even though I had no idea of to pronounce the name of the salad. My wife loved grilled cheese and was excited to learn they offer their version of a grilled cheese sandwich. She and I both thought is was really good. It is a slightly gourmet uptake on a traditional southern meal. The bread remained crispy on the outside but soft in the middle the whole meal. The cheese was great and the addition of tomato and bacon on the inside was balanced nicely. It was served with a side of greens and made a nice meal. We ordered two desserts, Tres Leches cake and Praline Cream Brûlée. Both were outstanding. The cake was large, almost too big to be honest. It was moist and about as good as any Tres Leches I have ever had. The Praline Creme Brûlée was perfect in every way. I liked the portion better and it had a great presentation. There was a piano player steadily enhancing the atmosphere back on the other side of the Elm tree. His music was perfectly timed and offered a nice variety. We really enjoyed the music. The service was attentive, quick without being overbearing, kept the glasses full, cleaned the table afterwords, and were overall well received. I would suggest they smile a bit more and maybe offer to explain the menu. A table tent in the middle said there were features of the day, but they were not explained or offered. As a side note, I was raised a bit simple and Dairy Queen was my idea of a treat. Needless to say, the last few years I've learned to expand a bit. If you're not used to a nicer setting, this is intended as a casual but upper scale place to eat. Be respectful they are trying to balance to a wide range of customers and some are not as adept at adapting to an environment that is a bit nicer. I found it all very enjoyable, despite such silly names for the food and such. It goes with the package deal. It is a beautiful peaceful play to get a nice moderately priced meal. Recommended.

The house dressing here is amazing.... the chocolate cake take your breath away! The Cobb salad was perfect... the chicken salad sandwich was delicious.... the atmosphere was quiet... the waiters attentive and funny. I like funny at lunch, keeps the afternoon light hearted.

Food: 8/10 (non-entree) Service: 8/10 Value: 7/10 Ambience: 6/10 (smelly restroom) TL;DR - Cranberry scones at this place is better than the act of copulation Visited the garden and had champagne holiday tea with my gf. I'm normally not a tea drinker nor a pastry guy by any mean, but this visit was well worth it. The noise level was fine. The place was cramped, however. The service was good for the most part (the waiters were friendly, but the waitress probably had a fight with her bf before coming to work). As a non-tea drinker, the tea were fine, but my favorite would be darjeeling tea, which is from India I believe. It actually taste like tea compared to the other two. Chestnut soup was delicious (8/10). Very thick and flavorful. Sandwiches and salads were great (8/10). Easy to eat and no funny smell and/or taste. The dessert was the highlight of this visit, especially the cranberry scones (11/10). I literally went home and bought all the ingredients to make my own scones that week. I thanked my gf for suggesting we do this tea thing, even though I was a bit reluctant at first because this 'tea party' or 'tea time' does not really fit my persona. One big down side of this restaurant was the restroom. It's outside and gave out unpleasant odors around the vicinity. All the park visitors use it, even though it's reserved for diners only. The garden itself was mostly dead, but it was an enjoyable experience overall. We definitely made some good memories here, though my gf was constipated half the time. We'll be sure to visit again in spring and fall for sure. Cheers.

Service food and ambiance was up to par, why are they so many sandwiches in the menu?

Oh boy, Juan the waiter was having a very bad day. At first I thought we were on "Candid Camera," as I had never experienced service quite this disgruntled. I get that being a waiter isn't the easiest job, dealing with people can be a pain, and the money probably isn't the best. That being said, get a new job if you can't hack it! My friends and I spent 5 hours walking around the arboretum. I got a drink and my friend got a cookie at a kiosk right outside the restaurant. Unfortunately they only serve some sort of cold fruity tea, and my other friend was really craving a cup of hot black tea. We were told the restaurant would happily oblige her request. Eh, not so much. Juan was very annoyed that my friend only wanted a tea. He basically said as much! She did go on to order a cup of soup with a biscuit, which she seemed to really enjoy. Juan said, "I don't even need to write up a ticket!" He was fluttering about, obviously annoyed by the three of us. Well! Everyone can have a bad day, but don't take it out on the customers.

My boyfriend took me here for lunch this weekend and I have to say that I LOVED it. The interior setup is so cute and relaxing. The staff was super friendly; we were greeted with smiles all around and seated promptly. I had the three tea sandwich plate with spinach salad and my boyfriend had the King Casserole. Everything was delicious, my sandwiches were light and refreshing, which I really needed given the extreme heat outside!! The King casserole was full of flavor and the side biscuits were so yummy. We rounded out our meal with desserts, chocolate cake and the lemon cake. Even though I was pretty full I finished mine; it was that good! We will definitely be back that's for sure. I would recommend this restuarant to anyone and everyone if you're looking for a relaxing atmosphere and some wonderful food!

If I could give place NO stars....I would! NOT RECOMMENDED at all. We were going to the Chihuly exhibit at the Arboretum and thought, "let's suppport the local restaurants in the park." So I looked online and it listed this restaurant having a breakfast brunch for $24.95 on Sunday. We booked the tickets to the arboretum and then I called the restaurant to confirm that we did not need reservations for the Brunch Buffet on Sunday. They said we didn't, so no worries. We show up on Sunday....just ravenous...because we know how buffets go. You have to come ready to eat. And we find out after we are seated in the empty dining room that there is, in fact, no breakfast buffet. They are just a la cart now. What??? Okay, so we roll with it and decide that we'll just order off the menu. I get the Creme Brulee french toast and my awesome dude gets the Eggs Benedict. These come with potatoes and fresh fruit. I ask if I can get my potatoes extra crispy - cos that's how i like my potatoes...and the really nice waitress comes back and says they are unable to do that. Okay...... When the food shows up, we see why this is. They have BOILED the potatoes. Who does this in the south? Breakfast potatoes are supposed to be seasoned and pan fried. What the heck is going on here?? The "poached" eggs on the eggs benedict are FAR from poached. they are actually COLD in the middle. THat's not what you want when you bite into the english muffin/canadian bacon delight...just terrible. Lest I forget the creme brulee french toast. Which was more like a bread pudding than a french toast. French toast is slightly crispy on the ends and gooey deliciousness in the center. These were drenched in some creme sauce and just .... gooey. Totally not the breakfast of champions we were hoping for. And the fruit bowl wasn't even enough to hold us - too much melon. Not that that's a bad thing, but fruit bowls should be bursting with berries. IMHO. Please visit the arboretum - but make sure you don't eat breakfast here.

We had a sad trip to Restaurant DeGolyer. We sat down a few minutes after 11 and ordered champagne and our two sandwiches promptly. The decor wasn't fantastic, like a cheesy wedding. The chairs are those uncomfortable folding chairs used at weddings. The place filled up fast. At noon, we had our champagne, but no food and we hadn't seen our waiter in over 30 minutes. We had to get up from the table, track down a manger and ask what happened. Ten minutes later the waiter came and told us that there was a computer mistake and although he put the order in at 11:12am, over an hour ago, it got "lost" in the computer. I originally was going to give this one star, but the manager did the right thing and comped our meal. It was tasty, but we were so starving after waiting an hour for a sandwich that my taste buds were not properly calibrated. Overall, I would not go back. It's better to bring a picnic into the arboretum than to deal with moody and inefficient wait staff.

Went during off season (no flowers yet) and ended up staying at the arboretum longer than planned. The grounds are stunning and a really nice way to spend the day strolling in perfect weather. Ended up getting hungry and stopped at Restaurant Degolyer for a quick lunch. The dining experience started off with a crap shooter. Hostess that seated us was very stand-off-ish and unfriendly. It didn't get to me though, I just absorbed the vast glory of the sun and was in a chipper mood. Don't let negative people bring you down! ;) The dining service itself was extremely pleasant. Even if the food was just mediocre, the impeccable service made it that much more enjoyable. The server was very attentive but not overly (you know what I mean, the ones that keep coming back every 2 seconds to ask if you're doing okay always while you are mid-bite). The food was decent. Ordered the Three-Tea Sandwich Plate $13.50 Served with a cup of soup or Spinach Salad Mini Croissant with Chicken Salad Sliced Turkey and Brie Spread on Walnut Bread Traditional Creamed Cucumber on White Bread Other guests in my group ordered the Monterey Chicken Sandwich and really enjoyed it. A nice stop during your visit to the Dallas Arboretum. Either this or the cafe up by the entrance. Interested to come back and try the Seated Teas and other events though! Hopefully if I encounter Miss Scowl Face again, I can cheer her up by reciprocating with a toothy grin. I hope she doesn't slap it off my face.

Food here is awful. Ordered chicken and waffles for brunch on 4/7/13, and the waffle was soggy and chicken was cold. Not worth the money. Better off going to IHOP. Salmon Bendict was nothing special. Side of fruit, and no flovor potatoes for $18? No thank you. If they upgraded their food, this place would be killer with it's location.

I wasn't blown away. I had the French toast and it was nearly cold by the time it hit the table. It was so sweet, even the waitress recommended not using any syrup until I had tried it with just the creme brûlée. She was right. I never touched the syrup. The interior is cute, but small. Their meals aren't very hearty so if your looking for something light, you may enjoy it here.

My family and I attended the Easter brunch here. It was 65 dollars a person, which is on par with many of the high end holiday brunches. Totally underwhelming! The variety was horrible and the buffet line had a few dishes that were mediocre at best. The best thing about the whole experience was the ambience of the arboretum. If you are considering this brunch for Easter, or any other special occasion, I would highly recommend you looking elsewhere! There are much much better places for the price!

My wife ordered the Nicoise salad and I ordered the Three-Tea sandwich plate. More than 30 minutes later we still had not received the food even thou we were told "its coming soon". Then we were told our order "got mixed up and ended behind a large group that came after us". Well, many others came after us and got their food - lucky them :) The waiter served a cup of broccoli soup while we were waiting which was a nice gesture...but why would we want a cup of soup ? The food finally arrived. Hmm, the salmon looked good and was cooked as it should ( moist in the middle) , but it tasted weird so it couldn't and shouldn't be eaten. My wife put it aside and ate the vegetables. We informed the waiter when we paid and he said " you should have told me before " - Not sure why we should have told him before ? He had lost our credibility and there is no way we would wait for him messing around with the kitchen again. Many other dishes looked good and people seemed satisfied - I assume we just had a bad day at Degolyer. We are members of the Dallas Arboretum which is a place of excellence - The DeGolyer restaurant wasn't up to par for us today. But hey, we are good sport and we will try DeGolyer again ... On a positive note - we do like the setting very much and the peach ice tea which was refilled all the time (perfect service by the smiling ice tea lady)

Walking 5 hours in the arbotetum. Loving the 12 days of Christmas. Getting exercise. whew, nice day, but I want hot tea. I know, picky picky!! Ok Juan, the waiter , you need to brush up on your table manners. I wanted a cup of hot tea. No where else could I find one. I wanted to sit down with my friends and have a a good cuppa. YOU were so rude that I only ordered tea, that you seemed to mention it under your breath. By the way, it took damn near awhile to get tea, with milk. ALSO, I ordered a cup of tortilla soup, it was delicious and came with a biscuit. However,your snarky comment about not writing a ticket really got me mad. My friends were miffed too, I might add. All you want is a buck eh? Money only eh? How about a smile and giving service, worth more then any tip you could receive and I am amazed that I even tipped you. Humph. Your poor attitude deserved nothing! I was nice to tip. However, I don't care if I am venting in my review. I dont need to be nice to YOU. Uh hey, management, retrain this guy would ya!!

I'M SHOCKED AT THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS!? My mom & I ate here on 7/9/2015 we went for the afternoon tea. Our experience was nothing short of perfect!! The waiter & hostess was very professional. The tea was to die for! We started w/ a hot chicken broth w/ cheese biscuit then an assortment of sandwiches & filled puff sandwiches that melt in your mouth, then had scones & desserts! After the soup/ biscuit ea course came on a 3 tiered tower w/ super cute garnishes made from vegetables.. a little carved mouse & different flowers! Just a perfect welcome to Texas for us!

Worst smoked salmon Benedict of my life. Salmon should be pink or red not white. The egg should be liquid and should run when cut open, bit over cooked. Smoked salmon Benedict was a mistake, as was the whole garden. Poor management and closed exhibits on a Sunday afternoon is inexcusable. We paid 45$ just to walk in the door, give us value. That means salmon is not white, and the exhibits are open.

Beware. Apparently a reservation is a minor possibility rather than a promise. Reservations were made for my parents' 50th anniversary (a small group, but we considered it important). We find that no table was set up for us and that they were unprepared. The service was pleasant (which bumped this from one star) and the food was good, but the we still felt poorly treated.

My family and I came here for their high tea around Christmastime. We had made reservations ahead of time (not sure if you have to have reservations but would assume so for high tea). The room where the high tea was served was very nicely decorated for the holidays and the dishes they served us on were pretty and Christmas themed. Our wait staff was attentive and did a good job of explaining what each item was. There are three different teas served and three different courses. First course was a soup, second was many different tea sandwiches and third was deserts. We all had a nice time. It is somewhat pricey (like almost 50$ a person) but it includes admission to the arboreteum grounds and parking so that helps. We were able to walk around and look at the 12 days of Christmas displays after. My only con is the bathroom situation as there is not a bathroom inside the restaurant so you have to wait in line to use an outside bathroom along with the people walking around the grounds. There was a wait each time which cut into tea time.

A group of 8 of us went for Sunday brunch on December 6, 2015. The restaurant was not busy. We ordered our food and after asking twice, our food finally arrived an hour after ordering. It arrived cold. My chicken and waffles was nothing more than chicken fingers bought at Sam's and microwaveable waffles. The butter wouldn't even melt on the waffles. Nobody's meal was even remotely warm. The taste of the food was substandard as well. We asked for the manager who was very unapologetic and seemed to not really care. His only response was, "What can I do to make you happy?" I will never return for brunch here again and would not suggest it to anybody. Massive disappointment.

My husband and I ate at Restaurant Degolyer on our recent trip to the Arboretum. We dined outside since it was a nice afternoon, and loved the outdoor patio with the large shady oak tree. The staff was friendly, and efficient. We didn't have to wait long for anything. Since we couldn't decide on just one thing, we shared the King casserole and the Monterrey chicken sandwich so we could each have a little of both. We were very impressed with both the flavor and presentation of both meals. We will definitely dine here again when we return to the Arboretum.

I came here for brunch. We sat outside hoping for a nice view, but saw nothing. They don't take reservations for less than five people. The wait staff was unattentive and distracted until the manager showed up, which was thirty minutes after our arrival. No one explained the menu, I guess they did not have to because after all it is brunch. Once we got our food no one came to see or ask if everything was allright, however our drinks were refilled. The food is good to average, nothing wow. I am sure there are other places to have a great brunch experience without having to pay an entrance to the Arboretum.

With it being the holiday weekend, we called the restaurant to see if the wait was long, and if we needed a reservation to secure our spot. The hostess confirmed that there was no wait, and we could come anytime we wanted. The hostess never mentioned that there were no available seating inside. After walking though lots of puddles and the rain to get to the restaurants (this was not in anyone's control), we were super excited to get to the restaurant. We went up to the hostess station, and asked for a table. The hostess proceeded to sit us outside on the cold patio. This patio's tent was open allowing air in. My coworker asked the hostess if we could be seated inside since it was very chilly indoors. The hostess confirmed that she could not seat us inside. I asked the hostess if there was any way for us to be seated indoors as well since there were open tables indoors along with a vacant rooms. Despite this, the hostess said this request couldn't be fulfilled. I asked the hostess if we could have the heater be placed closer to our table so we could warm up. The hostess denied this request as well. We ordered our beverages and food, and everything was average at that point. Our server's friends came into the restaurant and were seated outside as well. The server proceeded to move a heater right next to their table and sat with them. During this time, the server was trying to rush us out so she could sit down and eat/speak with her friends. The last straw for this ordeal was that the server applied the incorrect tip amounts to our check. When we left, management did not apologize for seating us outside in the cold or for the sporadic service. I would not recommend for anyone to go this restaurant. The food is average, but management/service is not very professional. Management/service prefers to sit amongst themselves and speak instead of performing their duties of a restaurant.

We had heard about the Autumn at the Arboritum and decided to check it out. We were there to stroll through the garden grounds, and grab a bite to eat for lunch. On the Arboritum grounds were several interesting food venues, but we decided to sit down for a relaxing lunch at the Restaurant DeGolyer. What a good choice we made with this hidden gem! At the DeGolyer there is both inside and outside seating, and we chose the outside patio which sits nestled within this amazingly beautiful garden masterpiece. The food and drinks were wonderful, and the staff pampered us very nicely! And then off we went to walk off the awesome meal through the gardens which had been tastefully bombarded with thousands of pumpkins and other fall plants made up in numerous fasinating seasonal displays that you just shouldn't miss. I plan to go back over and over for a lunch and garden stroll afternoon like this! There is so much to see and absorb, and it is constantly changing with the seasons. In particular, I look forward to trying more of the Restaurant DeGolyer menu selections, as everything we tried was scrumptious!

We have been to Restaurant Degolyer twice and have had a great experience both times. The staff is warm and friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed. Our waiter helped us order by making suggestions and answered questions about the menu, our selections were delicious. I had the French Dip, my wife had the Cobb Salad, and my daughter enjoyed the kids chicken fingers. After lunch we all wound up sharing a delicious chocolate cake. The food came out timely and my iced tea was always full. We were impressed and will continue to go back again. We always enjoy visiting the Arboretum, now we have another reason for going.

Had Tea Service here on 8/10/13. This is probably the seventh time over the years. This was also the first time I was disappointed. By previous comparison, the elegant silver towers were sparse with the food served. Everything to eat seemed miniature versions of sandwiches and sweets of the past. There were three of us at the table so there was only three of each of the types of thumb-width sandwiches and three of the tiny lemon tarts, chocolate truffles, etc. I had to ask for a few extra of a couple of things but was not offered more of anything. The tea samples were delicious and plentiful, though. There were other diners there that were loud so the elegant ambiance of my past trips was not there. Table settings were beautiful and the staff polite. The price has gone up but, if we hadn't picked such a hot day, a trip through the gardens would have made it worth the cost. Parking was included in the price. I might go back for Tea but it will be with lower expectations. :(