Madison Square & Garden Cafe

I can never say enough good things about this place. My family and I go there on a very regular basis. We have seen new trendy places come in, close by, and draw a HUGE crowd, but in the end, John’s intimate menu selection and décor, as well as the personal attention he brings to the place, far exceeds anything like it. Walk by the mega line and stop in. I assure you that you will not be disappointed. We never are.

If you haven’t been, Go! Wonderful spot for breakfast and lunch. The owner is awesome, walks around greeting his guests, making sure everything is perfect. Super dog friendly. Great boutique inside, filled with fantastic good homes. Amazing garden art. Always a delightful experience!

Loved the vibe! You order at the counter, put your number at any table and shop while you wait. Pretty much everything you can see is for sale. Lots of fountains, lighting, and funky home décor.
Super dog friendly! The owner made his rounds greeting all the visiting dogs and doling out treats.
My husband ordered the Madison Rancheros and it looks really good. Crispy tostada layered with black beans, eggs, cheese and sour cream. He said it was good. I ordered the smoked salmon benedict and, as a seasoned benedict fan, I was sadly disappointed. I’ve come to the conclusion that the English muffin is the make-​it-​or-​break-​it component and this muffin wasn’t crispy at all and tasted… like something you’d get at an all-​you-​can-​eat hotel buffet. The salmon itself was good and I ended up eating the salmon and eggs separately. So, if you go, order the Madison Rancheros!

My wife and I came here for breakfast. Love that it is pet friendly. Lovely store connected to the restaurant. Love the atmosphere.

Love this cozy place. Coffee is excellent as well as the food. The owner is always there checking on customers, smiling and very friendly.
Love the decorations and the sound of all the fountains they have all over the patio, very relaxing. I definitely recommend this place over next-​door neighbor Urth Café.

I saw a review for Madison Square and Garden Café from a friend of mine here on Unilocal,and bookmarked it. I decided to spend the morning in Laguna Beach this past Sunday, and go here for breakfast.
We arrived just before 8am when they open. Took a quick walk down the street to take some pictures and just zone out on the ocean from an above view.
We walked back around 8:05 and the front gate was open so we went inside to look at the menu. I could not decide what I wanted… and asked if I ordered the Madison Rancheros if I could have the eggs hard, instead of sunny side up. The gentleman behind the counter smiled, and said for you… of course!
All dining is outside here, so I had a jacket just in case. Early morning, near the beach… I was glad I had it, but probably didnt NEED it. I wanted to sit near a fountain, which is easy to do, they have a ton. I wanted shade, my friend wanted sun, and we had our pick of any table we wanted, so we found the perfect one. Surrounded by fountains, one seat in the sun and one in the shade.
We both got our coffee, and sat down. Our food was out just a few minutes later. It looked AMAZING! It tasted even better. Our waiter said who had the Madison Rancheros… I pointed at my friend, even though it was me. I joked that I needed more coffee, and was still asleep.
During the entire meal we were both mostly quiet. Thats how you know a meal is amazing. I think I said I couldnt even put into words how good the food was, like 20 times. The waiter /​bus boy came back a few times to chat with us, see how everything was… he was pretty adorable.
I also ordered a chocolate chip cookie, which was really good.
The service was amazing, the staff was SO friendly, the ambiance was adorable and perfect, and the food was delicious. Everything on the patio here and inside is for sale… and it was hard not to buy something. Everything was very cute. IT was SO relaxing. People had their dogs, so I am assuming it is dog friendly.
I cant wait to go back here!

I’ve been coming here for years but this is the first time I’ve ever brought Boone dog. Just like the website said the owner came out to give Boone treats and let us know he can drink out of any of the fountains. Great food, awesome ambiance, and friendly staff.

OMG! We are sooo thankful that we found this place! We ate there both days we were in Laguna Beach this weekend. We even brought our Westie! I was beyond thrilled that the owner knew about Westies and their behavior. He was amazing with my Wrigley. As well, the rest of the staff went above and beyond to make us, and everyone there, welcome. It’s the best place ever. We LOVED it. The food was excellent too. AND they have a cute little shop attached. I highly recommend, it’s awesome! It’s not expensive either. It’s SoCal average prices, so if you are used to that you’ll be okay. Totally worth it for the great service.

Great experience!
Food was good and staff were really friendly. They are so dog friendly that the owner greats dogs personally and gives them treats at times.

Madison continues to be the true local Laguna spot for breakfast & lunch… the garden setting is perfect. Don’t get caught in the hype of the new place next door… you’ll certainly be underwhelmed.

Came here for saturday brunch with my Unilocal friend around 9ish and there were no wait lines. But it did get busier around 11ish. Pets are allowed and loved here. All seats are outdoors and they bring your food to the table after ordering the inside store. Coffee, water and utensils can be grabbed from the outdoor table. They do have smaller tables for party of 4 or 2 and tables for bigger group. We ordered french toast and grilled cajun chicken cesar salad. Menu is simple — breakfast menu, salads, sandwiches, burgers, wine and spirits.
I would give 3 stars for food and 5 stars for the garden ambiance. Thus 4 stars. The place is beautiful with water fountain, garden trinkets, statues all for sale. Artwork is beautiful in each piece. I would return here to purchase something for garden/​home but might not dine again. Street/​metered parking and can find some available on the side streets.

I am not sure why some of my fellow Unilocalers have given this café less than deserved stars but I guess that is a subject for another discussion. As far as I am concerned though, this place exceeded the expectations…
We arrived here on a Saturday morning around 9:30… Having the Urth Café right next door, I was expecting long lines and a wait time of at least 30 mins. But to my surprise, we just walked to the ordering booth and ordered our food. Yes, I did say No waiting. So that by itself, deserves a 10 stars… Don’t you agree?
Food: I ordered the French Toast. By looking at the Unilocal pictures prior to my arrival, I knew that the portion was just perfect and it would have a side of fresh berries, which I love.
The french toast was fluffy and not too sweet. It was not the Best FT that I ever had, but it was good enough to earn the 4 stars for the café.
Ambiance: The outdoor seating is just beautiful. By just looking at the pictures, you can see how calming it is to have breakfast while listening to the sound of water in the background.
If you would like to have a hassle free/​no waiting breakfast on a weekend, this place is a good option to consider.

I’ll say a 5-​star in the category of casual dining and atmosphere — I didn’t realize this little gem was there — but now that I’ve enjoyed a few lunch choices, I want to recommend it.
It’s casual and fun, it is a ‘shop’ with a range of artsy (wall art, outside art miscellaneous interesting things). but it’s outside dining with a degree of serve yourself casual feeling. If you want a place to be outside, enjoy your companion (or meet some new dogs dining with owners), I think this is it! The menu is fairly broad and everything I’ve had was quite good and somewhat ‘unique’ by garnishes or way of preparing — which was nice. Enjoy this spot!

EXCELLENT! The staff is so kind, food was great and atmosphere was the highlight. The owner have our pug a little squeaky cow to have and play with. (Added bonus)

Great place to go with a little one since they have tons to look at on their eclectic patio full of fountains and wind chimes. Service is our favorite in town, the owner is so nice! We love getting the huevos Rancheros and eggs Benedict :)

General review is that the ambiance is cool and food is whatever. This is a place I’d come to just once to try, and then never again.
It’s located in a little shop that sells tons of interesting trinkets. You order at the counter and the seating is all outside.
Service was whatever. We got a chai tea and a mocha. The guy at the counter, without a word, turned around to make the drinks. He could of at least said «just a minute while I make the drinks.» But I’m probably just being picky.
I got the cinnamon French toast which is honestly as good as French toast that I can make at home. My boyfriend got the eggs Benedict which he liked; however, the eggs were a little cold and the fries were terrible! Do not get them. They were flavorless and cold!
Other than that the vibe is really nice. The food is just nothing I would go out of my way to get (especially because of how expensive it is as well)

The best breakfAst service in town. Jon is a burst of energy and joy in the morning.

Interesting brunch joint to say the least. Reminds me of a Rogers gardens meets homeless shelter meets antique store that serves food. The food is good and comes out quick. The ambience is delightful if you are looking to relax and have a nice meal.
In regards to food, the ricotta pancakes are seriously bomb. They are served with a berry butter and the pancakes have bits of ginger and lemon zest which is a really nice touch. Also, the ricotta really makes the pancake light and airy. The rancheros are pretty good too. Nothing special but executed well. The rancheros are served with a crispy tortilla topped with beans and an over easy egg.

Very cute atmosphere! Definitely whimsical and a little creepy (some of the statues are odd).
Great food, good coffee!

We were initially drawn in to Madison Square & Garden Café by the cool looking ambiance on the website. And when you get there it looks for like a touristy artist shop with a surrounding garden and fountains than an actual restaurant.
When you walk in, you notice the counter to the right with an overhead menu board. Initially, we almost left right then because menu appeared very limited in regards to breakfast options and it’s VERY expensive. Unfortunately decided to stick it out.
I ordered the three eggs with bacon, «house fries» and fruit with coffee. The food is sub par. The eggs were under cooked and the house fries are literally soggy french fries. The coffee was also not good. And for this, we paid about $ 30 for two plates plus coffee. Ridiculous.
On top of that, all the seating is outside, so if it’s cold you just have to stick it out. They also sell pretty much everything on the property (they all have price tags), but those items are also incredibly overpriced.