Peacock Cafe

Juan and the crew were so nice and helpful. The soup and grilled cheese are my favorite. Thank everyone, I hope to be back soon.

Rating for wedding reception and catering.
We had our wedding reception at The Peacock Café in August 2015. We absolutely loved it. Nicole was so great to work with and her staff did a fabulous job. The initial food trial exceeded our expectations and the food was really delicious. It was like having a date night out trying out wedding yummies. So much fun. Throughout the months leading up to the wedding we reached out with tons of questions and recommendations on layout, food, schedule, etc. We were trying to get ideas and so stopped by a number of times to check out the spot, getting great suggestions from everyone. Every single person there really helpful and made the wedding day amazing. They set up our decorations, organized the reception area perfectly, and were so professional. Amazing job at a gorgeous location.

The peacock café was a convenient place to get some food at the Arboretum. The outer decorations were pleasant with lights and patio furniture although it would have been nicer if there was padding on the metal chairs.
As far as the food selection it was minimum and the inner décor was a bit stale feeling. The children running around messing with the doors was a bit discouraging so I ate outside so that I could enjoy the atmosphere.

Peacock café is a great little café in the Arcadia gardens. It has cold drinks, ice cream, cold sandwiches, and hot sandwiches.
It is a perfect spot to eat or get a snack if you do not want to leave the gardens for food

Had a quick bite to eat here. The tuna melt is pretty good, while the krinkle fries were a little soggy. My biggest annoyance here was this «tourist» family who decided to cut in front of me and my little baby and then take forreeevvver ordering because they seemingly don’t have a firm grasp on American food or something. Then, they violated the rules by feeding all the peacocks outside, and nobody stopped them even though there were people regularly bringing food out to the tables.

I got married earlier this year and decided to have my wedding both ceremony and reception at the LA County Arboretum and the only catering services I had to use was with Peacock catering (Peacock Café). I met with Nicole, the owner of Peacock Café, and wow, she was just so amazing and so warm towards my then fiancé and I. That’s not the reason why I’m giving this place 5 stars, but she was willing to work within our budget AND never once did I feel that she would try to nickel and dime me like most wedding vendors do. It was a very stressful year to plan for the wedding and she and the staff did everything and above to make sure everything went well.
The day of wedding, I was so nervous, like any bride would be, to making sure everything went well, especially the catering because the meals served for weddings are critiqued by majority of the guests. During the reception, a co worker of mine came up to the sweetheart table to take a few photos and she mentions how amazing the food is. «Hmm, I thought. Is she just being polite?» A few weeks after the wedding, returning back from our honeymoon, I returned to work and got such amazing feedback from my co workers and bosses about the reception meal! Even our event planner mentioned it was one of the best wedding food she’s had!!!
Thank you so much, Nicole, Juan, and the rest of the catering staff for your amazing work and service you’ve provided for the LeBlanc wedding. You guys are definitely a recommend to any catering occasions! Love you all!!!

We were planning to eat at the mall down the street, since most parks and attractions serve low quality food at high prices. Still, we took a peak on our way out and realized the prices were actually reasonable. So we decided to try it. The food was actually much better than other parks as well, not the typical frozen and fried junk. I’m glad we tried it and won’t hesitate to eat there the next time we visit.

Upon stepping into the café, the first thing I noticed was the amount of flies flying around. The trash cans were overflowing with food which attracted mass amounts of flies. I picked up an Arizona tea, the Thai Pasta, and I ordered the daily soup. The Thai Pasta did not taste anywhere close to «Thai.» I’M THAI GOD DAMMIT, THIS MADE ME SAD. The Thai Pasta tasted like they had just tossed noodles that were not al dente (They were hard! Some had the consistency of something frozen!) and Italian salad dressing together. The portion was more than enough, but I did not finish it because I could not keep it down. The soup, however, was refreshing and delicious. The soup reminded me of the soups my mom makes on cold winter nights. The broth was delicious and the vegetables were soft. They used an array of vegetables and the soup was very colorful. After lunch, I grabbed ice cream from their cooler and BAM $ 3+ for Good Humor’s Strawberry Shortcake ice cream. TOO EXPENSIVE.

Wanted to let everyone know that The Peacock Café is the best kept secret in LA. They just catered my baby shower and I was absolutely thrilled with their service & food. Nicole, the owner, is so sweet. She was so pleasant to work with and made the entire process easy. I recommend her and their services wholeheartedly!

Went in, got a frozen lemonade/​strawberry mix; and it was severely cheaper than I’d imagined. 2 dollars and 50 cents or so. I was pleased as it did the trick quenching my thirst. But then cold! :)
PS — Peacocks are beautiful, but read my post on the arboretum for more info on those.

Finally, after lagging for the whole duration of the living social deal, my wife and I decided to go ohhhhh only the last day left. Holy cow! They served us a feast. The best part was the mango lassi to wash all the spices down. The starter appetizer plate was a good mix of everything and might I add we were both already full off that.

I have visited the café on a previous occasion and am always stunned by the number of peacocks that just hang out around here! Food is great but today the grill was closed a full hour and a half before closing (?) and only sandwiches were available. It was still pretty awesome. Super clean, homey and air-​conditioned!

Garden burger n fries ;)

when you visit the Los Angeles Arboretum, bring your own food. the service was horribly rude, and the food was meh. everything says they’re open till 4:30, but the guy behind the counter said «the kitchen closed at 3» (it was 3:05?). we wanted a couple of sandwiches but couldn’t get those, but were really hungry, so we grabbed a couple of old, cold sandwiches and wraps from the cooler next to the register. we got the food and left.
we sat outside and were eatting when out comes another couple with fries and grilled cheese sandwiches. so i guess the kitchen didn’t really close? or they had limited the menu?! WTF. stupid guy behind the counter could have been a little more helpful. the food we ate was ok at best. i didn’t die or get sick, but it was expensive and i’ve had lots better at other gardens for this price. never eating here again.

Great place. Good food and friendly service at a good price… it’s perfect!

This is when I started to feel like $hit and all I ordered was the soup. there menu is small and expensive. nothing special about this place. I would had rather eaten outside of the arboretum

Peacock café? Eh? Do they serve peacock here or something? Oh the horrors! No simply… instead of being surrounded by sparrows looking for food… its peacocks! They stick round the café and the brave ones actually come up pretty darn close if you start feeding them.
Located in the Arboretum, this café is the only place that you can get drinks and food. First thing I notice? The peacocks of course. They are all around the building, sitting in trees next to the building, and even on the roof of the building! They say these are wild peacocks, but they are pretty used to people anyhow. Definitely the coolest part about eating here. Where else can you eat with a peacock standing next to you?
The café itself is located in the center of the Arboretum near the entrance/​exit. Sandwiches, soup and salads place, some indoor seating but mostly outdoor seating. The building had a wide extended roof that generates more shade for weary people who have trekked all over the gardens, and also encompasses other facilities for the Arboretum. It’s a order, pay (cash only), grab a number and wait for your food to arrive. By no means is it gourmet fare, but works well enough for a simple lunch.
I ordered the grilled veggie sandwich to fuel my upcoming exploration. Decent enough, plenty of grilled veggies with a piece of melted cheese, lettuce, sliced tomato, all in a sub bun. The bun itself was slightly toasted which was nice. veggies has good flavor but the overall sandwich was pretty tasteless. They don’t add any sauce, but there are mayo and mustard packets that you can grab. 6 dollars for that and then a bottle of water to wash it all down.
The outside area is has plenty of seating. Green metal ornate chairs under shady trees. Pink flowers are all over the trees and occasionally fall down on you as you eat. Not a very comfortable place to lounge around as your butt starts to hurt, but I’m not here to sit around for a long time, just enough time for a quick bite.
While not a great café, it satisfies you enough and gives you enough fuel to keep going in the Arboretum. Of course the best part is the peacocks. They can be quite loud though as one cries out and several others join in. It all adds to the ambience.

I’d go so far as call it pretty good. The options are much better than you’d might expect. We got a quesadilla with a bunch of veggies & bbq chicken in it and a veggie sando, which you don’t see all that often. Pretty good. Only just reading that we can’t bring food into the arboretum, which is disappointing to hear as we hoping to pull off a picnic soon.

What a nice surprise this place was. Most of the time when places like this have a captive audience, either it’s expensive, not that great, run by boobs or all of the above. This is an exception, good food, nice views, beautiful photography on the walls, and at a reasonable cost. Burgers, sandwiches, salads, healthy fare too. You can take in the nice views and watch the very pretty peacocks outside while you eat. We had walked all morning doing marginal photography and wanted a quick lunch without a long wait or any pretentious nonsense, we were tired, thirsty, hungry and grumpy, this place fixed all of that in a very good way!

There are numerous ways to work up an appetite. I have listed a few of my favorites:
Trekking the Sahara on foot
Swimming to Catalina Island
Working on the chain gang
Visiting The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden (aka The Arboretum)
True, a few items on my list are not so pleasurable. Visiting The Arboretum surely is. Anyway you add it up; sunshine + 127 acres + the burden of blissful leisure = rumbly in the tumbly. Fortunately, inside the oasis that is The Arboretum lays an inner sanctum known as the Peacock Café.
As outside food and beverage is not allowed inside The Arboretum (sneaking in bottled water isn’t so hard) a visit to the Peacock Café is always in order. Don’t let the site of a single cash register and as little as one visible employee frighten you away. There is obviously a staff of Peafowl slaving away in the back. The café itself can go from empty to full in the blink of eye depending on the time and day of your visit. Thankfully, the service is consistently good and the wait time far from extreme. The only bit of sour news is the establishment is cash only. Still, it’s not enough to affect their rating (at least not for me).
Although the menu is not extensive, what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. Time after time, it never fails to hit the spot. On this day, I opted for a chicken salad sandwich, Hansen’s Soda and what was without a doubt one of the most delicious apples I have come across in recent memory. What made the apple so succulent I know not. What I do know is that at 50 cents that apple was worth 10x as much. The sammy didn’t disappoint either. Fresh bread and ingredients were abundant in every bite. Though some will choose a heartier fare, I prefer something a little lighter when I’m here. The sights are so good at The Arboretum that all I can think about is getting back to them. With nature’s beauty abundant in every direction food loses it immediacy (hard to believe but true).
If you’re as fortunate as I, one of the many celebrity Peafowl will stop by for an impromptu photo op. It’s cool to see the pandemonium these type of celebrity sightings cause.
Even though there is a ban on outside food and drink and the conditions are ripe for price gouging, the integrity of nature is true as the value and service remain fair.
What truly set’s this place apart from most anywhere else is the ability to escape once you arrive.