The Secret Garden Cafe

Secret Garden is the prize jewel of Occoquan. Disguised as a run down business, a quick trip up the stone stairs will grert you to an outdoor/indoor dining experience that is both tasteful and light on you wallet.

I've had both the Shashouka and Spanish Breakfast (in a past visit) here, my wife the Berry Almond Crunch French Toast - both being absolutely fantastic. The Shashouka is perfectly seasoned, while the Berry Almond Crunch used a whole grain bread and an in-house Berry cream cheese that has no Rival. Absolutely delicious.

Wait staff is very attentive, with two or three waiters roaming the dining areas and attending to guests for all of their needs. Cannot recommend enough.

Cozy restaurant with delicious fresh food. The sauce for the shrimp maybe a little salty. They have both indoor and outdoor seating options with cute patio.

Met a friend for dinner on a cold Monday night in November. She had a salad. I had this chipotle chicken sandwich which was SO good. We ate indoors due to the outside temps. Mondays are quiet and we arrived late so we shut the place down at 8pm. Service was good. I’ve been here for brunch with friends, also, and it is always excellent.

What a hidden gem! We were traveling through and I was craving a healthy yummy salad. This place did NOT disappoint. All the food was delicious and the staff were friendly and attentive.

My husband and I are obsessed with this place! Such a hidden gem in the area!! We spend most of our birthday dinners here and anytime someone visits from out of town we bring them here! The food is good, affordable, and the staff is above and beyond friendly. The atmosphere speaks for itself.

Such a cute little place with unique food and great service. We felt transported to a past life where things were simple, with good food and good fun. The Vermont French toast was excellent, we ate it to the last bite. The shakshouka was different with rice and pita but it was tasty. The Mediterranean salad was so fresh, we loved it. I would love to come back again

I had a lunch there. Ordered stir fried noodles, greek chicken and mideterrean spread. The food was absolutely amazing and delicious. You do need a reservation for the garden tough. The atmosphere was good but it was very noisy.

Initially I thought it was closed, but the restaurant is not in street level (outside in back or second floor). We ate outside in the garden which is very charming! Food amazing with a gluten free and vegetarian menu.

So my family and I went here for breakfast and we had a most delectable experience. We ordered a Mediterranean platter and all of the French toasts. The hummus in the Mediterranean platter was smooth, garlicky and was seasoned perfectly. The yogurt, which my picky son ate, was amazing. This platter came with pita bread, which the servers offered to refill. I adored how all the servers were attentive and kind. Truly a beautiful experience!The berry french toast was sweet and tart, hitting all the correct notes. My daughter had the Vermont French toast. She said it was sweet,tangy and crunchy. The praline was superb and the cream cheese was tangy and smooth. The normal French toast was nice and lighter compared to the other French toasts but lacked the wow factor the others had provided. With all this food, our total was $38. A reasonable price for the wonderful service we got.

I love this little place. The ambiance was nice, and the service was superb. We went for breakfast at 10, we had the salmon and Hanger steak as well. Everything was really good, perfectly cooked, tender, moist. The tortilla was a bit cold, and that would be the only negative part of the whole experience. Definitely coming back!!

Quaint place. Upscale with a down to earth vibe. The food and service were both incredible. We split the entree because it looked to be large. They brought it out on two separate plates for us. Our waitresses, Zyerra, Jay, and Angela were wonderful. So was the rest of the staff. I look forward to sitting outside next time.

Great little charming brunch spot. Yummy food and good prices too for what’s brought out on the plate. Service is amazing as well! Highly recommend

I was told this is the best place to eat in town, and I believe it! The setting is lovely, some indoors but mostly outside, and there are lots of options. They continue to serve brunch after their menus run out, so make sure to ask if you're after that instead of lunch. I settled with a Mediterranean plate that was amazing, plus a side of veggies, which were absolutely loaded with butter. But that was definitely enough for lunch for one. Staff are very friendly!

Lovely outdoor garden/patio is perfect to sit for an evening. Enjoyed all our dishes. Started with artichoke dip accompanied by a hefty portion of fresh bread! The warm goat cheese salad was spot on. The asian fried noodles had a delicious sauce (could use a few more veggies). Tried the unique cheddar grit cake on the side and it was decent, would pair well with several dishes.

Just had a fabulous lunch at The Secret Garden! Beautiful atmosphere sitting amongst the ivy, amazing food (shrimp with grits cake), and top notch service. If you are looking for a quiet little spot that's reasonably priced and absolutely delicious, definitely check it out!!

I come to Secret Garden all the time! Every single time the service is amazing. You can tell they are well trained. It’s clean. The food is delicious. I recommend the Cobb Salad. Whoever runs this does a great job! 10/10

Good food. Staff is respectful and always alert. Love it. Very good spot to hit! The atmosphere is great and relaxed, and even worth some photos for potential social media posts.

One of the best dinners out we've had in quite a while. I had the Greek Chicken on lemon rice with tomatoes, olives and feta cheese. Delicious! Wife had crab cake sandwich that was okay, just a bit too tall with garnishments for her smaller mouth. Granddaughter had kids "hangar pasta" with beef tips that was mouthwatering! Wine was great and 30% off (we ate early 4:30pm)
The four of us split two huge pieces of yummy key lime pie for dessert.
Service was fast, friendly and attentive.
We'll definitely be going back!

Adorable place with a wonderful garden. I was hoping to sit in the garden after waiting for over one hour to be seated, I was perplexed as to why they had so many open table inside, later found out the reason, the acoustics inside can be deafening, they have sound tiles on the ceiling. Yet, it was still difficult to hear the person I was eating with and the wait staff.
The waitress was attentive and friendly! As well as the wait staff that brought us more water.
Overall I would highly recommend this to anyone! But I suggest you insist in sitting outside!
The French toast was to dye for!!
Walk around the town. Great little shops and views to the river.

Extremely nice and quaint establishment. The dinner menu is the lunch menu and breakfast ceases at 11am. Excellent service and clean bathrooms. The desserts seem limited and not very appetizing as the three offered were described as pies.