I’m a big fan of unique dining experiences, so when I heard about this garden store with a restaurant inside their greenhouse, I knew I had to check it out!
The Watering Can is a European-inspired flower market located in Vineland, about 35km west of Niagara-on-the-Lake. They sell a vast variety of plants, with a particularly extensive selection of succulents, cacti and orchids. They also have a floral studio where you can purchase bouquets to take home, or order flowers for weddings or other special events. In addition to flowers and plants, The Watering Can sells adorable pots, planters and other home and garden décor.
Throughout the store, you’ll find quirky props that make for some fun photo opportunities: a hippie van, a vintage wooden piano and a pink Victorian sofa, to name a few. Visitors are encouraged to take photos on the pink sofa, and it’s become so Instagram-famous that it has a name: ‘Pink Betsy’.
The Watering Can also puts out some fun rotating seasonal displays. When we visited in late June, the current display was this upside-down “garden tea” installation on the ceiling that reminded me of something out of Alice In Wonderland.
Now, let’s get to the food! We got to enjoy brunch inside The Watering Can’s beautiful greenhouse, which is such a delightful setting. They serve coffee, lunch, afternoon tea and dessert. Afternoon tea must be booked in advance, but otherwise it’s walk-in only. We visited on a weekend and it was fairly busy, but luckily, we didn’t have to wait for a table.
I’d consider the lunch menu more of a brunch menu. In addition to more traditional lunch items like sandwiches, soups and salads, they offer brunch staples like avocado toast, breakfast sandwiches (served on a croissant) and Belgian waffles. The waffles aren’t listed on their online menu, as they’re typically offered only on Saturdays, with a new featured topping each week – check out their Instagram for the latest updates. When we went, the featured topping was blueberries with homemade lemon zest and whipped cream – so of course I had to order them, and they were fabulous. They also came with a substantial side of maple syrup, which I appreciate – I love syrup and am always having to ask for extra at brunch restaurants! Tania enjoyed the chicken, apple and Brie panini with a side salad, which was also very good (I had to steal a couple of bites!)
We didn’t have any room left for dessert, but the selections looked amazing and we look forward to returning to try them out. In addition to their regular dessert menu below, The Watering Can offers seasonal dessert specials, from Mini Egg cheesecake around Easter time to candy cane Nanaimo bars at Christmas. Currently, they’re offering a selection of various peach desserts.
We had a fabulous brunch experience at The Watering Can and I would highly recommend it to anyone! One word of caution: because the restaurant is in a greenhouse, it can get quite hot during the summer. If you’re sensitive to heat, I’d recommend visiting during the cooler months.
If anyone visits soon and tries their peach desserts, please let me know how they are! They’ll only be available for a limited time, so I may have to return sooner than I planned…
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