Bedgebury Cafe in Tunbridge Wells

Very unhappy with the customer service of one lady on till. I came in with my niece and mum but was very disappointed by how rude this lady was to my mother. My mother took one of the croissants with the tongs provided and put it onto one of the plates displayed in front of the pastries. This then prompted the lady to tell off my mother about how unhygenic this was and not to do that again. I did not appreciate the tone spoken towards my mum. We were both shocked that she thought it was appropriate to be this rude given it was a simple mistake. Generally, she seemed miserable to be there. After this, my mother asked to have a receipt. She said she couldn't do that and rolled her eyes at us. She then dismissed us to the side and told us to "go over there" to wait for our coffees. After all that, I had to wait ages for our coffees. I know people can have bad days at work but do not speak to customers this way. She just wanted a coffee not to be spoken to in this manner. If you are that bothered by someone picking up a croissant that they are intending to buy put up a sign to say that you have to do it for hygiene reasons. My complaint was handled very well by another lady who said that this had been an ongoing issue with this particular member of staff and apologised for the way this lady had behaved. It may be a better idea to have someone a bit nicer and less miserable on till.

I was utterly humiliated by the cafe manager. As regular visitor ( 2 or 3 times a week) and Bedgebury member I was there with my running group on Friday morning. I ordered an Iced Tea & provided my own cup. I am also entitled to a 10% discount as I'm part of a running group and I genuinely thought I could get my card stamped too (another runner also gets his discount & card stamped) as part of a buy 9 coffees & your 10th is free deal (or something along those lines). The manager Bobbi put my order through the till & then said to me in a very loud voice so that everyone could hear that I couldn't have a discount & my coffee card stamped at the same time and as she'd already stamped my card that I couldn't have my 10% discount. And proceeded to cancel the transaction & put it through again. I was so embarrassed, I went bright red. I felt utterly humiliated. She could have said (quietly) that she'd let it go this time but wouldn't let it through next time. There was a long queue by the time she re-entered my order. I was mortified by the experience ! I will bring my own drink next time.

What has happened to the cafe!!! We visited the cafe for some lunch today. We ordered two jacket potatoes which took over an hour to be served. We did ask after 30 mins and were told ours were just being prepped… I think it’s pretty hard to cook a jacket potato badly but these were absolutely dire. At best they were luke warm, bland and grainy. Really poor for £8.50 We won’t visit again, will be taking a packed lunch with us from now on. If I could give this review no stars, I would.

Visited a month ago with family and vowed never again. Decided to give them another chance. Service greatly improved. Sandwiches a fantastic local business being used. Bacon sandwich was a nice fluffy roll with bacon. Will be back for another visit for sure

Very poor value for money. We paid 16.55 for a small cup of tea, a small cup of coffee and two bacon sandwiches. There was one small slice of bacon in each sandwich, it wasn’t a bread bap as described. It was a very small burger bun which was rather stale. Very disappointing. We visit Bedgebury once or twice a week and we want to support the cafe but unless the food improves we will be travelling to a nearby cafe to eat and have coffee. Very disappointing and certainly not how the cafe used to be.

So sad to see the changes at the cafe for the worse. Locally sourced sausages replaced with cheap processed rubbish. Bacon tough and incredibly salty. Hopefully the new management read these reviews and listen to what people want as have seen others experiencing similar. We’ll be bringing picnics from now on

Today April 10th 2024 , I came for a lovely walk with the little boys I look after , we all fancied a hot chocolate, I can honestly say mine ( the adult hot chocolate) was absolutely awful , very watery , no flavour, and luke warm, I was going to complain, but it was so busy , there where two young lads , on the till , ans making drinks , but I'm afraid since the new cafe took over , it has massively gone down hill, it seriously needs to be reviewed.

Basically need to remortgage your house to enjoy the food here and the portion size is very questionable. Not only was my medium sized coffee not much bigger than my youngest child’s hand, it was freezing cold. Staff aren't exactly enthusiastic or particularly willing to help either. For such a beautiful space, it’s really such a shame to see such a blatant rip off and lacklustre service.

Staff were doing their best but food very poor. And very expensive. I went in with my 2 sons and it cost £60. The service was very slow and the lumberjack burger was microwaved.

Cafe under new ownership. No hot food and only pod coffee. Real disappointment compared to previous ownership. Wont be coming back.

The coffee is tasteless & very expensive. Have been walking in Bedgebury for past 10 years but won’t ever have coffee here again. Plus in winter there is no inside area for dog walkers, so can be freezing. Shame as cafe staff are really nice.

Stopped for a hot drink and a snack at lunchtime whilst walking dogs. Choice was poor - hot counter only had vegan sausage rolls at £3.50 each just before 1 pm. Ordered cheesy chips for a pricy £4.75. Had to chase after waiting over 20 minutes to be given a small box that had clearly been sitting around in the kitchen - not busy so no excuse. If you want to charge premium prices that’s fine - I would expect premium product and premium service and feel I got neither. Next time I’ll take my own food and drink as a great place to visit

I had a really negative experience I ordered scampi and chips which came out exceptionally fast, when I cut into the scampi water came out tried another the same thing, it was not hot, I discreetly asked if my meal could be changed the manager refused (I had not eaten any of it) I was happy to take a cheaper meal but he was so arrogant the customer service was appalling, what was a reasonable discreet request turned into a public embarrassing situation. I have since contacted the owner of the cafe who offered me a gift voucher to the cafe, I advised I would not be returning anytime soon and provided my bank details requesting a refund for the meal I have had no response to this request.

Overpriced luke warm food with the first order being list. £30 for two bowls of chips, nachos and a kids box. It’s not affordable if you visit regularly.

We visited Bedgebury Christmas Lights for the first time this year and came to the cafe which is situated around the track. We were disgusted to find the extortionate prices for Luke warm food!! £9.50 for a cheeseburger which wasn’t even hot as left laying out on display for god knows how long is just daylight robbery. £6.50 for a baileys hot chocolate!!! Hot dog £6.75…. And even £2.50 for a small pot of jelly. We paid over £100 for the tickets for the evening and then a further £60 for vile Luke warm food but due to being hungry we had no choice!!! We aren’t short of a few bob but many are with the cost of living crisis and especially this time of year. You should be very much ashamed of yourselves!!! I’d never return. To add insult to injury toilets were absolutely filthy!!!

Went to see lights last week and I have to say they were amazing. The staff was amazing and really attentive, especially the little ginger one. The food was ridiculously overpriced although the churros were a big favorite with my family.

I bought a parsnip soup with a very small roll which cost me £5.50! The soup came in a small container which was half full when I took the lid off, also the soup was lukewarm. Very disappointing. In hindsight I don’t know what I was thinking spending so much on so little, I can only blame it on being tired after a very rainy Christmas trail. The trail is beautiful though. but I wouldn’t go back to the cafe. The only plus, the staff was very pleasant.

Visited with family and friends. We paid separately. Everyone else’s food arrived, but my burger did not. Mistakes happen, I work in a cafe so I know. I spoke with a waiter who came back and said “the kitchen didn’t get my order, soooo” as if it were my fault. Well I had paid for it, so I asked to speak to the manager. A lady came over, no hello, no sorry for the inconvenience, it was literally “the kitchen did not get a ticket for burger for this table…” Same again, I said I obviously hadn’t paid £32 for just two drinks. She then walked off, again no apologies, only the clear attitude that I was lying. Eventually it came, 20 min after everyone else finished eating, still no apologies, and never saw or heard from the manager again. Admittedly the food was very good once arrived, yet I still left with a very bad taste in my mouth.

Expensive!!! A plate of corn chips with way too much sauce costs £8.95, a coffee £3.40 and a bottle of sprite nearly £3! Bill for one child eating and one adult drinking coffee £15.20! I also objected to the fact that we were not allowed to order food without a table number. I realise this makes things easier and I would have done that had I known but there was no solution given. Thankfully I had another adult with me and was able to call them from the till to check. I wondered afterwards what would have happened if I had my child with me. Was I expected to get a table, leave my child alone at the table while I went inside and ordered? I suppose so as there was no other solution on offer. Back to the food! As a regular in top Mexican restaurant Wahaca where I can buy a plate of freshly made veggie nachos for about £6-7 which includes salad, fresh avocado and homemade sauces I sort of expected better for my £8.95! Here we had corn chips with what looked like most of a tin of cheap nacho salsa tipped over the top. The amount I would use for 3 plates! And the same with a curdled looking creme fraiche and bits of previously melted cheese and jalapeños. My suggestion would be, cut back on the ridiculous amount of sauce and charge a reasonable price! I will be taking a picnic to Bedgebury from now on. This cafe needs looking at.

We just can’t keep away, we thoroughly enjoy our visits to Bedgebury, despite issues occurring and negativity from Forestry England staff with regards to my mothers welfare, the cafe staff go over and beyond every time. We can’t thank them enough but we always return just for their hospitality and kindness The coffee is lovely and always an amazing selection of cakes to choose from

We came in here for a drink and something to eat, but having spent £14 to park and then being charged £9 for three bottles of fizzy we opted just to sit in the sunshine instead. The cakes did look lovely, but we just couldn’t...

As usual, after our walk round the Pinetum we stopped for coffee. Covid rules are still being observed; a one way system is in operation, hand sanitiser is available and there's only a small amount of seating inside. There's plenty of seating outside but, when...

We always have a coffee here when we have a walk round the Pinetum but, today, for a change, we also decided to have a lunch. There's a good choice of snacks and sandwiches and my wife, who is Gluten Free, was able to find...

We called in for a coffee after our walk round the Pinetum. Although Covid rules have been relaxed, Bedgebury Cafe are still operating a one way system (when busy it snakes round like queuing at Disneyland!), hand sanitiser is available and there is no seating...

Having asked when we arrived if there was any gluten free options on the menu,which at that point I was told there was jacket potato's being cooked outside,nachos..cheesy chips..etc.. only to find no jacket potatoes being done today, so had pulled pork and apple sauce(couldn't...

Visited on Tuesday 06th April 2021 Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest, Goudhurst. Pretty cold day but a lovely place for a walk/explore including this Cafe which though closed for indoor dining as well as having external seats fenced off, was open for take-out. Even with...

Called in for lunch. There was a good choice of hot and cold snacks available. My wife is gluten free and they specially prepared a sandwich for her on gluten free bread. In accordance with Covid regulations there is a well marked one way system,...

A group of 4 of us visited during Covid-19 with restrictions in place. We found the cafe sage enough with measurements in place to keep customers safe, one way walk ways, masks must be worn, outside seating only, hand sanitisers. There was quite a selection...

Just called in for a takeaway coffee - was reasonably priced and hot and tasty. Choice of ice creams for the little one. Good service.

After a walk round the Pinetum, this is an extremely Covid safe place for a take-away snack or just a take-away drink. Customers are required to wear masks; the staff do. Hand sanitiser is available. A one way system is in operation and well marked...

Can’t stop visiting this cafe, it has been our sanctuary during these unprecedented times. We have become regulars, that regular that the staff know our coffee order before we get to the till! Every visit is a delight, plenty to offer and there is always...

This is certainly a Covid safe place for a snack. The staff wear masks, a clear one way system is in operation and social distance marks are on the floor. Tjhe staff are very friendly and helpful. Gluten free options are available (which is OK...

Never been to Bedgebury before and I met my mother and my sister for the first time in months. The site is amazing and plenty to see and do. We stopped for a coffee before we went for our walk, the coffee and tea options...

During these uncertain times unsure of what to do for our sons birthday, GoApe is what he wanted and that’s what he got. I was unsure of what to about catering so I contacted the cafe and the girls were so helpful in putting something...

Today we took our weekly ride a little earlier in the day than we normally do, although entering the car park was a bit of a nightmare with queuing on the main road to get in. After our loop around Bedgebury we stopped for breakfast...