Butlers Retreat in Waltham Forest

No sign warning of the car park charges which is £100. Should have a notice as you enter. There was no attempt to clean the tables whilst we were there!!!

Love this place. Always get a coffee while walking the dog. The friendliest staff really make this place somewhere to visit. A great testament that people make a place.

A very pleasant place to spend a nice sunny day.

Lovely, but a little pricey & when it’s busy, it’s a long wait just for a coffee & when you have a dog who’s just dying to go for her walk it’s a little frustrating! Liked it during COVID when they had a serving hatch outside. Much more convenient for dog walkers & walkers in general.

I visited yesterday, all I can say is.. I had food poisoning later that day. The staff aren’t exactly smiley either. This place used to be really nice when it first opened. It’s so average now, I think it’s time to shut shop.

I often stop for coffee here on a bike ride. it's a good location by the queen Elizabeth hunting lodge. Does good coffee (Pact) and brownies etc.

Welcoming staff. Lovely space overlooking Epping Forest and near the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge-, which is well worth a visit! Delicious sausage sandwich- offered an alternative to ciabatta bread which was good. A selection of cakes and pastries -- seriously good mince pies which can be warmed if so desired. Dogs NOT allowed inside which means anyone with an allergy or phobia of dogs can feel comfortable.

This was not a planned excursion. The weather was so bad Roding Valley Parkrun was postponed. So what to do? Had breakfast and visited the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge a great morning. Will do agin after next parkrun

Visited 12:30 on Tuesday after a walk in the forest, pouring with rain, not a single customer inside the cafe, asked if we could sit inside with my well behaved little dog to be told no. Shame as it was 3 of us wanting to order lunch and coffees, they easily missed out on £35/40. We went to a cafe in station road that welcomed the dog and was super busy! Must be missing a lot of business as prime dog walking spot!!!! Such a shame!

We had excellent food with young children outside. Long wait to order and quite long to get the food, but it was good

Fabulously located, doggie walking heaven. Gets very busy.

Lovely little cafe, though quite pricey. Beautiful seating outside in the Summer.

A fine coffee and cake stop while walking Epping Forest and especially close to Connaught Water

Very nice place my family love it there 👍

Great service, lovely staff. Just a shame my poached eggs were hard. 😕

Food is ok , the problem was when I been severe food was cold , it took 45min . I would recommend order 48hours before to be served in time

Walked an hour to get there (arrived at 4pm) to find it was closed. Opening hours stated that they closed at 5pm.

DOES NOT CLOSE AT 5PM. We walked for 45 minutes to get here, arriving at 4.05, we were told that their business hours have changed and they now close an hour earlier than advertised. We informed them Google info needs to be updated, but they didn't seem too bothered.

Card payment only, No thanks! I want to pay cash. Bad service.

Id like to thank the staff at The Larder for a lovely afternoon tea last weekend. I could not fault the attention and service from the amazing staff at this pretty venue. The food was good quality and all arrived on time and with beautiful presentation. Thanks for a memorable afternoon in a beautiful venue.

This place has really gone downhill, I took a friend there for breakfast during the summer & it was embarrassing. We sat inside, the cooked breakfast was served on disposable plates with disposable cutlery which was not fit for purpose. The food was dry & not nice at all. I had to apologize to my friend after raving about how nice it was in there. Very overpriced & disappointing. I won't go there again.

Had a Banana and Date iced latte. A little expensive at £4.10 but sat outside in the sunshine. On the edge of Epping Forrest. Nice location.

Lovely little place to have a meal or just a drink whilst out walking across Chingford plains or pop in when in Epping. Food is delicious and the staff are always lovely and very helpful.

Stopped here for a coffee with my aunt. Beautiful day sat outside. Nice place, staff nice. Popped in the visitors centre there too but was to late for the museum Good views. Relaxing location

Really nice outdoors eating next to the open field.

Great venue and service. Nice food. Very reasonable

They don't accept legal, lawful British tender ie, cash. Wish I'd known that before ordering, I would have gone somewhere else. The bread used in the sandwiches was mostly big, thick crust making eating a messy and unattractive experience. Very pretty location. Shame they're part of the globalist agenda.

Their ice creams and other food stuff is way too expensive and then they expect to be tipped! Like the lazy Americans they too have a tip jar. For what? To be buying over expensive stuff. Well, there's your tip in that anyway. Have some self respect!

I am a regular customer at Butlers and would like to say that today I went around lunch time for my usual coffee and there was a wonderful buffet set up in the dining area for a function. The delicious aroma and beautifully presented food made me ask if it was available for lunch? Sadly I understand not and so missed out on the fabulous salads and kebabs. The chef there, Opel, is amazing and I very much hope this luncheon feast is made available to the general public, as we are missing out! Thanks to the friendly staff as always Kerry, Frankie and a lovely new young lady I met today. Hope the decision makers take note!

Overpriced. Too much salt. Scones were vile (takes talent to make a bad scone! It was far too sweet or vanilla-y even?!). Terrible service, rarely even a smile! We visit the area regularly for walks etc. so have often popped into the cafe. The staff are always miserable - never received anything that would look like a polite conversation. Not sure if they’ve been badly trained for just hate their job - either way it’s clearly an issue with management. The coffee, although good quality (Pact, iykyk), is poorly made and therefore tastes gross. This place has SO much potential but is poorly executed. You’re better off bringing your own coffee and picnic and just sitting on their benches…

Excellent cappuccino and friendly, speedy service. Food looked good too

Unfortunately the prices put me off. £1.90 for a cookie and £3.35 for a muffin.

I'd visited here years ago and the food and service was great, to the extent that recently going to Epping forest, I purposefully started the walk with a visit to Butlers. However, it was actually terrible, at first I was wrongly undercharged and then treated as though I'd made the mistake, then my falafel salad came and the falafels were literally rock hard eg had been perhaps microwaved for 20 minutes?! Then when I complained and was offered a sandwich on the house, the man at the til tried to charge me for it! Further, my boyfriend waited around 25 minutes to get his microwaved soggy pasty/ pie. Service is slow, kitchen must be chaotic, kids are serving - someone needs to take control of this place and make it good again.

Dirty, rundown. Bad service and food. Ambience = 0.

Great spot for lunch or a coffee and cake.

My first thoughts were, this is an expensive place to eat out, especially when you have children with you. My children asked for burgers and they were approximately £10 each, and that included potato wedges (I suspect they were frozen), a small amount of salad and coleslaw. The unfortunate thing about the burgers was the amount of salt either in or on them, I tasted one and it was extremely salty. My youngest child didn't like the burger and refused to eat it. Would I eat at Butler's Retreat again? Possibly, but only for drinks and maybe cake. I could probably have got "far more for my buck" in the restaurant next door!

Great coffee, beautiful uncultivated back "garden' in the forest outside and good service.

nice coffee but service slow, bit pricey too

Scam, ordered the so called big breakfast for £12 and got a small breakfast. Extremely salty homemade beans, 1 small folded bacon, 2 small eggs and 1 tiny bread slice. Food came cold which I predicted as it took 35mins. No urgency of service. Horrible. Not coming again. Do not recommend. Compared to other cafes I'm giving it an E.

Set in the middle of the forest, perfect place on a sunny day to sit outside and enjoy food. The staff were really polite and helpful. Food was tasty. The coffee was not up to our taste. But overall an excellent venue with reasonable prices.

There were three of us, one of us got her lunch at least 10 minutes before the other two. I had pancakes which was supposed to have banana and pecan nuts. There were three pancakes and 6/7 slices of banana and I have only just realised there were no nuts🤔. There seemed to be no urgency in service but plenty of chat with the very young staff. We will try again but I was unimpressed with the first visit.

A Walk in the woods and some treats with a great view and atmosphere.

Only stopped for a coffee. Sat outside as it was a warm day.

Lovely place to relax near the forest

Ideallic cafe in Epping Forest with outside area to enjoy coffee's, cakes and other refreshments after a countryside walk.

Wonderful location and access to forest walks and vegan icecream

1sr Class. Best breakfast in a long time. Always the best coffee as well. Service is always done with a smile. Would recommend 100%

Great ambience, good coffee and a brilliant waitress. We ordered simple scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, a delicious sounding late morning munch. I don’t think whoever cooked the eggs had seen one before and if they had they didn’t have the first idea of how to cook them. Imagine a bright yellow bald tyre well scorched having stuck to the pan and left there. Then having been mashed around and turned over ripped into lumps resembling ancient flip flops. This was presented on a freezing cold plate with a bunch of tomatoes, a rough handful of green seedlings, a mound of tarry smelling salmon and some oily toast. I did intend to return them however Butlers Retreat suddenly filled up with early lunchtime families and I didn’t want to spoil anyone else’s day. To sum up, Great waiting staff, absolutely lovely. Good coffee, we really enjoyed the flavour and it was a great change for our tastebuds. Awful egg cookery.

Shocking. Wished I had read the negative reviews before visiting. Presume the only reason why people visit this establishment is for the views over the forest. Surely it can’t be the food. Sat outside with my adult daughter and dog. The place wasn’t busy either inside or out . Ordered a Big Breakfast, Salomon and poached eggs plus coffees. The food once prepared had obviously been plated and left for considerable time before it arrived.. everything was lukewarm at best and in all honesty after a few minutes too cold to eat. This establishment has obviously gone downhill having now read the considerable negative comments .from my observation when I ordered, it seems to be run by a bunch of school kids and youths. Never again will we eat there , there are better cafes in north Chingford station rd and next time I , and I recommend to all reading , walk the short distance to station rd where the food is much superior. Avoid Butlers Retreat !!

Delicious coconut chai cake. Staff very friendly. Great spot.

Popped in for a take-away coffee pre-forest walk and was given the coffee in a small take away cup that was so full it spilled hot coffee onto my hand. Also both myself and my friend had decaff and it was bitter and the worst coffee we have had in a cafe. In fairness when we went back in for a bit of lunch and cold drink the assistant did offer another coffee but we told her it was awful coffee and we did not want another one. She said it may have been because it was decaff, that is ridiculous as we always have decaff coffee and other cafes coffee is good. However, I did not get offered anything else in light of the hot coffee which spilled over onto my hand.

Asked for afternoon tea (as my Dad is here from the States and wanted to try it) and they wouldn’t allow me to order just one for him. Moreover, I felt disrespected as a customer. The staff was rude and inattentive.

I'm quite happy to hope on a train for an hour just to have a late breakfast or light lunch at the Butlers Retreat. The food is reasonably priced and of good quality. Plenty of outside seating with good views of the forest. Lots of well marked dry paths to explore nearby as well as a hunting lodge and art exhibitions in the visitor's centre. Little gem of a place and we'll worth a visit.

Nice wee place when you've trecked through the forest. Nice wee place when you haven't trecked through the forest and decide to park yerself on a bench and look at the forest. Lovely sandwiches, cake and coffee. Very attentive staff.

Friendly staff a good place to enjoy the coffee or the breakfast away from noise but a bit pricey from other shops around, looks like you pay for the view as well 😅

Good food and very good service.

Came here after my husband had been taking part in cross country. I had to sit outside as I had the pups. My husband doing the ordering had to come back out on a couple of occasions as each thing I asked for wasn't available. I opted for an emmental and mushroom sandwich which was tasty, but nothing phenomenal. A shame as the location is lovely. I would still return however.

Lovely cafe on the outskirts of Epping Forest. We stopped here on our way out of London and thoroughly enjoyed our breakfasts. The portion sizes were ample and the cost was fair. There were plenty of vegetarian options and some homemade cold-pressed juices on offer too. The service was polite and friendly, and even extended well beyond our visit. See, my partner had forgotten her rings in the bathroom and only realised once we'd returned home over 100 miles later. Connor and Dan came to the rescue and kindly posted the lost artefacts backs to us. I would highly recommend visiting The Larder at Butlers Retreat, especially if you plan to take a walk in the Forest, as there are many trails leading from the car park opposite. Just make sure you have everything with you when you leave! Thanks again, chaps.

Friendly staff .great place for coffee and quiet chat. Mushroom on toast is delicious . Nice cakes too

Couldn’t buy drinks as till was broken, pay by card only apparently, a bit disappointed that they can’t take physical cash… went to costa instead.

Beautiful location with tables outside overlooking Chingford Plain and the forest beyond. We had a pot of tea and open toasties, really tasty and lovingly prepared. Very friendly staff, and perfect after a walk in the forest.

Café on the edge of the forest. Excellent staff. Eat in, take away or sit outside. Nice range of snacks and food, good coffee, moderately priced.

The cakes and cookies are quite good. Quite expensive.

Asked us to leave because they don't allow dogs inside. No signs at the entrance saying that.

Now The Larder; good food at good prices; great location, especially nice in warm weather when you can sit outside looking out onto the Forest.

Beautiful ciabatta toastie, hot chocolates and coffee and very friendly staff. Perfect after a long walk.

Perfect place to stop by after a fresh walk, it's warm and lovely during the winter, and the medieval style is interesting and accurate.

A warm gorgeous, welcoming café at the gateway to Epping Forest, not to be missed and perfect for warming up for a walk for stocking up on yummy food lovely atmosphere in Gorgeous light

Not child friendly, and no kids menu. Asked them to create a kids scrambled eggs and sausage. They produced two poached eggs and two slices of toast and two sausages (for a three year old!!). Says it all really. Don't bring kids here.

Stopped for a quick coffee and snack. Pleasant decor and resonable food choice

I've ridden past this place on many occasions but today was the first time I've been in. Its a lovely place a short walk from Chingford station so easily from east and central London and its in Epping Forest. Its tempting to say the edge of Epping Forest but in reality, although not in the heart of the forest its definitely well inside the southern boundary. Coffee and cake was decent as was the service. I'd definitely stop there again even though its not in a convenient spot for most of the bike riding I do.

Only stopped for coffee which was very good!

Incredibly hard to buy 2 ordinary hot drinks. Long wait and not particularly polite. They were not busy just slow

The queues are ridiculous just for a coffee. Staff are very slow with no one managing them. It’s a shame for such a nice spot and food usually quite nice when it arrives.

I recently took a friend there for breakfast, I used to go regularly with the children at the weekends but haven't been since lockdown. What a huge disappointment, everything was served on disposable plates with disposable cutlery like we were at a takeaway van but...

Great views and a lot of history to think about. Pub next door and amply parking. Lovely walks on the plains and the woods.

Abbiamo fatto un'ottima colazione inglese in un posto piacevole, ai margini della foresta. Il personale è cordiale, i prezzi nella...

This has been one of my very favourite places for the best part of the last 10 years since my kids were born. I used to come here a few times a week, and enjoy a coffee and juice for the kids and the kids...

My husband and I had decided to go here for brunch. We last went before the lockdown. First point - on arrival, nothing to explain that you order at the front and then find a table. Secondly, our order was completely misunderstood and overcharged and...

The larder at Butlers retreat used to be really nice. Good food, good coffee, nice staff. Not the case anymore. While out for a walk in Epping forest today, it started to rain, so my family and I decided to go in to butlers retreat...

Food was awful tasted burnt as well as tasteless. My friends was also very bland. Will not be going back.

We visited yesterday to find that they no longer have parking permits, which makes for a very expensive coffee when you have to pay to park opposite (an Epping Forest car park). Also, as has happened before, the upstairs section was closed, meaning only rather uncomfortable downstairs seats were available. Coffee was nice but could have been hotter. Such a shame that we are not very likely to visit in the future as in the past this has been a lovely place to meet and have coffee.

Very nice country walk, through woods, around lakes and through fields. The cafe ar Buttlers retreat makes for a welcome break, or if you're looking for something more substantial a meal in the nearby Royal Oak is very welcome.

Lovely cafe latte they use oat milk which is just our cup of tea also check out the museum and the meat in the shop long horn steak yum

Stopped here after a walk on the bank holiday weekend day, good quality food and good service too!

Disappointed trying to buy a bottle of cola to be told that no cash is accepted. So I left and won’t go back. Digital payments have their place. The BIS in Basel would love to have everything on that grid (look it up) for control...

Nice place at end of our walk. Bit too 'superfoods' for me really but enjoyed what I had as did the others in our group.

Disappointing, have visited this place twice now and been told no food as kitchen is closed, I could understand if my visits were late in the day but 3pm on a weekday and 2.15 on a weekend. Very poor - it’s a real shame as Butlers Retreat was always a great place for a snack after a walk in the forest. I will be going to the golf club instead in future.

Painfully slow service. Ordered takeaway coffee. Assume they're harvesting the coffee bean and negotiating fair trade contracts, and taking a holiday on the way back. Cafe was almost empty. Avoid.

Very expensive cafe.. they like to close off areas to sit inside the cafe maybe because the area was cleaned and they don't want to clean the area again because I couldn't see any other reason to suggest anything else.. I don't think I would want to revisit the cafe again far to expensive not value for money

Very slow service. Dogs wandering around behind counter.

Lovely food and drinks and quaint building. Little oasis on the forest

Very disappointed, just went for a burger and we were told the kitchen closes at 3 but it was still 10 minutes to 3. I politely asked if they could just quickly make 3 burgers and they refused. They just didn't bother. I thought that was very layz things to do.

I don’t usually write bad reviews, preferring to write nothing. However, as the manager couldn’t be bothered to listen to our feedback I decided to make public my thoughts. We had visited the week before and the food average. However, yesterday’s offerings were exceptionally poor....

So disappointed to see paper cups being used at this venue. It's always been overpriced but we used to pay because the coffee was so good. Sadly it just doesn't taste the same in a paper cup, not to mention the needless waste. When we...

Disappointing today. Usually a firm favourite as a good place to work from and for decent food, and usually very friendly staff. However, absolutely awful music was being played way too loud, and it’s always a bit awkward making the request of staff to turn it down (who weren’t at their best today, but probably the heat wasn’t helping); so I left as soon as I finished my food. Also, the upstairs is still often not open which is always a handy option; and Epping Forest has now taken away the free parking permits offered for customers.

A lovely visit for an 80th birthday family brunch. The staff couldn’t have been more welcoming and helpful. A good variety of food options for all ages. A lovely place to relax together!

Seemed like a nice little cafe for food and drink, after a long walk around the forest.

My husband and I visited yesterday as in the area. Used to live close by and loved it. We’ve not been since 2018. So agree with past reviews below. Food left on a bench inside when cooked, and then they buzzed us to collect. So...

This business used to be a great little eatery. We used yo go for a brunch or bacon sandwich, always fresh so didn't mind that it was a bit pricey. Unfortunately, it has gone completely downhill. Food is pricey and no longer fresh. Also, you...