Bybrook Restaurant - The Gardeners Cafe in Ashford

The place is very pleasant because the store is really big and offers a lot of products and a wide variety. Nevertheless, the restaurant remains pleasant for having a coffee and a cake but when it comes to food, don't expect great cuisine. The minestrone was unfortunately overcooked. The service is very friendly and attentive to customers.

Nothing on the hot plate, all other dishes covered? Eventually ordered at the till, staff were listless uninterested. Food arrived scampi hot, chips barely warm and peas cold, not very appetising. Took it back it was brought back chips were warmer, peas were ok??? However not a sorry or apology of any sort!!! Bearing in mind it was £12.50 + vat not very a good way to get a good review!!

Amazing food nice service overall 10/10

Very disappointing breakfast; egg overdone, bacon underdone (even after asking for it well done). Cold mushrooms & God knows what disgusting spread they used on the 'cold' toast, it tasted like Savlon. Horrible sachets of overly sweet brown sauce. Couldn't wait to queue to complain, so never again! Sad, because it used to be so nice.

The café inside the garden centre is nice, offering well-priced and decent savoury food and cakes. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the staff are friendly. It's a nice spot for a quick bite or a small lunch. We had jacket potatoes.

9 am, serving staff seemingly un interested, we ordered scrambled eggs. It was tasteless and of a gelatinous consistency, so diluted that I wonder if it was a premix in a carton or even powdered egg. Very disappointed.

Went in with my mum and dad and you son who’s 3 years old - ordered two large hot chocolates one of which I asked to be extra hot please, and two regular hot chocolates one with cream and marshmallows, paid and once paid checked with the lady that one of the hit chocolates was to be extra hot as I never heard her rely this to the young girl that was making the drinks. While waiting at till for drinks to be made eventually the young girl placed hot chocolates on the counter to which I asked which is the extra hot hot chocolate please, she gave me a look of what the hell you asking about and then proceeded to feel all the cups with both hands and looked at me and said they are hot, I then repeated but I asked for one to be extra hot to which she looked at me with a blank face and said well yay and what do you want me to do about that !!!! I stood there and just waited as I personally did not want to reply to her how I was thinking to reply and she just walked away !! The lady who served me was aware I’m sure of the fact that she knew she had not relayed over the fact even though I had said twice that one hot chocolate was to be extra hot, she came over to the girl and asked what’s wrong something was said and the lady who served me said what drink I wanted extra hot to which I replied like I had said to yourself previously twice ! The large hot chocolate she said nothing and told the girl well this got chocolate will have to be thrown and then went and they both together did a extra hot hot chocolate for me by which point I’m sore the other drinks where Luke warm 😬 after getting the order I had asked for I then had to ask for the marshmallows as I had none on my sons hot chocolate I would not mind but that was £4something alone compared to one small hot chocolate without the cream or marshmallows at £3 something …. I eventually get back to the table with the drinks feeling rather wound up that my hard earned money that I was spending and had handed over o ot to get very bad attitude from the girl serving up the drinks, o do not usually leave reviews but this so what left a bad taste in my mouth and if it was not for my mum dad and son I would have told the young girl what she could exactly do about it man’s get a refund back ion my card !! That said if I can say something nice the hot chocolate was good but shame about staff and customer service …..

Had a lovely croissant and latte. Food lovely and hot, really nice coffee. Staff all very nice and friendly.

A great place for tea, coffee and cakes. Located inside Longacres garden centre, with indoor and outdoor seating. Can have long queues during busy lunch and weekend times. Scones, cakes and pastries are delicious. Not the cheapest place to eat though.

Just back from a meal here and the food was great, could find no faults. A special mention for Sam our waitress who made us very welcome and looked after us. Would certainly recommend this place for a meal.

Good food at reasonable prices . Well organised system of getting food out nice and hot . Love it here and good for all . Toilets available which is a bonus . A good selection of table sizes . Outside seating available

Visited with elderly grandparents for lunch and had a lovely time. Lunch was lovely and tasted so fresh. We had no room for dessert but we will next time as the cakes looked soo good. Lovely restaurant and added bonus of walking around the garden centre before lunch to build up your appetite and afterwards to burn it off! Highly enjoyable.

I have a disability child and he always likes to sit in the same table, all I have to do is ring up and he reserves it for him, the manager Laurence and the chef geoff, always comes out to see him, always smiles, I take all my friends in, and they say how much they love it, I am in there every week

We eat there regularly and the food and service is great. Staff are willing to have a conversation and it makes the experience a highlight on what can be a boring trip to a garden centre. I look forward to going there now.

4 of us ate lunch there today, 2 had sausage & mash, 1 had scampi & chips & the 4th had quiche with new pots & salad. All very fresh & tasty. Thank you.

Situated inside the garden shop. It's big with indoor and outdoor seating areas. Food is good but a bit on the expensive side.

Way over priced for what you get and not the best quality. 2 of us got the set breakfast and it was okay, not great. My partner got just 2 tiny 5p size mushrooms on his plate and I got about 10, no consistency on portions. Food was bland

Used to do lovely sandwich platters presented with lovely salad. Now it's a cardboard box sandwich with a little plastic tub of so called salad. Still charging for platter.

This was my first time visiting even the garden centre on recommendation from a friend. (I was at another local garden centre at the time, which I left to come here.) The cafe is really nicely decorated & attractive- welcoming. I only wanted a coffee and a snack. Walked in and immediately greeted by a selection of cakes. I had a brownie of some kind, with gold top. Not sure if the flavour, I didn’t look at that or the price. Maybe caramel? Went round the counter, having a look at everything available. Some hot food items were on the counter, I believe for you to help yourself to. Got to the coffee counter, where you also pay for your items. By now I’d also picked up a water & a bag of crisps. I ordered a flat white coffee. The lady serving was very nice. The coffee was made nicely. Around £8.80 for the 4 items. Went and sat down not too far from the counter. Could over hear the team talking, not an issue as they were discussing work and the weekend. It was nice to see a team communicating professionally. I’d definitely visit again.

The service standard and quality of food was great. Quiche and chips good value I was there at lunch time

I fancied a cooked breakfast when visiting the garden centre so I was pleased to see that they offer one. However, I can’t eat egg, it makes me gag. I’m not allergic to it, I just can’t stand it. So I asked if they could request that the kitchen replace the egg with an extra hash brown. I have made this polite request every time I’ve had a cooked breakfast and until today I’ve yet to encounter a kitchen incapable of such a task. However, at this cafe I was told that this was not possible? I asked why and was told ‘it can’t be done’? Then another colleague joined in and explained that it’s ‘head office company policy’ not to substitute items on the breakfast. I asked her if she realised how ridiculous that sounded and she kind of agreed! Apparently they can leave off the egg and charge the same for 5 items in lieu of 6, but substitutions are impossible? Why be so difficult? I wasn’t asking the chef to diffuse a bomb or perform keyhole surgery, I wasn’t asking them to replace the egg with fillet steak, just something else that they already offer. Needless to say I gave up and didn’t bother with breakfast, I just had tea. This complaint is not aimed at the staff, they were politely following ‘company policy’ and they looked a bit embarrassed about it. They should trust the staff to use their initiative and allow them to be flexible, it would benefit them and their clients. There are plenty of other places in Ashford that serve breakfast.

Quick service food well presented and hot Service great and lovely food Plus price wise very good Very clean

Went for brekkie. Menu bored offers ‘6 item breakfast’. With a note ‘ask your server to add extras’. Sorted I thought. Oh no. No no no. Got to the till. Asked for the breakfast option. Asked if wanted to add toast for 60p. Yes please. I asked can I say what I wanted as my choices. ‘There is no choice. Or swapping. It’s a set breakfast’. Hmmm. Ok. Customer care clearly not your thing love. I changed my mind to the burger. Do I want cheese and salad? Yes please I say. We wait and the food comes quick. No cheese or salad on my burger. Was very dry. Apart from the yummy hair. The cutlery was filthy. Old food left on the forks. Lovely. Checked my receipt. And I had still paid for my toast! So in the end paid £1.20 for the wife’s one slice of bread. Bargain! Staff walking around with their phones in hand or in back pocket. Wasn’t expecting fine dining. But at least try and show some want to please. To be fair, once said ‘customer care’ queen was ‘removed’ from the service line, the 2 more senior members took control and you could see the difference. All in all, lesson learnt. Don’t hold high hopes and you may be ok

We use this garden centre quite a lot ........as it is actually a proper garden centre ! it sells good quality plants and trees. It has a big selection of garden tools and implements ......in fact all you need for the garden........ at reasonable prices.....plus it has other interesting concessions.........as apposed to the centres that are really a series of expensive concessions geared to people who want a latte in a posh cup and to buy a pair of pink spotted gardening gloves to snip flowers in their imaginary rose garden....... So for true gardeners this is a real cafe .....good food , polite staff very clean..and very safe.......does a good breakfast or bacon sandwich!

My Husband and I just experienced the unpleasant task of trying to eat fruit scones that tasted like uncooked lumps of grey Garden clay !! Yeeuk ! We would have complained but felt sorry for the staff as they were so busy. The Coffer however was awesome. 👍. No complaints there. Have the coffee but steer lead of under cooked scones would be my advice, Can’t rid myself of the taste of raw flour and baking powder.

Lots of the food looks great to be fair ..... but I’m a stickler for details and quality !!! Do not order the scrambled eggs !!! It’s cooked in a square container until it’s the consistency of rubber then cut up in chunks and laid on the toast .... 100 percent the worst scrambled eggs I’ve ever seen or tasted in my life !!! If you like rubber then you will be fine .

We'd been for a super, much needed massage not too far away and wanted to finish it off with a light lunch nearby. Knowing the Covid measures were causing problems and most resturants were still operating on reduced hours, we weren't sure what was available. We did however know that the Garden Centres were open and plumped for visiting Bybrook Barn. We hadn't been for a couple of years and were surprised and delighted by the new layout. Even more delightful was the food. We both opted for the Bacon, Brie & Cranberry Pannini. I thought it was a bit steep at £6.70 untli we discovered it came with chips, coleslaw and a salad. Foregoing the salad, we tucked into a delicious, if slighty hot, meal. The chips (if you've read any of my earlier reviews I'm a bit of a connoisseur) were perfect. Just how I love them, crispy on the outside and soft, begging to be devoured on the inside - which I did. They'd even removed the rind from the bacon. Thank goodness. It was quite amazing because at that moment my sister & brother-in-law turned up as we were finishing and we got to see their food too. The jacket potato with coronation chicken is definitely my next dish on my next journey to Ashford.

Breakfast was terrible and tasteless. Eggs not cooked, cold beans and sausage. One breakfast arrived and the other was 10 mins behind. Wouldn’t not recommend.

Went to longacres for lunch 25/01/2020 thought we would try the fish & chips must admit to having not a lot of expectations it's really a fish shop thing but when it was served it was one of the best we have eaten everything really hot & stayed hot if you haven't tryed it you must buy leave some for us

A refit has made this a really nice place to go. It’s nicely laid out and has a good food selection. In the summer there is an excellent outside area with a pond/lake to sit by. A a great improvement on previous.

this is one of my most favorite resturants 2 x breakfasts for £8.50 you cant go wrong quick service with a smile staff are so helpful the best cappichino in ashford you must visit

Went and had afternoon tea with friends. I must say for the price it was excellent value. Tasty sandwiches even smoked salmon. A good selection of sweet treats and of course scones jam and proper clotted cream. Coffee was good. It was as good as much more expensive 'hotel' offerings - go on treat yourself!

The breakfast is amazing value for money , the portions are generous and the food is always served piping hot . The sausages are good quality which is always a good thing !When I come with family 2 breakfasts for £8.50 is a bargain . The Cafe is clean and light and the staff are friendly .The outside area is excellent. There is a small children’s play area and sand pit . The pond is beautiful and there is a little 20p slot machine to buy food for the ducks , which my toddler loves. The aquarium staff are particularly helpful and the pet area has a huge range of items .Even if gardening is not your thing , Longacres is well worth a visit.

Could not believe the full English breakfast choice for the price quoted. 6 items of your choice for under £6. Portions were good too

Some one told us the food here was very good so today 18th may we went for breakfast. The food was excellent hot & well cooked the restaurant was very clean & tidy the lady's taking the orders & making drinks were happy & smiling the youngsters waiting table were the same smiling & friendly so if you haven't been go and try it certainly be back against PS to add all the food cakes bread pies look tempting

I have visited this venue several times now for either Lunch or Breakfast and been satisfied each time. All meals are cooked fresh to order and have always been enjoyed, although the fried bread can be a bit crispy at times. It seems popular as it is always is busy. As I will be returning again soon that is the best review I can give.

Went for lunch, obviously a busy time. Staff appeared, stressed, long faces. Ordered 2 cooked meals at 12.34 hrs & 2 pots of tea. Found table & sat, drank tea, not very hot. Waited ..33mins later meals arrived, no apology for delay, food obviously been sitting under heated area, eggs dried, meat pie dry, pastry hard. Neither plates of food very warm food quality poor. Due to long wait & an appointment to keep no time to seek out manager/supervisor to complain. Should have been advised re delays upon ordering.

My friends and I regularly visit this restaurant for morning coffee or afternoon tea, it is so much improved with the new owners.

Superb scones , usually 3choices plus pastries and cakes. Very child friendly with plenty of comfortable seating.

This is one of my fave places for a coffee and delicious cake. Pleasant seating area and staff are lovely - especially the lady who carried the soup for me (she obviously recognised a calamity in the making).

Usually have breakfast which is excellent. Sunday lunch very disappointing, all veg is frozen, good amount of meat but Luke warm food with hot gravy. Won’t return for lunch disappointed no puddings available. I will stick to breakfast in the future.

My son and I had the full English breakfast 2 for the price of one, very enjoyable, this restaurant has a good selection and is well worth a visit

visited on 4th nov had afternoon tea WOW great value for money best afternoon tea my wife and i have had defiantly recommend you try it

This is a lovely clean restaurant. Food is always good. We have breakfast but other food looks lovely. We never have to wait long for our food. Staff very good.

Totally enjoyed having lunch here, we ate outside and watched our grandson play in the small paly area provided. Food was good and staff were amicable Good place to visit

First time for 2 x coffees and sausage roll £7.99 at the bybrook barn refurbished cafe. Really like the look and feel as they have put a lot of effort into the new look and it has less of a canteen feel. The cakes looked lovely and the site rolls where very nice. Just one tip, whilst the coffee was nice if you are caffeine sensitive it’s very strong (this is my fault for forgetting to order decaf) . Will definitely go again for a main meal next time.

Choice of cold drinks very poor... Despite milk available for teas/coffees milk shakes not an option. Abrupt attitude of staff member at cash desk and mild rain shower from leaking windows. Overall not a great visit.

Food wasn't that great when I visited.