Heywood Buffet in Shepway

Food was bland and disappointing, though it looks like they are trying to make up for it with quantity. Seems the chef doesn't want to be there. If you order sausage roll with fries, it will cost you £9. If you order it separately, it will be £7. That is, unless they give part of your order to someone else and then tell you they don't have any more, even though you already paid and been waiting for 10 minutes for the food. Just go anywhere else and you'll have better rating experience

Good spot for a light snack. Pleasant staff. You can watch the trains go by!

Clean & tidy.helpful staff .nice choice of food not overly expensive

They only have limited menu and not any cooked food. Good for a tea/coffee and a snack. There is plenty of seating. There is parking outside.

who dose,nt like steam trains then getting a nice hot tea and a bit to eat there bacon and sausage baguette is well worth having 3 bits of bacon and 2 sausages brill

We had breakfast here. - The mushrooms were cold. The beans luke warm the other items just about hot. Would not eat here again. Staff not very polite. We have eaten here in previous years and not had a problem with food but the standards seem to have fallen

We stopped here on our day out on the RH&D railway for our lunch. The menu is quite basic, which included sandwiches, soups, pies, pasties, jacket potatoes, cakes etc. with hot and cold drinks, but it was all reasonably priced. The staff were all very friendly and helpful and the restaurant clean and airy, everything you could expect from what is a railway buffet.

Very friendly and helpful staff and quick service also reasonable priced situated at an excellent railway will be back when in the area

If you go here with low expectations for good quality food and an acceptance of unsurprisingly high prices for a tourist attraction you can’t go far wrong. It surpasses both with incredible ease. Having avoided this place for 2 years or so after a disappointing visit previously I thought it might be worth a revisit. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Nothing’s changed in all honesty. And that’s following scathing criticism from that visit. Avoid the pasties. How on earth they can be called ‘Cornish’ Pasties is a very good question because nothing could be further from the truth. Certainly one of the worst ‘pasties’ I’ve ever tasted! Oh! And avoid the breakfasts too. Anything that can come out of a tin, does. There is nothing fresh, except possibly the eggs..... Avoid!

You are well catered for. The food is nice tasty and worth the cost. The trains are what we big kids come for and i have brought my family to camber sand's since 1991.and we always ride the train's

Stopped for a quick bite to eat as we had 20 mins before getting our return train back to Hythe. Basic menu but prices reasonable - tea @ £1.60 and sandwich @ £2.80 - not too bad!! Other meals coming out looked good. Would visit again

£4.60 for a double espresso (that tasted like instant) is outrageous

Basic menu but the service was very good, staff helpful and reasonably well priced. We just had hot snacks but the meals we watched being taken to tables looked very good... Good portions at good prices...

The stench alone put me off this place. Then we went in to take a look at what was available. Everything from either fried or microwaved. Not my idea of a nice lunch. The price of a sausage roll being £5ish is just astronomical!... Definitely wouldn’t recommend this to anyone! It’s a real shame as the railway is beautiful but I think they need to re-think their catering options.

If you've only time for a quick visit (first time?), then you can get a "Cafe Entry" ticket, which can act as a platform ticket after you've had your meal!

Great place to break the journey, friendly staff. Just don't expect any haute cuisine. Just standard Brit fayre.

I don't know what the negative review writers expect from places like this. This is not a restaurant as such, rather it is there to provide refreshments and lunches for people whose first interest is in the railway. In my opinion, it does this extremely well. The day we went it was incredibly cold - had been snowing day and night. The buffet was warm and friendly, the staff welcoming and helpful, and the food good and appropriate for the venue and (mostly, I guess) the clientele. There is an all-day breakfast, and a range of other hot food, which I didn't have, but the pies and pasties were hot and tasty, and the tea hot. So what if the mug had the tea bag in it? Surely people would be used to removing the tea bag themselves in self-service restaurants? It really can't be all that stewed in the 30 seconds it takes to get it to the table.. This looks to be a victim of reviewers who think they have to look for something to criticise. For us, it was delightful, and really welcome. I guess in summer it may have problems getting people through in time for the trains, and maybe separate tills for hot food and cold food/drinks would be a good idea. In winter, not so much.

It was unfortunate that the day I chose to visit, a large number of the staff/volunteers were wrapping Christmas gifts, so it was a bit chaotic. That aside, my request for a hot drink and jacket potato was dealt with promptly. The food was hot which was what I was after. I think I was the only 'visitor' in the Buffet at that time.

On a cold day, it was good to get into the warm and enjoy a nice cup of coffee and a hot snack. We were fortunate to be served inbetween trains arriving and departing and so there were no delays, otherwise it can get very busy all at once. Those who had a hot meal seemed to enjoy it, but in our party we just had hot sausage rolls and Cornish pasties which were very tasty.

Similar to the End of the Line Restaurant at Dungeness, only without the views, though it does overlook the busy platforms and there is seating outside. Queues are problematic at the Heywood Buffet, and like at Dungeness, it would be a good idea to have separate tills for hot or cold food and drinks to speed up service. The food is basic without much choice, but tasty and reasonable value for money. Cold food such as sandwiches are pre-prepared.

Refused to warm baby food for us as microwave was being used for chilli's! Went to Rod and Line fish bar instead. Much cheaper and friendlier 😁

The staff were very kind and helpful with helping to find suitable food on their menu for my partner who has Gluten and Dairy intolerances, to the point that they checked that the mayonnaise they use did not contain any diary products by checking and showing the containing that is arrives in to my partner to confirm that it would be fine. That's dedication for you and so a big thank you them for doing this.

Although called a Buffet , a wide range of meals are served .It is Exceptionally clean and the staff are friendly and hard working . There is a museum and model railway upstairs and being positioned next to platform 1 on the RH&DR is easily accessible

I can't comment on the food as we only had cold drinks and coffees which weren't bad, I've certainly had far worse. Pleasant staff.

Yo estaba visitando la RHDR y tenía un poco de tiempo para matar, así que conseguimos algo del Heywood Buffet.

Hace ya varios años hemos comido allí una o dos veces al año cuando visita la familia en la zona, ya que es muy práctico para ir con niños, y la comida es buena y abundante, pero estándar. Usted no necesita estar visitando el ferrocarril...

Un pequeño café en la plataforma. Puede ser ocupada en el tiempo antes y después de los trenes llegan y salen. Las exposiciones de arriba es interesante.

Usted puede tener que hacer cola m si llega como un tren, sin embargo, viene en su lugar para sentarse, bnice un café, un pastel o un desayuno caliente, mientras que los trenes ir y venir

Lovely clean location with good food or a quick bite. They now have an improved seating area but I could still see it getting very busy in high season.

A railway café for refreshments whilst visiting this fascinating historical railway. A good choice and no complaints with our food. Other comments say overpriced but it is in line with prices in the surrounding area. The facilities were clean and the staff friendly. Lovely surroundings with views of the trains coming and going while you are eating.

A convenient place to dine amongst steam trains, hot drinks a little overpriced, but a full menu available includind an all day breakfast, perfect for train drivers.

A very pleasant restaurant / cafe attached to the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. Had a coffee here before our train was due. They also do food. There is a model railway exhibition attached (There is a small admission fee) which is well worth a visit.

We enjoyed what they had to offer and the staff are very nice and helpful and it was real laid back. It was good to have a snack and a drink in between trains we would go back it is nice sitting watching these amazing trains go by.

stopped off while doing the train trip. Had Cornish pasties with a cup of tea. The pasties were excellent. Staff helpful. No problems

Popped in for something to eat whilst waiting for train. Was surprised at how expensive it was for just a basic snack.

Basic café food presented in pleasant surroundings. Nothing exciting or adventurous but the inner man is well catered for!

tried to buy a snack and tea between trains but had to stand in line for ages behind a dithering customer. At the time I appealed to other 3 staff but they ignored me chatting amongst themselves. My server said she was NOT a volunteer! When the food came it was hot and OK. Disappointed as the rest of the station crew were Tops>

Mugs of coffee and tea are good and hot! The sandwich selection was OK (too much pickle in the ham and pickle one though!)

had 30 mins to spend here got tea and Bakewell tart for the journey unfortunately the cake was not at its best

it's advertised as a wedding breakfast venue but I wouldn't. Had a scone there and it was dry. Not much choice if you don't want chips or something fried

Good honest food at a fair price. Lovely cup of tea. Hot & cold main meals - good choice. Childrens meals as well.

Good choice of food. Staff friendly and helpful. Not too long a wait. Clean and tidy. Lots of information leaflets of other (mostly train) attractions to read.

Well this is the first time my husband and I have enjoyed a meal here as we usually go to the café at Dungeness or Hythe. Our daughter and grandsons have had meals there many times. In spite of there being lots of people in the Buffet, we were served a delicious hot meal in a very short space of time so thank you to all the staff and volunteers for looking after us so splendidly.

Stopped here for a latte while waiting for our train. Well presented coffee and biscuit. Managed to get a table after about 15 minutes. Didn't buy any food, so I can't comment on that aspect.

I'll start off with a positive perspective..... It's better than the Light Railway Cafe at Dungeness, just.Let down by poor menu selection and shocking prices for the quality of what is on offer, quality of food (other reviewers have summarised it sufficiently), unimaginative choice of non cooked (pre-packaged) items. General lack of 'fresh' items on the menu (tinned mushrooms? Really?).Not impressed. Could do better. Must do better!

Food freshly cooked and was nice, but some items eg Jacket potatoes over priced. Ham was processed,so ingredients are brought in bulk and not home cooked.

Visited today and have a lovely lunch having travelled on the train again. Friendly staff and very quick service. Tables do need a bit of attention as the table cloths were very sticky.

Bland, tasteless food , tinned mushrooms, undercooked egg, soggy fried bread...Washrooms facilities basic but clean

The menu consisted of the usual fried breakfast, burgers, sandwiches etc. Our toddler had a cheese sandwich and my husband and I had burgers. The quality of the food was ok but not brilliant. The prices were average for an attraction. It's a bit of a weak point of the railway and has the potential to be really great with a little better quality food.

Nice and clean. Ideal for tea, coffee and a light snack/lunch. Sitting in comfort watching the trains come and go. Prices not bad.

Went here as family group for lunch, while riding the railway from end to end. Typical station cafe with very limited menu and very verge food. Smell from kitchen extractor fan gave the game away, in terms of quality. We had Cornish pasty, beans and chips. Fairly unappetizing but filling. Just about acceptable, but better to take your own picnic.

Good value food and reasonable choice. Nice atmosphere and good children's menu. Staff cheerful and welcoming.

Not a good experience at all. Very limited menu and very expensive too. The sandŵiches contain. Very little chicken or prawn. Tea stewed and over priced. Worth a miss.

Lovely staff and good quality food. Very nice atmosphere and good venue.The station is very well run and everyone was very friendly.

We did not expect too much from this cafe, but a decent cup of tea and cake would not have gone amiss. The tea is served in a cup with the hot water and a tea bag and is stewed by the time you get to the table, the cake we had was awful, for the price you should have got good tea and cake.