Nottcutts in St Albans

We were served by Emily with a smile and a greeting. I ordered a cold drink they didn’t have nonetheless I asked for a cold latte & if they could rustle up a cold ‘hot’ chocolate. We ordered a sandwich (without cucumber) but onions. The response was ‘can do’ - with a smile and no problem. The cold ‘hot’ chocolate was delicious and in case it wasn’t they made me a hot chocolate equally delicious. My faith in customer service was definitely positive and I thank Emily and her co-worker. Both ladies are a credit to the Notcutts work force. Thank you. We will be back!!!

Love the cream tea, very reasonably priced and good portions, very good service, and pleasant staff, sandwich was very tasty, the scones were very filling and the cream tasted delicious.

We went to the restaurant for lunch.The first time I had eaten there in a long time. I have to say the whole dining experience was excellent. The choice of food and quality (we just had a sandwich and coffee but you couldn’t fault it) was very good but what really made our experience memorable was the attentive service and also banter we had with the Food and Beverage Manager. Thank you Jeff!

A nice shop, although the layout is a little odd if you’ve never been before. A good selection of products at a wide range of prices, so there’s something to suit all pockets. The Cafe was nice and clean, but the ordering process took a long time and there was a long queue. The workflow around the ordering point needs to be organised better to keep up with demand. Having said that, the food and drinks were very enjoyable. All the staff were friendly and helpful.

Met friends for coffee and chat, followed by lunch. Service was excellent, they have a great team of attentive and friendly staff. The food was excellent quality and good value for money. We chatted for a couple of hours and didn't feel awkward or hurried. Will definitely be back. Thank you 😊

One of our favourite local restaurants for coffee... spacious, clean, attractive and quiet...even when busy... the staff are always attentive, friendly and welcoming. Enjoyed the Chinese New Year special dish today - delicious and hot! I am sure we will be back in the next few days!

Notcutts at St Albans has steadily improved in all respects over the past few years and you are sure of a friendly and positive welcome with assistance readily available when asked for. The horticulture team are knowledgeable and helpful with a good range of trees, shrubs and plants. The Kitchen cafe experience on our recent visit was very good. The food was excellent and served with a smile. The wait for our order to be delivered was absolutely acceptable.

Had a lovely afternoon tea with my cousins to celebrate my birthday, Sandwiches, cakes and prosecco were all delicious and we were well looked after. Fully recommend! Lovely to look around the shop afterwards and get a few nick nacks for Christmas

Coffee machine not working as was rudely advised by a member of staff who pointed to a notice. We then ordered tea's and weren't offered the option of free instant coffees . There seemed to be a lot of staff who were unaware of the customers and not a friendly atmosphere and other people also were complaining whilst we were there about the staff attitude.

Cheese scones were not cooked, fruit scones overcooked. Breakfast ciabatta was barely eidible. Egg dishes were tepid. Cook said she would check the temperature when they were returned. Very strange attitude. Fresh eggs were served on previous soggy bread after a long wait. Other customers also not happy with temperature of food, they also had the same surly response. No apology offered. Not sure who the manager is but the cafe needs sorting before they lose even more customers

A Thursday brunch a bit of a HOT affair firstly I would like to say the staff who was working lady on the till and the lady in he kitchen both working their backsides off the Que was stupid the one lady serving was so polite and seemed calm under the pressure I seriously think you need more staff as when I did get served my food arrived promptly by the chef , I asked her why so long a Que and she informed me that they was extremely short staffed !!!The food was good but I was shocked to see the chef then having to collect trays from the tables and having to go back clearly to cook and take the food out again she was very polite to a table next to me who was complaining about how hot it was I also mentioned it and she told us all that they had made the appropriate people aware and that to her knowledge it was being dealt with- Come on Notcutts 2 staff working and they was rushed off their feet on an extremely Hot day in a restaurant that was baking hot , the shop has plenty of staff but sadly not the kitchen they deserve medals Again come on Notcutts sort it out more staff and some cool air would not go a miss

Thank you for a beautiful lunch this can be very hit and miss but when the tall bubbly lady is in the kitchen the food always looks fab and tastes fab the beef was beautifully cooked and the roasties to die for she actually brought our dinners over we had a bit of a laugh it actually made dads day so thank you to the bubbly chef you always do us fab grub

went in for fathers day brunch with my family and was sceptical at first because we love to eat out at nice places. three of us had the roast dinner and it was in fact really lovely. really well cooked and great proportions. presentation was really nice. we will be in fact coming back again for sure. compliments to the staff especially the chef. five stars !!!! top quality. Kevin

Been here many times for garden centre only and often take our dog. Like the animal section and the covered outside area. But review is for the sunday fathers day lunch. really enjoyed my meal and believe me I can be fussy. But proportions and the way the food looked on the plate, you could tell the head chef knew their stuff. I would eat here again. Defo. And will be recommending to my friends. Well done. Ann

Popped in for a cuppa & late lunch. Not busy , things closing down. It was not made clear what was actually available. The chef seemed to imply that they were done for the day. After ordering we were told order was not available. Seemed to us that they just wanted to close up and not bother giving us any food. We left & did not bother. It was not closed yet but we felt it was a prob we wanted some food. Not the best customer service - won’t go back!

I've now been to the restaurant many times and apart from the covid times it has always been fully staffed with friendly people inclipuding Hamish the manager and the hard working Grace. The menu changes with the seasons and the food is always fresh. The rest of the centre is also of a good standard which is shown in the returning customer numbers. Everything is on a level which is wheelchair friendly which helps us with our disabled daughter. All in all a good place to spend time.

Good choice of food and very friendly staff. Haimish very helpful and pleasant surroundings Will definitely go again

Visited this garden centre restaurant yesterday. Great lunch, good service cheerful staff. Food was served quickly with a smile, no rush to leave all in all a very good find. Linda Jennings.

Went there for lunch Saturday. Ordered 2 x ciabatta with chips , one with salad and coffee. After 25 minutes, enquired when we would be served our lunch. replied 'soon'. after 50 mins requested refund and left without being served lunch. No excuse or apology...

Hi Hamish. I recently booked lunch in the restaurant for a Wheathampstead social group. Thanks for making us so welcome. We were impressed with the customer service, food, and value for money. Will recommend the fish and chips.

We have never been disappointed. Coffee lovely. Great breakfast. And smashing Sunday lunch. Yet to try a 🎄 dinner but hopefully treat myself soon

Food was awful sausage and mash worst I have ever eaten stooge smash not mash 3 small burnt sausages and some hard peas obvs chef Microwave!

Quite a pleasant garden centre with a good selection of plants and gardening requirements, like all nursery's things appeared a little on the expensive side. I just felt that it was no better or worse than any other nursery I have visited

Went to Nottcuts today, needed about £200 of sprinkler and hose bits, stood around as no staff to unlock the bits I needed, walked the whole length of the indoor area twice looking for help, found non. Gave up and went to check out with...

Ordered cheese scones but they were raw in middle and very hard on outside . Changed them for fruit scones which were cooked but hard and dry certainly not fresh. For the price this was not acceptable and certainly won’t be back.

The garden centre was very pricey but we decided to stop for some lunch. The cafe was almost empty so we were surprised at how long it took to actually get our food. We waited for a while then caught the eye of someone who...

Visited this week with my elderly mother. Very limited menu, nothing cooked available, just tea cakes and scones etc., fair enough, but the scones were not good at all, very dry and hard on the outside, did not taste fresh at all. In fact as...

Food wasn't great, your average garden centre grub. The most disappointing and weird encounter was the waiter throwing chips on our table and slamming down the trays, while chipping the plates and damaging our food. Another member of staff apologised on his behalf; however it...

I was shocked to discover that the 2 for 1 meals and 2 free hot drinks per month for Privilege members has now been stopped. Honestly the cafe is overpriced, the food very average and the cafe itself has no atmosphere - I would never...

We have previously eaten here and often enjoyed both the service and the food at this well regarded garden centre. While appreciating the necessary restrictions on social interaction both the food and the service were disappointing.The lack of atmosphere and ambiance will keep us away...

Having business in the area I spotted Notcutts on my way out of town. There social distancing was quiet good but I was disappointed by the meal I ordered what they call a bacon chop! I expected something the size of a gammon steak but...

We went at Christmas and it was beautiful. The displays are lovely. We had a cup of tea and piece of cake in the restaurant. It was clean and had plenty of seating. The car park is right outside the building so easy access

A very wet day, so we headed to Notcutts for a bite of lunch and a good chat Great food and good service Smashing refurb @ StA Notcutts

Called in before Xmas to look for Christmas bits so tried the restaurant, we ordered bacon sandwich each and 2 coffees - £12+ a tad dear i thought but never mind.The restaurant wasn't at all busy but we waited 15minutes then our sandwiches turned up and they were cold so you dont need to be Einstein to work out that the sandwich have just sat there and no one thought to bring them over. We didn't complain because we didn't want to wait around wasting any more time.Hope this is a one off.

Lovely refitted part of shop and cafe. Met a friend specifically for lunch as the food used to be good. I’m sure the refit has come at a hefty price but it seems like they are trying to finance it from cutting corners in the cafe. In the queue looking at the warm pastries, sausage rolls etc were so pale they looked half baked. We both opted for spiced butternut squash soup. It arrived being passed over a high partition for us to take on something resembling a piece of narrow wood. My soup slopped out of the lidded soup coupe. My friend tried hers, looked like boiled water which had been poured away from cooked boiled butternut squash. Clear and consistency of boiled water with orange bits floating in it. Hers was cold, I didn’t want to put any of mine in my mouth to even try so took it straight back. Handed both over they were taken in to kitchen and I just stood there. Lad subsequently refunded me and then I thought ok well we’ll have another try and have sandwiches. Paid. At that point a lady came up with her plate with an egg mayonnaise sandwich complaining that the bread was rock hard and there was no filling inside. She was right. So then I asked for a refund for the sandwiches I’d just paid for and we left for the Farm Shop Cafe just a hundred yards up the road. Good food brings customers in to Nurseries all year round. You’ve put up your prices and reduced the amounts and quality. While we were in queue we also watched the kitchen count out chips for the fish, chip and mushy peas plates. Stacked counted chips (by then cold) ensures you save money by serving less but you’re a cafe and it was £11.

We both enjoyed browsing thru the Christmas decorations etcDecided to stop 4 a spot of lunchWe chose the same thing - festive turkey wiv stuffing n cranberry sauce in a toasted brioche bun served wiv roasties carrots parsnips n gravyFor dessert we had Viennese whirl topped mince pies n coffeeAll quite delicious

Has lunch whilst garden centre is being refurbished. Sandwiches great & good selection of gluten free options. Down side..... our friend had a small dog and was happy to sit in outside seating area with dog but staff asked her to leave as no dogs allowed! So very unhappy with garden centre policy and they have now lost 4 potential future customers!

Called in for a working lunch The StA store was enjoying a much needed makeover I had a coronation chicken 🥖, whilst my friend had 🥔 with 🍤 in Marie Rose sauce We finished up with fresh 🍰& ☕️ All v good

Great Breakfast. My partner had the vegetarian version and she thoroughly enjoyed her veggie-sausages. Friendly and attentive service. It can get rather crowded and busy with families around lunch time, but is quite and peaceful outside busy times.

Had a great lunch here - food excellent and good value. Staff friendly. Indoor and outdoor seating available. Plenty of free parking and of course you can take a look round the garden centre. Will return

Not a very good experience, the staff were almost unfriendly, not a smile between them, the lunch was mediocre the atmosphere non existent

Popped in for a quick lunch on the way back from shopping in Hatfield. Quite busy on a Tuesday lunchtime. Menu is jacket potatoes, sandwiches and a few main meals.We had toasted tuna melt and cheese and onion 'ciabatta' (it wasn't) with chips. Okay but not a lot of cheese and not overly hot although service was quite quick and there was no queue to order. Chips were okay.Average sort of price - so not a bargain

I find like all garden centres the food is over priced, I would say that the food was ok but it seems to take an age. understaffed as with all retailers

We decided to take a very good friend to Notcutts Restaurant for a good meal. But we were really embarrased by what was offered.We arrived at 12.30pm.There were only 4 items on the main course (that is it, just 4 items).There was soup (one of those strange flavours)There were no Jacket Pots (even though they were on the menu)And there were some sandwiches.But for us it was the Main menu we wanted and there was just 4 items. It was a very poor choice,We did speak to a member of staff but was told that unfortuantely I am not the first to complain, but that complaints always fall of deaf ears with the manager.I would not go back there again.

So - on the spur of the moment - popped into Nottcutts for lunch. The bill came to £18.00 for a bland cheese and tomato toastie an anemic panini , 1 x coffee and one coke. Think I will take her to M and S next time it will be cheaper!! Amazingly the cafe was busy - won’t be back. - dreadful value for money.

Popped in for a hot drink whilst visiting garden centre. Long queue but joined it hoping it would move quickly....wish I hadn't! I only wanted two hot chocolates, and I was in the queue for 15 minutes! The drinks were lukewarm and tasteless, the tables had not been cleared and customer service was nonexistent! These guys need to up their game.

Have been to their restaurant many times and always been happy, i have to be gluten free and enjoy their chicken pies, but today there was only quiche or jacket potato option for me, I chose the jacket potato, after a long wait my food turned up and the jacket potato was cold, so I took it back, they microwaved it and I went back to the table as my husbands lunch turned up unfortunately his chips were cold so they went back, my grandaughter fish was cold but we gave up by this time, very disappointed after having such good food in the past

We found some of the staff very helpful especially a chap in the restaurant, he was fantastic as I have to be gluten free he was so helpful, unfortunately although the staff have always been helpful, today we saw some water features that were reduced and asked a chap for prices and to make sure they worked, as they had been left to the elements he said they couldn't test them as all the plug sockets were being used, lost sale!!!! As he said i could buy one but no guarantee it would work, very disappointed, obviously not interested in selling it to me, shame as most of the staff room really nice

We often visit Nottutts Garden Centre, near St Albans and take advantage of the members free coffee, it’s an excellent loyalty scheme, being rewarded with good free coffee’s, my kind of reward. We often would have breakfast at weekends, their breakfast at 2 for £6 is excellent value, it's good food, cooked to order and served quickly. However, whether staff changes or costs cutting, the portions got smaller, but still good vale, but the meals began to suffer, they weren’t up to their normal standards so we said to staff hoping they would take it as a positive comment rather than a complaint. We haven’t eaten there for a while and then noticed on our last visit there was a new restaurant manager and decided to try again their breakfast, it was so good and we missed it. We were sadly disappointed, the food selection was good, the quality good, the price two breakfasts for £6 still excellent value, the downfall was it was lukewarm. Others felt the same. Perhaps it’s us, there’s a lot of people still use the restaurant, and seem happy, decide for yourselves, read other reviews. Sadly we won’t be visiting for food again in the future, at least meals. The restaurant is disabled friendly and plenty of room to move round if you need walking aids or use wheelchairs, with a disabled toilet near the tills, the normal toilets are on the first floor. Still recommend the coffee and cakes though.

We were getting some Christmas presents at the nursery & decided to have lunch in their restaurant. We both opted for jacket potato which turned out to be an excellent choice. Nice & hot with a soft inner. Most enjoyable. Would recommend them to anyone.

Often stop for a cup of tea here as it's a good cup and the restaurant is comfortable. Today I made the mistake of having a sandwichTuna mayo on brown. The filling did not reach the edges, the sandwich was cut unevenly in half and the 2 pieces plonked on top of each other on a warm plate. The side salad had slimy lettuce at the bottom and for this I was charged £5.95.Very disappointed at thisI'll stick to just a cup of tea in future

Not the best garden centre in the area and often some of the plants look half dead. I buy very little there after, last year finding my garden chairs and food covers were much cheaper in Ayletts. The coffee isn't that good, it's machine made and 3 times I've gone in for coffee and the machine has broken down. For £10 a year you can get a card and get 10 per cent off everything, plus 2 teas or coffees a month and 3 times a year get two for one meals, but I've never eaten there, I once had a scone and it stuck to the roof of my mouth like glue!, there is an older lady in the cafe, usually on the till, who is always very nice and they do have newspapers.

As I've said its a good garden centre but could offer more. Something similar to van Hages which has the little train / animals or a mini soft play area such as Maidenhead

Visited the café at Nottcutts Garden Center early one afternoon. There was a poor selection of cakes available, coffee was from a cup to bean machine and the service was slow.The Hot chocolate was too weak and not pleasant to drink. Tables were not being cleared – we had to clear our own table. We never saw staff clear a table whist we were there. By the time we left people were consuming food and drinks on table with dirty items as no room left to move items elsewhere.Have now visited a few times in the afternoon and the above problems existed on each visit; therefore will probably not visit again.The outside (south facing, but shielded by a hedge) seating area looked nice.

Well, my steak and ale pie was great. It was all cooked beautifully with lots of tender meat and gravy. OK, you don't often get shortcrust pastry these days but the flaky pastry top was acceptable. I could not fault the potato mash with other vegetables served with the pie. By the way, the seating is extremely comfortable which is a bonus for older people!

We went to take advantage of the two meals for one offer for loyalty members. Ordered the steak and ale pie and wished we hadn't. The pastry and the meat only made contact with each other seconds before reaching us, but I am used to that. However the steak was so heavily salted that I found it impossible to eat. It was served with a very watery, tasteless mashed potato, and heavily overcooked, mushy vegetables. The cappuchino was, however, excellent! If we had had to pay full price, we would have returned them, but hesitated to do this with an offer, perhaps we should have done.Nottcutts Cafe is fine for a cuppa and a piece of cake, but I will think twice before eating a main meal in there again.