Stables Restaurant in Mid Sussex

The catering at Wakehurst is shameful. Take today’s visit. Before 12 there was no soup. There were a few sandwiches made with white processed bread and little choice. Apparently these are delivered every couple of days. We ended up with a scone each which wasn’t fully defrosted and still hard. That relieved us of £4 each. They didn’t even have saucers for the coffee because they said they had nobody to load the dishwasher. I know it’s a concession but both parties should be ashamed to serve such rubbish.

I was told 45 minutes before the Seeds cafe closed that I would have to take my coffee in a paper cup because "we have a lot to do before we close". If the owners don't pay the staff for clearing up after the cafe closes shame on them. If the staff are too lazy to do their job properly shame on them. Food and drink from the catering industry has become increasingly expensive over the last few years so the least I expect is a proper cup for my coffee. I hope Wakehurst are considering whether to continue this franchise.

Absolutely dreadful! Quality of food diabolical not worth £8 for a ciabatta. Really a total let down for such wonderful venue, Wakehurst and Kew should be ashamed. £8 for an uncooked, bland and totally unimaginative sandwich is a joke. Rest of food on display not on par with a setting such as Wakehurst.

After a very enjoyable walk around the estate yesterday we stopped at the cafe for a drink and piece of cake, I think it’s fair to say that the cafe at Wakehurst has never been particularly cheap but in the past it’s always represented reasonable value for money, Yesterday however this was not the case. I chose a piece of Raspberry and Pistachio Tiffin which cost something like £3.75. The triangular portion of cake I was served was about half the size of what one might reasonably expect to be given in a cafe such as this or at a National Trust property. I estimate the size to have been around 9cm square so that works out at a cost of about 42p per square cm. This is more expensive than the most exotic cake that can be brought at Selfridges or Borough Market and to be blunt is taking the piss. I am not a cheapskate and don’t expect something for nothing but I do expect value for money. The cake tasted okay but was nothing special. Ditto for the coffee. Next time I’ll just buy a coffee, take my own cake, and sit outside.

Excellent, friendly service, great food by Simon and staff and served by his helpful mother and staff. Korean chicken and potato wedges absolutely delicious. Lots of salad choices, and jackets etc an absolute find! Well done.

Once again this resturant has left me bereft of words, my husband and I had coffee before our walk and I have seen better swill. The coffee was disgusting, that is if they used any actual coffee. Along with this, what was in the cup was cold. Also it amazes me that a black Americano is the same price as a cappuchino

Choice of food was stodgy and uninspiring. No salads, Not worth visiting. Water one-time cups were not recyclable. Not worth the visit.

Clearly from the reviews they have good days and not so good days. We must have gone on a good day because we found nice food and good service and they take cash!

Have used stables a few times, on this occasion extremely angry. If you do not have a card they refuse service. Cash is not accepted. No signs so wasted time queuing. Since when was cash not legal tender.

Had lunch when visiting the gardens; it was nice, tastly but rather expensive. There are a lot of tables indoors and out but the day was busy and seating was at a premium.

We love Wakehurst and especially during this pandemic have found solace in the beautiful surroundings. BUT BE WARNED - take your own lunch unless the idea of paying nearly £6 for a dry and tasteless sandwich from the cafeteria appeals to you. I am all for supporting struggling businesses at this time but this was outrageous. NT properties charge around 4.50 for a sandwich made with decent bread and generously filled with tasty ingredients and I imagine they are suffering just as much financially.There really is no excuse for this level of exploitation

We decided to have a eat inside meal as a treat. The order was so messed up it become so stressful. I’d never eat there again. Also The toilets were flooded and bins overflowing.

We love everything about Wakehurst except for the main restaurant. We had high hopes for an improvement after the recent refurbishment but sadly, it is much the same. Basic food of poor quality, completely overpriced. It is such a pity as Wakehurst is such a beautiful, special place. Best to take a picnic!

Very dry sandwiches, for the price I thought they could spare a bit of butter or spread. Coffee ok. We had to abandon the first table we chose as the table lurched when we put the food down and we just saved it from crashing to the floor. The wrapping of the sandwiches had some indecipherable initials, which we supposed were the allergens. We had fun trying to puzzle out what they meant. Good job neither of us had a life threatening allergy. I don't think this restaurant is run by the NT, but they need to sort it.

Having visited many times, I am always concerned by the uncovered food. Today hot meals were on the hot shelf and being enjoyed by flies. We pointed this out to the lady serving who gave a cursory flap in their direction.. some of the cakes were covered but some scones were also tempting to the flies.This is a stunning gardens but I would not eat there! It is clean and tidy but only beverages in summer.

There are a couple of cafes at Wakehurst and this is the better, also offering a wider selection of hot food. The staff at both were very helpful and friendly. As it was such a sunny day, we opted for sandwiches. My reuben (pastrami and pickle, with cheese) was excellent at £4.95. A diet coke was £1. A small bottle of water was £1.60, but there are plenty of places to obtain drinking water in the restaurant. We also went back from afternoon tea, which was a more modest £6.65 for two scones, butter, jam and cream, together with a large pot of tea. I am not sure if the price was reduced to celebrate National Cream Tea Day. My only quibble about the venue is the gents loo stank and needs attention, please!

The gardens were beautiful as always however, afterwards we decided to have a special treat and grab a hot chocolate before going home.5 of us and all went for the additional topping of cream and marshmallows. 55p extra on top of £2.50. Bemused by Bill and queried. Now charging 55p for cream and another 55p for marshmallows per cup. The sign does not state this!Certainly will be avoiding in future.Also daughter wanted 3rd lunch so got her an over priced sandwich roll. Looked lovely but not tasty as full of cheap spread / margarine that killed off the taste of everything else

Needing some refreshment after walking 75% of the gardens, we ordered our coffee's and cake and sat outside on the wooden tables.Delicious cakes, there was a good menu available, and it was was most enjoyable to eat outside with a little break in the clouds.Value for money.

The food is like cardboard, and tastes like stale cardboard. Overall, a very sad experience. The dining area is nice, but not taken care of. It is just a very sadly dead place.

Having had a good walk we popped in for early lunch and tried the cauliflower curry and a quiche with vegetables. Frankly the curry was dry, mushy and tasteless and the potatoes with the quiche yesterday's fry up. Coffee ok and cakes / scones looked OK which is where I wish we had stayed.

The Mansion restaurant was fully booked for lunch, so we went next door to the Stables restaurant. It was very disappointing, set as it is in a beautiful location in a Jacobean house in the rolling 500 acres of breathtaking Wakehurst gardens. Boring, formulaic mass catering with a mis-placed and unjustified upmarket cache. There are the usual problems with the self-service style approach to food, so expect long queues at busy times, with your food being cold when you have paid and sat down.We had the Sunday roast (choice of beef or chicken) which was very uninspiring. The beef had little flavour, was carved so it was pink in the middle (fair enough) but dried-up on the outside (being kept warm as a whole joint under a serving lamp). The chicken was unseasoned. Yorkshire puddings were overcooked, etc. Given the beautiful location and the generally well-healed clientele, this could and should be so, so much better.The staff are pleasant and the manager tries hard, by the whole thing needs a rethink and some new direction.

We ate lunch here - poor quality, tasteless quiche with tired, uninspired salad for £22.20 (for 2). Our pot of tea was accompanied by dirty cups and on returning them it appeared that all cups were dirty. A member of staff said there was a problem with the dishwasher. What about filling a sink with water and washing dishes if this was the case? Cutlery was also suspect and was stored in drawers full of crumbs. Not impressed and will pack a picnic next visit.

It's a fairly new area and is self serve you can a good meal with its produce sourced locally with a glass of wine. There is also a children's menu.

Poor Poor Poor I tried a coronation chicken roll which was virtually dried out with very very little chicken. The cup of coffee was the worst I'VE HAD FOR YEARS AND THE CHEESE AND CHIVE SCONE WAS VIRTUALLY RAW AND ACCOMPANIED BY A GREASY SPREAD RATHER THAN THE 'BUTTER' ANNOUNCED ON THE LABEL. Wont ever use the place again Good Luck

Most of the cooked food was unattractive and turned out to be inedible, and sandwiches and drinks are priced extortionately. We will definitely visit the gardens again, but we will call first at a supermarket.

We went into this restaurant as part of a visit to wakehurst place expecting the normal good quality national trust restaurant. What we got was of very poor quality and vastly overpriced. The scone was pappy and virtually inedible and overpriced, the Victoria sponge whilst ok again overpriced and finally to cap it the tea was horrid as it had not been made with boiling water. We will take sandwiches and a flask next time.

Pensé que iba a dar a este restaurante una última prueba después de experiencias decepcionantes en el pasado. Mi bollo de pan y queso era de plomo de mi amigo, que acompañó la sopa estaba demasiado duro para comer. En anteriores visitas han sido seco y tartas sandwiches sabor irresistiblemente de margarina barata.

Una vez juré nunca antes de comer sus sándwiches nuevamente. Intenté hoy: blanco, presliced insulso desayuno decidimos buscar algún pan, atún y huevo mayonesa rellenos tanto carece de sabor. irónico, dado que están al lado de la panadería Wakehurst (pan es fácil). Esto se asocia directamente cínico la especulación; por favor eleve su juego. Quiero apoyar el restaurante como supongo Wakehurst Place recibe un corte de los beneficios.

Quería realmente Mark todo lo bueno no es normal, pero lo que hay que hacer es muy bueno y no es eso! voy bastante a menudo como es un lugar conveniente para encontrarse con un amigo para almuerzo y quizás tomar un paseo en ambiente sismotécnico Hill Gardens, navegar por la pequeña galería o incluso ir por los caminos locales. Hay una amplia variedad de sándwiches y sopa de comidas más principales y una buena tarta.

I was worried about taking a large party to eat here after reading recent reviews on here about new caterers..but needn't have worried, the food was very nice.I had stuffed Portobello mushrooms, really delicious, and about the same as gastropub prices.

Este restaurante está en un patio sensiblemente convertido establos, georgiana, supongo, con establos convertidos en zonas circundantes, las cocinas y los baños pequeños.