The Dene Restaurant in Tandridge

I visited with friends on a cycle ride for coffee and cake. Views are amazing and such a beautiful garden. Great choice of food, attentive staff and good service, prices very reasonable. We sat outside soaking up some late autumn sunshine and were reluctant to depart. Loved it here, highly recommended.

I cannot recommend the afternoon tea here highly enough. It's incredibly good value and everything we had was super tasty. Portions were large and we really enjoyed the mix of hot and cold savouries. Just make sure you give 48 hours notice to book, as requested on the website, since everything is made fresh. All served on beautiful tea sets. We couldn't eat all the treats so we were given takeaways boxes for our leftovers.

A really lovely setting. The staff are friendly and helpful. Food and drink good too. Result - we go there four or more days a week

The Dean is a beautiful place to eat, meet up with family & friends. The staff are lovely & friendly. The only thing I would say is the Menu’s need updating, it’s been the same for years. Maybe seasonal Menu’s might be the way forward. Also their Teapots are so outdated from the 60’s & 70’s the old stainless steel ones that leak everywhere when poured. They need to update these to normal ones that everywhere else use’s. Then it would be the Perfect! You can’t beat the beautiful garden outside to sit & relax & unwind.

We took friend to the Dene for afternoon tea. One of the best afternoon teas I’ve had., quiche, sausage rolls, sandwiches, brioche rolls, handmade scones, cakes and a little flower pot with berry fruit mousse topped with chocolate with a sprig of mint. Staff are friendly and attentive especially Iwona the manageress.

Went for a relaxing breakfast with my husband. Thumping music drove us away - apparently other customers like it but it rapidly made me feel ill, and my stress levels went through the roof. Menu limited but adequate. Staff polite and helpful We gave up going a while ago due to the music then went a few times and it was peaceful so extremely disappointed to find it had returned to Musial

Booked a table for a large family gathering on a Saturday lunchtime in December. The menu was simpler than we'd expected (I misunderstood the website beforehand and was therefore expecting fancier festive fare) . Nevertheless we had a perfect afternoon. The staff were attentive and helpful without being intrusive and the meal was tasty and well prepared. We will certainly be back! Remember to bring cash if you want to give your servers a well-earned tip, as they are unable to add a gratuity on their card machine.

Went for a breakfast as had passed this place many times and it look quaint and welcoming and usually busy with people. Must be good we thought. Popped in not too late with at least 30 minutes to go before breakfast finished. Staff very friendly and pleasant. We ordered a couple of full breakfasts and two hot drinks and found a nice spot outside. Within 5 minutes the food arrived. Wow we thought that was quick and that was the end of the plus points. The food is very sparse, just one of most basic items you’d expect for a breakfast. A sausage, a slice of bacon, an egg, some baked beans, a whole tomato chopped and a has brown, oh and a slice of toast. Tasted nice but nothing special. Toast on the other hand could have been used to build a structural wall, it was that hard! About three quarters of the way through the meal we had to ask if they had forgotten about our drinks which took another 5 minutes to come to us and it wasn’t even busy there. Having said this I would still like to try it for afternoon tea and cakes but breakfast again? No thanks, poor quality, poor prices for what you get and I fear losing a tooth over their toast.

After visiting many times,always been very good,today was a Failure. Although Waitress apologised and gave us a Free Coffee.The Food today was very bald.The quiche Lorraine was Damp inside & not cooked properly and the French Fries were Cold.Lets hope they improve next time we go back.The location is very beautiful,like being in a private villa..

Have been coming here for years and the food and service in the past was always a bit up and down, but now it has really improved on both counts. The menu is now very good, with excellent soups and the cheese and bacon potato skins particularly good. They are now doing roast dinners on Sundays as well, and they are lovely. The service is very friendly and welcoming too. Well done Knights Woldingham, a real improvement!

We went in for a cheese toastie at just after 11.30 only to find that it was not available until the lunch menu started at 12.00. The breakfast menu had ceased at 11.30 so not sure just what was on offer for that half hour hiatus. Strange!

We can for lunch and a coffee after I haven’t been here in a while with a friend who is new to the area, and after being greated at the door by some lovely staff members who helped us order some drinks and pick of the specials and the chalk board on what we wanted it arrived and it was honestly 10/10 everything about this place is so nice and calm, and to then walk around the garden center is fab, the food was amazing and well priced and the service was equally as good

Revisited here yesterday for my sisters Birthday treat, hoping to have an afternoon tea, which we have had before which and been great, hence just popping back without looking anything up. Unfortunately the afternoon tea on the menu doesn't start until 1st July needing to booked and pay a deposit. So back to the menu. We felt having eaten everything very average nothing special but ofcourse good money taken!! For it. The cakes were very dry, even the cup cakes could'nt be enjoyed when they are generally loved, so unfortunately not a good visit, disappointed.

Had the best afternoon tea with my family yesterday. What a beautiful hidden gem this place is, not only were we subjected so the most picturesque view and lovely weather but the staff were attentive and polite. The added bonus is the well stocked garden centre too, I will definitely be returning!!

Hubby and his mother have often been here together, each treating the other alternately. Hubby brought me here for a special occasion lunch but it must've been an off-day as my quiche pastry was overcooked on the outside (they serve individual-size quiches so there's more outside edge relative to the inside) so it was too hard to cut easily and it shattered/was brittle, so I had to leave the outside pastry, and it thus looked a mess on the plate throughout. The rest was OK, nothing to complain about except for the price which I felt was overpriced for what you got; maybe what you're really paying for is the surroundings - a nice conservatory and some nice garden places to eat al fresco. I saw the photo (worryingly far larger than life-size) of their acclaimed cream tea and liked the look of it, so maybe we'll give the place one more try. The staff were friendly, welcoming, helpful, including the trainee who took our order. Pleasant surroundings, nice staff.

My wife and I had a delicious lunch here on Saturday. The food was of very high quality and the service excellent. One downside was the choice of background music. They played a Michael Jackson greatest hit CD. Given the years of rumours and recent documentaries about him I find his music off-putting. Particularly when you hear the lyrics. Everything else, however, was splendid.

First time dining here, was such a lovely surprise to find this absolute hidden gem. We had the poached eggs with avocado on toast. The poached eggs were to perfection. The staff were very attentive and friendly. Will definitly be visiting again. Highly recommended.

Lived near by for almost 8 years and never knew this was here. Came with mum and nan and we all loved it, such a hidden gem. We will 100% return. Lovely lunch menu. Jacket potatoes/salads/toasties. really lovely staff.

I came here this morning with a friend, intending just to have coffee but as I hadn’t eaten anything earlier, decided to have breakfast as well and chose poached eggs on crushed avocado. Within minutes my food arrived and it was absolutely delicious, the eggs were cooked to perfection and as good as anything I’ve had in first class hotels. Service was attentive, efficient and swift. All in all an excellent experience. I was very glad to see that the necessary precautions in relation to Covid-19 were strictly adhered to.

We've eaten here numerous times and had some good meals some very average. I'm a severely dairy intolerant vegetarian and don't really feel I'm catered for but we like the venue and the menu suited my husband, as did the cakes that I can't touch. We tried them for breakfast the other Saturday and my husband loved it; my avocado on toast with poached egg was OK. Went back last week and the musak ( not something we've suffered from before here) was so painful to my musical husband that we ended up moving outside. We gave it a second chance today and again painful musak playing so we turned round and left. I know musical tastes vary but this cafe has not had this before. Service is very variable, some very helpful older waitresses and several disinterested young ones

We went the 'Dene' today for brunch and hadn't beenfor a while. We had 2 advocado and poached eggs on sourdough bread which were excellent. To accompany my wife had a filtered pot of egyptian mint tea which was lovely, I had regular cafitierre pot of coffee which was very nice and enough to do 4 cups!. Can't wait to come back for a lunch in the near future. We were served by a lovely dutch lady who gave excellent customer service and couldn't do enough to assist.

Its a lovely spot, but unfortunately a missed opportunity. Could be great, but is just average. I would imagine that it is subsidised by the adjoining garden centre, which explains why the food and service is just average. Staff either run off their feet or plainly ignore you when you try to get their attention. Main woman who appears to be in charge is borderline rude. They have tried to make the menu fancy, but it doesn't work - they should stick to quality basics - toasted sandwiches, filled jacket potatoes. Shame.

Food here is good, there seams to have a lot of staff, just waiting to take orders, shame the floor could do with a sweep under the table we sat at,

Worst afternoon tea ever!My partner and I love afternoon teas and we aim to go to one roughly every three weeks... we’ve been to a lot!This was BY FAR the worst and most disappointing.-greeted by staff that obviously didn’t care-received our afternoon tea before our tea... WAY before... we were sat wondering what to do while we were waiting-did not receive my partner’s coke-did not receive cutlery, condiments or sugar... had to steal from another table-had to go up to the cashier and actually ASK for our PLATES from which to eat our meal!-scones were TINY... the picture shown on tripadvisor (above) shows normal-sized scones... what we actually received were the size of golf balls-scones were dry and hard-sandwiches were stale and lacked seasoning-a single cupcake with sickly sweet icing with a dry cake element-generic and bland chocolate flapjack... I’m sorry, but these have no place in an afternoon tea!By far the tiniest, blandest and most disappointing afternoon tea we have ever had.HALF of an afternoon tea’s enjoyment is the experience, the catering, the attention... even in the small cafes and Patisserie Valerie-like places... even if they are busy, they still come to check on you... we got none of this!

Good place to have a relaxing lunch . Food is consistent and staff have always been friendly and professional, they welcome little people helping with high chairs. Some places are what you make them “ if you snooze you loses” the food can be a part of your shopping trip get yourself some lupins.

Have visited here many times, usually for breakfast or mid afternoon snack.Highly recommend the bacon on toast for breakfast!! When I visited on an occasion with a friend who needs to eat gluten free, she was impressed with the choice they had. Friendly staff, clean premises and well priced.

Waited a long time to order then even longer for our order to come. Menu selection very limited, used to be much better. Food was okay but not worth the wait! Not going back any time soon. Shame it's a lovely setting

Returned to find a very poor experience all round with poor staff attitude and quite rude really. Have fond memories of much better days and current experience will put people off, sadly.

We had a lovely lunch, Caesar salad and Brie and cranberry baguette. Staff are so nice and the venue is stunning! You can eat inside or outside. It’s so well maintained with beautiful flowers everywhere! I know people moan about a limited menu, BUT it means it’s a fresh menu and the food was lovely and fresh. thanks to the lovely ladies that served us, I didn’t see their names but lady with a bun and another lady with a dark bob working today (Thursday)

My friend and I visited this cafe-restaurant whilst halfway through out mountain bike ride. We had filled baguettes, lattes and cakes all eaten outside under the shades. The food was excellent, extremely fresh and above all, the service by Emilia was so friendly and hospitable. Emilia - you are a gem and a credit to the restaurant - thank you for making our lunch experience so great. All the best from nutty Masters swimmers Adam & Roger - Barnet Copthall :-))

The venue is lovely, and we have eaten here before when there was a reasonable selection of food. It used to be quite a busy place. This time we thought our luck was in cos there were loads of tables free> we were given the menu within 2-3 minutes - when we looked through it we assumed the waitress had made a mistake, because there was hardly anything on it (although it would appear - having read subsequent reviews - that the menu has in fact been drastically reduced). Only 1 type of sandwich - no jacket potatoes, and to be frank there was nothing particularly appetising. So we resolved to ask the waitress for the proper menu when she returned. Exept she didn't return. Neither did any other of the waitresses on duty. There were plenty of them, I could see them inside having a good old chinwag. At one point a waitress took a couple of drinks to one of the other occupied tables (only 5 or 6 tables were occupied of the many that this restaurant has). But she was absolutely studious in ignoring our efforts to catch her eye. After 15 minutes of trying to get some attention we gave up and left for one of the other options a short drive away in Caterham.I shame really because this place used to be nice, but I would strongly recommend avoiding now unless you have A LOT of time to waste. Is the food any good ? Well who knows - good luck with trying to find out.People have obviously voted with their feet given the under-occupancy and I can really see why. We certainly won't be back.

I’ve been a regular visitors here for years - the setting is lovely, the staff are friendly and the food has generally been good. However recent changes to the menu have made me have second thoughts about coming back. I don’t expect The Ritz, as The Dene has long been a lunchtime venue traditionally serving up snacks, sandwiches, jacket potatoes and light meals - but the revamp to the food selection unfortunately needs a re-think in my opinion. I’m not sure what’s behind this - probably cost cutting and higher revenue (the prices have gone up at the same time) but the over all feeling is that things have been “dumbed down” and the customer is getting less but paying more for it. Which is a shame. Let’s hope the owners don’t make the same changes at their other establishment.

I've reviewed this place before and rated it highly for its good selection of food, good value and lovely location. BUT we went this weekend to find the choice on the menu has been cut by at least half (could be two-thirds) and the prices have been raised considerably. As an example, kids sandwiches - only two choices (ham and egg mayo) and cost £4.25 for HALF a round. Coke has almost doubled in price for a smaller drink. Really disappointing. Service very slow too. We didn't seem to be the only ones talking about it either. This place WAS a gem that we could take the kids to, sit outside and have a lovely lunch and it was good quality and good value. We left yesterday disappointed with the choice (only a couple of sandwich options for grown-ups too), completely underwhelmed by the service and feeling ripped off. It's off our list of lunch spots now. Such a shame.

Very underwhelming on this visit. Waitress not helpful when we were asking questions. Scone with cream tea had been microwaved so was heavy and dense and very large....but not enough cream and jam to go with it. I shall not be hurrying back.

Last week, myself, wife, son & mother in law visited the garden centre for the first time & decided to have lunch in the "restaurant". It wasn't overly busy and there appeared to be plenty of staff on hand. First of all for a restaurant I thought the menu was quite limited, ranging from a variety of sandwiches, Jacket Potatoes, an all day breakfast & a few other alternatives including a soup of the day. We were seated in the conservatory extension & quite quickly the menus were brought to our table by one of the waiting staff. A few minutes later our order for drinks was taken while we deliberated on what to eat!

The setting is lovely, and they have wifi and parking. Food and tea were OK. Service was OK. Mid week - lunchtime - fairly busy.

Have not been here for a year, so decided to see what's happened. Naturally being part of a garden centre the grounds are very well kept, but not a lot to see now, as we are just coming towards spring. The Dene has had a facelift & the external seating area has been revamped & enlarged - today was not the day to be sitting outside. Sat in the conservatory, bright & clean, with pleasant views. Had some drinks & a snack, no major reason to complain, although the toastie was slightly "overcooked". Staff were ok, but being honest there were only 8 patrons at best - should be able to copy with that.

I had breakfast with my daughter and it was good quality and cooked perfectly. The staff were friendly and the location lovely. I'm not sure how people can find fault

We came on a Sunday for Lunch as was bitterly disappointed. The menu is very overpriced for the quality. My toasted sandwich was £5.00 and was awful - and not cooked properly. A tuna baguette for my partner who was too disappointed with price and quality.

My wife & I called in here recently after visiting the garden centre. We were hoping for a decent lunch meal circa 2 p.m. Only two other couples seated at that time. We were handed a menu, and the waitress just walked away after asking what drinks we wanted.. No proper meals were listed on the menu. Just sandwiches etc. and jacket potatoes - not exactly what we were looking for. Nothing else was said to us, and I must admit we never queried what other meals were available, or if any specials for that day. So assume now that there were none. We both chose jacket potatoes with coronation chicken. Both potatoes arrived luke warm and the skins were tough, so obviously not been freshly prepared. Coronation chicken mix arrived in a small pot on the plate, plus a tiny bit of salad..This meal & drinks we thought to be very pricey, compared to similar at other venues we have eaten at. On paying, it looked to be that only one person was in the kitchen area. Perhaps that is why a variety of meals was missing. This place has gone down hill, and I'm afraid we will not be going back there in a hurry. We hadn't been there for a couple of years, and we were later told it had changed hands.

My wife and myself recently visited the Dene as we where at nights garden centre that is next door.

The garden centre fantastic love it ,the Resturant lovely area and surroundings but the the staff seem as though it's just a job and they do not want to be there. There attitude is take it or leave it . No gluten or wheat free on the menu? Could have been but not offered .went for lunch said sorry closed had a coffee and left .

We have been coming here for years but it has steadily declined particularly after its recent makeover when table clothes appeared, although always on crooked, and the scones are the tiniest we have ever seen and we visit quite a few garden centre coffee shops. The price of the "large"? lattes at £2.95 is also the most expensive coffee(for the actual size) of anywhere else, including Costa. I meet a friend monthly and it used to be quite busy but over the last few months we are sometimes the only ones in there. Its a lovely spot but changes need to be made urgently!

Fine for a drink as it's in a lovely setting on a sunny day but I've had two afternoon teas here which were not great and overpriced. We had a much better cream tea up in London at Somerset House for less money. The sandwiches are awful and the cupcake is sickly with far too much icing. Won't go there for food again.

Peaceful location with glorious views over Surrey countryside, stylish seating,friendly staff, tasty food. Will definitely re-visit.

Five of us visited The Dene last week for afternoon tea. First of all, there was confusion over how many afternoon teas we wanted (we wanted afternoon tea for four people as the other guest was having something different). We were given two afternoons between four of us. The sandwiches were tiny and did not even equal one round each. The scone and jam with cream was ok but nothing special and the cup cakes were sickly. Far too much frosting. I could not believe the price ... £22 (£11 per head). I would have thought £8 would have been more realistic. The staff varied from rather impatient (younger girl) to very polite (the older and I assume more experienced) woman. This was my second visit, the first also was not particularly inspiring. I won't go back.

I totally agree with the comment that the restaurant is badly managed now. We paid a visit last week as a party of 5. We had a long wait for our food and when it did arrive it was all served at different times which meant none of us ate together. Worst of all my sons hot desert with ice cream arrived 10 minutes before his main course! We were astounded but the waitress didn't seem to understand why. The staff are all young and inexperienced with no interest whatsoever in customer service or customer complaints. The food is not great either and expensive for what it is. Its such a shame as the setting and gardens are beautiful.

Been here a few times now and never disappointed. Always nice on a sunny day plenty of shaded seating outside with nice views of the gardens and of course you've got Knights nursery next door if you feel inspired! Plenty of choice - Afternoon tea always a treat!! Definitely worth a visit

Held our golden wedding celebration at The Dene, Can't fault anything about the evening. Staff, venue and buffet, all superb.

Came for lunch with the family. Lovely spot with outdoor seating and a view over the lovely gardens. The kids could run off and play in the gardens whilst we enjoyed a quiet drink and a sneaky piece of (delicious) cake. Be warned though, that only really works for older kids and if you have more than one as you can't see them on the grass from the tables and there is a pond down there, albeit a bit out of the way. Anyway, food was good. I had a toasted ciabatta which was good and my husband had the veg lasagne with chips. Sandwiches for the kids with some chips. Must say I thought the price of toastie was a bit steep - £5.60 for a cheese and ham toastie in normal bread and not smaller sandwich options for kids. There is a kids menu - fish fingers, chips, that sort of thing but no sarnies. Anyway, it's a lovely spot to sit and I could happily spend an afternoon sipping a drink there in the sunshine with a good book. Friendly and helpful staff too. Certainly not a typical garden centre 'canteen' more a higher-end coffee shop or afternoon tea venue. Worth a visit, particularly on a sunny day.

Really unimpressed with the place, food quite expensive for what it was, £10 for a prawn and advocado salad and similar price for a toad in the hole, both mediocre. Despite a pleasant location, not sure would rush to go back.

A beautiful location but now a badly managed shadow of its former self - Sunday was a disaster with many customers waiting an hour for toasted sandwiches. Coffee when it came was hot milk. Now staffed by indifferent youngsters - people getting up and paying for their drinks then leaving. To be avoided now which is a crying shame.

Have been here before for drinks, but decided to try lunch today. Lovely sunny day, very promising. Plenty of seating available inside and out. Service was slightly slow, as seemingly not rushed off their feet. Ordered tea and Salad lunch. Tea had floating 'cream' from milk? Tried to get attention, eventually had to go to kitchen - immediately agreed not right but slow to deliver replacement. Cutlery delivery was well after lunch arrived, we were getting quite amused - suggested it might be the sun disorientating them. The food was excellent. Unless they draft more staff in, we presume a busy day would be horrific. Will go again in the future.

Service was very slow. 20 minutes before we were given a menu which had very limited choices of food. Very overpriced for what is on offer. Food OK when it came but nothing special. Cakes seemed nice. Apple pie and custard one of worse I have ever had.

the Dean is very popular and always seems busy. nice outside area when weather in nice enough. garden centre just a 2 min walk away. my only issue is that because it's busy they don't need to try very hard. food ok but pricey. staff generally friendly

Lovely conservatory and gardens. Good choice of cakes and savory food. Lots of choice tea and coffee. Service good staff friendly . After you cold browse in the garden centre.

We popped in for a coffee and cake break recently whilst out walking in the area. We have been here numerous times as there is very little competition nearby. The coffee wasn't hot and tasted as if it had been sitting on the warmer for a while. The cake portions are nothing like as generous as other garden centre or cafe portions. In this day and age there is no reason to serve luke-warm poor quality coffee so I hope they have a fresh look at what they are serving.

Polite, smart and attentive staff.

I went here with my mum once and the soup had far too much pepper in. Also you get a very small bowl for your money. We did bring this to the attention of the waitress and they tasted it and agreed so didn't charge us for it.

Not easy to find (friends had been going straight past it for years!) as there is no obvious signage due to local by-laws, however, sitting quietly beside Knights Garden Centre @ CR3 7LA is this delightful eatery. A wide menu starting @ breakfast, thro' coffee (with scrummy cakes) to lunch & snacks then afternoon tea to finish. The Dene enjoys a landscaped garden setting beside Knights (excellent) Garden Centre at Woldingham and offers the choice of indoor or al fresco eating.

A great lunch in the sun, lovely caesar salad (though chicken a little too moist). Not quite a 5 as although service was very friendly it was pretty slow for no obvious reason. However will be back.

Pleasant spot to have lunch with friends. Beautiful setting. Food tasty and service good. Staff very friendly.

Confused to why a toasted bacon sandwich is in the same price bracket as a full English breakfast. As a whole, good food, service slightly slow but nothing to be concerned about with the beautiful settings to look at

Situated in the Knights Garden Centre, surrounded by trees,and beautiful plants.There is a sun terrace, tables with umbrella's to shade the sun.The the waitress are friendly and very helpful, the food is excellent , with a variety of dishes . Its a lovely place to spend a couple of hours over a long lunch in the summer months

We waited twenty minutes after going in to give our order. Next table loaded with plates of old food and flies around it (outside). Went in to ask about delay and encounters rude waitress. We left. We have been going to the dene for over 15 years and normally don't worry if service is a bit slow and chaotic. I hope this doesn't happen at our next visit.

I had a toasted cheese and onion sandwich. I enjoyed this. The surroundings to the venue are the best I've seen at any eating establishment I've been to. The newly decorated rooms look lovely. Well worth a visit.

It is a glorious setting, and we enjoyed sitting in the sun. What we didn't enjoy was the food, alas. We all ordered from the Specials menu, two of us having trout, new pots, and green beans, and one, the salad. The trout was fine, but the vegetables were very far from cooked, and just plonked on the plate, not even drained of water, let alone dressed with butter or parsley, which is a bit poor for £9.50. The salad also, lacked any dressing whatsoever, and also rather disconcertingly included a small stone! Yes, a pebble! They forgot to bring our drinks until reminded. All told it was an expensive, very disappointing lunch. Next time we will stick to snacks which might be more within their somewhat limited expertise.

6 Adults - 2 very wobbly toddlers and one crawler. a bit manic but three highchairs were found and not one cross word as the little ones were off and exploring.