The Garden Room in Birmingham

This is my 4th time coming to this restaurant (The Garden Room) in 2 months. Usually everything is average: Food & Service but this time the food was below average & service was simply poor. I raised issue with 3 members of staff and nothing was done other than to make funny faces at me as if I were an idiot for raising the issue, it was both rude and showed how poorly they had been trained in giving good service. Below average dining experience unfortunately this won't improve without honest feedback reviews like this one. Food both taste and how it looks is below Wetherspoons quality, the thing that makes this place popular is the atmosphere and nice restaurants vibes but that is it. 1st Issue Raised: Watery Mushy Peas. I asked why the mushy peas looked so watery, I tried to give them a stir and it was more water than peas. I raised this with the server who gave me a confused look as if these were normal mushy peas. I eat out 2 times a week and have done for 3 years and I've never seen mushy peas in a pot of water. I googled what mushy peas looked like and asked another server if they thought they looked normal... They looked at me as if I were an imbecile which frustrated me so I showed them the Google pictures of mushy peas and only at this point did they see what was wrong. Then they blamed how the mushy peas came to the restaurant and walked off. I was left with the vibes of they couldn't be bothered to sort it out. I then raised it again with a 3rd member of staff and they laughed it off. Frankly the attitude of this place needs some sort adjustments. I quickly paid for my share and left. 2nd issue: why ask if you want ice and then ignore the answer? If you bother to ask if someone wants ice or not at least follow through on their answer. Shows again how little they care about good service. I am sorely disappointed in this place and wouldn't recommend it for any food, only hot chocolates which fortunately are hard to mess up. I don't like to give low star reviews but there's no way a place can get better without honesty. The Garden Room needs to work on training their staff better in service, ensuring there's quality assurance in the kitchen for food going out and improving the quality of the food being prepared. The time I visited before this I booked in advance (they got the name wrong despite spelling it over the phone)... The Sunday dinner was frankly just not good. The dessert however was tasty.

Lovely vegan breakfasts. Libby was brilliant!

Fabulous 3 egg Salmon Omlette Great Service...

There is always a warm welcome from Libby and friendly, efficient service from all staff members. This, combined with comfortable and tasteful surroundings and a lovely selection of delicious cakes makes The Garden Room our favourite Coffee Morning venue. Thank you to all concerned!

RUDE. I just had the bizzarest experience. As I waited at the door to be seated, I picked up a menu to read. The server came over and snatched it out of my hand, put it back in its box and asked if I had a reservation. Who does that?!

Best omelette in Birmingham! Such lovely find and what a serene place to sip coffee in heart of city. Total love !

Great tasting food, lots of choice and really top service. Enjoyed bringing some family who were visiting Birmingham here and there are lots of veggie options

2 hour round trip to view greenhouses - disappointed with shabby display but decided to have lunch. General environment ok and greeter and other staff pleasant enough plus service quite quick. However food was very poor, opted for ham,egg and chips @typical pub/cafe prices, serving included a large portion - 3 slices - of low quality ham and a few "chips" that were not chips. I would say they were chip shaped cooked potatoes, possibly reheated and not in any way crisp. It annoys me that "management" consider a large plateful as acceptable without considering the quality - cut back on the amount of ham 2 slices of better quality sufficient and for goodness sake use proper chips - a definite case of "less is more". Wont be back.

Popped in for lunch and had the most delicious Coronation chicken sandwich. A really lovely place. Service was a little slow but it was very busy.

We are fairly frequent customers and were left upset by our most recent visit. Rushed into ordering lunch at 2:50pm because “the kitchen was closing”, when it says on their website that last orders for hot food are until 3pm, and that the cafe was open until 4:30pm. Food was below the usual standard. Jacket potato was overdone, skin was tough, less topping compared with previous visits. Chips (usually a highlight) were clearly over cooked and were unpleasant/greasy to eat. Very disappointing considering the price. Service felt rushed, like the staff wanted us in and out as soon as possible. Nobody asked how our meal was, either during or after we’d finished eating. After clearing the plates, staff ignored us. Nobody asked if we wanted to order other drinks or cakes. Around 15 minutes later, they brought the bill over when we hadn’t yet requested it. I found this alarmingly rude. It appeared to us that the staff were trying to hurry customers along so they could finish early. The worst was yet to come. We went to the toilets just before 4:10pm. While in the cubicles, the lights went out and we were plunged into complete darkness!! I had to rummage around to find my phone to turn on its light so I could actually see the surroundings. When we exited the cubicles to wash our hands, the lights turned back on. We left the toilets around 4:15pm and saw one of the more senior staff members. She was shocked to see us, explained they had locked up and we were close to being locked in as they thought all customers had gone!! I explained we thought the Garden Room was open until 4:30pm as this is what it says online, however she said they closed at 4pm. This does not align with the opening times advertised on their own website!!! Which we checked online before visiting!! I have included a photo of the opening times advertised on their website - clearly these are misleading and false. The more I thought about this incident after the event, the more I realised how serious this was/could have been. We received no apology from the staff member, and she didn’t even ask if we were okay!! This is shocking, completely unacceptable and no way to treat customers. It is disgraceful that staff didn’t check the toilets beforehand - they could have easily called in to ask if anyone was in there but didn’t. To assume all customers were off the premises without checking was negligent and dangerous. I am sure this would be a breach of basic health and safety regulations. I will also point out that nowhere in the Garden Room did it state the opening times, nor did the staff at any point say they would be closing at 4pm. Therefore we used the times shown online. When your own website says you’re open until 4:30pm, don’t shut early and lock customers in the toilets in the dark at 4:10pm! Will be boycotting for some time and taking our custom elsewhere (to places which don’t lock you in!). I chose to write this review with the aim of the Garden Room reviewing and tightening their health & safety procedures, so that other customers (who might be more vulnerable), don’t end up in the same position as we were.

We have been going for 7 years and always enjoy our lunch. Staff are friendly and nothing is too much trouble. Food is always spot on and of the same quality and standard each time we visit. It is not only in our top 2 places to visit for lunch but also my 10 year old daughters. I often see the afternoon tea platters go out and they look delicious! Each year we have also had Breakfast with Santa which is lovely and we have also had a Fathers Day special there of outdoor music and bbq. Hopefully more events will follow and I am planning on trying afternoon tea too. Keep it up guys 🥰🥰🥰🥰

Having been to the Garden Rooms in it's hey days. I feel it needs a revamp to create a different atmosphere. Just feels date and doesn't make you feel excited to be there. Meun hasn't change much....

Visited yesterday with my friend for Afternoon Tea for her birthday. We had a lovely table by the window and when they bought out the cake stand with everything on it looked lovely. Lots of different sandwiches and several cakes and scones which were really good. All the staff were very friendly and kept making sure we had enough tea to keep us going. Excellent service.

Nicely laid out with plenty of space between tables. Nice smiley greeting by a member of staff who showed the 3 of us to our table. Menu had some good choices. Order taken for drinks and food quite promptly. Drinks arrived in advance of food along with cutlery nicely presented in black napkins, (paper). Food. One had a wrap with small salad and crisps. The other had scampi chips and peas. They weren't simply chips, they were skin on chunks of potato. Nice. I had fish goujons with chips (chunks) and came with a salad. No peas? Oh well. Pud was good. We all had lemon meringue, with a choice of pouring cream, whipped cream or clotted cream. Overall a good experience. Sorry no photos.

Nice place, but the drinks served should be served in glasses and not in the receptacle they came in. The drinks we ordered were all cheap drinks that you can buy from the shops. Not a good look, or feeling. Don't be lazy and serve drinks in glasses.

Nice cream tea and home cooked food!

Visit the restaurant with my dad frequently. Ordered a Jacket potato with prawns. Simple food I know but the potato, salad and prawns Were extremely fresh and fantastic flavours.

I've been for breakfast several times, and it's always clean and smart. The staff are pleasant and attentive. I can't speak for other times of the day.

We were late arriving as there were problems on the motorway, but staff were very welcoming. Food was excellent.

Been coming for years, but service is now appaling. The lady seemed racist, very very rude Was just really bad service We asked for water she said you can come inside and get it yourself I've never had an experience like this We asked for eggs on toast She was like how do i know what type of eggs you want This the last time we come here

I've been a few times to meet up with family. The staff are really friendly and patient. The menu has a good choice and the food is very nice.

A really lovely place to go for food

Went on the off chance as we were passing. Was not sure we would get a table, as it is always really busy (which tells you all you need to know really) but we were lucky and did. The staff are unfailingly polite, and the atmosphere always nice, in very pleasant surroundings. We went for scampi and chips. Well, what can I say? Normally you are lucky to get about seven scampi when you order this dish, but there were plenty, and beautifully cooked. The outstanding thing about the meal though was the chips, which are obviously 'proper' chips cooked fresh for each meal. They were to die for! Had a look round while we were waiting, the place was full of very happy and satisfied customers. The range of meals is good, the afternoon tea looked absolutly amazing! Wish this was closer to where we live. It is lovely to go somewhere that is not a franchise, so that you know exactly what you will get each visit. The specials board changes regularly. Ten out of ten, absolutely.

Rude rude and rude! Went for lunch and the worker was rude. She didn't even acknowledge us straight away and when she did was very abrupt and said we are fully booked. There was several tables free but she absolutely certain all were booked. It was obvious she didn't want to serve us, second time this has happened with this place. Avoid this place much better garden tea rooms, Lichfield way.

Very pleasant place. Very clean. Lovely garden centre location.

We visit several times a year and have never had a bad experience. The food is high quality and never disappoints. The service is excellent and hot food is served hot and the cakes are delicious. We visited today 23/05/24 and the team were excellent Libby particularly being friendly and helpful in meeting our needs the rest of the team deserve praise too.

Probably a little too expensive , but nice food all the same

Best place to eat breakfast. Tasty, well served, nice atmosphere, affordable prices.

Great food staff outstanding, can't go wrong

Disappointed I have been here a couple of times with family & enjoyed lunch but today I was very disappointed First thing I noticed was that it was quite cold 🥶 in there I ordered quiche Lorraine (I don't like it warm so asked for it to be cold & they obliged) but it was tasteless the salad was spoilt by the dressing I couldn't eat it all (I did eat about a quarter & my mom tried some as well ) I was going to say something but when back from the toilet my plate had been taken away & as I was with family we carried on talking & the opportunity to speak never arose again Even the toilet's felt dirty Service was slow but good As I said I've only been a couple of times but I do feel it has gone down since I was last there

Lovely place for breakfast and coffee ☕️😋

Excellent place for Afternoon tea. Lovely atmosphere The service was brilliant from start to finish. Everything we had for food was delicious. Too much to eat so we were given cartons to bring some of our cakes home

I visit the garden room most Saturday mornings for breakfast and having just returned home I feel i have to leave a review about my positive and enjoyable experience!! my breakfast was delicious ,( I'm very difficult to Please, I think my friends may describe me as rather fussy!!) the staff are excellent and attentive!!

The greeting we received from the front of house greater was less than welcoming. Shown to a table waited some time no one came to take our order. Atmosphere was cold. Left without our tea and cake! Such a disappointment.

Had lunch here with my Mum, we go every few months. Unfortunately, the service is often hit & miss, and on this occasion, it was lacking/inattentive. Wrong drink was brought over (Coke instead of Fanta) and salads were mixed up (we had asked for one with no dressing but this was plated incorrectly). We were only a table for two, so it should be fairly basic to get things like that correct. Nobody came to check how our meals were. When we had finished eating, one of the waitresses came over and asked “finished?” in an abrupt tone, then proceeded to take the plates away without asking if the food was okay, or if we wanted any extra drinks/cakes etc. Nobody paid us any attention at all, which I felt was quite rude. The food here isn’t cheap, and has become more expensive recently. The food was nice overall. However the cucumber was overflowing with seeds so I didn’t eat it, the garlic baguette was a bit too charred and the chunky chips were overdone/not as nice as usual. With this price tag, you do expect there to be no issues with quality of the food, and to receive good service - as mentioned, the service was pretty much non-existent. The Garden Room was in no way short-staffed; there must have been at least 7 different waitresses and for most of the time, the place was less than half full. It makes you wonder whether to bother giving independent eateries your custom, as they don’t seem to value it! Nobody brought the bill over either - we had to ask for this around half an hour after finishing our lunch. Again, we weren’t asked if there was anything else we wanted. A card machine was brought straight over at the same time as the bill, so it felt like they wanted to pressure you into paying and leave as quickly as possible. A shame that the service was very lacklustre/indifferent as the food is usually very nice.

Great food, but shame about the service. Brought our grandma here for her 89th birthday. The venue was very cold and we asked 5 times for the heating to be put on but were told very rudely that there is nothing they can do. Should have booked elsewhere!!!

Fantastic place for breakfast or lunch, there isn’t anywhere like it. The quality, presentation and taste of the food is exceptional. They have excellent gluten feee options. The omelette was the best I’ve had. Their full breakfast is wonderful. Compliments to the chef and the friendly staff especially Mandy. They are a credit to this place. Highly recommended!!

This a great place to sit chill and drink tea

Length of wait for food was long also when pie arrived bottom of the pie dish stuck to paper towel peas were in a ramekin not very hot and chips were warm but only 5 for £14.95 which i thought was expensive for what i got when i questioned the staff member about the paper napkin on the bottom of the pie dish it was to keep the dish from moving

Went for breakfast with a friend. I had mini English breakfast my friend had vegetarian. They were very accommodating with us swapping a couple of things. It was delicious. We will come back again 😋😀👍

We celebrated a friends 70th birthday yesterday. The service was brilliant and very helpful hencec a tip was left. Unfortunately the food wasn't good. The sandwiches lacked lustre and taste. The cakes were of a sub standard. The scones were hard as nails. Even the jam was more jelly than jam. The coffee wasn't strong enough especially the latte. Which should have had more coffee ☕️ than milk taste. For practically £24 I should have had the wonderful lush tea at Malmaison instead 😋 Please add some seasoning to your sandwiches. You need a better selection of cakes for the price you charge. Also take note when people have wasted food!

A very pleasant place for morning coffees

The food was really lovely, the staff were very friendly and helpful Thank you

Nice food and surroundings but slow service. Maybe today was an off day as we haven’t been here in a while and it used to be better. Today there were 6 staff working the floor, 8 tables of customers, but we had a 15 minute wait for teas, coffees, and the warming of two danish pastries.

Another delicious lunch with the girlie's. Coffee and cakes were devine We all had a lovely Sunday afternoon. Fabulous experience food, drinks and service can't fault anything.

Always a warm welcome here-staff lovely, service and food tasty and fresh. very good coffee excellent all over

Welcomed quickly on arrival and seated next to the beautiful Christmas tree. Service was good, arrival of drinks was speedy and the excellent breakfast followed soon after. Terrific quality produce with sausages, eggs and black pudding getting special mention You really have to visit

Think the lady with the clipboard needs get a life. Walked in, "have you booked" ..no ..all tables reserved, ..about 10 empty tables...well are you eating...my reply,Im not sure as havnt seen menu yet! She found us an empty table (one of 10) and then proceeded to walk round with clipboard in her hand, constantly looking at it. So so miserable and rude, its not a 5 star restaurant, just a cafe with few cakes on display and serving food.. so chill and get a life !! Will not be returning !!

Nice fresh food Good service nice clean inviting place

Went today for breakfast had cheese on toast it was awful . Chees just in middle of the bread not melted proply an a big hard lump of something in the middle of one slice wouldnt even or cut with a knife 🤮..

Wonderful place, lovely fresh food and good welcome so lovely all round well worth a visit.

Service average, but nice place

Two words french toast now stop looking and get booking

Food is pricey but I have been a few times and it has been lovely. The service is good and the staff are friendly

Amazing food and fantastic, helpful staff

By far the best afternoon tea I've had in the area, and that includes two nearby Hall's in Sutton Coldfield, such friendly staff, Lovely relaxed atmosphere and plenty of qualify food on offer 💯 recommendation 🍰🌸👏👏🥂..

Went for lunch with my daughter last Saturday. They were very busy and we had to wait to be seated which was fine, but nobody came and spoke to us for 10 minutes, even though we could see a couple of empty tables (that needed to be cleared). But we were seated. It was table service only. Someone took the order from the table next to us who arrived at the same time fairly quickly but I had to grab the attention of someone. So we placed an order, and waited. The we waited some more. Table next to us was served but the had baguettes and we were waiting for cooked food. During the whole time we were waiting, nobody came to check on us. After 30 minutes, I chased the order. They had no record of it. And the lady I spoke to didn't seem that bothered and gave a grudging apology. Mistakes happen - I get that, but the reaction was poor. There were enough staff too - I think they are just poorly managed. I've eaten here many times and the food is good. But don't go when it's busy.

My husband and I were looking for somewhere close to Sutton Coldfield for breakfast and this came up in our search. Glad we went, food was delicous, staff were friendly and there was plenty of choice on the menu.

I love this place. Staff are amazing and attentive. Nice chilled atmosphere. Food very tasty 👌🏼

Excellent food lunch with Family member will devo visit again

I believe this is a garden centre cafe which provides a lovely place to enjoy good cakes, food and drinks. The decoration is of a high standard, it is well lit and has a lovely atmosphere. The staff were pleasant, helpful and attentive. The food on the menu had a good selection from cakes, teas and coffee to light bites and full meals which we had. They provide a special board and I felt they had a good range of vegetarian options. The people who I shared lunch with enjoyed the good selection of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. I am unable to comment on the hot drinks or cakes as we didn't purchase any but there was a good range on offer. Everyone was happy with the quality and portion size of they lunches. Which were hot and well presented. I was only visiting Birmingham for the day but would happily return again when next in the area.

Good service and really tasty lasagne. We were late to book and dine, so the atmosphere felt distinctly "end of day".

We booked for afternoon high tea for five, something we haven't had a chance to do in some years. It did not disappoint. There was a wonderful range of savoury and sweet treats, along with bottomless tea of coffee. I think my youngest son was on a mission to drink them out of tea, but they always brought him more along with extra milk, sugar and a smile! Even for a hungry bunch like us there was more food than we could eat, so they happily boxed up our left overs, which was a welcome snack for after we came home from shopping. I heard a rumour that they are taking booking for festive high tea which I shall try to get book ASAP!

have been coming here for years but the service seems to be random to say the least. Waiting ages to take order necessitating getting up to find staff on two visits , main item missed off order, then on another visit not billed for food until we pointed out the error, things seem to be slipping although i can see from other reviews that the service is good. Not sure what happened with our visits lately.

We’ve been meaning to visit for some time and popped in for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. Overall first impressions were not good with lots of untidy tables that had not been cleared and food on the floor. We were taken to a small table that was very wobbly and difficult to keep level. Food was ok but nothing special. Not sure we will be coming back any time soon. Shame.

Absolutely fantastic place to have lunch. Great options for vegans/veggies too. Bonus was meeting fluffy the cat. And already counting down when I can pop in again and have some chips! Option to dine outside too.

Fantastic afternoon tea, one of the best I’ve had and I’ve tried a few. Not stingy with the portions and good quality food. Staff are friendly and helpful too

The staff were very nice and friendly. The food was fresh and lovely. It was our first visit and we had a lovely time. Thank you so much

Four meals fish chips fish two little portions horrible fish chips thick horrible.. jacket potato cheese was cold should be melted . Overrated restaurant

On our visit recently for lunch, we found the the food and staff was excellent however, our visit was spoilt by a long hair cat continually hanging around our table and at least three waitresses touching the cat then serving food.

Fantastic food, the level of service was excellent, with a special thanks to Mandie who went out of her way to accommodate our requests. Lovely surroundings and atmosphere.

Lovely place and the homemade Victoria sandwich was scrumptious

I visited the tea rooms on Saturday with my sister and young daughter, and had a wonderful time. Mandy went above and beyond to ensure our experience was a brilliant one, as I wanted my little girl to have her first afternoon tea. Can not recommend this place enough!

Visited for afternoon tea. Food was lovely, good range of sandwiches served. Beautiful cakes and scones. Tea served in proper tea cups with pots of tea brought for each person. These were replenished as many times as we liked. Tables were spaced a comfortable distance apart and service was friendly. Would visit again.

Unterschlupf gegen Regenguss bei leckerem heißen Kakao

It has a good atmosphere, and the outside garden is pretty. Though, coffee prices are more and less the same price as in a specialty coffee shop which I find unreasonable for a basic cup of coffee..

I love this place. They are dog friendly. The staff are really polite and helpful. And I just can not leave without a plant. Recommend anyone to go there. Even meet friends and have afternoon tea 10/10

I have used this place many times with work colleagues and family but the last few visits have being disappointing. The staff are great but the food seems have have changed and the standard has dropped. I’m not tight but the prices have gone up to. Sadly after todays visit with my family I won’t be returning.

First visit, came in the back door by accident. Pleasantly laid out former pub with plenty of seating. Cake of the day was sweet potato, or kumara. Very similar to carrot cake. The choice of background music was a bit odd, 50 Cent in a venue where the average age was 70. Not intrusive, just unusual. Service was very good. Seating inside and out, all accessible.

Always a lovely visit. Calm friendly atmosphere just like the staff :)

Love this place, clean, great food, made to feel welcome every time. Well done team xx

Delicious lunch in the sunshine.

Had a lovely afternoon tea for a friends birthday this afternoon. Food was amazing, catering for specific dietary requirements. Reasonably priced. So much food we came away with leftovers. Will definitely be back, thank you!

Lovely staff and ambience. Scrumptious range of cakes and a good cuppa!

Not very impressed with food, summer menu and service . Can be a little over priced too.

Lovely! Had an easy light lunch! Glass of wine ! Staff lovely! Great place!!!

My dad took me here for 'High Tea'. The amount of food was generous and the scones were great. However the sandwiches were very heavy on the mayonnaise, and most disappointingly was the prosecco - we paid 5 pounds extra each, for half a glass of barely-sparkling wine - this felt 'mean' and detracted from the experience.

We had breakfast there was lovely reasonable price and friendly staff 👌

Visited for the first time and we loved it, the lunch was absolutely delicious, the tuna melt was the best I’ve had, I’m not a fan of scones but their scone was delicious, the staff were extremely helpful and friendly. 10/10 recommend

Food was ok albeit a bit overpriced. My main concern is that they have a cat that wonders around(not very hygienic!!) Plus I have an allergy to cats. When I asked if the cat could be put outside I was told that it could come back in. When the lady came to get him she didn't look very happy and didn't even apologise!! There is a place in Birmingham that is a cat cafe...if I wanted cats around me I would go there(if I didn't have an allergy!).

Lovely coffee and yummy Lemon Drizzle xx

Nice afternoon tea. Service was a little slow but lovely food

Lovely menu, helpful staff ... just don't sit by the door as every time the door opens, you get a plast of cold air, which is most disconcerting !

Very disappointed as there was a big fluffy cat roaming around inside where food is served when I mentioned it to staff I was told it was allowed to come in & wonder around I told them I had an allergy to dander from animals but made. No difference because of this I did not eat & had to leave but told my friends to stay as to not ruin everybody’s lunch but as I was leaving to my amazement the cat was sitting on a dining chair by diners disgraceful surly this can’t be allowed by health and safety

Great breakfast, marked it down by 1 star as one week I have been was a little below previous breakfasts. What is great is being someone who is gluten intolerant, they cater for this with gluten free toast, something I have found to be very rare when I eat out

Great place for lunch or afternoon tea ,book up if you can it is popular & gets busy ,moderately prices for the service you get ,clean ,clean rest rooms, wheelchair friendly.

Always lovely food and friendly helpful staff. Love coming here for lunch

Excellent place to eat, top quality food with excellent service, staff very friendly nothing too much trouble. They catered for my dietary needs (gluten free & diary free) faultlessly & my food was delicious, would highly recommend & will definitely return 10/10

Very friendly atmosphere and good qualify food and cakes.

Food was amazing ,service excellent ,clean toilets 👌 will definitely go again 👍😊