The Gardeners Retreat in West Berkshire

Staff seems to get there as the cafe opens, so there is a wait for them to get themselves sorted before they could serve, the cold drinks were all warm as the fridge had obviously been turned off overnight. Got our cutlery and sauces and sat down in the conservatory area, the cutlery was filthy so I had to wash it myself. The whole area seemed unloved and grubby. There were other customers with multiple small dogs at their table which barked aggressively as anyone walked past including small children going to the soft play. The noise just echoed around the area and made it quite unpleasant. The breakfast took around 25 minutes and was barely edible, the sausage sandwich was only just cooked, the sausage ring was extremely anemic with no colour and my partner lost his appetite and left it. My breakfast was ok, my sausage was cooked, was given a large slice of nearly toasted bread with one tiny butter. Some of the staff need to smarten up and have clean uniforms and look presentable. We won’t be coming back here.

Waited over 25 mins for a burger & scampi , had to ask how much longer the wait would be & food arrived 10 mins later & was awful. Burger bun was so hard it couldn't be cut & the miserly teaspoons of peas were anaemic & dried up. The fruit scone was the only saving grace. Overall overpriced and pretty inedible. Also toilets were a disgrace , please do not waste your money .

I would like to congratulate the team on an excellent dining experience today. Gemma was the chef and she did a brilliant job and was very welcoming to all the diners in the queue. I had some Turkey and beef which were both superb and beautifully cooked. There was a great choice of vegetables and sauces such as cranberry and horseradish. We went at just after 1pm and there was no real queue so were serviced quickly. Tables were all clean and tidy . So well done an an excellent value for money Sunday lunch experience

Six of us went for the carvery which we had to wait over 30 minutes for. There was only one poor woman serving who was totally rushed off her feet!! The food was of a good standard though the waiting time and service just to get a drink aswell was very poor. If you have a dog with you the area provided for dog owners to sit adjacent to the restaurant has comfortable seating. However we sat in our coats eating and were absolutely frozen. We ate up quickly and went! We would have otherwise had another drink but could not face another long and laborious wait! Good food but we would not return due to the disadvantages highlighted.

I booked a table for 17 for a Christmas family get together and we had a lovely time. The restaurant is decorated really nicely with Christmas decorations, it has a really lovely atmosphere. The food was very good, some of us had the carvery and some had items from the menu. All the menu items were brought out together. The carvery was delicious, lots of choice, and all the food was hot. I was really impressed with the organisation and how polite and helpful all the staff were. I'd definitely recommend this restaurant.

The food wasn’t good, hard rolls on the burgers, advised this was the type of roll it is, but it wasn’t edible. Staff friendly enough but the toilets really let the place down, they really need a good clean. Shame as I know their food can be good.

We went today as my daughter had her birthday party there… the staff went above and beyond to make it such a lovely afternoon my daughter had a lovely time. When the party had finished we decided to stay for a carvery as we could see them serving it. The carvery was faultless, really lovely dinner and a good price too!! We saw leaflets on the tables that said they serve their carvery’s on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday so we will be sure to go back again. All the staff were friendly and helpful. A lovely restaurant!

Great food, lovely staff. Place was clean and tidy and the coffee was one of the nicest in the area.

Friendly staff, mediocre food, and a toilet with no loo paper or water to wash hands. Doubt I'll be going back.

A disgrace. As I sit here now, every single table is covered in dirty plates and has been for some time. In well over an hour, not one table has been cleared. Toilets are disgusting. The entire place needs a good clean. It’s not cheap so they really need to improve the experience by employing some decent staff who see customer service and a clean environment as a priority.