The Gardener's Retreat Restaurant in Thanet

Looking forward to a carvery but Long queue for cashier and then food was only warm, roast potatoes were rubbery and the gravy thick and tasteless.

Long long queue! Staff had no sense of urgency or efficiency of movement. They have two tills, only one working. The cashier spoke so quietly to her mainly elderly customers that they couldn't hear her over the noise of the roaring coffee machine. When asked to repeat herself .... she didn't raise her voice!! From her demeanour, she may have been shy. Don't work in a role working with the general public if you are shy. And the most annoying was her asking everyone ordering food. Do you have allergies? Everyone replied with a questioning ... Pardon? She repeats herself, further adding to the snails pace queue. Surely it's the customers' responsibility to ensure the food they order is safe for them to eat and the cafes responsibility to ensure that the food is prepared safely and accurately. We will nor return.

Visited today for lunch as a group of 4. The lunch menu is nice but it does feel over priced for what you get. The staff were quite efficient at the till and they prepared the drinks promptly. I like that they offer a rewards card to offer a free hot drink after a number of visits. I also saw they had a childrens play area which is great. We may return again but do they think they should they should review their prices!

Good variety of gluten free options, nice atmosphere

I went today for their carvery with my husband and mother, while I enjoyed my meal my mum didn't enjoy hers, she had the beef which was overdone. My husband had scampi and chips from the light appetite menu. Going back to my husband he literally does stand out from the crowd 6'7" long grey hair and beard. I know he sounds like Gandalph. Well, while I was at the counter ordering and paying for our meals I noticed a few members of staff coming out of the kitchen and ridiculing him, they obviously didn't know I was listening to and watching their antics. I would normally say something but as I has my elderly mother with me I refrained from saying anything. What happened to be nice those customers are paying your wages?

We had the roast lunch, which was cold not for the first time, the wait to place your order was so long and slow,we will not be eating there again.

Long long wait to order food and drinks! Chose a table for 4 - sticky and not cleaned. Chose another table with glass top on wicker base - filthy with food trapped in the wicker under the glass. Very off putting - chair cushions very stained with food deposits!

I will never go here again. I’ve given this place too many chances and yet again let’s me down. In for a bowl of soup. First thing if you are on your own, you are asked which table you are at. So you pick a table you can see is free, but by the time you’ve paid for your food and drink the chances are that table is gone. So that’s not easy. Then you order your soup and pay for it, and often this involves a queue and awful wait through the counter to till, 10 minutes the other day and the place was not busy - being mid week. However I sat at my chosen table, which was still free, being mid week not so busy. I nearly gave up waiting. 35 minutes for a bowl of soup? Total and utter nonsense. The soup was ok when it arrived but the time to serve is not acceptable. I also took some family members in recently, with their dog. They could not sit in the dog friendly area as it was full of people with NO DOGS. The larger part of the restuarant was not full. They could have sat there. All in all totally disappointing, annoying and NEVER EVER AGAIN.

We waited 45 minutes for a bowl of soup which is not really acceptable in this type of cafe. The soup was good once it arrived.

Food was appalling. Roast dinner was 2 roast potatoes that looked like they've been heated over and over and tasted like it too. Vegetables were burnt on outside and raw In the middle. Human hair found in the gravy which was also cold and obviously reheated again and again. Cutlery was dirty with dried food on knifes and forks. Tables were dirty with dried food stuck to them. Service.. We waited over an hour for our puddings and ended up walking out. Disgraceful service and food.

Shockingly bad service in the Gardener’s Retreat Restaurant. Food wait now 45 minutes and counting, tables left uncleared, surly staff lacking any management or direction. A good clean would not go amiss. AVOID.

Overpriced Sandwich. We thought we ordered a Platter. Came with chips or salad, salad was tiny hardly what I would call a side salad. Chips you could count on one hand. Expected at the very least uncut thick bread, but it was just cheap pre-cut supermarket bread. Disappointed, we eat out a lot, but won't be returning any time soon.

Price of coffee exceeds many other restuarants and cup is very small. Also cakes and meals expensive

Very good lunches rspecially the carvery Wednesday & Sunday. Delicious cakes on offer with lovely coffee. Even special tables for dog owners.

Had a very enjoyable Gammon ,with pineapple , peas and lovely crisp Chips Thoroughly enjoyed this meal and definitely will come here again A Mention also for the good , prompt and friendly service

Our WI Garden Group booked another (the 3rd time in a couple of years) Special Offer Cream tea. It is one of the nicest and best value cream teas we’ve ever had. The sausage rolls are Devine, the sandwiches delicious (4 different ones) a lovely scone with plenty of cream and jam, a mini trifle, brownie and 2 other lovely cakes. It was very filling but not sickly. The tea and coffee was plentiful as was butter. The service was excellent as it has always been in the past. Everything was great and we highly recommend giving it a try.

I visited for a quick cup of tea and snack while the car was being cleaned in the excellent car wash outside. Tea was in a thick mug with the teabag left in and scramble on toast was disappointing, scramble was sparse and overcooked and bread didn't taste very fresh. For £6 I would expect better.

We booked for afternoon tea and were certainly not disappointed., Staff very pleasant, nice atmosphere and set within a large garden centre. A very good selection of sandwiches, scones, sweets and savouries and very good value. We looked at the wide choice on the menu and all seemed good value from childrens meals to breakfasts and good choice of menu on offer. The garden centre loyalty card offers reductions too. We will certainly be returning here and can recommend..

Overpriced! Two cups of tea, a tuna mayonnaise sandwich with 8 chips and a chicken & bacon sandwich worked out at a few pence short of £20. If you are hungry eat before you go.

My Wife, Daughter, Son-in-Law, Grand Children and I visited The Gardener's Retreat (Within the Garden Centre) to have lunch. I selected to have the Sunday Roast Dinner, paid for it. I was then given a receipt to go to the Carvery. There were two meats on offer (Beef and Gammon). I chose the Beef and the Carver cut me two thin slices and placed them on my plate. I was served a severely dried out individual Yorkshire Pudding. The Vegetables on offer were Red Cabbage, Peas, Carrots and Runner Beans. When I reached the end of the line, I asked where are the Roast Potatoes? The Carver advised me that they had all gone and offered me Mashed Potatoes as an alternative. I find this totally unacceptable and I should have been made aware at point of sale that there were no Roast Potatoes!!!! Terrible Service and the Staff looked bemused with no communication between them. I advised the Carver that I would be adding a negative report on Trip Adviser and she obviously spoke to her Supervisor. Subsequently, I was offered a hot drink as a good will gesture. Roast Potatoes are my preferred choice not a hot drink as i already had one thank you. Nearly forgot.... Hot Gravy would have been nice as well. On a positive note, On site parking available. The Garden Centre had Disabled Parking. There were Toilets including Disabled one available. The Garden Centre was well presented and boasts an indoor children's play area. One BIG Positive for the Restaurant is that have a separate dining area to accommodate families with dogs. My advice.... Visit the Garden Centre but eat before you go there.

We often go to the Ramsgate Garden Centre (AKA Wyevale) for afternoon tea and cake. Our reasons are several-fold. The ease of parking—it’s free. The fact everything is on one floor, which is great for those with mobility issues. Plus, there’s a great deal to see and buy in addition to the café including shops such as Regatta, The Works and the new Pavers shoe shop. My husband had recently discovered their breakfast menu and suggested we try breakfast here for the first time. We ordered one of my favourite breakfasts, Eggs Benedict. It was perfect. Easily equal to a five-star restaurant. A soft fresh white muffin, topped with lean fresh ham, covered with perfect Hollandaise sauce, hiding two perfectly cooked poached eggs. Total perfection in my book. (I make no apology for over-use of the word perfect) The establishment does appear to attract the more mature clientele, but it shouldn’t. It is absolutely calling out to families. It even has a soft play area for the young ones, so relatives can enjoy their food and company whilst the younger ones run off steam. There’s not really much more to say, the place also has a carvery for lunch at weekends. Judging by the amount of folk who now enjoy lunch there, this is definitely the next meal we will be trying.