The Potting Shed Cafe in Rhondda Cynon Taf

First time at the potting shed. Excellent service and good food. Everything was prepared freshly. Had the pot of coffee as this was the only coffee on offer. It did not disappoint at all. Will certainly return. The gift shop was an added bonus .

My husband and I had coffee and a welsh cake, our daughter had a gluten free brownie and a hot chocolate. The kind server brought the gluten free brownie out first understanding the need for it to be kept separate from the gluten containing food (my daughter has coeliac disease), so very impressed. The coffee was served in a pot, so plenty for two, and my daughter was very happy with the large hot chocolate covered in whipped cream. Had a nice little mooch around the gift shop and picked up a few bits for Christmas. This was our first visit but it won't be the last!

Always had a lovely experience when visiting in the past, the cakes are divine. Unfortunately the jacket potatoes were not so, dirt on the outside of the potatoes indicating they haven’t been washed before cooking and was given a reheated potato ☹️ Reheated potatoes are never as good as fresh. Plus no butter in the potato - just a load of cheese - at first that wasn’t melted, but when asked they did oblige. However, when the potato came back it was stone cold so no idea how they melted the cheese? Very very disappointed and not the previous standards I have experienced in the past.

Myself and some friends went to the Potting Shed this afternoon for some brunch. I asked for beans on toast and was told by the staff that I couldn’t have that as they stop serving toast at 11.30. I then asked for a jacket potato and beans but was told that the jacket potato’s weren’t ready. Both toast and beans are served with other meals on the menu but to have them together was a flat no. I am vegan and the options are limited anyway. I am not expecting a 3 course meal and a lot of effort to be put in as it is a small coffee shop but not to have a single vegan item on the menu or to have a basic lunch such as beans on toast is utterly ridiculous. The staff weren’t accommodating or helpful in anyway. In the end I had to sit at the table with my friends without any food while they were eating theirs. Based on my experience I won’t be coming here again and I will not be recommending other people to go there either due to the lack of consideration to other peoples dietary requirements.

The food was delicious and beautifully presented. Our food was served timely. Quiche and salad was delicious followed by raspberry and coconut cake which was Devine. Tea was in a pot and lovely China cups to drink it. Great value for money!

We really love this place. Love having a look around the gift shop. Lunch options are nice if a little overpriced. Coffee really lets things down. Only coffee bags offered. Please seriously consider decent coffee, we'd definitely come more often.

Absolutely gorgeous Coronation Chicken jacket potatoes, yet again. Plus wonderful triple layer sponges and super cheesecakes. Keep up the good work. Thank you, one and all.

Really nice cakes, tea good quality and served properly. Very friendly. Gift shop large and great gifts.

Disappointing lunch! We ordered two panini’s that were in fact, two small pieces of french stick that had soggy cheese & onion filling as it had been microwaved not toasted. The coffee was ‘filtered’ but was very watery and tasteless. Charged £21.45 which was definitely not worth what we had. Will not be returning.

My favourite little spot to meet friends a d catch up over a pot of tea and a slice of cake. Price is a little high but I can get over that

I’ve given a rating of 2 because the slice of cake I had was very nice, other than that the rating would be 1. We arrived at 2.45 on a Saturday afternoon hoping for a late lunch of a panini, drinks and cake afterwards only to be informed the kitchen was now closed and we could only have cake. Opening hours clearly state closes at 4pm. I’m not sure why it’s difficult or too much effort to make a sandwich and a panini? Anyway, there were only 2 types of cake choice, I had the coconut which was very nice and my husband had a brownie. I say brownie, I should say brownie bite! The size of it was hysterical, I can’t believe this was a true portion size, 2 bites and it was gone. For a tea, slice of cake, a coke and a brownie bite this is very expensive. We will not be returning, such a shame as we have been before and it was very nice (I don’t mind paying for good food) but it was not the case this time. I suggest you change your opening hours if you stop serving food at 2.45.

The menu is a little limited, I only wanted a sandwich and they only serve rolls which can be a little bulky, so I opted for the soup thinking a nice light lunch however, the leek and potato soup is not homemade, its from a packet and most unpleasant and only lukewarm. I decided to leave it but ate the bread roll, which was very nice, even though I had been trying to opt for something light to eat. A rather expensive lunch just having bread. No member of staff came across to check if everything was alright with our meal, so that attention to detail would benefit their service. I shouldn't have to bring it to their attention that's their job to ensure their customers are satisfied with their meal.

Lovely lunch with a friend, food was good, aittle pricey, but a lovely atmosphere with friendly staff. Worth a browse in the shop.

Just come back from meeting with friends felt very uncomfortable there with staff. Ordered food cheese and onion melts and cranberry and brie melts all cold sent mine back half warmed half still cold cheese was like scrambled egg .Horrible consistency. I am not a fussy eater but this was Horrible. £7-50 for 2 small half rolls .I would not recommend this place.and definitely won't be going back

A bowl of soup and a slice of bread will set you back £6.95 way overpriced in my opinion. Food all ok but pricey, the garden centre is lovely

Excellent food, fabulous sponge cake. Went for lunch today being treated by a friend lovely surroundings welcoming and polite staff, looking forward to our next visit. 5 star.

Met up with a few friends for lunch, lovely atmosphere and lovely food, a little over priced going by portion size. Young girl behind the counter was rushed off her feet as she was the only one there. ( very pleasant young lady and very apologetic that we were having to wait) The owner helped clear the tables etc. however, we felt rushed out, barely put out cutlery down and the owner came and cleared the tables. She wasn’t very happy to chat when talked to. Felt as though our time was up and time to go. I could understand if there were people waiting for our table, but there was no one

The cafe is nicely set out inside with at least 4 big outside tables with shade. Staff friendly and seemed happy. Huge cakes and really tasty salads and sandwiches. They do jacket potatoes as well. On a previous visit we had toasted tea cakes and they were also lovely. The shop is beautiful ascwell. Definitely worth a visit. My new favourite place.

Spent a fabulous hour at this fantastic cafe and store earlier … Beth and Kallum were the very friendly hosts in the cafe itself … a very efficient polite and welcoming service and the meal I ordered was of a very high standard….I would highly recommend this venue as a place to visit … definitely 10/10!!

I visited several time before lockdown. Always excellent. Somewhat concerned about recent reviews, 2 of which were not complimentary, however we have recently visited on 2 occasions and found the Potting Shed to be even better than before. I booked by phone which was easy but I'm not sure this was necessary. The staff were extremely polite and courteous. The table was ready for us. We ordered at the counter and our food and drink were brought to us and both were really good. A large pot of coffee so we had a couple each. Really good value.They even heated the Nata for us. They have arranged the tables well so that there is more space between. The shop is still full of gems but seems easier to get around. All in all a really good visit and we shall be back. Thanks!

The staff here are so rude and unwelcoming. As we walked through the door we weren’t greeted with a hello, a lady told us straight away we need to sanataize very abruptly before we could even get through the door. No one explained how to order, we were left to guess. After spending £30 between 3 of us, we went up to order cakes after our food. We were ignored as we stood by the till, for the lady to then turn and say ‘are you after something?’ And we said we wanted a cake. We were told although we were already sat down, we could only have the cakes take away. There were other tables eating and It was 3pm and the cafe shuts at 4pm! They then proceeded to sweep around our table and turn lamps off. It felt as though we were not wanted there and eventually pushed out! Won’t be returning here after this awful service

Visited the potting shed with my wife as we cannot go into the city due to lockdown and it’s quite local to us. Was impressed with the health and safety precautions put in place which gave us good peace of mind, they were doing everything correctly. Staff were friendly and helpful and food was first class, a big thank you to all who work there.

This is the second time I have visited the cafe since it reopened the other week. On both occasions we were happy with the food and drinks but after yesterday’s visit I feel compelled to write a review based on my experience of the staff and their complete lack of customer service. Due to the new rules you have to stand outside and wait to be greeted, this is fine, except when it’s cold and raining like yesterday and the staff don’t periodically check for customers and leave you standing there. When we were finally allowed in, we were greeted by the slightly younger lady who asked us to hand sanitise, fill in track and trace and directed us to a table at the back of the cafe. However, as we approached the table the older lady practically pounced on us and in a very abrupt manner asked us about hand sanitising etc and seemed to question again very abruptly why we were sitting at the table. Obviously we looked like a complete pair of bio hazards! This is the second time in the space of a week that I have found the staff here to be really frosty and abrupt. There is absolutely no need of it and especially in current circumstances which makes everything more difficult you would think they would be happy to see customers returning.

Bearing in mind the current restrictions, we expected normal service to be interrupted so booked a table for lunch in advance. On arrival there was no clear guidelines where to order from and entered the restaurant to request a menu. Unfortunately, most items were 'unavailable' which we hadn't been told when booking and the salads seemed pricey so we ate elsewhere. A visit to the shop was also disappointing as it was very difficult to get around with little floor space and we had to move some items to enable my disabled mum to move around. Again, items seemed pricey and we also felt it misleading to refer to this place as a 'garden centre' as there was little in the way of gardening stuff on sale

Although only filtered coffee, the cafe had lovely food and cake options. Cakes were very tasty and the pot of tea was very generous. Definitely will be back.

Myself and my Nan visit this beautiful little gem at least twice a month. The food is always outstanding and for such a small business they always have such a range of variety, any pallet would be satisfied. The staff always go above and beyond to make our trip a happy one. Would visit time and time again.

A quirky gift shop and cafe. Lovely quality and wide range of gifts. Warm and cosy cafe with a nice range sandwiches and delicious cakes. We enjoyed a thick wedge of toast and tea, salmon roll and a lemon and raspberry cake which was to die for. The big disappointment was that only filter coffee was available which I why I have rated this venue a 3. A nice latte would have gone down a treat.

Visited with 3 friends for late breakfast We had toast at £2.00 a slice although was thick just isn’t worth the money. It comes ready buttered which is not to my liking I would rather put my own butter on not everybody likes soggy toast. After toast we had a slice of cake. All food/drinks were ok. Don’t find the staff very friendly in this establishment always seems too much trouble for them.This 1 star review is for the way 2 ladies on the next table to us were treated. They were having some sort of business meeting and being no trouble to anybody else and had purchased from the cafe.A lady from the cafe came over to their table and slammed down a reserved sign asking them if they were going to be long as she needed to reserve the table. The ladies politely said that they wouldn’t be long When the ladies left she cleared away their dishes and took the reserved sign off the table. These ladies were simply not wanted there!!!I’ve reviewed this cafe before and things don’t seem to change with the rude staff I would say there are other places far better to visit in this area

Booked afternoon tea for 4 as a special birthday treat for a family member. Total cost was £76 making it £19 per person. Staff forgot we were coming,so no table when we turned up! This prompted the staff to say s**t a brick several times, and panic on how they were going to accommodate us. By chance a table had finished and left. They gave us 1 pot of luke warm tea and left us for and hour and a half with our food without coming back to refill or see if we needed anything! We had to ask for water with our meal. We were literally served 4 mini cakes(about the size of a 50p coin) on the top shelf, small scone on the middle shelf and 4 finger sandwiches on the bottom. Please see photo!Absolutely scandalous considering their jacket potato and salad was triple the size and only £7.95. Sent an email explaining my dissatisfaction to the business. The response I received was both impersonal and unhelpful, and did not address my dissatisfaction at all!

I am not a negative-review-leaving type, given I understand the implications it can have on a small business. Sadly, after my experience today I am compelled to leave one.A friend and I meet weekly for a little accountability session within our own small businesses. Today we decided to treat ourselves to a morning/lunch at The Potting Shed. We ordered three teapots of rather weak, overpriced tea followed by my friend having a slice of cake. I was saving myself for lunch.We always ensured our table (which I had to climb over the side to get into my seat) had a fresh order on it so not to be rude when using the establishment and the facilities. We had taken photos and shared them to our audiences on social media (10,000+ followers), tagging the location and generally being normal customers...Abruptly a rather bitter lady approached our table and spoke to us in a tone that was entirely unjustified. Not once were we asked if we were staying for lunch (which we had intended on) instead we were subject to a rant about how she had overheads to pay, staff wages that needed her attention and paying customers lining up for lunch with us taking up valuable space. My poor friend hadn't even finished her slice of cake! Our custom was clearly not valued, we hadn't spent enough on the overpriced offers to warrant being spoken to with politeness. She was almost offended we had even held a 'meeting' there claiming "Well this has never happened before!" - unfortunately my friend's mother-in-law has told a very similar story of her upheaval around lunch time.Customer service doesn't cost a penny.

This is my favourite Xmas shopping place for that something special as it has the most beautiful presents and gifts in every corner of the shop but when finished shopping or even half way through you stop for a lovely lunch at the back of the store for coffee/tea and unique cakes. Hubby had jacket potatoe with tuna and I had coronation chicken roll. Cup of tea always served in a beautiful china cup and saucer. Hidden away in the Tiber merchants yard. My little secret

I have never eaten in the cafe but it is always very busy. The shop however is amazing, we like to pop in whenever we are in the area and we always ended buying stuff, it is full of such amazing, unique and quirky bits, especially great at the moment with their Christmas stock, The staff are also really friendly and helpful, they gift wrapped bits that we mentioned were gifts and went searching for us for an item we couldn't find. It's a real little warren of a shop with stuff spread out in many little rooms and don't forget to look high and low as every nook and cranny is bursting with lovely items.

Friends catch up been many times before ... this time the place was empty about 9.30am midweek Order tea which was like warm and weak ...Did stay for a bit and order black coffee this time still not boiling (and not the great cheap coffee) This place is pricey £2.cup of tea black coffee £2,50p ( but cakes are always lovely) It is a lovely place and great gift shop But prices are so high and quality not the greatest. Been to places similar with better prices and don’t think I’m returning ... (we all said that we wouldn’t return , group of four ) sadly

My friend had a tuna meal and I had a cranberry and brie cheese meal with side salad. Service as usual was with a smile. Staff are so friendly and helpful. After you have eaten, browse the exquisite and unusual shop attached. Today was an absolute downpour so the car park problem was highlighted moreso. Large car park with a stream running alongside,very picturesque on a fine day but today Potting Shed, the potholes were flooded and much larger than the last time I visited. I was driving a new car so was not impressed manoeuvering these holes as I found a suitable parking place. My companion has severe walking difficulties that made our walk to the cafe very risky. Come on Potting Shed, please sort this problem before someone has an accident. We love visiting you and will do so again soon. Thank you.....

Very friendly helpful staff and great food in very pleasant surroundings, Gluten free brownies are a must and my son recommends the Lasagne.

A friend and I thought we’d have a bite for lunch after browsing through the shop.

I’ve visited The Potting Shed many times before and if I’m honest I don’t really know why

The Potting shed is a little gem, A lovely little cafe with a fantastic selection of cakes and beverages, in fact food to suit most people. The adjoining shop has a selection of really unusual pieces, ideal for anyone looking for a special gift.

very pleasant cafe with good selection of snacks and especially cakes. Gift shop attached is well worth a visit also, always manage to find something to buy.

£7.50 for HALF a par-baked baguette with some tuna on it. No condiments other than salt and pepper available. £7.50 for a small segment of microwaved quiche that was lukewarm.

Called in for a lunch snack. £7.50 for cheese on toast with a small bit of salad is a bit steep but if it tastes nice, I don’t mind. Well, it was OK but not worth the £ 7.50. What let this place down more was the total disregard of the staff towards the paying customer. As soon as I finished my food, a member of staff was on my table removing my plate. She could have waited until my wife had finished too, before clearing the table. I thought that was bad enough but when a woman said ‘excuse me’, leaned over the table and proceeded to fill the sugar bowl with cubes, while my wife was still eating her food, sealed it for me. I won't be back. Also, if you like your coffee, they don’t have a coffee machine so you get a caffitierre with brown water in it.

The food served here is always top quality, though you do pay the price for it! Not the cheapest place around, but very quaint and cute and the food is always lovely. Sometimes staff can be a bit disinterested in serving you (having their own conversations etc) however that doesn't really bother me as I'm there for the cake not the chat but I know some people find this quite frustrating.

Been here a few times over the years, it's always packed, both the very small restaurant and the shop. You often can't get a seat and if you're not prepared to wait, then you may be disappointed. There's not a lot of space.

Went for an off the cuff visit after a bad experience last time. Went for a visit with my wife and three week old baby

Checked out the potting shed to see if they served a breakfast snack, just a tea cake and a cup of tea, yes no problem up until 1pm, so as it was 12:35 ordered a tea cake and a cup of tea, I was promptly told that they stopped serving tea cakes at 1pm, so I said ok and reordered my tea and tea cake to be told the same thing again, I pointed out that it was only (by now) 12:45 but was informed that everything had been put away and they’ve stopped serving breakfast which included tea cakes.

Called in here at the off chance there be a table free as it’s very popular , it is part of a lovely little shop with a nice selection of quaint things for the home , the cafe is small and compact and more like a tea room than a cafe , the food is lovely even their doorstop toast and real butter with china cups and saucers and delicious cakes , I wouldn’t say it’s a cheep eat but not expensive , if u can find a table free it’s well worth a visit

This cafe is extremely popular and we were very lucky to get a table. They serve a variety of hot snacks and cakes, which appear to be home made. There is a very interesting shop next door, which is well worth a visit. If you're visiting the Royal Mint Experience I recommend you eat here rather than at the Royal Mint as their cafe looked very uninspiring.

Lovely place to visit near the Royal Mint.Excellant shop for gifts and pleasant cafe with homemade delights.