The Potting Shed - Cafe in St Albans

Best French toast, coffee and service in town!

Great food and a fairly expensive rate. There again, it is St. Albans. Really good quality and lovely.

The Potting Shed, St Albans – A Must-Visit Gem! I recently visited The Potting Shed in St Albans, and I was thoroughly impressed by every aspect of this Cafe. The staff—Hannah, Pepi, and Leyla—were incredibly professional, friendly, and genuinely happy, which made the experience even more delightful. The food was absolutely outstanding. I had the lamb, and it was cooked to perfection, bursting with flavor. My son chose the duck, and he couldn’t stop raving about it. The quality of the food was top-notch, yet the pricing was very reasonable, which is such a rare find these days. I loved the experience so much that I went back the very next day! It’s such a pleasure to find a place that consistently delivers great meals at fair prices. I’ll definitely be returning, If you’re in St Albans and looking for an exceptional dining experience, The Potting Shed is a must-visit! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We had a really lovely time! We didn't book (we were a group of 8) and the manager and staff went out of their way to find us a table! The food was really tasty! Will most definitely be going back!

Love the setting and the venue. Plenty of parking. Service was excellent. Breakfast was lovely except the idea to load the tomato with long strands of dry rosemary. Not against the rosemary as a flavour but it’s like eating dry twigs on the tomato. Love the Christmas menu. Coffee is great. There is an automatic service charge, we prefer this to be a choice. Would definitely visit again.

Delicious food, nice ambience, friendly service. You can tell the ingredients are good quality, especially the avocado. Personally I found latte was below average but my dad loved his americano. Will visit again!

Beautiful little cafe attached to the nursery. The views are beautiful and the food is delicious with great service. I just wish it was a little bit bigger as there’s only a few tables outside.

Really disgusted with the service here. My mother has recently had surgery and struggles to eat and can only eat a very small amount. The first waitress gave her the kids menu, yet when she went to order was told “it’s company policy not to serve kids meals to adults”. We explained the situation and she had a medical card to show them. They would not make any exception and she was simply told she could just order toast. Absolutely ridiculous and clearly did not care about catering for medical needs. It was not the cost that bothered us, my mother simply does not want to see food wasted by only eating 1/3 of an adult portion. Listening to your customers and catering for those with medical needs should be forefront, rather than a company policy. Wouldn’t return.

Popped in quickly for a takeaway coffee after picking up some meat in the farm shop. £4 for a regular takeaway latte. Disappointing to see such prices. Not sure when this increased here.

Went for lunch and it was so lovely. Delicious food the staff were really attentive. Gorgeous location not far from Heartwood Forest. And to top it off- they’re dog friendly! Great atmosphere for dogs as well. Thank you!

Just been subjected to a very humiliating visit to the Potting Shed cafe. Took our 12 week old puppy (who is extremely well behaved) to meet a friend for coffee. Realising he needed the toilet I quickly took him outside in the back garden. Was then subjected to a very over the top and rude lecture by a member of staff for allowing him to go outside. (I did point out that it was instead of going in the cafe) I apologised but the person concerned then continued to make us feel extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed with her over the top reaction, in front of other people. Your sign in the entrance of the garden centre regarding dogs is very unwelcoming and if you cannot accept that they sometimes have accidents or need to go outside you should choose not to have them as you definitely cannot be classed as "dog friendly". Food and coffee and particularly service has gone downhill in our last visits and after this we definitely won't be returning.

Brilliant place, real good products. Enjoyed the food, best coffee in Britain, ever!

What a lovely place to start your day! The food is good, the staff are very nice and friendly and the atmosphere is lovely.

Lots of gluten free options. Outstanding service from Leyla who was bubbly, friendly and very knowledgeable about allergens making me feel safe eating there as a coeliac! I would definitely return!

Lovely place for plants and restaurant is amazing

This is not the US. Stop putting service charges on your bills and just pay your staff correctly.

Wonderful cafe in a wonderful garden centre. The crumble French toast is DIVINE

A great little cafe in a lovely garden centre. Whilst we had to wait a little while for a table it was worth it. The service was great and the food delicious.

Splendid. Swift service and friendly staff. Tasty food. Relaxed atmosphere.

Great cafe and fantastic farm shop

Lovely place at the garden centre where this cafe is, with lovely freshly made food.

Delicious food and service although certainly not the cheapest. £3.25 for a can of coke, but the quality of the food was excellent even without their head chef.

You need to wait for a table, order is taken and the food and drinks come out. Had the avocado on toast with poached eggs and they are lovely. Best cafe in a garden centre.

Think gardening centres , autumn decor , farm shop , brunch rolled into one ! Great place to visit Food - good quality Service - was quite busy , 40 mins to bring out the food although they did warn us so prepare to wait Atmosphere - fantastic little garden area , enjoyed our meal under a terrace with beautiful flowers and decor Highly recommend the peach salad Peach salad Poached eggs on smashed avacado 2 chai lattes , orange juice , sparkling water Pancakes £66

Very tasty food, a selection of cakes, soft drinks, wine, and beer. They have breakfast, brunch, and lunch menu depending on what time you visit. They do prefer if you book, but we have been accommodated when turned up without booking, though if a larger party definitely pre book as space is limited. The staff are very courteous and polite. They don't have a children's menu, and the clientele seem to be mainly of the older generation. There is a beautiful outdoor patio area that overlooks the rockery and fields beyond for days when the weather is nicer. The kitchen closes at 3pm. The cafe is at the very end inside the garden centre so you need to walk all the way through the garden centre and farm shop area's to get to the cafe. Toilets are located in the main part of the garden centre near to where the cafe is.

Lovely breakfast at The Potting Shed this morning. Excellent service from Angus-what a lovely lad! Many thanks.

Used to love this place however a new employee made us feel uncomfortable, and both my husband and I were humiliated, after an hour and half we left without being served

The Potting Shed Café is a wonderful place to stop off to enjoy a quick bite to eat and sample some soothing beverages. Perfectly situated within the garden centre made for a relaxing time having a meal followed by a saunter among the various plants and shrubs. The staff were polite, attentive, and friendly, and the food scrumptious which made for a great dining experience. A must place to pop in and satisfy all your gardening needs and catering pleasures.

The food was nice. However, it lacked that little extra that could have made it great. The drinks sizes could have been more generous, and we ended up drinking lots of water because it was hot and we were thirsty. While I could not give it a 5, I would go back again, and I recommend it.

Service very slow waiting for 40min. Asked for another coffee very late at coming won't be coming back for a long while.

Lovely meal with my family who all travelled two hours to meet up. Amazing service from Layla.

A delightful place.Very friendly staff.Fresh ingredients with unusual twists.Love the sweet potato fries

Not the greatest menu I've every seen. Prices are high for what you get, adequate.

Good cafe tucked into a garden center. Food was better a few years ago and it’s still alright but nothing special last time we were there, which was a little disappointing. Great service with typical cafe sort ambience.

As soon as we stepped in we were greeted by lovely Laila who approached and served us with a smile. Great food, great staff, great atmosphere. Definitely worth visiting. Will come back time and time again.

Great lunch/ brunch options and fantastic service from our lovely waitress.

Love this place, staff are amazing

Having breakfast on my own..seated by a very welcoming hostess..attached lovely window table..scrumptious food and prompt service..

Shame I didn’t know about this place before and I leva just nearby. Great food and excellent service.

Wonderful cafe with lovely coffee and amazing choice of food, the staff are always accommodating and friendly

My husband has been out for a call for around 20 minutes when the food arrived. The staff asked if she could help to put the food in the oven to keep the food warm. Very kind and attentive staff. Service exceeds expectations. Highly recommend.

This place is very busy with a 30-45 minute wait for a table on a weekday lunchtime.

Fantastic food and lovely staff.

Arrived at the cafe and said we were just having coffees. There was no smiles or welcoming. We were seated and then forgotten about for around 15 minutes. Another customer who had arrived sometime after us was being served so we got the attention of a waitress. She abruptly told us it was "first come first served" and it was another 5 minutes or so before someone came to take our order. Found most of the staff (with the exception of the young blonde girl) to be abrupt and we didn't feel welcomed.

Super busy and had to wait for a table, but was definitely worth the wait - the breakfast was fantastic.

We went there for a brunch, I ordered pancakes and maple syrup with bacon, it is literally amazing also it’s of our favourite cafes with superb food and the food and beverages never disappoints us. great atmosphere, and friendly and nice staff eg Adriana. We will definitely come to have lunch again !

Love coming here, and so do my family, it’s family friendly and there are also regularly dogs (which I’m not a fan of at all, but that’s just me). My one wish would be that the food variety had a little more that didn’t have “hot” or dairy, again, just me. For almost all the food is amazing all round, and whatever I do have is always super too.

We were a party of four, midweek-lunching at the Potting Shed for, in my case, the first time. The menu was very low on choice: if you didn't like beetroot you were struggling. Two of us chose fish and chips. I asked for extra tartare sauce (ignored) and proceeded to plough my way through as mediocre a £15 dish as I've ever encountered. The fish was dry, the 'mushy' peas (served in a pot) were so dry the green blob's surface cracked when pushed at by a fork. The chips were - you guessed it - dry, The dish had clearly been prepared long before it reached table. Had I sent it back and asked for a freshly-cooked substitute, the delay would have spoiled our outing. Frankly sub-standard fare.

Taste: 10/10 │ Service: 10/10 │ Environment: 10/10 │ Hygiene: 10/10 │ Food balance: 9/10

Very busy as it was a Saturday morning. But good service

Delicious breakfast! - Jan 2024

Friendly service, great food and location. The only bad thing is that we had to wait 10 minutes even though we got there very early, so reserving table is a good idea

Lovely place! Staff are friendly and accommodating and the food is always good!

We went last Sunday to celebrate our friend's birthday to Potting Shed Café, 4 adults and the service was absolutely amazing especially Leila who server us, Pepe and Adriana lovely staff, excelent food, we enjoyed our stay so much, highly recommend this place, 5stars for you all⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Exelent service and friendly staff and fantastic food.xxx

Lovely food and the staff were super friendly

It was so disappointing to arrive at 4pm and be refused entry when the website says the cafe closes at 4.30pm. I was told they take last orders at 4.00pm. And as it was 4.00pm when I arrived, expected to be served. But no….clearly taking last orders AT 4.00pm means AT 3.59 or something else!

Noise is less now that acoustic ceiling tiles have been fitted.

Excellent service and excellent food. A great dining experience and a really lovely shop too. Lovely surroundings and garden centre

No matter how busy it is the welcome is warm and friendly. Great breakfasts to linger over so that you can just slide in to the excellent lunches! Update... new on the menu is Winter Chicken Caesar Salad and it is outstanding.

Very nice cafe, breakfast food was great although I think could do with bit more choice on the cooked breakfast side, service was excellent.

Good quality and friendly efficient service.

Me and my other half came here for breakfast. I’ve always wanted to come here for breakfast and it didn’t disappoint. Our server was Danielle H and I believe she has served us before with our brunch. Such a lovely sweet lady, nothings any trouble for her. She delivers fantastic customer service and that’s one reason why we return. Great atmosphere, food is delicious. Well done everyone ⭐️

Food was cold when served, service was friendly, Was recommended but not sure if i would go back!

All that i remember they wanted us to asap to clear the table and reuse it. Very unwelcoming at all

The Potting Shed never disappoints. The only downside is that it is rather popular for weekend breakfasts, so getting an impromptu table can be a bit hit and miss. This day we were lucky and walked straight on but it's always worth the wait regardless. Just bear in mind the brief kitchen closure between breakfast and lunch service.

Amazing breakfast spot....food was amazing, and the serving staff were very helpful and full of smiles

Wonderful breakfast. Absolutely spot on. Can't wait to come back and try everything else

Fantastic cafe, always great service and vibrant menu with fresh ingredients. Leyla is great and bubbly and the management is super efficient, despite being the busiest cafe out of town!

Delicious vegan option breakfast, great service and dog friendly. The market shop had excellent, fresh choices and again, friendly efficient service. Highly recommend a meal and shopping 👍🏼

Wow, came in for coffee, offered the wonderful dog section, perused the menu, hey it’s the holidays, order from the brunch section, incredible, I wasn’t expecting such a delicious offering. Added image so you can see (sadly not taste), the chosen dish of the innocent looking mushrooms on toast. It’s a lot more than that, flavours across the whole plate, and as my server said, come back and try the rest of the menu, everything is lovely. I’ll raise your lovely to exquisite and will take up your kind suggestion.

Delicious vegan option breakfast, great service and dog friendly. The market shop had excellent, fresh choices and again, friendly efficient service. Highly recommend a meal and shopping 👍🏼

Our waitress Layla made our experience extra special. She was sociable, professional, and just really friendly and we really enjoyed the food and atmosphere too. There were 13 of us and we were catered for so well! 🙂

We celebrated my husband’s birthday here with our children and grandchildren and had a wonderful time. The food was delicious as usual and the service exceptional. He was even surprised with a birthday muffin and a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’. Many thanks to Layla and everyone for making it such a special time.

Great place with a lovely view and good choice from breakfast/ brunch/ lunch especially after or before shoping at the plant nursery & farm shop & refill pantry

Excellent garden centre restaurant. Staff very helpful and good service

I came today with a girlfriend for her birthday and we had the most lovely brunch with a glass of fizz 🥂 What really stood out was the superb and very genuine service we received. As we were shown to our table, the lovely member of staff (sorry I didn’t get your name) wished my friend a Happy Birthday and on the wall was a lovely Birthday banner! Plus they gave her a gorgeous gluten free brownie with candle and sang her happy birthday! This is my second visit to the Potting Shed and I’m already planning my next! What more could you ask for - yummy food, a lovely atmosphere and outstanding service?! 😁 A huge thank you to all the staff who made our experience so special today.

Real friendly place, food and staff are just perfect. Be prepared for a wait at weekends as this is extremely popular and busy. Highly recommended

Very enjoyable and bought some Christmas presents in the shop too

Great cafe. Nice for lunch or just a cake and a drink. Worth booking a table in advance especially at weekends. The fish sandwich is excellent, so are the various brunch options. Eggs Benedict was great too. A range of kids dishes too and my two love the animal biscuits.

Very normal cafe, nice outlook into garden but have to wait to be shown to our seats although lots of seats available, i thought over the top. Also asked for hot water and was charged £1 for it. 2 pots of tea, 1 piece of lemon cake(which was nice) and hot water and Service charge. Altogether £11. ?? Not bad I suppose except what happened to Customer Service(Charging for Hot water).

They offered us a slice of black putting with the full English breakfast but failed to tell us the extra cost of £3.50!! Second visit asked for pot of tea for 2 at £5.50 Tiny teapot for 2 people and 2 tiny teabags we aked for a water top up for the teapot as we wanted a second cup and they said there would be a £2 charge!!!. FFS . Nice food but won't be going again to get ripped off.

Absolutely amazing food , great service, good price

The food was very good lunch with four as the service excellent clean nice day outside

Nice place Food generally good, but only available until 15.00. Then cakes in offer in afternoon, but I found them not inspiring. Nice to shop in garden centre, varied items to purchase.

Amazing, filling meals that cherish the soul.

Lovely cafe with brilliant staff and amazing food. I had the mushroom on sourdough with a chai latte and it was delicious!

Food delicious and service was great our friendly smily waitress was delightful. Apologies to her that I didn't get her name but big thanks for letting us stay at the table a bit longer. Will definitely return.

Lovely place with a great atmosphere. Excellent staff. Very busy so b

Don't order the eggs royale, we were the first to get our food at 12 and somehow they were cold and tiny amounts of salmon. Waited 45 since half 11 to receive so was very hungry and couldn't be bothered to send back. Too expensive for the breakfast.

Had a brilliant breakfast here in this fantastic dog friendly cafe. Only lost a star because it took a long time to get our food. Great front of house staff, just very busy on a Saturday morning!

Went for Sunday breakfast. Lovely setting and atmosphere. The waitresses were nice and friendly. The food was delicious. Unfortunately there was a blonde woman in a peach coloured top who seemed to be in some kind of management position who was really rude. It really soured the whole experience. She even rolled her eyes at one of our guests at one point. She needs to learn some customer service skills if she is going to perform a customer facing role!

Excellent selection of great meals and snacks!

Lovely cafe in a well stocked garden centre /food store

Friendly bistro/café with a simply menu but from great quality, mostly own grown and locally sourced produce. Good atmosphere, lovely stuff.

We really enjoy going to the Potting Shed Cafe. However, sometimes small details can spoil the experience. We were there some weeks ago and asked for a glass of luke warm water for my mother-in-law who had a sore throat. They said that they charge for luke warm water even if its for drinking. I bet they spend much more on ice than it would have cost them to give us a glass of luke warm water. It did leave a bad taste.

The most beautiful cafe I have been to. Try to pre-book if you are planning to have lunch. Lots of vegan options available too.

Hubby & I often go out for breakfast. I visited alone & had a £4.95 - it was lovely -a generous portion of mushrooms, beans , hash brown, egg, 1 sausage, 2 bacon & a slice of toast. The plate was “clean” no excess grease on egg, plate or food. However, when I returned on another day with my husband everything was swimming in fat & because of the grease I couldn’t eat mine. The hash brown must of been sat in fat for ages, egg swimming in it, everything including the plate had a lot of excess oil. Hardly any mushrooms this time. When we visited they had some kind of inspection & the lady was talking to the cook who rather than concentrating on cooking was splitting herself in half trying to answer questions & show paperwork. Perhaps that’s why it was so greasy. The quality could be better, sausages have a tangy taste & are cheap. It’s a nice set up as the cafe is in the garden centre & it’s very clean . The tables & chairs are comfortable. They now have outside space attached to the cafe but still under cover as it’s inside the plant section next to the cafe. I wouldn’t sit outside though - despite looking nice, as some seats are just hard granite looking stools & the tables are all visible to visitors of the garden centre. They have a glass screen & there’s a trellis at the end covering one table but it needs more privacy. Perhaps some strategically placed plants. I’d pay more for better quality produce. Lovely cup of tea though.

Have been visiing this coffee shop for a long time with about 6/8 family members and couple of toddlers who enjoyed playing in the play corner . We would all have our breakfast and drinks followed by cakes etc . We turned up today with the children only to find out the are no longer a child friendly venue they no longer have the little chairs out or the toys for the play corner . Between us we spent anything up to £70/80 sadly we won't be visiting anymore . We left to go elsewhere.

Visited with my mum and dad and we had a lovely lunch. I had the homemade corn beef pie and it was excellent. Def worth a visit.