West Dean Gardens Restaurant in Chichester

Food good, staff dreadful service awful. We went for Fathers day breakfast, first in the cafe, asked for a highchair and told bluntly "over there". Food was good but took 45 minutes to arrive. The staff were very rude and sarcastic. We live locally and we're considering joining, that's not happening. I am actually surprised they employ people as rude as the staff here.

I had the warm pear, squash and brie salad for £11, my friend had a cream tea. We were visiting on a very busy day, staff were working like trojans and staying calm whilst the queue was almost to the entrance. The salad I had was amazing, and I would return just to eat it again. It was a lovely day so we sat outside in the extremely pleasant surroundings.

Excellent lunch and faultless service. Staff were so helpful and cheerful. Went back later for tea and fresh scones. Everywhere was clean and welcoming.

I find it quite astonishing that in spite of negative reviews regarding the staff nothing has been done to address. You have a lovely restaurant set in a beautiful location thoroughly spoilt by the attitude of the staff. No welcome, no smiles, zero engagement by staff who have little enthusiasm for presenting themselves professionally. Massive disappointment. Enjoy the Gardens, avoid the restaurant.

Terrible lunch today. Had to send quiche back as burnt Started taking plates before everyone was finished. Over rated and not very good. Won't bring clients here again to eat.

We haven't got across with such terrible, unfriendly staff with such a patronizing attitude for at least a decade, especially the brunette, elderly lady who was at the tilt yesterday. I cannot comment of the food, as we decided to leave the place and go out for lunch in the near-by village, rather than encourage a business who is happy to be represented by such unfriendly staff. It's a shame, as the staff in the shop and the grounds are absolutely fantastic!

If you want more than tea and cake, forget it. The menu is very poor with limited choice for lunch, the salad consists of nothing more than lettuce. We were there on a day that didn’t seem to be very busy, but it was still a long time before food arrived. We will not go back.

After a long wait in the queue, the only soup option was watercress, which my mum did not like so ordered the sausage roll for her and a cheese and chutney sandwich for myself .Having not received anything but a pot of tea 45minutes later (which we had drunk) I asked where was our food and the waiter went to find out. It will be 5 minutes we were told only to wait another ten . When it finally arrived , the sausage roll was huge , dry , overcooked , difficult to cut, and not very tasty . The sandwich was a pile of bread, not even nice bread, cheese, chutney and a bit of tomato, impossible to pick up and eat as a sandwich .After a lovely walk around the beautiful gardens , the restaurant was a total let down , apparently there was a coach party in on that day and the catering staff obviously cannot cope with the amount of visitors that want to visit such a lovely place . Would definitely return to West Dean but next time will bring a picnic

Delicious goats cheese and spinach quiche with new potatoes and fresh vegetables. Panini with feta and grilled vegetables. Highly recommend and wo derful park a d gardens.q

I have awarded one star because they do not accept cash, I have previously been many times and it doesn't matter how nice the food and people are, I will not give my custom to businesses that dictate the payment method.

2 friends and I spotted the sign for the restaurant mid way through a ride and thought it would be great for a coffee and cake. We were in Lycra, clean lycra with a honey clean bikes, and we walked to the entrance with our bikes. Upon entering, a lady staff member came over, looking like she had never seen a cyclist before. I politely asked if we could walk through the cafe and take our bikes out the back and sit outside with the bikes in view. She said that we couldn’t, but to ask the cafe staff the same question. We did, and they also said NO and also looked like we were from another planet. We could not understand what the difference was between a family pushing a pushchair through the cafe to get to the outside seating and us with our very clean bikes. They didn’t have an answer as to why we couldn’t bring the bikes through (it wasn’t as if the place was packed out at all), the answer was just no. Ok. So we went about half a mile away and found a village cafe and spent our money there in the sunshine. West Dean Gardens; one to avoid if on 🚴‍♀️🚴‍♂️

Seems to be a popular meeting place. The venue was busy and fairly noisy in an otherwise tranquil location.

Arrived 10.20am. No hot breakfast items. You have to wait until around 12..30 for lunch. The croissant was in a plastic pack and microwaved, not freshly baked and the Victoria sponge cake was nice but was the thinnest slice I have ever been served. Prices high for what you get.

Four of us had lunch here after touring the gardens. Two of us had an excellent watercress soup (£5.50) served in attractive mini cast iron casseroles with an olive bread roll; although the soup could have been hotter. The other orders were panini, and quiche served with salad and potatoes - all good - (both £10). No other choices but an extensive selection of cakes, scones and drinks. It would be good to see the menu with prices on their website, as is normal for most restaurants. The restaurant was busy but service was pleasant and timely; we didn't find the issues that several others have complained about. It would be good to see the management routinely reply to those adverse reviews. The Food Standards Agency Hygiene rating is a 5 - the top rating: excellent. Separate point: the gardens, including the glasshouses and kitchen garden, were in excellent condition - well worth the visit.

This is a beautiful location in West Sussex and well worth a visit. There is plenty of parking and dogs are welcomed, on a short lead, everywhere, including the restaurant. I am surprised at some of the negative comments here regarding the food. The menu was varied and the food was very good. I had a locally made, large sausage roll and salad, which was delicious. The staff, however, were unsmiling and taciturn. We were curtly told that there was a twenty minute delay, minimum, for food orders at the outset and the lady that took our order seemed irritated by the fact that a coach had apparently just arrived. The restaurant was fairly busy - it was 1pm - but then, there were four or five waiters. Patrons can sit inside or on a large terrace. The drinks were delivered almost immediately, and the food arrived well within twenty minutes and was of a high standard. We returned about three hours later for afternoon tea and, again, the food was excellent but, again, the staff were brusque and unfriendly. In all, the venue is delightful and we enjoyed our visit.

On arrival at the gardens we went for coffee before looking at gardens orders were taken fifteen minutes or so later they arrived both the cappuccino and latte cups were only three quarters full. Returned for lunch a further long wait for order to be taken no show so left very disappointing will not bother to visit the cafe in future.

Sadly not one Christmas decoration in sight. Is the owner a pagan. Very limited menu but food was fine. Strangely empty a few days before Christmas.

We have visited several times in the past but now the menu offered is very limited with no flexibility. We also found the staff unfriendly and unhelpful.

W were asked for a special occasion birthday here. The setting is wonderful but the food was just awful. The pheasant starter was fine, but the main course of venison was frankly inedible, it was like a piece of leather, tough as old boots and...

To celebrate finishing my treatment fir a brain tumour we went for a rare lunch treat I rang before to check if we needed to book, I was told no and I was asked if we were visiting the garden I told her we just...

Arrived at the gardens about midday so decided to head for a light lunch first. Prompt friendly service and I had the quiche with fresh cooked vegetables and my wife has the tomato soup with seeded bread. Both were wonderful and made the perfect start...

Rather disappointed by my visit. After ordering food and drinks, I ordered tea (was asked if I wanted sugar and I said yes) sugar never arrived. Was forgotten about. After waiting 40+ minutes for our food, a man asked us if we were ready to...

Sadly our delightful visit to the Gardens was spoiled by unhelpful staff with an inflexible attitude in the restaurant. Food really is not great either. Just have tea and cake max, it’s not worth having a meal here. I have read through other reviews, and...

Recently visited this restaurant for lunch and we were very disappointed with the quality of the food, given the price points. My wife had the mushroom soup, which had far too much salt in it. I had a 'toasted chicken' sandwich - the dish of...

Our visit began at lunchtime so we headed straight for the restaurant which was sensible as it does get busy. The food is wonderful and the service pleasant and speedy. The menu is varied and the produce mostly from the gardens - you can definitely...

I attend West Dean Gardens regularly and always pop into the restaurant for lunch or tea and cake, but I'm getting fed up with placing my order, having my requests acknowledged, and then ignored. 1st visit 2020 - placed order and requested strong cup of...

We had a delicious lunch in the restaurant The views were great and it was so peaceful A lovely day The grounds were beautiful Will come back soon

Excellent lunch here today, we are all on a learning curve with these new rules and regulations! Staff lovely and very accommodating, charming, willing and helpful Food excellent too although at the moment only cold food but sandwiches delicious

I like this place and enjoy home cooked menu,all ages meet here for food and drinks. Nice atmosphere lovely helpful staff.Varied menu something for all.Dish of the day.Homemade soup differs every day.

Not a particularly busy Sunday lunchtime and waited forty minutes with no sign of my food order. Finally, got the attention of staff member and asked why so long. Food arrived soon afterwards and I discovered they mislaid my order. No real apology sadly. Food...

Excellent surroundings. Nice interior. Certainly worth the trip to get there. Decent Sunday lunch. Can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday lunchtime.

Great place to visit before you start your walk around the lovely gardens, the food, staff and atmosphere are great and the prices fair.

Visiting West Dean gardens and decided to eat lunch in the restraurant. We ordered salad bowls and they were excellent. My salmon was so tasty, the salad fresh and full of mixed leaves and vegitables. It was too big infact and had to leave it unfinished. We were so impressed, went back for scone and cream before home.Very impressed with service, staff and quality of food.

Came here with friends for a coffee and catch up and really pleased we did, super chilled atmosphere and beautiful setting looking out onto the beautiful gardens and countryside of West Dean. Lots of parking right outside, a huge selection of cakes and coffees and a menu for breakfast and lunch too. Would definitely recommend.

Had a lovely baguette with Brie cheese and glazed onions washed down with a nice cup of tea which was just riht beforewe had a walk round the gardens. Due to the rain it was not a busy day and therefore had to sit in doors. Always friendly and cheerful staff.

We have eaten at the restaurant several times over the years. This time we had a cream tea for two which was very good. The service was also good. There’s quite a selection of hot and cold food with seating inside and out.

A glorious sunny afternoon in beautiful Sussex countryside. Sat outside and were greeted by lovely friendly staff who took us to our table. We sat down where we had pots of tea and two stands full of sandwiches, cakes and scones. There was so much we had to bring cakes and scones home, Lorraine was particularly lovely as she served up the most, she was very friendly and helpful. A real asset as she made us feel most welcome, especially as it was my birthday. She told me it’s her birthday next week, so happy birthday for next week and I hope so wine is as nice to you, as you were to us

A nice lunch were not banished out side with the dogs and they were very quick to sort the over charged sandwhicj

Wonderful selection of lunch choices at West Dean. Wholesome soup with brown baguette, shared a freshly prepared Ham sandwich with sidesalad & crisps. Plus T for 2. Nice surroundings, waitress service with a smile ( after ordering) .

Lovely Quiche and salad, steak pie and vegetables. Delicious apple juice. A peaceful atmosphere at the restaurant. Comfy window seats and beautiful views.

We always make time to visit the restaurant when we visit the gardens, but you can go to the restaurant alone if you wish. The building and terrace are delightful and there is a very good selection of home made scones, cakes, sandwiches and main meals. My only criticism is that it is slightly the victim of its own success as the tables are very full and the staff struggle to keep up with demand.

Good choice of menu, though would have liked a little more of a salad option, I may have mis read the board but I could only see one on it. Excellent jacket potato with coronation chicken filing. Tempting looking cakes and deserts. V friendly and cheerful staff. Restaurant was very busy at lunchtime but not uncomfortably so. Was visiting a local friend and would meet there again in the future.

Eaten here a few times but today was supposed to have been a pleasant short lunch visit for the 88 year old mother in law. Granted it is bank holiday Friday, we expected it to be busy and had been told it would be 30 minutes for our sandwiches. An hour later still nothing, chased and told it was on its way. Another 30 minutes still nothing. No apology or anything. So 1 hour 40 minutes for a sandwich - clearly totally disorganised and had forgotten our order - still no apology. Will we visit again - I think not!

What a lovely afternoon, the food was delicious and very generous portions. We couldn't finish the cake so we were given boxes to take them home. The staff were delightful and very attentive - would definitely recommend.

My wife and I visited to partake of the restaurants afternoon tea offering. This is by far the best afternoon tea we have ever had the pleasure of eating. The three tier plates were full of excellently prepared sandwiches and cakes. The scones on the top tier were filled with jam and cream with a slice of fresh strawberry on top. The staff and service given were of the highest order.

If you are in the area or passion by, it is definitely worth a try. The food is good quality and served well.

My friend and i visited for afternoon tea as a treat for my birthday. The food was amazing and well priced. We had ample sandwiches in four flavours on a variety of fresh cut bread, scones with plentiful clotted cream and jam and loads of small cakes with top ups of tea. The service was brilliant. We were tucked away in a corner and could easily have been forgotten about but the waitresses popped by frequently to check that we had enough of everything. Would highly recommend.

Lovely inside or out side ,good service and great selection .Good views of the green hill with sheep ..loads of car parking and lovely gardens to explore .

My husband and I called in here after enjoying a wonderful walk on a warm, sunny February day in Slindon woods.

Planned 'Pit Stop' on a round trip cycle from Nutbourne. It was good to see a busy cafe, shop & gardens too. The cafe service, via an orderly que;was effecient & good humoured. The carrot cake was nice & the shortbread yummy.

Popped in after a long walk in the grounds. Had tea and soft drinks. Nice setting not over priced and seemed to offer a variety of food, hot, cold and snacks. Loved the fact they had hot water bottles for you to use outside as it was cold. Bet it gets really busy when the weather is better as big terrace to sit out on. Would say top end of these sort of places. Toilets clean and tidy even at the end of the day. Staff here could have been a bit more cheerful, nothing terrible but not very chatty or smiley either

I was thinking of planning a lunch here so checked the website first, as you do.

Called here for drinks and cakes after a walk with the dogs on the South Downs. We all tucked in to hot chocolate and a variety of cakes while sat out side enjoying the winter sun.

It’s fair to say my previous review was not very positive (08/2018). However we were contacted by the management who seemed sincerely concerned by our poor experience. Credit to them for genuinely caring. So we tried West Dean restaurant again and its back to being as we would expect it to be. In fact we have been back several times since. As I said above, credit to the management for genuinely caring. Hopefully the kitchen manager will continue to follow their lead. The gardens and country walk is reason enough to visit West Dean so give it a try. On a good day in the restaurant it’s recommended although a wider selection of home made cakes would not go amiss!!

Unfortunately I have to start with a downer, service 'from the kitchen' was far to slow, whoever is in charge should have been on to this much quicker. The place was very full, but that is not a good excuse. Our Waitress was wonderful and kept us from getting very annoyed, yet she was having to run everywhere, she personally chose my apple to go with my cheeses scone, and it was the best apple I have had all year and the cheese scone was great as well. Praise also to the young Lady making the drinks, she also was on the ball. However, I would go back just to eat here as the food is plentiful and is fresh and freshly prepared, the menu is quite large and the food ideas spot on. So please don't miss your chance of a wonderful day at West Dean, the grounds are splendid and walking really quite easy and I have a dodgy hip and I hope you enjoy the restaurant as we did, but without the delays from the kitchen, thank you to all the overstretched waiting staff and a thank you to the ladies on reception, very helpful and went out of their way to answer my questions.

Took my parents for my fathers 85 birthday.food was superb chose afternoon tea for 2 as portions huge.Staff are excellent very chatty and very helpful.Good disabled access and dog friendly outside in the garden

Visited here with some friends for coffee and although they were not busy the service was painfully slow and to be given a dirty cup was unacceptable. It then took 5 mins to replace it. £2.30 for a cup of tea, really!!?? Gardens were lovely.

Quite disappointed overall. The quality of the food was good. The size, cost and choice of dishes was not. Two king prawns for £7 was one dish? Two meatballs was one dish. All our starters and all our main dishes came out at the same time. Surely with tapas, you get a dish or two and then a couple more a little while later etc etc. The idea is to graze. Disappointing, not to be repeated.

Fabulous food in a lovely atmosphere. The Spanish guitar, playing live whilst we ate, was very enjoyable. The food was delicious, well cooked and presented. The waitresses were enthusiastic and helpful but not very well organized or trained; they didn't seem to have allocated tables and didn't watch the guests to see when we were ready to order. Also the tables were a bit close together. Overall a very good night. Would go again

Went to the Tapas evening yesterday for the first time, and we had a very enjoyable evening. The Tapas food was excellent, good selection and very well cooked. I liked the greeting, with the Lady who welcomed us knowing exactly where we were sitting and taking us to our table. The pre-arranged timing worked really well with the food turning up very quickly. The waitresses were very friendly and helpful, but seemed to struggle with the closeness of the tables, with no one seeming to know exactly who they were serving. The guitar player was very good, but our table was a bit too close to his speakers, so conversation was difficult. Overall we had a really good evening and are already planning a return next year if they run it again, and we sincerely hope they will.

We love West Dean gardens, it’s our favourite place to visit. The gardens are fabulous and the tearoom/restaurant is a ‘just right’ compliment to the gardens. We enjoy tea here often. We like to sit in the garden area. The cakes are nice here. Have thought about lunch here but it’s always so busy (a good sign I’m sure) but the queues through the restaurant tables put us off rather, and it can’t be great for the diners having a queue of people next to their table. But it Is popular and the menu looks nice. So maybe rather than tea next time we’ll try lunch. It’s a lovely place to visit so must be worth a try!

It’s Monday at 14:30. We popped in for a cup of tea and a scone. We have been here before and it’s ok. (The grounds are ok as well). On ordering we were told that the kitchen was so busy they couldn’t heat the scone. I was stunned. Firstly it wasn’t that busy. Secondly it’s reasonable to request that a scone be warmed. I politely pointed out to the young lad at the counter that he should tell whoever he needs to tell in the kitchen that a paying customer wanted his scone heated. He said he didn’t want to because, “he will get shouted at”! I kid you not!!! That quote is 100% accurate. So not only wouldn’t I recommend coming here, I wouldn’t recommend working here either. What a shocking environment for staff and customers alike. Anyway after 10 minutes our tea and our scone turned up. Needless to say it hadn’t been heated. It was like a sketch from Fawlty Towers ... but not quite as entertaining. Actually it’s vaguely depressing. Lots of good places to go in the area so steer clear of West Dean Restaurant.

The café operates a find-a-table-then-order-your-food system that in theory is good but in practice causes problems in an over-crowded small restaurant but with many tables outside on the terrace. So having found a table that is free you then join the long-long queue and eventually get to the ordering point where your order is taken and paid for, but you don't even get tea here; everything comes to your table. Then you wait and wait while staff feverishly deliver orders to the table and collect dirty dishes on the way back. You can't stack your old dishes as you don't have a tray...

Had lunch here. It was very busy and there was a long queue to order. The staff were run off their feet but attentive. There was an excellent and varied choice for food and drinks and the whole decor and ambience was lovely. It's a bit pricey but not too bad. Lovely salads and a decent kids menu too. Found the acoustics very noisy, but it was high summer and absolutely packed with people. Eat early or late for a better experience?

The restaurant is situated in the main entrance building and is dog friendly. Though the menu is not wide ranging there is still a good choice. The staff are so friendly and helpful. The restaurant area itself is lovely and the views great. We just called in for coffee and a scone but it was delicious.

It almost didn't go well at this place. The reception staff were very helpful, confirming that dogs were permitted on the terrace and at the table just by the restaurant entrance in case there were no terrace tables. So we wandered through, only to encounter an exceptionally rude visitor who shared her views on what she thought of dogs being allowed. Despite being in the right, we bit our lips and avoided a scene. Thankfully the staff were very helpful and welcoming, unlike some of the customers. We did manage a seat on the terrace which was helpful as it was a baking hot day and there were quite a few dog owners there so we might have struggled to fit round the one dog friendly indoor table. The menu was fairly standard but with some locally produced stuff. There was a limited menu on the day we visited but it didn't impact us as we only wanted cold drinks and sandwiches. The food was good and of a decent standard.

lovely surroundings, high ceilings, nice views over the hills. staff attentive. cake portions are displayed so you know exactly what to expect. cakes then come from kitchen chiller cabinet, away from flies which is a nice touch considering the summer heat. sandwich has nice bread, generous filling. a lot of produce in the garden-loads of unpicked fruits and veg, esp red and white currants!- a bit more evidence of it on the specials board? shop a little squeezy for disabled customers. gardens and walk interesting. some art from the college would add a personal touch and might prove a source of income. be different

We were just on our way into Chichester for a day trip and our local relative suggested we pop in for a coffee here as it was mid morning. Sadly we didn't have time to visit the gardens.

We ordered a cream tea and gluten free cake. Despite the beautiful setting the scones were on the dry side, so was the GF cake - it was a hot day but they looked better than they tasted! Good pot of tea though!

Do not enter unless you have plenty of time to spare. Members of our coach party averaged 60 minutes from placing their order to receiving their food and no matter how good that food may be, this is unacceptable.

We have been visiting West Dean gardens and it’s restaurant for over 20 years. We visit on a Saturday or Sunday every weekend throughout the year, and are always delighted when it reopens after the winter break as our weekends are not the same without it. We are not on the doorstep, we are 30 miles away, yet this has always been a haven to escape to. Not only is the location stunning, but the service and friendliness of the restaurant staff is second to none. Visitors are from a cross section of the public, from children to the elderly, and all are dealt with respectfully, kindly and with a smile. The home cooked food is such a treat as so often eating out at other venues is a disappointment. Not here. However, over the last few months we have noticed a change and not for the better. There seems to have been a stream of new staff, most of whom are obviously inexperienced and not interested in what they are doing or the customers. The “core” staff, who have been there for many years seem to be fighting fires to repair the damage caused by more recent recruits. The addition of the new seating in the orchard area is lovely on these summer days, but the restaurant needs to be staffed to service the additional custom, and not over burden the long standing staff who are dedicated to giving their best to the customer, come what may. I feel very strongly about this and would welcome the opportunity to discuss it further with the management.

I am not that bid a fan of gardens and gardening but my wife is. This is as nice a place to visit as I can think of and the restaurant is pretty good too. Reasonable price for quality food. We went on a very hot day. Tip follows. If you're going for lunch arrive early and do a bit of the garden. Get to the restaurant for about 11.45 and you'll be able to get a table in the shade. Leave it much later and you'll be either in the sun or inside. Enjoy.

… that the service can be so good – yet the food so poor?

I have visited this restaurant/cafe several times in the last two years, the latest time being today 25/6/18. It is located in gorgeous, top class gardens. I would rate the food as average. But my main negative experiences have been from the attitude of some of the older staff members, who have been cold, abrupt, and dismissive to the point of rudeness on three separate visits. Consequently the atmosphere in the cafe is not as good as one would expect in such a lovely independent location. I perceive that this cafe's management does not actually like their customers, of which there are often very many, and has allowed the attitude to become disinterested and 'corporate'. Best to take a picnic and bypass the cafe.

The venue is lovely and no complaints about the service, but the “super sandwich”... very disappointing. Dry, black burnt and not worth the £8.25 price tag. I was expecting more, both in quality and flavour.

Lovely restaurant plenty of seats inside & outside where you can sit & watch the sheep in the fields grazing.Staff were all very friendly,lovely & polite & seemed happy.We went into the restaurant around 3pm & their were plenty of tables free & luckily no queues.I ordered a hot chocolate & a slice of carrot cake Mum had a cream tea.They take you’re order & then bring it to you’re table which is great & we must have only had to wait less than 5 minutes so great service.The hot chocolate was really good & the slice of carrot cake was very very yummy plus it’s a big piece of cake as well.Mum had a pot of tea & she got 3 cups out of it which was good & she enjoyed her fruit scone with strawberry jam & clotted cream.We would definitely recommend the cakes I cannot obviously comment on the hot food but I did see other people having the quiche & salad which looked really good.Mum thought the cream tea was very good value as well.The place had a lovely chilled environment & as I said on a hot day you could sit outside.I did have a quick look at the menu & everything looked great.We had a lovely day looking round the garden & then sitting with other friends in the restaurant happily chatting away.We would definitely recommend the place for a day out.

Ordered 2 cream teas which was fine. Attitude of the middle aged dark haired waitress far from acceptable. She arrived with the tray. Took the teapot off the tray and in so doing knocked the teapot against the milk jug and splattered some of the milk over the tray. Wouldn't have been a problem if she had said more than "oops". After all it was an accident. If she had said something like "sorry about that - shall I get you another jug?" I would have said "not to worry its OK". But she was rushing and just said oops in a very matter of fact way more to herself than us. What then really left me unimpressed was that the 2 clotted cream cartons were stacked one on top of the other, both with the lids off so the cream on the bottom one was touching the bottom of the carton stacked on top of it. So wherever the bottom of the carton had been placed was in contact with the cream. I wish I had asked for it to be sent back but she wasn't hanging around. In my book this shows absolute contempt for the customer, not to mention the health and safety issue.

We had delicious soup for lunch. It was coloured brown and was Watercress with something, which neither of us can remember!! It was absolutely delicious. The staff were very friendly and my pot of tea was strong, just as I like it.

We go to west dean throughout the year to admire the fabulous gardens and often just call into the restaurant for lunch or coffee. The menu is excellent and offers healthy options with fresh produce from their gardens. They also always have beautifully made cakes on offer which are irresistible.

6 of us for lunch, we ordered our food & paid.

We went to the West Dean restaurant and gardens on Easter Sunday as it was my mother-in-law’s birthday. We ordered at the counter and took a seat. I ordered an Americano with an extra shot, ok fine. Our coffee duly arrived with a waitress, first she pretty much told me off for vaping, ok, West Deans prerogative but I did feel that the way she went about it was a little over the top! Then she put down 2 black Americanos in front of myself and my husband. I asked which had the extra shot in it, and to cut a long story short she made it very clear that they were both the same there was nothing on the bill and she wasn’t about to do anything to rectify the matter! Ok I let it go since I hadn’t been charged for it and at this point I was feeling slightly humiliated to be honest! Anyway change of waiter, young chap this time, food arrives, all the jackets were cold and my uncle-in-law has no food! After a few minutes waiter returns and we ask where the other plate is,( toad-in-the-hole). Waiter goes to find out, comes back and bluntly asks to see receipt, well by now at least I am no longer alone in feeling uncomfortable! My Uncle doesn’t think he was given one and ends up having to follow the waiter in to be identified by the chap on the counter! Proof of purchase ascertained we carry on eating, 82 year old Uncle carries on waiting...and waiting! Eventually, after everyone else has long finished, his arrives. There was a garbled, nonsensical excuse, about it’s being on a separate ticket to the rest, as if that somehow makes up for it’s arriving at least 20 minutes after everyone else’s?! He ate half of it, but being elderly he is a slow eater and despite our protestations didn’t want to keep us all there any longer. Not a good experience!

We visited here twice whilst on holiday in the area. The first occasion was for coffee and toasted teacakes before a dog walk, and the dogs were allowed in the outer foyer seating area with us.

Scrumptious quinoa salad, handsome portions, great value too. Very friendly staff, quick service even though it was busy. Would highly recommend.

The perfect start to a very sunny but chilly Sunday in November

Had a late breakfast prior to a long walk around the gardens with our dog. Food was very good with fast service, pleasant and helpful staff and priced at mid level. Good portion sizes and with the English breakfast unlimited tea or coffee.

I have had some lovely lunches and also coffee/cake at this lovely restaurant in the most beautiful setting. If you are there on a sunny, crisp autumn day then there is little better!

They’d run out of most lunch things, and their equivalent of a ploughman’s was most uninspired (and expensive).

I took my Mum to the gardens today and we had lunch in the cafe. Staff are nice but the smoked salmon and watercress sandwich was very poor. The smoked salmon was so stringy and not much of it but couldn’t eat the sandwich. The lettuce had brown bits on was old and unpalatable.

Firstly, you can eat in the restaurant without visiting the gardens. The restaurant is spacious and well set out with plenty of outdoor seating when the weather is good. We have eaten here many times and the quality is generally very good. The jacket potatoes and quiches are usually excellent. The only disappointment for us has been the fish cakes, but we may have been unlucky. It can be busy when there are coach parties visiting but the food is usually worth the wait. I believe the restaurant is closed in January so check opening times.

We had tea here after a visit to the gardens. You find a table, note the number, and order at the counter. Servers and service were good, and the food came relatively quickly. We had a cream tea (fruit scone), a coffee and a plain scone and the scones looked really good. The tea and coffee were good, but we were really disappointed in the scones which were very dry. A shame. It was the end of the day but even so ....

This is a cute tea room serving lovely home made food. Reasonably priced for the quality and a fab selection. Wish I had known about afternoon tea as we would have definitely opted for that. Oh they also serve the most amazing hot chocolate I have ever had. Would definitely recommend.

What a lovely experience and setting, we ordered coffee and scones, really quick service and the staff so attentive. We sat outside enjoying the view with our dog goose. The tables were cleared very quickly and clean too. One of the best cafes we've been to!! Thankyou.

Very romantic evening with a wonderful selection of Tapas dishes and excellent service in the delightful restaurant garden with unrivalled views over the glorious Lavant valley. Beautiful live guitar music from Michael Hughes added to the atmosphere and made a perfect evening for us. Thoroughly recommended.

Went to visit here today for the first time after hearing great reviews about the afternoon tea they offer. My mum and I have had our fair amount of afternoon tea experiences, and decided to take my grandparents out to celebrate my nans birthday. It was very well organised, a huge variety of cakes and sandwiches, with unlimited tea. Beautiful weather and we sat at a table which was looking out at the south down fields. Truly wonderful service and will definitely be coming back here again!!

We stopped here for lunch. Lots to choose from and good size portions, reasonable prices too. Sandwiches, baguettes, salads, jacket potatoes, hot food too. Cream teas and cakes. Choices of teas and coffee. Well worth a visit

Often cafes at a visitor attraction are a disappointment but that is not a claim that can be laid at the door of west dean gardens. Even on a busy lunchtime there were tables available and the choice of food on offer was very good - we opted for the salmon salad which was good and excellent value. The coffees and cake were slightly on the high side but the quality was good. Staff were pleasant and efficient - we were also fortunate to nab a window seat. Top marks.

Enjoyed a very nice lunchtime sandwich and a pot of tea after a visit to the gardens. There is an extensive menu and not just sandwiches: even full (and ‘’fuller’’ with two of everything!) English breakfast if you want to eat before tackling the gardens! Sandwiches come with a choice of bread and a wide variety of fillings. Something for everyone or there are a few specialty items – I had a sourdough roll loaded with pastrami and accompanied by dill pickles, Emmenthal cheese and American mustard. Good service and everyone was very pleasant.

Wow, one of the best lunches in ages! amazing jacket potato with avocado and prawns, so many prawns!!!!! also has a lovely latte and a fabulous scone, all very tasty and reasonably priced. Went with my parents, food for all ages. Vegetarians also. Salad is amazingly fresh as comes from their own gardens which you can visit before or after. The service can be a little bit slow, but friendly, it does get busy! A lovely place to go. My parents have been several times and always enjoyed all their meals. The shop next door is a joy as are their beautiful gardens, Cant wait to return. Waitress Loraine very friendly.

The scones here are lovely as well as the carrot cake! In fact I have loved all the cakes I have sampled! It also offers some lovely soft drinks and is so relaxing. Sit here with your paper or some friends and you can lose several hours!

We had lunch here today after a lovely stroll with our well behaved Labrador puppy around the stunning gardens. The restaurant was busy - and now we know why! We sat outside on the lovely terrace as the weather was good. We ordered the salmon salad which came withnchard and new potatoes. We had a bit of a wait but it was worth it as it was cooked to perfection and tasted beautiful. As well as lunches, they also do lovely cakes and afternoon tea. Thoroughly recommended.