Gardener's Cottage Cafe

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Reviews

1. Elan Dacosta ★☆☆☆☆

   After today, I’ve decided to leave a review because I’m honestly heartbroken and disappointed by the experience I had at the café in Valentine’s Park near the main entrance. I’ve been going there for over 10 years with my mum and friends, and we’ve never had any issues. The previous owners were lovely — always welcoming and friendly. Unfortunately, the new owners are nothing like that. They don’t seem to treat people with respect and make assumptions without knowing the full story. My mum is terminally ill with stage 4 cancer — something I don’t usually like to mention — but today I have to. She may have come across as slightly short because they kept telling us to put our dogs on leads, even though we were outside in an open park area. Instead of showing understanding or compassion, they kept arguing back and made her feel awful, despite clearly seeing how unwell she was. When I explained my mum’s situation, they still carried on. It was really upsetting. Things escalated when one of the regular dog walkers, Peter, started getting in my face and made me feel extremely uncomfortable. Of course I stood my ground — anyone would when defending their mum. My small dog had just run over because it’s a dog, harmless, and yet they made a huge scene about it. What frustrates me most is that the cafe owner seems to ignore the situation completely. I believe it’s because those people come in daily and spend money, so he’d rather keep quiet than deal with it properly. That’s not right. No one should be made to feel bullied or disrespected, especially someone who’s unwell. I’ve never left a bad review before, but I feel I have no choice. I want to warn others, if you care about kindness, respect, and fairness, avoid this place. It’s not how it used to be, and I truly wish it still had the same welcoming atmosphere it once did.

   almost 3 months ago
2. Stefan Dumitru ★★☆☆☆

   Great atmosphere, terrible menu, overcooked food, service was meh but at least the people are nice and the garden is lovely.

   almost 4 months ago
3. Adnan Ashraf ★★★★★

   Lovely spot in Ilford! Gardner Cottage Café has such a warm and welcoming vibe. The live music adds a really nice touch and makes it feel extra special. The coffee is excellent – smooth, rich, and probably the best I’ve had locally. Definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for great coffee and a relaxing atmosphere.

   almost 4 months ago

1. Bev Doje ★★★★★

   Fabulous live music at the Gardener's cottage on Sunday 12pm - 4pm in summer. Why I'm I just hearing about this? Lovely music by Redbridge Music Lounge, great acts worth seeing

   almost 5 months ago
2. Ada P ★★★★☆

   Very cute little cafe in a really beautiful section of the park. Feels like a national heritage site. The actual food is okay, I think it’s all vegan. The jacket potatoes was fine but nothing special. The coffee was very nice. Service was friendly but a little slow

   1 year ago
3. Melissa Dawn ★★★★★

   I love this little cafe in Valentines park. Perfect for tea and cake. Cannot wait for the warm weather to go and visit again and sit outside. Family friendly. Really lucky to have this locally. Beautiful little cottage cafe and part of the mansion grounds and kept very well.

   almost 2 years ago

1. Elizabeth Wright ★★★★★

   Beautiful sunny day and a very relaxing open air cafe. Excellent coffee and lunch today thank you. Thoroughly recommended

   almost 3 years ago
2. martin marcus ★★★★★

   The Gardeners Cottage is like finding your magical happy place. It is situated in a beautiful setting within Valentine’s Park. The proprietor Charlie greets his customers with a smile and his staff are always polite and friendly. The cafe is always spotless and the coffee, lunch or tea are always well displayed and served. We enjoy delicious cakes, sandwiches, jacket potatoes etc etc. and even a cream tea there! All dogs are very welcome and even receive a treat! We always look forward to our regular walk in the park with a visit to our favourite cafe ! Cheryl

   almost 3 years ago
3. Audrius Urbonavicius ★☆☆☆☆

   We are going for a walk to Valentines park everyday and buying an ice cream for our two children. Its such a hassle to buy an ice cream. You need to say which ice cream you need at the till, then you need to repeat it again to a person who served the ice cream, then he/she asks you again which one you need... Very disorganised. Makes me feel each time very AWKWARD. Staff never smile. Outside area very nice and spacious. But inside very narrow and small. Ice cream services need to be improved ASAP. If i could i would rate this cafe a Zero Star.

   almost 3 years ago

1. harprit sanghera ★★★★★

   A lovely little oasis tucked away in Valentines Park. Coffee is good, the cakes are really good especially the carrot cake and they have gluten free options so my friend can get some cake too. It's one of our favourite spots in the area

   almost 3 years ago

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