The Garden Café - Guide Review

The Garden Café is in the heart of Regent's Park's Inner Circle but does the wonderful location justify the surly service?

The Garden Café is in a fabulous setting and attracts a lot of visitors simply because of where it is. But I wonder if it would do so well anywhere else? I had to wait to be served by a member of staff who was disinterested in doing her job. When she could be bothered to take my order it certainly wasn't 'service with a smile'.

I decided to just have tea and cake and sit outside. There are two seating areas outside the cafe: one for restaurant diners and one for those using the 'cafe' side. I asked the surly assistant for help carrying my tea and cake to an outside table as I was pushing a pushchair. She didn't respond but did reluctantly pick up my order. I asked her to take it to a table with a parasol, which she did but left me unable to get to the table. (The gap a single person can get through and the gap needed for a buggy are not the same thing!)

A cup of tea cost £1.30 which is an acceptable price for the location, but a chocolate brownie was £2.75 which was somewhat ridiculous. I had chosen not to have lunch in the restaurant as I thought £8-10 for a salad was a bit steep.

Maybe I'm missing the point which is the fact you can dine in the center of Regent's Park, but I really don't see why that should allow The Garden Café to offer such unfriendly service. I have no idea where it's got its reputation from for being child-friendly!