Secret Garden Cafe — Restaurant in Bath

At Sept 2022, our visit was post-refurb and with the cafe under new management. The Secret Garden cafe used to be our favourite lunch/coffee/cake spot in Bath for the past 2 decades, but it now feels like it is run by a faceless company looking for profit. You now have to wait to be shown to a table (why?), the menu and food lacks creativity, hygiene standards have dropped, and unfortunately we spent our time there trying to think about an alternative cafe where we could go in the future. We noticed that uncovered knives, forks and sugar cubes were stored on the tables - not good for hygiene. Also on the tables were ketchups and mayo bottles, some of which should be refrigerated. The staff used their fingers to push cakes onto serving plates, rather than utensils. Delivery of cups of coffee took an age - the coffee machine capacity was no match for the seating capacity of the cafe. Staff were pleasant, but obviously stressed. During our visit, they apologised to various customers for the delays in serving drinks and food. Overall, this cafe will get business because it is in Bath, has parking, and is attached to an excellent garden centre. It is a pity the cafe is no longer up to the standard expected, based on our previous years...

I can hardly put into words what an incredibly awful and upsetting experience I had, after many visits over many years this was the pits!! My mother and I ordered the vegetarian quiche we were told was on offer, a chorizo quiche was brought to the table, the waitress hoping we would accept it, there was no vegetarian quiche! We declined and chose a mediocre hummus panini, this took 25 mins to arrive after the same waitress came in the meantime to take our order!! Not a clue! Food was overcooked and uninspiring, we didn't complain! When I came to pay the waitress, who was supposedly the manageress, she started on me and said we were difficult customers and proceeded to be abusive and sarcastic!!! A horrible experience run by a cooperate, incompetent business which is only interested in profit. The cafe, as I understand it, is run separately to the...

Worst cafe experience I’ve ever had due to the rude and hostile manageress. While discussing the extortionate price of an item one of the other staff members started sniggering. There are ways to be empathetic to customers and appreciate their views without being rude and shutting them down. She told me to leave and write a review. Two slices of standard white bread and butter is £4.95 whether or not you have jam/marmalade. I actually left this cafe crying in front of my young daughter with the toast buttered and shoved in a box. I appreciate prices, but you should be allowed to disagree and discuss how much something is worth without being made to feel like you’re doing something wrong. Although she is the manger she said she doesn’t set the prices and wouldn’t give me the name of who does. Obviously avoiding this place...