The Secret Garden — Restaurant in Epsom and Ewell

An unpretentious, warm and friendly community centric eating place. Pleasant, welcoming indoor environment utilising tasteful pastel decor. Ran by a local family, employing local people with a passion for good food and drink. Highly recommend the secret smash with smoked salmon as well as the pastries and breads which are fresh from Eden’s Little Bakery. It’s fantastic that this a truly dog friendly establishment. The handmade peanut butter based dog biscuits (while not to my taste 😆) are definitely to the taste of multiple dog friends I have brought here. If you have no time to stop there is a barn door style service point in the car park where you can grab and go. There is even a secret ice cream parlour! It’s still early days and I’m excited to see how things develop. I’ve seen a few comments about the cost of a few bits on the menu. Those comments are one dimensional and show a lack of understanding of the reality of operating a business in my opinion. If we judged value by the cost of a tea bag or the cost of some juice it’s really missing the point. Someone served you, a machine that needs to be paid for gave you the hot water, the building has overheads. A business naturally needs to generate a profit - this helps provide funding for growth, training, product development, people development, infrastructure investment etc. I’m always mindful that not all products carry the same margins; one item may make profit, another may be profit neutral or even generate a small loss - it really is the work of alchemy!

Adding genuine value locally does not come cheap; Employing local people whose development is a key focus is worth paying extra for. Using quality local ingredients, is worth it. The investment in what was a run down council owned establishment is significant…and worth it. A truly community centric ethos is also worth it. I’d sooner pay a little extra (and it really is just a little) to support local. Costa and Co have their place however being truly local adds the most value back into the community and I’d rather see a local business do well than a national corporate entity that’s there to simply churn profit for...

Nestled within the charming surroundings of Ewell Court House, The Secret Garden Café offers a pleasant retreat with its bohemian-styled interior and clean environment. The café presents a fashionable menu featuring trendy ingredients such as houmous and pine seeds, catering to contemporary tastes.

The selection of hot beverages is commendable, with a diverse range available to suit various preferences. However, I was somewhat disappointed when my coconut latte arrived curdled, which affected the overall enjoyment of the drink.

The young staff were exceptionally courteous and polite throughout my visit. That said, good customer service extends beyond mere politeness, and I found this lacking when informed that the ham and cheese croissant I ordered was unavailable because "the boss didn't order any" – an explanation that felt rather unprofessional.

At £8 for two hot drinks, the prices are somewhat steep for what's on offer, which may give some patrons pause. I also found drinking a hot latte from a cup with no handle somewhat troublesome... design over function perhaps?

While marketed as a garden café with a nursery area, the selection of plants available for purchase was quite limited, which seemed at odds with the establishment's name and concept.

In summary, The Secret Garden Café has potential with its lovely setting and pleasant atmosphere, but could benefit from improvements in both service consistency and value for money to truly shine as a destination...

I've been today for a quick breakfast; I was used to the 'old' Tea Room and the new one, lack of character and that 'special' touch that the 'old' one had. The Tea Room is in a great location, just next to the Ewell Court House and Park; so very well positioned if you want to have a spot of lunch after a nice walk. We told the server that we were new to the place and if they could explain how it worked; they said just to get a table and order from there, which we did. We did order a flat white and a latte. The service is quite poor. No crockery on the tables, we got our drinks and the server didn't know which one was the latte or the flat white. No sugar server (we had to ask). Then the server came to our table and told us to go to the till to pay; we actually wanted to order also some food but regardless, we went to the till to pay and then we order the additional food. The choice is quite restricted and not exactly 'Tea Rooms' experience (more 'international'). I can't believe that there's no basics like a bacon or a sausage bap / sandwich; we are in the Uk... come on... Would I come back? Maybe. Quite a bland experience...