Butlers Retreat — Restaurant in London

Absolute shambles. Overpriced food. 3 sandwiches took 45 minutes to be prepared. No apology and extremely rude staff. They might think of employing an adult there and maybe teaching them about customer service and manners. This is given where all they need to do is take an order, produce that order then give it to its recipient. There's no extra work to be done. At close to £5 you'd expect more than a tiny ciabatta with a scant peice of lettuce. You'd expect the bacon sandwich to be cooked. It was so palid it looked like it had been boiled. On top of all this we had to chase the order. At no point did anyone make any attempt to let us know what's happening. This was just for three sandwiches and from what I could see we were not the only ones enduring this least liked episode of Faulty Towers. Honestly save your money and take a packed lunch or even better venture into Chingford and get some decent food. Otherwise if you like waiting for ages for meager portions and love being ripped off then this is the...

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Butlers Retreat is a must-visit café and restaurant, nestled in a beautifully restored historic building that dates back to 1859, when it originally served as a modest barn.

Unlike many places that hide their food beneath unnecessary garnish and salad, Butlers Retreat lets the quality of its dishes shine. In fact, the only thing hidden here is the café itself—tucked away on the edge of Epping Forest, just a stone’s throw from Chingford Station.

The food is presented with care and precision, and it tastes as good as it looks. A standout was the simple yet delicious dish of fried eggs resting on a homemade crispy rosti, lightly dusted with chorizo crumb—pure comfort on a plate. The bacon roll, served in a fresh, fluffy bun and generously filled with grilled bacon, was equally satisfying.

The coffee? Hot, fresh, and full of flavor.

No question about it—I’ll...

We just had such a fantastic meal at Butler's Retreat at The Larder, and honestly, the food and service were absolutely top-notch. Every dish was delicious, and the staff were all incredibly friendly.

They really couldn't do enough for us, making us feel so welcome and looked after from start to finish.

The only thing that put a bit of a damper on our experience was another customer. There was a blonde woman in a white gym top and black shorts who was just incredibly rude.

The way she spoke to the staff was genuinely disgusting, and frankly, she should be ashamed of herself. It was such a shame to see, especially when everyone else was so lovely.

Despite that one hiccup, we still had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend Butler's Retreat for its excellent food and...