Gardener's Cottage Cafe - Redbridge

This little cafe really is a hidden gem in the middle of Ilford. Tucked away within the courtyard at Valentines Park, it's very cute. Friendly staff and nice atmosphere. Treated my mum to lunch and we both really enjoyed our food, lovely cake too! I often stop in for a hot chocolate or an ice cream while walking around the park and will certainly visit for lunch again. The prices are good value too.

It is a lovely sheltered outdoor area with excellent range of coffees. Very peaceful spot to go with my elderly mum and she loves it there.

We visit Gardeners Cottage at least weekly through the summer and winter. We are always assured of a very friendly welcome by the owner and his staff. It is always spotless and the surrounding gardens perfectly kept. Our dog Charlie is not only welcomed, but also given dog treats there. Although a limited menu, it is always nicely displayed on the plate and well cooked. So nice to have also have good crockery and a teapot. This cafe is a wonderful part of our life and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

The service here is always painfully slow. Nothing to do with Covid and queuing etc, they're just slow to process each order. Which I've never complained about because I do like coming to this beautiful place, but there really is no excuse for such awful coffee. My large cappuccino was more watery than the ornamental lake outside the cafe garden. I don't know if they skimped on the ground coffee or just reused the grounds from the previous brew but either way, this was worse than the coffee at the local beigel shop, which is a real achievement.

A wonderful oasis to stop by of you are in the area, we go there regularly, but the only thing stopping a five star review is the coffee. As has been mentioned by a few previous reviewers it really needs attention. The blend is not great (or not well extracted), and the milk is heated to much. If they could improve this, I would be there every day. Perhaps Waynes Coffee down the road could give some tips ?