The Garden Café

Situated in the middle of Regents Park, this has been refurbished (interior only) as of July 2014 and now known as ‘The Smokehouse’. I have been here a few times and it’s only for the Bacon! The staff are friendly, has plenty of bench’s outside to sit on nice sunny days, they also do serve many café type food/​drink but all produce looks really fresh and certain foods cooked on-​site, so if you are on a stroll through the park and feeling peckish then I would highly recommend it!

Used to come here all the time in the summer.
Perfect for a nice glass of wine when it’s sunny, and always lovely outside.
Service can be a little despondent– it gets pretty busy and the staff are a little rude sometimes, but the food is lovely, I definitely recommend the deserts on the homemade treats table in the centre!
Can get a little loud, it tends to be a middle-​class family lunch kind-​of crowd, again reflected in the price (there is a children’s menu which you can order from if it’s a little pricey) but the portions seem to be consistently rather small.
BUT
if you can’t handle little Hugo shouting for more fishfingers, there’s a lovely garden area which is perfect to bring a book out to and have a read with a glass of wine.

You’re paying for location on this one…
I don’t understand why the park cafes are so expensive, however as far as this one goes, you get some lovely fresh options that make up for wallet discomfort.
I like the chilli prawn salad, even though it was dripping with balsamic vinegar and wasn’t ‘that spicy’, I do like the tenderstem broccoli and soya beans combo.
The fish and chips is also pretty good, the batter was really crispy, with nice white fish, although I found the chips to be a bit of a let-​down.
The parsley mash also needed more parsley… It wasn’t that noticeable at all.
The coffee is a little lacklustre, but there is a good selection of cakes, I rather enjoyed the cream and jam scone I had on one visit, which appeared handmade.
Whilst it’s expensive, I can’t but like the Garden café, it’s a lovely warm oasis, with an open airy feel, lots of outdoor seating for the summer (and shade umbrella’s) and large windows for the winter, so you can stare wistfully out into the bleak weather That said views aren’t that inspiring, however it’s nice to have the light and shelter.
They have quite a few meal and drink options and some lovely looking cakes, that tempts me to revisit to try, and everything I’ve had there felt fresh and seemed well prepared.
It can get quite busy on sunny days and weekends, but is delightfully bubbly, but not as busy on weekdays.

Verdict: An OK place, among not that many options, when running around in Regent’s Park!
Pros:
— Location and surroundings.
— Depending on your sighting route a «take break or chelax place» at the beginning, at the middle or at the end of a walk or park visit!
— Decent coffee.
— Decent pricing. At the self service counter that is and not the food.
— Decent WIFI even on the terrace.
Cons:
— Somewhat unkempt and rundown.
— Not the fastest service in regards of clearing the tables.
— Not the brightest place. Or maybe all my visits happen to be in autumns and after lunch hour ending when lamps are not yet turned on!

Nice outdoor café in Regents Park. Food used to be excellent with a nice selection of mains and salads. Unfortunately they decided to downscale the food and now have very mediocre sandwiches and kids food. The falafel was worse than pre-​made Pret. Steak sandwich was good but not for£11. The kids fish fingers are real fish at least. Still have a good wine selection although would be nice to see more than Heineken for beers.
Recommend they go back to the old menu or stick to burgers and better sandwiches. Still gets a couple stars though for the nice outdoor seating in the middle of a park.

This is a lovely setting inside regions Park. The cost is very high and the service is not very good. With a lot of distracted teenagers behind the counter. However you can’t beat the setting in the garden in Regent’s Park. I had the English breakfast I must say it was quite good as was the tea and Americano. Great for kids with a kids menu and clean bathrooms.

The hot and cold beverage selection left much to be desired but the cappuccino was good and the neighbouring grounds were a sight.(regent park gardens).
Returning for full review (including food review)
Stay tuned

Worst service I have ever experienced in London. Every table was upset and vocal about it. Food is below average. Never again.

I had an hour to kill before the show at No. 1, Marylebone opened, and Regent’s Park was only a short walk away. And, how better to pass time than by walking in the park, even on a raw winter day. My way took me past the Garden Café, an angular, 60s-​designed structure which seemed to consist mainly of windows. Maybe, on a warmer day, I might have passed by it, but it was cold, and lunchtime, so in I went. They will do a full, waiter-​service sit-​down lunch if you need it, but I didn’t. There’s counter service, too, and all I wanted was a coffee and a muffin. The place seemed reasonably clean, not too crowded, and the man behind the counter cheerful and polite. A resounding ‘Yes’ to the coffee and I’m particular about my coffee served in a generous mug, and a chocolate and blueberry muffin that really hit the spot. And, all for under a fiver!

Mitten im Regent’s Park gibt es das «Garden Café». Es gibt innen und außen Sitzplätze, Essen und Getränke sind in Ordnung, die sanitären Anlagen ebenso. Dummerweise schließt man hier aber bereits um 21 Uhr, da die gesamte Parkanlage um die Zeit abgesperrt wird…

You can’t spend time here and not want to give a high rating. The café is smack in the middle of the most beautiful park in London. The food is divine and the service is fine too.
Stopping for dinner before a show at the nearby theatre, we enjoyed a quiet and well-​paced meal. Delicious food — a smoked salmon appetizer with cucumber dill salad, saddle of lamb with roast new potatoes and salmon cakes. I would have taken pictures, but I didn’t want to embarrass myself with the uncle!
It was a bit on the moderate side of the price scale, likely because of the excellent location.

this café was dirty and unkept. The coffee was fine, the cake stale and ALL unoccupied tables still filled with previous visitors cups plates etc. The male staff member cleared away after 20 minutes, but failed to wipe any tables leaving crumbs… most had been previously wiped onto the floor. I did complain about the cake being stale but was brow beaten by the staff ‘no-one’s complained before’ Oh that makes it OK then.
two coffees & two cakes = £9.20 — very overpriced for sitting in a midden… The same items can be bought at a greasy spoon café, they would be cheaper & definitely cleaner.

On a summer’s day, you may find yourself waiting for a seat and table at the Garden Café, it is popular with park visitors and for the open air theatre goers, as it is right next door.
They have a great selection on deserts and a full bar, and being the only restaurant around, I am sure that you can imagine that it is a tad on the pricey side, but not too bad.
The building was once quite dated, it was built in the 60’s but was not looked after, but today you will find it completely rejuvenated, into a modern outlook but fitting in just fine in the park surrounding. It is very stylish and its openness provides natural light.
I have eaten here on a few occasions as Regents Park is where me and my girlfriend spend a lot of our time. Everything is presented very nicely indeed, I love it in here.

Walk into the café on a mild rainy day, by yourself and a book. The transformation it can do to your presence is poetry. Exotic in setting its like being in a train to somewhere. Quiet and calm, the Garden Café wants you to slow down.
Very caring service to one and all, I envy the nearby businesses and students of the Regents College who have quicker access to the café. Perfect for a quiet business lunch or dinner, they have ‘rhubarb’ my favourite on the menu. Also a good selection of mild and medium wines and warm drinks to go with the food menu.

The Garden café is situated inside the Regent’s Park, in a lovely natural setting. The open air theater puts on some great productions in the short lived summer nearby, and the closest tube station is at Baker Street about fifteen minutes away. A walk through the park must be an ideal way to spend a sunny weekend afternoon, but this chilly weather will soon leave you wanting something warm. This restaurant has two sections, one of which is a self-​service counter, and the other has table service.
The self-​service counter is more popular, as the prices are rather steep at the restaurant, and the food is largely the same. I had some fanastic pumpkin soup that warmed me up from the inside, that was delicious with a fresh baguette for 4.50, and a slice of carrot cake (1.95) to share with a cappuccino (1.80). If you’re lucky enough to get a seat near the large windows, you can look out at the yellowing autumn leaves in the park. After a warming lunch of some soup, its time to take a leisurely walk through the park, possibly go boating if you’re brave, visit the zoo nearby, or just watch the ducks. A visit here makes for a great weekend ‘away’ from the city!