The Secret Garden

Someone from this business manages this listing.

427 reviews

#2 of 85 Restaurants in Sudbury££ - £££, French, European, Vegetarian Friendly

+44 1787 321301+ Add website

Hours

Tue

9:00 - 16:30

Wed

9:00 - 16:30

Thu

9:00 - 16:30

Fri

9:00 - 16:3018:00 - 21:30

Sat

9:00 - 16:3018:00 - 21:30

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Ratings and reviews

4.5

427 reviews

#2 of 85 Restaurants in Sudbury

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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CUISINES

French, European

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Drinks

features

Location and contact

17 Friars Street Buzzards Hall, Babergh District CO10 2AA England

+44 1787 321301

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Does this restaurant have private dining rooms?

Yes

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Details

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About

The café serves breakfast, lunch, cream tea, Tuesday to Saturday during the day. On Friday and Saturday evenings we run a restaurant from our magnificent building. Everything is 100% homemade on our premises. Vegetarian dishes available and vegan and allergen-free dishes available upon request.

CUISINES

French, European

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Drinks

FEATURES

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.5

427 reviews

Excellent

304

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

Paul B

128 contributions

Quality,choice,service and not too much money.

Sept 2021 • none

Went for lunch after visiting Sudbury for the first time in years. we sat outside under the awning ,as the sun was shining .The menu was simple plus a few specials, we choose from the 3 courses for £21 and what a bargain. The choices were different and interesting and once they arrived of a very high quality. With a 50 cl carafe of house wine and coffees the total bill was £55. Excellent quality, well presented and a pleasurable two hours.

Written 17 September 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

The Secret Garden

Thank you very much for your wonderful comments. We are so glad you enjoyed your lunch here with us and hope to see you again in the future. TeamTSG

Written 18 September 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jenny P

Petersfield94 contributions

Cafe next door but part of restaurant

Mar 2020 • none

Brilliant cafe next to restaurant. Friendly staff who couldn’t do more for us. Yummy almond croissant and fabulous coffee with the best pot of loose leaf Earl Grey tea I’ve tasted in a long while. Dog friendly too. Perfect as an introduction to Sudbury.

Written 11 March 2020

TSGSudbury

Thank you so much for taking the time to write your review. We are so pleased you had an enjoyable time at the café and do hope we can welcome you back to the café again or may be the restaurant! Sara Le Fanu

Written 12 March 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

STEPHEN N

Buxhall15 contributions

Best Restaurant in Sudbury

Jan 2021 • none

Without doubt the best restaurant in Sudbury. Great service from the staff and daily specials . Currently running a breakfast club and weekly takeaway dish in lockdown order from website collect on Saturday mornings.

Written 18 February 2021

The Secret Garden

We are really missing contact with our customers, so it is fantastic to read and reply to your review. Thank you so much for your wonderful comments, it is great to hear that you are enjoying our current breakfast club with its pastries and weekly specials. We can’t wait to open our doors again and look forward to seeing you then.

Written 15 March 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Paul L

Rattlesden58 contributions

Perfect summer lunch

Jun 2021 • none

Had stopped off here last year for an excellent bowl of soup. This time, on a hot day in a shady garden, we enjoyed two different and delicious salads. My duck, walnut and raspberry was a generous plate of great flavours, beautifully dressed while my wife raved about her baby spinach, crayfish and avocado. Friendly and efficient waitress. We will be back.

Written 9 June 2021

The Secret Garden

I am so pleased we ticked your ‘boxes’, it is of course always lovely to hear wonderful comments, thank you for taking the time to review. We look forward to seeing you soon I hope, Sara Le Fanu

Written 10 June 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Colorphase

Colchester78 contributions

An excellent memorable lunch - to be repeated

Apr 2022 • couples

We were greeted by Lauren, perused the lunch menu and was shown to our table. Two large glasses of Rose and a selection of freshly baked bread soon arrived. We had the set priced 3 course lunch (which regularly changes) each course a delight and full of taste followed by an excellent strawberry and pistachio gateau. Both Alain and Stefan were very engaging and enthusiastic hosts, whilst Lauren entertained us with some potted history. Unfortunately we were unable to post this review at the time as we have only just returned to the UK.

Written 18 August 2022

The Secret Garden

Thank you very much for you kind review. We hope to see you soon now you are back in the UK! 😀 Kind regards The Secret Garden team

Written 30 August 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

steveb_online

London27 contributions

Avoid until they change their chef

Jul 2023 • family

Not sure if they have changed chef but our dinner experience was VERY disappointing. On the plus side the ambience and service were great. Also the dessert (almond macaroon and ice cream) was excellent. However the starters and main were appalling. Three limp squid rings on a veritable mountain of beetroot mush and some other indistinguishable white sauce should have been warning enough. However, being a Birthday treat our choice of walking out at that stage was not really an option. The mains were no better. Tempura prawns seemed passable if not spectacular. The rump steak turned out to be a minute steak and "medium rare" was interpreted as "well done". It went back. The replacement had a hint of red and, as the others in the meal had finished their mains, it was accepted and eaten. However, it was massively over-seasoned and had the thickness and consistency of shoe leather. Not a pleasant experince. The other main was a cep soufflé on what appeared to be freezer-burnt peas. That was finished off by a bill of £60 a head (with the cheapest wine on the list) and a 15% gratuity that wasn't advised to me until I received the receipt after paying! We will never return and recommend anyone to think twice. There are so many good options in Sudbury.

Written 28 July 2023

Team TSG

Dear Steve, We are very sorry to read you did not enjoy your visit to The Secret Garden. Sadly, your comment would have more value if it didn’t include many false information. You ordered a bottle of Sparkling Vouvray brut at £45 per bottle (far to be the cheapest wine on the list) and your bill included a 12.5% discretionary service (not 15%), clearly stipulated on the menu - A service you did not have to pay if you did not want to. As for your comment on the food, we can only be too pleased to hear on the night the extremely positive comments from the other two members of your party. It seems they clearly did not wish to walk out. Once again, we are sorry you did not like the food and we don’t expect to satisfy everyone but more respect and honesty would have been welcome. Team TSG

Written 31 July 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

sarahh1214

Sudbury40 contributions

The Secret Garden breakfast

Feb 2020 • family

Went to The Secret Garden for breakfast on a Saturday. Be warned, it does get busy, but it’s not hard to see why, as it’s the perfect place to go for a light but well-cooked breakfast. The Secret Garden specialises in French food so (not surprisingly!) don’t expect big English breakfasts but something like poached eggs and smoked salmon or there’s a large selection of homemade pastries, scones and cakes etc which are wonderful with their coffee! We also had the smoked grilled herring with a poached egg which was sooo delicious and just what we needed - I have come for lunch in the past too and this is just as nice, again smaller but lovingly made dishes - do recommend!

Written 24 February 2020

Seaside11748378193

Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review. We are really pleased you enjoyed your meal at The Secret Garden Café and look forward to welcoming you back soon. Sara Le Fanu

Written 26 February 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Anne M

Halstead818 contributions

Little disappointed

Oct 2020 • couples

It was my birthday treat but we got sat in a chilly corner and waited half an hour for our first drink. We couldn’t have our first choice on the menu for main or sweet but what we did have was delicious. The restaurant was full so you need to book and get there early if you want full choice. To be fair, everything is freshly made in their own kitchen so it’s not like a chain restaurant where they can get it out of the freezer. We hope to go again and have a better experience. The staff are very nice and the food delicious and it’s very popular. Take an extra scarf.

Written 29 October 2020

TSGSudbury

Sorry. We work really hard to give our customers a wonderful experience and we let you down. We have a certain amount of bookings for half an hour slots and unfortunately that evening everyone arrived within 20 minutes of each other, either late, on time or early, and quite obliviously this meant it took sometime to get to some tables. The heating is on full blast now, but we do have an old building and we are also trying to keep ventilation because of COVID, it is definitely a balancing act and one we got wrong for you. Sometimes we have dishes that prove to be very popular and as you say, our food is fresh, therefore we will only have a certain amount of them, we are pleased you enjoyed your meal and our staff looked after you. We do hope to see you again and valued your helpful comments which our team will be reviewing. Regards Sara Le Fanu

Written 18 November 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

royhastings

Windsor1 contribution

A real find

Aug 2022 • none

It was my first visit to Sudbury, I had my mother in a wheelchair and after pushing her up and down the high street twice looking for a restaurant that did something a bit more than burger and chips I stumbled upon the secret garden, The staff were all amazing ,helping to bring my mother in with her wheelchair and get us seated. Service was amazing, nothing was to much trouble . The food did not disappoint. Having been a chef and restaurant owner myself it take’s a lot to impress me but this is one of only a few restaurants I would score 10 out of 10 I would recommend to anyone. Thank you

Written 24 August 2022

The Secret Garden

Thank you very much for your lovely review. We were so glad you found us with your mother and were able to sit in the garden on such a beautiful day! We hope to see you both again soon. Kind regards The Secret Garden team 😊

Written 30 August 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Amanda A

1 contribution

Fantastic unexpected visit

Sept 2021 • family

On way home from a awful couple of days in Aldeburgh bit grumpy stopped in Sudbury for a quick bite. First place we walked past was The Secret Garden what a absolute treat and completely changed our trip. Beautiful premises and fantastic fresh French Bistro food , even the green salad that came with our lunches was dressed so well I saw my Dad eat greens for the first time in years . Quality House Rose served correctly chilled and delivered with excellent service, a beautiful fig and plum gateaux to finish. Everything from Breads is made in house and seasonal the specials board looked so tasty . We were only disappointed we’d dropped in passing and didn’t give the menu the time it deserved, lovely staff and even a bowl of water for Bear . Next weekend away may we’ll be Sudbury to sample more of this French Bistro.

Written 4 September 2021

The Secret Garden

Many thanks for taking the time to write about your experience. We truly appreciate your support. We aim to do well no would have to welcome you next time. Team TSG

Written 9 September 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

CAF

United Kingdom11 contributions

Outstanding lunch

Jun 2021 • couples

On a first ever visit to Sudbury this restaurant proved the perfect venue for lunch. The garden is extremely attractively planted and s lovely, safe spot to eat. The food was very high quality: a French-style mushroom tart/pie and a delicious isle flotante desert. Top notch.

Written 31 May 2021

The Secret Garden

Thank you much for your review. We do hope that you will visit Sudbury again and come and join us again. Sara Le Fanu

Written 4 June 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

lifebeginsatfifty

Sudbury174 contributions

A very good experience as always

Aug 2020 • none

We have twice visited The Secret Garden now that the cafe has moved to Buzzards Hall next door. Very covid-safe and with tables spaced accordingly. We have eaten inside and outside, both very pleasant. The two and three course menus offered at lunch are the same as before the move and of very good quality. Just go, you won't be disappointed.

Written 17 August 2020

TSGSudbury

Thank you very much for your lovely comments, they are very much appreciated. We have worked hard to meet high Covid standards to safe guard guests and staff alike. It is wonderful to be open again and welcome everyone back. Please keep coming and enjoying our food and atmosphere. Sara Le Fanu

Written 22 August 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

charlie

Finedon4 contributions

Absolutely Amazing Restaurant

Aug 2022 • couples

What a beautiful restaurant, we were seated inside but I would of been happy out in the lovely small contained garden also. The menu wasn’t massive but it was simple, well balanced and everything was advertised as home made. Our food was absolutely beautiful we both had mains from the special bored of confit beef brisket, Asian salad and plum sauce - I would order it over and over again! I had starter off the specials too of crab and tomato salad, was very good, my other half had the pork pate, it was very course and a bit like a meat loaf almost, he loved it and the homemade chutney along side it. Of course it was almost compulsory to have dessert as the rest of the meal was soooooo good! I had pistachio ice cream and macaroon and I didn’t want to share and partner had the hazelnut meringue and ice cream - it was nice, perhaps more for the chocolate lover though. They have an extensive wine list and advice to go with it which was very helpful. We had complimentary olives, bread and jellies as the end of the meal, all so very thoughtful. The staff were very accommodating, informative and very friendly. If we were in the area again we would definitely go back. It was our last evening in Sudbury and we are so pleased that was our choice for the evening. It was our special night here on my weekend of birthday celebrations. I think if we were local I’d be going regularly so what’s on offer when the many changes!!

Written 5 August 2022

The Secret Garden

Thank you so much for your lovely comments. If you are ever in the area again please do come and see us again. Kind regards The Secret Garden team

Written 30 August 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Christine M

Reading2 contributions

Excellent kickstart to evening dining after months of eating “chez nous”.

Jun 2021 • none

The reconfiguring of Buzzards Hall has given the restaurant a more relaxed feel and it felt almost normal to be eating out again. The food was delicious and the customer service was excellent. My husband particularly enjoyed his swordfish. If you just want coffee and cake the secluded garden at the rear of the restaurant is delightful. If you want lunch or dinner you must book ahead but no need otherwise.

Written 11 June 2021

The Secret Garden

Thank you so much for taking the time to write your review. We are all so pleased you enjoyed your evening with us and you were able to eat “chez The Secret Garden “. Sara Le Fanu

Written 11 June 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Parisienne61

Glossop152 contributions

A gem.

Sept 2021 • couples

I am sure that there are other excellent eateries in Sudbury, but we have never managed to get past this gem. We visit Suffolk annually and since we found this restaurant, it is at the top of our list for lunch. Although the cafe, which sat beside the restaurant, has become a victim of the pandemic, we were delighted to find that we could still have a light lunch here. The actual (secret?) garden was a great place to sit on a warm, sunny day; both the canopy and the walls sheltered us from a lively breeze, making it a perfect setting for our delicious lunch. My husband chose the smoked chicken salad and I had the tartiflette. The french influence in the menu and cooking was what had initially drawn us here and it was done so well in both these dishes. Despite generous portions, we were determined to try the raspberry soufflé tartlet for a dessert and compromised by sharing one; this is most unusual for us and was purely because we were both quite full. As it happened, the soufflé was so light and refreshing that we could have managed a whole one each: we will know better next time! The final delight was to find our favourite coffee on the menu: Monsoon Malabar is a bit of an unusual choice for a restaurant but it is what we drink at home as we really enjoy its slightly smoky flavour and lack of bitterness. Again, a generously sized cafetière was much appreciated. All told, probably the nicest lunch of our week away. Thank you to the talented chef and the lovely waiting staff.

Written 9 September 2021

The Secret Garden

We truly appreciate that you take the time to write about your experience, and we are truly pleased that you like it that much. We will welcome you again and again. TSG team

Written 17 September 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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