The Terrace Restaurant RHS Garden Wisley

I went with a friend who I see every three years, and it had to be right. This really was. I was delighted with the quality of the ingredients, the presentation, and the attentive service from the two staff who looked after us. The week after my wife and I went to Paris for three days, and had meals in top-class restaurants. The Wisley Terrace Restaurant experience compared extremely favourably - the terrace offered great food at realistic prices, served with a real concern that we were enjoying ourselves

We had a fantastic time. Great food and we had 3 courses. The service was fantastic and food came quickly. This was also in New Years Eve, so was very busy. Thank you ☺️

Had an afternoon tea for 2 while spending the day at the gardens. OpenTable website said it started at 2:30, but realised when we got here it didn't start until 3pm. Staff were absolutely amazing and seated us with a pot of tea and even served our sandwiches and cakes early after the confusion with booking times. Food, cakes and drinks were all incredible. Will absolutely be returning again in the future for another afternoon tea.

Had a really delicious meal here during the flower show. Food was excellent and the staff were attentive without being intrusive. I’d highly recommend

We had a lovely lunch today. The food was very well cooked and the service was prompt and the server was cheerful. The decor and the atmosphere were pleasant. I think that the overall cost was pricey, especially the wine, but we would go back in a jiffy and hope to do so very soon.

We were warmly greeted, seated at a really comfortable table and had the most charming waiter called Callum. The food was absolutely gorgeous with great presentation. I had 3 courses and loved all of them. The Beef Cheek was so beautifully cooked I would highly recommend.

We booked the Terrace restaurant for a group of 16 people in December 25 as part of a Wisley Glow event. The staff were attentive and brought the food swiftly. Everyone said the food was delicious. The acoustics of the room enabled us to hear each other talk and the background noise was low. It was a fantastic evening!

Wonderful lunch in wonderful surroundings. What a treat this was. The food was excellent and so was the service. Would definitely recommend to everyone.

On a chilly winter's day, this was the perfect, affordable yet classy lunch spot. My family enjoy each seasonal menu they offer and this festive menu offered a delightful roast alongside a large Yorkshire pudding (always a bonus!). With attentive, kind staff and a warm, well decorated interior, we happily spent hours catching up. The portions were filling but perfect. Tender and juicy meat and a range veg! For dessert, we made sure to make space for the crumble accompanied with a smooth vanilla ice cream, another choice being Christmas pudding! What a wonderful start to the Christmas season. I will be sure to come back for the spring menu!

We had a lovely family lunch. Not a huge choice of menu options, but something to suit most tastes. Menu changes regularly to accommodate seasonal availability of fresh vegetables. Children's menu is also available. Service was a bit slow, but staff are charming (we weren't in a hurry, so waiting wasn't a problem). Food was delicious. Modern building with high ceilings, loads of natural light and plants, makes it a very pleasant environment.

Had a family evening meal tonight here following a tour of the 'Glow' garden lights. Their 2-course menu offered excellent options. U had the smoked mackerel pate and roast turkey dinner, which was cooked perfectly. The children's menu included fish fingers, which looked homemade and that the 4 year old in our group loved. Service was initially slow, but quickly rectified by the manager Matt when we mentioned our hunger and tiredness. He was incredibly professional. We eat here regularly, and love the atmosphere and consistently good food.

Called in after a long trip up to London from Devon, not the kind of place we would ever eat but my wife gets discount being part of the RHS, I have to say that the food and service was excellent, well done to all.

Professional, friendly service was our first impression and this endured throughout our dining experience. The set menu was a bit of a surprise since I hadn’t realised that was the only option at lunch but it didn’t matter, just something to know in advance, I think I didn’t check properly beforehand. The menu is brief but covers all the bases, meat, veggie, chicken, fish. If I’m honest, I thought the food would be fine but that’s all. In fact it was delicious. We had the chicken salad and the cauliflower steak. The cauliflower was imaginative and the chicken was moist and the dressing tangy and good. We both had the rose and pistachio panna cotta for dessert. So beautiful to look at and subtle delicious flavours melding beautifully together. I do love the decor, it feels luxurious and comfortable without being over formal or sniffy. I will definitely be back, looking forward to it already.

Very polite and friendly staff. Restaurant is light, airy and nicely decorated. Set menu was reasonably priced. Food looked great but tomato soup was a bit watery and under seasoned and sea bass linguine over seasoned. Not a reason to not try this restaurant as I would definitely return when visiting the gardens but room for improvement.

Another visit to lovely restaurant at the RHS Wisley. Apart from beautiful surroundings the restaurant is light and airy with comfortable seating. The menu was easy to negotiate with a good range. The food was full of flavour and very well presented. Service was excellent served by friendly staff. It’s always worth booking as it does get busy.

Enjoyed lunch here on a sunny day and the three of us were all pleased with our food. I started with the fish rillettes and had the fish as my main course. My boys had the duck salad followed by sticky toffee pudding. Nice service and food is definitely more of a fine dining experience than what can be found at the cafes in the gardens.

A lovely restaurant setting. Staff very attentive and friendly. My wife and I had the soup starter (roasted cauliflower) which was delicious; followed by the fish pie and beef cheeks; again both dishes very tasty and well presented. The disappointment was in the side order of ‘seasonal vegetables’ - peas and Kale? (both green). The accompanying veg with my main course also green. A shame, as with a bit of thought, the side dish could have been much more interesting and tasty.

Went for RHS Flower Show - had the set 3 course (with choices for each course) £35 per head. Excellent food quality. Server seemed a bit out of his depth, maybe he was new and I think he forgot to put our dessert order in as we had to chase it up. Didn't ruin the experience though, just hope he pulls his finger out a bit more in future and look like he wants to be there.

This year, we took the opportunity as part of our visit to GLOW, to eat at the Terrace Restaurant, which is located onsite. *You need to book in advance*, but the set Christmas menu, with 2 fixed priced options (£28 - 2 courses, £32 - 3 course and vegetarian choices), was good value, IMHO. The food itself did not disappoint, and the friendly and attentive staff made it a perfect end to our evening. The only negative was that it lacked a little atmosphere. This may well have been down to the time we booked (18:30) plus, this was a treat for us, so whilst the costs were reasonable, it still adds up at this time of year.

We went for afternoon tea I thought it was expensive for what you got and the scones were very dry . There was more sweet things then savoury . I have had afternoon tea other places better and not expensive

Decided to try the Terrace Restaurant on a bank holiday when the queue for the food hall was quite large, and am glad I did. The staff were very accommodating of our toddler and pushchair, and we were able to get a table straightaway at lunchtime (table for 4 along the wall). Really enjoyed the winter menu, including dessert, and the portions were a good size, both for adults and the child. Will hopefully go again.

Food was quite good but service was slow which was strange as the restaurant was less than 1/2 full. They seemed to be more interested in wiping down the tables rather than serving. Had long waits between courses. In one instance the service was surly. It was our first visit. Probably won’t go back. All a bit lacklustre and disappointing.

Afternoon tea was extremely overpriced for what you actually received, also trout at an afternoon tea is very niche! Scone was cold and stale and to add insult to injury, tea/coffee was charged separately on top! So for 4 us, we paid £135 for 1 whole sandwich (1 finger of cheese&pickle, 1 finger of egg&cress, 1 finger of trout&mayo, 1 finger of ham&mustard!) 1 dry scone, cream, jam and a few tea cakes! It was my mums 70th birthday and we popped in an hour before the booking and asked for balloons to be at the table for when we walked in, when we got there, they said they’d forgotten!

Our crab starters were delicious and beautifully presented. The main meals on a Friday are limited and ours were of a poor quality. The kedgeree was very dry, and some had one piece of fish. The fish and chips had terrible burnt chips that spoiled the meal.

I visited with my mum and brother whilst we were at the gardens. We had been to the gardens a few times and wanted to try the resturant out, as thought it looked nice. However, i think for the price the food is seriously lack lustre. I have had better quality at my local pub. I had the gnochi, which was very one note and just tasted like macarroni cheese. My mum and brother had the beef. The yorkshires looked like they were bought in, the beef was thin and not of great cut. It was disappointing. The venue is beautiful and the staff are nice but it is trying to be something it is not. Should have gone to the cheaper resturant next door.

Very mixed experience for Sunday lunch. Mum's roast beef was so hard it was inedible...still charged for even after complaining...was then removed from bill. Very small portions of salmon for starter. The sea bass was nice and the veggie dish OK. Expensive too, wouldn't rush back

Food is ok but £19 for a small piece of roast chicken, two sides and a tea, it’s so expensive. Waited ages for the privilege of paying because the cashier had no idea what the dish was.

The 2 stars for the dessert.Have lunch here with 2 courses set which costs 25£, very expensive. one of the main is hot smoked chicken croquettes, normally it only served as appetiser or nibbles, and so expected to see how the chef to cook it as main. Very disappointed, as pictures showed there are only 2 pcs tiny one and it tastes chicken potato cake, very plain and small portion. My friends ordered fish and butternut risotto respectively. The risotto is tasteless and the lucky one who ordered the fish, at least the portion is normal (taste is average )and you need not to buy something else in another food hall. Service is average.

Food was cold and overpriced. My fishcake was all potato and the sauce was horrible and overrated. As a guest I was v disappointed.

A rather underwhelming afternoon tea experience. The service was slow and lacked warmth, and the noisy atmosphere made it difficult to relax. Unfortunately, it didn’t feel worth the price, and I wouldn’t consider returning.

We came for the Glow menu in Jan - which means the kitchen had been cooking these dishes since November. The restaurant is very serene and we were greeted quickly and warmly. The ham hock starter was delicious and beautifully presented. All of the food looked lovely, but unfortunately was quite disappointing. My mother ordered a fish pie which had an incredibly watery sauce and was very salty. We had to wait over 40 minutes for this. The next table sent all of theirs back, my mother soldiered on but felt poorly afterwards. The vegetarian offerings belie a lack of understanding of veggie food - no real protein or substance to the veggie courses. The cauliflower steak was topped with cucumber (possibly?) curls that had been left out so were very chewy and stuck in the throat. For £30 a head it was quite disappointing, especially as this was my mother’s Christmas present.

We drove up here from the south coast to sample the cafeteria and generally check out the lay of the land since I last worked at the Gardens back in the early 80s. It being a bitterly cold day, we didn't visit the gardens themselves. We made a bee line for the cafeteria which is nicely set out. The serving staff were pleasant enough but we were shocked by the prices. For our party of 5 having just some simple teas and hot drinks we left 22 quid at the pay desk! We looked at the prices and simply laughed at them charging 6 quid for a sausage roll. I don't mind paying for good, high quality things but we all thought that the prices here were ridiculous. Pity.

Booked online for the afternoon tea. It gave me a few options for times so picked 12pm. Got there and they said they don't know why it gave me that option as they don't serve afternoon tea till 3pm. We decided to brush it off and sit down. We looked at the menu and you either had to get a 2 course or a 3 course meal. We didn't fancy that as we were just hoping for sandwiches and cakes. I said oh will just have a drink then seeing as we can't have afternoon tea. They then said I'm sorry you have to order food, you can't just have a drink.... I was like fine will go to the food hall which is cheaper anyway. 🙄

This was not the cheapest afternoon tea I have ever had, but it was the worst. The environment was unpleasant - nothing special and much too hot. The jam reminded me of a jar of sainsbury's basics jam that I bought some years ago: actually a jelly, not a jam; no flavour; and the colour more orange than red because there was so little fruit in it. The quantity was much less than expected. There were only 4 small sandwiches, 4 small cakes and one scone. It was claimed that the afternoon tea had 2118 kilocalories, but I would be surprised if the entire tray, which was meant to serve three people, contained that much. It is the first time I have left an afternoon tea feeling I could eat more.

Before posting this, I read through the reviews here to check whether we just hit an off day. We didn’t. Multiple visitors report similar experiences: high prices, underwhelming food, small portions, odd flavours, and a sense that the space prioritises branding over nourishment. There’s a recurring theme: people leave still hungry, slightly baffled, and wondering how something so expensive can taste so indifferent. I recently visited with a friend and we had lunch. On the menu, our dishes sounded refined and generous. What arrived was puzzling: two “warm tuna salads” that were mostly tasteless, joyless leaves, with a few strips of tuna and a dollop of mystery sauce struggling to justify its presence. The sparkling water, “carbonated on-site,” had a sharp tap-water tang — surprising at the price! Dessert and coffee leaned more toward mass catering than gastronomy. As we sat there, my friend leaned in and whispered, “This smells more like a nursing home than a posh restaurant.” The staff were polished and professional, but the atmosphere felt choreographed rather than genuine. And considering it was peak lunchtime, the restaurant was certainly not busy. That alone should have alerted us. Wisley still has the grounds, the heritage, and the potential. I just hope someone remembers that nourishment isn’t a marketing concept — it’s an experience you feel in the body and the heart.

We had a booking in the Terrace Restaurant today at 14.00 however we were advised that the garden closes at 15.00 so we had to leave. The staff in the restaurant acknowledged that there had been a miscommunication. After skipping dessert and paying the £115 bill we had to leave with half a bottle of wine as we did not have time to drink it. As we traveled from London for Boxing Day lunch it was very disappointing.

Lovely surroundings but afternoon tea is overpriced and poor quality with staff too busy to notice the many times we tried to get attention for more drinks. Sandwiches had the thinnest fillings. One dry fruit scone each with one pot each of cream and jam to share Little cakes were not good quality The afternoon tea offering was much more sugar than anything else Coffee was only one cup normally I would expect a pot of coffee enough for two cups. Had to order a second coffee and was charged for it. £67 later - came out feeling short changed and high on sugar. Surprisingly, I don’t recommend the afternoon tea… should have picked up some M&S sandwiches to eat whilst enjoying the amazing grounds at RHS Wisley. I would have then had money to spend on some of the lovely plants on sale and more time to walk.

Came today with friends. Had been a few years ago and remembered a delicious meal. Very disappointing today. The starter was a wild mushroom tart but was actually a very small volauvent with a few mushrooms. The main was a roasted beetroot/plum salad with nuts and blue cheese. This consisted of about 2 half plums and 2 bits of beetroot a couple of diced bits of blue cheese and a few nuts. It was coved by a huge amount of what looked like a tree but was ??fris lettuce. Luckily we’d ordered a portion of chips. This was more like a starter. The service was good and friendly and the seating lovely. Don’t go for the food though.

Decided to try this whilst visiting the gardens, the signage & website both said walk-ins welcome so we did, only to be turned away - apparently you need 24 hours notice booking for a Vegetarian!!! I’ll add my request was table for 2, afternoon tea is fine, one of which is vegetarian. Errr menu for afternoon tea includes cheese & egg sandwich so what exactly was the problem? The place was empty! Can only assume your staff are just rude, judgy & unhelpful. Or maybe just need educating what Vegetarian food is?

Ok the coffee was good. pity the staff didn't spend more time making sandwiches and preparing the coffee than insisting on helping people order food on the self service screens. Funny thing was they were over dtocked with vegan rolls, sandwiches etc. but no tuna, ham, chicken, beef made up. pity because it has so much potential.