The Secret Garden
Quick info
About The Secret Garden
On Old Dundonald Rd in Belfast, The Secret Garden is a bistro attached to a garden centre, with a vaulted ceiling and country views over the grounds. The menu runs to about 20 dishes across breakfast, lunch and dinner, with Afternoon Tea and a Panini among the offerings. Customers can order and pay at a till, or staff will seat them at a table. A private dining room is available for groups, and outdoor seating extends the dining space for those who want to eat in the open air. Families with young children are catered for with high chairs, and the step-free entrance suits visitors with mobility needs. Dogs are welcome throughout. A fireplace sits in the dining room, and free Wi-Fi is available. It opens Monday to Saturday, daytime only, and stays closed on Sundays. Reservations are recommended. Food is also available for takeaway, and customers can browse the adjoining garden centre before or after their meal.
Good to know
- ReservationsAccepts reservations
- ParkingFree of charge street parking · Free parking lot · On-site parking
- AccessibilityHas wheelchair-accessible car park · Has wheelchair-accessible entrance · Has wheelchair-accessible seating
- Good for kidsGood for kids · Has changing table(s) · High chairs available
- DietaryServes vegan dishes · Serves vegetarian dishes
Menu & Prices
20 dishes- Afternoon Tea
- Christmas Dinner
- Panini
- Lemon Meringue
- Pavlova
- Granola
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention slow inattentive service, garden centre shop, gluten free breakfast options and small fry with wheaten bread.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention slow inattentive service, garden centre shop, gluten free breakfast options and small fry with wheaten bread.
Customer Review Summary
Service is the most discussed thread here, and the accounts split sharply. Several reviewers describe being seated quickly, drinks and food arriving within minutes, and staff as attentive and friendly, particularly around breakfast and lunch dishes like a small fry with wheaten bread, a gluten free sourdough breakfast, and a bacon, brie and red onion marmalade panini; one longtime visitor returns specifically for the afternoon tea. Close behind, though, is a recurring complaint about being ignored after being seated, food "plocked down," an incorrect order left uncorrected with no apology, and staff described as grumpy or loud, talking among themselves instead of serving. One diner reports a dirty floor with dropped food underfoot, and another found the fish goujons batter soft rather than crispy. A couple of reviewers also felt prices were high for food they called average. Despite the inconsistency, several say they would return, with one adding the total for two full lunches and a child's meal came to about £30.
Customer Review Summary
Service is the most discussed thread here, and the accounts split sharply. Several reviewers describe being seated quickly, drinks and food arriving within minutes, and staff as attentive and friendly, particularly around breakfast and lunch dishes like a small fry with wheaten bread, a gluten free sourdough breakfast, and a bacon, brie and red onion marmalade panini; one longtime visitor returns specifically for the afternoon tea. Close behind, though, is a recurring complaint about being ignored after being seated, food "plocked down," an incorrect order left uncorrected with no apology, and staff described as grumpy or loud, talking among themselves instead of serving. One diner reports a dirty floor with dropped food underfoot, and another found the fish goujons batter soft rather than crispy. A couple of reviewers also felt prices were high for food they called average. Despite the inconsistency, several say they would return, with one adding the total for two full lunches and a child's meal came to about £30.
Featured reviews
- Desmond Reilly
“A regular visitor to the excellent garden centre adjacent. Decided to drop into The Secret Garden for a bite to eat. Shown to a table and then abandoned. Struggled to catch the eye of the numerous staff who seemed impervious to our presence whilst sweeping past the table frequently. Eventually One of us had to get up and approach the till for service. When it came, it was grumpy! Food was plocked down when it arrived. Order was incorrect - but waitress had moved on! No apology offered. This restaurant is a gold mine. It seems full all the time. The menu is varied and wide. But the service is appalling. Staff do not seem to be trained in the basics of meeting, greeting, serving and checking. Let’s not even mention the complete absence of smiles and a sense of welcome. Will not rush back.”
- Lewis Mealey
“Hidden gem, more like food place that’s good :) Who wants to go for a few rounds, Lucas? I will eat the food until I cannot eat the food any more because I like the food and I like eating the food 😨”
- Norman K
“Came for the food, stayed for the second-hand embarrassment. The prices are genuinely impressive, not because the food is amazing, but because charging that much for something so average takes serious confidence. You’d …”
- Susan Laverty
“My daughter brought me to the secret garden restaurant a few years ago for afternoon tea and I can honestly say I loved it. I do sometimes go alone when I'm of work as a wee treat to myself and I have to say my food is always amazing, the …”
- Helen Jackson
“I visited the secret garden for breakfast when I was having a weekend break in Belfast weekend of the 17th April. I am a celiac so finding somewhere with good selection is difficult. The menu here is brilliant what a choice for gluten free. I ordered the GF sourdough breakfast and was not disappointed. Service was good nice friendly staff and the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. Will definitely revisit when next in Belfast Helen”
Hours
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
- Closed
Highlights
“Garden centre bistro with a vaulted ceiling and country views, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
- Has fireplace
- Serves great coffee
- Serves great dessert
- Has great tea selection
- Popular for popular for breakfast
- Popular for popular for lunch
Amenities
- Has Wi-Fi
- Has wheelchair-accessible car park
- Free of charge street parking
- Accepts reservations
- Has outdoor seating
- Dogs allowed outside
Show more amenities
- Offers takeaway
- Serves dine-in
- Family friendly
- Serves vegan dishes
- Casual
- On-site services available
- Dining options· 8
- Serves breakfast
- Serves brunch
- Serves lunch
- Serves dinner
- Has catering
- Serves dessert
- Has seating
- Has table service
- Crowd· 1
- Good for groups
- Family-friendly· 4
- Good for kids
- Has changing table(s)
- High chairs available
- Has kids' menu
- Offerings· 7
- Serves coffee
- Has free water refills
- Serves healthy options
- Has private dining room
- Quick bite
- Serves small plates
- Serves vegetarian dishes
- Facilities· 2
- Has gender-neutral toilets
- Has toilet
- Parking· 4
- Free parking lot
- On-site parking
- Paid parking lot
- Plenty of parking
- Highlights· 4
- Has fireplace
- Serves great coffee
- Serves great dessert
- Has great tea selection
- Popular for· 4
- Popular for breakfast
- Popular for lunch
- Popular for dinner
- Good for solo dining
- Atmosphere· 1
- Cosy
- Accessibility· 3
- Has wheelchair-accessible entrance
- Has wheelchair-accessible seating
- Has wheelchair-accessible toilet
- Planning· 1
- Dinner reservations recommended
Location
How The Secret Garden compares to nearby restaurants
- The Secret Garden · This shop4.51,020 reviews
Mentioned in reviews: slow inattentive service, garden centre shop, gluten free breakfast options
- 2,028 reviews4.9 mi
Mentioned in reviews: irish stew, seafood chowder, lamb shank
- The Chippy4.3246 reviews6 mi
Mentioned in reviews: pasties, gravy chips, fish and chips
The Secret Garden This shop | Darcy's Belfast | The Chippy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5(1,020) | 4.7(2,028) | 4.3(246) | |
| Price | £10–20 | £20–30 | £1–10 |
| Distance | — | 4.9 mi | 6 mi |
| Open today | |||
| Vegan options | ✓ | — | — |
| Vegetarian options | ✓ | — | — |
| Good for kids | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Reservations | ✓ | ✓ | — |
How this listing is sourced
- Where the data comes from
- Name, address, hours, contact details, amenities, ratings and review counts come from the business's publicly available profile data — not from the owner and not from paid submissions.
- How it stays current
- Every listing is re-checked on a recurring crawl, and anything reported as wrong is corrected at the source rather than patched on the page.
- How it is ranked
- Placement is never sold. Every business on the page is ordered and compared using the same public signals, so an owner cannot pay to move up.
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