Birchwood Food Emporium & Cafe in Dundee City

So people are asking why this place closed, as it's quite rightly got great reviews for staff service, food, coffee, and general vibe. This was my favourite spot to have a quiet coffee or meet people for a light lunch in Dundee. Basically, the story is that the owner shafted a pregnant employee the day after she went on maternity. He "fired" her and refused to pay her maternity. The staff, having apparently been paid not that great already which is testament to their professionalism given the quality of service, walked out in protest. This was late Spring when the hospitality industry seemingly had ten job vacancies for every candidate, so they rapidly just found other work and Birchwood's workforce simply evaporated overnight. Word got out on Facebook and, especially given the prices, ignited a general boycott of the place through the outrage. I'm unsure if the employee ever did get her *legally required* maternity pay. The last that was being said was that the owner had not only blocked her number, but also HMRC's! A lesson in how a lovely place can come crashing down through the sheer greed of its owner.

Would have given this Cafe/Shop 5 Stars for it's great Food and Service - But now it seems closed and nothing to say different ! As per my Title to this review - What's going on ??

I had a curry that was indeed great. Though quite a small portion. However the rice tasted odd, I was assured it was fresh but it had a kind of refrigerator taste. The French onion soup was very tangy and too acidic for my companions. We had £5 taken off the bill which was acceptable compensation. Also it was strange having margarine served in pots with the bread for the soup. It was flavourless and in a non vegan restaurant you'd expect a choice of dairy or non dairy? Am I splitting hairs? I probably won't go back as there are better choices in Dundee.

I ordered the ‘homemade’ leek and potato soup with bread. I had one spoon of the soup and it tasted awful, like a cross between dishwater and a very cheap brand of Cuppa Soup. The bread came with a small pot margarine, which I’ve never seen before in a cafe! While paying for the meal my partner mentioned that I couldn’t eat the soup and bread as it tasted so bad. He still charged us for the soup! As well as that, the cafe was very noisy with dishes clattering as the dishwasher is in the food prep area in the cafe. Just awful. I would highly recommend avoiding this place.

Cute cafe with quirky decor, lovely staff and a good selection of food, both plant based and meaty! There’s something for everyone here. Great atmosphere. Tasty high quality food. And the best pot of tea in Dundee!

Wanted a quick take away coffee for our walk. No staff wearing masks, asked to wait outside on our drinks. Staff put my sugar in for me? Drinks took 5 mins when the cafe was practically empty. Coffee was the weakest I have ever tasted, both me and my husband threw them away! And at nearly £6 for an americano and a flat white not cheap! Will not be back and do not recommend.

A lovely and quirky cafe with a great range of vegan and vegetarian options. Came here on a coffee break, me and my friend each had a slice of the rose cake, it was very tasty.

Really great customer service and friendly staff and great portions of food but there was no track and trace offered and no employees were wearing masks, working in food service myself I found it strange that even in the open to the public prep area that the staff would not be observing the mask mandate. The bathrooms were also extremely inaccessible with only hand rails placed, there was no red emergency chord and the bathroom lock was high on the door making the bathroom unusable for some.

In short: Very disappointing and unfortunate experience at this place with some rude, unwelcoming staff. Twice in the last couple of weeks I have been allowed to get seated to then swiftly told that unfortunately they could not serve me food. First, a couple of weeks ago I arrived around 2pm and was told their kitchen was closed and they could not serve any food. Disappointing for sure, but I thought OK, these things happen! yet I see clearly it seems I was not the only one who experienced this, as other reviewers have experienced the same based on their reports. Then today, an unbelievable and so disappointing encounter that went to another level. I come in well before 11:30am, and while queuing, I kindly greeted another customer’s dog as the customer was leaving, then the waiter (young kid, not the main culprit here) let me sit on a table. 5 minutes later He then comes to me telling me they can no longer serve breakfast despite not even being 11:30am (the cutoff time for breakfast). I politely ask whether they could reconsider, because 1) I had been refused food already once before in the same place, by the same waiter (he remembered), and 2) I had just had my booster jab from across the road, and so understandably was looking forward to get a nice brunch. I said I would have been content with a simple sourdough bread with scrambled eggs. The waiter could not make decisions himself as he clearly had no authority and was acting upon orders from above. So I asked him if he could talk to his “bosses” or whoever was having decision power, so they would reconsider. That remained to no avail, as they maintained their position to refuse to serve me any breakfast. They called as an excuse that a large group of 6 people (6!!) had just arrived 5 minutes before me and had order so much food that they had swamped the kitchen (really! Are you serious?!). I then started to get frustrated and feeling being unwanted, and so asked to speak to the bosses myself. For a few minutes, nobody turned up, although being such a small place and exposed kitchen, I could see them all confabulating, and looking at me suspiciously (I am a decent mid aged man, and a University Professor). Eventually the kitchen lady comes to my table, and very rudely and aggressively tell me there was no discussion, this conversation was over, and she would not do any food for me, and that I had to wait unti 12noon until the lunch menu would have opened. I felt disrespected, non-listened to and unwelcome. I left ashamed telling them I would write a really bad review, and here it is. It is reassuring to see such feelings and experiences seem to have been witnessed by many other customers, not just me, based on the other recent reviews in this platform. In summary, I strongly urge you to avoid this place. There are much better, more welcoming and more deserving places in Dundee (The Bach and Pacamara, just to mention two..) with much more professional and courteous staff, where your experience with breakfast and brunch are going to be much more rewarding. Stay away from Birchwood!

Came in with the intention of having breakfast at 10... we then were told that today they weren't serving food?... Menus were disgusting and had definitely been used for a fair few people before us. None of the staff were wearing any masks and were not keeping their distance when serving tables. When ordering a scone (asked for it to be warmed in the oven) it came out cold, and we was expected to share the butter and jam between us at the table. Will not be back. Very disappointed.

Arrived and was directed to a table between two other occupied tables with little space between them ,,meantime another row of tables lay empty, politely asked the server to sit in the empty row and then got back a very frosty and slightly aggressive response, to be fair the table was quickly cleaned for us We were then attended to quite quickly being told what was available and offered menus 5 mins later we were told we’d be served shortly then nothing , we felt uncomfortable in this cafe purely because of the staff attitude, it wasn’t friendly at all , it felt a little intimidating and we left as it just wasn’t a cafe atmosphere To read a previous review exactly like our experience confirms we weren’t alone The management need to do something here around customer service skills We were really sorry as the cafe looks amazing

Totally bizarre. No customer service or interpersonal skill displayed by the young lady showing customers to their table. Was abruptly asked to get out of the way and not given any time to reassess being told no table available. All because I said I didn’t want a table in the middle of the floor and would be happy to wait for something more comfortable. Took my business else where and strongly suggest others do the same. Time for some staff training or better still just replace with a real human :)

I am sure this is often a great place to visit but we went rather late in the afternoon, about 2. The curry and rice were cold and we payed £7.50 for a slice of quiche 3 cm thick which was accompanied by three cherry tomatoes and some unwashed salad leaves. We didn't complain at the time because we already had enough going on with a generally difficult day. Just think a little more care and generosity for your later customers would have redeemed the situation.

It was nice discovering this place in Dundee. They offer a variety of healthy food and snacks, also for vegetarian, vegan etc., and they have a shop inside where you can buy the food and ingredients of their menu. We really liked the food and the atmosphere was very nice!

Two of us had breakfast here. Excellent porridge and a gluten free scrambled eggs on toast. And two excellent coffees. Highly recommended

I visited with a friend with very specific dietary requirements and I found this cafe to be very knowledge and accommodating which made us feel relaxed.

Great cafe and shop.They have every conceivable grain such as millet,quinoa etc.Superb range of spices,sauces and also vegetables. Shops like this are what make Dundee special.So lucky to have this .

This is a fantastic cafe and shop selling delicious artisan and organic fayre. There is even kombucha on draft! Great breads, fruit and veg. My friend and I had breakfast dishes, great pancakes with the sweetest fresh berries. Everything was cooked to order at the...

We were just out looking for a light lunch and found thi lovely place. Sharing platter was delicious and the coffee was excellent

Found this cafe by accident, so glad I did! Great lunch and excellent service from the very friendly staff. Will definitely use again in the future

Just happened upon this eatery as my wife and I were looking for a place to have breakfast. I was a little sceptical as the main fayre appeared to be vegan but I was delighted to see a non-vegan breakfast on the menu. This consisted...

my wife and I randomly chose this cafe and it was a pleasant surprise. The curried chicken ciabatta was the best I have ever had and the ciabatta bread was so amazing that I wanted to ask for their supplier. Unfortunately, they were too busy...

Fantastic place to eat , the food was so tasty. Soup and a sandwich was a great price and would highly recommend this wee cafe to eat. Staff were very friendly and nice ambiance. Keep it up Team.

Birch wood is usually my go to for coffee n cake. today afternoon I had ordered four non vegan lemon cake for take out. However I found It quite pricy (£15) for just cakes and cakes seemed like day or two stale. Not fresh. Not...

We both reckoned this was the best coffee we'd ever tasted! And the bruschettas were delicious and given in a v handy container for taking away.

I had a coffee and a slice of raw chocolate rose cake mid morning. It was so good I had another mid afternoon.

This has to be the best coffee we have had in Scotland EVER! Will creates a flat white that rivals (and in fact probably exceeds) the standard of some of the best coffee shops in Australia. My son and I shared a piece of the...

Called in one spec. Lovely welcome, very good coffee. Cakes look good and they sell real bread. What's not to like?

My partner and I visited the shop to fill some jars with food from the zero waste section. We were asked to place our own jars on the scale one at a time before being filled. We then filled one with rice, another with walnuts...

Staying in the nearby apex but not wanting a full breakfast we tried this establishment. It has healthy options at a very reasonable price. The associated shop also stores interesting food items-a good find!

My Opticians have relocated and much to my surprise and delight there was the Birchwood Food Emporium just across the road. This is a bakery, come food shop, come deli with an excellent cafe menu. I contented myself with an Americano with a delish ,...

I had a flying visit in Dundee and stumbled upon Birchwood during a bus journey and knew I had to try. I had the sweet potato and coconut curry with wild black rice and it was just the perfect sized portion, full of flavour and...

I loved having so many vegan options to choose from!! In the end I had the chocolate tart which was soooo decadent! I tried pea milk in my flat white and really enjoyed that too! My teenage son had a raw cacao smoothie and he...

Nice selection of pastries and scones a variety of vegan options. Apart of cafe also shop selling a variety of products including a selections of different breads.Staff are friendly and helpful. Worth a visit

Friendly staff, efficient service and good food. Not overly busy for an impromptu weekday light lunch.

We have now visited on several occasions and the food and service never fail to impress. Great choice of vegan / vegetarian food and drinks. Limited choice but that is to be expected in a smallish cafe but it ensures consistency and high quality. Impressive...

The sales assistant in the food emporium refused to accept my itison voucher stating that it had expired, which it hadn't, as confirmed later by the itison team. The assistant was rude to me when I showed him the expiry date on my voucher to...

We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch here. Tables are a bit close together and I imagine it gets very busy at times - but the menu was appealing and we thoroughly enjoyed our vegan BLTs. Really tasty and fresh. Service was quick and prices reasonable. I...

After passing several cafes that weren't yet open (just after 9), happened to come across this one. Styling interior - chose a latte and almond croissant - came warm and crisp and coffee that had flavour! Didn't realise they did a variety of breakfast choices,...

I visited this place yesterday for breakfast with a friend. Food was fab, service excellent, great value for money. We then went to do a little shopping and although one or two items were pricey, on the whole it's good value. Definitely be back with...

Expensive, vouchers not accepted and food is average to poor. The shop is really pricey too. Service was slow and not friendly

Visited here as we got vouchers from itison. What a mistake! So we had our vouchers and got what we needed, went up to the desk and were told our vouchers weren’t valid. It’s August and they don’t run out until September! But even after...

I was taken here for lunch. Food was good and staff attentive. Had ploughmans lunch which I enjoyed.

Enjoyed our meal very much. Pleasant staff. I had the sweet potato. A lot of nice deserts on show but sadly no room. Good value.

Visited here for the first time with an itison voucher, although I’m sure we will be back. Enjoyed sourdough toast with vegan spread and a guacamole topping nice and homemade. Shared a tasty cinnamon scone again with spread and tasty jam, yes it was warm...

This place is to be avoided....the only reason we gave 1 star at all was that the coffee is ok. We ordered lunch which was just plain shoddy. The presentation was terrible, food bland and fruit old and verging on mouldy....waffle (tiny) burnt and the...

Visited today for lunch with a non vegan family member. We both loved the food - highly recommend the “BLT” - and the coffee. The place is decorated really well and has a nice cosy, slightly alternative vibe. The zero waste shop attached is awesome....

After seeing this wee place come together via Instagram I had to pop in! Mum and I had coffee (massive selection of milk for those with allergies/dietary needs) and a wee croissant and a scone. These were warmed - always a sign of attention to...

We came for oir daughter's graduation to this place. The food was simply amazing and the staff very friendly. The ginger cake made with an old family recipe was extraordinare!!! We had to get a second round of plates!!! Unforgetable day, not only because of...

This place has been open for less than a week. We arrived for our first visit to Dundee and we were starving and desperate for a coffee. We fell in to this cafe by accident - we are committed carnivores. I had toast and avocado...

Scones looked lovely but unfortunately were microwaved without asking us. Seemed to be a refreshing process which didn’t work. Otherwise cafe seems full of potential and hopefully will get scones issue sorted....