Botanical Gardens Cafe and Restaurant in Sheffield

Horrendous! We ordered 3 cakes, 1 bottle of rose lemonade and 1 coffee, and after waiting 30 minutes we were given a complimentary bottle of water. We waited another 5 minutes to be told that our order was being processed, and to be fair the waitress was doing the best that she could. Another 10 minutes and we left, I mean seriously the cakes were already made and sat on a tray in the counter, the lemonade just needed taking out of the fridge, so all that was left to make from scratch was 1 coffee!

Firstly, it should be pointed out that there are a lot of negative reviews that are for the cafe which was replaced by Joni formerly at the same location. Joni is clean, basically well run, great cakes, friendly staff. My complaint is that we wanted a quick coffee this morning and asked to sit outside which was completely unoccupied but wewere asked to wait while a table was chose . Three or four minutes later we were again told to wait until a 'hostess' found a table for us. At that point we left. Waiting to be shown to a table is fine when the place is busy (it frequently is) but not in this situation. Needs a rethink.

We inadvertently circumvented the regulations by selecting a table and queuing for our order. We were told to leave our table and wait behind a queue of people getting take outs. It was completely unnecessary and very rude behaviour. There had been no queue when we arrived and we acted in good faith. I cannot comment on the food as we left after this unfortunate experience.

I'm not sure why this cafe has had such bad reviews. It's really warm and welcoming, the atmosphere is lovely and the staff are great. The cafe looks over the gardens.

This is a great place! Excellent, friendly and efficient service. Food was fantastic! Nothing too much trouble and it's dog friendly inside and out!!

Beautiful gardens and the newly opened Café, now Joni, has been presented very well. We went for a stroll round the gardens and an afternoon coffee. Drinks, cakes and ice-cream all great. Pity it was spoiled by the owners letting people smoke in the seating area. We found this kind of "fresh air" very unpleasant.

We had lunch here on our day tour on the Hoho Bus. Its right on the main stop so easy to get to - large and small tables - but can be VERY busy. Get in line and one of you get the table. Good selection - pies, chips, pasties etc. But also some different selections so have a look. Good coffee - we had an extra shot - and helpful staff. Be kind to them as it is very busy and people are people. Make sure you get a table number at the cashier. You can sit in or out. We found the food quite acceptable and we had a lovely table - even though the rush was on. Just relax and take your time. Maybe after, walk to the Helix for a photo session. Toilets etc all about - toilets everywhere. Good souvenir spot next to the café.

This place must only keep going because there is no where else nearby. Took my mum today for her ninety fith birthday. Wrongly thinking it might be a good place for afternoon tea. Covid is over, yet we had to order through a perspex screen.....what on earth is all that about??🤷 Most of the cakes were unavailable.....so why not rub them off the advertising black board🤷!! I paid £9.60 for three cups of tea served in paper cups & one coconut macaroon. Felt like I'd been mugged!!!!😡There isn't even a toilet to use after you've drunk your over priced tea!!!!

My mother, wife and I went for a drink there yesterday. Beautiful sunny day. However, despite the opening up in the rest of the world the staff are heavily masked up and barricaded behind thick perspex with no use of toilets "because of covid". This put my mother and to great inconvenience as the nearest other toilet is a good 10 minutes walk away. Bring your own drinks and sit on a bench is my advice.

The food and drinks were served from a hatch ,situated next to a black bin which was overflowing with empty styrofoam boxes and paper cups. The food served in these containers,was insufficient, i.e small portion sizes. Tea and coffee was served in paper cups,which isn’t great.It was a beautiful day,but very windy,so these cups were falling over and blowing about,causing litter. This cafe used to be lovely,however the service, and quality of the food was less than satisfactory.The tables and chairs are cheap and flimsy,making for a shabby eating experience.I did not see one table being cleaned. Please bring the standard of this once lovely cafe back to the high position it occupied.

First of all, I'd like to clarify that I was happy with the service and the food I was given at this place. The staff were polite and nice and the sandwiches and drink were lovely. The minus 3 stars are for the lack of food safety. I was eating my chips, happily, until I noticed the side of the box had some cavities. I had a bad feeling, so I started checking the box. I found more than one hole at the bottom of the box and more cavities, clearly made by piping hot chips. I wish I noticed that earlier. The thought of having eaten chips possibly contaminated by melting plastic made me feel sick. I hope they will rethink about serving chips dripping with hot oil in the styrofoam box. Styrofoam is such a horrible material anyway, and so is plastic cutlery they give.

Great food at very reasonable prices. What more can anybody ask for? Great and very tasty minestrone soup and a great bacon sandwich. My wife proclaimed her latte as the best tasting she had had for ages.

The food is great... If you want to wait forever. The conservatory is cold and winter and too hot in summer, but the views are nice. We had avocado on toast with halloumi for £8. We then wanted a cup of tea. There was one person clearing tables, doing drinks and delivering orders, one person in the kitchen and one slow person on the till. It took 40 minutes to get served and then we waited a further 20 minutes for the tea to arrive (no milk) so we got up and left.

This cafe seems to have been in a Bose dive over the last couple of years but today was probably the nadir. Cash only. Queuing out of the door. 15 minute wait on food then when told we only wanted drinks - 15 minute wait on that too. Seriously? It takes you 15 minutes to pour boiling water on a tea bag? Surly staff with no manners. Ice cream has clearly melted and then been refrozen rather than thrown away (ice crystals in it). Toilets in a disgusting state. Go to one of the many serviceable restaurants on Ecclesall road instead and do what you can to avoid this dump.

So we came here for a Father's Day brunch. One of the reasons was that although we couldn't see anything about not being dog friendly we did see a trip advisor post saying they had visited with a dog! Oh no....this place IS NOT DOG FRIENDLY we were informed by a rather miserable member of staff! We chanced it as it was to late to get anywhere else for brunch and sat outside. Ordering the food also seemed like a chore.....you are working but you can smile! To be fair the food was lovely, very tasty breakfast cobs, decent flat white. Other staff seemed much more pleasant. Did notice as have others that the place is a bit on the dirty side and could do with a better cleaning regime. And come on if dogs are only allowed outside say so and maybe put some parasols up in case of rain. 45 minutes later and we would have drowned!

..Beautiful location, beautiful day - dreadful cafe. Well - the food was reasonable, but the cafe itself is really run down, dirty, neglected and I'm sure would not pass a basic hygiene test. And that's the entrance and front of house - the 'conservatory' is in a dreadful state of disrepair,as are the toilets - disgusting, filthy. Many places just require some love and attention - this place needs deep clean at least. My advice to visitors - bring your own snacks/lunch and enjoy the gardens which are beautiful and don't deserve to be associated with this shocking cafe.

This used to be such a treat to visit! Not been since the current owners took over. Grossly understaffed, half an hour before what should have been an easy service arrived. Overpriced, and felt dirty. Tables just wiped with soiled napkins. Cash only under £10 such a shame as this is in a prime location

This place has the potential to be a goldmine for the management. So why isn't it? Well for a starter it has no interest in basic customer service. The poorly trained staff seem lost in confusion and behind a poorly designed counter. Not their fault. They seem poorly trained . I have been twice for a takeaway coffee and left after 10 minutes because it became clear that I would be waiting a lot lot longer as staff struggled to prioritise orders. Some strange practices as well like using a serving tray as a lid for the milkshake machine. We? I would not eat good here because I do not think I could trust what happened to it. If this place was properly run it would make a fortune and serve the community. As it stands it seems crying out for a visit from the hygiene inspector and whoever owns the business. It's a shame.

Great little cafe in the botanical gardens. Had lunch with a friend. Both had soup from specials board which was delicious and reasonably priced. Banana Cake was tasty too, Table service ok Toilet was out of order so had to walk through the park to the toilet in wind and rain but this was only issue.

La mala experiencia comenzó con la joven asistente que, obviamente, no quería servir, solo pedí café porque noté inmediatamente las mesas sucias, etc. Pensé que esta era la mejor apuesta, se habría ido de inmediato, pero tenía que matar el tiempo, los precios eran demasiado altos. personal no intentado, piso y mesas y baños sucios - la guinda del pastel era asquerosa

Food was good, we both had the farmers salad which was tasty. Staff lovely, friendly and accommodating. Let down by hygiene, wooden tables need a good scrub, crockery and glasses need some tlc.

Servicio de atención al cliente realmente pobre: ​​mesas y cubiertos sucios y, lo que es peor, inodoros sucios. ¡Dios solo sabe cómo es la higiene de la cocina!Las áreas exteriores están sucias y teniendo en cuenta que la comida y la bebida no son baratas, es de mala calidad.Estuvimos allí cuando abrió sus puertas por la mañana, así que no hay excusa para una mala higiene. ¿No volverá a visitarnos pronto?

Had a lovely lunch. We all ordered from the specials board and the food was tasty and served with a smile

OK, es un día soleado, pero fue pronosticado.

Esperamos 10 minutos en una cola de 4 personas para que nos sirvan solo para que nos lo comuniquen después de ordenar que los pagos con tarjeta de té y latte tengan que ser más de 5! Luego otros 20 minutos para llegar a la mesa, les dije que tomó mucho tiempo para que su respuesta fuera ¡tenemos mucha gente!

We had a lovely cup of tea here, didn't try the food but service was friendly and it was busy, lots of families with young children.

Nice selection of cakes, teas and coffees. Informal atmosphere, and a great place to see local dogs taking a rest with their humans.

I reviewed this cafe about a year ago and the owners have taken zero steps for improvement. I feel that as most visitors are transient they just don’t care. They have always got a situation vacant on the wall. This doesn’t surprise me. Last time I went was with my grandchildren and as we were in the gardens (which are beautiful and have no connection to the cafe)we would give them another chance. The tables are bare wood and your hands stick to them. They need cleaning and antibacterial cleanser surely food hygiene starts with a clean surface. They staff are young overworked and inexperienced. My daughter ordered hit chocolate which was cold and needed reheating this took a good ten minutes. The waitress clearly heard me saying that the coffee I had ( which was black) was half a cup. We took a toddler a friends little girl. As you will know they just put everything on the table. We wiped her section with baby wipes. The carrot cake was awful (it didn’t smell too good either) and was uneaten. I tried the apple and almond cake which should be moist but it was wet soggy and also left. The boys had milkshakes which they enjoyed but at £3.95 each it was not value for money. This cafe is dirty. I feel awful saying it but as there have been numerous unpleasant reviews with no remedial action at all ( the cafe was only ten percent occupied so that’s not why) visitors deserve better. It’s overpriced and uncared for. Should you be visiting the gardens go to the bottom end of the gardens to eccleshall road where there are numerous cafes serving coffees-and snacks in a more acceptable atmosphere. There’s the usual costa and Starbucks and many independent little coffee shops where standards are high. C’mon get your act together this is a wonderful location and with some attention could be a jewel. Get a manager and get a cleaner. If there was a zero star option that’s what it would get. Listen to customers they are the ones that keep a business running.

I love the botanical gardens and visit regularly as it is a good meeting place for family .

Wide ranging menu for such a small cafe but well priced for the eclectic custom bade as evidenced today.

A group of us attending the Friday evening concert with the headliner being the bootleg Beatles. You need to take your own chairs picnic and drinks (alcohol is allowed) it had rained for days previously and we were worried the event could be cancelled. The event went ahead though at the end of June were all dressed for winter! Doors opened at 6.30 and we arrived at 6.35 to find hundreds of people all ready in their places so we were sitting further away from the stage than we expected. The lady I believe she was from the rotary club the charity which organised the event was very formal and most people thought that someone with a bit more pizzazz should have done the job. Firstly there was the supposed artists doing 60/70's singalong music which was good. The weather was cold but still dry. There were food and drink stalls for people who hadn't brought their own. The quality was good but extremely overpriced so make sure you take plenty of your own. Mind you the coffee and hot chocolate stall did well as you could use the paper cups to warm up your hands ha. There were huge parties and small intimate groups and the atmosphere was happy and kind ( which is welcome because happiness and kindness in public is hard to find) it was getting darker and unfortunately wetter. Hoods and brollies up now guys. The bootleg Beatles were good apparently they'd played Glastonbury the previous week. They tended to do the old Beatles stuff and not the "Lucy in the skies" period. The rain came down the crowd sang along and the show ended with a rousing and endless version of Hey Jude. The concert was over by 10pm and everyone was leaving. Music in the gardens is an annual event with three nights of artists. Sunday night is known sad proms in the park with a full orchestra. This year it was songs from the movies. They finish with a tremendously loud sing along to land of hope and glory culminating in a spectacular firework display. This concert used to be held in Saturday night and lots of families are extremely disappointed it's been moved to Sunday. Families used to take picnics many different generations wave their complimentary flags and enjoy the spectacle. Now as the fireworks don't start until ten it to late for families with children in school on Monday morning. It's a shame. Back to bootleg Beatles a great night was had but the consensus seemed to be that at £30 per ticket the price was too high for a tribute act. Well done rotarians much money was raised for charity but can you book the sunshine for next year?

What a stunning well kept secret garden in the heart of Sheffield.

Había un chico que sirve el restaurante. Él parecía no motivado y descontenta. El servicio era demasiado lento. Incluso decidimos dejarte ir con nuestros 2 nd. Era evidente que el chico se olvido de nosotros. La comida era buena y el ambiente era fantástico.

Tuve que poner un 1*. . No obstante. Hubiera sido 0 si pudiera. . . . . . Fue una desgracia! Un PLISADO ponerla en un café y un croissant nauseabundo! A empeorar mucho más las cosas, los precios eran exorbitantes. Ahora pasemos a los...

Fue un día precioso, por la tarde. Casi nadie sentado dentro, la mitad de las mesas fuera tomada, así que la cola que yo era parte de estaba compuesta de muchas personas a llevar y quizás aquellos, como yo, esperando que las cosas ya no...

Visitó en marzo de 2017 para el almuerzo. Preciosa ubicación justo en los jardines botánicos y la comida es muy buena. Sin embargo, el servicio es realmente horrible. Esperamos 25 minutos por dos tés y luego 40 minutos para la comida. Nos avisaron de un...

En la cafetería, paramos para el almuerzo después de visitar los jardines.

This place needs organising properly. I hadnt been for a long while because of previous poor service. The food is quite good but the organisation and service terrible, I had been the previous day to the wonderful Pudding Ladies café in Millhouses Park, equally busy but much better organised. We waited five minutes to be served at the counter, even though there was no queue, totally ignored by a young woman making coffee, another fifteen for two drinks and scones. The scones were good, the jam a bit odd without fruit but tasted ok. This place must be a goldmine - sort it out! IT was also a bit dirty, tables not cleared or wiped, crumbs under the ice cream fridge and generally in need of a sort out.

We booked the conservatory for our wedding venue it over looks the gardens and is a lovely atmosphere the owner was lovely and went off menu to create the buffet we wanted and provided gluten free options thanks again

After a lovely walk around the gardens we went to the cafe for lunch. Service was slow whilst ordering food and had to change orders as they'd ran out. Half our orders came after half an hour and the other half came after everyone else had finished after a 50 minute wait in total. On top of the wait the food orders were wrong and not nice at all. Very disappointing and poor from a high priced food/drink range.

Visited here today gardens are beautiful well tended and a good variety of plants and shrubs. Also a plant sale with a good variety of shrubs most only £2 great value for money. Now for the down side, after doing all the park, greenhouse gardens we decided to Visit the cafe what a mistake that was, the bathrooms was beyond disgusting the smell Of urine no toilet paper, no soap no paper towels no nothing except rude vulgur graffiti All over the doors .The only people that should visit this cafe is environmental health ASAP

We waited 50 minutes for our food to arrive, and when it did ,the order was totally wrong. Only way 2 other diners in conservatory room when we sat down, although several mums with babies on terrace are enjoying the lovely sunny day.Obviously understaffed, and not a pleasant atmosphere on the other side of the counter.Floor and Windows absolutely filthy. We reclaimed our money as couldn't bear to be in there any longer whilst they re did our order.No toilet paper and no hand soap, just to top it all. All this with a hungry toddler was absolutely no fun. Seemed to me that the young trainee server was getting the blame for everything.What a shame, such a great location with the potential to be amazing. I wonder who owns it????Will definitely return to the gardens one day but definitely not to this eater

We are sorry but the rating says it all. As is obvious we live in Sheffield and have been sad to see this place go downhill. At one stage it was a full service eaterie with good hot food and drink. Now sadly reduced to little more than a park cafe that is not as good as many in the other parks in this city. The service is slow and bumbling and the overall impression is one of organised chaos. Fine if you want a drink but be wary if you want much more. A great shame. Hopefully the next people to acquire the franchise will realise what an opportunity this place presents in the right hands.

Unfortunately it has been more of a miss than hit lately. Dirty cups and cutlery, staff rarely clearing tables. It may be underfunded or understaffed, I am not sure, but I doubt we'll be back again soon. Cleaner places to go nearby on Eccleshall Road.

My friend and i went to the cafe for lunch today. What a disaster. Firstly, we couldn't find a menu, queued for 10 mins, to be given a menu and then having to queue again before ordering our food. I ordered a cheese and ham toastie, and my friend a fish finger sandwich. 10 mins later we were then told there were no fish fingers left, so he ordered a chicken sandwich. It then turned out there was no chicken, so he ended up getting a burger. The level of customer service was appalling. We waited 10 mins for our beers, which were accompanied by 2 x dirty glasses. The food took 50 minute to arrive. when it finally came, it was fine, nothing specialWe then ordered 2 x scones and a coffee. That took another 25 mins to arrive. All in all,it's a real shame. It's such a lovely spot and could be the most amazing little cafe. I don't have particularly high standards, but the least you expect is a) cleanliness, b) service with a smile and c) food to arrive in a speedy manner. I wouldn't eat there again in a hurry.

I have to start off by saying how nice the botanical gardens is and what a shame that this cafe almost actually spoils the whole place with its poor service & disgusting food. We sat down at a table and went through the menu, chose chips and sausage for the kid and me and the wife chose the only vegetarian option (apart from a cheese and tomato sandwich, and no matter how poncy a place is you cant get away with charging £6 for an peace of bread with a slice of cheese and a single tomato sliced up) which was the mezze plata.. so i got up to queue, waited inline for 10mins, finally got to the till and ordered only to be told "we don't have chips" i asked "what do you mean you don't have chips?" its lunchtime and you are a cafe would you have a menu with chips on it and not have any chips? knowing the 9yr old would probably have a tantrum if he didn't get what he ordered i asked if she could make some.. she replied "we just have potatoes".. I ordered some drinks, 2 bottles of water a can of coke and a j20 and was handed a dirty tray and 4 glasses, went back to the table to wait for the food.. as i was about to poor my drink i noticed the glasses looked like they had never been near a sink let alone ever seen any fairy liquid, they were disgusting and as a group we all decided not to risk using them and proceeded to drink from the bottles.. when the food eventually arrived i was greeted with a wooded board with 3 small bowls of humous and other dips, a few leaves of soggy salad and half a pita bread to use for dipping.. now this would have been ok as a starter if thats what i ordered but it was supposed to be a main meal and half a pita bread with a few dips would have been sufficient for a 5yr olds meal. on top of that the dips were almost inedible..i could go on but feel bad as i am sure the place has a couple of people working there that deserve the benefit of doubt but really that is the worst place i have ever been and recommend it be avoided at all costs..

My in-laws visited on Saturday and were extremely disappointed with the service here. The food was OK but overpriced, still they enjoyed it. However, the staff need to learn some manners and customer service skills!! If you have a job in a cafe you should at least look like you want to be there! The waitress also splashed brown sauce on my mother in law's skirt and didn't even apologise, how rude can you be?! They did enjoy the gardens but will take a picnic next time!! Only one star but that's because I can't leave it blank!!

A great location overlooking the beautiful gardens and greenhouses. The menu was basic which some interesting specials. Portions were small for lunch. We had scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and the special of ricotta and Beetroot strudel. The eggs were over-cooked and the strudel was dry and not what I expected. The side salad was far from generous looking more like a garnish than a significant part of the meal. For the prices charged for a lunch option more salad should be provided and a sauce with the strudel would have improved the texture and flavour. The outdoor seating area was messy in arrival and more attention to this area would increase its visual appeal to better align with the beautiful surroundings.

Saturday morning on a day when there were many additional visitors due to a plant sale....nearly an hour to wait for three coffees and two flapjacks! We will never go again. Plus tired furniture, no shelter for dog lovers, not cheap. Yuk! No stars! But the gardens are great so somebody needs to make some hard decisions! Take my advice, choose any of the many alternative cafes and restaurants on Ecclesall Road.

Visited with family. Very slow service and extremely over priced. Tiny jacket potatoes. Ham sandwich absolutely drenched in piccalilli. Wouldn't visit again!

Food was very good. We were quite a large group but all the food arrived hot and salads was lovely. Staff couldn't,t do enough for us as we had three young children using high chairs. Would return to eat there again. That would make it my 4th visit.

It was very busy, and take away ice creams were been sold like anything! I and a friend visited for coffee and cake, we got a lovely selection, highly recommend the carrot cake, it was fresh and very tasty! Staff were friendly and helpful. I have eaten there before and had their fish and chips!!! Highly recommend for lunch. It has new owners and has really picked up since last year! Well done.

Such a beautiful setting, this place could be a little gem of a cafe, but it is dreadful, staff are miserable and I was embarrassed that I had to make another complaint, the staff were extremely impatient with the elderly man in front of me who was struggling with the card machine, I would have left then but having walked up the hill with a 3 year old we needed a break. The waitress seemed to lose interest half way through my order, came 5 minutes later with my drinks and filthy cutlery, we then had a 40 minute wait for food, they must have changed their policy as they didn't tell me about the wait, perhaps if I'd known I would have tried to walk the extra 10 minutes and gone to the weatherspoons round the corner. the loos are for public use not just cafe customers so this could explain why they are in poor condition, dirty, dark and covered in graffiti, seriously someone step in a manage this cafe properly don't just rely on the location to bring in customers.

On a cold sunny early spring day the conservatory in the cafe, overlooking the park, seemed the perfect place for a cup of tea and slice of cake. Good size pot of tea for one , decent carrot cake, pleasant surroundings. I regretted it not being lunch time as the menu looked good...covering the bases from a full cooked breakfast through to some decent sounding sandwiches or even a 'piggy platter' (a pork product ploughmans)....amongst other things.Staff young and pleasant, service a tad on the slow side...but sitting in the sunshine under no time pressure I wasn't bothered at all.

I can honestly say I have never been to a worse café than this. I am not one for doing reviews but this was truly awful. As we walked through the café not one table was clean, with food and plates over flowing onto the floor. At the counter ( no queue) 2 females behind the counter were 'happily' talking away to each other oblivious to us. Eventually after much reluctance one tuned round as asked what would we like, the reply been 1x tea 1x coffee please ( not exactly complicated) ...the reply 'no problem but will be 30 mins'. I actually thought she had misunderstood me and said 'what for 2 drinks ??'... I don't need to say we didn't bother staying. I could have driven home and come back with a hot flask and it would have been quicker!!This has to be the quickest way to destroy a business

Good choices of food including any vegetarians. Very busy today so service was a bit slow but food was worth it. Would eat here again.

Well it's sort of ok, yes there were 6 of us and just had coffees but it took ages for them to come and my cappuccino was average, had worse but had a lot better. No real spark or atmosphere just a basic cafe. A quick watering hole but not for lunch I'm afraid.

One star for excellent lunch.No mature management in sight, maybe four young staff around the till area, chatting away.The gents toilets were filthy; dirty floors, no locks on both cubicles, broken seat, paper like tissue paper, rusty pipes, residues of plaster on floor, and grubby paintwork. I glanced in the disabled toilet, and saw a large waste bin which was overflowing with rubbish.In the beautiful surroundings this is totally unacceptable.I wish I had taken a photograph.Roy Marshall.

Don't know if its changed hands or just a New Year resolution to "do better" but went in with my Mum this morning and enjoyed plesant efficient service, delicious home made scone and home made jam with hot drinks in a nice warm clean picturesque cafe - spot on!

Visited for coffee and tea cake with my cousins who were visiting Sheffield. Cafe was busy and food was good

Have been coming to the Gardens for 20 years and it is so frustrating to see the cafe still not realising its full potential. Glorious autumn morning- just wanted a couple of coffees to takeaway- were told it would be a 30 minute wait! The cafe was only half full and it wasn't even lunch time. And it's clear from other recent reviews this is pretty normal.

This used to be a great little cafe; not cheap, but good food and varied menu. Now it is quite sad. The food and service were poor. Very disappointing. If you want food, go to Ecclesall road or Sharrowvale road.

Somebody grab this place and make it what it deserves to be..sublime location. We 'called' for a coffee only, about 11:30 and had a 20 minute wait despite only a trickle of customers ordering food/drinks. Lovely polite girls with apparently nobody driving the operation. A person is needed to man the coffee machine only and get the drinks out much quicker. And when not sorting the drinks out perhaps clearing dirty tables of which there were plenty. Cryin shame.

To be honest, we didn't eat here since after choosing something from the menu we heard there was a 30+ minute wait for food. This was at 2 in the afternoon and the cafe was only half full. Of the unoccupied tables, most had not yet been cleared and the same could be said of the loos that I visited. I don't know what has happened to this place in the couple of years since I last visited but it has really gone downhill. A real disappointment. Please do something about it and we will be back - a lot of good memories (except this time!) here.

I had lunch here with my husband whilst visiting the gardens, there is a lovely outside area where we ate but is also nice inside. The food was fresh and delicious.

Botanical Gardens is a beautiful place just a shame the café isn't. This is the second time we have tried the café and yet again poor service. Long wait just for a cup of coffee and the tables were filthy. Needed a good wipe down. The toilets also not great and no toilet roll. Staff seem flustered as if the place cannot cope with the stream of customers as it is only small. I don't mind paying a little more as a treat when out but not when it is poor quality.

3pm Sunday. A collection of several broken cakes and crumbs in a display cabinet which would have benefitted from cleaning along with the un-cleared tables and the floor. The interior of this café is totally unappealing and can best be described as dark and dingy. Staff more interested in talking amongst themselves than welcoming customers. About the only good thing is the terrace area provided the sun is shining. Not recommended and is only likely to attract discerning customers due to its current monopoly. Hopefully that will change when the new building is completed and alternative options exist.

Took my mum here for a treat. Hot day and fairly busy. Ordered drinks and lunch and was told the wait for food was 40 minutes. Tables were left with plates on and their seemed to be a big lack of front of house staff considering how hot and there fore busy it was. Drinks came after 15 minutes and food after 45. I had a Greek salad that cost £6.50 but was very small and served on a warm plate, the salad leaves were sludgy and brown. I did get a refund and was told that the plates had just come out of the dishwasher and that's why they were hot! Left very disappointed, my mums fish was grey and the tartar sauce had been smeared in it as opposed to being served on the side, however she said it didn't taste of anything. Real shame but won't be coming here again, a very expensive dissappointment!

We had been for a coffee the previous week so we decided to have lunch. I had a baked potato and home made beans and Pat had a bacon and chicken salad. Food was nice and I particularly enjoyed my home made beans. Service was ok but nothing special.

Unfortunately we had time for only a snack, and it was very nice with good tasting coffee, though it did seem to take a while to arrive.There were some imaginative "specials" on the board in addition to the basic menu and vegetarians were not forgotten. Prices were good, quality seemed excellent and service was pleasant and courteous. It's a shame the timing lets them down a little

We do like the Botanical Gardens and usually have lunch or afternoon tea here. We believe everything is home-made. The soups are good and sandwiches with little extra touches.

Have been here several times, always lovely food, the soup of the day has never been anything less than delicious, the most difficult part is trying to get a seat outside when it's sunny!

Haven't been here for a couple of years and visiting the botanical gardens with my grandson it seemed the perfect place for lunch. We walked in to find it chaotically busy and were told the back room was closed- the only tables were outside but we didn't want to take a chance on the weather and went elsewhere for lunch.However, later in the afternoon we returned for a cup of tea and a cake. It was still very busy but at least we got a seat. It seemed to be full of kids- most of whom seemed to come from the local private schools killing time waiting for their parents to pick them up. The tea was fine with plenty in the pot and we ordered a slice of cake to share which seemed a bit stale. There was a book shelf for the kids out in the hallway which was appreciated. The setting for this cafe is stunning, and the wisteria was in full bloom making the views from the windows romantic and charming. A lovely place for a cup of tea and a piece of cake- but don't expect it to be quiet!

Visit here regularly just to enjoy the surroundings and outdoors. Lovely area, kept clean and tidy. Great to come with family and friends to enjoy the sunshine!

I am convinced some of the not so good comments on this site is a ploy by those wishing to keep this great cafe to themselves. Three of us visited sunday lunch time , very busy, this we assume is because of the really enjoyable food.We had to wait a while for the food to arrive...but to be honest that isnt a problem...nice to simply chat with the group i was with , and it is obvious each plate of food is freshly prepared ( there is a tesco across the road at the other end of the gardens if you want pre prepared sandwichs). Will be visiting the cafe again and again....

The food was decent quality, although slow to arrive. It was tasty though. My only issue was the ketchup was watered down and I suspect was a cheaper brand decanted into a Heinz bottle. Whilst this seems a small issue, it does mar what is otherwise a good place. Don't scrimp please, the prices are too high to facilitate this.

Lovely setting in the park. Furnished in a rustic style. Good for coffee, cakes and snacks as well as a full meal. Always something different and tempting on the menu board.

I had a panini here and it was fairly good quality and tasted great. The staff are friendly and it's nice and warm in the winter!!

I've been here several times over the past year and I've never had anything other then good service by friendly helpful stuff. Always interesting choices on the Specials Board and everything I have had has been good.

Myself and my wife went for a walk around the botanical gardens.. called in for a latte before we had the walk.. After the walk we called in again as we were leaving... We did not eat there but there were several people and young families eating there..

Lovely cakes available and freshly made coffee. A nice spot to complete a visit to the botanical gardens or just visit to chillax.

This is or was one of my favourite places to take my mum who is in a local nursing home The botanicals is an old family favourite But the cafe really need to get they're act together Teapot and cups cracked and dirty Service apaulingly slow which is frustrating when I only have a limited time to get mum back for medical needs Cake dry and virtually Inedible Tables unwashed and dirty Simply disgusting as not the cheapest of cafés and should really pull it's socks up before they loose all they're loyal customers

This used to be a lovely lovely little cafe. Now it's not...Dirty, dusty, dark ( why have ceiling spotlights if only 2 actually work? It is too dark to read the menu). It all needs redecorating and the toilets were awful. Cracked sinks, dirty floor, broken taps. These toilets used to be wonderful.The service seems exceptionally slow, and the staff seem to almost avoid eye contact to make sure you don't ask for anything. I was waiting at the front of the queue for ten minutes before someone realised I hadn't been served. The staff seem to be just too busy to do anything. We weren't served as they were all too busy getting orders ready. Then we had a 20 minute wait for 2 drinks and 2 cakes which seems excessive, but better than the 40 minute wait we had last time. Cakes not very exciting.Compared to what it was, this place is dark, shabby, dingy, dirty, uncared for and run down. It used to be one of the nicest places in Sheffield. However we won't be going again

There is noway I would ever go back to this tea room. The service was appalling and staff rude. Do not waste your money.

Yet another disappointing visit to this cafe, we tried it again after coming here for a drink a number of months ago. Ordered a frappe coffee which took nearly half an hour to come. One member of staff working her butt off, the rest didn't know what they were doing. Problem seems to be poor management though, why tell your staff to put single drink orders in a queue behind food orders when you could just make the drinks when people pay? They obviously don't care about customer service and are out to make money. Let's have some comments from the owners/management of this place to hear what they have to say, but expect they are sunning themselves on the proceeds.

With my son at uni in Sheffield I've been here several times, but today was the first time I'd had lunch here - I was visiting a friend in Sheffield. I had a greek salad with pitta bread and my friend had a mushroom stroganov. We both through the food was fantastic. The salad was especially good. The cafe is tastefully done out with old tables and chairs, etc. Blackboard with changing daily specials. Lots of seating, outside and inside. I thought the food was good value and the service was friendly and speedy. I would definitely dine here again - it's a super place to meet up with friends and relax in a beautiful setting.I haven't given it 5 stars for the following reasons. (1) The toilets weren't too pleasant and there was no loo roll in one of the toilets, (2) it was a very hot day and there wasn't any ventilation - or shade for the tables outside, and (3) the lattes are rather small. But everything else was 5 star.

The cafe is a little oasis in the heart of a real treasure in Sheffield The Botannical Gardens. There is a great selection of food and drink and lovely seating outside. There is nothing to dislike

Staff that couldn't even pretend to look like they were bothered! After paying we waited for over half an hour just to get a drink from the fridge- it wasn't even busy! The rude waitress slammed them down on the table without an apology for the delay. The ice in the dirty glasses had by that time melted completely so we had glasses with water in. Had to ask for new ones which took ages again and no apology whatsoever (these glasses were dirty too!). Tables weren't cleaned either. Such rude staff and not a nice experience at all. Will definitely be warning people to avoid it!

Decent food and a good meeting place though weekday parking can be difficult. Service a bit slow last time I was there. Same venue as "Curator's House" - which also has entries on Trip Advisor.

The food is good and not too expensive, you will sometimes need to wait for a table as it is quite small

See review under their other name - Curators House Cafe. If you like dirty cutlery, sticky, dirty, menus and tables, cobwebs and grease, then this is the place for you!

Most local people are probably pleased to see this restaurant re-open, but given the good quality competition in the location, this establishment may well find it difficult to compete on current performance.My original choice of the blackboard was sold-out so I played safe with fish and chips, while my wife had a meal with a salad. A few minutes later a waitress appeared to inform us that they had no peas, so alright I do without the peas. However, when the fish in breadcrumbs appeared my smile disappeared. How can a restaurant management possibly hope for long term success if they cannot meet the quality standards of the local pub.My wife was also unimpressed with her meal, with the salad simply being a handful of leaves dumped on the plate.Would really like to see this restaurant succeed, but very soon the good pre-closure reputation will have gone and it will be trading on its current performance.

This review is from the Curators House Bistro page- (this retaurant listed twice on Trip Advisor)We usually really enjoy a visit to the Curators House, but unfortunately on Sunday we felt let down. Unfortunately our order was misplaced, and therefore we had to ask for our meals twice, by the time it arrived our friends had already eaten their meals (despite ordering only shortly before us). The food wasn't up the usual standard and the ice cream milkshake wasn't even cold. We didn't feel comfortable mentioning this at the time because we were trying to have a nice meal out. We didn't feel the staff member who dealt with us would be very receptive- sadly generally lacking in good customer service skills. I have some great memories of the Curators House and do not want these to be lost. Hope you do not mind me passing on this feedback and hope you can use it improve your services for future customers.

This cafe is a pale - and dirty - shadow of its' former self. The current tenant has staff team who obviously don't see why they should actually DO anything to earn their pay, least of all serve customer or be polite. The result is massive queues, uncleared tables, filthy tables, dirty cutlery, wrong orders and grumpy customers. The menu is improving a lot on what it was, and the quality of the food, if you ever get any, is quite good.The card terminal seems to be out of order more often than its working; they would be far better off having a permanent "cash only" policy so that people knew to take cash with them rather than order food and then find that they can't pay.I've only seen female staff to date and I'm sad to say that they mostly reinforce the stereotype of the "dizzy blonde", which is awful in this day and age - you'd think they woudl want to do all they could to change that image.

Such gorgeous flavours, interesting salads and lunch meals on the specials board. So spoilt for choice we had everything. Harissa chicken, blue cheese croquettes with broad beans and mint salad, Spanish cheese board... just really brilliant value for money and flavours and the loveliest view of the gardens from the terrace. Yum! yum! yum! and super staff unflapped by a busy day. Great.

Thoroughly recommend the fresh coffee and home made cooking. There is outdoor seating available which is nice in good weather.

Superb setting inside botanical gardens with inside and outside seating. Food limited choice from a mornin visit. Girl serving lacked any sense of customer service and appeared almost mute.

We took my Aunty for tea on July 13th in the pm. We have previously spent many happy times here drinking coffee, eating lovely cakes followed by a walk in the beautiful gardens. As I walked into the counter area, a gentleman asked what flavour the ice creams were. The girl told him in a very unpleasant tone,'They're all labelled at the back'. I felt affronted on his behalf.We used to have choices of lovely cakes. Now there was millionaires shortbread, rocky road tiffin type of thing, shortbread biscuits in packets or super melted chocolate bars.I decided to pass on these but Aunty and hubby decided to share a piece of millionaires shortbread. I handed over my card to pay the bill of £7.20. I was told that there would be a 30 pence surcharge for any transactions under £10. I gave her cash and didn't like her attitude. The drinks came out with equally bad grace and the milk was placed on the table with attitude. As my Aunty is currently using a Tri Walker due to a recent fracture of her hip, I wonder who thought it was a good idea to place a table in the middle of the path. People had to move to allow her to get by.The staff here need a good training session on customer service to get this lovely place back to the standards that it used to have. We won't be returning here in a hurry and relatives who live in Sheffield have also heard that sadly, it's gone downhill.

Great choice of food with great views from inside and out. Worth a try. It should not dissappoint. We will go again.

Un welcoming, rude and uninterested staff. She didnt even look at us when we placed our order and when my partner went to ask for the milk they had forgotten to bring he was treated with disdain and ignored him.