Cafe at Designs in Dumfries & Galloway

We visited this café twice in one day, once for coffee and scones which we had in the conservatory and the second time for lunch, which was toasted sandwiches with an unusual but delicious side salad. We were able to sit in the garden for lunch which was delightful with birds singing and beautiful fragrant plants around. I would definitely recommend this café.

Called in last week for coffees and scones and managed to get a table in the garden. The coffee and scones were fantastic and we couldn't have asked for better service if we tried. Can't wait to go back in the future, well done to all the staff on the day for looking after us.

Great little café. Friendly staff, good food. The walled gardens would be nice to sit out in warmer weather.

A hidden gem. Down a wee lane into a fresh cafe where you can sit inside, sit in the conservatory or if the weather is right sit in the garden. Totally following Covid rules you are served at clean tables and ask to put mask on if you stand up at all.The food is very fresh and tasty. I’m picky about my coffee but it is delicious ( a bigger mug serving would help but that is personal taste. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Can’t wait to go back!

Great food for all tastes and intolerances. They do GF bread and I had an aubergine sandwich which was delicious. One of our favourite places in Castle Douglas and always busy because they are so good. Catering through the pandemic as efficient as ever.

The garden area is lovely and the cafe has implemented first class pandemic safety measures. We were delighted with the soup we had and the menu looked good.

Lovely garden, great food and friendly staff. This is also a really mellow and relaxing space for families.

Food was delicious. Very lovely in the conservatory and in the garden. Extremely well set up with Covid precautions, bamboo disposable plates and bowls, if you chose traditional cutlery you were given a box to put them in to be taken away, each table and chair was cleaned after every use and then the cleaning cloth was thrown away. Protecting both customers and staff . Have enjoyed coming here before but will definitely be back

Visited for lunch. Entrance via lane and garden not gift shop. Screens between tables. Orders taken at tables. We had a variety of veggie option sandwiches served with side salad served on compostable plates. Then Polenta and Orange Cake which was gorgeous. With three drinks came to less than £10 each.Great food in a welcoming environment with extensive measures in place in these strange covid times. Well done to owners and staff.

We have just had our first visit to Designs since the re-opening after lockdown. Was a little sceptical at first as to what to expect but we really needn’t have been. The place is very COVID friendly and every possible aspect has been carefully considered. There is a one way system in place and also hand sanitising stations dotted around. All staff wear masks and customers are asked to wear masks whilst walking around to help protect themselves and others. They have a great online ordering system in place also which can either be ordered inside the cafe at the table or ordered out with and either taken away or if table is available can be eaten on the premises. There are screens in place between the tables and also a good few tables outside to accomodate a few more bodies. Also the use of palm leaf plates is also a very good addition as it saves people worrying if plates etc are clean. This is all disposed of in the correct way after each customer and it actually looks very lovely when served to customers in this way. The food and service were as always very good and we felt very safe whilst dining here. Well done to everyone

Very good to see the café open again. Excellent food, service and hygiene arrangements. Had been with my wife many times, but was not sure how it would be after her recent death to eat alone. The atmosphere was cheerful and reassuring as always and I felt happy to be there again. Congratulations on all the changes and hard work!

I'm so glad we discovered this delightful cafe on our most recent visit to Dumfries and Galloway. The ordering arrangements and screens between tables made it feel very safe - as did the disposable containers/cutlery used to serve the food. The food itself was delicious - we each had soup and a sandwich. Both soups (Ham & Lentil and Stilton & Broccoli) were delicious, as were the sandwiches - that home-made bread was wonderful! The prices were a little bit higher than we'd normally pay - but it felt very reasonable given the quality of the food The staff were friendly and efficient, and helped make some very odd times feel almost normal. We've recommended the cafe to family who will be visiting the area in the coming months, and will definitely be back ourselves next time we're in the area.

Had lunch at Designs today! The arrangements have been well thought out for Covid and feel very safe eating out, there. The staff are so helpful and always smiling. Food delicious.

Brought my sister in for cuppa and scone. Sister has been having to shield and not often out. She is still nervous about going into places but found this cafe a very safe place to be.Very impressed with spotless hygiene and service. Of course the scones were lovely.

First coffee out after months of shielding and I was a bit nervous.I needed have worried - the set up in Designs is excellent - a lot of planning has obviously gone into it and I felt totally safe and comfortable. I always liked coming to Designs for its ambience and comfort - the necessary changes have not spoiled this, it is still the same great friendly place !!Oh, and the coffee and food is still top rate.I feel that a bit of normality has at last returned to my life - well done to all the staff.Thank you.

We called for lunch and the adaptions for Covid were so reassuring. Great service and delicious food. Chose off the specials board and enjoyed different meals over two days. It was lovely and clean, great garden and courteous service. Many thanks

Had ‘lunch’ here today but it felt like a carryout. The kedgeree was served in a metal takeaway container, which we had to eat with plastic knives and forks. The salad, which is normally nicely presented on a plate , was instead piled up in a cardboard box and the coffee was served in a takeaway cardboard cup. The ordering process was also complicated making the whole experience disappointing.We have eaten here many times before as the food has been good but not sure we will go back.

Good service, very highly priced... an open sandwich on one slice of bread very high in price as is the bottled water n other drinks. Beautiful garden and nice staff

Excellent food nicely presented all in a Covid safe environment, another example of how well some have adapted under the restrictions, we felt safe and satisfied a good dining experience, would recommend and we will visit again.

We visited on 29 July for some coffee and cake. The indoor cafe wasn't open (thanks covid) so we sat outdoors in the walled garden. Lovely atmosphere and the staff were very attentive. Lots of hand sanitiser. Excellent hot chocolate and the toasties were tasty as well. Would recommend.

This wee cafe is a gem. We have visited on several occasions and it never fails to impress. The menu is good and there is always lots of interesting specials. Lovely coffee too. A great place - well worth a visit.

4 of us came for some lunch. I had the potato and spinach curry with rice, hubby the Swedish meatballs, Sis and her hubby the Cajun chicken wraps. All very nicely presented and tasty. For afters , the three of them had sticky date sponge with ice cream and I had a very nice fruit scone with jam and cream. Plus a decadent hot chocolate!Lovely vibe, good service and we will be back! We found the level access from the Main Street into the cafe a big help as Sis has walking difficulties.

This is a perfect place to meet friends for a lazy lunch. The ambience is good,as is the food. Staff are helpful and know what the food is about. The town of Castle Douglas is a bustling place,full of diverse shops and quirky bookshops and antique restorers. Well worth a visit

this little place offers perfect fayre every single time.. from soup to lasagne to scones!! always check out the specials board. Great place, lovely manager and kind courteous waiting staff!!

We enjoyed tea and scones here and it was nice to be able to sit in the light and airy conservatory. The food and drink we had was excellent and the staff friendly.

As with all great diners at designs is almost always quite busy yet somehow relaxed at the same time. The diner has a brilliant garden and good food, fresh and delicious. Check out the shop upstairs as well for local designs..

This is on the main street, and opens up into a café in 3 rooms. Service marvellous, menus extensive and original, so much that it has many regular visitors. So, a table will come free if you can wait a little. This was our fourth visit spread over a number of years, and it makes a trip to Castle Douglas well worth the effort.

Dogs are allowed in the outside garden where we enjoyed a lovely lunch. Soup was homemade and they have a good toastie menu. Scones were also apparently very good as was the Eggs Benedict.Came back for a cup of tea one afternoon and it was very pleasant.

We have visited this cafe many times over the last 2 years and have always enjoyed the food. My favourite dish was the courgette and sweetcorn fritters which were so delicious when I had them last year, I have since always checked the specials board in the window when passing in case they ever appeared again. This week, I dropped lucky, There they were on the board! My husband, his sister and I all ordered this dish on my recommendation. But oh! What a disappointment. We all enjoyed the first taste, but soon began to realise there was no courgette in evidence in the batter...in fact, there wasn’t much sweetcorn either. None of us said anything until our last fritter when realisation set in that these were not courgette and sweetcorn fritters, but just a lot of batter with the odd sweetcorn thrown in. I know we should have complained earlier, but we all thought the next fritter would be better than the last. Nobody had come over to ask if our meal was okay, and I felt I had to mention my disappointment to the staff. Fair enough, they offered us teas or coffees, but we did not have time for these as we were rushing off for a ticketed event. There did not appear to be a manager present, but what made it worse was that we were told the chef had peeled the courgettes which was why we could not see them in the batter- a very poor excuse. A very disappointing experience for us all.

Great place to meet friends and shop in Castle Douglas. Good coffee, great atmosphere and great place for gifts

Always a lovely wee treat visiting Designs Cafe whether for a mug of mocha & cake or a spicy chicken wrap with a fab salad selection (my favorite) usually some interesting daily specials on the board as well. There is a good vibe and it's the kind of place you don't mind going into on your own (if you're having a billy no mates day)

On holiday with our two dogs and mum it’s sometimes hard to find a cafe with a garden but this cafe is garden perfection with a lovey wooden gazebo covered in climbing flowers, a beautiful place to stop for a coffee and homemade cake or like us , lunch!

My family and I enjoyed a quick coffee break here with some delicious yummy cakes, especially the lemon 🍋 drizzle mmmm. Recommend to all, plenty of space, child friendly and good staff. Thanks.

Always enjoyable to visit, but always very busy so go early to avoid disappointment. Always have a good choice, plus at least 2 gf cakes.

This place sits below a wonderful shop. There is always something new on the dailys to excite. Great food, brilliant service.

We always visit when in town. The food was delicious. There is a great selection of arty and other books, clothes, interior decorations etc.

I have been enjoying lunch at Designs for all of the 29 yrs the cafe has been open.

Had a great afternoon tea here. I have visited this cafe repeatedly over the last 20 years never had a bad experience ....except being unable to get in! Gets very busy lunch time. Conservatory gets hot!

Stopped in at Castle Douglas today (Tuesday 12th March) on way home. Staff are brusque, rude, curt in their behaviour/attitude towards paying customers. Wouldn't recommend. Toilets also let the place down.

Met with friends for lunch. Have avoided this café due to previous experience of unpleasant attitude of one of the staff. Waitress service polite and courteous, food average but acceptable. We had asked to pay separately but on payment one of the group made it easier by paying half of the bill and the remaining friends had specified amount to round up bill. The surly and discourteous attitude of the woman who took the money was totally unacceptable. Great need for some customer service training there. Won' t be back.

Designs is always a favourite when I visit castle Douglas and a Saturday lunch recently didn’t disappoint. Took friends who are not from the area but well travelled and they loved the food and service which was first class. We had a mix of soup, sandwiches, cake and coffee for five of us. All brilliant quality even though the cafe was super busy as it was Saturday lunchtime . Well done to the team there. Keep up the great service and quality. I’ll be back on my next trip to castle Douglas in a few months time. Thank you

I was here late last year but just had a pot of tea. It is a hidden gem on the main street through Castle Douglas and outside it appears to be a clothing and craft shop. However in the basement is a lovely cafe with conservatory and garden. Decided to pop down the A75 to CD for lunch and early signs were good, as there was a queue on the stairs at 12.30 when we first arrived. So we decided to head out for a walk and on our return a table soon became available. Good range on the menu but we opted for the soup and sandwich lunch ant £6.00 each. Good home-made soup and simple sandwich; both tasty.

Visited Cafe At Designs many times and it never disappoints. The place is clean and roomy and the staff are all extremely friendly and helpful. Menu is good and varied and the specials board is also of high quality and varied. Food is hot and tasty and the coffee is also wonderful. Will definitely be back again and again. Take my advice and go give a try.

Great tasting, varied food . The service is always quick and the staff cheerful and helpful. We always go here for lunch when we are in Castle Douglas

Visited last week with family for late lunch. Two of us had the leek and potato soup as the other option had run out. Both of us were disappointed with the bowls of a watery tasteless unseasoned stock with a mass of potato lumps floating in it. We both left much of it. At no point did the waitress return to the table to ask if everything was ok and said nothing when she cleared the half full bowls! The rest of the food we had was fine except for the Victoria sandwich which was stuff full of cream . Not sure we will be returning.

The place to go. A basement cafe with a conservatory at the back. Dog friendly garden with side access. Great for coffee and cake as well as offering more substantial meals.

In fact we love it so much we visited twice in our weeks holiday!

We visited the Café at Designs whilst on a shopping trip to Castle Douglas today. The café is situated downstairs from the main gift shop on the ground floor and was quite busy when we arrived but we quickly found a table for us both. Lunch was a light affair with Moroccan Spiced Soup for me and a fruit Scone for my wife accompanied with a pot of freshly brewed tea for us both. The soup was delicious and my wife really enjoyed the scone. Thought the price we paid for lunch represented very good value and will definitely consider calling in again on our next shopping trip into Castle Douglas.

We first came here with friends and had we been by ourselves we may well not have noticed this cafe located downstairs from a gift shop despite the signs to it. We're so pleased to have been introduced to it and returned a second time later in our visit to the area. On both occasions we could not resist their delightful scones with jam and cream. The stairs could be difficult for those with mobility issues but if you are mobile the downstairs cafe is very pleasant and it doesn't feel crowded despite its popularity. Highly recommended.

Cafe was packed when I visited, with people waiting on the stairs, but seen to quickly. Service was hurried, I felt a bit in the way to be honest. Ordered a tuna mayo sandwich, cheese scone, latte and pop. It did the job but wouldn't rush back. Sandwich came in a box with some salad but no fork provided. Did get a straw for the pop though.

Always excellent. Busy cafe downstairs in a nice shop selling arty stuff. Excellent place for lunch with a good choice of hot and cold dishes, salads and cakes. Pleasant staff and nice atmosphere. Reasonable prices.

We sat in the sun room off the back side and warmed up after a chilly ride through the countryside. The soup was delicious, the bread was fluffy, the prices were right and the desserts were perfect. It was also, we noticed, packed with locals. And that's a good thing!

Warm welcome. Staff are attentive and friendly.

Excellent cafe food (soups, sandwiches, toastires, scones, ckes, etc and drinks. Reasonably priced and friendly staff. At lunchtime youmay have to wait a few minutes for a table.

First visit we arrived on a busy Saturday afternoon needing a bite to eat after our journey and what a great treat we found Today we revisited and just has good service was spot on the scran just has good

Have been coming here for many years. The food is all fine - but the coffee is so poor. Makes visiting difficult. Lavazza shouldn’t taste like that!

We visited for morning tea , entry through a shop and nice area pleasant temp and yippee the coffee was ok The “Homemade Toast was clearly not , and the scones , just average, We seemed to be there in the pre lunch busy period and staff seemed focused on prep , nevertheless, we will return and select better! Nice art work !

We always visit when we are in the area and love the choice of different sandwiches and brunch items on offer x the service is always friendly and fast and the food to a high standard. The delights are the cakes today we had polenta cake and scones with jam and cream - excellent as usual! Would recommend to anyone in the area x

A great find when on holiday in Castle Douglas. Lovely light space with a conservatory area looking onto a nice garden. Like the arty vibe. I went back again. Liked the menu and cakes. Love the shop above.

Nice lunch here today, friendly staff, fast service and nice food, reasonably priced. Good selection of specials and cakes. Staff very attentive and efficient, not long to wait for food.

I came for a lunch by myself, great choice of menu and lots of tables inside and some outside. I sat in the beautiful garden and had a great lamb pitta with a variety of salads - great flavour combinations (including some peach) and beautifully cooked lamb. A great place to sit and read a book with a delicious lunch! Also great with friends when I've been before!

We always bring visitors here for Saturday lunch, good service & tasty food, and the delightful shop & gallery upstairs to browse afterwards. Only problem is we come here so often the "specials" aren't really special anymore (but maybe that's our problem). Shame they don't do dinners too I think it'd be really popular.

This is a super shop. Cafe downstairs but on the ground floor hasdifferent areas for quality goods including clothes and books. The focus is on good design and the shop benefits. It says exactly what is over the door. Wonderful.

The food was lovely. Service very good. Able to go in in a wheelchair, as it has a ramp. Help yourself from the water cooler, only beware when we went they had orange pieces in the cooler. Being unaware of this it was deemed by us odd. Once we knew what was in the cooler it was ok. They don!t do cooked breakfast.

Well prepared tasty food,from a small but comprehensive menu,served politely in well decorated airy surroundings.

Stopped by Castle Douglas and decided to grab lunch at Dreams Cafe. The food was delicious, it was served very quickly, and the garden out back was a perfect setting for a relaxing meal. If I head through the town again, i will be sure to stop by again and try more off their menu.

Fabulous place, always packed, so conversation flows and lovely atmosphere. We had glorious thick creamy Garlic and Butternut squash soup with home made bread, and then delicious Rosti, and I had a beautiful salmon pastry and fresh summer vegetables. The puddings are totally tempting and irresistible, and the coffee excellent. VERSY GOOD VALUE and lovely atmosphere, and the shop above has the most beautiful fabrics, throws, cards, clothes, colourful and artistic and unusual. BEST PLACE IN CASTLE DOUGLAS.... WE HAVE BEEN BACK PRETTY MUCH TWICE A MONTH SINCE FEB, '18

Designs is a shop of handicrafts. Some lovely items. By going down a few steps you come into the cafe with seating sections even one in the conservatory. That always being popular. We ordered theirs soups of the day which come with their own baked bread. Even gluten free being on offer. They have some changing mains. The salads are simple.

Stopped here on our way further south and were both impressed about this place.

i always make sure i go here. light and airy, not over-crowded with tables. fabulous, simple menu with home-made food, cakes and so on. high quality meals, good service in a buzzy atmosphere. great value and easy to park close by. highly recommended.

This cafe is downstairs from a lovely gift shop. We asked a local and she suggested Designs, we were not disappointed. As we were there on a very chilly spring day no one was sitting in the garden but we found a table in the quirky basement area. There is a conservatory area too but that was full, a party left a small table so the waitress pushed two tables together for five of us. An interesting specials board, a good regular menu and very tasty food. I had a perfect eggs Benedict, delicious. I think there was also good choices for gluten free.

We always visit this cafe when we are on holiday so it was our first place to visit during the Easter break. Sadly, we found the service to be poor this year. We ordered cake, scones and coffees. The waitress spilt most of my husband's coffee into the saucer and found it amusing. No apology was given. The waitress left our table and returned with a very dirty cloth which had been used to clean dirty tables. She mopped up the spilt coffee on the saucer with this cloth. We were speechless and will not be returning.

Beautiful gallery. Lovely coffee shop, beautifully run with attention to detail. Squeaky clean. Charming and friendly helpful staff. Beautiful food prepared and presented to a high standard. Home bakes were divine! Highly recommended.

Delicious lunch menu and a side salad to die for. Highly recommended with friendly staff too. Top marks.

A regular place for my wife to eat at lunchtime with friends. I rarely have time for lunch so this was an exceptional day for me. It is always popular at lunchtime so we were fortunate to get a table bang on lunchtime on a weekday. It was only a light lunch that we were stopping for before I returned to work. We chose soup and a sandwich. Always great staff serving with a happy outlook and quick service. The soup is always served hot and tasty with a sandwich accompanied with a side salad. Very filling and set me up for the afternoon. A great family friendly cafe that is really popular and for good reason.

This is a regular for us when in Castle Douglas as consistently good for food and service. There are steps down to the cafe which need to be considered if any mobility issues. However there is access to the cafe via the garden which is level however this is not well signposted. Seasonally good - terrific hot cross buns, as Easter, toasted to perfection, made for a great morning coffee. Always popular for snacks or meals. Well worth a visit.

always very busy, great cafe for a coffee and cake or for a beautiful lunch, staff brilliant food and drinks excellent, family friendly atmosphere.

Why do coffee shops let untrained staff act as a barista? I suppose that in tourist locations they assume they will never see you again, so it won’t matter. That seems to be the case here. Indifferent coffee and totally impersonal service in a dim...

Great place for lunch - nice atmosphere, good food and good service. At there is also a very good gift shop and gallery upstairs!

Nice bright place entered via a lovely but slightly expensive gift shop. Coffee really nice but, even better was the crunchy lemon slice! Pleasant staff, would go again if in the area.

We have been going for many years now and as always staff are friendly and welcoming and food and coffee is always good. We had the French toast with bacon and considered it good value and very tasty, some of the best we have had,...

A fantastic place for tea and cakes. We went here on Saturday lunchtime and it was very busy but managed to get a table after a few minutes wait. Heard neighbouring table say the soups were really tasty. We were happy with a selection of...

And in a very, very, good way! Called in for a bite to eat on the way down to Kirkcubright for a few days. Not really expecting much more than a 'standard' gift / craft shop café, but one look at the menu changed that....

Friendly staff,efficient service and great food .. what more could u ask for . Situated downstairs from the shop which has a beautiful array of goodies .

Visited today at 15.10pm. We were told that there might be some soup but no sandwiches could be ordered. The waitress was uninterested so we left. We visit this cafe quite often and did have one of their loyalty card, also we have recommended the...

Weve been twice in the last few weeks and we love atmosphere and staff are nearly always polite and helpful. Unfortunately things like cold food (obviously reheated but not sufficeintly) and sweeping and starting to close up while still full of customers are just poor....

The place to be seen in Castle Douglas. Always busy, good at any time of the day, but closes fairly early in late afternoon.

Regular haunt. Convenient location on the main shopping street.

went into the cafe with my wife and ordered from their specials, beef curry for me and a sandwich for my wife. My wife is "sauce" phobic so doesnt like dressings etc,

A disappointment. The garden in summer is beautiful, a tranquil place. However in bad weather the cafe (downstairs) has inadequate ventilation/heating which means a steamy dampish large room and when colds are around, lots of sneezing. The cafe is also dirty along skirting boards and behind radiators, neither I nor my friend put our bags on the floor. The toilets were clean. The soup is nice, the coffee is bitter, the cakes bland. No use of free range products in their food and it shows. I have tried this cafe a number of times and now will not be returning. The shop above is good although expensive.

Always try to stop off at Designs on road south. The food is freshly cooked and interesting daily specials. Husband enjoyed the fish cakes today and the eggs benedict was luscious.

Couldn't find any vegan options. Told waitress that I could not eat any dairy or egg products. Had toasted bread with hummus and tomato and a basic salad, very uninspiring. I was brought a plate with (non-vegan) mayo on it, which I returned explaining why. It looked like the mayo was just wiped off the plate, which I wasn't happy about, and if that was the case, worrying for people with allergies. Neither staff members seemed interested. You need to cater for vegans!! Veganism is a growing market, not a nuisance!!

Harissa lamb wrap, piri piri chicken warp, great salad, cake, coffee, garden. A step above the normal offerings.

Looked on TA before visiting Castle Douglas .. have to say what a lovely welcoming place this is , we had the soup of day vegetable and lentil served with butter and bread I had the lamb curry ( pic posted) wonderful no other words needed ... we will definitely be back .

The coffee (Lavazza) was delicious. The wifi was reliable. The cakes looked great, but we resisted. The shop upstairs had a lovely selection of items.

Well worth a stop if you're in the area. Great food, and good service. Plenty to choose from in the area, but we'd definitely go back here.

Visiting Castle Douglas again and had to visit the best place in town for a quick bite to eat and fabulous coffee. Great quality food at a great price. Would recommend.

chosen because of its claim to being vegan friendly. Nice garden. Not vegan friendly at all. Food a bit 90's.

Been coming here for years. Shop upstairs is very good - with books and jewellery. The cafe downstairs has genuine service - often quite young and inexperienced but generally always trying. Cakes are good (brownies, polenta cake etc etc) - soups are good - some of the mains can be very good. But there is the occasional howler - pasta so over cooked could drink it through a straw. Side salads are a bit of a 1970's tribute (iceberg and a thick slice of tomato) and scones should be better than they are, given the standard of the cakes. Sit outside when weather permits or in the conservatory. Probably the best all round cafe in CD.

We visited twice in one day - first for lunch and then back for the delicious cakes once we'd walked off (some of) the lunch calories. As we were a large party we sat out in the garden and although it was showery we were kept dry under the pergolas.The food is good, freshly made, and service is prompt and friendly.It's a lovely place, really nice atmosphere for everyone - best we've found in Castle Douglas.