Citrus Grove in West Dorset

Whatever the various opinions about the previous restaurant were like that is history. The new Ivy House is superb. Friendly waiter service, quick ordering, good prices, lovely location, airy, light, spacious,good atmosphere etc. The opening hours are similar to the Groves nursery so dinner is not an option like most garden centre restaurants. Have been there MANY times since the opening and always enjoyed it

Went to Groves for Sunday dinner and they really have up there game, a great Sunday lunch as the beef was tender and a good selection of vegetables and extra gravy if required... finally you seem to be getting it right .

Went in with friends we wnnt to the counter at about 11.20 asked rhe arrendant what was availableand was given menus at the table discussed what we have about to order and was told we do not serve hot food again for 1/2 hour no explanation by manager just you have to wait till 12. What a way to run a business they need to make the information available not as you are about to order. Needless to say we got up and walked out so they lost 4 customers in one hit.

June helps, of course, but this genuinely is the most beautiful garden centre we've ever visited. The roses were spectacular and there were a lot of happy bees who agreed! I love herbs and there is the equivalent of a physic garden here that was functional, beautiful, and aspirational (just in front of the stunning Ivy House Kitchen).

Dropped in during lunch service today. The cafe was freezing cold and draughty. Water droplets were raining down on my husband’s head while we were seated at table. We had to wait ages for our food. I really wanted to leave but we had paid over £15 for soup, sandwich, a muffin, and chips. The chips were horrid, hard and fatty. My coffee didn’t appear despite me hearing my husband ordering it. Totally chaotic service. Left most of the food as we were so cold and tee’d off with the place. Won’t be back sorry!

We live locally and love the Citrus Grove restaurant. We decided to go there for breakfast on Saturday morning. The breakfast is lovely - well cooked and good quality produce but for the second week on the trot it was lukewarm. There is obviously some problem with keeping the components warm - sadly we will be giving it a miss for breakfast.

Lovely atmosphere, delightful waitress, enjoyable home cooked roast dinner and quiche salad. What more could you want on a wet and windy day in Bridport. Thank you Groves!

As a visitor to the area I enjoyed a warm welcome from the lady on the serving counter. I took my elderly mother with me to enjoy hot drinks and scones. We both fancied a cheese scone but they were so large we decided to share one, it was delicious. The cafe was busy with a varied clientele enjoying full breakfasts, drinks, snacks and cakes which all added up to creating a lovely atmosphere. I will definitely call again when I next visit the area.

Great food, great staff, lovely surroundings, very good value. Have eaten here many times. Plenty of choice. Always seems nice and fresh. Clean and tidy. Staff very helpful.

Lunches are great, homemade and reasonably priced. Staff are friendly, what mire do you need apart from plants and mire plants from the garden centre

We visit this cafe each time we come to the garden centre and always enjoy either tea and cake or one of the delicious meals available from the menu.The cakes are worth a particular mention since they are actually made on the premises and are mouth wateringly good as are the prices.Definitely worth a visit to this establishment whether buying garden plants etc or not. The staff are always polite and friendly and nothing is too much trouble for them either in the cafe or the garden centre.

One "light" lunch with salad, and one fantastic "special"...Steak and Stilton Pie, with seasonal vegetables and potatoes. Was absolutely delicious! Thanks!

A nice quiet, clean cafe with a good but limited menu. Friendly staff, cosy atmosphere. Very popular with locals.

Visit at least 6 times a year when travelling to visit family in Devon. Call in for coffee. The staff are always polite and efficient. Looking forward to the new restaurant being opened

Very good. The staff were very polite and helpful as always. The coffee was very nice. A very clean restaurant I will be back again soon

Good service, nice coffee, great Carrot Cake and good value. Worth the stop, don't know why haven't before.

Had a lovely lunch a few days ago. Beautifully cooked and well presented. vegetables served separately for you to help yourself. The staff were very friendly, helpful and attentive. A small restaurant with a very high standard at an affordable price.

An improvement on our last visit a lot more to choose from, but its always good drinks, tea and coffee.

Enjoyed our visit to the cafe whilst visiting the garden centre, always made to feel welcome and plenty of choice. Waiting for the arrival of the new cafe next year, every time we visit we always look to se how the building work is going on. The garden centre is very well stocked and very helpful staff, the new enlarged cafe will be a real bonus to this very popular garden centre.

Cafeteria/tearoom (3/5):Located just inside & left of the entrance door to Groves Nursery, West Bay Road, Bridport, Dorset. Citrus Grove is a small but reasonable garden centre cafeteria/tearoom offering a varied menu: sandwiches, cakes, scones, tea, coffee, soft drinks, salads, hot meals, etc. All reasonably priced. Open for breakfast & luncheon. Seating/tables are perhaps a little cramped. The servery counter is very small indeed. There is some congestion with customers making orders, customers paying & those collecting cakes, teas etc. Cakes & scones are displayed on the small serving counter beneath glass covers, but sadly at the time of my visit - in full sunlight!!I did not see any toilets in the cafeteria, but there are facilities approximately 20 yards away at the exit from the garden centre proper.Staff are reasonably pleasant & efficient. It is not necessary to visit the garden centre in order to use this venue. Wheelchair/disabled friendly, family friendly too. Ample parking.Opening times: Daily 8.30 - 4.30pm. Sunday 10.30am - 3.30pm. Open on bank holidays.Garden centre/nursery (5/5):The garden centre itself is very well laid out over about 5 acres with interior shopping, pet foods, tools & most horticultural items plus more. Small aquatics section, good selection of greenhouses, sheds, pots, urns, statues, fence panels, follies, etc. Well laid out fruit tree & rose section. Superb green houses full of plants, palms etc., etc.Ornamental pond with many mature fish. Nice rose covered arbour. Wheelchair/disabled friendly, family & dog friendly (dogs quite rightly to be kept on a lead). Staff pleasant polite, helpful & quite knowledgeable.Overspill car parking.An excellent nursery to visit. Recommended.Interest:Groves nursery I believe was founded in 1866 by Charles William Groves & located in the village of Piddletrenthide.2015 saw Groves listed amongst the top 25 garden centres/nurseries in the United Kingdom.

Visited many times, Mark, Adam and Neil are brilliant, never fail to impress with customer service and efficiently. Deliver service a dream, will keep coming back.

Very enjoyable break in the cafe. Would have liked a scone and some shortbread on the menu. Bought some good value compost.

We now visit the Citrus Grove regularly because the people who work there are such nice genuine people, for who nothing is too much trouble. Also the cakes taste like they are home made and not made by "industrial process". It should also be noted that if you are a real gardener the garden centre produces its own plants by cultivation, not the usual bought in variety. This nursery is also the home English violets which are available for sale. The cafe and garden centre are one of Dorset's delights but shh keep it quiet.

Hope the new restaurant will be as cosy as the one is know and the service will be as prompt and friendly as the old one

We called in for a snack on our way home from visiting relatives. Good friendly service, excellent food.

Staff very helpful and friendly as always the coffee is always nice and the restaurant clean and tidy.

The only thing that disappoints me is there are countless desserts but NOT ONE suitable for diabetics .No yours is by no means the only restaurant lacking this . How easy would it be to put a bowl of fresh fruit or fruit salad (no juice ) that would be lovely, in the salad section .

I have used Citrus Grove cafe for over 15 years and it has remained the same good quality food and good value. A lot of garden centre cafes (such as Monkton Elm in Taunton) are very expensive. I sincerely hope that the Citrus Grove does not go down this track when it opens in its new building. I am really looking forward to being able to sit outside in the New cafe, especially considering we have a dog. Please keep your lovely traditional home-cooked food, I know a lot of your clientele are elderly and this type of food is appreciated, there are a lot of trendy alternative places to eat in Bridport, but to have somewhere that cooks English food really well, at a reasonable price must be onto a winner.

Lovely coffee, happy atmosphere, good choice on menu. Typical prices for this kind of establishment. Plenty of parking. Lovely shop. Recommend a visit.

Extremely busy restaurant as the live Reindeers were on show!! No problem for staff as we were served as politely and efficiently as if we were the only ones there. Food very good and reasonable time to wait all things considered. Only niggle was the sticky table.

Busy restaurant only just got a table in fact had to wait for a lovely couple to finish eating.Had a voucher for soup and hot choc.Was nice but nothing special no rolls just bread

We were going into Groves for some gardening stuff and I suddenly thought how nice it would be to have a toasted teacake and a cuppa. So that is what my hubby and I did. The teacakes were delicious and as usual the staff were super. We have had lunch there at odd times and the food is always yummy, so wasn't surprised that everything was up to its usual high standard.

Excellent as always The staff are always very helpful Very nice coffee very clean and tidy restaurant Very highly recommended

Start your day with breakfast made to order yummyLunch made from fresh local ingredients what more can you ask for. If it`s a meal or snack it is a pleasure to sit in comfortable warm surroundings and have a chat to the staff who "eat in" everyone is so lovely and helpful. Prompt service and willing to change "set meals".

A family run garden centre with the .Citrus Grove within it. Good atmosphere, food and welcome every time we vidit.

This cafe is nearly always full - that says a lot in itself for the quality of what's on offer - good basic food, well cooked, tasty and not over-priced. It is also a cafe where the staff are happy to cater thoughtfully for children. My very young grandson always chooses a drink of hot chocolate when in a cafe. Often it is far too hot for him and he has to wait ages before he can enjoy it. At Citrus Grove, I asked if it could be served in a teapot with an accompanying jug of cold milk - this was instantly agreed, and he not only had the fun of pouring it out, but also a drink at the right temperature for him straight away. I think it could catch on! Well done, Citrus Grove, and thank you!

Good quality cooked in the restaurant home style food. Excellent value for money. Friendly staff, always a smile.

Always good food and good service, value for money for both the food and the products in the garden centre. They even do bespoke takeaways

The quality is always consistently good. The lunches are very enticing and the tea cakes are the best I have ever eaten. N the height of summer it can get a bit warm, but not unbearably so.

Use here all the time, mining coffee with scrummy cake. Specials for lunch, which are good value, home cooked.

We live locally and love Groves garden centre, but the Citrus Cafe is a bit of a disappointment, the food is good value and usually very tasty and fresh what lets it down is the overall shabbiness of the surroundings it's high time some money was spent sorting it out, if we didn't know the food was good, on appearance alone we wouldn't go in. It can be slow at the till, this could easily be sorted by having two staff members working there, and please put the food orders in as soon as the order is taken, not after paying or people run the risk of having their drink go cold while waiting for food. This is a good cafe that is only a few tweaks away from a great cafe.

Visited lunch time not very busy wanted a sausage bap/sandwich,told that was only available on the breakfast menu but I could have a bacon bap/sandwich which is also on the breakfast menu doesn't make sense. The lady on the till was very nice,quick and helpful. The table we sat at looked clean but was sticky.

Not quite as it used to be but they still do a good range of drinks a good cuppa tea, they seem to have lost there way somewhere not sure really but the food is still good but does not excite.

Great Sunday dinner And they do a great tuna melt panini .Friendly and pleasant staff and a great garden centre

A visit to Groves Nursery Bridportt and a lovely cup of coffee at the Citrus Grove restaurant is worth doing. Friendly welcome , good choice of drinks or home made cakes is well worth trying for yourself.

Food ok Atmosphere stifling despite a fan Heater oppressive in summer. Needs a lot of modernisation.

Good, home-cooked food and plenty of it! Good choice of menu, very friendly staff - all reasons I keep going back!

Good food nice selection home cooked meals good choice from roast to snacks nice and clean staff friendly

Had a breakfast.Luke warm,undercooked.Staff have no customer service skills.Will not be returning breakfast was meant to have tomatoes.None appeared.Cutlery very undesirable .Never clean.Stood waiting at counter,being ignored by staff

We took our elderly friend there as a little treat and I was astonished by the poor quality and service. My friend enjoys egg and chips and I was told in no uncertain terms that chips were not sold here. I'm surprised given the poor quality of the salty cottage pie, cold veg - i would suggest serving chips might be worth considering. Our table was not cleaned from the previous occupants and whilst I admit the place was packed I was left wondering why this place was actually open. Come on Groves you can do better than this.

My partner and I really like the garden centre and frequently visit to purchase plants. As it is convenient we occasionally have lunch at the Citrus Grove cafe but feel it is lacking somewhat, particularly when you compare it with what is offered by the cafe at Otter Nurseries or the Potting Shed cafe at Chard garden centre. Although the food is reasonable, the meal portions are not particularly generous and when you order a toasted sandwich the side salad is rather poorly presented with just a tiny amount of salad on the plate. The staff do not come across particularly well except for one particular young woman who does make an effort to smile and be welcoming. When the food is brought to your table, there is a lack of standard hospitality, for instance there is no 'enjoy your meals' or 'is there anything else I can get you' which we have become accustomed to expect as with other similar establishments. In many respects the cafe does not do the garden centre justice and is an area which the owners could make some improvements.

These days a certain level of food and service is expected in any cafe or restaurant and the cafe at Groves falls very short on both counts.We stopped in for a coffee and sandwich after shopping in the garden Centre.Both of our coffees were tasteless and not very hot and the sandwich bread was at least a day old, with poor filling.I complained but was told the owner was in a meeting and will not concern himself with things like this.I asked for a refund but was met with blank faces. Customer service was non existent We will never go there again and would advise you the same

Had some, allegedly, home made soup here, it was so salty we could not finish it. Also, on another occasion had a cheese sandwich, the cheese must have been hanging around, grated, for hours, if not days, it was dry and a very odd colour. Would not eat here again.

Called in yesterday and was very impressed with the garden centre. We wanted a light lunch and both opted for cheese and onion toasted sandwich and coffee in the nice litte cafe there.Yes, the girl that took the order was a bit glum but she was dealing with the orders all on her own, and there were plenty of other staff that could have helped her.Very nice waitress that brought our food over. The toasties were spot on and we could see roast dinners being served and they looked great. My only niggle was that the tables were far to close to each other, but as it's a small cafe they probably don't have any choice.Would most definitely visit again.

Often meet friends here for a coffee or a cup of tea, reasonable prices. Clean, polite staff. Selection of cakes on offer.

These people need to give up catering, no knowledge of gluten free food or any mention of allergies. Staff miserable and with a Don't want to be here' attitude. Poor menu.

Miserable, blunt, unhelpful staff, was going to eat here but they couldn't be bothered so we just had a cup of tea (weak!) Far too hot to stay seated so we left and went elsewhere. Needless to say we won't be going back.

Travelled up from Plymouth with a planned stop at the cafe for a cooked breakfast having seen it whilst previously visiting the nursery. Unfortunately, we arrived at 10.05 and was bluntly told by the young lady that we were too late for breakfast as it closed at 10.00. I asked if any hot items were available and was told No. However, whilst drinking our 4 coffees we noiticed the staff had their cooked breakfast delivered, so we drank up as they say and cleared off. Discussing the visit whilst continuing our journey we rated the welcome as 0/10. Politeness 0/10 Availability 0/10 Will we buy anything in future from the Nursery to take home when retujrning from Southampton. No.