Colonial Restaurant in West Dorset

Had a lovely mug of tea and a delicious homemade Belgian white chocolate and marshmallow tiffin. The setting is very colonial ( is that word allowed). The staff seem tired.

This was the only place open in the vacinity but it is an interersting place and serves good coffee with a range of cakes. Sitting on the veranda is a lovely experience. Bit on the pricey side.

VERY expensive sandwiches and drinks. £4.65 for sandwich and £3 for bottle of liptons ice tea (£1.20 in Spar). Constant noise from wedding party music. Not an enjoyable visit.

Very expensive basic food offering. £4.75 for a pre packed sandwich! However the sandwich, pasty and carrot cake were very tasty, just the price that kept a bad taste in the mouth! I know they have a captive audience - but come on, don't take the p!

Very overpriced food and drinks couldn’t believe how much a tiny slice of cake was felt awful telling my grandkids they couldn’t have any and they had overpriced ice cream instead loved the garden but wish I had took food with me.

Had a lunch here of a bbq sauce pulled pork bap. Very expensive and not only just heated but tasted horrible and we both felt bad after eating it. Now served on paper plates paper cups and plastic knives forks all really cheap and nasty. Told they we doing thus due to lack of staff. Not sure we would return !!

After a very enjoyable walk around the gardens, we decided to call into the restaurant for some lunch. We joined a huge queue that moved incredibly slowly, due to one person on the till controlling everything, with an assistant dispensing hot drinks. It took over 25 minutes to reach the till, where we paid nearly £20 for two pre-packed sandwiches and 2 cold drinks. Would not recommend this place. Save your money and bring your own picnic.

Abbotsbury is big place so it's useful that this is here so that you can take a break and it does a pretty good cup of coffee too.

Nice food not great selection but lots if cakes. BUT astronomical prices for what it is …. £4.75 for a cheese sandwich is in my opinion a little high. Mostly pleasant staff, barr one young girl who wasn’t wearing a mask and looked very sullen not once smiled. Such a shame as could be a great eatery,!!!

This has always been a bit pricey but, as. gluten free person, though health necessity, not choice, I was upset to find today that jacket potatoes have been removed from the menu and seemingly replaced by vegan meals. If jacket potatoes are on the menu, there is always a GF option. I shall not be lunching here again if they don’t return. I do not like vegan food. Such a pity and we are members, too.

To us it seems that the Colonial Restaurant has been resting on its laurels, and forgotten to have a regular spruce-up. Service was slow as there was only one lady serving when we were there. We planned to have lunch here but, after looking at the choice and prices we just had a coffee which was OK. Would we go back - Yes, but I do hope things improve.

If you're enjoying the sub-tropical gardens then this is a nice place to enjoy a drink & a spot of lunch. Food was really tasty,fresh but as you can imagine not the cheapest. Recommended on taste alone.

Love the design of the restaurant, so in keeping with the garden. I just had a sandwich and coffee but it was lovely and fresh with plenty of filling and a very good latte. Prices seem a little high but I’m noticing that at a lot of such places this year. There’s a choice of indoor seating, a patio area and the verandas where I chose to sit.

This is the restaurant with in the complex at the tropical garden the food and service was first class maybe a little bit more expensive for a lunch time meal but worth it

We had lunch here and the menu had a decent choice of salads, light lunches and snacks and they all looked to be good quality. The lunch we had was well presented and very tasty but definitely priced for a captive audience. Service was decent but if I'd certainly think twice before having anything more substantial than a coffee here next time.

A very pleasant spot to end or start your visit to the gardens. You can get a view of the gardens from the seats on the verandah too.The tea was delicious.

The title says it all. I've never paid over £8 for a jacket potato before! They have a captive market and they know it!

We enjoyed afternoon tea here and it's free to get to the restaurant. The food is averagely priced but the setting is lovely and the cakes are great, enjoy afternoon tea sat out on the veranda.

All I had was a coffee, which was average as coffees go and sort of the price I expected it to be. I didn't eat so I can't comment on the quality of the food.But I can comment on the cost of the food... the lady in front of me in the queue to pay was buying three rolls, a soft drink and a plate of fish and chips - total five items - for lunch, at a cost of over £50 !! She looked obviously miffed when she presented a discount card which didn't work first time the code was entered into the till - till operator error - and who can blame her? Really, fifty quid for four lunches??

I visited the tea rooms with my brother and we just missed the deadline for anything hot as we got there at 2.30. They had just cake or tea cakes and no soup. We sat by the door so we could look at the gardens but there was a very cold draught so we moved tables. I have been here before and had the roast dinner which was good to average. I do think they should offer some kind of soup or savoury choices after 2.30pm as it's going to be a popular place for the older visitor due to the short walk from the car park , even if you don't fancy the gardens. Maybe a scrambled egg or all day breakfast option. Quiche? That would be my suggestion. I very much liked the interesting historical wall mural although being so high up precludes it being read very often? The toilets weren't as good as at my last visit either.

Situated both "in and out of the gardens" this is a clean, well run establishment. Fortunately we only called in for a cup of tea in passing as the lunch service was over - though we did see the last meal go out and it looked very appetising. It is, however, very expensive. Pleasant views from the large picture windows and also a verandah round the building with tables for dining al fresco.

I was surprised that the lunch time menu didn’t have more choices especially as there were a lot of people arriving for lunch. I thought £14.50 for fish & Chips to have been overpriced and outside my costs for a day time meal. We settled for bean soup which came with bread & butter and tasted very nice at A cost of £5.95 and even a lot of tea for one was £2.50.

Stopped for a tasty snack before entering the gardens and again for an ice cream after we had finished. We sat on the veranda and it was lovely.

Had lunch in the Colonial Restaurant located within the gardens which was very nice. Plenty of choice of both hot and cold meals and snacks. Had a great tuna sandwich - fresh and nicely prepared packed and available to take from the fridge - there was plenty of choice. There is a good choice of drinks, chilled in the fridges. Hubby had a salad which was ordered at the till and arrived quickly and there was plenty of it.

Very slow service, uncleared tables and rather dry cake. A shame because its in a nice position and would be good to visit after a trip to the gardens.

Lovely homecooked approach too cooking. The meals are generous sizes (I had to leave some on the plate) for both children and adults. I would feel that the main meals are very reasonably priced, the cakes however, are quite expensive and really although they looked very tasty we gave them a miss.

My first roast of the holiday and I must say I was very disappointed. It's on the list of the worst I've had. It was a Pork roast. Very small indeed, I would say Childs portion. 2 slices of Pork, 2 potatoes 1 broccoli and 6 2p size carrots @ £11.50. Very poor

Nuestra segunda visita a este restaurante, y la comida era tan buena como la última vez (hace 2 años) mientras visita los jardines. Teníamos huevos benedict, pollo, mayonesa bocadillo abierto y el pollo y patatas fritas mi hija tenía describió como el mejor de todos. Recomendar

Tuve una buena comida aquí de queso y tocino, pero en Mac para tener claro mi propia mesa - personal parecía escaso: dejé a mi tarta! Sin embargo este fue rápidamente reemplazado por el cajero atento en el hasta. . La comida tardó un poco en venir y el lugar no estaba lleno pero estaba bien cuando llegó y ninguna prisa. Las vistas y sonidos de la terraza de pájaros tropicales me hizo sentir que estaba en el extranjero, hasta había una ducha breve. No vendría aquí sólo para el restaurante, pero está bien si vas a comer en los jardines. Los titulares de los billetes también tienen un 20% de descuento

Vinimos aquí para el almuerzo, habiendo cancelado nuestra visita al jardín a causa de la lluvia pesada. Si la clasificación es sólo por la comida, yo le daría un 3 de 5. Pero contar el servicio también.

Este es un gran café construido en el estilo colonial, con varias terrazas con mesas y sillas, así como una importante zona de patio con más mesas, sillas y sombrillas. La comida es de una calidad muy buena y el ambiente es perfecto para relajarse con amigos o familia antes o después de que hemos disfrutado de un agradable paseo en el jardines sub-tropicales. Se puede visitar el café sin pagar entrada al jardines sub-tropicales si simplemente quieres un sitio donde tomar un aperitivo o una bebida.

Después fuimos andando desde el Swannery a los jardines tropicales, decidimos tomar el almuerzo de domingo en el restaurante colonial. Decidimos sentarnos afuera ya que era un día hermoso, y comimos una deliciosa cena de carne. La carne estaba sabrosa y abundante, acompañado con patatas asadas, zanahorias brócoli y la salsa. El personal era muy atento y nada era demasiado problema.

Food very tasteless and quantity not quality. Expensive for disappointing food. Staff very friendly though.

Paramos para una merienda el domingo pasado. Puedo decir honestamente que fue probablemente el peor té helado que he tenido. La crema fue congelada y el bollo era tan rancio era imposible difundir la crema y mermelada sin el bollo de desintegración. El personal era desinteresado. Extremadamente mala relación a £5. 75. No volveré.

Me habían dicho que este restaurante era buena, así que decidimos llevar a mi madre, una decisión que ahora lamentamos. La ubicación y los alrededores son preciosos, pero por desgracia, pero este no se correspondía con el servicio al cliente o la comida. Mi madre está en su noventa y tiene un pequeño apetito así que se enfrentan con una gran comida o una exigente panini con un montón de extras no era interesante. Me preguntó si sería posible hacer un rollo de jamón o algo sencillo y no nos dieron un brusco no sándwiches. Agradezco que a veces lleno durante el almuerzo puede ser un problema, pero éste fue a media tarde y el restaurante tranquilo. Todos los ingredientes estaban disponibles por separado, así que habría sido posible. Quizás si hubiera habido algún tipo de disculpa o explicación no habría sido tan malo, pero no la había. Al final mi madre tenía un bollo y yo tuvimos una tarta. Ambos estaban secas y no la pena el alto precio cobrado. Para ser justos cuando me quejé me ofrecieron una alternativa pero que también estaba seco tan abandonado. Quizás las comidas que venden son increíbles, pero no volvería a este restaurante de nuevo para tomar un tentempié o del té de la tarde.

Friendly staff, great cooking and excellent value. We went for Christmas lunch and had the graden also thrown in for free. Th meal was truly excellent and memorable. The wine was also very reasonably priced.

I went with a prebooked group of 10 others. On arrival, the group's table was laid out with festive decorations and crackers. The staff were very attentive and happy to wait for the group to arrive in dribs and drabs. We only had two courses each but between us sampled most of the set menu. The food was well presented and further needs such as extra butter and gravy were promptly attended to. Every one seemed to enjoy their meal and the atmosphere was very relaxing. The lunch booking included free entry into the gardens and several of the group enjoyed a brief stroll after lunch looking at the many flowers still in bloom.

disappointed to end up with an over dose on carbs...crisps and panini .... please please take a leaf out of other eateries who serve up sarnies without crisps (hi cal) and who add lovely leaf and creative salads - there was a bit of lettuce and tom dumped beside pannini but not particularly appetising - and others in group settled for an omelette - heh come on when one goes out one would like to find something they cant easily knock up at home. And it didnt help that staff were not friendly and welcoming - sorry for this but not an enjoyable lunch and i usually find places that do offer such things! come on colonial get your act together

pop in early afternoon, very little choice of cakes out, one piece of lemon drizzle and some fruit cakes and odd scone, on ordering a the piece of lemon and two apple cake, the piece was cut in half leaving two small pieces, considering the £3.65 cost this was overpriced, the apple cake was a lot larger, tea was ok but lot of flies buzzing our table, lack of choice of cake small portion and flies meant we wont be coming back and will find another local cafe

Had visited primarily to look around the Tropical Gardens which, I have to say, are spectacular and well worth the price of admission. By contrast the Colonial restaurant on the same site is free to enter but I'm not sure I will be returning any time soon. We were initially impressed by the busy retaurant with a lot of people eating what seemed generously sized portions of hot and cold food, cakes and sandwiches, A nice area outside suited us and our dog on what was a pleasantly warm day in mid-September - it went downhill from there. The warm salad of grilled sardines (£9.70) contained the grand total of 2. The beef chilli and rice (£8) was a miniscule portion that would have left a child still hungry, on top of that there it was so bland and tasteless that I had to go and ask for some chilli sauce which was eventually dug out of the kitchen. After I had added it to my meal another customer came over and asked to use it bemoaning the absence of flavour in his own meal. Complaining to the manager resulted in two drinks and two slices of carrot cake being offered (and accepted) gratis. This is the only reason I have awarded two stars instead of one. This is a restaurant that can obviously produce a decent meal I think it just needs to raise its standards and control quality a bit more rigorously.

Located in the gardens this Restaurant, I would probably call it a café, is a good place to have a snack after your visit to these gardens.I had a steak baguette, enjoyed it, but not wow and my wife had the homemade shortcake, this was good.If I returned then I would go for the cakes and sweets,

This is a lovely place to come for afternoon tea even if you are not visiting the gardens.The prices are quite high, especially for cold drinks, but the tea, coffee and cakes are reasonably priced.However, it is the setting that makes this restaurant so special, whether you sit outside at the big wooden tables, on the terrace or inside. You are more than likely to be visited by a hungry robin looking for a few crumbs.The staff are polite and friendly.The toilets could do with some upgrading, but the restaurant itself is superb.

pleasant colonial café set in tropical gardens, good selection of plants & good views from headland( a good steep walk )

I have been going to this cafe for about 12 years in the hope it will change. This restaurant has the usual jackets, unimaginative fillings, basic basic food. They do soup and other mains like grilled fish but its so bland and tasteless. They claim to produce local food but...The cakes tasted industrial, really huge portions but no sense of being home made. Carrot cake was dry with a weirdly tasting icing. Avoid at all cost. I have tried the other cakes too and they were similarly dreadful. If a restaurant catering to so many as this one does and so many who want afternoon teas, cannot produce good home made cake then something is terribly wrong. I now never eat there. It also has a stale smell of cooking that drifts over the diners if you are unlucky enough to sit inside. It's only fit for a cup of tea. If they want to see how to do it they need to visit Hive restaurant just up the coast. Now there the food is very good, interesting and cakes delicious. It's about time they upped their game.

Enjoyed the feel of the restaurant, which reminded us of the tropics.Not a lot of choice, but enjoyed our meals.

It's an interesting building from the outside but there aren't enough tables and chairs inside, partly because the tables are big. We didn't have a meal, just coffee and cake. The fruit cake was already sliced and in plastic and tasted nondescript. The meal menu looked reasonably priced but I can't comment on its quality.

Very clean , good menu , and it looks like it's name , suiuated just outside the sub tropical garden enterance , pretty settings

How can you possibly justify charging £3.65 per slice? It was quite nice cake but not that nice. This promises to be a lovely place to have tea and cake but it is totally soulless and the staff leave a lot to be desired.

Although i commented on this restaurant in the Gardens review, I see it has its own site.Essentially a fair cheese scone was ruined simply because the butter could not be spread at 1030 hrs..the harder I tried the more it disintegrated!Nevertheless it was a VERY smart and quality restaurant, with specials as I recall TIP I would also remind folk that getting one of those Passport tickets is extremely good value because you get 20% off every time you have a repeat visit.Very good coffee..

Nice setting but the food is average. Don't believe the marketing! Don't get me wrong it's fine for the venue but they hype it up in the adverts so I felt disappointed

A nice terrace set in beautiful surroundings made the restaurant appealing at first glance; The interior was rather jaded and smelt unpleasant; The food was expensive. What crowned it for my friend and I was a heavily made-up waitress who was appallingly rude to my friend. She deliberately served other people and left her waiting, letting the others in front and when my friend asked for a product out of her reach, the waitress refused to give it to her, standing right behind the product and telling her to get it herself. All this happened in front of my friend's young son as well as the public which was most humiliating. Needless to say we will not be returning until this obnoxious person is removed from the staff. A shame as the other waitress we spoke to was very pleasant and chatty. In this day and age I'm sure there are no end of unemployed waiting staff who would give their eye-teeth to work in her place.

The setting is lovely but the biggest bug bear for me is the price for what you get. It is expensive to go in the gardens for a single visit, although membership is very good value, then they hit you with pricey food. Sometimes I have been pleasantly surprised and my husband and I have shared a huge slice of delicious gluten-free orange madeira cake, for example but generally it is not cheap to eat here, so bring sandwiches to eat in the gardens if you are on a budget with a family.The food is generally good and tasty but the place has the appearance of a canteen rather than a restaurant, so the fancy name is misleading. You wait in a queue with your tray as you might in M & S or Sainsbury's cafes. The meals are ordered at the till, and brought out to you but it is not what I would call a restaurant.

Popped in for a quick cup of tea around 2.30pm on Tuesday afternoon. It was fairly quiet (to be expected out of season) and service at the counter was prompt although not particularly friendly. We had tea and both had a slice of cake too. Both pieces of cake (one wrapped, one not)were a little on the dry side but not bad enough to complain or return them. Overall we felt it was a bit expensive for what we had - £11.

We regularly have afternoon tea here. Very good quality and, if the weather allows, a very pleasant outside space as well as a spacious and comfortable interior.

I have to say, this is where you get the best Sunday lunch. I've been there 3 times for lunch on a Sunday and it is consistently good. You must try it. The Hommity pie is excellent too. Lovely settings in the gardens. No need to pay for garden entry either.

Good solid choice of simple meals along with Gluten free cakes. Service can be very fast at quiet times. Dogs welcome on verandah

This restaurant is located in the excellent Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens. There is a good selection of snacks, meals & drinks. We had open crab sandwiches garnished with salad on the veranda. It was quite atmospheric as we had a view over the jungle-like gardens. Our cappuccino & latte were much better than average.

Brilliant afternoon tea which was well needed after lots of walking around gardens. Staff lovely and the scones were to die for.

Meals are a bit on the pricey side, especially as it is self-service, and cakes are very expensive for the sizes of portions. Snacks very quickly run out and are seldom available after lunch, the fridge for sandwiches being often empty, which, if you don't want cake or a full meal is a bit annoying. It is a nice place and is often used for business lunches, although this can be a bit annoying for other customers. My hubby and I often just have tea as we live only a fifteen minute drive away but if you are a visitor and don't want to pay the prices for food, bring your own picnic.

This restaurant is within the Sub-Tropical Garden. We sat outside, and where delighted to see a free roaming exotic bird pottering around nearby.The food was of good quality and value, and the restaurant design was in keeping with the garden theme.

The food in the restaurant was microwaved, rubbery and chewy. The food is not fresh and tasted horrible. It was a real disappointment! They gave us money back for child's sausage and chips because the sausage was microwaved so it was impossible to eat. However the rest of food was not much better

The gardens are well set out and unique. the cafe is Somerset Maugham! We liked everything about it. Jake the lady in the shop was very helpful. We were made to feel like family.

I visited the restaurant with some friends for a pre-Christmas lunch, which turned out to be average. The vegetables were nice & fresh & al dente - unusual for this kind of event. The turkey was no better or worse that any other turkey I have had (either home-cooked or in a restaurant) but was obviously pre-prepared. Everything was piled on to the plate, which was daunting for 2 of the party, as they would have preferred to have the veg on side dishes & they could have helped themselves as required. Gravy was already on the plate, with no extra in a sauce boat and the cranberry sauce was placed behind a Christmas arrangement and no one saw it until too late. The Christmas pudding looked glutinous, but was tasty, enough and custard was brought in its own jug. Although the coffee was made in a proper machine, it was anaemic - probably due to poor quality beans. Service was not the fastest, but did not matter as we were in no hurry, but the staff could do with some better training before being let loose on the general public. I got the impression that the concession had changed hands since last Christmas when we were given plates with turkey & trimmings only & we could help ourselves to veg etc. On this showing I doubt that I will be able to comment on a visit next year.