Dawyck Cafe in Scottish Borders

the cheese scones are out of this world never ever tasted anything as good as these!! Coronation chicken with sour dough bread is the best I have ever tasted absolutely divine!! ! well done chef!! see you next week! 👏👏👏👏

Delighted to know that Maureen in the Dawyck cafe is trying out some baking recipes for diabetics or people on a low sugar diet. This is the first time l’ve come across any cafe who is willing to cater for diabetics. Usually, it’s just lifestyle choices (vegan/vegetarian) but diabetes is a medical problem, and I’m so pleased my husband can enjoy low/sugar free alternative with his cuppa. Well done Maureen at the Dawyck.

Had a cup of coffee and a scone. Both were excellent. It is difficult to find a really nice scone but this was the best. My other half had an empire biscuit which he enjoyed. Staff were friendly.

Following a visit to the gardens we popped in for a light lunch to the café which is privately operated. The setting is pleasant with large glass windows overlooking the grounds. There is always a varied selection of light snacks, including some specials written on the chalk board by the counter. Order and pay at the counter and any hot food is then delivered when prepared. This time around we chose a Brie & Ham Croissant and the Ham & Cheese Quiche with salad and a couple of coffees - flat white and Americano. The café was busy and there were few free tables. It appeared that quite a few customers were unaware that clearing their table and returning the tray of dishes to the counter area after finishing was beneficial, and staff hadn’t got around to doing so at a busy time. We saw one customer clearing a table for himself and his wife whilst she ordered. We got lucky and spotted a free table just as we ordered ourselves. We didn’t wait long before the snacks were served. The croissant was warm and the brie melted however I felt the salad was a bit lacking on this occasion. A few lettuce leaves and a spoonful of coleslaw. My wife’s choice was more generous in that regard with a few elements to the salad which accompanied her warm quiche. It may be that I misread the description - the croissant was £2 less in cost but who knows. They both tasted good in any case, as was the coffee. Next time I’ll clarify re the salad as it is usually worth having at this venue. Nice café in pleasant surroundings with friendly staff - and discount for members of RBGE. Out bill was just under £23.

After walking about, we were hungry and thought, well it won't be anything much but let's get a sandwich. So we cued up and it took a minute but ordered two of the special - croissant with ham and cheese and a bit of cranberry. We found seats and it took a minute but they were brought to the table and the fun began. The croissant were hot. And crispy. And the best croissant we have had outside of Paris. No, really. The ham was warm and lovely, the cheese melted and the cranberry just the right little kick that brought it all together. It was silly, smart, stupidly good and we're still talking about it! What a lovely happy surprise. Thank you Dawyck Cafe!

After spending over 2 hours walking around the wonderful Dawyck Botanic Garden we were in need of refreshment so we went to the cafe. We had enjoyed a substantial breakfast at the hotel we were staying in but were in need of a coffee and something light to eat. I had a ham, grated cheese and salad roll while my wife had the stewed fruit crumble and custard. She said that it was the best crumble she had eaten in a very long time. Once finished and refreshed we went back out for another spin round the gardens.

Fantastic cafe. The staff were so friendly and helpful. A beautiful cafe interior and the food was delicious. We had the soup and sandwich option. Lovely fresh sandwiches and the soups were home made and so tasty. Would highly recommend.

We had a Lovely afternoon tea today at Dawyck. The food was presented on a pretty cake stand, we drank the tea from vintage tea cups We certainly felt like we were having a treat - which it was. We left very full and happy.

With Covid-19 restrictions curtailing our movements and the opening of the café having been reduced to pre-booking and/or takeaways only at times in the past year or more we had missed that it had “changed hands” and a new team now operate on the premises. The building itself is unchanged of course and provides a relaxing setting with a view overlooking the grounds from the comfort of indoors or outside dependent upon the weather. Covid-19 requirements apply as regards facemasks unless seated, hand sanitiser is available and the tables are generally well spaced. Payment is by card only nowadays. There was usually a decent selection of light meals available in addition to snacks and cakes and that seems to be the case now. The menu appears to be much the same as before, likewise the specials board. On our most recent visit we had Ham & Cheese Quiche which was served warm with mixed salad. The latter is very good with fresh greens and was accompanied with two styles of coleslaw both of which were delicious (despite coleslaw being something which I generally dislike). Probably helped by the creamy style and with red grapes and walnut featuring in one. We also enjoyed a slice of their moist, fruit tart and a plain scone with a large cup of coffee. Total cost allowing for RBGE discount was just under £27 which we thought a fair price for the quality food and surroundings. My only negative comment would relate to the large dresser having been moved in front of one of the large windows overlooking the grounds whereas previously this did not block the view.

visited for coffee and cake on way to Stobo. a lovely young woman was working in the cafe who was very friendly - much better than my last visit when an incredibly unfriendly and offhand older member of staff was working.

Recently visited with a group of friends. The cafe has a good choice of light lunches and all appeared to be made to order. There is plenty of seating both inside and out. The staff are helpful and friendly.

I didn't want to put a negative review on Trust Pilot so I thought I would let you know how disappointed I was with the roasted veg tart that I had yesterday but Trust Pilot wouldn't let me do that despite me filling in the section. The pastry was fine but the veg was soggy but tough and quite unchewable. Even the courgette was impossible to chew so I gave up after the first 2 pieces and just ate the pastry. The cafe was busy plus the meal was a treat from a friend so I didn't let you know at the time. I've eaten several times at the cafe and no problems in the past.

The afternoon tea can be ordered in advance from the cafe to enjoy from home. It was delicious and very good value. Great selection of sandwiches with quiche and sausage rolls plus cakes, traybakes and tablet. Everything is homemade and tastes amazing. It was the perfect treat during lockdown.

Great food, great service in difficult times. Both takeaways and sit in food options offer very tasty choices. Afternoon teas are especially good value and a great gift for a Christmas present .

This is without doubt one of the best afternoon teas I have had. Even although it was takeaway it was presented lovely and can’t wait to order another!

Unpleasant staff. Served in a tray as opposed to cake stand like advertised. Tea not included in the £13.50 price this was an extra. Cream melted. Jelly was a drink and not set. Crisps were soft. Not worth the money. Won’t be back

Lots of good fresh foods and home made meals. Delightful staff. A simple but pleasant menu offering something for everyone with lots of veggie and vegan choices. Yummy baked goodies, most enjoyable cheese scones. Good coffee but my only disappointment was the badly scalded milk in my cappuccino. Sadly an all too common fault. Really great building with floor to ceiling glass walls in the heart of those fabulous trees. Good value.

First visit to The Dawyck Cafe Under new management, great menu, great food, very friendly approachable and helpful staff, totally recommend this cafe to anybody whether visiting the botanic gardens or just in the area needing refreshments, it’s a total gem.

Called in here for lunch after driving past on a wet and miserable day. The young waitress looked completely disinterested and bored. Took forever to take our order. Coffee arrived and it was hot and surprisingly good! But that’s where the praise ends I’m afraid.

Quite a small cafe I thought for the likely footfall but in a nice modern building with a pleasant view out to the gardens - some outside seating as well.My partner thought her scone was the best she had during our week in the Borders, Nice coffee. Good toilets.

Visited today. Gardens in good condition despite lack of warm sunshine. Really excellent lunch of a hearty chickpea, lentil & spinach curry. Doubly delicious spicy chorizo & chickpea stew.

I visited the Botanic Gardens with friends and we had coffee before we looked round. The flat white was a decent size and the coffee nice and strong (they ask if you want 1 or 2 shots). I had a lemon & ginger scone which was delicious.After looking round the gardens, we returned to the café for lunch. Unfortunately (at 1pm) one of the soups had run out, as had the mackerel pate. I had Greek salad which was lovely - plenty of feta and olives, and a nice dressing.

Popped in for a bite to eat when visiting the gardens and found the food very nice and fresh. We both had salad mine's ham and my partner a ploughmans which were both fresh and tasty.

Another visit to the glorious Dawyck gardens & 2 visits to the lovely tearoom. Coffee in the morning & later, delicious homemade soup with warm crusty bread. Staff are very welcoming & friendly. The perfect place to enjoy a visit to Dawyck

We used the cafe both before and after our visit to Dawyck gardens and both the food and staff could not be faulted. Whilst it is a "captive" audience the cafe has the highest of standards and could not be faulted.

Had a very nice GF quiche with salad here. Lovely place with a lot more to see in the gardens on a different day. Specials board specially for people with allergies. Great !

The cafe is a wonderful contemporary venue overlooking the trees & is a perfect end to a walk through the beautiful gardens. The food choice is wonderful, all home-made & delicious with lots of healthy choices.

Wonderful lunch before we toured the grounds. The employees were so nice! They even had my favorite - millionaire bars!

Being in the Spa all day enjoying 3-course meals you are not really hungry, but once in a while you can enjoy a (sweet) snack here where a big variety of drinks, hot or cold, are served here or brought to you in the conservatory. Very good quality, very tasty, brought by friendly, efficient personnel.

Homemade soup and sandwiches made to order. Friendly service. Lovely views of the gardens from the cafe and comfortable seating.

Set within the Botanical Gardens, the cafe at Dawyck is a great place to have lunch or morning coffee or afternoon tea. The food is freshly made and cooked and reasonably priced. The staff are friendly and the manageress, Gaynor, is a lovely lady who has a great manner with customers. This is a firm favourite of mine in lovely surroundings.

We're fairly regular visitors to the gardens and no trip is complete without having a bite to eat at the cafe on our return from a walk (and a look around the gift shop).

Wonderful little cafe with good choice of food and some lovely scones, the staff are very friendly and helpful also.

Lovely lunch of Quiche( Halloumi Feta and red pepper) with potatoe salad coleslaw and salad follwed by sticky toffee pudding and apple pie both with ice cream . Nice view over the gardens .

Although been to the gardens before I'd never had lunch here. However it was noon & pouring with rain . Great lunch .warm homemade quiche & salad. Good coffee & a reasonable choice of cakes suitable for different food tolerance. Also what a garden to burn off the food

The smell of freshly cooked bacon rolls tempted us in after walking around the gardens. Cafe has a lovely setting at the edge of the botanic gardens, with a large glass wall to watch the birds. There is a nice selection of food with some of the flavored scones particularly appealing. The staff were all helpful and friendly.

Worth a visit when you have walked around the gardens. Staff helpful and efficient. Nice venue but slightly expensive.

Vino a ver el jardín botánico, pero parado por un café en el café de primera. Estoy acostumbrado a encontrar cafés asociados en estos lugares un poco grave pero qué café sorprendentemente bien. Tenía un sabor muy bien sutil y un bollo de jengibre con...

Situado dentro de los Jardines Botánicos, Dawyck cafe ofrece buena comida, con un menú limitado a precios razonables. Disfrutamos mucho de la comida y el té de la tarde, encontrar el buen servicio en ambas ocasiones. Puede estar muy concurrido a la hora del almuerzo.

Este es un café mal diseñado con poco espacio en frente o detrás del área de servicio de pedidos/. No fue excesivamente lleno cuando fuimos pero las colas eran ridículas. La gente era llenar hasta esperando su café, impidiendo la comercialización de los clientes al lado incluso sus órdenes. De igual forma las camareras haciendo la tés y cafés eran estrechas con quienes iba a tomar las órdenes de al lado. Las cocinas no son visibles desde el frente de la casa, pero sospecho que el caos reinante similar. Después de eventualmente tener nuestro café nos tomó un asiento sólo para esperar más de 20 minutos para dos rollos de tocino, momento en el que nuestro café era largo ya borrachos. El café era dos tercios de espuma y los rollos de tocino fueron excesivamente seco, con una miserable cantidad de nítida, bacon cocidas. Nos sentimos exageradamente cobraron por la penosa calidad de la comida y el servicio. Sin embargo, los jardines son magníficos y bien merece una visita. La próxima vez - un picnic está en orden.

La cafetería tiene un ambiente agradable. El personal es servicial. Hay mesas al aire libre. El menú es limitado, pero principalmente a los productores locales. Era muy sabrosa. Busque Sillas Tim stead, son muy interesante y bonito.

We had lunch here before visiting the garden and really enjoyed our sandwiches. Prices were reasonable. The food was freshly made to order. And the view was great!We will return.

We dropped in for lunch recently as we do reasonably often after a wander around the garden.Service was a bit slow as a new member of staff tried to cope with the lunchtime rush but fortunately most people in this location are not in a hurry and were understanding.We had a cheese toastie for our granddaughter, a mozerella & pesto ciabatta and a goats cheese & olive quiche with salad. Add to that four coffees (two each), an apple juice, a scone, a chocolate chip cookie and a piece of carrot cake with walnuts and our bill was just over £30 so not bad value (we get a member 10% discount). All the food was fresh and very tasty so we were perfectly satisfied. It’s a very pleasant setting and has a relaxed atmosphere despite being busy usually - easy to recommend.

Decided to try somewhere different for a spot of lunch. On arrival was busy enough but not mobbed,took our place in the que but very slow service and had to ask for our table to be cleaned. One person serving but there doesn't seem much room behind counter for more staff, was 12.30 on a Saturday and all ready sold out of baked potatoes. I wouldn't say there is a lot of choice on menu. However we ordered 1 sandwich and scone with other diner opting for soup and half sandwich. On arrival food looked ok can't really go wrong with a soup n sandwich. However even though the half sandwich that was served with soup was asked to be on white bread ,it was served with 50/50 bread. So why ask if you want brown or white if no white is available. This had to be returned although soup was tasty , scone was very crumbly so couldn't spread with anything due to this but probably as it was gluten free, which i ordered because i liked the sound of Apple & Cinnamon flavour. Toilets were ok tidy and clean enough. Overall a bit overpriced and menu could be a bit more exciting. Gift shop has few nice gifts but quite pricey like most of these places. Didn't visit the gardens due to weather on this occasion.

We enjoyed lunch and coffee here. Such a lovely setting - we sat next to the window and could look out at the trees and animals. Nice quiche too! A great place for lunch.

arrived with family paid to enter two adults two kids, no sooner paid when the heavens opened , a mini monsoon no choice but to stay in cafe watching all the poor soles caught in the rain herding into the cafe,, ordered food over priced and limited choice, disappointed that we had to abort the visit to the gardens rain stopped play,,, farther disappointment when no refund or offer from the garden management for a second visit with reduced price or free tour,,...

Went for lunch on a drab February day with granny and two kids. Everyone enjoyed their meals. Plenty of options for veggies, gluten free, dairy free etc. Most things seemed to be homemade on site, nice and fresh and reasonably priced. We had soup (there were 2 kinds offered) with probably the best cheese scone I have ever tasted! Kids had sandwiches and toasties, salad garnish on the side was very fresh. Plenty of cakes available although we didn't sample them. Fresh coffees and quiche of the day. The cafe is lovely and airy with some nice design touches. Friendly staff and everything spotless. The gardens are fantastic too - at this time of year blanketted in snowdrops!

Scones wonderful.Really enjoyed cheese and chive scone.Soup was excellent.Lovely view.watching birds and trees.

This is a family run cafe with a delightful setting, good food, excellent coffee, friendly service and all at almost ridiculouisly low prices.

Lovely cafe in the grounds of the Botanical Gardens. Proud of its green credentials and providing vegetarian and gluten free meals and snacks, along with standard food. Highly recommend the cheese and chive scones. The coffee's pretty good too and the views are spectacular.

mid afternoon, no cakees left- shame as I am sure many people after us would have liked somestaff not over friendly

On a two week cottage stay at nearby Tweedsmuir we stopped in for tea and cake a couple of times. It is a lovely setting, and we have walked around the large site a couple of times in previous visits. The Wifi has been installed since last years visit.

Lovely pea soup and a variety of scones, all very good though perhaps a little on the small side and slightly expensive for self service cafe.

I would recommend this cafe to any visitor. We had lunch there and the food was excellent. The ambience was good and staff very helpful and friendly.

Cycled to café on bikes from Stobo Castle for a coffee and cake. The coffee and home baking were good. The weather was good so were able to sit outside on the patio area.

A good facility at the gardens with a limited but interesting menu. Meals were good but the accompanying salads were not worth the bother - no imagination with limp lettuce and no dressing. However, the scones were brilliant. The staff were pleasant but there needs to be some reorganisation as there was only one person taking he orders, making the drinks and taking the money with the result that there was a large queue even although it was not busy.

Nice lunch very helpful staff very friendly and couldn't do enough for you. Good selection for food intolerances highly recommend

After walking around the woods we were glad to get inside away from the flies and midges. Nice cafe reasonably priced and free Wi-Fi.

I can't have been at the same place that got such high scores as i have seen. Don't offer me a salad side with a toasty if it is literally a yellow bit of lettuce and a baby tomato. A cheese toasty is a dead cert with the kids usually but the cheese was so bland that they rejected it. Forsyths bread? I think not. Tesco?? The gardens were great and i had high hopes after visiting Kalzie just up the road. There the food is much better. Please reply to me and convince me that the chef was ill and the cleaner had stepped in. Then I at least would give you a second chance. I hate writing about bad places, I would like to be able to write a retraction but only if deserved.

Nothing to write home about but it is fine. Lovely and clean and nice surroundings.. Bit overpriced for what you get.

We have been here a few times now and the food is really good. I normally get the cheese and ham toastie which is delicious. The coffee and scones are good too and the service is excellent. My only criticism is that it can be a little pricey.

Stopped here on Sunday for lunch on route. It was delicious home made food. Even better still was the selection of gluten free meals and baking. I have never seen such a wide selection before. My daughter has coeliac disease and she loved the roasted veg quiche she had and the lovely apple and cinnamon scone she had. The rest of us thoroughly enjoyed our food too.

very enjoyable healthy food in a fabulous setting. all healthy home made with good choice of hot and cold savoury food, lovely puddings and wonderful home baking.

First visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Dawyck, to see the snowdrops. For the uneducated and the Sassenachs, Dawyck is to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh what Wakehurst Place is to the Royal Botanic gardens at Kew. Though who had the idea of creating a Botanical Garden in a frost-hollow on a mountainside beats me.. Anyway, the café is worth a visit in its own right, with freshly cooked food, cakes and snacks giving wonderful views over the arboretum. Good tea, too, from filtered water I thought. I'm not sure they've got a licence, though, so bring a hip-flask...

Always enjoy a visit here to the gardens, but often go just to have lunch or coffee and one of their wonderful scones or traybakes

We've eaten here many times before. However this time wasn't nearly as good as previous visits. I'm coeliac so have to eat gluten-free food. I ordered quiche, as did my companion. I got a measly piece of quiche for £8, whereas an ordinary portion of non-gf quiche was at least twice the size. Neither of us felt happy about this discrimination. It's not been like this before. On this visit it was so cold in the cafe. The main doors to the building were wide open, as were the doors to the arboretum. We noted most people ate with their outdoor jackets on, as we did. For the second week in October this wasn't ideal. We didn't stay for coffe and pudding as planned. I realise the cafe owners may not have control over these doors, but surely it's to the benefit of the RBGE, and the cafe franchisee to ensure that customers of the cafe comfortable whilst eating and drinking in the cafe.

Fabulous views, and good food. Lovely walk, and plants for sale. well worth a visit. You can visit Stobo Castle and Peebles all beside this lovely Scottish Border location.

Two of us enjoyed excellent hot ciabatta and garnish for lunch on a quiet (dull weather) day at the Gardens, accompanied by two tasty but small milk shakes with ice cream for £20. One unusual feature - the prices on the menu used at the till did not always match the prices on the menu on the tables!

My family had a light lunch on Easter Monday. Disaster. The woman taking orders was harassed, plenty people milling in background, and took ages to write order down, everything was done with a huff and a puff. When we asked if we could have our coffee with meal she sighed loudly and said "I hope they remember". Why would we want our coffees with soup when we had ordered cakes also. £2.20 for a small tray bake and £8 !!! for the smallest lamb pie I have ever seen. Best value was half soup and half sandwich. When waitress brought coffee there was more on saucer than in cup. Have they never heard of a tray ??? Staff could be more pleasant, after all we were the paying customer. A real disappointment

My wife & I recently popped in for some lunch after a walk near Peebles and enjoyed our snack as usual before having a wander in the gardens. It's not a huge menu but what they do, they do well.

What a lovely wee tea room this is with home baking and freshly made rolls the menu isn't big but you shouldn't expect that here as it is a small place while your sitting you have an outstanding view of the outside even in the rain its lovely the gardens are well sign posted with adequate information given the staff are also knowledgeable and very helpful there is a little shop which does sell quite different items compared to the usual shop I often get my cards here as they are so different

The modern café forms part of the Visitor Centre at Dawyck Gardens, operating as a franchise of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. It’s run by Penny Bun Baking who have done so since the new Centre opened and possibly even before then when you could have a cuppa in “the conservatory” or was it a glasshouse? It has a bright interior with floor to ceiling windows looking out over the garden, plenty of wooden tables and chairs as you could expect for the setting and weather permitting, there are some for sitting outside too (although these are a mix of the metal variety and wooden picnic benches).It serves light snacks and baking along with teas, coffees and other non-alcoholic drinks. There is great emphasis placed on local produce and they try to cater for those who have food allergies.It’s a popular place not only with visitors to the gardens but also with those just out for a trip in the countryside and especially so with the many cyclists who seem to enjoy a break there. Consequently queues can form and my advice is to order what you plan to have at the outset to save getting back into the queue if there at peak times.On my recent visit I had a smoked salmon & cream cheese bagel garnished with some salad (a nice mix of apple and raisins amongst this), followed by sticky toffee pudding served with butterscotch sauce and ice cream. Add to this a coffee and my bill, following a small discount for RBGE members, was £12.06. Not bad for a very tasty lunch. I’m happy to comment (with a nod to a previous reviewer) that in my experience the staff have always been a very pleasant, mannerly group of individuals, devoid of baseball caps and insincere wishes to “have a nice day”. All of them have English as a first language which is almost a rarity in the service industries these days and on the basis they provide delicious food in a very nice setting I have no reservations in recommending this café to everyone.

My wife and I stopped here for lunch in July 2014We were met by a really lovely lady who sold us our ticket for the gardens and explained everything to us in detail. This was in complete contrast to the tall lady with grey hair and expressionless face who took our order for lunch. It would appear that her ability to say please and thank you had been removed!We had a really nice lunch. I had roll mop herring salad with bread followed by a cup of great coffee.There was a man with long unkempt hair who kept walking about and going in and out of the kitchen. He had no uniform on and it was just a little disconcerting.Anyway, all in all it was a really nice lunch. My advice to the owners would be to invest in some staff training in courtesy, tidy up the wandering man and perhaps give him a uniform or name badge.

Would recommend this café for its quality light meals, friendly staff and attractive surroundings in the countryside.

Very nice modern building, very clean. The food is good and is served quickly once you have placed your order but if it's busy it can take a while to stand in the queue waiting to be served.The staff were friendly & helpful

This is a lovely café sited at the entrance of the botanic garden. It's got a delightful feel to it. The interior is furnished with solid hard-carved tables and chairs, and there is an outdoor seating area with a view of the gardens themselves. There are also child-sized picnic tables which my daughter loved. I ordered a red pepper, chickpea and spinach soup. It was quite literally the best soup I have ever tasted! So thick and so tasty.

We stopped off for coffee before visiting the gardens and were so impressed, that we came back for lunch. Everything looks good. Sticky toffee pudding has never been better. The salads were especially fresh and tasty with delicious coleslaw. Prices are very reasonable considering the high quality of the food on offer.Gluten free options on the menu. There is a large window, with tables adjacent to the glass, allowing for a view of the Dawyck garden, The cafe is separate from the garden, so it is possible to visit the restaurant without having to pay an entrance fee for the garden. The gardens are excellent too!

Penny Bun Baking, the cafe/eatery at Dawyck Botanic Garden is just superb. A great choice, yes even if you are coeliac, have other food allergies. A good choice. Seating is with a vista of the gardens/arboretum. Go for just the food or go to work up and appetite in the grounds before eating, or after you've eaten walk it off! The eatery is entered through the tempting shop. Seating is comfy, some on beautifully crafted wooden chairs. On a sunny day there's the outside terrace seating.Anything from coffees or light meals to larger meals. Home cooking is superb. Do try the sticky toffee pudding (yes, even for a coeliac. What a huge treat!)Highly recommended!

This is an excellent cafe at the beautiful Dawyck Botanic Gardens, and it's possible to visit the cafe without going into the gardens. The cafe is run by some local ladies, whose home cooking and baking is first class. There is an interesting menu with freshly made soups and light lunches. Cakes and desserts are also fresh and delicious. There are always new and seasonal items on offer, and service is friendly and efficient, even when the cafe is very busy. Gluten free and nut and dairy free products are usually available and there is a strong emphasis on local ingredients. The cafe is located in the spacious modern visitor centre and has a beautiful view onto the gardens.