Dobbies Garden Centre in Liverpool

Love our regular trips here , always enjoy the selection of cakes/ coffee on offer. Staff in restaurant always friendly and helpful . Can’t fault. Great reward system as well . My only slight gripe was this weekend when I purchased an expensive trailing plant that I had seen week before looking very green and healthy . Clearly needed a good water as did all plants and looking bedraggled . I queried whether there was any option for discount giving it was £30 , and was met with a rather curt response which I felt was unnecessary and slightly patronising . It wont stop me purchasing their plants however as I do love the range / variety they offer .

been here quite a few times as other half has a Dobbie's card had jacker potato for lunch which was good but think place could do with a refit its starting to look a bit shabby

The place has really gone down hill, the restaurant is dirty and grubby with overpriced food and drinks. The toilets needed a good scrub and soap dispensers needing to be attached to the wall. Won't be going back.

Had a lovely Afternoon Tea in Dobbies, Speke, Liverpool. Surprisingly good and exceptional value for money. Sian who brought our lunch was very attentive, friendly and nothing was a bother

been here quite a few time the drinks are good but not necessary particularly hot well laid out garden centre prices are a bit on the high side

Lots of stock which is a shame but had a great drink and a bite to eat. Superb staff really nice and friendly. New butchery department run by Bexleys is excellent. Now even got some Sainsburys product - Very good. Covid VERY aware.

We were due to see santa on the 23rd. Couldn't wait. The kids were so excited. We had waited till 2 weeks before to tell them but it looked plain sailing. Nope. Cancelled. We already can't see family over Christmas so this was the saving grace and you cancelled it. I'm an avid gardener. I will never use Dobbies again. Knee jerk reaction and its hurt my children when they are already hurt enough. Disgusting. Luckily Greenhills managed to book us in and give them a fabulous morning but I know so many children who have gone without santa because of this ridiculous corporate decision.

My family of 7 adults and my 6 grandchildren were due to attend the breakfast with santa on Wednesday 23rd dec to be informed yesterday that they have cancelled from monday.I now have 6 devastated grand children who were looking forward to our annual family day.If anyone at dobbies can tell us why it has been cancelled I would appreciate it. I could understand if we had been put into a higher tier???

Good Covid procedures in place but dissapointed to find that the buy one get one free scones with Cream have gone,with little options on the choice of cakes available so effectivley double the cost

Well my 1st time breakfast with santa at dobbies speke and never again paid for breakfast thought it would be an adults breakfast not child size didnt even get asked what we wanted on the plate the 1 slice of bacon was undercooked and cold as was rest of breakfast no choice of eggs just scrambled which tasted like either dried egg or liquid egg but didnt taste like fresh scrambled egg 1 sausage half a tomatoe 1 hash brown 1 piece of very thick undercooked black pudding a small scoop of beans and 1 slice of toast dint know about anyone else but i like a fried egg with traditional full english not scrambled egg there wasnt enough cutlery on table for us all no salt or pepper sachets or sauce sachets no sugar for teas and coffees good job we had our own sweetners my partner ordered a 3 item breakfast roll thinking he would be given a choice of items but no he was brought a 3 slice bacon roll which as i said bacon was undercooked and cold so he left bacon and i gave him the 1 sausage i had so he paid £6.99 for 1 sausage and a barm with no butter on i may add and i ate the 1 slice of toast a hash brown and about a table spoon of beans for £6.99 santa looked totally out of his comfort zone as he walked round talking to kids and when the time came to play games could not hear a word the elf was saying for the kids to join in it was as if she was just playing with the kids on the tables right next to her definitly need a new pa system never again left there starving and disappointed

Visited Dobbies for afternoon tea with family members for the first time in 8 months due to covid. Service was good and place was spotless. Actual afternoon tea was tasty - sandwiches were very fresh and tasty. Cakes were nice too. Kids version was amazing. However, the selection was very small - only 3 finger sandwiches basic tuna, egg mayo and ham. Which was disappointing and nowhere near enough for the £12.50 each we paid. 3 finger sandwiches might have been enough if the fillings was better.Probs won't go again.

Very disappointing, not much variety of sandwiches (3 finger sized ) cakes so small even one was split in half for the 2 people it served to share!! all drinks were cold when served . No atmosphere , could have had a bit of Christmas music in the background and table decorations to make it more festive. Will not be visiting here again, waste of time and money !!!

Pity you have to give a score to write a review. Had a meal in the restaurant. The place was grubby and dirty. Staff cleaned tables by wiping the crumbs onto the chairs. The food was overpriced and not to a good standard. Had better at greasy spoon cafes. The toilets were a disgrace. Regularly checked. My eye.

We go here for coffee and cake regularly and the restaurant isn't always clean as table clearing seems to lag behind. However on our last two visits the hygiene appears to have improved. Tables clean and social distancing in place. Staff better than usual and no feer of sitting too near to anyone else as tables have been spaced out. Coffee and scones always good and makes you feel safe knowing the place is always clean.

Went there this morning for a brunch and a browse with my wife. Like the way you get your own menu and like the way the food and drinks are served at your table. The food was probably hotter as it gets served either with or after drinks so there is no queuing waiting for drinks with your food going cold. Hygiene seems well catered for.Thats the good bit. Enter a lady who chose to sit at a table for two near the window. Nothing wrong with that but she had to remove the plates /cups etc from the last person which she did on to a clean table (Now two tables infected) Friend arrives telling everyone she is waiting for her husband and sits down to chat (Sorry to hear she had been to the doctors this morning) decided to move to another table for more space - Three tables infected. Clearly not from the same bubble!!Then watched the table cleaning process - what a joke. Same cloth with no spray of table or cloth. then cleaned the next table with the tray on one side and cleaned around the tray so only half the table was cleaned. Has COVID not arrived in Speke? Shame because in the main, Dobbies are trying but some staff and customers are not taking it seriously. No wonder numbers are going up

Es muy triste que me digan que mi hija autista ni siquiera podía elegir pan integral cuando visitaba el café. "El chef está demasiado ocupado, tendrás que tener lo que te dan". ¡De Verdad! Aprecio que los tiempos sean difíciles en este momento, pero tómese cinco minutos para comprender cómo el autismo afecta a las personas y la angustia que causó. Como resultado, fuimos a otro lugar y lo pasamos muy bien.

Fuimos al restaurante (letrero grande al entrar) para que nos dijeran que la opción vegetariana del asado del domingo era que nos ofrecieran un plato con carne y nos lo quitaran. ! ! ! La sopa de garbanzos salió como papa y puerro y los asados de los domingos se cocinan antes y se calientan en el microondas. No pude tomar un vaso de agua, pero me dieron un vaso de papel con agua del grifo, la misma diferencia, pero en estos "tiempos sin precedentes" parece que COVID - 19 es la excusa perfecta para un servicio de mala calidad, comida de poca calidad y ciertamente no lo será volver ! ! !

Lovely garden centre, loads of lovely products and not over priced. Great choice of plants and pots, and a good pet section. Love that it’s dog friendly. Staff were welcoming and friendly. Would have liked more choice of soft drinks in the restaurant.

Al llegar nos recibió un chico que tomó nuestros datos a re covidLuego, toda la comida, incluidos los pasteles, que se le sirvió y luego recogió nuestro café en el comedor, estaba impecable, todas las bandejas se desinfectan después de cada uso con un montón de limpiador de manos disponible, el distanciamiento social fue lo mejor que hemos experimentado en comparación con otros 4 establecimientos que hemos visitado desde la reapertura.Solo un punto para los miembros cuando pagamos, nos informaron que teníamos 6 bebidas gratis, pero creemos que deberían ser 8.Abril - mayo - junio - julio

would just like to say a big thankyou to little Tony and Hayden for all their help over the past few days as I've been a huge pain in the butt and they have gone out of their way for me such pleasant guys

Took my granddaughter to the loI little seedlings room, got a snack from the restaurant then went into the soft play areaIt was safe area for her to play, kept clean staff in and out keeping the place tidy and clean,Little one loved her 2hourss there after bouncing around and playing with other children she ate all her snack with no fuss then had a little sleep on the way home Perfect couple of hours in a nice safe clean environment

Pizza was floppy and burned can’t wait to exit that filth out of my stomach maybe you should bring you’re own lunch

Solíamos ir allí regularmente, el desayuno estaba bien y era comprar uno y obtener uno gratis, somos miembros del club de jardinería, así que también obtuvimos tazas de té gratis, por lo que fue una visita económica.Detuvieron el problema y la gente comenzó a alejarse y fue entonces cuando entró en declive. Fuimos a desayunar ayer por la mañana después de una larga ausencia solo para decepcionarnos con la comida. Los frijoles y el tocino estaban fríos, la salchicha y el huevo estaban tibios y la tostada sabía que se había hecho el día anterior.La forma en que funciona es que obtienes el desayuno de un mostrador y luego pasas a tomar té o café del siguiente mostrador, si hay personas frente a ti que piden café especial i. En el café con leche o el capuchino, etc., cada taza tarda unos cuatro o cinco minutos en prepararse para que su comida se enfríe aún más.Después de eso, hace cola en el siguiente mostrador para pagar y obtener cubiertos, así que si su comida aún no estaba fría, ¡ahora está!El personal parece estar harto de trabajar demasiado y los asientos en el restaurante se ven viejos y en mal estado, probablemente lo mejor es ir al Toby Carvery, que está justo en el camino donde tienen una barra de desayuno y asador para ayudar más tarde en el día.En resumen, los desayunos de Dobbies solían ser buenos, ¡pero ya no!

Volver aquí de nuevo y no ha cambiado. Mesas sucias, sin tazas, etc. para que las chicas sirvan café y té. El personal grita para averiguar dónde todos deben servir la comida. Creo que la administración ha cambiado porque fue excelente hace un par de años. Es una pena, ya que es un hermoso centro de jardinería. He estado en Edimburgo, qué diferencia, es perfecto.

After quite a length of time since last eating here due to standards dropping, we called in for a light lunch today. I actually wish we hadn’t and should have gone elsewhere nearby.We only ordered the Chicken and Bacon Toasties which were not particularly big and came on a plate with dried up salad and a few crisps for £6.25p each. Completely way over the top price wise and not particularly tasty.Sorry Debbies, I’ve given you plea ty of opportunity to get your act right but you haven’t so I won’t be eating here again.....

Lunchtime visit, 12.30pm, and despite two different soups advertised on the menu board we were told it would be another 20 minutes before they would be ready. Second choice - baked potato was the same story. Is it too much to expect basic lunch time staples to be available at peak times? Settled on a panini served with salad. Oh dear, it was at this point the complete lack of basic food hygiene became apparent. The food server scooped the various salad items from the containers with her bare hands. The once nicely furnished carpeted dining room is now tired and very worn. Will not be returning.

Decided to take my elderly mother for a trip out to the garden centre. I can only describe the restaurant as chaos!!! It seems that the very long queue was down to the time it takes for the the tea and coffee to be poured and handed over. I decided to sit my elderly mother down then went back to try get in the queue which now went the length of the restaurant to get her a coffee. I noticed they had a self service coffee machine so I went across to that only to nearly end up burnt when a big blast of steam came out from the machine it didn’t take long to realise the machine was broken there was no members of staff I could speak too as the few staff they had were run off their feet. I decided that we were best having a cake and a cold drink. I then had a long wait at the til as out of the two tills only one lady was working and appeared slightly stressed out dealing with the long queue. On a positive note the overworked staff were all very nice DOBBIES PLEASE EMPLOY MORE STAFF a poor experience was had today.

Today’s meal consisted of a huge and excellent chicken pie with veg followed by a clafoutis tart. The pie was delicious - crisp pastry, plenty of filling and full of flavour. The cake was light and fluffy. Great value too. Staff are lovely. Special thanks to Leslie was is lovely - so helpful and considerate. A real gem.

Stoped here for a couple of hours enroute to the airport.Lovely and spacious garden centre, great Christmas stock although very pricey, sale was on went in restaurant wasn’t great food was pricey, the cakes were perfect size.Nice atmosphere, but the food wasn’t very good I ordered a cheese and onion panini it was ok, but perfect salad. I might recommend to a friend. But don’t think I would go there again.

No gift card envelopes left. But plenty of stands full of gift cards. Few staff on the tills so long wait.

Been coming here for 8 years with children as a family of 11.

Visited here on 20/12 with daughter and 3 grandchildren who had booked to see Santa. All going fairly well until visit was complete. On walking out of the Grotto all Santa’s “gifts” stacked on shelves in front of the kids. So of course they’d looked to see what they already had from Santa and then did what kids do “I wanted that not this” as they were presented with what to them was a huge pile of “alternatives”. Ridiculous place to store a pile of gifts!! Then purchased a photograph in the shape of a bauble. The girls making them up seemed happy to just chat to each other and presented us with a bauble with the picture inserted incorrectly so my daughter took it apart and sorted it herself. As we exited in to the store one of my grandchildren then stated that one of the girls had passed comment about us and called my daughter a “twit” (I do hope it was that and not a similar word). My daughter decided to go back and ask for a manager. The girl in question clearly knew why as the colour drained out of her face! The manager came over and said he’d go and ask her if she did (like she was going to say yes)..He then came back and apologised saying he’d deal with it later. We could have made a fuss but it’s a kids attraction and wouldn’t want to ruin it for others. Needless to say we won’t be coming back. We spend quite a bit in the restaurant there regularly but won’t be going back! Staff need to be told that if they are going to talk about people make sure the family are out of ear shot!!

Food is good and it is warm in the restaurant. Its close proximity to John Lennon Airport makes the wait for passengers less taxing. They ring when they get their bags and you set off for the pick up zone, good method of missing a cold expensive carpark. Dobbies is a great meal.

Ordered breakfast today which to be fair looked very nice , 4 staff serving really quickly , then had to wait 20 mins in queue whilst ONE member of staff tried to serve the masses with cappa frapa latte cinos and tea etc . Result , COLD food . Complaint made and advised to warm them up in the baby food microwave , to cap it all off I was overcharged . Cooked breakfasts are not good cold or microwaved . Staff did offer to replace but was too hungry to wait , micro breakfasts

We decided to go to Dobbies to pick up some Christmas decs and have lunch. My mum and dad are regulars at Dobbies but I've not been in years. Anyway we came to the restaurant and wow just wow. The choice is amazing with the food looking great. I was at such a loss what to choose. But then Tracy to the rescue. She recommended the Chicken, Ham and leak pie and told me it was an experience. I accepted and what she put in front of me was amazing. It was an individual pie served with new potatoes, roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and red cabbage. Tracy asked if I wanted a pig in the blanket and stuffing as well. Why not? I thought. Then she covered it in the most delicious smelling gravy. Well I am half way through and it's truly beautiful. Big thanks to Tracy and I will certainly be back. Cannot reccommend enough both for the staff and for the food. Tracey you are a gem. Merry Christmas

For the past few years we have taken our grandchildren to Dobbies Liverpool to meet Santa and loved it. Sadly this year was such a disappointment that we won’t be returning next year. We arrived 10 minutes before our booking (as requested) only to be asked to wait in an extremely cold and crowded area (apprx. 20 people waiting) before we could cross the bridge into the grotto, while waiting I noticed more people arriving with the same time slot as us?? When I enquired I was informed that all those waiting had the same time slot!! We then queued and once allowed over the bridge there was no time for the children to stop and look at the displays as we were marched along as a group!! Santa himself was delightful. Very cold, very rushed and very disappointed

I have been to Dobbies restaurant a couple of times in the last few weeks and both times it was awful.

My little boy was so excited to see Santa and he didn’t disappoint. He was entertaining, brilliant with the families and especially the children BUT the breakfast was sadly disappointing at an expensive price! It wasn’t a full English and the children didn’t get any toast! Such a shame!

Today I attended a baby shower at the restaurant area , we had a lovely tables set up for us , 30 guests !! And the fabulous afternoon tea was presented by the lovely friendly staff with offers of endless teas & coffee . It all tasted as great as it looked .

My partner and I visited Dobbies today, for a little bit of Christmas shoppin and a bit of good cheer! Decided to have a cup of tea and a cake, as you do! On leaving the cafe noticed that the cakes we had bought in the cafe were being sold on the cake counter, only the ones in the cafe had the most extortionate mark up! Don't know how they justify this. Will think twice before visiting again!

This was an events evening, food was available and a great fireworks display, the event has to be booked in September by using the Dobbies membership card, as it's so popular.

I visited the garden centre on November 4. Wanted something to eat for lunch. Chose Cumberland Sausage and chips with some vegetables. Cost £8.95. The food was fine. Service was fine. However why do some restaurants serve hot food on cold plates?

We were just here for the cafe, making it our stop travelling to Liverpool. Just made it in time for a late breakfast/early lunch. All the ingredients were still freshly available, so one small English and 'no gluten' breakfast. Both were good quality and god value.

Went to Dobbies Garden centre looking for Xmas baubles . Can not believe the prices they charge not just baubles but every thing in there is way over the pop . I voiced my opinion at the till Evan staff agreed . Told me go up the road which is taskers. Wouldn’t mind if it looked and felt vestive but it didn’t very boring in side . Won’t be returning .

Went on a Sunday afternoon with two young children. A slice of cake, a tea cake, pot of tea, coke and soft drink cost £16.50, include entry to soft play area of £3, seems a bit expensive. The kids enjoyed the soft play which was busy. Plenty of products to browse around from clothing, gardening items, food, toys, books, kitchen and household furnishings to tropical fish together with aquariums etc. Spaciously set out and inviting. Worth a visit.

Often come with friends, there is a good choice of meals as well as light snacks, and generally lots of space to sit. With nice outdoor seating area on a good day.

Well came here with my aunt to look at random stuff. If you’re in need of shopping miscellaneous items for your home then you found your place. But in regards of my review I’m looking towards food. Felt a bit overpriced for what you’re getting, in essence you could walk to the bakery to get some less expensive items that taste equally as delicious and don’t have to pay exorbitant fees. Other than that had a descent toastie and a small salad with no sauce. Couldn’t complain other than price, descent sitting though a bit run down with regards to the seats.

Clean, tidy, well lit, (mostly) welcoming staff. Insipid, tepid food, coffee chosen for profit, not flavour. Expensive for what it is.

Very nice shop you can also take your dogs with you. Dogs are now allowed in the partitioned restaurant, which is great if you want a coffee and cake after all your walking around. As a member you get 2 free hot drinks a month.

What does one have to do to receive a response to an issue raised? I emailed the manager as suggested on the website - no response or even an acknowledgement. After a week I emailed customer service as suggested on some reviews. Again, not even the courtesy of an acknowledgement.

Called in for lunch on a visit to Speke Hall. What an absolute rip off 28 quid for 2 sandwiched a very small bowl of overcooked cold chips 2 cans of drink and 2 scones. If the quality was top notch you could potentially justify the price of the food but it was crap. The scones had so much raising agent in them they tasted acidic so bad I couldn't eat it. Sandwiches were OK but not worth 7 quid each and don't even get me started on being charged 2 quid for a can of Dr pepper. Staff are rude and the service is slow and not good either. Certainly would never come here again and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Tuve una comida muy bien presentada aquí en Dobbies, paninis con ensalada y patatas fritas, muy abundante y con la temperatura adecuada. La sopa estaba muy espesa y sabrosa con un gran pedazo de pan. El restaurante estaba limpio, bien cuidado y no había mesas sucias. Definitivamente iría de nuevo

We had a visit yesterday and was very disappointed with the food hall and delicatessen, with the latter virtually non existent

Absolutely disgusted with the prices £1.90 for a can of Coke were the hell do they get there prices from daylight robbery.

We took a walk outside and round by the side some of the summer houses we spotted a pond as you can see in the pictures. I was horrified to see this pond had fish living in it! Water conditions are disgusting and not fit for fish to live in. There was a filter in the pond but, it was switched off, and it was evident from the poor water quality that it had been switched off for some time. Considering they sell fish you would at least expect them to at be able to provide a proper level of care for them. I have fish myself and cold water fish require clean, well oxygenated water. Very sad to have seen this. This pond was right round the back out of the way and seems it has been forgotten about. For this reason I rate 1 star, if i could rate it 0 i would have.

This was meant to be a pre- birthday treat for me and my daughter. The food was awful. The sandwiches were bland made from cheap ingredients. The cakes were synthetic with not a handmade touch in sight. The only saving grace was the scones with clotted cream and jam. A refill of tea or coffee was offered. Should you want a very small bottle of Prosecco it would set you back a further £6.35! The waitress was very obliging but I will not be repeating the experience any time soon.

We visited here for lunch after dropping a friend at the airport. We couldn't find the way in on leaving the airport so had to turn right and right again and then come back on ourselves as if we were going to the airport again. We mainly wanted food but there is a big shopping space with different makes such as a joules, a toy section, a pet section - everything you'd expect of a garden centre with a touch of reduced named goods too. Food was mediocre. The cakes looked immense but the panini and chips only served a purpose. I wouldn't recommend it for food but maybe for cakes, although that's just going on what we saw rather than tasted. There is a small outdoor play area and a huge display of conservatories, greenhouses, sheds, etc which we enjoyed playing in and looking round. The building itself is hot. No air con and as it was about 24 degrees outside it was stifling inside. We wont be revisiting to eat but may visit again just to mooch about the shop and go to the loo as the toilets are a sight to behold!

Enjoyed the shop but the cafe was disappointing we had afternoon tea. Tea was cold few cakes and soggy sandwiches but very pricy. Surroundings tatty furniture whole cafe needs upgrading. Would have enjoyed better service would not spend money visiting here. Plants good value but cafe n ot goo.

Mi última revisión de aquí hace algún tiempo estuvo bien, pero algo ha sucedido. Todo el lugar es mucho mejor: hay una carnicería, una panadería en la casa y una muy buena tienda que vende alimentos muy diferentes. Una tienda tipo delicatessen. Los pasteles que se ofrecen son magníficos y los pasteles y cosas por el estilo son increíblemente buenos. La cafetería ha mejorado mucho y la comida excelente. Probablemente compré uno de los mejores pasteles de ruibarbo, unos tomates preciosos y un delicioso pastel de chocolate, ¡todo bajo en calorías, por supuesto! !

visited there with children and my parents restaurant unappealing as we had dirty cutlery and the toilets were filthy which is a hygene issue

We had my grandsons 3rd birthday party at Dobbies Speke, hour and a half in the soft play area then food in the restaurant. Couldn’t fault the service, Hannah and another lady (blonde hair ) where so friendly and everything ran smoothly. All the children enjoyed it. The food was nice, offering a good choice. At £9.95 a head we felt it was good value. Would recommend this for a child’s party . Children at this party ranged from 3 to 5. Thanks again

We had our little boys 3rd birthday party here today and it was amazing! We got the soft play to ourselves as we had over 10 guests and it was such a good price for what was included! Soft play for an hour and a half, a hot meal, party bag, drinks, cupcakes and ballons all set up for when we arrived for £9.95 per child! The staff were so lovely and very helpful! Anything we needed they got for us! We even managed to get him 2 goldfish for his new fish tank with only 10 minutes before closing as the staff in the aquaruim were also lovely and let him take his time to pick his fish! This just topped off what an already lovely day we had today! Thankyou! We will most certainly be using dobbies again for parties!

Well bugger me, Dobbies now has a new policy for breakfast, take it or leave it is the choice, we go to have our breakfast at the Speke branch every month to collect our free drinks and maybe buy a plant or two, I like to make up my own meal from the seven items menu however this has now been stopped and you get what you’re given like it or not, the drinks are always a pain as the take longer to make than the food counter but this week they had a new person on the till who had no idea what was going one and broke the till twice while we were waiting in a line of ten or more, I have complained to there customer service and guess what four days later I’m still waiting for a reply maybe they have the new guy from the tills looking into it.

Had my sons gender reveal in deli bar having afternoon tea for 36 ppl it was lovely, tables all decorated and allowed us to bring our own additional things balloons banners Etc , could not fault anything it was amazing, the girls done me proud and would recommend it to anyone for any family occasion

I visited today for afternoon tea with my Nan who now has difficulty leaving the house. From the moment we arrived, Natalie served us with a friendly face and despite being run off her feet, she made us feel so comfortable. She was the only member of staff running the area yet nothing was a bother. She seemed really surprised that we were so grateful for her assistance. She deserves so much credit. Dobbies are lucky to have her! We will back soon, the Williams family.

Nice place to just wander round and have afternoon tea,which is very nice and reasonably priced we will go again and maybe take our friends

Usually go to Dobbies quite regularly but lately once month if that is enough. Called in today coffee was ok but my toast was cold, hard and burnt and small amount of jam cost 65p !!!! and my husband had burnt bacon on toast and a hard egg. It is not cheap and therefore feel you should at least get what you ask for. We have noticed that there is never a supervisor around to check that everything is going as it should we visit many places for coffee, lunch etc but this is worse if it carries on will go somewhere else as not value for money.

Regulars here and have to say the last few months have been good with NO complaints however what a change today mid afternoon.

Have not left a review on TripAdvisor before but felt compelled as this was SO disgusting...

Popped in here for lunch as I’ve been for an over priced breakfast many of times (never learn).

Called in here on Wed 15thMay, I treated my friend to an afternoon tea for her birthday. We were served by the 2 Natalie's, who were very friendly and helpful. The A' Tea was lovely, and we would go again.

Visited dobbies garden centre walking around noticed alot of items not priced, and quite a walk to the checkout to find out the prices.and didnt see any staff to ask.

Before I start I very rarely write bad reviews, I rather tend to praise the good experiences. I took my 82 year old mum to Dobbies cafe ( would not call it a restaurant) last weekend. I was picking my son up from Liverpool Airport so arrived two hours earlier to wait for his call. Looking around the garden center was very overpriced and nothing to write home about, our local garden center Rivendell is much better.

Over the past 18 months I have written several reviews re the serious declining standard of the restaurant at Dobbies as well as having email correspondence with Dobbies Head Office. This is backed up by the other adverse reviews on trip adviser re this venue.

Called in for a cuppa and a scone before flying off on a business trip. As it was almost 5.00pm, I asked one of the assistants, in the very quiet cafe, if they were still serving. After staring at her watch for some considerable time, shrugging her shoulders and sighing heavily, she said that they were. Staff behind the counter were obviously busy clearing up, but appeared friendly enough when I ordered. My Tea was handed over with a small jug of what turned out to be hot milk, which when I queried it, resulted in a loud and quite agressive ‘telling off’ from the server, who claimed that I had ordered it! I did order extra hot water, but my explanation was simply ignored with yet more sighs and shrugs. I have no doubt that this is a busy facility and that staff must be tired by the end of the day, but this simple rudeness and lack of customer service is appalling and I am sure is no reflection on the business model in general.

We had a fabulous time at Dobbies and the young lady who served us was exceptional in her mannerisms, it put us all at ease to enjoy our afternoon tea. Thank you all so very much.

Visited today with my daughter and 2 grandchildren.Our local centre and we visit regularly. Noticed a big decline today.

I visited this garden centre today with my colleague, and 3 of my residents from where I work, what a mistake this was.

I have been visiting the restaurant since the garden centre opened and over the last few years the standard in the restaurant has gradually deteriorated to what I now consider to be an unacceptable standard. Over the last few months I have written twice to your head office in Midlothian and whilst I have received a response to say they are looking into this and a phone call from the store restaurant manager who assured me that things were improving, I am yet to see much in the way of change or improvement apart from some new furniture.

I've been going to dobbies for years and from a baby we used to take our grandson with us of a weekend and eat in the resturant.

I promised my 2 year old daughter she could go to the soft play at Dobbies. We arrive, order ourfood and go to pay. At this point im tod it is closed for a party.

Once again we were disappointed with the food and the service ,by time we got are food it was cold small portion and we thought expensive for what you got . Not enough staff

food expencive, not much choice, no smiles from staff serving , weak coffee, tables messy food on floor, very expecive things in shop, no staff to help with a question.

One of the best garden centre breakfast I’ve had. Food perfectly cooked sausage and black pudding tasted amazing. Place spotless and decor welcoming defiantly one to come again far better than southport Dobbies.

We visited Dobbies restaurant today at lunchtime but after walking along the servery area it didn't take long before we exited and went in search of food elsewhere. It wasnt late either but I was very disappointed dried up food is not acceptable. It such a shame as the quality of the plants in the garden centre is superb.

Servicio horrible personal simplemente no interesado, platos sucios, etc. en las mesas. Comida fría y poco apetitosa, y cuando abandona el "restaurante", entra en un desordenado centro de jardinería con más carteles de venta que cualquier otra cosa. Si tiene tiempo, visite el personal del acuario de su casa en el mismo modo de servicio deficiente que la cafetería, una vez más sucia y desordenada. Aparcamiento de tamaño decente, pero mal acceso y salida debido a los principales semáforos.

Do not waste your hard earned cash here! Overpriced cold breakfast burnt hasbrowns and toast which could have your eye out it was that hard!

Entré a las 10 am para el desayuno y para usar la zona de juegos. La comida era tibia en el mejor de los casos y estaba fría a la piedra en uno o dos minutos. El hash browns y el pudín negro fueron incinerados. No había cuchillos disponibles, así que tuve que cortar mi desayuno con dos tenedores. He estado aquí muchas veces y nunca ha sido así. WiFi gratuito es extremadamente pobre y apenas se conecta a internet. Le daría una estrella, excepto que la experiencia en el área de juego fue mucho mejor que la comida. Muy decepcionado, me iré a otro lugar en el futuro.

Esperó 20 minutos en la cola para las bebidas, luego solo pagó una vez abierta, así que el café frío por hora encontró la mesa. Tuvimos que limpiar la mesa de platos, vasos, etc. Todas las mesas vacías lo mismo. Tres baños fuera de servicio. vaya a DObbies cada semana como miembro desde hace años, pero piense que la cancelación se agrava cada vez, especialmente los domingos, lo que por supuesto es más activo, pero eso indica que se debe emplear más personal.

Food dry and cold service slow and restaurant dirty mess on the floor and tables. Overpriced and won't be going back.

Took my 3 year old granddaughter to Breakfast with Santa. Would just like to say that your Elf was amazing with the children, visited every table and interacted with all right from the start. Advised us of what was going to happen throughout the visit.

Took the family to see santa on 17th dec. This was our 7th year of coming to this grotto.

I visit the dobbies restaurant in Ayr quite regularly, and it is of a decent standard. So I was expecting much the same in this branch. Although the layout and menu are much the same, the experience unfortunately is not.

The garden centre is good - it's a garden centre. But it's the restaurant that lets it down, the quality of food and service has deteriorated over the years. Certainly many of the serving staff seem to be indifferent to their customers and often, if the food is hot when served up, it has gone cold by the time those in the queue at the one till have paid and a table found. Not a particularly pleasant experience on several occasions

We arrived early to meet Santa only to be told to go wait in the cafe,so my wife fed my new born son whilst I took my 2yr old daughter for a pass for the soft play only to be old it was closing in 5minutes time keeping in mind this was 4:40pm they still had a meet and greet Santa so why not keep it open?! Anyway after an unnecessary wait in a queue for coffee because they were understaffed we went to the meet and greet only to be told that we had a 20minute wait which if we were allowed to join the queue first time round we would of been at the back of the previous group (4:30) but would of been at the front of our allocated time of 4:45,so we joined the queue in the freezing cold to be told that the patio heaters scattered around the queue would provide but only one was switched on the entire time and I had a child barely 2months old with us which is frankly unacceptable!Then the final insult was the photographs with Santa at the end which was meant to be done professionally but instead we weren't given the option instead they offered to take a picture using my phone which was ok but found out at the very end we should of been given the option to capture the moment properly and professionally the only saving grace was the Santa who was brilliant ,otherwise a resounding utter disappointment poorly designed and managed and I won't be coming again.

It says garden centre but like all of them its difficult to find the garden stuff but its a pleasant enough store. The cafe is ok with decent drinks and nibbles and fairly comfortable - a bit soulless and a bit blanks but ok.

Given the 'Afternoon Tea' as a gift. Couldn't fault it.There was plenty of food and the service was friendly and competent. Many times we were asked if we wished for more tea/coffee. it was reasonably priced and the menu was varied. definitely revisit.

We arrived for afternoon tea. We had to search for someone to report our arrival as no one around. The place looked in need of TLC - scruffy chairs and plastic cloth. Feared for food!

My Partner and I called here after an airport drop off . We wanted to see the Christmas Decorations and get some idea's for presents . When we entered there was a fantastic smell of Christmas spices in the air and our eyes were drawn to the lights and products on show .

I'm a regular visitor to Dobbies where I love the garden centre, gift shop, Edinburgh Woollen Mill and the aquarium shop but I continue to be disappointed with the restaurant. The service is awful. Staff are generally slow, sullen and not helpful. The wait for hot drinks is always ridiculously long. A toastie purchased there today took ages to prepare and when it arrived was warm at best. I didn't complain because the place was busy and staff were few and far between. Customers were wandering around the restaurant looking for trays and tables were cluttered with debris. This place really needs to smarten up its act as it lets the whole establishment down badly. Disappointing-AGAIN.