Dobbies Garden Centre in Northumberland

Recently came to Dobbies for a browse around the garden centre and for a look at the Christmas decorations, whilst here we thought we would try a small roast dinner, it's the worst roast dinner we have ever had, the pork was so tough you couldn't even cut it, the parsnips we woody, the whole dinner was just an awful taste, you need to go back to having the whole joint of meat on the counter like a proper carvery, such a shame the roasts used to be so good, won't hve another again

We had our special offer fish & chips supper last night, with the free coffee offer - it was a Christmas open evening special. The food was cooked to order, it came very quickly, piping hot with lovely fresh flaking white fish. I asked for batter (scraps) and they had no problem with doing that for me! The manager Paul delivered our meal to our table, he was very courteous and helpful. He returned while we were eating our meal to ask if we were happy with it - and we were! Very enjoyable! While in Dobbies, we bought some of their new Christmas gift items - we got in early before the rush nearer to Christmas. There is another open evening in November, which we will happily attend! The Christmas displays are looking beautiful! Thank you Paul and the staff who were working later than usual last night! A very pleasant visit. Glad to see Paul back, it is good to see a hands-on manager.

This place used to be brilliant. Would go out of our way to go, lovely lattes and food , good gifts clean tidy good customer service but lately it’s just awful. Last few times we visited it was dirty , toilet had water and tissues everywhere. Food old and dry. Floor staff said hello but we Waited for food in huge queue. Checked menu on back wall. Three members of staff behind counter standing around. One bringing trays of hot meat out. Despite standing there right in front of two of them they totally ignored us. My husband eventually said “hello?” To which one replies “what can I get you”. He asked is there a fish finger sandwich to which she turned to another woman who snapped “NO!” So I said any sandwiches ? “NO”. The first woman looked at us and shrugged. I told husband put the tray down we will go somewhere else. Rude and unnecessary. Won’t bother going back. Much nicer places out there with staff who actually care.

Visited on route to Newcastle Airport and used the restuarant. The food was unappealing- hot food looked as if it had been there for hours sausage casserole with skin on top, dried up fish. We had cherry scones and an empire biscuit that were dry and inedible the coffee was fine. The seating area had black tape holding down the flooring and the wallpaper was peeling off the walls and a general feeling of not being very clean. Not what I have experienced at your shop in Ayr I think a refurb is needed certainly won't be back anytime soon

We booked the afternoon tea for 3 and it was lovely. The staff were friendly and helpful. Good value for money too. I would recommend this for a nice afternoon out!

Made the mistake of visiting here for a quick coffee. 25 minutes in the queue, minimal staff and the slowest coffee making I’ve ever experienced in my life.

We visited the cafe at this centre for lunch before hitting the A1 on route to a short midweek break. I have to say my wife and I were less than impressed with the cafe. On entering we were met by a member of staff lecturing a couple about what was on offer, they left without buying anything, wish we had followed their lead. Although it was around 14:00 there were no menus available, despite saying hot food was available until 15:00, the hot food area was empty, explaining we were looking for lunch, we were given the sandwiches menu. We both opted for an egg and cress sandwich and given an order number for the table. When our food arrived it looked less than appraising, the cress turned out to be pea shoots, the egg mayo on the sandwich was obviously from one of those deli filler tubs we had seen in the Waitrose shop embedded in the centre as was the coleslaw and couscous. All in all NOT a pleasant customer experience and certainly not one that would encourage a repeat visit and most certainly not value for money On a more positive note,  the rest of your centre was clean, well stocked and a pleasure to browse through.

Worst sunday dinner i have ever had,was just say warm by the time people in front of us got served ,and the speed they got served ,so slow,beef was so thick the blunt knives wouldnt even cut through it,the yorkshire pudding was that hard when i tried to cut it it just exploded,and i hate the way they pile it all up in the middle of the plate.for £33.00 i thought i would b able to eat it,definitely not be back.

Very disappointing! We came for a sandwich - didn't get one!!! I didn't finish work until 3:00, so we drove straight there (10 mins) thinking we'd get a sandwich and a coffee each for a light lunch, which we've done quite a few times in the past. Sadly, it's all changed and we were told no lunches or sandwiches after 3:00. On the face of it that was fair enough EXCEPT we checked the boards above the counter, which declared "main courses 12:00 noon - 3:00", "sandwiches, paninis & baked potatoes from 11:30am". So that begs the question why doesn't the board for sandwiches etc say "11:30 - 3:00? Now if they they'd said, it wouldn't have left us waiting for service at the sandwich counter, being passed by people who had cakes etc and were going to get coffee - meanwhile all the staff were down at the coffee serving section ignoring us until finally an assistant came up and told us there was no food as they stopped serving at 3:00. So there we were with no option for a decent lunch and we opted for a cheese scone - a very anaemic looking scone that was so white it looked half cooked. It tasted as pasty and stodgy as it looked because it wasn't cooked properly and there was no taste of cheese there at all, even though it was obviously cheese had been added to top before cooking! Overall a very disappointing visit. Sadly not unusual, as this is not the first time we come away disappointed, even though regularly ate at this restaurant a few years ago, but now it's grossly over-priced for the standard of food, so we won't be coming back for food, that's for certain.

I would certainly not recommend this stopover at Dobbies, on our way travelling to Scotland. Service ok but that was after I interrupted 4 staff chatting about personal matters. Even though the restaurant was empty I had to wipe clean a table ( should staff who are standing around not be doing that). Toilets were a disgrace. Not clean and obviously need some maintenance ( taps not attached firmly to the sinks) . Coffee and cappuccino was tasteless and the biscuits over sweet. And so expensive! What a disgrace. Surely the management of Dobbies not be doing something about this restaurant??? Do they read the reviews?

Sorry state ….. I’ve been meeting friends at this garden centre for years and I’ve watched a steady decline, today was poor, there is no atmosphere, its flat and in desperate need of an upgrade. We had scones and a strawberry tart, we left both, stodgy and hard. The staff look fed up and over worked. The carpets are filthy, the place looked empty and the long cobwebs hanging from the dusty lights in the café were everywhere! Not sure if Dobbies are a chain or franchise but this place sits in a prime location so please get it sorted !!

Went for coffee with wife i was surprised to see buckets collecting rain water from roof not at all impressed with this.I think the whole building could do with refurb. .

Dobbies obviously don't read reviews because nothing improves.My husband and I decided to have coffee and cheese scones. The scone was massive but tasteless, no cheese inside and dry and doughy. I took them back and spoke to manageress about how awful they were. One of the assistants 'butted in' and she said she had made them that morning and a bag of cheese went into the dough mix. It was invisible to me!! We didn't ask for or expect a refund but for two o.a.p's what a waste of money. This department in this store needs a good overhaul and a new chef.

Extremely extremely cold,,in restaurant,,had t sit with coats on,they had run out of hot food,hardly anything left ( only 2pm) ,but staff friendly,,waited ages just for hot drinks,put us off ordering,going back for food,

We visit here often. Really good coffee and scones. Staff are friendly and hard working. The queues which can form remarkably suddenly are not always managed well. Sometimes it appears that the baristas are understaffed while the food counter has staff doing little. It is obvious that management are aware of the problem but it does need a little more pro activity by them.

First & last time we been to this garden centre coffee shop, it dirty and the tables were not getting cleared quick enough, an elderly lady had to clear a table to make way to sit and clean the floor as well. They are clearly too busy and understaffed! Also we asked where the garlands were and the staff members response was, they might be over there somewhere as she clearly did not want to help! Not the best of garden centres to go to at all.

Arrived just before 3.30pm for a cup of tea and a biscuit only to be told when we got to the cafe that it was closed. No reason given but it was obvious that the poor person informing us was embarrassed about the matter.

Well disappointed again with Dobbies Ponteland. Visited around 11.30am so not that much of a queue but finding a table was a problem. No it was not heaving full but the tables all seemed to be piled high with dirty crockery & cutlery. Wondering why I noticed that other customers were also trying to find a table and were clearing the dirty utensils off the table and piling the dirty stuff on the one they were at onto the nearest. We found one only part full but the table it's self was far from clean. Because of the apparent chaos we only went for a Fruit Scone each which proved not to be a wise choice. Extremely dry & when we tried to Butter them they were so dry we ended up with a plate of crumbs. This is not the first time that we have experienced this here with both the below standard food and lack of cleanliness and it will be a while before we eat again here. Would I eat again here: Not until there is improvements in food quality & Hygiene. Would I recommend it: Certainly not.

Very disappointed with several aspects of the centre. Staff were slow and didn't seem to know what they were doing when serving drinks. Cake was stale and dry. The restaurant floor was dirty and needed sweeping. The displays around the shop were dirty with cobwebs and dust on display cases. Dogs were allowed in the cafe. Not sure if this is ok as not a dog owner. Dogs were also allowed in the Waitrose section of the shop sniffing and rubbing up against the food shelves. Will not recommend a visit to anyone and will not visit again.

This is the first time I have been to this restaurant with my friend and my dog and I was so surprised that they have a dog friendly area, the cafe was busy what got me was that there was people sitting in the dog friendly area without a dog. I ordered our food which didn’t take long to wait and it was so fresh and piping hot. The tables around us were being cleaned as soon as someone left which is a good sign. My pet dog enjoyed drinking out of one of your water bowls dotted around. The staff were very friendly and helpful. We throughly enjoyed our trip and will definitely will be visiting again.

The most inefficient cafe there is, it would be impossible to find a worse managed place. Massive queues with numerous members of staff doing absolutely nothing then blaming the problem on staff shortages. I suggest a senior manager from head office visit this store and see for themselves the incompetence on display. Only gave 1 star as none was not an option.

Generally nice non gluten free cake but the lack of gf options (only one meringue) was poor. The cafe was quite busy and service was fairly slow but not unfriendly.

Been here many times and there is always a good selection of food on sale. However today was a disappointment - we arrived at 1.45 after getting lost round Newcastle. We ordered fish and chips with mushy peas - it arrived promptly but the fish in batter was dried out and tired. The chips and peas were OK but not very hot. Not good value for £13.99 a portion.

Very Disappointed, £25.75. For a scone/butter no jam. Very Dry Jacket potato + Tuna/cheese no mayo no butter. 2 x kids pic mix. Kids didn't eat the tiny tiny sandwiches..said they were not nice, one was a tiny piece of ham other small bit of cheese, crisps, small kitkat. carton drink that kids said didn't taste right and the straw broke as was paper I asked if they ha another but a not very kind assistant abruptly told me no.. I said then I would like a glass she pointed to a counter with some on....The staff were not very pleasant. The choice of food not great especially for kids...and what a price ..felt totally ripped off. We made some purchases for the kids in the store but I won't be back especially not for food.

We went for lunch yesterday (30 September 2023), on getting there a notice said due to unforeseen circumstances a limited menu is available, we ended up having a cheese scone as there wasn’t any sign of what was available. The service and organisation is dreadful, no one seems to be in charge, the staff just wonder round aimlessly, we sat in the conservatory and watched 2 members of staff clear the tables but no one even swept the floor as to where the food had fallen. It’s a waste of time going there as we won’t bother coming back.

Very poor choice, unfriendly staff and altogether an unpleasant experience. It seems to have gone down hill since my ladt visit.

More transport cafe than restaurant I'm sorry to say. Food on the cool side. Staff were pleasant and helpful. Expensive though

I really like the garden centre, albeit more expensive than others in the area and did find it clean, unlike what other reviewers have found. However, I was today really disappointed by the service at the café. Lots of things were off the menu (as...

Just popped in for a cuppa while looking around the store and had the most devine raspberry swirl cake and a cup of tea. Served by a wonderful lady named Mel. Couldn't have asked for more. A lovely experience.

This place has gone rapidly downhill. Used to be so nice. Small Sainsbury’s section now a Waitrose. Expensive. Very expensive. Seemed less than usual products in main Dobbies. Magnificent cakes but serious lack of options for vegans. Other Food is awful. Dried up and expensive....

Queued for 10 minutes with a young child to be told we couldn’t order breakfast as it was 3 minutes after 11.30. The hot menu wasn’t available until midday. Ok. They had a sandwich menu available from 11.30 but we were told it wasn’t available...

This store is “not prepared“ on a Sunday with staff to be able to deliver Sunday lunch staff telling customers to wait at least 25 to 30 minutes & saying all that’s available If you want something quicker is snacks. People walking away. Like us....

I travelled to Dobbies today for breakfast only to be disappointed by the staff serving breakfasts and the lack of a standard “breakfast”. A standard breakfast please but could I supplement the fried tomato for a sausage? This request was followed by an abrupt,”No but...

In June ( yes, really!) my husband and I decided to treat our two friends to breakfast in this branch of Dobbies restaurant. Two of us had scrambled eggs, the worst ever eggs we have ever eaten..served in a bowl in water at the bottom...

Visited lunchtime, huge queue & waited ages to be served. Staff appear disinterested & have no proper system to serve people promptly & keep the queue moving. Absolute shambles! The food was expensive & awful. My partner had the Christmas dinner. Luke warm with overcooked...

Service at the counter so badly handled no direction by staff leader is there one?staff more concerned about allergens posters than customers .No staff at the cake counter as Q formed longer by second also wait time for your coffee offering found peoples hot food...

An amazing selection of plants all well presented, labelled and stored. Really helpful aquatics manager too.But the cafe experience is dreadful: pre-packaged goods looking sad on shelves, staff idling about and in-fighting, serving begrudgingly and badly ("Oh the special? We're out I'm afrid despite theglossy...

Came for a light bite and went for 2 fruit scones and a cuppa. Initially ignored by the older lady serving. Service took awhile as the coffee machine seemed to be having issues. Then simply grunted at by the check out lady. To top it...

Stopped off to get milk on our way home and decided to have tea and scones, we were blown away when the young lady said that the scones were half price. They went down a treat. Will definitely stop off there again in the future.

Visited the restaurant this lunch time .Staff always helpful. Took our coffee and scones into the conservatory. It was hard to concentrate on the food the surroundings we’re nothing short of disgusting.Cobwebs all over the ceiling and doors .There are pipes going across the ceiling...

Visited the garden centre as I was looking for a humane mouse trap, I've seen traps here before but this time they had absolutely nothing at all, just awful sonic deterrents which are no use at all. Decided to head over to the food part...

We booked afternoon. Tea for a92nd birthday treat as birthday boy enjoyed his 90th here just before lock down , we also took our disabled daughter sept 2020 as treat , both meals and service exceptional. Today our table was ready , waitress took our...

Breakfast is always good here. Afternoon special of two scones for the price of one is excellent. Staff are pleasant and its lovely to pop for a cuppa after looking at the plants.

Without doubt the worst meal we have paid for in recent memory. Both our meals were at best lukewarm. Macaroni cheese almost unrecognisable as a small pile of goo offering and over salted, chips added although we had said no to them. A vegetarian curry...

Visited today after booking online for afternoon tea. Bit of a mix up with the booking but the lady who helped us (Mel) was very apologetic and turned the situation around. Really appreciated the way it was dealt with and we look forward to our...

We were passing on a long car journey and I thought, hey, a garden centre will have a cafe and we're all hungry. It did, the service was perfectly fine and the food was good quality for a garden centre cafe. Judging by recent reviews...

Having had a nice look around the garden centre we decided we fancied something to eat and drink it has a restaurant so here we go ! Ok Massive QUEUE staff didn’t really have a Clue as to how to manage orders ! 2.30-2.45 ish...

My wife and I visited 13.11.21 for a look at the Christmas items and something to eat. The queue was out of the doors for the cafe and very slow in being served. At the counter there was only one sandwich which the lady in...

This is a message to the manager (if there is one!). Your system is poor. Your old system worked separate drink stand. People who just want a drink have to stand in line with people queuing for food. Hence long delays(15mins) for me! Separate the...

The cafe at Dobbies used to be lovely but now it is mean, poor quality and incredibly overpriced for what it is. The staff are unhelpful and the service is slow. Honestly, go next door to The Badger.

We find ourselves limited to where we can go as dad is in a wheelchair, being a large garden centre it has reasonably sized accessible toilets & a handy cafe on site, parents were seated so I went to the counter & waited almost 10...

Just had the misfortune of visiting the cafe. Good below average and some if the rudest staff ever encountered. Lady behind counter (glasses and green shirt) was swearing in front of a line of elderly ladies. When the food arrived it was banged down on...

35 minute wait after ordering. No soup, no mac n cheese. Chicken pie inedible as were vegetables. Roast potatoes tough, gravy greasy, mashed potatoes bland and tasteless. Bacon brie and cranberry toastie was cold and tough. We complained but were just told they were short...

Went for breakfast on Saturday (6 of us) for dad's birthday. Took about 30 mins to get our breakfast as they hadn't kept the slip. However, they more than compensated when we asked them about it. We got 6 free drinks, they then brought a...

We stopped off for a very late lunch here with my mother, who uses a walker to get around. The wheelchairs were very handy to use in the garden centre and a kind member of staff helped me with the walker and wheelchair. There was...

It must be all about saving money at Dobbies restaurant, you would think at busy times you would have staff to serve the public. The line of people waiting to be served at every station point was absolutely shocking, even if you only want a...

5/5 staff are wonderful with the restaurant staff going the extra yard especially with the covid restrictions. The food is excellent and the restaurant is very clean. You can have a good laugh with the staff if you wish. The plant and accessories section is...

Restaurant - breakfast. Staff attitude so dour made me feel that it was a bother serving and that they didn't want to be there. Price portion size ratio was terrible. Meal was tiny. It was just warm obviously had been under heat lamps as it...

What have they done to the garden centre? Who wants to go to Sainsburys when visiting a garden centre? Very disappointing and will not be back, could go up the road into Ponteland for my food shop not to Dobbies, who's idea was this? Ridiculous!

Vsited mid week around 3-4pm. Alway go for cake and cuppa after a browse. Greeted by unsmiley staff with unsmiley attitude. Showen to a table and given covid protocol. Cakes few and far between. 20mins wait to cut cake and make drinks.when it arrived and...

Usually enjoy our regular visits however Standards falling greatly. Today’s cake was very dry (old) & my cup was chipped right on the rim at the lips -

Much the same as any other Dobbies, well laid out and easy wheelchair/scooter access. Did not try the cafe as we visited later in the day.

We visit here quite often during summer, however with the Covid situation we found it a little bit under stocked in all departments and not worth the travel for us this time.We did also visit the cafe whilst there however we felt it wasn’t as...

ordered cheese scone, Viennese whirl and coffee, scone was diabolical it was dry no taste it was a plain scone with a smearing of cooked cheese on the top rock hard fyi dobbies this doesn't make a cheese scone , Viennese whirl soggy and tasted...

Went in really for a quick look at furniture outdoor sale. Within 5 minutes got good advice from a team member whom was not on furniture department very helpful and another member of staff which arranged for delivery same day. Such excellent service and discount...

Took a guest for this special offer for we Dobbie's Club members. Booking on-line couldn't have been simpler. Mel, who looked after us, greeted us with a warm welcome and kindly looked after us (and many others) throughout the tea. No-one hurried us along -...

Really disappointed, over heard staff saying they were running out of everything! It was evident they were ill prepared as there were far to many empty spaces where food should have been! We won't be back! Far better places to eat in Ponteland at half...

Thought I would bring my 94 year old mother out for a treat after a lengthy lock down!! Social distancing and sanitizing in place and really good. However, the cafe doesn't get any better. The time it takes to get served and receive your food...

I think that this restaurant is far superior to dobbies at heighly gate. Cakes we had were nice and staff friendly.

Shame about this Cafeteria it used to nice. Ordered breakfast looked fine but was greasy and cold, i asked for it to be warmed up but they said staff was really busy when there was only a handful of customers in. Coffee was gritty too....

Short queue (at 10.15), stood for 10-15mins before entry. Baskets and trolleys available; cleaned before given out. Arrows show one way round on entry, but can go any way round garden section. Ponden Mills/ Cotton Traders closed; but you can get lovely bacon or sausage sandwiches to take out (and coffee too). Well done Dobbies Ponteland. Farm shop also open.

A lovely spread , we all enjoyed it very much , lovely service with a smile, and a lovely special cake for the birthday boy . Thank you

Went to the cafe first before having a look around - waited 15 minutes and were ignored by staff then when we were spoken to they were rude so we left and didn’t bother having a look around as we felt extremely unwelcome, wouldn’t come back any time soon best to spend your money elsewhere

Always stop off for a cuppa whilst car being washed at this Garden Centre. Good range of in store shopping to browse too.

Food served all day. Very good dinners, we had fish and chips, jacket potatoes. All great. Nice Deli, great meat, cheese, cake and breads. Large shop, pets to plants

Stopped for coffee after looking at their Xmas displays, as per most Garden Centres it was expensive, the coffee shop not too bad, staff friendly and lovely and clean.

A massive queue but we were there and hungry. Portions were small - I guess they were making the remaining food stretch. Didnt even get any veg with our fish and chips. £25 for tea coffee and 2 small f&c but it was OK and hot

Omg. Worse than dobbies at heighleygate. Called for cake and coffee. None of the staff would come near cake counter until there was huge queue and couldn’t ignore it any longer. She was not amused at having to serve people. Then another 20 mins to wait on people getting their hot food before we could get coffee. Unpleasant staff couldn’t give a monkeys and then the experience of trying to find a table with no dirty dishes in it. Absolutely filthy and none could give a dam.

We Made a visit to the cafe today £15 for a burger and jacket potato food was very poor quality needles too say we left it over cooked dry and tasteless

Called in Debbie’s at ponteland this afternoon about 2 pm for some lunch after finishing work. When got served the lady said they had no hot food left so I asked for sandwich she said she only had ham left. I think it was poor we often go for our free cups of tea. We decided to leave.

My family and I went for lunch at Dobbies on Monday the 23rd of December and had a wonderful experience. We all ordered the turkey dinner which was great value for money and very tasty!! Our order was taken by a lovely young lady whose name I did not catch however she was wearing unicorn ears and had dark hair. Great customer service, we shall all definitely be back for our next family gathering.

Paid a visit to this cafe this afternoon and what a state the place was . I’ve never seen so many dirty tables out number the customers who were eating and drinking. As a paying customer I expect to enjoy my purchase in a clean and friendly atmosphere , unfortunately this place fell well short on both counts as the staff looked like they wanted to be anywhere else but at work

Brought the kids out for some lunch and decided to head to Dobbies as we needed some bits for the garden. Staff in the restaurant were polite and helpful but were clearly run ragged with not enough of them on for the amount of customers. Due to lack of staff, food was cold by the time it arrived and kids were getting fraught while waiting making for a less than relaxing lunch, but the staff were incredibly apologetic and I couldn’t actually fault them. Think it’s more of a ‘shame on management’ for not Delphi g enough staff to cover what is usually a busy period in the retail calendar. Profit over people at its finest.

Went in for a coffee and a bacon sandwich one morning last month. They have a system where you order your food at check out, which is fine if it arrives quickly because long queues at the inefficient till mean it would be cold by the time you sat down. Unfortunately the waitresses serving the food were doing other things and weren't co-ordinated with the till lady. This meant that by the time the food arrived, the coffee was drunk. Shame, together it would have been a nice snack.

Called into dobbies to buy some winter plants for the garden, choice was very good and bought what I was looking for but like every shopping I bought a little more, very good selection of xmas decorations and stopped off in the restaurant for a bite to eat, well worth a visit.

This is our third year visiting santa at Dobbies and we think its fantastic. They dont over fill the slots so you dont feel rushed and the santa is just lovely and his outfit is very good too. Would highly recommend.

plenty see and plenty to buy lots of things for childeren, had a very nice meal lots of things for christmas.

Took our granddaughter Jessica to the Gruffalo event , what a well organised very friendly , value for money event , I would recommend this to anyone whose child loves being read dome stories with gorgeous cakes and a visit from the books character , the staff were fantastic and could not do more for you , Jessica has had the Gruffalo read to her since birth as you can see from the first photo and now nearly two she still reads the stories

On holiday in the area and thought we’d pop in for a cake and cuppa.

Been today with my husband we both had chicken bacon and cheese panini.Wev had this before its very well filled and tasty and usually comes with salad and coleslaw.Today it was vinegar crisps and coleslaw we wernt told about this.We like vinegar crisps but not with a panini.

Called in while in the area, visited a number of times before. They certainly offer a great choice of goods/items at very inflated prices - A shame most garden centres are the same with their prices. We used the restaurant & found it OK.

The family and I decided to try dobbies at ponteland for a afternoon cream tea, something I had heard was worth a visit.

Went for a jacket potato beans and cheese for 3 of us. Waited for quite a while but that’s ok it was a Saturday. When it arrived the waitress was pretty unfriendly but could let that pass- maybe she was tired? However the food was rotten. Hardly any beans on potatoes and the cheese we’d ordered was missing. This was swiftly rectified with three bowls of cheese arriving which was ok; only problem was that the cheese was totally tasteless as was the whole meal. Jacket potatoes are advertised with side salad and coleslaw- the latter was missing and the salad had no dressing or flavour either.

We find the queueing and ordering system a bit confusing and chaotic. We had contact with 3 staff members, none of them gave particularly good customer service, basic communication. Our meal and coffee were rather expensive but the chicken, ham and leek pie was very tasty.

My friend and I decided to have a sandwich and piece of cake for lunch. Never again, so disappointing, staff that can't really be bothered. When you order food from the counter ours being sandwiches and cake you are given a number for your sandwich when ready to be brought to your table, our waitress on arrival at the table complained how she had to walk all the way round the restaurant to find us. If staff don't want to bring food to the tables then it should be served to customers at the counter.

Absolutely can't resist the temptation of the cakes here. We had the carrot cake and a strawberry tart, really delicious. Service good as last time and plenty of seating.

Popped into Dobbies the other day for a few bits and pieces for Christmas with my grandchildren and went for a coffee and snack for the children. I must thank the member of staff that was on hand to assist with bags, children and tray. She helped me to the till and to get sat down. I think she said her name was Lisa. Thank you for all your help it was very much appreciated. Well done Dobbies for such attentive staff.

Should have learned my lesson a while ago, but as we visited to look at the Xmas stuff decided to have a coffee to see if there was any improvement on last time. They charge premium prices and still employ staff who clearly can’t make decent coffee. I ordered 2 cappuccinos at £2.80 each and was served by a tattooed woman who came from the kitchen as she was wearing white rather than the uniform the other women wear. Maybe she was the dishwasher and thought she’d make a coffee for a laugh. Well I wasn’t laughing when she just clashed the milk into 2 cups without any care, spilling it into the saucer. A right attitude on her from the outset, I pointed out that they were NOT cappuccinos. She just waved her hand dismissively and said “They’re fine, they’ll be nice” and walked off. I should really have told her to stick them, but foolishly paid. I have read numerous other reviews on here about staff and whoever is in charge there needs to seriously sort things out. We won’t be back for anything, let alone coffee. They don’t deserve your money, so spend it elsewhere

I had a jacket potato for a quick lunch, it was very nice - if a little expensive considering the amount of filling, but the staff were quite off hand and grumpy.

Been using my Dobbies card for many a year. It started well large coffees and large scones. Sadly what besets these organisations the accountants sit down down and work out how they can screw more money from customers!