Dobbies in Carlisle

Went with friends for lunch. What a mistake. Two of us had the Christmas dinner at a whopping £15 a serving. Turkey tasted synthetic, gravy was glutinous, sprouts were frozen ones and were totally yuk, carrots were over cooked and one inch long at most, stuffing balls were just that, hard balls, roasted were soft and squishy. So three out of ten but meal was at most tepid so it was zero out of ten. I felt robbed today!

Fabulous garden centre. Food great as well. Dog friendly cafe. Highly recommend a visit.

Didn't have what I needed. Probably due to large amounts of garden equipment being removed to accommodate Christmas product. Bought off Amazon instead.

Very disappointed in the cafe ordered a breakfast roll, 1 tiny piece of hard bacon, 1 very runny egg, I slice of black pudding ,by the time we payed of it ,it was stone cold, very slow service, need more staff

Love it? Loads of choice and very friendly staff 💖

Got cool Dino Christmas ornaments

Lovely place but very disappointed earlier today at the food in their cafe. Ordered the Xmas dinner which was looking very much like it had been there for hours (it was 1:45pm). They only had one girl serving the food and coffees and one lady on the til so by the time I got to pay the food was really cold. The lady on the til did kindly ask if I’d like it microwaved which meant my poor nanna who has onset dementia was sat waiting with my partner too long and their coffees had gone cold. Not a good service (and the cafe til can’t find your card number if you don’t have it on you like the main til). I wouldn’t eat there again I don’t think sadly. Nice Xmas decorations though !

We have been going to Dobbies for decades and it's a great place to view, eat, and buy products. The garden selection of items is usually well stocked, and their membership scheme is fantastic to get customers to return for a free hot cuppa! The restaurant is nice, hot food is hit or miss depending on what's on offer! There are lots of cakes to choose from and the scones always looks tasty. The staff are friendly and willing to help out. The whole place is wheelchair friendly and plenty of disabled parking.

Ah, Dobbies Garden Centre Cafe—where time slows to a crawl, salads go to wilt, and bacon dreams of better days. If you’re in the mood for a dining experience that feels like watching paint dry while your wallet quietly weeps, then this is the place for you. The service: Imagine, if you will, a relay race where everyone forgot they were supposed to run. That’s the pace here. The staff, bless their overworked souls, are few and far between—like an endangered species of barista. While they were friendly enough when we finally made contact, waiting for food felt like trying to grow a bonsai tree from scratch: an exercise in patience and silent despair. The food: Let’s talk about that bacon and brie baguette. It arrived looking like it had been through a midlife crisis. The bacon was soggy enough to double as a bookmark in a damp novel, and the brie had the distinct personality of melted plastic. The baguette? More like a “bag-wet.” As for the salad, it could only be described as a collection of leaves that had given up on their dreams. Limp, lifeless, and possibly considering therapy. The prices: Ah, the pièce de résistance—or should I say, the fleecing of the century. For these culinary misdemeanors, you’ll part with a sum that could have funded a week’s worth of groceries. One does not pay for food here; one donates to the concept of disappointment. To sum up, Dobbies Cafe is like a garden shed filled with weeds: you expected something charming, but you’re left with a mess that makes you question your life choices. If you must visit, bring a packed lunch and a lot of patience. Or better yet, just stick to admiring the potted plants outside—they’re far more vibrant than anything you’ll find on your plate.

Nice garden center and cafe, but took that long waiting on hot drink our food was cold when got to the table.

Nice tea and cakes in the cafe always lots to see

We decided to call off at dobbies as it would be nice and christmassey and we were going to get some lunch. When we were getting our food the queue wasn't too big, but yet it wasn't moving. The beans had gone craggy all the food looked dried up. I told my daughter to go and sit down as her food was getting cold ,as for ours it was cold we ate up as we weren't waiting anymore the staff were stressed and it showed but when short staffed this can certainly be the case but you have to keep smiling as hard as it is Won't be visiting for food anytime soon

It would be a better system if you paid for your food 1st then went and collected it so it’s not stone cold and you have to go complain & have changed for a warm meal. The play area needs a deep clean & a total refurbishment.Not impressed at all.

Disabled toilets, one out of order, and the other hidden near the cards section

Great store , super caffe, a lovely place to visit. Just been again and it's even better. My wife had the Christmas lunch and it was very good. I had sausage and mash, smashing. A great place for Christmas gifts.

What has happened to Carlisle Dobbies. We met friends at 12.30 for lunch and were surprised to see very little food on display. We settled on paninis and soup. Waited ages for service hardly any staff on. Finally got our food also disappointing, soup wasn’t very hot and paninis were tasteless and not browned enough. Tables weren’t cleared the place looked dirty. The store and restaurant was very quiet which surprised us when we arrived but not after our experience. Always loved a trip to Dobbies but won’t be back.

Very overpriced won't rush back

Went for afternoon tea and it was excellent and good value. Been again and it was even better

A well stocked garden centre as well as a decent selection of greetings cards and gifts. The Waitrose attached inside is a little random and the shelves are often quite scarce. Good coffee as well although the food is quite dear.

Where do I start? The restaurant: it was filthy and the tables were messy. Not only that, the service was terrible, it was incredibly slow as there was not enough staff on. There should’ve been at least 2 more staff making drinks to keep up with the queue but it was only one lady all on her own. There wasn’t even enough people there to make you a tea- you had to go and make your own. I wouldn’t mind doing it myself if the prices weren’t so expensive! The high prices do not reflect the quality of the service at all, and it wasn’t even that busy as it is a weekday! Next, the toilets: those too were filthy, there were multiple cubicles without toilet roll- i had to go in four different cubicles before I found one with toilet roll! Also, most of the soap dispensers were empty. We are not happy with our experience here and will certainly not be returning.

Called into the restaurant today (Monday 28th) and struggled to find a table as they hadn't been cleared

We enjoyed a trip to Debbie's after not being for years. There was a number of welcome improvements so we'll visit more often

Very friendly staff a lot of choice and variety good service good selection of everything

It's a nice garden centre. Not cheap, but you can get good deals on sales and the dobbie card gets you a 10 % discount. A great place to have English breakfast too.

Very nice afternoon tea and excellent service. Couldn't fault it. Enjoyable experience

Always a pleasure walking around and looking at various items

Popped in for a coffee and panini which was very nice staff were friendly helpful and polite. The girl at the coffee counter took my drinks over as I have stick .Garden centre looked fine but getting ready for Xmas so always boxes around . Nice all the same

Good range of products is available for all areas of your garden. Staff are friendly and helpful. Seasonal stocks are available as well, with some end of current season items on sale. Also available is a branch Maidenhead Aquatics, again, staff are friendly and helpful. Well worth a visit, even if it's just for a wander around or pop into the cafe. There is currently a 2 for 1 offer on Scones in the cafe, but only after 1400hrs.

Great range of plants, gifts, fish and garden furniture and tools, good food in the cafe as well

Arrived at 2.45 to find no food available in the cafe except for a panini or cream scones. So disappointing. Our local Dobbies serves great food all day so was expecting the same. Interiors felt drab and the food in the 'waitrose' part was overpriced. Overall felt let down

Considering the time of year It was very sparse and the plants outside wer very dry ... Needed a good drink .

Dobbies need more staff on drinks counter,they also need more staff at restaurant tills as food is cold by the time you get served.

decided to get a drink while in dobbies and chose what seemed like a good choice but noticed when staff made second drink the use of fingers grabbing topping of biscoff out of container for my drink no utensil used so declined drink and just decided upon a plain hot chocolate instead, no apology from staff for what had just happened and a utensil went in the container to be used for future consumption personal opinion it should have been disposed of due to staff fingers touching product without gloves will not be back for a while

Not too busy and just a typical Dobbies the staff are really good

Poor service, no serviettes or spoons, no,traus to be found or staff members 2 rude members of staff when I took my grand children to feed the fish no food they couldn't be bothered to put some fish food in bag for 2 children ,totally ignored the children this was around 15;20 managers meed to be aware of this ,costs nothing to acknowledge people. I won't be recommending this place ,tables were dirty,informed when we got there that soft play was closed due to cleaning

Took money out my account without permission

Good shopping area and beautiful plants. A cafeteria with sandwiches and delicious cakes. Service seemed slow and obviously short of staff.

Very disappointed. Booked afternoon tea and was not given the option of choice - luxury or traditional. We got given the traditional. The tea was therefore very basic! Refill of tea was not forth coming and therefore had to go and ask for our refill. Won’t be in a hurry to come back!

We were in last week to buy a plant and pot. Jo was reslly helpful, and has been on a number of occassions we have visited the store previously.

A bright, clean store with lots of items on display. Clean customer toilets beside a nice cafe.

Nice garden centre, decent size without being too large. Good restaurant/cafe. Nice selection of gifts, homeware and large aquatic centre. Plenty of onsite parking. We purchased a range of plants and shrubs, all healthy plants and advice from pleasant, helpful staff.

Nice garden centre, decent size without being too large. Good restaurant/cafe. Nice selection of gifts, homeware and large aquatic centre. Plenty of onsite parking. We purchased a range of plants and shrubs, all healthy plants and within advice from pleasant, helpful staff.

Everything you can think of really. Good cafe inside aswell

Good plants and the staff are always happy to help

Dobbies Card+ is definitely worth getting....at a cost of £15.00. This card entitles you to two free drinks every month, 10% off plants/bulbs/seeds and a special birthday treat. There are other benefits too. The birthday treat I recently enjoyed was an Iced Salted Caramel Latte and a fruit scone with butter and jam. Do the maths....that equates to approximately £80.00 worth of tea or coffee for the meagre cost of £15.00. That is surely a no brainer.

Diverse range of goods for sale that are well presented by and large. Easily accessed and convenient. Can be pricey.

Unfortunately on the day we went, there were no chillers or freezers, due to a technical problem, so food and drnks were limited. (Not unusual here !). However, that is no excuse for lack of facilities outside, and untidy state of outside area ! It was one of the few hot days we have had, at the start of the School holidays, so we thought sitting outside near to the childrens play area would be ideal. Hardly any tables or chairs out, what were there were filthy, with dust and debris ! The paved area equally so ! A lot of plants, garden furniture etc were dramatically reduced, no wonder as the state of this place is of no encouragement for customers to return.

Lovely staff in the Cafe. Nice food. Went for a birdbath but too expensive 😕

Good choice of goods and plants

Was a nice centre in unison with melvale in Edinburgh, unfortunately has deteriorated drastically so bad it looks like Dobbies are selling Carlisle store. Unfortunately it is drastically let down by their Cafe, and outside seating area is filthy . Tables and seats covered with bird poo. Has never been cleaned for months. It needs a visit from both the council health inspectors, but even more so by the CEO of Dobies .

I dont know how a cup of tea can be so bad that is undrinkable. It must be down to really cheap tea bags. Think I might have to smuggle my own tea bag in next time.

Dobbies has a great choice of everything but the prices are very high across the range

Two of us war babies Driven from Penrith to Silloth intending to get breakfasts at Dobbies. Passed Cranstons in Penrith and Houghton Hall in Carlisle. Should have got breakfasts there. We arrived at 11.10 Told stopped serving. Very disappointing. Go elsewhere.

Somewhat pricey garden centre. Service at the cafe is atrocious slow, the food mediocre and overpriced.

Lovely garden centre. Waitrose inside too which was handy. Had a coffee in the cafe and spent a good couple of hours wandering around. Plenty of wonderful things to buy for your home and garden. Lots of parking here and very close to Carlisle.

Really disappointed. We went for coffee and what used to be delicious hot coffee made by a staff member is bow a machine, That serves warm tepid coffee at best. Won't be back.

Friendly and helpful staff. Tasty breakfast and good coffee. More staff needed and an extra coffee machine as the restaurant is so popular. There are great facilities for dogs and for children, with both indoor and outdoor play areas. We'll placed tables catering for couples and larger family groups with a pleasant atmosphere.

A visit with my husband for gardening supplies. We decided to have a coffee and something to eat while there. Good range of cakes and scones. I opted for a panini as well as a slice of carrot cake to share. Then queued for coffee. We must have stood in the queue for 15mins for coffee, the person in front had hot food which I'm sure was cold by the time.they sat down to eat. Once you have your coffee you then queue to pay. My panini was lukewarm once I sat down. Such a shame as it was tasty and the carrot cake delicious.

very poor, dishes very dirty looks like they haven’t been washed, not like it used to be

Great place for a visit and a cup of tea with friends and family

£2.10 for a can of Coke and a glass of ice. I needed the ice because none of the ‘cold drinks’ are actually chilled. Sold at room temperature which leads me to conclude that the ice cost £1.10! A ripoff.

Thought we would have lunch here this afternoon 14:00ish. Food was great restaurant was a disgrace. Fifty percent of the tables littered with used dirty plates. Carpet is filthy and food lay all over it. Totally spoiled the experience. Would have spoken to the manager but it was a family day and didn’t want to spoil it.

Used Dobbies Restaurant for a group afternoon tea (40plus) Excellent service throughout, friendly staff, lovely food. Can highly recommend and will be using again ourselves in the future.

I would like to say my food was ok but the way i witnessed a senior member of staff talk to one of his junior members of the team was absolutely disgusting. He was right up in his face and was using disgusting language this is not acceptable in front of visitors annd other staff members this from my point of view looked very threatening.

Good choice of plants. nice restaurant cafe. use of wheelchairs available

Hardly any staff to help I'm particularly sighted and difficult to find plants. Not very good labeling what plants are what

We often go to Dobbies for lunch and a little shopping. The staff are always friendly and helpful, and the meals rather delicious. However yesterday 'side salad' was awful, though the jacket potato was nice with lots of filling. I do wish that we could post a photo, as it looked and tasted stale. No lettuce or tomatoes which are basic salad ingredients, and literally a teaspoon of coleslaw. Very disappointing!

Plants Bit expensive and on some other items, but breakfast was very good .

Good variety of plants and garden furniture and excessries

Excellent service and food. Highly recommend!

Good quality products but expensive

Only giving one star, because I cnt give zero! Absolutely disgusting treatment by store manager the other day. Still waiting for blue badge to arrive, so parked in one of 15 vacant parent and child spaces. She came across to us, and publically humiliated us. Horrible rude woman. Not all disabilities are visable. EDIT went for lunch here yesterday..... my partner had the fish, chips and mushy peas. The fish was edible, but the chips were stale and the mushy peas had a crispy 'skin' on them as they'd been left on the hot plate FAR too long! And £2.15 for can of coke zero! Staff are ignorant. EDIT 20/04/24 Went for lunch today ( no, we haven't learnt!) Partner had fish and chips.... the batter was hot, fish inside was cold!!!! Shop wasn't stocked very well with outside plants. Much better garden centres around now

Went to Maidenhead aquatics, plenty of choice of fish etc , but a little more expensive than elsewhere, but good quality tropical fish

Place to go for vegatable plants excellent

Hate this over rated place will not be returning

The Store has all your garden needs and also a super cafe/ restaurant plus good food hall

Popped in for a spot of lunch and to look at some garden furniture

Friendly staff Find what i need

Staff extremely helpful and friendly service

Great selection of plants and flowers, everything for the garden

Excellent, always friendly staff, really helpful.

We as a family love Dobbies, especially when our grandson comes, as he loves the soft play 😀

The store is beautifully laid out. Staff are pleasant and helpful and good parking available

It's a typical Dobbies, selling a whole range of garden goods, gifts and gardening equipment. It has a nice restaurant and the staff are always friendly and helpful.

Staff were very friendly and helpful. Store was light, airy and clean. Went around the garden centre and found exactly what I wanted. There was so much choice.

Plenty of plants to choose from. Lots of household items and gifts. The food in the restaurant was very nice and the staff helpful and friendly.

Quite big, such a selection of cupboard food, some fridge and freezer food items too. A selection of alcohol, and lots of other things, on top of all the plants!

Lovely garden centre. Well stocked with all things garden. Very popular place. Vehicles in and out all day. The cafe wasn't the best food was basic and dried out.unfortunate as the centre itself is superb. In my opinion.

Haven't been in a while and not I remember why. Most of the staff are unpleasant and possess no customer service skills. My friend and I came for breakfast and despite being serving in the queue, by the time we were served the food was cold. Over priced too.

My dad came for breakfast and was so disappointed it was a 5 item breakfast and was inedible as it was barely warm and the toast was so hard you could of used it as a hammer to knock nails in … would not recommend at all what a waste of money

Garden supplies and food Isle, ample parking . Wife rates it *****

I asked for toast in restaurant and got two slices vaguely browned on oneside only. No pleasure in eating it so I didn't. No point in complaining as staff were under pressure

Popped in to use my Dobbies coffee voucher and had a yummy scone. Very nice as always.

Friendly staff good selection of plants good food and excellent soft play

Not impressed....... meal cold ....no staff to serve in restaraunt ....and to top it all off overcharged for items on way out .....had to wait to get refund .......more staff needed and better training

The garden centre is great, selling lots of beautiful indoor plants and homeware. The cafe however needs massive improvement. Very disappointing sandwiches, everything looked and tasted cheap. The hot food counter was laughable to look at, lasagne looked like it had been out that long it had dried up, macaroni cheese was literally boiled pasta with a tiny bit of sauce. It seems there charging the big prices here but serving low quality food. We won’t be back to eat however the cakes are lovely. Coffee ok but weak.

Always a good range of excellent quality plants, helpful & knowledgeable staff, a large range of products other than plants, a pleasant cafe to get your strength back after all your shopping & plant deliberations - & the dog-friendly area within it is much appreciated! Enjoy the loyalty scheme too.

Just having a late breakfast. Scrambled eggs left a pool of water over my lukewarm food. Asked for a weak latte, explaining that I like it really weak. Couldn't drink it as it was too strong. Took it back and the young lady making the drinks was clearly not happy with me and was edging on rude. I am picky about my coffee, and apologise when requesting my coffee, always making fun of how pathetic I like my coffee to be. I don't need the attitude and would suggest the young lady shouldn't be customer facing until she can handle customers better. Thanks for the response, I do usually enjoy my coffee at Dobbies and frequently stopped there either on my way to or from meetings as it was always made just right. I left my coffee today, sorry.

It’s okay but can be pricey and plant quality can be poor

Good selection of gardening materials.