Downtown Garden Centre, Cafe Culture in South Kesteven

So slow ……….. needs someone to take charge of the staff and restaurant and sort it out . One person taking orders very very slowly, a queue went round into the restaurant. Waited over 20mins for a cappuccino to be bought to the table. The rest of us had finished our cans of drink by then. I’m pleased we didn’t order food.

We ordered tea and coffee and 2 panninis. The drinks arrived at our table 10 minutes later however, after three quarters of an hour we had to ask where our lunch was. It had obviously been placed on the counter waiting for someone to bring it to our table. The panninis were luke warm, the plates were warm with a cold salad, really! This is the second time we have complained about slow service, the first time was last year when we were kept waiting an hour for food and on that occasion we had to cancel the order as we had to be elsewhere that afternoon and would not have had time to eat.

Slowest worst service ever. Waiting 20 mins for one cup of black coffee despite several staff and zero customers waiting. Went back and ordered cake and same experience. No need for such slow poor service

Visited for Afternoon Tea at the Grantham Garden Centre Cafe as a couple. Staff were friendly and helpful right from my initial phone enquiry. A request for brown bread, one of us being a vegetarian, and the other not eating prawns, tuna or mustard caused no issues - and pleased we asked what the sandwich fillings were so we could avoid wasted food. Staff checked if any allergies, both on the booking and when we arrived. On arrival we were allocated a window table that had been set up with a white paper cloth, tea pots, plates etc. Once seated, we were asked what drink we wanted - It didn't have to be tea - we opted for decaf cappuccino. After about 1/2 hour we were asked if we wanted a refill which was a pleasant suprise. The food (4 quarter sandwiches, side salad, 2 pieces of sausage roll with side salad, 8 bite sized cakes and scone, clotted cream and jam) was lovely and as we could not eat it all, we were offered a take out box. Others were doing the same. We think this was great value, especially as we had the 2 for £20 voucher. Hope to go back again.

I booked a table for afternoon tea stating I had a voucher for two people but three of us would be going and we were happy to pay for extra food. On arrival we were served a beautiful spread of food with more than enough for three people. The staff couldn’t have been more helpful. I would definitely recommend this to anyone. Thank you so much Julie Stenton

This is a canteen service not a 5* restaurant so I’m not sure what people are expecting. We’ve always have really lovely tea and cake and it’s always served really nicely. It gets very busy at weekends so be in early

Waited ages only to be served a luke warm coffee. Waited and waited for a replacement and in the end walked out. Observing it looked like one person was doing all the work while others stood around. Clear lack of organisation and leadership.

Had lunch here yesterday , I had the vegetable lasagne which was delicious and the salad accompanying it was huge and very fresh plus 2 slices of garlic bread all for £10.50 ,very good portions .My husband had the fish and chips which again was good .Staff were polite and friendly , we enjoyed our lunch thank you

the very best breakfast we have had anywhere.staff polite and helpful.we will go again. thankyou to all.

VERY slow service . Overworked staff which suggests lack of organisation. Many dishes were unavailable. Food adequate but it was a LONG wait.

came for a quick bite very slow service all round dirty tables low staff numbers menu out of most things cold restaurants basically not living up to expectations

Afternoon tea for 9 of us for a birthday, it was absolutely amazing the food was superb and so fresh, excellent attentive staff who couldn’t do enough for us, I would definitely recommend them, the best afternoon tea I’ve ever been to and the price was brilliant, if your looking for a really lovely afternoon tea go to this venue

Had Sunday roast, £13.50 each, portion size was more like a child’s dinner, chicken was like trying to chew a flip flop, so was the Yorkshire pudding, they had no carrots so substituted with pigs in blankets, these were unrecognisable as so over cooked, peas had been kept in a bain marie so long they had almost turned white, roast potatoes were black on the outside and like slop in the middle, mash resembled porridge and the gravy was like jelly, apart from that it was all good!!!!

Great visit for the kids , Santa actually looked like a proper Father Christmas, the VR ride was good just a shame you had to pay extra for it.

Stopped here instead of Grantham Services, close by, on our way from London to Shipley. A bit of a walk through this large Garden centre to get to the cafe on the first floor but worth it. Make sure you continue through the first large car park to get the the Garden Centre car park. Good food. Almost too much for me ( crisps with my large panini). Order at the counter once you have found a table and remember the table number. Your food will be served at your table. Midday Wednesday in December there were plenty of tables and a small queue. A bit too bust Saturday though. No time to queue on our return journey. Lots to see and buy if you have time. Including books, stationary , hobbies beside a great range of garden stuff. Also A Father Christmas to visit! when we were there.

Really lovely choice of food, 12 of us and we all had really lovely food, excellent service the staff are so helpful and the prices are extremely good

Looking forward to Sunday lunch Waited 40 minutes (we were told this). Disappointed when it arrived.

I have been here several times as it is a handy stop on the A1. The cafe is clean and the staff helpful, food is ordered at till and delivered to the table. However the food is very bland, for example salads made of iceberg lettuce and cress no dressing. Lasagne with thick layer of melted cheese on top ( but not much flavour underneath). Cakes look impressive but just taste of sugar with a strange chemical aftertaste. The coffee cake doesn't have a nice coffee flavour and the carrot cake doesn't look as though it has any carrot in it. Please add more flavour!

Called in here for lunch on a Saturday afternoon on our way home from Newark as we couldn't find anywhere there to eat,it wasn't very busy at around 2.40,we ordered our meal,paid and found a table.Our food was brought go us in around 15 minutes it was freshly cooked,we had sausages and cheese in a burger bun served with chips salad and coleslaw,it was piping hot but the chips were a little underdone could of done with a couple of more minutes cooking,the place was clean and tidy and a choice of tables to sit at,staff were happy and professional.

I don’t want to bash but charging £2.00 for a single can of pop £7 for a simple sandwich £3 for a small bowl of chips is disgusting. Staff are overwhelmed it took me 30 mins to get served with two others in front of me. We are in a cost of living crisis please stop exploiting people You are charging double which eventually greed will be your biggest downfall

The Downtown Garden Centre cafe that is upstairs in the garden centre is very dog friendly. We go there most Sundays for lunch and we always take our dog. The wait for your food is occasionally long but the food is good.

Called in at the garden centre and decided to have Sunday lunch whilst we were there. We really wish we hadn't, it was the worst meal I've ever had. The food was fresh out of the freezer and there was effort made to disguise the fact.

I have just spent 30 mins in a queue for a hot drink and cake at this cafe. Its not busy at all however the system of service that is in place is diabolical. One member of staff at a till taking your order is the failure here. Its not her fault as she is working like a one armed coathangar to work through the queue. It's just not efficient and causes frustration within the queue. Hate to think what it's like when it's busy. It was much better before it changed to this system. I have been seated now for 10 mins+ and I am still awaiting my order. Downtown you can do much better.

We called at Downtown yesterday to do some Christmas shopping, and visited the garden centre cafe for breakfast. The food was freshly prepared and brought to our table without delay. The breakfasts were highly enjoyable and reasonably priced, and set us up for the day ahead. We look forward to returning.

Please... please...please sort out your food ordering system!! It doesnt work ... lovely food when we got it though

My wife and I visited today for lunch , our first visit since the new system of ordering was introduced. I got told off for looking in the Cold drinks cabinet and told I could only order at the till , so you can't choose which drink you prefer ???? My wife had a Jacket Potato with Prawns , she could have soled her boots with the skin. I had a Club Sandwich with consisted of three rounds of thick sliced bread (to much) and the filling was tasteless but chips were OK. After queuing for ten minutes to our order arriving at our table was another twenty minutes. We watched the queue grow and overheard a waitress tell a customer there was a thirty minute wait for food. Bring back the old system please and then we may return.

The cafe is spacious with a choice of seating. There is the typical range of food which uses good ingredients, is well prepared and is brought to your table

Nice set out cafe, you have your menu on the table.... You then go to 'the' till and order. Where you queue up and pay, they could easily fit in another till. There were 6 people in front of myself..... The one lady on the only till was fabulous.... She was very cheery and helped all who needed it. There were atleast three staff I saw at one point making coffees? It would also be helpful to place somewhere on the till counter as you are queuing, items that are unavailable.... A poor lady waited about ten-fifteen minutes queuing only to be told an item she wanted was no longer available. The lady on the till helped find an alternative..... However I felt the lady felt a little pressured to choose something quickly, to prevent going back to her table and repeating the process. We had coffee and scones and they were lovely.

We decided to have a coffee in the Garden Center Cafe but what we had served was a joke over 50% foam for £2.80 per serving by the time we spooned the foam from the top of the coffee the amount of liquid coffee remaining was derisory

Clean, spacious cafe area Good selection on the menu, good value. Welcoming, friendly staff Everyone enjoyed their breakfasts Thank you ☺️

Visited today for coffee, my daughter had a can,they gave her a glass, but never used it, has it was dirty. They need to clean, has cobwebs hanging from the lights We went at 2pm, and majority of tables had not been cleared, whilst waiting for our drinks, they cleared the tables, but they were not wiped down. I think some people seem to for get that Covid has not gone away. We certainly won’t be going back to eat.

Unclean,as in cafe,tables,cutlery,glass's,teapot,cups and saucers,food mediocre,ages in food arriving the whole experience was dreadful,cobwebs everywhere the food I give a 2 star,we should of gone to greasy spoon it would been value for money and cleaner..We shall not be going back huge disappointment

four of us went for lunch with mixed opinions. The panini was fine, but the jacket potato had a burnt skin and had been reheated. The chicken & stuffing bap from their specials board was very disappointing, it had very little chicken which was hard...

We popped in for a ‘comfort break’ on our way to a funeral. We have been once before so knew what to expect. It’s really spacious, light and airy and feels very Covid safe. We sat in the huge arched feature windows overlooking the car...

Not much choice on the menu. Slow service. Ok if you have time to spare and just want a light bite..

Food stale, only get a small amount of food for the price and staff are very rude. I do not recommend at all.

The only reason to go here is ...there is nowhere else , no attention to detail, poor displays, not particularly clean, even coffee machines don't auto fill the cup size properly. Bad queueing system, could easily be fixed , new restaurant manager apparently, hope they...

Amazing service and great food! Lovely staff! Couldn’t be more helpful!! Haven’t been to this cafe in a while and it has been updated and improved a lot! Sadly a bit less choice on the menu than there used to be but still great quality...

We sat down at 1.30 after waiting to be seated but being ignored by colleagues. We waited in a large queue with 1 person serving for over 20 minutes. We sat down after waiting in the queue and then our food arrived at 2.30 after...

We have visited the garden centre several times previously but not eaten here before. The cafe is bright and airy with huge feature windows (overlooking the car park). We were told to sit where we wanted. We found very comfortable seats. My husband chose the...

not been for a while,had tea cakes and tea.staff polite. areas clean.will go again soon.next will try meals.

Finally back at Downtown Garden Centre , Grantham today for afternoon tea. Was very impressed with the new version and staff were lovely and helpful. Thanks to Karen and her colleagues.

Coming out of lockdown I was a bit apprehensive about having coffee and cake at this lovely venue, but I needn’t have worried, they were very COVID safe and with comfortable seats in an obviously refitted restaurant. The waitress was very friendly (Amy) and looked...

Lets start with the menu. It offers light bites so my wife asks for a specific item and got a monotone uninformed answer. So she chose anther item and another etc etc and was met with the same stupidity rather than simply tell us that...

We have visited many times over the years and today was the first time since lockdown.What a surprise and a good one at that,Excellent safety precautions and advice from the lady at reception desk.Waited onl7y a few minutes to be taken care of by a...

I’ve been a few times recently for coffee or lunch and the staff are trying hard in coping with current restrictions. Love the fresh layout of the restaurant. Table service now but have had a few hiccups with staff communication - asking for extra milk...

Called for breakfast with our grand daughter and whilst the std breakfasts where good what I had was very poor in the garden centre cafe.The scrambled eggs where orange, dry and looked as though they had been re-warmed.As a result I ate a quarter and...

After travelling over an hour to downtown for a spot of Christmas shopping. We decided to have lunch, after queuing to get a seat we were then given a menu and a specials menu. We found our table, which we felt wasn’t very clean was...

Very disappointed, we found the lady who showed us to our table very very rude ,and when they brought our food to the table nearly threw it down at us like we had the virus, no customer service at all same ruin a what was...

Visited for a drink and snack, Totally un orgaised , covid system in place but not clear on process. pot of tea was so small it did one cup, 30 min wait for a filled role even though not busy, tables not getting cleared, won't...

I met the most amazing man and such a pleasure to find someone that knowledgeable he helped me with all questions. I have sang the praises to everyone I meet now as finding someone in that department anywhere is rare and they need to keep...

We live locally and visit the Garden Centre regularly and always stop for a coffee and tea cake or cream scone. We were horrified yesterday to see two dogs on leads walking through the restaurant after their owners had been dining in there. They were...

Very long wait for food that was warmEd up from frozen and tasted no better than school dinner. Chips were cold and uncooked end even the cans and bottles of fizzy water were either flat or out of date. Saw a lot of other customers...

Didn't take order correctly,carrot cake very soggy, Eccles cake solid and panini barely shown to the grill. Not the best!

We visited the cafe last Wednesday with friends and were very impressed with the alterations they had done due to Covoid 19. They have removed goods for sale on a section of the upper floor and this is now a very comfortable restaurant with sofas,...

Coffee and service impersonal, went through many pieces of cutlery to find 1 or2 not badly water marked with scale, slow clearing tables crumbs and bits under several tables

We ordered eggs Benedict off the light bite section of the menu. We had to wait for the food to be cooked to order which we could understand but not how long it eventually took. People who were seated well after us got their meals...

While some of the family were wandering around both stores, a cuppa and relax was a better idea, good views on a pleasant Feb afternoon, quick service.

Called in on Sunday 12th Jan for the 1st time, it was nice and quiet and tidy. Had the burger and chips and we thoroughly enjoyed it, 2 good burgers in brioche bun with nice ripe tomato (unlike some places where they're so unripe you...

Visited on Monday 12th January, Area where the condiments and cutlery are, it was disgusting, looks has though not been cleaned for months. The floor around the tables had food on the floor and it was only 10pm and hardly any customers, going downhill fast.

Whilst shopping in the garden centre we went for drinks and snacks. Our meal was tasty and cooked throughly.

We'd called in for the sales in Downtown / Boundary Mills like many others. We were a little later than usual, perhaps just after 1pm. We usually go to the garden centre cafe rather than the others on site. This time I think they'd suffered...

I visited the garden centre cafe on Saturday 14th. I was disgusted. I had a fish finger sandwich and a children’s lunch box and they were disgusting. They told me a 20minute wait.. I waited for over 40 minutes. I asked to see the manager. But it was over half and hour till I even saw the manager return. Her name is amy I believe, she was rude, unpleasant and very unwelcoming. I would return and try something else to eat but your staff standards are not an experience I want to go through again. Honestly not worth your money and time.

There are three cafes on this site in Downtown shop itslef, in Boundary Mills Store and this one in the garden centre. This is usualy our choice - more leisurely and good choice of food.

looking at the last few reviews, were we lucky.we went yesterday, monday pie, roast tates and two veg. for what we paid , nice and very good value thomas looked after us he was polite and helpful...

Trays dirty tea coffee making areas very dirty Chips dry and burnt McDonald’s are far better Dirty dishes from previous customers on tables . All in all disappointed .

they do not offer much for people that are gluten free only an omelette and the have got really stingy with the portions the smallest jacket potatoes anywhere

The website says they are dog friendly. But this doesn’t apply if you want to use the cafe. The staff weren’t very human friendly either!

I stopped in here with my girlfriend on a Sunday afternoon just before 3pm.

upstairs in the garden centre of Downtown is the cafe, quiet when i visited but a welcome break while the family went and shopped, pleasant atmosphere, good service with a good cup of tea.

yes we went there just over a week ago for a change it is quite big and the resturant is very well set out for getting in and out and plenty room at the tables

Clean and reasonably priced snacks. Wheelchair accessible. Staff are very helpful and friendly. Well worth it.

An absolute rip off. £7.50 per child and it is the worst grotto ever. The website asks for the childs age so they get an age appropriate gift but all kids get the exact same book whatever their age. The grotto itself is just a big room with a till in one corner, santa in another and a fire place! There is no winter wonderland this year but staff tell you it is downstairs, this is literally a sales floor with a few props for a photo. Very disappointing and i shall not be returning again next year!

All I can say is DON'T BOTHER. No grotto this year. All the children get is a 2-3 minute chat with Santa and a gift (a book) A rip off at £7.50 Photos are available but as always at additional cost

A few years ago used to be great. I had scrambled eggs,well they were masquerading as scrambled eggs but were like eating rubber - I sent them back because they were cold but they came back even worse so I had to leave them. Hubby had bacon - was it bacon or cardboard? and sausage bap. Really poor. Again they have a captive audience. On the day we visited (Friday 30 Nov), service was terrible.

We were shopping at Downtown and decided to have a coffee. The café was in a disgusting state. There was food and drink on the floor. The tables had not been cleared and were a disgrace. The coffee was undrinkable. We requested our money back and the person attending to this hadn't got a clue. We eventually received our cash back but it took a long while. Won't be going there again

We visited Downtown to look at furniture and as it was lunch time we thought we would enjoy a light lunch. The whole set up reminded me of a school cafeteria, cakes first, clear cabinets with sandwiches on display, then hot food. I chose a sausage roll which was quite nice but steered away from hot drinks given how dirty the cups were! Instead we had cold drinks drunk from plastic cups (just like McDonalds). Glasses would be far better for the environment given the current plastic crisis Downtown. We won’t be rushing back...

Shopping at Downtown and Oldrids whilst staying locally. Had a lovely lunch. Staff helpful, friendly, food great. Clean, comfortable, well priced

We visit the Downtown shops every 6 weeks or so and usually have a meal or snack in this cafe.

The cafe has a good selection food with plenty of seating, we found it to be clean and tidy as the staff were very quick to collect dirty plates and clean the tables after customers.

Great food that was piping hot and served with a smile at a good price!!!!!!! What more can you ask for!!

Called for a bite to eat enroute to Buxton, we were starving. We managed to bag two cottage pies , the people in front of us in the queue were offered chips with theirs. Which I thought odd . But when we also asked for cottage pie ours was served in an individual dish , very tasty it was too , but bizarrely no veg. No veg to be seen anywhere on the counter . Lasagne was also on offer with chips ! But, no salad ,no veg . How very peculiar !

Great place for gardeners,loads of various plants bushes and anything you need for your garden, lights, furniture ornaments etc. Large outlet clothes shop and the cafe is very large with different counters e.g. deli, cakes.I did not stay in a hotel just visited for a day.

Came in on Friday And was advised to try the fish and chips. The fish had been delivered fresh that morning the lady advised us. Was not disappointed lovely meal and great price

Everyone is SO welcoming. A pleasure to visit a (large) but lovely store. Great prices and a large selection of goods to be had.

Such a good place to shop something for everyone

Popped in for drinks and a snack this afternoon. The garden centre was extremely busy yet the staff in the cafe coped really well. Tables were kept clean and tidy and plenty still out to choose from at 3:30pm.

Got to the cafe around 4.30pm and all the food was gone. A very helpful lady offered to make us a sandwich. Which was very lovely. There was another friendly lady who help us with drinks and then served us. What lovely staff are running this Café I hope Downtown appreciates them for all they do

Went for a cream tea, which did not take long to prepare. When the scones arrived we were told they had no clotted cream and had a take it or leave it attitude.

Visited this restaurant for snacks and we were pleased. It is clean and spacious and the staff are friendly. Beans or eggs on toast / toast / two pots of tea £8.25. The food was really good even though it was only toast etc.

This used to be great so turned up did our shopping the ventured to the cafe for lunch, well non lunch as there was very little left! Half the advertised items were sold out, no chips so ended up with average cake and tea. These people are stupid because us like a great many others travel over 30 miles to spend our money. Will we bother again probably not so the whole store loses!

This used to be a nice place to have a bite of lunch but it's the same old stuff and the sandwiches are dry and the paninis are not good. Cheese not melted and doughy bread. The cappuccino is out of a DIY machine and not great. I just go for the sausage roll and beans and my husband used to go for the lasagne but the last time we discovered the lasagne bowls have got thinner and it's all pasta not much sauce etc. All in all disappointing. Not to mention the open restaurant is a bit chilly and finding a seat can be hard on Saturday and Sunday. Didn't eat there last time we shopped which was unusual.

Downtown is a huge 2 level store and Garden Centre and is due to be expanded even more. There is a massive selection of clothes on the Ground floor and a huge selection of Homewares and other items upstairs. We had lunch in the downstairs cafe as the Restaurant on the first floor was packed and queuing. Normal cafe style offering with a help yourself and order and pay at the counter.

Easy to find. Good parking. Enormous shop with separate garden centre. Three in house restaurants. We chose the garden centre cafe. Plenty of choice. Inexpensive. Tasty. Thank you Team Oldrid

We had a 5 item breakfast however it was quite poor. Food was cold, bacon needed cooking longer and value for money was not good.

Took great granddaughter to winter wonderland ,wished I had stayed at home ,very disappointed ,went for lunch afterwards service in café was dire

Visited today spending £50 as a family group as terribly disappointed! No christmas music at all and half way through the radio was stuck on intermittently. Spent extra £9 on penguins and bannana sled and people in there were allowed to take the unused ones ! Was told to stay on rubber matting whilst walking in ice skates but to get the the ring you had to walk in concrete?! Obviously thrown together very quickly as a number of screws/ screw in hooks left around the area. To top it off as there was no music there was about 15 bloody huskies near the ice rink barking constantly (something to do with sled dog rescue). I would avoid as clearly not well put together or organised and not worth £50 !

We visited recently, 27 of us on a coach trip. We stopped for coffee and toilets and an hour shopping. Downstairs is a coffee and snacks and upstairs is a hot food and meals. Boundary mills is downstairs and other shops including Dorothy perkins, Quiz, and many others all offering discount and sales deals. With a huge furniture store. Well worth a visit and something for everyone.

I can't count how many times we have driven past this venue on our way 'up north', but this was our first visit. It's a massive site with virtually everything you might like to purchase personally or for the home. However, despite searching, we did not see many bargains, unless you are into designer brands. Boundary Mills was by far the best section. The restaurant was popular with shoppers.

We were travelling south on a Saturday mid afternoon and needed somewhere to stop for a refreshment break, when we happened across Downtown. More than just a garden centre it is a retail outlet park. We tried the garden centre cafe/restaurant and found the service to be good with a wide range of tasty cakes, all of which were remarkably competitively priced.