Heighley Gate Garden Centre Restaurant in Northumberland

Thete for 9am, bteakgadt looked like it had been sitting hours, tasteless and only Luke warm. Mentioned to staff and was informed it had been sitting on hot plate and walked away. Very poor food for the time in morning and poor service.

The restaurant is too far away for people with mobility problems to walk to and with no seats on route for anyone to sit down. This needs addressing. Have you thought of offering golf buggy rides you could have had Santa driving ! Sorry I doubt I’ll be back.

A mooch around and decided on some food as it was lunch time, steak pie chips and peas, chips chunky and surprisingly good, steak pie was tremendous, fkakey pastry, good filling with plenty of gravy, pleasantly suprised.

I hate to negatively review. But my husband has a SEVERE NUT ALLERGY We have often been and had a breakfast bun, coffee which is great. Somewhere new he could eat. The past few times we have been we have had to go back to the counter and ask for our cups to be changed. They were really dirty. Again the knives and forks the same. Chipped cups. The resturant is also very dirty at times. Something as Important as FOOD ALLERGIES and CROSS CONTAMINATION cleanliness should be first. Unfortunately we cannot come back.

Booked an afternoon tea online and we were not disappointed. The lady chef and her colleagues had clearly put a considerable time and trouble creating a delightful afternoon tea. The sandwiches were varied and fresh. The scones were tasty and fresh. The extra savouries were good sized portions. In fact we had to ask for boxes to take food away that we could not eat as we were full! Thank you for a lovely afternoon tea.

Disappointed... restaurant right at the back of the garden center...hubby has full English which was adequate.. although the black pudding was likened to a hockey puck..scrabbled egg on toast for me..egg was hard lumps and cold..as was my coffee... overpriced for what it was..

Unfortunately today in the 1st cafe on the way into the garden centre we encountered a unpleasant staff member in the cafe when asking for something not knowing where it was and was told in a disorderly unprofessional response to get it before you Go to the counter, if you don't know this then it should be on a sign as bet it isn't just myself that didn't know that l, also Alot of tables with trays still on which people were moving themselves to get a clean table to sit at.

Since Dobbies took over this garden centre has been in steady decline. We have been going since it was Heighly Gate and visited for over forty years, NEVER AGAIN. looks like a lot of the people who leased floor space have gone. For example the butchers, sports clothing department. People who displayed caravans, motor sales . Coffee shop nearly empty. Mens toilets a disgrace, a black water line in the toilet bowl heaven knows when they were cleaned properly, needs the health people to do a inspection. Looks like everything is getting spread about to hide the empty space.

I would just like to point out that Dobbies did change the dog friendly area within the coffee shop and yes it was over a year ago but there are a few facts that have been missed and changed. Originally there were 5 tables available as you entered, this was changed to the middle section which has over 15 tables available. The original area tables only seated 2 people at a time so became very full and over crowded quickly, the new area however has larger tables and these can be moved to provide more seating for larger groups with dogs. The original seating area also started to cause a 'blockage' with dogs so people using the Coffee Shop with wheelchairs, prams etc could not gain easy access, this issue has now been removed by providing much more space for dogs. With regards to the rear seating area, this has never been for dogs and is designed to offer a quieter more relaxed area. No business has to offer a dog area, in fact, the further south you travel, the less you find these, even in Garden Centres, so Dobbies have catered for the increasing number of customers and their dogs ( in fact, the main restaurant has also doubled the number of dog friendly tables).

Wont be returning, been coming here for years and bringing my dogs. Dogs were only allowed in a certain part of the cafe from when we first started to come, and it was this was for ages. We respected this and made sure we sat in the dog friendly area. Then around a year ago, noticed that area was no longer dog friendly, we had to sit somewhere else. Which we done. Then after a few months, every part of the cafe was dog friendly (no dogs on seating though, which is fair enough) For around 6 months we’ve always sat in the back area on the sofa which has been dog friendly since they started changing where you could sit (bit like musical chairs) Enjoyed sitting in this area as there is less going on, so dogs are more relaxed. Go in today, and surprise surprise, seating changed again, dogs are not allowed in there now. Why with all the changing? People need to know where to sit. Won’t be renewing our 3 Dobbie’s cards as this is no longer somewhere we feel we can go. And we went twice a week for 3+ years.

Awful food & poor service. The staff couldn’t be less interested if they tried. The place wasn’t busy but many tables were littered with dirty dishes. Won’t be returning.

I waited to pay for my mini breakfast for several minutes, with my plate in my hand. I sat near the window and began to eat….All Cold. Beans, sausage, egg, hash brown cold on a cold plate. I was so disappointed, but not surprised, as...

We were on a coach trip to Holy Island. We stopped here.on.our way. We went to the coffee shop.We ordered 3 coffees,3 cheese scones. The scones were warm, very tasty. First time.I have been to a Dobbies (will not be my last.) Next time I...

Usual busy coffee bar but have to praise Nathan and Darren for coping with lots of customers. Both were very pleasant under pressure-they deserve some praise Thank you

Have withdrawn nearly all vegan options in small cafe that was small to begin with.Advised by staff that they don't really cater for vegan customers. They cater well for vegetarians and meat eaters. Very disappointed

Took dad for a look around. Popped to restaurant for lunch. Ordered fish and chips each, £11.95 which I thought was pricey. Paid, sat down with a table number. People whom arrived after us were served their meals quickly. Waited over 45 minutes and still...

I was at the easter breakfast with my granddaughter on Friday what an enjoyable time, the bunny was fantastic very helpful and caring she had so much time for the children. Carol was also very good pleasant and so helpful and always smiling, she is...

Went with my partner and 7 month old son for lunch and met up with 2 other couples and their babies. Firstly, the highchair was filthy; I cleaned it as thoroughly as I could but the wipes were brown once I'd finished from what was...

Queued for over 20 minutes in the restaraunt line as it's the only system in order to pay for a session in the adjoining soft play area. There has got to be a better and quicker way to pay for access than currently in use....

typical dobbies displaying and selling the usual items but this store has a very odd layout there is a café to the right which we took advantage of, very nice hot chocolate ,coffee and cakes (well worthwhile having a dobbies card) the odd layout is...

Staff haven’t got a clue and it’s Not very well thought out the Store it been one of the UKs largest Garden Centres you would expect them to know what they are doing in other areas of the country they may do however in the...

As a surprise for me my wife purchased a cream tea for herself and a festive one for me. What a really enjoyable and filling tea it was. Hats off to the restaurant staff as it was very filling and tasty. Servie was first rate...

Went for meal as one of my parents is a diabetic and needed to eat. No cakes or butter in the cafe so sadly had to use the 'restaurant ' after previously swearing never to use it again. The service is so incredibly slow, then...

This used to be a great little clean place… my god how it’s changed. Poor coffee, poor food quality and expensive. We witnessed 3 people taking drinks back to the counter that were as bad as ours. However, we speak with our feet and won’t...

went to the restaurant and asked for sausage and chips the assistant said I could not have sausage and chips I could only have sausage with mash. so I asked for a bowl of chips and asked for the sausage separate but they don't sell...

well where do we begin today 290922 needed compost and decided that we would have tea and scones husband and myself well if i had seen the state of the cafe i would not have ordered let alone eat here dirty floor,dead flies on window...

We had booked online to have afternoon tea at 12 noon! We’d requested a quiet table if possible. Upon arrival we were directed to a very pleasant table with comfy chairs. The afternoon tea was so plentiful that we had to take some home in...

Disappointed Expensive, poor choice of garden items right across the board, staff seem unhappy, place has lost its quality & pleasure

Visited the garden centre on Friday Very pleasant lovely coffee and very friendly staff. I purchased some plants for the garden along with defuser oil for the house and a small treat for the dogs Loads to choose from from indoor / outdoor very clean...

Took my mother here for a cup of tea and a slice of cake. We were very underwhelmed by the very dry chocolate cake. And a can of pop is £2.25. On a positive note the tea was hot. Save your hard-earned and go elsewhere...

Firstly I love food at Dobbies but not this one! Had a breakfast and it was shocking, dried out bacon, Luke warm hash browns, congealed beans and the egg was hard cold and swimming in grease. Dobbies you seriously need to get to the Morpeth...

I would give the review 3.5 if possible but I think the 1 star reviews from some people are a little unfair. The service was a little slow and frustrating but I wasn't in a rush. The business does need to look at having one...

After queueing for 30 minutes to get a sandwich my friends & I decided to get a scone instead because only one person was serving at that counter. We were given margarine with the scone because they said they had no butter. The savoury scones...

We ordered a sandwich, Chilli con carne ,Chips ham and fried egg, everything was cold, the other two friends I was with said they were going to complain at the main customer service desk,but I decided to return the Chilli, I said "excuse me but...

Always a queue and just handed back the can of pop at till ! £2.10 for a can of pop ridiculous! Having to stand in a long queue just to pay for soft play

The day we visited the cafe was quite busy and the queue barely moving. So instead we walked to the other side of the garden centre to the restaurant. Service there was dreadful. We queued for ages to get coffees. There was insufficient staff on...

We really enjoyed going here, the staff are friendly and when we got to the till even though we didn't realise there was a free cake available with what we were buying they made sure we received it. The soft play is also super value...

I applaud them for having a vegan option but it was disgusting... such an easy dish to do too.... it was vegan chicken in a ciabatta... the bread was stale, and should have been heated. I did e-mail them to let them know that at...

Staff behind counter should be wearing masks as this was daylight robbery. Having been sheltering from covid for months a trip out to the garden centre would just be want we needed. Didn’t expect the prices to have gone through the roof. Hate to think...

Drove all the way up there today, Wednesday, 13th October, 2021 only to find that once again the front café had no bread! How the hell can you run a café and not have any bread! Sadly, this has happened a few times now which...

We decided to come here for a light lunch as the cafe area looked very bright and airy. Although there were many cars in the car park the restaurant was deserted. I had a toastie which came with chips. The ham was very good but...

Like other reviewers before me, I am sorry to say I would not rush back here. Service is incredibly slow and coffee poor when eventually it comes. Scones are also nowhere near as good as in most cafes. This is a very sad state of...

After waiting 15 mins.I was the only one in queue.to be served.I eventually got 1 flat white not even Half full and I honestly can’t say what the other one was I had ordered a decaf cappuccino. There were 2 staff on duty and very...

Without doubt the worst organised tearoom ever. 3 staff on duty including one jobsworth, no great crowd yet over a half-hour to produce coffees. Totally unacceptable. Lets the whole centre down which is otherwise a good place to go to.

Looking for lunch , as we had been tothe one a carlisle a few weeks earlier , H & S all good , sohad to walk the full length of the building to the reasturant , following plenty signs / directions , it was quite...

How this garden centre has gone back in customer service is really shocking. It boasts a coffee shop and a restaurant but both are non customer focused In the coffee shop you don't expect a cooked meal but a sandwich or toastie would be nice....

Disappointed by what was on offer at Dobbies. Previously, there was a Rothbury Butcher concession and a selection of locally-made bread and cakes. That has all gone since Dobbies took over. The in-store Sainsburys does not compensate for what was there before.

Very disappointing!!!!!! Restaurant was fairly quiet when we visited but after ordering it took 20 minutes to serve us one tea and one coffee!!! While we were waiting we noticed other customers approach the counter to complain about the wait. Four people behind counter serving...

Firstly I have mobility problems and it is a very long walk to the restaurant. No parking near it. We were greeted and told to just find a clean table.Ha! Loads of empty tables but no clean ones. Insufficient clearing up. In the end we...

Extremely disappointed. I know things are different with COVID do’s and dont’s. Short wait at entrance, we went down and got a table. There were no menus or even a blackboard with a few meal choices on would of been better than nothing. Only one...

We went for coffee and scones waited 20 minutes in queue with only 4 people in front of me to order and another 10minutes for it to be delivered to the table the coffee was good but the scones were not fresh and it certainly...

Coffe shop Rude horrible staff Shouted at and screaming staff absolutely rude and never again Used to be good now useless Need staff training in customer service

Really badly organised at the cafe . I waited 1:5 hours with a three year old for cold dry left over food that I wouldn’t serve to my cat .

The food looked lovely and I'm sure it would be lovely for a coffee and cake but the meals were a little disappointing not as hot as it should be and very slow service. However for coffee and cake I'm sure it's lovely with the...

Booked an afternoon tea to finish off a week's hold in Northumberland. Turned up on time and they didn't know anything about it, manager came straight out to apologise and offered us a refund and to have a meal free as way of apology. Mistakes...

Enjoyed coffee an scones.Long wait as breakfasts were coming quick and fast.Excellent waiter appeared rushed off his feet.Noticed no tables cleared or cleaned while we were there for 3/4 hour.More staff needed I think

The cafe offers a basic range of items. Service was friendly and helpful and speedy (though it was quiet). Drinks were 'fine'

My elderly colleague has been coming up to Heighley Gate since it was a house owned by a couple in the 60s. You get what you pay for here. Much bigger than the average garden centre. After a walk around usually once a month or so, we usually end up with a scone and a cuppa.

Disgusting treatment by Dobbies of the local fruit and veg trader that they are forcing out. I won’t be back!

Coming here for 30 years looks like the new owners are having an affect in a negative way No staff to serve one person doing drinks and 50% of the tables left to clear

I decided about a year ago not to try the cooked meals again after 2 prior poor meals. The problem was warm food. A year or more later NO IMPROVEMENT i am sad to report.

Have visited the costa coffee shop inside the garden centre regularly but won’t be back again after a member of staff was incredibly rude to my disabled sister. Such a shame she has ruined what used to be a weekly outing to get my sister out of the house.

A fantastic selection of sandwich ,scones and cakes in lovely surroundings. As we also had a table by the window we were able to watch the wild birds feeding. The staff were very polite and helpful frequently checking to see if we were ok

Used to be really good. Now limited choice and silly prices - and overgrown bushes spoiling the view from the cafe windows.

There is a lovely softplay for the children to the side of the main café/restaurant area however the only problem is the adults!!!! ADULTS please do not access this area as it is designed for young children to play safely within it and for them to learn social skills and develop their own self confidence. My grandchildren enjoy this area but on seeing adults inside this area it sometimes frightens then particularly when adults are using the slides. The signs state maximum height so stay out and let the children play safely.

The restaurant is very large and airy with a great choice of food and snacks to satisfy anyone. The staff are friendly and accommodating and keen to assist. A full menu available from breakfast to late tea.

I asked cafe staff if they had anything gluten free expecting to be shown cakes etc but they said ‘what are you looking for?’ Seemed a bit odd as I was expecting to hear options. As I was next to cooked breakfast they shepherded me in that direction. The choices were limited as the potato cakes had gluten (kitchen was checked to confirm). I had bacon, egg (only fried eggs) and mushrooms with a round of gluten free toast. As someone who is super sensitive I was a little wary (had the toast been cooked in a gf toaster?). The plate was very greasy but there was definitely no gluten.

Well set out plenty to browse at the cafe was spotless the staff pleasant and polite the food was well presented but could have been a bit hotter.

To be fair my son and niece loved the soft play.

We visited the garden centre and decided to have lunch. This has changed hands from Wyevale to Dobbies. We chose fish and chips but it was awful. The batter being thick and raw inside the fish tasted unlike any fish I had ever had before.

This has never been the same since it was taken over by large garden centre chains. The cafe is expensive.It WAS a beautifully maintained garden centre with wonderful displays and Bavarian "Kathe Wohlfahrt" style Christmas gifts at Christmas time. No more.The previous chain took away most of the cafe bird feeders, and the little pond with ducks..It has lost its charm. Its o.k. for a cup of tea. There is a cheap book shop there with some bargains.

We booked the afternoon tea with Santa and found the whole experience brilliant. It was well organised, decorated beautifully and very entertaining with elves and Santa coming to see the children at the table.

Great choice at lunch time, hot or cold , sandwich or full meals available .. nice surroundings Al tables clean and well looked after by very efficient staff .

Watery soup (supposed to be mushroom, but you wouldn’t have known) with stale bread, dry microwaved jacket potato - have a coffee at Costa and go somewhere else for lunch!

Looking forward to having lunch and browse as a treat. My partner had a tasteless bacon and Brie pannini and I had the worst cheese and tomato toastie ever. The girl serving cooked it in nano seconds and both sandwiches were totally undercooked. We then queued for drinks and then to pay by which time my sandwich was just cold, soggy bread and congealed cheese. We then went to buy Christmas cards and the offering was so poor and overpriced, came home hungry and disappointed.

We often visit this garden centre as we love gardening and looking for ideas. We usually have hot drinks and light food, being scones sandwiches etc. I agree with all other comments that it is badly organised. Dobbies in Ponteland was exactly same. You wait in long queue for hot food then again for hot drinks and again at pay desk. If you don’t need hot food which seems to take forever to be served you try to join the queue further up avoiding the customers waiting for hot food. This causes raised eyebrows for people still waiting for hot food. I have never managed to take a hot meal back to our table. After all the more people who do the same obviously makes this queue even longer for hot people customers. I would suggest that the small island counter which stands apart should be used for hot drinks in busy periods. A little bit of common sense could eradicate this waste of time

Went on Saturday for a look round. Great Christmas displays, cook shop, restaurant, cafe, Outdoor clothing shop, fruit and veg , gifts and of course the garden centre itself. Plenty parking and really helpful staff. Great way to spend a few hours

Stood in line for a while the soup was mediocre and the bacon and brie panini was diabolical. My mother ordered the baked potato with cheese which was of the cheapest nastiest cheese ever and the potato was cold . Then had to stand and queue for drinks with our meals and then queue to pay! Never again. A woman was given frozen chicken. Customer service was non existent.

We used to visit a lot before it was taken over by Dobbies, I came Monday lunchtime for a scone and my 4 year old to play in the soft play, first of all the soft play has gone up to £3.50 which is outrageous as it is so small, 3 tables were in use all others empty apart from all the plates/trays etc. which I had to remove in order to sit down, the floor was also covered in food.

Called in for Sunday lunch. Partner thought it would be a nice place to visit. Server seemed inexperienced and clumsy serving up mass catered food which did not fill me with confidence. Meal itself was below average and not worth the asking price. 3 of 4 pieces of cutlery I pulled out still had dirt on them.

My husband and myself decided to go for breakfast here, after visiting Dobbies at Ponteland many times we thought it would make a nice change, after waiting in a long queue, we got to our table, my husbands coffee was cold and my tea was like dishwasher, waited again for food which was also nearly cold, the bacon in my sandwich was over cooked, cold and like cardboard, my husbands was only made better because he had egg and beans to help it go down. Won't be going back not even for a cup of tea...well dishwasher!

I am aware that they are going through a transition phase but the state of the restaurant was disgusting. Most of the tables were covered in remnants of the lunch time at 3.45. We had 3 youngsters and we wanted to go to the soft play, there wasn’t a clean table to accommodate us so we had to clear and clean before we could use it.

Called in the "Restaurant" Cafe a better title for tea and a scone. Found a table and had to clear it ourselves before we could go for our food. Whilst we sat and had our tea no tables where cleared every single table was cluttered with dirty dishes we weren't given saucers for our tea cups they had none left not surprising they where all dirty in the cafe. Very disappointing experience would definitely NOT RECOMMEND. Think more staff are needed.

Incredibly disappointed. Went to Dobies ponteland first and was very impressed with everything and great cafe. Went hear only to find we wasted our petrol! Xmas display and stock range poor and only Costa.. No cafe fur meal. Long queue at tills as they hadn't trained the staff before the new opening ..should they not have done this prior a d not at a peak time of day! Will mot be back to this one!

It’s a bit like a supermarket cafe with farmhouse aspirations.... or a motorway service station. Food ok prices high. It was so much better a few years ago. I would give the garden centre your time, have a coffee at Costa, give the restaurant a miss. Sadly.

have already left a review for this centre -- gone downhill in quality but VERY uphill in price--not much you can do as there is only a Costa in top end of shop

I can't help thinking that this restaurant could be much better organised. It is large, light, spacious and has beautiful views over the surrounding rural landscape. I have enjoyed it very much on past visits but on this recent occasion the queues and waiting spoilt it. O ordered a jacket potato which was served fairly promptly but then stood in another slow moving queue for a hot drink. In the end I gave up waiting and stood again to pay, by which time my potato was cool at best.

Stopped here for lunch on Wednesday, 29th August 2018. Decided on the over 60's special offer which comprised of a main course, set dessert and tea or coffee. My husband had the Hunters Chicken which was very dry and overcooked. I had the cod which was so hard, I can only assume it was left over from the day before. I have never had such a badly cooked piece of fish. Dessert was plum crumble served on a flat plate with 'custard'. It was barely warm and I couldn't eat it. Complete waste of money. The only saving grace was the coffee which was ok but served in a very large cold cup so was cold before I could finish it.

visited today, august bank holiday, for a nice look round and a light meal. We chose Jacket potatoes with prawn filling for me and coronation chicken for my wife. Shall we be kind and say the exellent fillings disguised the very poor,black and moderately lukewarm potatoes. With a pot of nice english breakfast tea the bill was £18-50p. We could and should have travelled further north and had superb fish and chips for less money.. Sorry heighleygate, poor quality, terribly slow service and why do you put a tea/coffee station in the middle of the floor space unmanned and yet allow the customers to stand waiting with hot food until they reach the end of a small but very slow queue for tea and coffee, by which time their food is now cold!

Always vist heighley gate when were up in northumberland lovely friendly staff and gorgeous things to buy love it in there

dont buy a hot meal here because by the time you get through the checkout the meal will be stone cold, thats not due to it being busy its just tediously slow staff and dont buy a pepsi as its £1.95 a can.

We visited for lunch expecting standard Costa food and service which is usually pretty good. This wasn’t.

I recently had a visit to your centre looking for some lovely flowers for my new garden. There was a wide range of flowers which we bought a few to bright up the garden. We decided to visit the restraunt for a bite to eat which was a delite to do with happy customer service and a warm and friendly mannor throughout my stay with an well deserved mention of a girl called sarah who was warm and friendly with great little chat. Would recommend visiting when she in

The restaurant was absolutely disgusting , and one member of staff was not present at all, we wanted fish and chips but the fish was in beer batter and this is unacceptable for me, when I asked if they could do it without the beer batter I was told no, so I asked if they done quiche , and was told yes it was vegetarian , so as it wasn’t on display we didn’t see what it was like, but paid for it at the cost of £15, when it was served to us I couldn’t believe what it looked like, and smelt disgusting , it was so bad I felt sick, so returned it, but was only refunded for one meal as my husband tried to eat his ,but as it was so bad gave up after two mouth fulls, so they said he had eaten most of it. As I didn’t want to argue in front of other customers and was made to feel very uncomfortable by the manager , we just left, but I know we will never return to such a disgusting cafe.

Heat homely menu with delicious sandwiches toasties. It’s worthwhile joining the club As you get points and discounts Make it a day out and go to Morpeth also. Great market town especially martins the butcher

Visited the cafe this afternoon after buying some plants. Staff not very pleasant, chaos at the tea counter (not sure who was serving me with what).. Food not fresh. We sat by the window and the window sill was covered with dead flies- it cant have been dusted down for weeks. Horrible. We came here last year while on holiday, and had a nice lunch, however I was shocked to see how standards have fallen when we called today. Wont bother calling again.

having visited the garden centre my wife and i decided to have sunday lunch in the restaurant,we ordered two roast beef dinners,the beef was tasteless and tough and i heighleywas convinced the animal had died of old age,the carrots were of various thickness meaning some were rock hard and others like mush,the cabbage was overcooked.considering we were in the restaurant just after mid-day i would have thought the quaulity would have been a much higher standard.at almost £10 each this was vastly overpriced.we did not buy the items we had intended to from the garden centre as we were so disgusted by the dining experience.heighleygate garden you have lost a longterm customer.

Traveling back home by husband and I called in for breakfast NEVER again fried egg that was hard bacon all fatty hash brown soaked in fat sausage hard as a rock, beans were good but no cooking required and all cold even cold plates.Dobbies next time sorry.

Just visited here and loved the huge selection of plants etc. Had lunch in the cafe which was very nice but spoiled a little by the miserable girl on the till in the cafe. I think she needs some training in customer relations.

Out for a drive on a nice day. Popped in to have a look around and a snack. Looked at the baked potato area and saw the menu. Asked the chef(?) for a coronation chicken sandwich (from the menu displayed) and he took us over to the fridge. When we came back to him we were told to go to the till and pay. The menu said coleslaw and crisps or salad, so we said we wanted that. One scoop of coleslaw and about 5 crisps later we were asked if we wanted the sandwiches put on the plates. We thought that would have been one step to far for them. In a few words we will have to be starving to eat there again. Food was lovely but felt like an inconvenience. BTW it was no where near worth the price but could have been had there been some customer service.