Howdens Garden Centre Restaurant in Highland

Visited while on holiday in the area. Looks a nice cafe , but felt the staff were struggling to keep up with demand , polite and nice staff. When the food came 25 mins had passed. Chips were hot but steak pie was only warm to cool. Could have complained , but I felt the staff were under pressure without me adding to that. It was nice but not as nice as it could have been had it been hot. It was a Tuesday when we visited . There were queues which usually tell me a place is good , I guess I was un lucky . I should have asked for a re heat so it’s my own fault as well.

Nice pie and chips 🍟 😋. Some prices not to bad x

Lovely Breakfast in a recently refurbished cafe, not the cheapest but enjoyable.

As wheelchair and mobility scooter user. I found this store and restaurent spacious and easy to be manouvered around. Food served was very yummie and hot. A nice selection of tray bakes & deserts are very pleasant. Coffee is strong, ( i asked for extra milk) great service. All the usual stuff in the store. Well laid out. Enjoyable to visit.

We are visiting cafe quite often and we're absolutely happy with customer service. All staff is very polite, especially young waiter, Paul, which always have a smile and is ready to help. Thank you!

Had lunch here on Sunday butternut squash soup was tasteless and cheese scone very dry , got it heated up but didn’t help We were refunded for soup but we’re disappointed as usually very good

Excellent food, Excellent service and Excellent price. When compared to Simpsons, Brodie, Pringles etc…. this is the best in my opinion.

Since the latest refurbishment the prices have gone up and the quality has definitely gone down. My Cornish pasty had obviously been microwaved but not crisped up afterwards and the result was a leathery and heavy lump of dough encasing a teaspoon of meat with a little potato and some onion and over seasoned with pepper. It was accompanied by a very small amount of tired salad leaves covered with an acrid dressing which I hadn’t asked for an along with a few crisps. Poor quality and value for £9! My friend’s lunch was no better. There was a generous filling of egg mayonnaise but served between doorstep sized slices of stale brown bread and came accompanied with the same sad looking portion of salad and crisps. A dismal experience and very different from how it used to be. I doubt we will be returning.

Well established centre with lots to offer.

The best Sunday lunch we have every eaten in Inverness. Second only to my own cooking. We sent our complement to the chef, who I understand is a Temporary. I do hope they stay.

Food was lovely and got a couple of sale items too.

Very nice garden centre. No safety issues spotted. Great and reasonably priced cafe. Great prices and some great finds.

Food Very good service excellent staff very helpful 👍

Good soup ...although a bit pricey!!

Lovely selection of garden products. Really enjoyable meal in the restaurant, fresh & well priced. Friendly staff

Always a pleasure Fantastic choice of plants and anything for your garden and more besides Cafe great too ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love this place and a big choice as well

Always useful for gardens amd bird feeders, nice restaurant / cafe

As regular visitors for Sunday lunch our experience was one of real disappointment and one that we will be reluctant to visit again On Sunday we decided to change from our usual roast beef and have roast chicken and roast gammon When the food arrived the plates were filled with mountains of vegetables and tasteless mashed potatoes the chicken was in little pieces which looked like it had come from a boiled version and was absolutely tasteless we had ordered extra gravy for both as on previous visits the amount of gravy was very sparse The gravy for the gammon was thick and black and hard to pour our experience was one of real disappointment and will be a long time before we go back get back to quality and not quantity

Bacon roll from the cafe with 1.5 bits of bacon served on a stale roll, with a tasteless latte. Never again.

Lovely breakfast, cooked fresh and reasonably priced.

Breakfast could have been better.

Lovely restaurant and staff. Very relaxed and you can hear yourself talk.

So love this restaurant but yesterday was horrendous. Arrived at 1.30 for lunch and they clearly had been very busy being Father’s Day but it was a shambles. Every second table was covered in dirty dishes no one was clearing up. I ordered tea was told no teapot available!! Despite the tables having teapots on them. I was asked to have coffee instead!! We were then told it would be at least 30 minutes wait for food. I ordered a Caesar salad and it arrived it was a Greek salad with prawns so I asked for it to be changed. Salad came back it was awful, no Caesar dressing , Parmesan cheese was like cardboard and tasteless. It literally was a plate of lettuce for over £10. I couldn’t eat it. So we left. I’m sorry but you need to improve your service. When we left all the tables around us were still covered in dirty dishes and they were still telling customers that they couldn’t have tea!!

Lovely garden centre for plants and planters and all things garden. Very knowledgeable and approadable staff. Also great for greeting cards. Has a gift section, clothes shop. There is a coffee shop, but I've not been there. Managed to get gardening gloves for 2 small grandchildren as well

Dropped in for a quick breakfast. Was pleasantly surprised by what was on offer. Coffee was strong just the way I like it. All food was delicious.

The cafe has a good selection of food and sweets. They are keen to accommodate your wishes. Staff always very friendly and helpful. The cafe has a nice layout and is very bright. Highly recommended, everything is always fresh and food portions are very satisfactory.

You can go here for garden plants, houseplants, nice accessories for your garden and plenty of gift options for friends and family. They also have an attractive restaurant with a good choice for breakfast, pastries and coffee.

Had a nice breakfast with my son and his wife.

I broke down in their car park so had plenty of time to look around while waiting for help! The plants are very good quality, and reasonably priced. In fact I've rarely seen such a good array of healthy plants in a garden centre. The other items they have for sale are the usual array you would find in a garden centre but all good quality and tasteful... lots of things you would want to buy. Including some great outdoor clothing. The staff were very helpful and kind. It was overall a very nice experience to shop here. Very highly recommended.

Met a friend for coffee here last Saturday. We haven't visited since just after Christmas 2023. It has been refurbished. Large cups though are still shockingly stingy by volume. We enjoyed the venue though.

Lovely new Restaurant and menu and very friendly staff throughout

My husband had mobility issues and uses two sticks. He was very rudely told to move over, when a wheelchair approached despite the fact he had already done so and there was plenty of room. Our lunch was then 35 minutes late and when I asked where it was, I was told, again very rudely ,that they were short staffed and it would come when it was ready. Someone should really tell Audrey to brush up on her customer service skills!!! Definitely will not be back.

Went to the newly refurbished cafe with my young nephews and the interior lovely how food was not! My French toast was very soggy with a hair in it and when my 2 year old nephews kids pancakes came they were steaming hot….. untouchable even for me … we later found out they are microwaved pancakes. Was extremely dangerous to serve something that temperature to an adult let alone a child ! Was totally gutted that the food service was such a let down…. They did let me swap my meal after asking however they took ages to come over and actually take my food away.

Fabulous food, excellent service and we can't wait to go back again. The cafe is absolutely gorgeous since it's make over and the food is of a very standard and equally delicious 😋

Having cycled at some distance we placed our order at 11:32 to be told we’re were two minutes late to be accommodated for the breakfast menu despite it still being on display. I requested an alternative, to be told they were not serving that item today. This happened again. It was easier to ask, what do you have? It ended up being an egg sandwich when I was asked how it was! It’s an egg sandwich, hardly rocket science to make and present. None of us will be back! Shocking introduction to highland hospitality for guests. Two minutes, come on!!!

It looks freshly decorated, food is simple. It needs more choices. We had jacket potato it was hot but not fluffy and didn't get any butter, they were busy..but not enough staff to keep tables clean, the staff were friendly

One of my colleagues had her retirement 'party' in Howdens Cafe she wanted a low key celebration. The team went out of their way to accommodate us and were so friendly and helpful both beforehand and on the day. I would highly recommend the cafe for tea and cake for groups both small and large.

Friendly staff and howdens card well worth it. Reasonable prices in general.

the shop is big and has a wide variety of items the restaurant is like a canteen where for hot food they have a selection and serve it from hot plates in front of you. there is also cd options you can pick up yourself. there is also a dog friendly area

Since re-opening refurbished restaurant have not been imoressed wth drinks standard. Hot chocolate too strong, burning hot, sometimes cold. Latte cold Scones not good as they used to be.

Great staff and food was excellent

We went for mothers day lunch, it was a bit chaotic as it was new inexperienced staff on the tills, but once we were seated everything was great. The service was good,the food was so tasty and after the meal they gave all the mothers a lovely cupcake. The lady serving the meal was lovely making sure everything was alright for everyone.

Great coffee, quality goods in the shop, worth a visit.

Love the new refurbished restaurant. Great staff ..Fine Food always.

I devoured the fish and chips in a matter minutes! when i first walked i was greeted by a great smile of the young blonde lady there. she was very welcoming and was cracking the jokes. overall a 8/10 experience and will be back.

Lunch time plate of soup I'm afraid didn't taste like home made. More like package soup. Garden centre was really nice. Healthy plants. Well displayed nice to walk through.

Went to ‘new’ restaurant. Staff barely said a word or cracked a smile. Not very welcoming. Had a piece of shortbread which was so claggy that I’m glad I had a drink to wash it down. Not great sadly.

Restaurant and rest rooms newly refurbished. Great scones.

Lovely refurbished cafe/restaurant, great customer service and a wide selection of foods

The food was average but I had reserved a table the previous week in person but no table was booked when we arrived. They have recently refurbished the coffee shop and in fact it's just not user friendly

Good fish and chips, but soft drinks prices are a bit mental, £3.55 for a small bottle of Appeltise.

Visited the refurbished cafe today. Very nice seating and layout. Food was good but disappointed that there were no g/f or vegan cakes now. Would also like option of oatcakes with soup.

Great store friendly staff and lots of goodies

Visited in December, Garden centre with usual Christmas stock

Staying close by thought we would try roast lunch ,was ok ,not chef standard ,scones were huge nice coffee ,and pleasant seating area .staff were very nice when bringing the meal to our table ,well worth the visit .

I went to Howdens Cafe for a coffee yesterday (26/11/23) at lunchtime. It was busy as usual. Usually I have a delicious roast beef and all the trimmings, but seeing it was busy, I decided just to have a coffee and a piece of shortbread. By the time I was nearly finished my coffee and shortbread, I was thinking that I should have ordered a roast beef. One of the staff members, Audrey, noticed that I was not having my usual delicacy. Without further ado, Audrey went to the kitchen, and within a couple of minutes I had a huge dish of, (you guessed it), Delicious Roast Beef and all the trimmings. I could not get over Audrey's kindness!! The staff are excellent, including the chef, kitchen staff and all the other staff throughout the building. 10/10 Without a shadow of a doubt!! There is a warmth about the place, and that has to do with excellent staff there. Thank you all so much again. Kind Regards. Norman MacLeod. 👍 🙂

Lovely shop to go and look around, very seasonal and lots of parking. Nice cafe too

Good selection of gardening supplies, plants and Christmas decorations.

Amazing Christmas 🎄 display really made me smile 😃 😊 so much bird feeding seeds and feeders and different ones. Will be back to get a selection. Lots of Christmas decorations and gardening tools additional materials and plants. Definitely recommend that you visit you find something that makes you happy

Very nice shop, good selection of... everything, extremely nice/friendly staff and brilliant coffee and food.

Very nice garden centre with lots of choices

Good place to go for plants for the garden also have good quality

We went for lunch with our granddaughter. It was very nice and the staff were very friendly. Their soup is always very tasty. Lots of gift ideas and Christmas decorations in their shop to choose from too

Find its getting harder to find a place for lunch that still does quality food for less than a tenner a person, even a pretty basic sandwich. Tried Howdens not really expecting much but real pleasant surprise. First up a great menu (including my fave fishfinger sandwich while my better half had a baked potato, both £9) . Then it passed test 2 where many seem to fail these days - quality ingredients, decent potions, well prepared. But the bonus was really great staff - very friendly and efficient chap with a beard and an equally excellent young man making coffees and taking the order. Will be back.

Best garden centre for value and healthy plants in Inverness, the restaurant is also well worth a look.

Great lunch good value the staff were very helpful all in a lovely lunch

Great range of plants and other products including a fab range of coloured pots, plenty parking and a cade - what's not to love!

Nice garden but quite expensive

Lovely food & staff.Great Soup!

So expensive place and coffee shop more like elder people place. But staff was so friendly.

Very helpful staff. And loads of choice

Hidden gem. We had been to other garden centres and spent nothing. Howden had lots of items that captured my imagination. I found everything I was looking for here.

Had the breakfast, waited ages for it but it was extremely busy. Enjoyed it when it came. Great range of outdoor plants. And gift ideas.

Couldnt place order for food kitchen too busy doing breakfast

Had a great morning staff are very polite

Lovely garden centre. Nice staff, good range of tasty food and selection of indoor and outdoor home/garden items.

Lovely and friendly staff and layout

Nice cafe in this garden centre. We has a tasty Lorne sausage bun, French toast with real blueberries and a yummy lemon curd, tasty fruit scone. We also had nice tasting coffee but large cup was on the small side compared with other cafes. Order at counter, they give you an order number and they then bring food to your table. Good disabled access with a mixture of sofa/coffee tables and standard tables. Menu on boards at counter. Bright lighting. Level access.

Been members now for over a year. Love the member benefits like the 2 drinks per month and the points built up against purchases. But it seems the food has become a bit hit and miss (hence a lost star). Not sure what it is but some food like to toasties and roasts are great, but things like the chicken tikka baked potatoes are not great - potato is good, the filling was, putting it politely, chewy which is not good for chicken. Is it bought in Vs cooked on site?

Nice place lots of choice. Was only a quick pop in gor bird food but ended up buying a new coat lol.

Lovely food but very expensive. Gorgeous flowers and lovely people.

Good selection of plants (and sundries)

Love Howdens but some of the food is below par. Had a cheese scone which was bright orange, reminiscent of cheesy puff crisps.....despite being a light and fluffy scone it was tasteless and certainly not cheesy. My husband had a very pleasant chocolate slice. Staff very helpful, restaurant pleasant but today in 24 degree heat it was unbearable..... I think all shops and restaurants are going to have to invest in air conditioning or at least big fans as this heat seems to be the norm now

Great selection of plants 🪴 love it 😀

Nice plenty of room to move about well stocked.

Stanning garden center with wonderful cakes and helthy plants :-)

Nice place helpful staff just didn’t have what we wanted.

Nice garden centre and food in cafe was very good.

A good garden centre with plenty of stock plus a good cafe

Enjoyed our trip to garden centre, beautiful healthy plants. Worth a visit.

We used to go here every single day for our breakfast and sometimes for lunch but everything changed when the covid hit and they made a massive change in the cafe specially in the menu , we used to have early bird and its all changed now and its more expensive. We still like the garden but not the cafè anymore. Such a shame.

Great place for fantastic plants and service

I normally go to the other large garden centre just up the road so this was the first time I've been to Howden in quite a while and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. A pleasant shopping experience and I thought the cafe was nice and not as noisy as its larger rival. Pleasant staff and a good cup of coffee. I will certainly return.

Just confusing with prices,as one finds out on the check-out-till EXPENSIVE

Great, new club,now you can grow rewards just like dobbies, somewhere else to have a cuppa.

Awful food, awful service, says it all really.

Very nice garden centre the plants and flowers are great quality easy parking very nice cafe too

Lovely selection. Helpful guidance and nice cafe.

First visit whilst on holiday. Wonderful centre. Definitely come back again.