Howdens Garden Centre Restaurant in Highland

Food is not what it used to be , a few times we've had to wait three quarters of an hour Food not always piping hot

I don't have a garden and I'm not into buying a load of decorative crap, but, I'll go to Howdens cafe over and over again. I only ever get the fish finger sandwich and it's a m a z I n g. Great value, helpful staff, lovely atmosphere.

Nice to go in and get a wee coffee😁

Desayuno completo. Fue absolutamente hermoso y nos quedamos muy impresionados. No puedo esperar a volver para el desayuno de nuevo, muy impresionado

Great centre for everything regarding gardening also great gift ideas

Terrible breakfast! I've been twice. Had avocado and bacon the first time. Part of the avocado was brown and past the sell by date. Bacon seemed undercooked and uncrispy. Today I had scrambled eggs on toast. Toast was unbuttered so very dry!

There is plenty of variety and has a nice coffee shop.

Very nice garden centre with an excellent cafe restaurant.

Ridiculous. Went in for lunch today as I hadn't been for many years. To say I'm sorely disappointed is an understatement. The cakes all look good, the sandwiches looked impressive, so using what I could see as a basis, I ordered the "Gourmet" BBQ chicken, bacon and cheese baguette. What arrived was half a baguette, a poor excuse for a salad and a handful of crisps. All for £10.50! Word to the wise, if you come here for food, order a sandwich, they are good and will fill you. Do not order what I did. Sadly, after this experience, I didn't get a cake, so I cannot offer much more than this, visually they look good.

Not somewhere I frequent often; I'm just not into these destination lifestyle garden centers. But if you are, they've got the clothes and the homewares, the cafe and 'half a dozen' plants.

Good selection of items, great sale prices. Staff are helpful, too.

Realmente disfrutamos de nuestro almuerzo de Navidad en Howdens hoy. Visitamos Howdens regularmente y el servicio y la comida siempre son excelentes. El almuerzo de Navidad era una gran relación calidad-precio para 3 platos - sin duda lo volvería a hacer el próximo año.

Es la primera vez que pruebo este café y en general muy impresionado. Limpio, cálido y cómodo. El desayuno estaba bien cocinado y lo disfrutamos. Lo visitaría aquí de nuevo.

Tuvimos un excelente desayuno con Santa y el equipo hoy en Howdens. Esto vale cada centavo, hasta la bienvenida en la puerta principal y encontrar su nombre en la lista. El desayuno era excelente y fresco, a los niños les encantó la decoración de galletas, la preparación de alimentos para renos y la historia con Santa fue un toque brillante! Los regalos 🎁 son preciosos y la calidad excelente. ¡De lejos, lo mejor que hemos estado en Inverness! Gran saludo a Audrey y su equipo. Feliz Navidad y gracias

Una experiencia decepcionante. Nuestras comidas (patatas horneadas) eran demasiado caras, faltando tanto en calidad como en cantidad. La ensalada estaba bien, pero demasiada cebolla roja.

Lovely Garden Centre & Shop & Caffè, food is fresh and tastey, all is wheelchair accessible. Great place to meet up, just outside Inverness

We went for lunch, it was amazing, will definitely be back. All freshly prepared.

Great atmosphere, delicious food and a welcome cheery attitude of the staff. This venue is well worth a visit, recently updated with a fresh and light space despite being full. The roast dinner was well worth the money .

We have a group that visits different places for breakfast and this time it was Howdens. Great service and atmosphere, I had the full Scottish and would rate it 7/10 (value 8/10, service 8/10, food quality 6/10 and food prep 6/10). Overall an OK from the group.

Lovely shopping and eating experience! Lots of lovely things to but for the garden or for pets or for gifts. The restaurant is great too. Everything is hand cooked and prepared fresh and tastes delicious. Highly recommended.

Went to newly refurbished resteraunt recently. Great food, good valueand reasonable portion sizes. Thumbs up from the kids in terms of the crispy chips.

Always seem to have a wait for food.

Great garden centre with quality products

Always good for snacks and lunch

Como no pudimos desayunar en un hotel vecino, decidimos dar un paseo de 5 minutos hasta Howdens Garden Centre. El Garden Centre estaba muy bien decorado con stock de Navidad, pero nuestro objetivo era conseguir un "escocés completo" El restaurante tiene un aspecto muy agradable. El servicio fue rápido y amable. Había una buena gama de artículos de desayuno, a un precio razonable. A partir de entonces, hay un menú de almuerzo bastante completo servido desde el mediodía, creo. Ambos disfrutamos mucho de nuestros desayunos. Recommended

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.

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

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!

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

Desde la última renovación los precios han subido y la calidad ha bajado definitivamente. Obviamente, mi pasta de Cornualles se había cocinado en el microondas, pero no se había crujiente después y el resultado fue un trozo de masa de cuero y pesado que envolvía una cucharadita de carne con un poco de papa y un poco de cebolla y sobre sazonada con pimienta. Se acompañó de una cantidad muy pequeña de hojas de ensalada cansadas cubiertas con un aderezo acre que no había pedido junto con unas cuantas papas fritas. Mala calidad y relación calidad-precio £ 9 ! El almuerzo de mi amigo no fue mejor. Había un relleno generoso de mayonesa de huevo, pero servida entre rebanadas del tamaño de una puerta de pan integral rancio y vino acompañada con la misma porción triste de ensalada y papas fritas. Una experiencia triste y muy diferente a como solía ser. Dudo que volvamos.

Well established centre with lots to offer.

El mejor almuerzo de domingo que hemos comido en Inverness. Sólo superado por mi propia cocina. Enviamos nuestro complemento al chef, que entiendo que es un Temporal. Espero que se queden.

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

Como visitantes habituales para el almuerzo del domingo, nuestra experiencia fue de verdadera decepción y una que seremos reacios a visitar de nuevo. El domingo decidimos cambiar de nuestra carne asada habitual y tener pollo asado y gammon asado. Cuando llegó la comida, los platos se llenaron de montañas de verduras y puré de papas insípido, el pollo estaba en pequeños trozos que parecía que había venido de una versión hervida y era absolutamente insípido. Habíamos pedido salsa adicional para ambos, ya que en visitas anteriores la cantidad de salsa era muy escasa. La salsa para el gammon era espesa y negra y difícil de verter. Nuestra experiencia fue de verdadera decepción y pasará mucho tiempo antes de que volvamos a la calidad y no la cantidad.

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.

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!!!

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 😋

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.

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

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

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

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 .

Visited in December, Garden centre with usual Christmas stock

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

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. 👍 🙂

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Very helpful staff. And loads of choice

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