Oldrids & Downtown Cafe Culture in South Kesteven

Whether it was 'cause it was busy but............ Not a long queue but took 15 minutes to get to the hot food for starters. Then served my husband and then the ONLY server started talking to a work colleague. I had to interupt!!! another 7 minutes to pay. by the time we found an empty table, seemed to be only one person clearing the tables at lunch time, our poorly cooked and presented food was nearly cold. Dhepherds Pie was quite tasty but tepid. My husband had macroni cheese and chips. Chips were just about cooked and still white. Macaroni cheese flavoursome. not recommended for lunch time

We queued for 10 minutes to order and pay for 2 cold drinks and scones despite it not being busy. We were then charged for 3 scones and had to be refunded. We sat and waited for our scones to arrive watching other people get their food first despite being behind us in the queue. When my husband went and asked how long it took to put 2 scones on a plate, he was accused of being rude. It then turned out they had given him the order slip with the receipt. When we finally got our scones half an hour after joining the queue, they were dry.

both meals fine, only fault was very hard slices carrots in mixed veg. steak and ale pie very nice. coffee ok. staff polite, we were served by Chloe a polite young lady. also three young men on hand to help. thankyou to all.

Pit stop yesterday lovely friendly staff in the cafe, lady went through the menu with us and the stokes coffee. steak pie and coffee both delicious. Lovely friendly atmosphere.

Popped in for lunch with friends. Service was quite slow. I had a jacket potato with prawns and Marie Rose sauce. There weren’t many prawns and the sauce was hardly noticeable and tasteless. There is a coffee machine to serve yourself but the taste was about the worst coffee I have ever had. Almost an insult to call it coffee. When there are so many good machines and coffee beans how can you serve such rubbish.?? Eat here if you have little choice but otherwise drive to anywhere else.

A lovely cafe . Well spaced out roomy and welcoming. I love the fact that you order at the counter and your order is brought to your table . A wonderful treat after completing our shopping. We had travelled up from Wiltshire to see family and we visit Downtown regularly. This cafe has been added to our must does.

Service needs a serious overhaul - slow staff struggling with till system, nonsensical way of ordering with what and what you don’t do yourselves… dirty glasses left on the side for you to help yourself

'Slow Boat to China' service ..not busy but incredibly slow ..20 mins waiting to even move up the queue..

We decided that we would have a coffee prior to our visit to the store. There was bacon on display so we asked if breakfast was available. We were told yes , we ordered two . All I can say is that something mildly resembling breakfast was plated up. 1 small sausage 1 small rasher of bacon 1 hash brown A ramekin of beans Some rubber scrambled eggs A sprinkling of dehydrated mushrooms. I wish I had taken a picture now I think about it . You have no doubt heard of Hunters Chicken or Ploughman’s lunch …. Well this was Highwayman’s breakfast. We were definitely robbed. 2 x coffees. 2 x comedy breakfast’s. £20.00. We could have gone to Greggs, I could have set fire to my wallet and we would have had a better experience. Rubbish Downtown ! Pull your socks up !

Tuna sandwich was dreadful. Bread was dry and hard on outside. Coffee was not pleasant - made with powdered milk. The only positive thing to say is they refunded the cost of sandwich.

We visited this cafe with the outlet and were very disappointed Staff were hoovering in the customer area despite it not being near closing Whole place was tired looking and not a pleasant experience

lot better than last time.we had breakfast. no eggs available, so extra sausage or bacon.hash browns small and the worst i have every had.rest of meal very good, tea and coffee ok.

Popped into this store to get a snack halfway into a long drive north. Had passed this many times but never really thought of it as a break stop but as we wanted a good stretch of our legs, this was a better option than a service area. Very impressed with the sheer size of the place but we only found the cafe on the ground floor, thanks to one of the checkout staff - not particularly we signposted. We headed over and although it was pretty quiet we had an enjoyable coffee and cake.

Monday seems to be the perfect day to visit. Quiet, clean, option to sit af coffe table or dining table. Dining tables are near window, coffee tables have great seating. Staff are pleasant and more than just helpful. Afternoon tea and cake is a 'Special Price' and good value. To keep you coming back beside all the above there is a Loyalty Card to earn a free drink. Will be back for the nice cakes.

Staff are great but food quality has gone downhill rapidly. No garlic bread so chips that were cold put on as an alternative but no discussion. The last 3 meals eaten have had issues. Lumps in mash potatoes, cold steak pie now today cold chips. Very disappointed as always loved going here at least once a week.

Visited one week day for lunch and a drink. Plenty of choice of food and service swift. Minimal queuing although it was before the general throng for lunchtime. Pleasant surroundings, plenty of seating options. Food good, drinks fine too. They fill a gap.

Visited earlier this week and ordered 2 cappuccinos … absolutely no taste of coffee! Maybe the machine was out of coffee and just gave us frothed up milk. The 2 stars I have given are for the 2 free mince pies we were given! Won’t rush back or recommend.

Rubbish!!! Don’t even bother. Food poor, cheap ingredients, badly cooked. Coffee was out of a machine like a Butlin’s canteen. They couldn’t even cook frozen chips properly. Overpriced and worse of all cleanliness was atrocious. All the cutlery was filthy and tables sticky. Would never eat there again!

three of us went after a carboot.we all had different meals.we all said the same, chips not nice.veg not cooked, very ,very hard.my pie nice lasagne not nice.baguete bread not hardly cooked, not enjoyed.drinks fine.

Paid a visit to Downtown , after a wander around we decided to grab a cup of coffee each in the upstairs cafe, we normally use the one downstairs. Got our coffee, two SMALL cups and headed for the till, shocked at the price for two small cups £5.00. Would have paid that happily for large, what a rip off. Went to sit down in the cafe, appalled at the state of a lot of the chairs, torn and ripped covers, such a mess considering we were paying premium price for the drinks. Will not be using this cafe again, tired and worn out furniture, disgusting really for this Downtown. The photo attached is one of the good chairs!!!

We made a day of it & travelled down the A1 to sample the food & look around the immense store. We were not disappointed. Quality clothing on offer. If it’s not here it does not exist! We had a light lunch in the upper self service restaurant. I had a pork pie salad & Sue had tuna sandwiches. Nicely presented & ample portions. Clean throughout with immaculate toilets. Friendly staff & all willing to help & advise. Highly recommend the experience.

Having read some of the mixed reviews I was unsure what to expect but went with an open mind. Found the restaurant clean, bright and well spaced out. There were four of us and we all opted for jacket potatoes with various fillings and beverages. The drinks arrived very promptly followed very quickly by our food which was copious, well presented and tasty. The staff were friendly and well turned out. Nearby empty tables were cleared promptly and the whole table and chairs were thoroughly cleaned. We took our time ( it was a bit of a reunion). We then went into the coffee area to continue our conversations. Our coffee order was delivered quickly. We found the whole visit extremely satisfying. Couldn’t fault anything. Well done everyone.

The people were very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately, I cannot say that the food was very good. It was tasteless, soggy and overpriced for the poor quality of it. 😢

Large selection of cake choices all look good, I had lemon curd drizzle with a cuppa, in a pleasant environment with table service st the cafe

Called into the upstairs cafe at Downtown this morning around 10.45. I wanted a sausage bap and, although I waited in front of the hot food counter nobody came to serve me. Two members of staff walked behind the counter to go into the kitchen...

This is about THE OLDRIDS & DOWNTOWN GARDEN CENTRE CAFÉ not the main store's restaurant. Abysmal service. Overpriced menu. Bored staff. Used tables waiting to be cleared and sanitised - yet no-one was doing anything about them. We were surrounded at one point by no...

Awful experience. Kids left place hungry. Cups were dirty. Coffee plain and sausage rolls discusting. Very overpriced.

The refurbished Cafe is very pleasant, good food and value for money. The hygiene was exceptional and the staff were helpful. Holly Muirhead was particularly helpful and pleasant. Thank you

My wife and I had a very pleasant dining experience at the Garden Centre - ordered a small breakfast which was delicious. Service was very attentive

We arrived at the cafe quite late in the afternoon of the 22nd to be greeted by Lisa who was extremely helpful and polite in explaining what food was available to us to purchase.my husband enjoyed a Lasagne I enjoyed a jacket potato with salad....

Nice place, food and drinks at a reasonable price and staff seemed helpful. Everything was being cleaned thoroughly, and a friendly waitress Carly I believe deserves a special thank you was very helpful and cleaned the table and chairs before I sat down. Food basic...

The cafés at Downtown are now table service. You check in using the NHS app or give your details. They then give you a menu where you tick your choices then go to the till and pay. The tables are spaced out and they bring...

We were driving home to Hull from London and broke our journey at Downtown for a break and lunch (and I NEVER miss a shopping opportunity disguised as ‘lunch’). Of course Covid has meant changes in the restaurant, no longer self service, only table service....

Sadly the meal was not as good as it used to be. My veggie lasagne was lovely but came with one slice of cucumber, one slice of tomato and a very small amount of lettuce. What happened to the coleslaw and beetroot that we used...

Dreadful cafe, dirty tables, a sticky label in my food, took me five attempts to complain, then finally got my money back. Uncaring staff.

Came today for a trip out, been feeling anxious about eating out. I could not fault how they have set up the cafe and how helpful the staff were. Shout out to Alison she was really friendly and I want to thank all the staff...

Called in whilst shopping for a coffee and cake but found the place full of dirty tables and uninterested staff. Not a good visit at all.

Trip out with parent. Having not been for years, it hadn't changed a lot. Upstairs was best area for me, having more interesting items & homeware.Staff approached for assistance did their best in escorting me to items asked for. Nicely laid out store & displays.

Only good thing about the breakfast was the price £4-95,but not a great choice!!Sausages were really cheap and Cooke for to long that you could not cut them,bacon ok but quite fatty,would not recommend!!

With 3 cafes on site it is disappointing that they are all, fundamentally, the same. Its a pity that they do not franchise a couple of these outlets since some competition would offer so much more to the Customers - and, probably, the business itself

Came into the Downtown cafe today for a spot of lunch with my daughters and granddaughter. It was extremely busy but all the staff members were rushed off there feet but made us more than welcome. I had the cottage pie with peas and gravy followed by apple crumble and custard. My daughters had lasagna and a delicious desert each all coming to a very reasonable cost. All the tables was lovely and clean all the chairs was tucked under the tables nicely with plenty of room to get the pushchair through. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and everyone seemed really happy. I will definitely be coming back againThanks to all the staff at this busy and hectic time of the yearHappy New Year Downtown!!!

I sat down for my pre Christmas treat and wasn’t disappointed. Gorgeous lunch and fantastic service, I thoroughly enjoyed it and so did my friends 😋yum yum

have been going to Downtown superstore once a week since it opened! same meals...£1.60 for a small scoop of peas! Only 1 person serving food, no matter how many hundreds are waiting to be served! food slopped all over surfaces.simply a disgrace.now take my custom to east Bridgeford blue diamond centre, 20 mins away, fab food, fab things to buy, makes Downtown look like a dump!

Before shopping on the opening day of the sale, we went for our free coffee/tea and mince pies. We were in a great mood until we were served! On asking for hot water we were told we couldn't have any as they didnt have any jugs. We were told we couldn't have a tiny jug of milk each, only one between us when it was clearly not enough. We were told to come back for more if we needed it even when we explained I had very painful arthritis in my knees. I asked to see the manager who told me we couldn't expect their usual service as they were busy - only 5 customers is nothing like as busy as it is on ordinary days. They just didn't want to know.

I've stopped here in the past, but not for a while. It seems the shops here get bigger every time, and now there's a cafe round every corner. The one we chose was efficient, offering decent coffee etc.at a good price, and overall they seemed to be doing everything well. The staff were polite and helpful, and the tables were clean and tidy...I'll certainly plan for a meal next time I'm passing.The shops are amazing, vast, so much choice...

Tried this for lunch while on a buying spree at Boundary Mill and Downtown. We were a little nervous of this as it was peak lunchtime on a busy Sunday. The queue was a little long but largely made up of groups who couldn’t make up their mind at the sandwich and cake (help yourself) counters. Bypassing these, we were served quickly and efficiently. We did think the pricing was a bit misleading as there was a price shown prominently for a main dish but not so prominently for accompanying items (chips, peas, etc). However the overall price was still reasonable.Usually, low cost of meals is shown up in lack of quality but our 2 meals of cottage pie and lasagne with chips and peas were good sized portions and really tasty. Excellent value. Well done Oldrids.

Cashier took a long time to turn up - then served me whilst talking on her phone, no eye contact, no conversation - terrible!The café tables had not been cleaned, the place was dirty, untidy and depressing. Food fairly poor quality - great shop, dreadful café - such a shame.

We visited the store and decided to have a cooked meal rather than our usual sandwich.We both had steak and ale pie with chunky chips and peas with gravy priced at £6.95 each.All of the food was completely satisfactory, but the absolute star was the pie.Deep filled with the most tender of meat The pastry was thin and so short it just melt in your mouth.Who ever made it deserves praise.Just a couple of weeks ago we went to a local ,high standard country pub and had exactly the same food but my what a difference and price.£12.95.each.The only small criticism was there was only 1 till open and when serving hot food the temperature can soon drop.

Called in for food whilst visiting the store. The lady who served us could not have been more disinterested in us. There was no interaction at all. She looked utterly fed up. The young lad on the till was just the opposite, polite, friendly and seemed to genuinely care. My hubby had a panini which he said was tasteless as the filling was so sparse. I had jacket potato and beans which was tasty but potato and beans were only luke warm. I have worked in customer care myself and appreciate it isn't always easy but a smile and an acknowledgement goes a long way. The tables were clean and spacious.

Its a shame this fantastic store with so many visitors can't be a bit more adventurous with their cafe. They have a captive market and I am sure they could do a lot better and make some extra revenue as well.

My girlfriend and I visited here on a Sunday afternoon just after lunchtime. Having had a look around the shop we visited the cafe. I had a look at the food menu which was very much along the lines of a cheap pub chain which is disappointing in this day and age when food is a draw for people on a Sunday.Looking at the food available under the heat lamps, it all looked like it had been there far too long and had dried up. We then looked at the cakes and again they looked mass produced, dry and of poor quality so again we passed on those. You eat with your eyes first and on this occasion we were put off to such an extent that we didn’t venture any further. We chose to just go for cold drinks and had a coke and Fanta. These came in small, regular and large. All glasses appeared the same though! Shall not bother going here again if hungry or thirsty. There are much better places

Was here with the wife, I didn't eat but she was served by, in my wife's words, 'the most sour faced member of staff' when she asked for a baked potato. This woman had also turned her nose up at the two customers - that's customers she needs reminding - who were preceding the wife in the queue and also asked for taters. Accompanied by the harrumph too much trouble sigh. If you don't like serving people or in particular taters, find another job, 'cos you're in the wrong one. I'd point out the wife is not that critical a person

Been to BB's cafe Sunday 5th may 2019 as we have done numerous times in the past. We were meeting with friends to talk about an upcoming wedding. We wanted a table for 6 people so being right at the back of the cafe we moved a two seater table to a four seater table, making room for 6. One of the cafe staff came up to us in a very unfriendly way and told us we couldn't block the escape route. We were sat in the left hand corner at the very back!! She also went on to say that the breakfast was free and we couldn't have a meeting as they were very busy on a Sunday and needed the room for other customers. Yes they were busy but always tables spare while we sat there. What was going to be a very happy talk about a wedding was marred by this persons manner.

ok back at Grantham had look round downtown it is very big place in two halves with a big carpark in the middle it as at both ends several dissa bled parking spaces it as uatomatic doors easy good wide access for wheelchairs and mobiloty schooters they also lend people wheelchairs as well the isles are very wide and every thing is set out good it as escarlators and lifts to get up the next floor the restaurant is up the second floor as i said there are escaltors and lifts so no prob there they in the restaurant do a 7 item meal or 4 item meal you pick what items you want though there are other meals as well

The food is a little more upmarket than the Restaurant downstairs. Again, great service and nice, filling food. Well done all.

None of the cafe's at Boundary Mill are good any more - they used to be great so I don't know what's happened. Really poor. Always busy though because they have a captive audience.

We come here twice a year as it’s a long way to travel to but it used to be really nice with lovely produce but it’s not as good this year . We went for a coffee in downtown and it was really bitter , we had it from bean to cup . The meals on offer didn’t look appetising either.

This is ridiculous at such a busy time. There isn’t a separate queue for customers who need only a snack and a drink, a queue of approx 40 people and only one person serving . The food is very good but the queue is horrendous

Stopped to shop on the way back from an excursion. Restaurant was busy and staff stretched but did their best

We stopped for a leg stretch (and shopping opportunity) and a drink and snack during a long journey home from London. We had a tea and a coffee and a ham salad baguette which was big enough to share between 2 of us. A lot of the tables needed clearing but we found one to sit at. The baguette was tasty we we were refreshed to continue our journey home.

Three of us had a good browse round the store and then decided we were all hungry, not for a main meal but a snack. The meals on offer were varied and all looked tasty but we all settled on Mature cheese and red onion chutney Paninis with chips to share. These were taken away to be heated up whilst we selected our drinks.We found a table but had to clear away the previous occupants plates etc. and moved them onto another table full of pots. The Paninis soon arrived with two bowls of chips...there was a small side salad accompanying each Panini and poured all over was Balsamic Reduction which luckily we all like but not to everyone's taste. The meal was tasty and we all enjoyed the break from shopping!If the table had been cleared and cleaned it would have made the environment much more inviting but that aside...the food was good and we would certainly return.

we went to cafe culture, wish we had not.we had lasagne and chips, the very ,very worst lasagne i have ever had any place in the word.chips hard tasteless.we ate some left most.for what we paid we felt robbed.no smiles from staff.

Super place for a break after shopping very friendly staff with great food and drinks. We tried the Chocolate Cake and a Coffee and was delighted.