Otley Garden Centre in Leeds

They are diversifying too much. It's a disjointed set up.

Nice place, ate in the cafe, food was ok but nothing to write home about. Nice staff. Lovely plants and displays.

Great place....plenty of choice if you like shopping 👍💖

Lunch was poor, both quality and value. Long wait, then chips and peas barely warm. Were probably plated up (onto a cold plate) while cottage pie was still being prepared. Pie was at least 75% mashed potato topping, filling virtually tasteless. Poor experience at £14 per head!

Nice garden centre, cafe was really nice, good selection of food and great customer service

Very nice, and a varied range of produce

Great Santa experience. The different rooms were fun and the elves were great with the children. Santa however needed a bit more energy and didn't interact with the children much.

Pleasant visit, but a bit cheesy and contrived - Santa needed to have a lot more “presence” - needed to be a far bigger personality, to have more gusto and be more forthright and confident.

The experience of meeting Santa was not worth the charge. I will not be purchasing a ticket for next year, which is a shame as I would have been bringing two children. It’s was an underwhelming visit. Not a long enough experience and Santa needed coaching as to how to interact with children.

Pretty good little place, specially for the kids at Christmas for the grotto.

Not impressed, we actually went for a meet up with scattered family members and to have a meal. Several of us chose the Christmas dinner. When delivered to the table three of us were not given any potatoes or stuffing, one was also missing sprouts, cauliflower cheese or gravy. True when the omissions were reported the missing items did arrive. Last comment the Yorkshire puddings served to my wife and I were more like overcooked biscuits. We may visit again but I for one will think more carefully about using the restaurant.

We had a fantastic time it was an excellent and enjoyable experience seeing santa and meeting the elves who where amazing and really good with the children. And the garden centre was very festive with its own mini Christmas village we will definitely be coming back next year.

Lovely day seeing Santa and his elves my two granddaughters loved it, also the garden centre is beautiful

Santa visit! The santa visit was an enjoyable experience. My two year old was unmoved by the experience, but I thought the elves were very jolly and engaged well with the other children. And Santa was also very jolly and engaging.

A nice Santa visit but not as good as the Toby experience. Should be cheaper as it’s a lot smaller. Love choosing own gifts but very limited selection for older boys

Superb experience for children although ive visited better. Well thought out money spinner, but felt a bit like a money grabbing experiment. I felt it was vastly overpriced in comparision to the others. Superb staff however, including a wonderful Santa. Basic surroundings and just essentially lots of cuddly toys in a small room. Unsure what the reindeer experience (Advertised) was as the only reindeer was a stuffed toy. Well stocked toy shop to choose your childs gift from. Extra negatives...not disabled friendly. Had a considerable distance to walk to the grotto and a lengthy time to stand first waiting for our turn, 15 mins,then whilst the elves told their story, then with Santa etc. Literally no seating other than for children with Santa. Roughly 40 mins including choosing a toy Going forward i would highly recommend drawing attention to the standing times and consider some temporary chairs.

Our visit to Santa’s Grotto at Otley Garden Centre was absolutely wonderful! This was our daughter’s first Christmas, and it made the experience so special and memorable for us. The event was beautifully organized, and everything from the decorations to the activities was so festive and fun. It created a magical atmosphere that we will cherish forever. Thank you to the entire team for such an amazing experience. Highly recommended!

Visited Santa's groto yesterday the information on line was a bit confusing as we didn't realise adults were free and we paid for 3 adults and was not offered a refund. Cafe was large but expensive for what you got. Christmas decorations where beautiful but expensive. Won't be going back.

I took my grandson as the event was advertised as a reindeer experience with science experiments. We were told to get there 15 minutes early apparently because people are late. Which meant we had to stand out in the cold before we went in. We were then shuffled into 2 tiny rooms whilst an elf tried to explain about how cool and naughty elf's are. Unfortunately due to a 2 year old talking and interrupting the elf we never got to hear what she was saying. We then went in another room with santa he asked the children's names and what they were getting for xmas which was fine. Handed a packet of reindeer food. Next room was to collect a present. All rather awkward and amateurish. Nothing about reindeers or experiments certainly not worth the money a poor experience for my grandson.

Great effort by the elfs and Santa, our son really enjoyed it. Thanks

A magical Christmas experience. My kids loved it. All the Elves made sure each child had the best time, and sleepy Santa was fabulous.

Great experience and a very good Santa!! Just wished there had been a more clear opportunity for kids to have a photo with the big man. Love how the kids get to pick their own present, such a good idea. X

Fantastic visit to Santa, great elf’s and Santa and the fact you can pick your own present at the end is great touch in Santa’s toy room

Lovely place to visit good parking

Very nice beef sandwich and chips for lunch today. Friendly staff. Clean tables.

Great garden centre, especially at Christmas time.

I've never been before the Santa's Grotto was brilliant for the price we paid I think it was better than previous popular place we have been too. The staff did amazing and Santa's put the belief in my eldest son for another year Thank you. The let down was the staff in the cafe they didn't want to take our food order we had to wait till we got to the till and I felt it slowed everything down. Food was good just slow on service

Brilliant! Well organised … Magical! 🎄🎅

Fantastic..... Well worth a visit .... Take plenty of cash .... It's very welcoming.... Xmas set up superb .... Cafe lovely with helpful staff...

As garden centres go, this one (in Otley) is pretty average. The Christmas displays are good, with a large model village and landscape which is excellent. There is a good variety of plants, the quality of which seems to be variable and prices are often higher than other local garden centres. This place has clothing and footwear outlets which offer good value, and a food department that has a good variety of products, some of which are very pricey. Now for the cafe..... We came here previously in the summer and the service was poor, so I was hoping that this time things might have improved. Nope. The cafe staff love to chat......with each other. There were about 6 people in the queue, most of whom had self-served food items and were waiting to order hot drinks. It took almost 15 minutes to be "served" by a member of staff more interested in taking umpteen regular sips of water than serving customers. I asked for 3 scones, a cappuccino, a mocha, and a hot chocolate. I was told to ".. just help myself" to the scones(with no food tongs). I was charged just over £15.Which I paid with watering eyes. The young woman at the till then informed me she hadn't charged for 2 of the scones (because she hadn't been paying attention) and billed me for an a further £5.90!! Value for money it ain't. I don't think I am exaggerating when I say that the cafe staff all looked as if they couldn't be bothered and would rather be somewhere else. Then, while we were sitting at a table (which we had to clear and wipe ourselves) a member of staff came to clean a table nearby. The food debris was swiped onto the floor, the table surface was sprayed, given a sketchy wipe which didn't cover the whole surface, and then left, food still on the floor, chairs all over the place and not wiped. I know it's hard to get staff to work in these places nowadays, but I had the distinct impression these people had been inadequately trained and had no interest in their work. Incidentally, we also visited the Tong branch recently, and it wasn't much better. Please buck your ideas up Tong, you have the potential for excellence, don't waste it.

Lovely garden centre with some lovely Christmas decorations

Like most big garden centres this is now mainly a fancy goods shop.

I went a few weeks ago and the food was cold, awful, had to leave mine and was sick during the night.

Always been a good garden centre , cafe ok, but not as good as Bingley Garden Centre.

We have breakfast most Saturday mornings. Lovely food. Nice pleasant staff, reasonably quick efficient service

Had a really good shop enjoyable and nice helpful staff

Returned to the cafe today (05/11/24) after almost a year!!! Usually go to Costa before arriving at the garden centre. I was pleasantly surprised. They have a breakfast bap on offer for £6 before 11:00am. A white bread roll with two small sausages, slice of bacon and a fried egg. Choice of a pot of tea (enough for 3 cups) or filter coffee - brilliant!!! Thus, I have made this edit and added a star. The Christmas decorations etc are as amazing as ever. A brilliant garden centre with plenty of parking. They make a huge effort with decorations / displays at Christmas and this year there is a magical musical carousel display for the children. The café is busy with friendly staff - but £6 for tea and a toasted teacake before 11:00am!!!!!?????? Costa charged me less than £5 yesterday ( before 11:00am offer). This cafe charged £4 until today - perhaps management need to look into this before they lose regular customers - Particularly as the vast majority seem to be of pensionable age. Sorry 4 stars rather than 5 stars owing to the £2 rise in price of tea and teacake!!!

Came for coffee after work 2.45 sunday. .there were 8 staff vehind the counter,but guess what only ONE making drinks and ONE taking orders...no please or thankyou,and 2 were talking by the till showing things on their pbones!!!When i finally got

It's all deced out for Christmas. The building is gradually improving. There's more to see. Kids will enjoy Christmas displays.

Little pricey in the restaurant buy generally o a par with other places like this. Nice Christmas display, good parking.

I would like to say a massive thank you for our wonderful yummy afternoon tea today, my daughter booked it as a surprise and boy oh boy what a wonderful surprise! The staff were amazing, the food so tasty and lots of choice. The area put aside for the afternoon tea was so lovely, we felt like we had won a competition. Please pass on our thanks to the staff in the restaurant. Oh and one more thing, your garden centre looks amazing, especially the Christmas sections my grandchildren really enjoy coming to visit, I have booked them to see Father Christmas. Many thanks, Barbara Williams and my daughter Katy Lawson |

Cafe over priced and poor quality for money. The cafe looks more like a staff canteen. The coffee was very bitter and left a horrible after taste. They need to upgrade their coffee beans which obviously are cheap. The whole coffee shop needs a refurbish. Food and drinks very disappointing Garden centre is ok nothing special.

Fab Christmas section, kids will love it. The restaurant is ok. Lots of plants and usual garden centre paraphernalia. Fab selection of local beer and a cook frozen food section!

Great plants and very helpful staff

Good displays and nice food and gift shop

Nice shop, excellent cafe/restaurant.

Lovely garden centre and terrific Christmas displays. Really positive experience until an encounter with a member of the 'Team' in the Gift section at about 2.30pm this afternoon which shook me up somewhat.

Very large centre, well looked after plant area.

Lovely garden centre and very pleasant staff

Really enjoy walking round here lots to see friendly staff Xmas is in full swing they are currently defrosting they're displays!

The garden centre was good but there was not much food left in the cafe and the cakes were very dry and had been sat out for a few days.

Absolutely love this garden centre, well worth a visit

Very impressed with staff, displays and location. I watched the staff deal professionally with a serial complainer. The lady sent back two items and then was still complaining when refunded. Staff do not get paid enough to deal with this behaviour early on a Sunday . I will certainly be back. My food was excellent 👌.

Garden Centre quite good, gents toilets in a poor state.

It's turning into a lovely place again. It's a nit.pricy now though

Plants and flowers looking healthy,getting ready for Halloween and Christmas. Just got some picture frames for my daughters birthday party,surprise?surprise?.

My first time visiting this garden centre. I normally go to Tingley. The main reason I went was because their Website stated they had a craft section, sadly it was more like a kiddies corner in my opinion. Not a wasted journey as the food was equally as good as Tingley. The staff were all as pleasant and helpful as they are at both Tingley and Tong. Bought some beautiful tulip bulbs to add to the ones I bought last year

Just paid over the odds for vegetable soup, which better resembled purée and I will take their word that it was vegetable…awful.

Stopped for some breakfast on our way to our final destination. Wife had The 6 item breakfast and I had 8 item breakfast. Sausages had been cooked and recooked to the extent the skin was thick and hard. The black pudding was cooked on the outside but not on the inside and the bean I assume had been sat for hours then microwaved to within an inch of their life. There was a minimum of 8 staff on the shop floor although I'm not sure what 4 of them were actually doing, maybe a training day ? Overall though clean and generally edible.

Nice selection of plants, helpful staff. Needs some vegan food in the cafe though...

Great place with plenty of variety if not a bit dearer than other similar.

A lovely garden centre and a great amount of stuff!

Very busy garden centre. Great access and good parking. Even got extra parking if needed. Excellent cafeteria with reasonable menu. Staff are knowledgeable and very helpful. Also wheelchair friendly. Does get very busy .Disabled wc located on the left hand side as you enter the store itself All on one level

Very good garden centre and worthwhile visit. Prices this year do seem to have risen sadly and across all garden centres. Just not sure why that is so. Can't be all weather related.

Everything you could want for your garden. Bought a nesting box,so many to choose from,good prices

The garden centre as a whole is still pretty good, but as a houseplant lover I tend to focus on that area and I am sadly a bit disappointed. Stephen H Smith used to be my go to place for houseplants, but now I noticed that plants are less healthy, they look a bit sad, sometimes overwatered or leggy, and there is less variety. Prices are also higher but I understand it might just be inflation and cost of life and not an issue with new management. Last time there were quite a few houseplants with an evident bug infestation. I bought a small hoya which looked ok but after a few days it was covered in thrips and I had to treat it. I hope management will take care a bit better of the houseplant section in the future because I would be more than happy to keep spending ny money here if I see an improvement.

Great garden centre ,staff are very helpful

Great place if you can't find what you need here you don't need it. Food very good 👍

What a great Garden Centre, lots of things to look at and get

Recently taken over by the Tong Garden Centre group very well stocked and run

The plants today were all very good and healthy, however whilst sitting in the restaurant I was disappointed to see customers who had purchased a cooked lunch having to wait for well over 5 minutes at the checkout. I would imagine that their lunch wouldn't be very palatable by the time they sat down to eat it. There needs to be a quicker checkout for hot meals.

Certainly seems more spacious since nrw owners took over. Having Pavers shoeshine is good as nowhere in Otley for shoes and they have a good selection. Everywhere is clean and the food selection very good.also if you are over 60 on a Wednesday you can get a reduction on anything you buy. Just need to get anything card when you go in store. Just ask. Certainly worth a visit.

Lovely garden centre. Friendly staff. I purchased an outdoor table set last year and had difficulty putting it together. The outdoor furniture manager came to my house to do it on the same day I called them. Now we have the sunny weather I put the umbrella up, only to find a piece missing. I rang them, the manager requested photos and after looking at the photos sent a member of staff with the new umbrella which included the missing part. Excellent, first class, friendly service. Thankyou.

Lovely garden centre with plenty of things to see for adding to your garden

Extensive, well stocked garden centre. A large complex selling clothes, food and of course all kind of gardening equipment. Very large cafe and eating area, serving a wide variety of food. Well maintained and worth a visit.

Nice location, large variety of garden supplies and plants. The cafe was pleasant but not particularly outstanding food options. Staff all helpful throughout.

Nice garden centre! It's in a lovely spot. Didn't stay for too long, looking forward to coming again.

Lovley place to wander around looking at the huge variety of goods to look at staff very helpful and polite

I consider it bad service when you finish two cups of tea before your meal arrives, however meal and tea were good

There's no photos because there was no food, kitchen closes at 3pm could not even manage toasted tea cake or panini, hopefully will not last long under this manager and customers can get the service deserved for visiting.

Lovely lady on the till,(operator 838) she introduced us to the Green card. So helpful and cheerful. I love the art section,wish it had scrap books/ small photo albums. Enjoyed our walk around the store. Got new gardening gloves..will be back for some more plants very soon.

A large garden centre with a big carpark. A good cafe, and selling lots of items, clothing, shoes, furniture, lighting and plants of course!

Well, I will not return to Hatties Kitchen . Ordered a sandwich was not offered white or brown bread and when it arrived, it was squashed and the filling all at one end, not appetising at all . The menu stated white or brown bloomer bread,which it was not, garnished with salad, which it was not, and a packet of crisps thrown on the plate.

Nice cafe, pleasant staff, good choice of plants etc, I enjoyed an afternoon there

Had an appalling experience today. Was served at the till by a lady with agenda. Have gone to this centre so many times and was so pleased but will never go again

Hatties cafe. Gosh so expensive and measley portions. Staff all need lessons on customer service not a smile in site

Have been going to this place for many many years! It's clean, there's lots of parking, there's a variety of stuff (indoor and outdoor plants), pet supplies, arts and crafts etc... Indoor plants were a bit more expensive compared to other places, hence the 4 stars.

Good selection of plants and garden wares, the cafe was better than expected.

Always very good value will be back very soon.

Always seems to take ages to find what I need. Some better signage might help? Sometimes I find the thing I go for, others I don't.

Love the garden centre but customer service needs manning ? No one ever available

Cafe is over price not good value for money over £17 for 2 drinks and two cakes £4 95 for a small bit of cake that wasn't very nice a supermarket taste better drinks was already I got a latte which tasted horrible they did another one but still tasted horrible mug in water would have taste better then that what ever that was I have been all over the country this was a very big disappointment it definitely needs a update and a reality check on there food/drink quality. To be honest I would just go somewhere for food and drinks I was talking to my local coffee shop I ask them they said it might be down go using cheap coffee beans or the milk they are using on the coffee machine it's very hard to mess it up. The garden centre is alright nothing to go on about can't really mess that up. In my personal opinion the Caffè is run or profit and not quality specially when MD can do a better coffee thats saying something you would expect better. And I got 2 belts from here they are rubbish didn't even last 4 months both are falling apart and have split it as real leather but only a very thin piece waste of money!! This is the true meaning of profit over quality.

Went to look at the plants. They seemed well cared for by the staff

A garden centre that doesn't know what it wants to be. I've been here an hour and not seen a plant. I've seen shoes, cushions, beer and bread, crafts, cards and thousands of those grisly resin animals. Oh I did pass barbecues so we're close. And surprisingly all the decor in the building is plastic plants and foliage. Doesn't really send a good sign. Then once you've fought past the shuffling oldies looking for cheap slippers in Pavers or arguing over slacks in the Edinburgh Wooden Mill you get to Fattie's, I mean Hattie's; the most expensive café known to man. Pie of the day £15, egg mayo buttie £7, slice of cake a fiver. Disgraceful prices. I might add more to the review if I find anything garden related.

More plant retailer than garden centre

Nice cup of coffee on a dreary Sunday morning. Store nicely laid out now and everything flows better. Everything you need for the garden is there plus more. Nice display of water features. Got stung for another garden gnome to add to the collection.

Good selection of goods. Plants very good and selection of seeds good too. Bacon sandwich on the dry side, would have been better if bun buttered. Will visit regularly as excellent garden centre.

I'm going to review the cafe. Full of pensioners, who don't have a lot to spend. Took my dad. He paid 17 quid for a very small cottage pie with a few bits of veg. It was pretty much school dinners out of hot trays you can help yourself to. Used to be about 11 quid. I had a mushroom stroganoff. The sauce was bland at best, the mushrooms weren't cooked. Won't be going back, sadly, we really liked this place. Outdoor plants still looked good, indoor plants you could get elsewhere for 30% less. I think they've gone from a great family run business to part of a chain.

Nice to have a garden centre with staff who really know what they are talking about Friendly, professional and helpful

Great place friendly staff great place for good quality plants and goods could do with another member of staff on checkouts 🙂