Rake Garden Centre in Chichester

We chose a full English Breakfast at the Gatehouse Cafe and a coffee each after shopping in the garden centre. The service was prompt and attentive, the coffees were of a generous cup size and lovely and hot. The breakfast was beautifully cooked to order, hot, and of great quality. It was the best cooked breakfast I’ve had out for a very long time. The waiting staff were attentive to detail.. they brought marmalade quickly when requested and also went out of their way to bag me up some coffee grounds to take away which was very kind. Pricing was about right given the current economic crisis and the quality second to none. I would particularly like to thank the lady chef in the kitchen area who prepared and cooked our breakfasts last Sunday.

Popped into the cafe after spending a bomb next door. It was a sunny day, I wanted to treat the kids to a milkshake. £22 for 4 milkshakes. That might not sound too bad considering the price of everything lately but these were nothing more than 4 glasses of milk with a little flavouring and a bit of spray cream on top served in glasses half the size of those advertised, despite the actual glasses used in the picture being available. Times are tough on everyone yeh, but don’t mug customers off by charging them over £5 for a glass of flavoured milk or they won’t come back. We won’t be anyway! Fed up of getting mugged off by businesses lately taking advantage of current climate and absolutely scalping customers !

We called in to the cafe after mid-week shopping in the garden centre. Just coffee plus a scone and a toasted teacake. The cafe was quiet with only a few others but it was still relatively early in the morning. Coffees were very good and the scone and teacake fine although the teacake was ordered as they had run out of scones! The bacon baps that we had on a previous visit in 2023 were also fine. Service was efficient and friendly. Tables etc were clean. The menu was appropriate for refreshments and light meals, that's good. The important Food Standards Agency Hygiene Rating is a 5, the top mark; excellent. It's really disappointing to see so many bad reviews and even more disppointing to see that no reviews have been responded to by the management since April 2022. All reviews are a valuable source of free feedback and should be acting as a spur to improving standards. Come on cafe management you can do better than this! This cafe has the potential to create a real buzz, strong local reputation and a real draw, to the benefit of the garden centre as a whole. Blue Diamond management should get (more?) involved as it seems that the cafe is more of an "afterthought". A good local role model would be the cafe at Sky Park Farm which has created a noticable "pull" factor for that shop and restaurant. Have you been on a visit to review?

Extremely poor value for money . Went with my wife and my mother . The staff were friendly enough but the food was so so overpriced . I was completely shocked by what l was charged . Never again .

After waiting 20 minutes without our order being taken I went up to the counter to ask if someone could take our order. They were not even half full so a wait of this length of time is totally unacceptable

Having selected a table (uncleared from previous occupants) I went up to the counter to place my order and was told to sit down at the table and someone would take my order. Having sat there for twenty minutes without any service, I flagged down a waiter and asked if I could place my order. He came back and told me that breakfast service had “ended ten minutes ago”. I told him I’d tried to order then waited 20 minutes, and he did his best going to explain to the chef and put my order through. The chap then can back and told me the chef said “it wasn’t possible”. Business’s, please don’t tell me how difficult times are for your enterprise when displaying such pathetic customer service as this.

Great food , I had taken my car to "V" signs , just up the road , walked down to the garden centre , started with Tomato soup , this was excellent , for a main I had prawn and avacodo salad , this again was excellent , all washed down with a coffee , staff were friendly , food was excellent , the place was spotless , I will visit again

Staff couldn’t have been nicer, good humoured and extremely prompt with service. Food definitely a cut above, well worth it, would recommend for discerning folk!

Lovely light lunch at this Garden Centre cafe. Service was quick. Waitress very friendly and efficient.

We found The Rake Garden Centre just by chance on the way to Champneys Forest Mere. After a browse round the huge and very impressive garden centre we went into the restaurant for a bit of lunch. The staff where very friendly and helpful. I had the bacon and stilton quiche which was absolutely delicious and my friend had the jacket potato with beans and cheese, she said the potato with nice but a bit on the small size. My friend is a vegetarian and would have liked to try the quiche as I raved about it so a veggie quiche on the menu might be a nice option. The outside seating for the restaurant is lovely as it overlooks all the plants in the garden centre. If we were in the area we would visit again.

We went for tea/coffee and scones today and Maria was a wonderful waitress who memorised our orders and was extremely pleasant. An asset for this restaurant as prior to this visit we have been disappointed with the service and waitress service. Well done Maria!

So sad to this this normally busy vibrant garden centre so quiet. The lack off staff is not thier fault but the staff in the shop at the check out obviously didn't want to be there . Not a good experience 😕

Super-lovely staff, lovely food and was a wonderful place to catch up with a friend. Thank you, we’ll be back……………………..

Awful service, long wait and then when the food did arrive they bought the wrong order. When the right order arrived, chilli with rice and guacamole, the guacamole was no where to be seen. The food was extremely dry and the order for our granddaughter was disgusting! The guy on the till was trying to keep on top of everything but he certainly needs some training in customer service.

By far some of the worst food and service I’ve ever had! My daughter had the chicken goujons that were dry and over cooked. The chilli con carne was a measly portion what I can only assume as microwaved, it being so dry and overcooked I wouldn’t feed it to a dog! And just because you cover a dish with micro herbs doesn’t make it edible. As for the service side of things, you seemed to have 7 people back of house running round like headless chickens barely able to serve a slice of cake! Will not be returning!!!

We had a light lunch here on a Sunday and was very good value. The lady who managed it was very helpful and friendly. Free Wi-Fi as well available. Would highly recommend.

My partner and I went for a bite to eat at lunchtime today and everything about the place was perfect. The food was very tasty and very good and the staff were brilliant, very friendly and accommodating. Thoroughly enjoyed our experience there.

The breakfast here is amazing. Vegetarian version has avocado with it. Coffee is delicious. Waitress delightful, if a little scatty. Can bring the dog to the very pleasant outdoor area.

Not acknowledged on arrival despite waitress seeing us arrive. Another customer came in and was served before us. Ordered a bacon roll and sausage and bacon sandwich. Took so long for food to come that coffees were gone. Bacon was barely cooked with lots of...

Have not been for a while and was a little disappointed by not a large menu choice but we chose ploughman’s and the red pepper and halloumi salad and were very impressed Quality of food, freshness and presentation outstanding highly recommended Staff friendly helpful and...

Sat in their conservatory, extensive menu with many interesting options although went for the full English which was huge and tasty! Were also happy to accommodate a fussy child with off menu options

I visit on a regular basis, and both the food and the service are always a delight! The staff are SO friendly and accommodating, for example if you have dietary requirements, and they work tirelessly to go above and beyond. You can visit for coffee...

Well sadly the wait was not worth it, seems to have gone down the pan , went for a nice lunch and visit the garden centre, garden centre was good but lunch was appalling, sat and waited and waited and with others so a lot...

Delicious soup, nicely presented by pleasant staff. Excellent coffee too, which we have found that you don't always get at other garden centres

Went for breakfast last Sunday and our order took a long long time in coming nearlly 50 minutes to be exact. Had the veggie option and were given the tiniest mushrooms I`ve ever seen and only 3 of them too !! Won't be going back...

We had the lovely hot home made chunky veg soup which came with different bread options followed by the gluten free brownie warmed up, as today was a bit chilly, it was fabulous to have gluten free options available and the brownie was to die...

Waited 40 minutes for food and the drink came at the same time. The food was poor - jacket potato warmed in microwave - barely a table spoon of tuna mayonnaise and the salad was 'unloved' with no dressing. The coffee was poor quality and...

First time visit a will certainly be back. Had a great gluten free breakfast with the reassurance that items had been cooked separately. My wife had a jacket potato. The food was well cooked and very tasty and good value for money and certainly in...

this place has gone downhill unfortunately, used to be my favourite haunt but now.... no way! Avoid! find somewhere else less expensive and has tasty food!

Lovely lunch here today Good menu, prices keen, food tasty and prepared freshly Staff friendly and efficient Atmosphere good, okay it’s a cafe/ garden centre but was warm and friendly Recommended particularly for excellent deals Monday to Thursday £9.95 over sixties two course menu excellent...

We always had our weekly coffee here, but unfortunately it's not the same. Prices have gone up and there have been alot of staff changes, so the atmosphere is very different. I read the last couple of reviews and had to laugh! The counter was empty of choice and it was only midday. I am very sorry to say the cakes were dry, cream extremely greasy tasting and quite disgusting. I had a scone which was hard, more like a rock cake. They used to be so soft and tasty. I found out the cakes are made and then frozen, so defosting them dries out the cake! Why can't they be made by someone who knows how to bake?

I've had breakfast here quite a few times. It used to be lovely but it's really gone downhill the last couple of visits. Burnt sausages, cold beans & undercooked eggs. Don't recognise any of the staff now either? Definitely not as welcoming.

I’ve looked at some of the reviews and thought perhaps we should avoid the cakes. We were hungry so I reluctantly tried a piece of my wife’s of the lemon Drizzle. That was it I ate it all and had to buy her another piece!!!!!...

I've been here a few times now and the food was really lovely as well as the staff being friendly, especially the manager who was very helpful and knowledgeable, will visit here again for sure.

We met here 4 of us and already we were met with a tiny girl rushing around looking busy but doing nothing! (And her shoes kept clip clopping, so noisy.) Anyway we ordered a coffee and some cake. I noticed the same girl spraying a table to wipe it clean but it went all over the next tables drinks. She didn't really care.

I have been using the cAfe for many years. Over the last few months it had really slipped. Went in there at 12 today only 2 people in there. Floor was filthy, tables had crumbs on them. All the staff in the kitchen talking which...

We regularly drop in here for lunch and have always had a good experience. Last week ownership from Wyevale to Blue Diamond and on our visit today the first thing we noticed was an increase in prices. Ham, eggs and potatoes has increased from £8.25 to £9.50 (also no watercress now) and slices of cake have increased from £3.00 to £3.25. Wyevale previously had meal deals and loyalty discounts which have been discontinued. Overall our lunch cost around £6 more than previously which is hard to swallow (apologies for the pun!).

We visit the cafe quite regularly for tea and cake after a good walk. Usually good, but visited last Sunday (28/7/19) and, although the tea/coffee/cake were good, we were disappointed that the first thing the lady in the cafe said to us was "we close in 15 minutes". So what!?! We already knew that and timed our visit to get there in plenty of time. She seemed quite affronted that we'd had the gall to expect to be served 15 minutes before closing time. The poor people behind us got the same treatment (but with a 10 minute warning). Maybe she was just having a bad day, but it kind of spoilt the visit.

Back to its old high standards, fabulous lunch, friendly and efficient can highly recommend Delicious food served well

Attended for a cup of coffee/tea with my mum and dad. Staff were excellent and very welcoming. The only downside was that the milk jug leaked everywhere along with the teapot.

Visited the cafe here today, very impressed, excellent food, freshly cooked and served, cheerful helpful staff well done, main meals looked good too will be back

We were a family of 3, called in on the spur of the moment and thought it was ok. My son loved the chocolate cake but it was expensive. The staff were not very helpful and we would not rush back there for another coffee brunch..

Delicious soup, home made. Nice place to eat, not too busy. Good to take a break when looking around the garden centre

This garden centre is actually a WYEVALE GARDEN CENTRE.

We've gone to the Rake Garden Centre for nearly 20 years and many times pop in for a snack or lunch. The food is always of a good standard and service prompt with generous portions. Particularly good are the jacket potatoes or at Xmas the special scones.

Lovely garden centre to walk around in shame we didn't have time to use the cafe!! Very spacious and well layed out i thought but when i visitited it was stuffy but overall good.

Since our last visit the garden centre seems to be larger but the cafe is the same. Plenty of parking and clean toilets just inside the door. There is also a pet shop which is separate but inside the garden centre in addition The Works bookshop which is really reasonably priced.

Usual fare here for a cafe plus a few homecooked specials. Good cakes so dont have to have a meal. Good for coffee. Decking nice if weather good.

Spur of the moment visit with my partner and was extremely impressed. We sat on the terrace with coffee and fresh scones, jam and clotted cream. Nice environment, friendly service and plenty of choice on the menu. Highly recommend and we'll definitely be back.

Mi recién nacido, niño y madre vino aquí para el almuerzo una semana y no podríamos haber tenido una mejor experiencia. El menú de niños es fabulosa, una amplia selección de opciones saludables que incluso a los paladares más delicados sin amor, y también hay una amplia selección de opciones para adultos, recién preparados. El personal era muy servicial y amable y el ambiente era muy agradable. Sin duda volveremos.

No teníamos planeado ir a la cafetería en el centro de jardín, pero como el Flying Bull había dejado de hacer la comida, que era el sitio más cercano. De todos modos, todas las mesas en la parte de invernadero estaban llenos cuando llegamos, así que nos fuimos a ver la habitación en el edificio principal y estaba cerrado. Afortunadamente alguien y luego a la izquierda, así que había una mesa.

Always fresh cakes and pastries. Also good for a quick bite. They have specials and a bright and airy place to meet with friends. Walking through the Garden Centre and Shop is enjoyable

Hay una agradable zona de hamacas si es cálido, y un invernadero o interior acogedor en clima más frío parte. Casa de comida y de alto nivel. Bastante razonable con especiales para pensionistas.

Viajamos más de media hora para llegar aquí como habíamos visto en línea "las obras", cafe y decoraciones de navidad. Siempre ir a un lugar con nuestros hijos para Navidad cada año y este bits lugar parecía bueno. Las chicas de esquina animales era extremadamente amable y servicial!

We go to the garden ctr quite often and have a coffee/cake. it is so frustration watching the poor girl serving and making the coffee while the queue gets longer and longer. PLEASE,,,,,,can they not have another staff member dedicated to making the drinks, A couple of the older staff need a lesson in Customer Service, the young girls are polite and helpful.

Canteen style eating. OK if you have no time or you want a quick coffee whilst visiting garden centre, but not somewhere I would go for a treat. Good access for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

We often visit this garden centre and have a meal from mid-day before wandering around to purchase different shrubs etc. Lunchtime meals commence from 12 and are presented well and very hot - good value as on our senior meals it is two course with either a tea or coffee. Staff very pleasant.

the manager is nasty, rude, and very temperamental! He doesn't treat the customers including me with any respect and thinks he's the head of the Queen's kitchen or something! needs to work on people skills. I know many people who haven't come back just because of him! Every other person on the staff are very lovely, and they do seem quite scared, and intimidated by him!

A pleasant cafe, nice scones, coffee average, but the reason I'm bothering to post a review is the appalling attitude of the male manager. Firstly I have to say that the other lady staff are delightful, especially the young girl who is mature for her age and pleasant. We are a group of around 10 school mums who originally planned to use the cafe as a base for our biweekly coffee mornings. We arrived at 9am on the dot, the garden centre was open, the sign on the cafe door said open, we stood at the cafe till to be served, to be told in a very unfriendly way that "The cafe isn't open yet, you'll have to wait" by the man. I thought he was joking, he didn't smile, just stood there and stared at me in an unfriendly way. I looked at my iPhone, by then it was after 9am, I showed him. His reply "Not according to my watch", his watch showed 8.58. He refused to serve us, we had to stand there with him at one side of the counter, a queue of mums with small children. No joke.This isn't the first time he's been unfriendly. Needless to say we've chosen an alternative venue for our biweekly coffee mornings. Assuming there's 10 or more of us all having coffee, some having cake, plus kids drinks and snacks, that's a decent amount of custom they've lost. Not that he cares.

Whatever you do, don't ever think of coming here with your baby. If you think that you can stop for a cup of coffee and a scone whilst your little one chomps on a breadstick, or a piece of apple you've brought from home then you're gravely mistaken: you'll be told - in no uncertain terms - that your child should ONLY be eating food purchased from the cafe! The guy in charge seems to think he's the head chef at the Ritz (who, I dare say, would be more understanding) not a garden centre coffee shop. Steer clear if you're with child.

The food is generally quite good each time we visit this restaurant, but the customer service could be better. One friend has a baby under a year old, and was told they had to purchase cafe food for the baby, despite it not being suitable. The gentleman working there can be abrupt. As there is now a super cafe in the centre of Liss, may well go there instead - unless there are more 2 for £10 Afternoon tea offers, as these are very good.

Often stop there for plants and garden items... There is also, inside a very good competitive book shop packed with a massive range of books for all sort of tastes and ages...worth the visit...certainly for children's booksThe team of staff has always been very pleasant and knowledgeable and prices are faire and the quality of plants is of high standard.Thank you to all of you there...!!! Had the chance to sample the food and drinks at the cafeteria which was also very good and fairely priced...l

Makes the best cakes, especially the flapjacks does a great gluten free range too. Could do with extending because it's so lovely!!!

We had a super breakfast, followed by a visit from Santa! Great food, really good service, and we'll definitely return!

Was given a voucher to have afternoon tea here so today I took my mum along and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Each one consisted of a pot of tea, egg mayonnaise roll, ham roll, scone with jam and cream and lastly a tasty lemon meringue cake. It was fab. Would certainly recommend

We've been a few times for brunch on a Sunday-they do a good choice of breakfasts and it's good qualiity home cooked food in a relaxed setting.

Regular visitor to this café, whether its breakfast, lunch or a cream tea.Very friendly service, excellent quality food.Not suitable if you are in a rush, but worth taking the time.

The purpose of my visit was to take my father and stepmother to Sunday lunch as it is a restaurant they have happily used many times. We had a pleasant meal which they thoroughly enjoyed and during which I was introduced to a number of their friends who also regularly eat there.My own experience could have been better as the till had not been set up to accept the offer we were using, resulting in confusion and delay and the side salad I ordered being forgotten.Also the chilli and lime chicken was lovely but I had grit in the black rice salad which put me off the meal completely. After a quiet word with the manager I was offered a free tea or coffee when I next go there.The service was slow and tables left uncleared for a long time but the food was generally good value for money apart from mine!

Went for lunch. Not good food, the tarts were tired, looked like straight out of a freezer. It's well furnished for a garden centre cafe, but shame about the rest. Plants were varied, interesting, but pricey. What was really most annoying was the enormous detour to get out past every conceivable counter and items trying to lure one into buying things you don't want. Really irritating.

We visited here for lunch with family from Liphook. There was ample car parking and the garden centre well stocked with plants and gardening products.The extensive menu was delightfully hand written on blackboards and had a "two courses for £8 offer". The gammon, cauliflower and cheese dish was particularly tasty (the texture of the cauliflower the best I have EVER eaten) and served by friendly staff. Obviously very popular with locals of all ages but let down by a "basic" Gents toilet some distant away.

We only went here because the Flying Bull was crowded, wish we had waited at the Flying Bull. The curry was absolutely tasteless and very runny service was poor, menu small like the portions. Should really be classed as a snack bar not a restaurant.

In the afternoon, whilst visiting the Garden Centre we stopped for coffee and cake in the cafe. A bright and cheerful setting, well maintained and with welcoming, efficient staff. There is an extensive menu of cooked day time choices including meal deals. Clearly and rightly popular with local residents and well worth a visit for the catering facilities alone, even if you do not need garden products. Plentiful parking, the only small drawback being the distance from the cafe to the toilet facilities, not good on a wet day.

We used to enjoy using this cafe/restaurant. The food was, more often than not, exceedingly good and the service from the waitresses was faultless. However, the Chef who ran the place was moody, unpredictable and occasionally, deeply unpleasant. Some visits - he would be OK. Other times he seemed to have terrorised his staff. On one occasion they were doing an offer on a breakfast - that offer included a fried egg. My wife asked if she could change that to a poached egg. The frightened waitress responded with "today is probably not a good day to ask - it's quite fraught in the Kitchen" The final straw was when we visited for a breakfast special offer - the sign was displayed showing it was valid. The lady on the till tried to put the order through to the Kitchen and the aforementioned Chef came out from the Kitchen. In front of us and the poor lady on the checkout, he told us that the offer had finished and we wouldn't be getting it at that price. The girl on the till pointed to the notice on the wall indicating that it was still valid. He simply tore the notice from the wall and disappeared back into the Kitchen. I have not been back since and never will. My wife recently returned with a friend - the same Chef is still there. Apparently he appeared impatient when my wife asked for a jug of tap water to accompany her meal.

Whilst staying at nearby Champneys Forest Mere we went out for a walk to explore the local area and came across Rake Garden Centre cafe.It is easy to find as it is on the main London Road which runs right through Liss and you can see the cafe from the road as it occupies an old house on the edge of the garden centre.We had a nice look around the garden centre first and then went for coffee. You can either sit in the house or there is a conservatory and outside seating area.Inside there is a nice choice of homemade food and you can see the kitchen through the cafe.We just had coffee but the food options looked good and were reasonably priced.They also offer newspapers to read and crayons and paper for children to draw with.The cafe has a pleasant un-rushed atmosphere plus you have the bonus of looking around the garden centre which also offers some fresh organic produce for sale.There are toilets in the garden centre, these are not near the cafe but it doesn't really make any difference, everything was clean and well maintained in the facilities.