The Arium in Leeds

We have been to the cafe here a few times and it is quite pleasant even if little dear - as most garden centres are. This morning we had the special offer for September Big Breakfast for £6.99. The regular price is £7.45. So a saving of 46p. Except you get one egg and one hash brown less. So, actually a price increase called a Special Offer. I wonder who dreamed this up.

Sausage roll pastry was rock hard Awful stale bread Girl in the kitchen was stood eating crisps and drinking a can of drink whilst making our food

1 hour wait for food is a joke when there are young children in the family. We could only have drinks as that wait was too long. ( they took 15 minutes to arrive) There were only 13 people in the cafe - no idea why such a long wait Excellent outdoor facility for children but the waiting time in the cafe needs to be much better organised

My daughter has just had her Baby Shower here and the venue was excellent. We had the upstairs of the cafe which was reserved and this was just perfect for the occasion. Staff were very attentive and helpful and couldn’t do more to help out. The location is great with easy parking for those coming from afar. Venue has the added benefit of a great play area for the kids and a well stocked shop and garden centre. Would recommend for any such event with having the convenience and facilities needed. Thank you for accommodating us.

Just wanted to say a massive thank you for such an efficient and responsive service that we received from The Arium. We needed emergency soil for an event and they came to our rescue!!! thank you so much!! Absolute delight to work with

Just popped in for quick lunch; chose the salmon and cream cheese sandwich with side of wedges. Oh my, the sandwich was divine. Lovely fresh bread, lots of tasty salmon and good spread of cream cheese. The wedges were very good too. Service with a smile just added to a lovely experience.

Took a party of 30 people on a mid-week afternoon tour of the growing facilities followed by refreshments in the cafe. The tour was very interesting and informative and the extent of the growing area was surprising. It also goes to show that local authorities can run a fantastic, environmentally friendly, profitable business and use the proceeds to help to fund other council activities. Very impressed by the organisation of our refreshments afterwards in the lovely, light airy cafe. We were given an exclusive space on the mezzanine and a pre-prepared selection of cakes and homemake scones which were delicious. The serving staff were very friendly and efficient. I would not hesitate to recommend a visit.

i am surprised at many of the reviews.Today 19th my two cycling buddies took me out for a treat.I have not been well recently.So the first thing i noticed was how light and bright it is.How clean.So a bit of a laugh with the wonderful smiling young staff,up we go to our table.Acres of space again so clean.Coffee arrived first, nice and hot,then a wonderful breakfast.Massive portion,so much i could not finish it,but that is because of my appetite after cancer.Quality food taste wise,smiling staff who cleared away afterwards,then a second coffee all in all a great visit,plus even though it was busy near the end you have plenty of room and it is quiet also.I really enjoyed my visit.

£3.75 for a toasted tea cake! It was barely warm by the time it made it to our table as the waiting staff didn’t know the table layout and passed our table more than once asking other tables if the tea cakes belonged to them. The butter that came with it was soo cold we couldn’t spread it. It cost just over £15 for two rubbish tea cakes, a cappuccino and a small bottle of apple juice. Place is full of screaming kids being left to run riot. Cafe was soo noisy due to children being shoved a mobile phone in front of them to watch something in an attempt to entertain them. Won’t be going again. Dreadful experience. Don’t even get me started on the toilets.

Called today 16/3/24, Saturday lunchtime, due to staff shortage and only one person preparing meals food was in short supply, the young ladies behind the counter were doing a great job however appearing to struggle due to overly demanding customers (pensioners) expecting the world from them under very difficult circumstances. The girls were trying to please everyone and due to rushing were making mistakes, hygiene seemed to have gone out of the window, behind the counter stuff had been dropped on the floor and the surfaces were filled with part completed orders. In my opinion may have been better for Leeds city council to choose to not open the cafe.

The breakfast bap deal had finished so went for the breakfast muffin. For £2.95 I was not expecting a large portion but boy was I wrong. It was fabulous; very tasty. I'd asked for well done bacon and that's what I had. Enough cheese on the muffin so you could taste it but not overdone. I notice that next week they have a pie offer on......could be tempted for that too.

I hate to leave bad reviews but our visit really was dreadful. 2 adults and 2 children, we arrived for lunch. The place was absolutely filthy, unbelievably so. Had we not ordered and paid before we sat down we wouldn’t have stayed. The sandwiches took almost 50 minutes to arrive. The children’s white bread sandwiches were stale. Ours on brown bread were better. Nice coffee served. We were surrounded by uncleared tables, the floor covered in food debris, the table bases looked like they hadn’t been cleaned for days. It was half term but that’s no excuse for it being in such a state or for serving such poor quality food. Such a shame as we are local. We won’t go back.

We went for lunch on a Monday in term time so it wasn’t particularly busy. Despite this, there were 5 tables on the mezzanine that hadn’t been cleared and remained that way most of the time we were there. There are no menus on the tables. You have to know to pick one up before you seat yourself. We tried to order pulled pork sandwiches but were told they didn’t have any. The table behind us were told they were out of the pasta they had ordered. Our food arrived swiftly but without our drinks, which they hadn’t written on the order so we had to chase those. We also never received any napkins. We ordered the kids lunch box with a cheese sandwich but the bread had clearly been left out for a while as it was going stale. We did get a free piece of cake though. I wouldn’t go back in a hurry.

Very disappointed. Used cafe . Service slow . Food not warm . Tables not cleared . Not value for money- would not go back. As for the centre- if you live local and want a cheap boarder plant this is for you . If you want choice you might want to go somewhere else

Really disappointing quality and service. They need better training for baristas my flat white was a milky coffee. My wife failed to finish her cappuccino it was so bad. The food was the same poor and badly presented.

Rob who works for parks and countryside went above and beyond at the arium when we asked for a special wedding gift for our family wedding present. Lovely planter was ordered in and was ready to be collected within a couple of days. Couldn’t recommend enough. Also wanted to add that the cafe is always a delight to visit. Very welcoming staff and delicious food. Highly recommend for breakfast and a lunch visit.

great service as usual! Staff so pleasant and friendly each time we’ve been which is a breath of fresh air! Very reasonably priced for high quality food and service! Calm atmosphere Great for kids and adults!!

Awful ! Give it a miss Firstly you have to find a table, then virtually beg someone to clean it, then they give it a very quick wipe. The cutlery was dirty, there was something in the milk and you then get one dirty menu to share! Then it’s back downstairs to order and pay, back up again to wait for the food. I ordered a ‘halloumi style panini with cranberry’ it was inedible - thin cheddar type cold cheese with about half a jar of cold cranberry on a warmish Panini. I took it back and got my £8.95 back and made do with a cup of tea which was fine. My daughter in law had a gammon sandwich which was very dry and she ate it because she was starving. We went straight to m and s and bought a cheese sandwich instead.

February special - breakfast sandwich with free drink was really good vfm. Their rarebreed sausage are amazing. Served with a tasty side salad it really was a tasty filling breakfast sandwich

First time visit with a group of friends, and we will return. We were made very welcome by very helpful staff were very helpful and the breakfast delicious. We were placed on the mezzanine floor and not made to feel as if we had outstayed our welcome. Thank you for that.

Lovely spot for a browse around the gift shop, garden centre and a bite to eat in the cafe. The garden centre was all set up for Christmas when I went it was so festive with lots of beautiful decorations on sale. Will be returning soon!

We enjoyed a tasty breakfast on Saturday morning in the lovely surroundings at Cafe Arium. Friendly efficient staff and nothing was too much trouble. Will certainly be going back soon.

Staff & food were superb, they couldn’t do enough for us, especially as we had elderly relatives who had specific needs!

I love this place but I’m afraid that every time I’ve been for lunch or coffee and snacks with family and friends, I’ve been disappointed. I have never written a bad review but after the service my family experienced this afternoon. We ordered coffee and cake at 3.40, the cake was served in a plastic take away tray despite us saying we were sitting down. The coffee arrived 5 minutes later in a take away plastic cup and we were told the cafe would be shut at 4. Normally that means last orders but stay till you finish. At 3.55 the lights were switched off with a clear message from a group of young servers standing around that we had to leave. I left my still warm coffee and realised that we’d been served our drinks and food on take away plates so there was no washing up to do. We will not be visiting the restaurant or the garden centre again.

The playground was absolutely amazing. Facilities for any age. It was soo fun. But the food. They didn’t serve us. We ordered our food and 25 minutes later we asked why our food wasn’t served yet. Turns out that they hadn’t started making it yet and the chefs were just standing there chatting. The plants were good too.

Lovely place for a relaxing catch up with family. The staff are always attentive and friendly and the food is very reasonably priced. Added bonus of great plant selection at competitive prices too.

Very good breakfast fair value for money and well presented. Standard garden centre selling usual things at same price as other garden centres. So why only 2*, the car parking spaces are so narrow that with a car of slightly more than average size parked next to you it is impossible to open the doors. I had to wait until someone came back to their car to get into mine. I am a fairly large guy but people who are stick thin were also having problems it is near on impossible to open a door without touching adjacent vehicles even with cars parked in the centre of the bays. Do not know about the play area as no Grandchildren today but it looks good, we will have to road test it later.

One meal arrived about 5 minutes before the other 3. The burger looked unattractive and looked undercooked. The vegan panini was pathetic - hardly any filling and very dry. The chicken panini contained a dry piece of chicken. The two paninis which were more like split French stick, were served alongside a tiny portion of salad which was smothered in a dressing which had obviously come from a bottle. We will certainly not be returning. Expensive and unattractive food.

There are fundamental flaws to the park. Is my toddler playing in the sand or are they getting kicked in the head by someone on a swing? These should absolutely be separate areas. There are no separate scooter paths so it feels manic and children aren’t free to move around as other people are on the paths also. The toddler climbing frame has large gaps either side of the wobbly bridge-again not safe (coincidentally there are no gaps on the exact piece of equipment at the next closest park confirming that this has been incorrectly installed). Inadequate and unsafe parking. I had to park on the busy road as did many others. They have not thought about the facilities to go with the park. I saw nurseries emptying potties onto the grass and another child just lifted to openly urinate on the grass. Absolutely understand the constraints of toilet training but this wouldn’t happen if there were toilets closer by. I think it’s appalling given the times that picnics are not allowed. I would have absolutely bought ice-cream or a coffee if this had been allowed but instead we stayed for half an hour and moved to a smaller and safer park where we could eat our snacks guilt free. I will not be returning until changes are made.

This place is swarming with wasps, the play area is amazing for the kids with a coffee and ice-cream stand but the wasps really did put us off and needs to be looked into. The cafe was ok had hot beef sandwich which was so tough! Kids meals great value though.

Hot Food served frozen on the inside , children’s lunch box came with the crayons all melted into hot liquid as it had been sat on a boiling surface (luckily I got to it before my 2 year old) ,everything else had sold out for children and the lunchbox had contents missing ,cafe and toilets filthy . There was an apology but at 8m pregnant did not want to risk eating any of the food purchased so that was a waste of money. Play area really good but again overshadowed by the food area which took 20 minutes to get a bottle of water (3rd In que) coffee machine was broken when we got to the front. Some staff were busy but other's just moping about doing nothing productive

Popped in at 15.30 hours today( Bank holiday Sunday) for quick refreshments. Despite the signed closing hour of 16.00 hours, was told by the cafe staff the there were no tables available, and indeed not a single table was actually in evidence, so they offered take away service only. If Leeds City Council are going to run a business, then they should do it properly, or not at all. Incidentally the borders of the pathway to the car park were strewn with pieces of packaging material.

Breakfast after a walk muffin deal £1.99 egg sausage and cheese very nice staff and surroundings are great. Deals on food all the time top quality

Far too many young staff mooching about doing nothing. The mezzanine floor has made the old ground floor dark and claustrophobic and very unwelcoming. Could we go upstairs - no we couldnt, why? no answer. 2 coffees arrived in 10 minutes but no sugar, searching...

Los on menu not available, tried ordering 3 times before finding something. This is not a one off it happens on a regular basis,

Visited today for lunch with friends. Arrived at 11.30. Flyer on table advertising a Yorkshire pudding deal which some of our party tried to order. We were told they had run out so why were the flyers on the table. We changed to some pulled...

We ordered a couple of cakes and a coffee with syrup to takeaway. The cakes arrived after about 5 minutes, however the coffee took 18 mins and was made incorrectly and without syrup. There were plenty of staff, they were just young and inexperienced. If...

Usually good. Today dreadful. Staff very young mooching about. Orders not completed, waited 40 minutes for a desert, rest of family finished eating had to wait for me. Then table next to us same issues and wrong food arrived, my pudding, melted chocolate pud arrived...

Went to Arium cafe today. Kids pasta with tomato sauce was value pasta over cooked with watery tinned tomatoes heated up and tipped over… no herbs, seasoning, onion, cheese or effort. A cheap meal at home if you were desperate and at the Arium we...

Been three times and the food and service are really great, staff are friendly and the food is lovely

We visited the cafe today and the customer service was great. Everyone was friendly and helped us with anything we needed. Will be visiting again

Are the chefs really happy to send out a burnt Tesco Value Pizza for £5? Come on respect paying customers.

The cafe is fabulous. The staff are incredibly friendly, can’t do enough and the food is delicious and reasonably priced. Our kids love the play park too. Thank you staff for being so attentive and friendly.

I attended twice this week with my sister… had the egg royal breakfast which was very generous portion of smoked salmon. Next visit I had the salmon and prawn plate for lunch and again it was very very nice. The service reflects the freshness of...

The new cafe looks great but unfortunately there isn’t as much substance as there is style. We sat upstairs but were told that the area was shut although still allowed to sit there. There was about 50% of the menu unavailable. This was 10 days...

Excellent menu deals on most days lovely surroundings great staff very polite and pleasant all cooked on the premises excellent

Called here with my Nan and had coffee and cake yesterday. We had a young gentleman and a young lady looking after us. They were very polite, offered us a very good service. We ordered coffee and cake, the bake well was amazing. Thank you...

Having agreed with the many comments which review the negativity of the cafe/restaurant, I would just like to add to this feedback with more detail. The others have mentioned the poor staff service in terms of taking an order, engaging, taking initiative, I would also...

I thought we would give this a second chance but still no improvement. Waited 10 minutes to be seated, then 20 minutes to order. The staff are delightful but overworked. The menu is limited and expensive, much improvement needed if they are to keep regular...

Denied access to the Mezzanine level TWICE - due to cleaning prior to closing time..The time was just after 2.30pm!!! There was several customers eating there. We only wanted coffee and bun - wouldn't take us long to vacate the table. The closing time is...

Took my mum for trip out today to garden centre had hot drink and scone.Staff helpful,smiling approachable.2 of the staff that I met were new staff and we both felt welcomed and they took good care of us.I spoke to Janet manager at the time...

I found the menu limited and expensive, 6 pounds for a sandwich with a few lettuce leaves and 1 tomato.although the quality was good. Hopefully the menu will improve

I visit the Arium quite often. The food and drink is always lovely. I was also disappointed to notice on Mothers Day there were 3 young girls serving and waiting on tables in the cafe. All 3 were rushed off their feet, plus taking abuse...

We visited The Atrium on Sunday 27 March (Mothers Day) and felt that the 3 young girls who were serving on the the tables and were working incredibly hard, doing their absolute best whilst being under so much pressure to serve on tables, direct customers...

Enjoyed our trip to The Arium today once we managed to find our way in. The council have made it so difficult to get there with so many roads closed. The prices of the plants are great and bought quite a lot. We did wonder...

We came in for mother's Day breakfast, waited to be seated at the sign that told us to do so, we were then seated by a member of staff l, got our son in the high chair, got his little rubber bowl and cutelary out...

Called at the Arium this morning for a catch up with my "bessie mate". We had already decided we would have a toasted teacake, something we have had lots of in the past. Wanted to sit downstairs as on a previous visit decided it was...

We had a wonderful visit to the Arium. Whilst there we took advantage of the newly renovated Cafe Arium which is now on two levels. Lou met us at the entrance and invited us to sit upstairs or downstairs. The surroundings were lovely, restful and...

Basic food, they may occassionally run out. Coffee and cakes are always available :-) This is no Michellin cafe, but everything is decent standard. Compare to anu greasy spoons, this is extremely clean environment. Looking onto the nusery is always the bonus.

Called in today for breakfast and a coffee. Love the new look cafe. The menu had lots of great options and the staff were amazing and very accommodating. Highly recommend and look forward to going back.

My wife suggested we should take the grandchildren there to play on the toys. They always have a good time there. The toys are fun and safe. It's a nice garden centre. It was lunchtime. i was hungry . I bought a cheese and onion...

Took our 16mth granddaughter here to play. We visit the Arium often to buy our bedding plants here. The playground is well spaced and good sturdy climbing frames. Great sandpit too. However, we do wish it had a swing or two for the younger toddlers...

Went during lockdown so cafe not open so wandered round the shop and garden centre. Good selection of plants but to say this is council owned and run prices were higher than we expected. When fully open they have an indoor and outdoor cafe, and...

Visited cafeteria today,seated very quickly, felt safe with procedures in place concerning virus. Opted for toasted sandwiches/cakes and tea. Service quick and food tasty. Sandwiches came with a small side salad which was adequate. Beautiful selection of cards and fancy goods in shop and an...

Cafe very Covid-secure. Staff nice and helpful. Decent playground. Ample parking. We were impressed.

The one way system in placed worked very well, the selection is good, staff are pleasant. I am looking forward to returning to the cafe.

We have visited the playground at The Arium with our 3 year old a couple of time since it reopened, following lockdown. We like the fact that it is outdoors and the equipment is spaced out. There is a range of equipment and a sandpit...

My family took me out for lunch on Father's Day 2019, and my experience at the Arium cafe was abysmal. I ordered a bowl of soup and a sandwich, and had to wait 1 hour and 45 minutes before it arrived. The cafe was not...

We pop in for a breakfast. All good value for money. There were a lot of avocado on the toast! Eggs were very freah.

Spacious eating area with very good service and reasonable choice of food, We weren't too hungry so we opted for cake and hot chocolate which were good. Ideal for a snack while shopping for plants, gifts etc...

Although on first glance the Arium's Cafe is good ... gradually I realised that it had a very limited menu (sandwiches, toasties, jacket potatoes & cakes etc) and that the poor accoustics made it extremely noisey. Reasonably priced and nice friendly staff this may not...

A friend and I met for afternoon tea. We had a lovely time. The food was nice and the service was excellent. Everyone was friendly, chatty and very helpful. Thanks to them, and quality of the food, we had a lovely time. I left a...

We called in to buy all our winter plant, and were really impressed with how well the plants were kept, and the prices were very good, bought loads. We also had breakfast in the cafe and the service was great and the food lovely. Will...

Right from the phone call to the lovely man who answered the phone and took my booking for afternoon tea to the actual day of said afternoon tea, I couldn't have asked for more! I had mentioned on the phone that I was booking as...

Often on journeys to and from Leeds, I have seen signs for The Arium. Recently, I had the time to stop and check it out. It's a massive location but as other posters have observed, a great deal of the space is given over to...

This garden centre has a good size car park. It's smaller than it looks, as most of the area is working green houses. It has a cafe area that light and welcoming , offering a good choice of foods and drink. The staff nice and...

Called in mid-week. Maybe some of the criticisms on here are due to week end crowds? Very nicely prepared breakfast. Bacon perhaps a bit over-done but other parts very well prepared. Large & airy location - obviously a very new venue. Good selection of plants...

The food were freshly prepared to order. The salad was very fresh. I was not happy to find out the special of the day was sold out, but sign was still in display. The sun is out, even the kiosk was open. The play park...

Ordered 2 breakfasts exactly the same, came out 10 minutes apart! Everything dry and overcooked, even beans! Bacon was so hard and dry it couldn’t be cut. Staff don’t seem remotely motivated or interested! They just seem to wander around looking bored Sensible prices to...

Lovely play area but unfortunately cafe adjacent was closed. We used the main cafe and although cup of tea fine the chocolate muffin and two scones with butter and jam were rather dry. We did not really go to buy plants so can’t comment re...

Lovely morning with Lee and three other ladies learning how to grow edibles in containers. Came away with three containers full plus two bags of goodies. Followed by lunch in the cafe, which was included in the cost. All in all fabulous value for money....

Since moving from Red Hall the plants have got more expensive, the staff are not as helpful, that is when you can find one. Disabled parking is too far away for lots of reason.

There’s a lovely modern playground with interesting equipment, a sand pit and a roadway for scooters and bikes. The garden centre shop is really nice too. The cafe area looks the part but the food and coffee are definitely below average in quality and taste.

We visit here often as it is local. The garden centre is good value and has a wide range of products on offer, plus friendly helpful staff. The cafe is also very good in terms of the food on offer. It is badly let down...

Everything about Arium is positive the staff have accepted the challenge of the move brilliantly and the plant centre itself merits a visit The shop also has an excellent selction of qua;lity goods

First time visit for a quick lunch rather than the garden centre. Limited choice for food but covers most bases. Hot jacket potato was served very quickly and was large. Wife had a cold sandwich from the chiller cabinet. Had coffee and cake which was...

First visit so had to try the cafe. We had ploughman’s and cheese and ham toastie. Both very good. Had cakes and hot drinks and the cakes were really nice. We felt the plants were overpriced so didn’t buy and the queue at the checkout...

We met family for lunch. Pie and peas, jacket potato and toasties, tea and coffee all good. We had to wait a few minutes for hot food but no problem. Staff quick and efficient. Bought some plants and preserves but couldn't find basket to carry...

Nice tea and coffee reasonably priced. They do breakfast and lunches and nice cakes. They also used to have a good range of cheap plants, unfortunately they are pricing themselves out of the market and are now more expensive than usual garden centres.

Ridiculous system in the cafe, had to wait 15 mins just for two coffees. Lots of people complaining. Also we have a disabled badge, the parking is still too far away, could not get any help with the compost bags so had to leave them...

Not very big as garden centres go but nice selection of plants and gifts. Lovely outdoor play area from about 12 months of age. It also has a large sand pit. Ideal in good weather. Cafe quite nice but serving staff quite young and inexperienced....

It was a busy Sunday lunchtime - free rides outside so probably even busier than usual. Queue for food took about 30 mins, then food took 35 mins to come. After about 20 mins after ordering I went to ask where our food was and...

Took my elderly parents for a run out & a of bit of lunch, dad has Parkinsons & recently had hip replacement was struggling with walking that day, staff so helpful opened a side entrance for a shorter walk into the cafe area! Young lad...

A lovely quiet cafe and good tea, nice little shop and good healthy plants to buy and fabulous playground for the younger members of the family too !

I visited Arium with 2 friends and the. Christmas Dinner and Brie and Cranberry Pannini were delicious we all enjoyed our chiice of meal. All disabled facilities of access and toilets and spacious enough for wheelchairs

Called in for a look at the garden shop and outdoor displays and decided to have a bit of lunch ,Found a seat with no problems lots of mum's and tots having coffee and cakes ordered a toastie, pumpkin soup and a Yorkshire pudding with...

This garden centre is owned by Leeds City Council and is accessible to all.The quality of the plants and all garden necessities is very high and reasonably priced.The building is light spacious and airy.The staff are polite friendly and helpful.The cafe sells quality produce at...

On approaching The Arium it appears huge. A long well constructed road (wish all the roads in Leeds were like this) brings you to the car park next to one of the largest glasshouses that I’ve seen outside of Holland. I understand that it’s here...

This seems to be a cafe side line to the main business of a nursery. It makes a good afternoon out though. The interior is very airy with a transparent roofing and a view across the plants in the glasshouses. The cafe service was very...

After a visit on thursday, just want to say how lovely the young girl behind the counter was. Accommodating, chatty, bubbly and nothing was too much trouble.she said her name was Chloe.