The Clove Cafe and Bistro in Blackburn with Darwen

It was expensive the rice weren’t cooked properly waste of money wasn’t nice but have good decorations

I went into clove as a friend recommended this place to eat and I took my whole family out too. It was a risk not knowing thier service and food but I should have not doubted. Their food was amazing, and the service was incredible too. I would totally recommend this place.

The cheese and onion pie was watery with hardly any cheese or onion. The steak and gravy pie was tasteless and the gravy was red in colour tasted awful and was only given to us after a few requests. The service is not good. Even after complaining and showing them why we still had to pay. The sweet did not taste like it should. Overpriced and spoilt our outing. Not going again

Came here for breakfast, wasn't impressed. Waited around 20mins for an omelette with toast and tea. The worst part of it was the toasts had bits of butter dumped in the middle of the bread, not even spread, on couple of the peices there wasn't any butter at all. Don't know why they attempted to butter it in the first place, if they were going to make a mess of it.

Called to book a table, got there to be told no table for us though 8 people after us came in & no reservation though still got a table. When we questioned this the manager told us it’s because they are regulars & come in every week. I didn’t realise service was only for their regulars. Good food though appalling service. Customer service skills required. Surprised they do well with her behaviour.

Very poor service. Need to change management and staff. Ordered mains and 10 mins later was told they didn’t have it. Took a long time to serve and then gave the food to all the diners in our group at different times even though it was 3 kids and 2 adults. Was asked to complain to manager via a phone call the following day even though she was around. Eventually came over after repeated delays. No drinks put on table and had to ask several times. Manager tried to claim the kids meals were starters which is why they came out first, even though they came out after my wife's mains. Came here over 3 years ago and was as bad, thought they would change. Now it was worse. The place was filthy too. Radiator and walls were covered in food and drink. Wouldn't return even if the food was free. Avoid like the plague.

Service is awful here last time i came i thought im never coming here again but thought id give it another try for breakfast, breakfast came with a hair on it, the lady took it back but didnt even apologise, the service is shocking, food was barely 2/10. Once upon a time this place was good, but the last few times, safe to say i wont be coming back.

Very disappointed with the takeaway we ordered. The lamb Karahi was just awful; more bone and fat than lamb. The chicken jalfrezi was ok as were the naan breads. We also had jalapeño bombers, chips and garlic mushrooms. Everything was cold when it arrived (took an hour and a half despite it saying 45mins to 55 mins). We live less than a mile away!!! We had to reheat everything before it was even remotely edible which defeats the object of a takeaway. Won’t be ordering from here again.

Overrated. Food is ok but only average and expensive for what it was. I did enjoy the samosas chaat. The sweet is expensive and not recommended. We had to return their attempt at cookie dough as it didnt look anything like what it's supposed to. Would not go again

We went in as a group of around 20 for our scouts group outing. We came for breakfast and ordered a variety of things from the menu from milkshakes, to desi breakfasts, pies, sizzlers etc. Service was great, the food was awesome and we all had a lovely time.

Went for breakfast with a family of four and the service was really poor. No smiles from the staff. The food for two came out and 15 minutes later the rest of the food came. The tea and juice came at the end and again without smiles from the staff. They also got the order wrong. The sausages were undercooked. It’s a shame that the surroundings are very good but staff and food is a let down. The quality of the food was mediocre. The staff all need to go on a customer services course!!!!

I went here on a Friday evening with my wife and teenage children and I thought the food was excellent and really good value for money. The restaurant was clean, the food was excellent and the service was great. I always feel review the restaurant on food and service and based on this, it was a great dining experience, compared to what there is in Blackburn.

As a family we went today to enjoy afternoon brunch. We sat and ordered. The young ladies brought us plates that were filthy. Had to ask for them to be changed. After 45 minutes of waiting, my son went over to ask. The waitress told him it won't be long. Further 15 minutes later I went over. The food is still not ready. Throughout this one hour no one even bothered to come to the table to apologise or update us. I asked where the manager was and apparently she is not in. We walked out without even eating or there was no intention from the staff of feeling any wrong or apologetic. Never ever will I go again or recommend

Went with my husband. Food was okay at first. When ordering our food we asked for a jug of iron bru. The waitress said they do not do bru jugs - (even though it is on the menu) I then asked if they have any jugs of drinks at all? She replied with ‘no we do not have any jugs’ so me and my husband got single bottles instead. Upon leaving to go pay we noticed a table next to us for served a jug of coke. I mentioned this to the other lady at the till who looked like the manager. She asked the waitress who denied it and got into a discussion with me and said to me 3x that she said they had coke jugs. She was making me out to be a liar. I feel this was clear discrimination because we were the only Pakistanis in the restaurant and the rest of the people eating there were Indian. The waitress was very attentive to other tables but ours. We even had to ask for water. I do not recommend this place. Food is mediocre and service is horrendous.

Had the masala fish which was cooked perfectly - it was so flakey with just the right amount of spice - very tasty!! The Chicago sizzler was delicious too. The service is always spot on with the ladies working very hard to ensure everyone is looked after. The restaurant also has its own car park which is so convenient. Will be visiting again!

Great desi and english breakfast. Service was good too. Would recommend for a Sunday morning breky. Although the workers could do better with a smile in their face

The food was amazing i loved every last bit. Definately going again. Definately recommend. Beautiful..

Absolute rubbish food with rubbish service! Waiter called Thana had the worst customer service ever and was extremely rude, food came in extremely small portions which weren't worth the money at all! Been to far better places, will not be going back to Clove! Disappointed!

I have never experienced anything like this before. It was an absolute shambles.

Food was excellent service was good We went for a late lunch and was happy with food an staff Manager was fantastic

Went for a light lunch. Good variety, prompt service and food was tasty. Reasonably priced. Parking available. Lots of breakfast options too.

We visited last night as a family of 5, the menu has choice and variety- stir fry noodles to curries and steaks. The presentation and taste was amazing. My youngest a fussy eater finished her lasagne which was cooked to perfection! Def visit again 😊

Food not bad but the whole experience was off putting when there are flies everywhere as you are trying to enjoy some lunch. The worst part is I was enjoying my chips until I noticed something floating in the vinegar jar - to my horror there was a mass of flies swimming in the the vinegar. I have never felt so sick in my life!

We arrived quite late and ordered chicken tikka with chips, schzeuan chicken sizzler and prawn sizzler. The chicken tikka was slightly cold so had to send back. The sizzlers were great.

Extremely poor service. Food took ages to come and was the wrong order. Staff did not apologise for this and asked if I was ok with eating whatever they had given, which was very unacceptable. Huge improvement is definitely needed with the staff.

I visited with a friend for our usual monthly catch up.

I went here for a quick lunch with a friend. Took a while to get seated.

Terrible service, most choices on menu not available to order, wtf? Took extremely long to make food and beverages even though there were only one other family there ?? Never again . Oh and I should have checked their food rating before attending !!!! They have received a 2 of of 5

Went Saturday evening with my wife, the place was half full. So not overly busy. However from the moment I walked in, to walking out after my meal, the service was shocking. Never seen it like that before.

Popped in for a quick bite as we were local. Really nice fusion cafe. The curried sausages and full English were delicious (and the samosas) and the flat white coffee well made and strong.

We had the chicken stir fry, panini and a sizzler. The food was good value for money. Big portion sizes and everything tasted great too. Also tried out the desserts - churros, cookie doughs which were just ok.

Visited the other day with a friend, food was very average and overpriced.

We came to the Clove for our Christmas meal from work. It was busy with other family groups even so the waiter swiftly showed us to our table. We went for the buffet but also had some delicious lamb chops, samosas and kebabs which were so fresh and tasty. We had the lamb curry and a vegetable curry for my vegetarian friend they were both delicious. The waiter was a very friendly lady kept asking us if we needed anything else. For desserts we had cookie dough and churros.

We went to try the recent addition of a buffet and tbh it's very average. The starters are poor, small and dried out, the mains are a little better, but for the money it's okay if you accept this is little more than a Cafe. The staff are friendly and saw to our needs as and when, for instance there were no poppadoms or naan so some fresh ones soon came, to the table. We also had sizzling lamb chops and fresh fried fish, this non- buffet food was very nice and I would recommend eating from the menu choices as I've eaten here before and the food was very good. The buffet needs a little thought though as it's just so, as stated but all in all it is what it is and is pleasant and clean and usually popular with family groups. The owners/manager seemed keen for a review but they should also take the time to read them and respond where appropriate, I'm not sure they understand the real value of good honest reviews and feedback to build their business.

Unfortunately this was the first and last time I would go here. The food was overpriced but no quality at all. The food was cheaply sourced and not tasteful at all.

I went to eat with my family to eat the highly rexomended food. The presentation and the food was very nice. The only downside was when we asked to get our left over food packed, we were given trays and 2 carrier bags and were told we had to pack it our selves as the staff won't. The sizzling pallets was still.hot and as I started to put the chicken and noodles in the tray, the pallete slipped from my hand as it was hot so i had to hold the wooden base and tilt it, this Was health and safety to me and could've scoulded my hand.

Had lunch with the girls. I ordered the succulent chicken sosattes. It tasted amazing. The sauce tasted the best. Would defo go again.

Whether its the breakfast or a burger, The Clove's food is fantastic. Very yummy tasting. The service is also brilliant too. I was a regular Sunday goer last year, never failed to please. Going again soon, cant wait...

So a couple of friends and I decided to visit the Clove for a Saturday brunch. We saw images online and it looked really nice. We planned to take a trip down. We travelled from Yorkshire and it took us just over an hour to get here. We arrived and were greeted by a friendly looking woman in her mid 40’s. She was pleasant and showed us to our table. My first impression of the place was that it was clean, there were a couple of families sat having their food and all seemed well. Firstly I went to the toilet, which was clean which I will not fault. I came back to the table, and the 3 of us ordered a full English breakfast with tea. One of my friends dislikes tea so asked if they could substitute her tea for a juice, the women refused and said they could not do that and that she had to pay £2 extra for juice, which we did not mind doing so we ordered anyway. I also asked for a bottle of water. My friend was eager to try the samosa chaat so we ordered 1 portion of vegetarian samosas as she does not eat chicken / meat. The women said she was not sure if they had veg, and she would bring it out if they had, if not she would not bring it at all.. we agreed to that and waited for our food. The food arrived roughly 15 minute later which was fairly reasonable. The woman bought out the 3 English breakfasts, 2 teas and a juice. The bottle of water was no where to be seen.. the presentation was okay. The beans were cold, the eggs were over done and burnt at the bottom and the hash browns were also a little over done. The toast was extremely chewy and cold which resulted us dipping the toast in our tea to soften it! The only piece of food on the plate I could not fault was the sausages, which were warm. The samosa chaat hadn’t arrived, therefore we assumed they did not have any veggie samosas. I was nearly done with my food, I had on my form a piece of hash brown with mushroom and beans and took a bite, when suddenly felt something sharp hit my tongue, and crunch between my teeth, only to see I had a piece of clear glass in my mouth!! I immediately took it out and put it on some tissue paper. The women was nearby so I called her and showed her what I had found in my food. She looked directly at my face and said ‘hmm’ no apology. I assumed it was off the hash brown but wasn’t sure. She took the piece of glass off me and walked off and asked if I wanted another hash-brown. To which I replied ‘no thank you!’ I was unable to finish the remainder of my food after than and continued sipping on the mug of tea. 5 minutes later the lady bought out what she said was ‘samosa chaat’. Which in fact was chaat surrounded by pieces of spring roll cut up. My friends started to eat and asked me to try, so I tried a piece and tasked chicken. My friend who ordered the veggie was amazed and this and fairly upset. We got up to go pay, the total bill for 3 English breakfast’s and a samosa chaat totalled up to £31.00. The same women was at the till, we told her about the chicken spring rolls, in which she replied ‘there is no chicken it’s al veg’. I assured her I knew what chicken taste like and if she wishes we can go back to the table and I can show her the bits of chicken I found.. she did not respond nor did she apologise for the piece of glass or chicken spring rolls. We forgot the food totalled to £31.00 and assumed it was £30.00 so we paid. The women then said “£1.00” more?? So we gave her the extra pound. I found this to be extremely rude on her behalf to demand a pound after the terrible experience. We were not expecting freebies but it was the customer service which had me in awe. In hindsight I will not be returning here, nor will my friends. I would not recommend this place to any friend or family member. The food was mediocre probably a 3-4/10 and the service was atrocious. Not worth the time, money, or travel for that matter!

This place isn't outstanding, but it is a lot better than the Fig and Olive a few yards up the road. Better service at The Clove and good variety of food, quality is just a little hit and miss sometimes depending on what you order but i would go again.

Very slow customer service & not once did the waitress come to ask if everything was ok.

First visit was with a large family group, and we ordered tawa platters and steak sizzlers. The tawas were good, but the steak was awful, overcooked, dry and rubbery. The chef also came out to greet our group and to see if everything was ok which was a real nice touch.

Below average food, with terrible service. Waited 45 minutes for my food that came just about warm enough to eat.

Sadly I didn't check the reviews before we visited the Clove. I ordered a breakfast which I thought would be good as it's not difficult to make a good breakfast. My scrambled eggs were in fact an omelette that appeared to have been chopped up ..... Or they had been scrambled but we're over cooked. My mushrooms had only visited the pan briefly and were uncooked, my toast had not been toasted and the butter was hard to find. On a plus point my hash brown was cooked and hot. The place was clean but needing a paint touch up in places. The team seemed pleasant enough. If I was to go again, I'd simply avoid the cooked breakfast as some of the other dishes look delicious! Sadly, I don't think I would go again.

Was told by a friend that this new place round the corner served breakfast,so I went along ordered two "full English" breakfast .the place was pretty full felt as if everyone knew each other and I was greeted by glaring stares by the "customers" both male and female, I felt as if I had gate crashed a family get together and was not welcomed and the sister behind the counters manners were disgusting,the only smile I saw was from a young waiter who approached me with my order.i returned a smile more of relief to be getting out of their.im just gonna to it the food was absolutely disgusting and Bearly edible everything from the toast that ain't toasted (hot plated) the sausages.....I'm not gonna be eating anything that resembles a sausage. The fried eggs we're as if they had been left in the Sahara for 45 days. O and it cost £13 50 (no drink) and I told her to keep the change just to get out of there. I HONESTLY HAVE HAD BETTER BREAKFAST AT JAIL (and more variety) chef owner manager chair occupiers should be ashsamed..#bringbackholeithwall.

Wonderful little establishment which was recommended by a friend ,

Visited with my 2 boys, 8 and 2, we all really enjoyed ourselves specially my 8 year old. We ordered the mini platter and a chicken grilled steak with chips and salad. Had loads f food left over which the girl who served us offered to pack t for us, altho I said we prob wudnt eat it, however my 8 year old enjoyed it so much he was adiment he wud munch on it later on in the day. The service was great and the food was great quality and quantity for the price. We also got dessert and again cudnt fault them. Thank you from me n the kids. We'll be sure to visit again soon.

Been here a few times, it's easy and convenient for us. Service is ok, waitress always comes when needed. The service is quick and the food is of decent quality. Only negative is that they don't always have everything that's on the menu. We will definitely come back here, but not in to much of a hurry.

After being told by a friend there is a grill place in Blackburn to try I decided to take my cousins and and brother for a meal before his wedding day. Good range of food on the menu but after 8 of us ordering a mix of food from the menu, what a REGRET!

arrived without a reservation and no seat for waiting, which is not such a big deal but would be good to have a waiting area. manager is nice and friendly and came out to our car when a table was ready. need to invest in a waiting area. the food was nice but the service was poor. had to ask 4 times for ketchup and mayo and was given chip shop sachets, which is cheap to say the least. ordered desserts and asked 3 times as we were waiting for a long time for a waffle and cheesecake and was assured it was coming, only to be told 20 minutes later that they forgot our order. to make matters worse, when a group of 18 arrived, we as a family (2 adults and 2 young children) were asked to move by the owner to make room for the group. i refused especially as they forgot our dessert order. the place is run very poorly and need to improve a lot. was given a 10% discount, which again was poor as other restaurants after such poor service offer you more. customers should not be asked to move once the meal has started. need a lot of improvement.

We arrived without a reservation, however, were seated immediately.

Had a lovely meal here. The chef is very friendly and clearly very passionate about the food he cooks. It was a shame the first 3 things we chose to have for the main course were unavailable. The meal we had was delicious, the staff friendly and courteous and a nice atmosphere.

Visited for breakfast with family of 5, waiters weren't able to get the order right as 2 members of my table didn't receive their food until the whole table was pretty much done with their meal.

Great choice on the menu. Our food was tasty had lots of it the portions of the mix grill platters are big so great value. The hospitality and service was great. The staff went out if their way to please our children. Highly recommend. Nicky presented place a good parking.

Good choice of food for lunch and dinner. Friendly chef who checks you are happy and will tailor the food to your tastebuds. Going back again with other friends.

I have been here a handful of times and then after word of mouth to my friends and family they accompanied myself on many occasions. Pros: Lovely setting. Good service. A variety of food cooked specially by a friendly chef. Food tastes fresh and homemade. Great presentation. Mouth watering desserts (I prefer the non gelatine chocolate mousse) Busy bustling atmosphere. Best coffee and lattes. Cons : Only two that I could think of. Slightly pricey. After a busy week, on a Sunday they don't have some dishes or desserts available from the menu. Overall it's a excellent place for families and friends with friendly warm helpful staff.

This was our third visit to The Clove, and it was just as fantastic as our previous visits. The food is first class, the service is fantastic, a lovely atmosphere - and a very warm welcome to boot! Would highly recommend a visit.

The restaurant was freezing!!! I wore my coat whilst I ate my lunch, that's how cold i was. I ordered onion rings as a starter and they barely had any onion in. They were flavourless and quite disappointing. The grilled chicken steak I ordered was tough however it did taste nice and is something I would order again. The staff were inattentive, forgetful and very unhelpful. They didn't understand their own menu and we told the waitress we wanted our dishes to arrive together. She brought out the dishes separately.

Had a lovely meal with a large group of 20. We enjoyed a private meal upstairs pre booked three legs of lambs with some arabic styled starters for some guests from the middle East.

The food was delightful however the service was poor, wasn't given choices, poor communication with the waitress, she didn't appear to communicate very good English and appeared to be socially awkward. Felt like I couldn't keep asking her for varieties, including with the dessert wasn't given explanation of what the dessert included.

Very good service and food . One of the best I've visited in blackburn. Three course meal reasonably priced and large portion sizes. Loved it

I enjoyed wonderful good st The Clove when visiting with six work colleagues. Fantastic biryani, excellent coffee and lots and lots of food. Staff helpful and lovely decor.

Had a fab time with freinds , food was amazing enjoyed every bit of it , serving was great too, and to top it all up the deserts wer well presented and delicious !

First timer at the Clove but certainly not the last. As a group of friends eating out is a serious business & we take no prisoners when it comes to being satisfied. The Clove on Shear Brow ticked all the boxes. From the moment we entered the service was exceptional with every member of staff looking as if they were actually enjoying serving the assembled diners. The Clove is pleasantly furnished & boasted a pleasant atmosphere. Most of the staff were if it matters female which coincedently mirrored the mainly female diners. Whilst all the staff were charming one member of staff in particular named Bina made it her mission to ensure we wanted for nothing. The food which included curries, roast chicken, assortment of kebabs & wings & finished of with an Oreo cheescake was delicious. Would highly recommend a visit for both the food, delightful service & the extremely pleasant ambience... Ayub Blackburn

My first experience was unpleasant. There wasn't much on the menu! We ordered the main things on the menu. Some food like the noodle stir fry was a little too spicy, for my liking. However, the staff were very friendly, approachable and always asked if everything was okay. Some items on the menu were not available so we had to opt for something else. Would return if it improved.

Came here for Breakfast with my niece recently and it was a pleasant experience. After all it was just breakfast and you can not really get it wrong but everything went well. Nicely cooked breakfast and i would visit again.

I have been wanting to try out this new place for some time and decided to take the wife for an afternoon date.

Nicely decorated interior. Ordered two chicken dishes, one sizzler and the other Philipino chicken burger. Both tasted very similar. Small quantity of everything in the sizzler. Polite staff but waiter service not very good. Couldn't understand what the waitress said, due to strong accent. Only two waiter/ess, the waiter seemed as he avoided eye contact in case he would be called over. Tried a number of times to call him over but he didn't seem to want to look up at the tables to see if he was needed. Overall was a bit disappointed with service of waiter, however average place to dine.

Went as a family on a Saturday afternoon surprisingly found it busy not overly busy but busy for the time of the day.

This is the first time I've been since the refurb and I have to say the menu is better, there's more things rather then ad hoc items.

Good food good service cud do with more varieties but excellent for a family meal or friends catch up.

We visited yesterday and the place was incredibly quiet. The lamb skewers were nice and tasty which we both enjoyed. The chicken sizzler however was the worst we have ever eaten. The noodles were very fine and bland. The chips were greasy and the the chicken tasted overcooked while the sauce equally poor. Even after the wait staff were informed of this no attempt was made to improve it or provide an alternative. With the wait staff Blaming the new chef it really instilled no confidence. We won't be returning.

Been waiting for a while to go here, and boy was it worth the wait for starters we had popadoms which were made fresh, kids had a cheesy pasta, probably abit too cheesy for them, I ordered a mix grill and a steak, with peppercorn sauce, steak was ok, but the mix grill was awsome it was delicious, I love my mix grills and have had many this beats all of them there was a unique taste for each i.e chomps tasted different chicken tikka tasted different lamb tikka, it was the usual everything mix in to one pan guys go on if you love mix grills this is it I give it 10/10 and for hospitality 10/10 the staff were friendly helpful and for what we ate it was good value for money

The clove is fairly new but the standard of service was excellent. The food was presented well and the portions were of a good size. It was relatively quiet but that could be due to it being midweek lunch.

I visited this place with a friend as I have been wanting to try it for a while. I ordered the Manhattan melt sizzler and my friend ordered the chicken stir fry noodles. We didn't have to wait long for our food as it wasn't that busy when we visited. The food arrived piping hot and we were not disappointed. The flavours and taste of the food was amazing and well worth the visit. The only negative feedback I have and my reason for only giving 4 stars is the portion sizes which were quite small for the price we were paying. We also ordered a big jug of the Clove special mocktail which is a mixture of all 3. This was very refreshing and tasted amazing. I would definitely go again and can't wait for my next visit!

The service from the team was unparalleled to what I have experienced in the past, also the food and the timing in which each course was served was fantastic. They had made us feel very comfortable and relaxed in their fine establishment. Their food was very unique to which I had not experienced before. The colleague that had worked Adil had looked after every request we had made for both myself and family.

I wouldn't even give it one star if i had the option. The service was painful, waited for over an hour for our food to arrive which would be understandable if the place was busy which by the way it was not! Plus the atmosphere was poor, another customer had cancelled their food possibly due to the wait which resulted in the waitresses/managers arguing, easy to hear! Oh wait doesn't stop there, my food too clearly wasn't well prepared as a result i got food poisioning from the place! So quiet obviously i have no intentions of returning!

Had a wonderful evening here last night