The Garden Restaurant in South Derbyshire

I love going for lunch at the garden restaurant, prices are reasonable and there's just enough choice. Last time I visited, I opted for a hot hog roll and chips, where I normally have the soup or meal off the daily specials board. I can't remember what the meals were but the soup was broccoli and stilton with crusty bread and side salad. Side salad is always very generous. As I can't eat salad, I would normally pass mine to my partner/friend depending on who is pushing my wheelchair or happens to be with me on the day but so far no one has been able to finish a meal and 2 side salads yet at The Garden Restaurant. Lunchtime can be busy but there's a generous sized seating area so it's only a short wait before a table becomes available. I enjoy every trip that we do to the nursery and Garden Restaurant.

Mr shoelace says location Great and nice delicious food

Fabulous Sunday lunch - everything cooked to perfection and very tasty. Could not fault anything even the gravy was excellent and very tasty. We visit regularly and have never been disappointed. Staff are always very helpful and friendly. Would recommend a visit.

We love this place and very regularly eat there. Side dishes don’t tend to change much but the mains are always great. We had to queue for over half an hour to get food and it was difficult to get a table but we went at peak time! Staff are all lovely and super helpful.

Lovely place to sit and have a coffee. The food was presented lovely and really enjoyed

Great place for brunch, lunch, and even a roast dinner!

Never disappointed, nice to wander round the nursery and finish with lunch

Very nice restaurant and food looked amazing

Like a transport cafe - very impersonal and uncomfortable.

Not been here for a while, but prices have gone up quite a bit. Used to be £8.99 now £12.99 for carvery. However it is still fantastic quality and great value for money, especially large portion size and the meat is always perfectly cooked. Also prawn sandwich was amazing. Bought cake to take home as they all looked amazing.

Enjoyable cream tea at a reasonable price

Tea for two and a large piece of cake each…just the business!

No dogs allowed. Only service dogs. We didn't stay.

Absolutely gorgeous place. The atmosphere is amazing. The staff and service very friendly and professional. Highly recommended 👌

The meat was tender but didn't taste of much. The Yorkshire's were soggy, the veg was hard, the roasts were burnt and the gravy was like black ink.

Have been several times and find the cakes ok, but not as good as they look. Some are really really sweet. Staff are pleasant and there is plenty of room and tables in the restaurant but I can't say I would rave about the place. Plants in the garden centre are the main attraction.

It's a wonderful place. I love Nature. Good for health. 🙌🏻

Foods always lovely, friendly staff.

Good value for money the food was very nice and staff were friendly and polite.

Food was good, clean plates which is a good sign! Made the mistake of going on a Sunday (carvery) and had to queue little bit. Recently changed and don't let dogs in, this is a real shame.

A very pleasant place nice and clean with sociable staff. It was a bit too big for my liking, I prefer smaller more intimate places. The cafe was very noisy. But all in all it was OK.

Good clean restaurant, friendly service.Tasty pot of tea.

Went during the Easter school holidays and it was rammed but despite this the service was reasonable and the noise level acceptable for conversation. The staff were pleasant and the toilets clean and well equipped but the pot holes in the car park are so deep they are likely to cause damage. The food all seemed very nicely presented but I had the egg and cress cob which was, again, very nicely presented but totally without any taste whatsoever. It was little more than cold mush and had I not known already what I had ordered then, by it's taste alone, it would have defied all identification.

Comfortable area to eat.Good choice of food.

Massive restaurant inside a very nice garden centre

Good place for a coffee meet up.

Met friends for coffee and cake. Good range of sweet treats and coffee very good too. Friendly service. Rather noisy/echoey but comfortable seats. Clean and tidy.

Food is top quality.. I recommend the chips

Very friendly garden centre, good place to stop for a coffee

Lovely food very friendly staff good service great garden centre

Swarkestone Nursery, lunchtime Monday in the Garden Restaurant. It was so busy but we were served quickly and really enjoyed the quiche

Lovely Christmasy garden centre, nice food

Lovely food. Had a cake n a coffee.

A lovely light airy venue. Very friendly and helpful staff. I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast here.

Had jacket potato with prawns it was lovely

Very busy due to food fare. Good as good as ever cooked fresh every day. Even the cakes look too inviting.28/11/23 busy great food.

Lovely breakfast, great service with a smile 😃

The lunch and breakfast options are always beautifully cooked especially the veggies.

Quite busy, I find it always hot in there, probably due to the heated counter for food etc. Pleasant staff, clean eating areas & toilets.

Nice food but I think it's a bit on the pricey side for what it is. £2.99 for a small bottle of Coke!

Good for a relaxing day out, lot of parking and nice garden all around. Is very bright that is definetly a plus

Lovely garden centre restaurant. Great staff and service with excellent and reasonably priced food. We visited during one of their food and drink festivals, but we'll definitely be back again.

Nice breakfast, good coffee, really pleasant and helpful staff. Would have 5 stars if the floor had been clean, and it was only breakfast time.

Great restaurant for hot food or coffee and cakes. Lots of choices available. The staff are very friendly and welcoming and the prices are very reasonable. Well worth a visit.

Excellent restaurant in Swarkestone Garden Centre. We would definitely come back here, prices are reasonable for the quality and service. Very good & big slice of cake, and good quality meals. We had the following, and would recommend; -Bacon & Stilton Panini -Hog Roast Sausage Roll, and Chips -Bacon & Stilton Quiche -Victoria Sponge -Sticky Toffee Muffin -Walnut Brownie (GF)

Nice restaurant, big selection of cooked and cold food. Good service and plenty of space inside and out.

Went for coffee and cake and ended up spending 4 hours there. Would definitely go again

Been here loads of times to visit garden centre and to walk around the area... Around the village by the river and along the canal by the lock. Varied choice of food and drinks. On the pricey side. No dogs allowed now. They are getting ready for their scarecrow fest...

Very good, freshly cooked food. Nice location and friendly staff.

Disappointing that from 1st October their cafe will not be dog friendly, this will lose them business including mine.

Had soup and very large sandwich. Amazing, loved it.

No problem moving around in the wheelchair . The staff offered help without asking. Great plants in the garden center , some very unusual evergreen plants for your winter gardens.

Had a pretty good light lunch there, will go again

We visited the garden restaurant at shark stone nursery on Monday 4th September at roughly midday.we found a table outside with a parasol looking out onto the beautiful garden.there was plenty of seating available both inside and out.we ordered a bbq chicken and bacon baguette,coronation chicken sandwich and plant pot of chips. The food arrived really quickly with great service.all food was excellent and great value. We will definitely return.

Lovely place to sit after walking round the garden centre. Although the hot chocolate left me abit disappointed.

Amazing place food brilliant staff brilliant apart from male member off staff in restaurant making a racket with something everyone was getting enjoyed when your trying to relax

A favourite visit of ours when we holiday in the area. They have a wide range of food that is sensibly priced.

Really like it here. Been a lot of times now. Nice range of vegan options. Would recommend the vegan coronation chickpea jacket potato. Vegan flapjack available. Vegan oat milk is available with tea. Staff knowledgeable about whether food is ok for vegans. Extremely clean, very hygienic. Beautiful homemade food. Seating is very comfortable, plenty of it, not too close together, special area for dogs inside, outside seating available. Nice touch - noticed this summer that they had a sand playpit for kids in seating area. Ample parking. We did have an issue with food not coming out one of the times but when we spoke to staff about this they quickly resolved issue, food provided, money returned from bill and even 2 tokens for a free cup of tea. I was really impressed by this, you can't be 100% all the time but it's how you deal with issues when they do happen. Will continue to go there. 😊

Good homely food at a good price. Nice atmospher

A very nice place to have something to eat. A wonderful selection of garden plants. However, these can be expensive compared to other centres that sell garden plants.

Friendly staff . Good food a reasonable prices . Clean eating area and clean toilets .

Very nice place to have coffee & cake. Nice sitting outside on a pleasant day.

Only popped in for breakfast, on crutches following accident so easier to come here than stand cooking at home! Breakfast was very good as always, and very helpful staff. A light, airey restaurant and has excellent toilet facilities, very spacious disabled WC. Also a lovely selection of cards and gifts in the restaurant, views out over the garden and outdoor seating, weather permitting. There is also designated tables for dog owners and their pets outside the main restaurant.

Excellent Breakfast as usual. Served by such good and friendly staff.

Lovely surroundings to have a meal.Prices a little high as expected for a garden centre cafe/restaurant. Friendly staff,good access for wheelchairs.Decent size car park.

Just had a cold drink and a quick visit .

Had to wait 20 mins to b srved 5 people in front of me. To then be told half an hour wait n food only about 8 tables with people. Hot choc not all that hot or nice. We wil not return

Now do vegan options.... Whoop whoop...

Brunch with friends,very nice ,thank you.

Great place to eat out. Lovely Thursday carvery. Outside the plants are really healthy and good quality purchases. Clean and well equipped accessibility facilities.

Scones straight from the oven with jam and cream. 😋😋😋 Yummy yummy

Lovely place for tea and a cake. Lots of tables, service was good. I only dropped one star because my cake was a little dry but I still enjoyed my visit.

Great food and great choice of plants

Visit regular for a drink and lunch staff lovely Bethany served us today always friendly and pleasant

It is what it is! Garden centre that serves home made food, tasty meals but quite pricey!

Terribly dry meat for Sunday roast, jacket potatoes ran out very early, in general not worth going for food. Edit: and now I got a stomach ache.

Relaxing venue to meet up. Staff friendly, plus food and drink reasonable. Thank you 😊 Another relaxing visit today. Plants are well looked after and good quality.

My friend and I visited for lunch today. Very disappointed with the meal. The roast potatoes were hard and the beef pie was extremely tasteless. Even the pot of tea was weak. Very expensive and not worth the money. Good size portions but the meal was very disappointing

Staff are very friendly and helpful, nice range of foods, hot or cold and a great garden centre as well

Lovely food, scones really tasty. Service very friendly and given the unexpected good weather it easy great to sit outside. The area was kept very clear of dirty dishes etc so really well done.

Only wish the Derby branch of Dobbies was as good as this one at Barlborough, only live a couple of miles from the Derby branch of Dobbies but still travel to this one to shop and eat

Weird queuing system which causes customers to fall out in the que because they think you are pushing in. Poor vegan options, just a flapjack.

Prompt service, hot food, good variety on menu, specials board. Tables clean, area clean and tidy. Condiments available. Toilets clean and fresh smelling.

Pleasant surroundings, nice staff and good food

Good experience. The service is very good. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The food was good.

Visited today & would not eat here again. Very expensive long wait conflicting signs where to stand to pay I was not the only one to make mistake I did tell the member of staff too. Very dissapointing .

Great afternoon cuppa tea with fruits cones

Excellent carvery. Highly recommended.

It's a bit pricey. Afternoon teas was excellent 👌🏼

Didn't have food but my coffee was lovely

Very nice cafe staff very pleasant well worth the visit

Good choice of meals. Quality and quantity excellent. Staff friendly and helpful

We went for afternoon tea as a January treat. Our waitress Trudy was lovely and very welcoming. Nothing was too much trouble. Tea was served on tiered stands. A good selection of sandwiches, small cakes and of course scones. All delicious.

Very busy, nice place to go after a shop round garden centre

Pretty good little cafe in a garden centre, typical of these; prices reasonable, staff efficient, not especially engaging.

Fantastic staff,very helpful and really happy to make sure your dietary needs are met, lovely people!!

Expensive food and drinks, nice atmosphere

I had been told the food was really nice. However, I had a quiche which was a bit sloppy, roast potatoes that were nearly cold and lettuce leaves plus two pieces of cucumber and two halves of a cherry tomato which was meant to be a salad! Christmas displays were lovely but food not up to standard for the price paid.

Big car park , although can be a bit of a walk from the fringes and gets full at peak times. Some big puddles on day we visited. Large, airy restaurant with outside area. Service was good but can be slow with some queing at peak times, but well worth the wait as a good selection of hot and cold meals, lite bites etc. Good selection of teas Reasonable pricing. Excellent giant scones.

Little expensive but amazing quality food friendly helpful staf