Woodbank Garden Centre & Nurseries in Bradford

Poor & rude service in the Café Had a disappointing experience due to the attitude of a staff member & the standards in the Café are very low. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced this, gave them the benefit of the doubt first time but this time will vote with our feet. Young Girl on the till got our order wrong & the same with the person in front of me (she clearly wasn’t listening properly). We were allocated a table which was at the far end & very cold, not suitable as we had a Baby with us. We asked to move as a table was available nearer the counter but were made to feel a real nuisance as an older, fair haired Lady said “we are really busy & would need to clean it” which is fair enough but the way she presented herself made us feel uncomfortable. She asked us to sit down at another table while she cleaned the new one but there wasn’t room to get the Pram there so we stood adjacent. She then abruptly asked us to move our drinks so she didn’t get cleaning spray in them, again fair comment but it came across as if we were causing her a real inconvenience. There were other tables available, I didn’t feel they were busy, just very inefficient & disorganised. Also, I advised the Girl on the till that we had changed tables & she replied “I will need to re-key your order to a different table number”. Total bonkers, a simple word in the Kitchen would suffice. Food eventually arrived in dribs & drabs, they tried to deliver it to the original table & mine was missing Salad which the Girl stated I said I didn’t want but there were witnesses confirming what I had asked for (customer is always right & all that). The fair haired lady came across & said “what’s wrong?” in an accusatory way, no way to talk to a customer. I politely explained the situation but no apology, just grabbed my plate & took it away, returning it still without an apology. Then they missed off a portion of Chips, recognising their error but no apology. We were not given cutlery, I asked the fair haired Lady who said “Can you come & get it” without any please or thank you, I find lack of manners to be unacceptable. Food quality was ok but the service clearly isn’t. We do like Woodbank Nursery & find the staff in the Garden Centre to be cheerful & helpful but are badly let down by a poorly run, disorganised Café with staff that are a discredit to Woodbank (fair haired lady in particular). I do hope you will feed this back to them & take appropriate measures? Trip Adviser reviews show that this is not a one off occurrence! Other Garden Centres in the area offer a far higher level of catering service & at least know how to treat customers with courtesy & respect.

Not the Wood Bank that it used to be. Very disappointed with the Christmas Shop, Plants and flower shop looked very good indeed. As for the Potting Shed,will not go there again.

Nice staff and nice service 💎🎟💕

Good garden centre, comprehensive selection of plants, loads of selections of gardening items, garden bird related items, fancy gifts, cards etc etc nice cafe, lovely ice cream, although sometimes you get very small ice cream portions depending upon the staff 😞 😕

Excellent assistance when I phoned for advice on fruit bushes. I spoke with Paul who advised me what and when to buy and talked me through what was in stock so I had a productive journey there and could purchase what I needed.

Always a great garden centre to visit at any time of year. Lovely staff and great plants and gifts to be found here. Review update 28-10-24. All their Christmas stock out on display just now. Looks wonderful. Well worth a visit.

Shocked at the food... 2 out of 10 is being kind.

Been here for many years and always lots to see and do with well stocked shelves and being dog friendly is a bonus! It loses a point for the cafè; it's very hot and very cramped thus service is slow but with the train that rides around the ceiling you're never bored of things to look at!

We went to the garden centre specifically to add to our aquarium of tropical fish and as always the assistant was most helpful. We came away with seven new fish and three books!!!! Always a super place to browse and buy some birthday presents and get ideas for Christmas. We had a late lunch which included delicious lamb kebabs and chocolate cake but you have to have time to spare as although there seemed plenty of staff in the restaurant it took longer than expected to get lunch to our table.

Lovely garden centre but disappointed with cafe. No onion rings came on burgers even though stated on the menu - never got told they had run out until we asked and showed the menu

Plenty of nice things on display. Lots of lush plants & a great selection of garden furniture. There's a cafe & don't forget to look up at the array of objects hanging from the ceiling! 😉

I would love to give this place 5 stars but unfortunately due to the lack of wheelchair access around the vintage arcade it’s a 3 out of 5. You have lots of available space please consider creating more space so everyone can enjoy what you have to offer.

Everything for your garden plus a great retro amusement arcade taking old pennies. Great at Christmas and also dog friendly everywhere. Lots of spacious parking. There are some lovely local walks nearby. From the smallest flower to the biggest tree, you can get it here! Amazing emporium! Very helpful and knowledgeable staff too.

Wonderful hidden gem, we passed this on route to a get away and popped in for a wander while we waited on our new home being ready. We were so impressed at all there was to offer we came back with our whole holiday party the next day. Aside from having a huge array of plants and flowers, there is an area with an florist, gift shop, house plant section, hosting some of the most unusual plants and very good price. There was an animal encounter on the day we had popped in, with snakes, birds of prey and giant land snails which had children swarming to see. Whilst we didn't visit the cafe, there was a huge selection of cakes and sweets treats, alongside an ice-cream stand that had some wonderful flavours available. Within the garden centre is a section hosting a huge selection of recommissioned fairground penny machines within a penny arcade. The various machines available allow players to win sweets, other coins and to play on 6/7 of the machines is only £1 with the option for card payment if you don't have cash. We spent over an hour playing different games, competing against eachother and winning sweets. We found the entire experience wonderful, and would highly recommend a visit. You could easily spend half a day there, shopping and enjoying all that there is to offer. Parking is plentiful with accessible parking right outside the front door.

Great garden centre. We came here for the animal encounter in the summer holidays. The girls enjoyed seeing the animals, they stroked the bearded dragon, but decided against holding the owl! The slot machines are great too. Lovely centre to wander round.

5 stars for the garden centre, minus 3 stars for the restaurant. Visited your cafe today, first time since it changed from table service to the Potting Shed & I'm here to tell you how disappointed we were. The guy doing literally everything on his own was really doing his best, but the kitchen staff definitely were not. We could see into the kitchen, & only one person was doing anything at all. The cutlery was dirty, I had to swap it, 2nd set also dirty so I had to clean them. The kitchen 'forgot' side dishes. The chips were hard like crisps. There was no lemon with the fish. The 'we are full' sign was left up when there was only a couple of tables taken. Really unimpressed. You need more staff, the staff you have need to buck their ideas up & do what they're paid for, & dirty cutlery is unacceptable. Do better.

Visited yesterday with my mother and niece. It was very busy because of the animal experience. The plants were all in good condition, and there was a lovely selection of gifts. My niece had fun in the Penny Arcade. The staff were very helpful, especially Paul, who went above and beyond; he is an asset to your establishment.

Been going here for nearly 20 years, service had always been good, however today stood waiting to be seated for lunch, blatantly ignored by staff, one looked at us like we were an irritation, sadly disappointed. Won't be going again

I love this place! One of my favourite garden centres. I love visiting and having a bite to eat.at the cafe. Great ideas too. I attended a wedding where the flowers and decorations were from Woodbank and they were amazing..lovely staff.

Really enjoyable shopping experience, lovely staff who are very helpful. Staff really helped me out finding a gift for my mum in the gift shop!

Always a wonderful experience going to woodbank, perfect for gift shopping, food and lovely flowers. Chris and Beth are really cool people with good style x

Our favourite garden centre, always make sure we visit whenever we are in Yorkshire. You can literally spend all day just wandering round looking at the plants, animals, amazing gifts, and bits that you just can't get anywhere else, plus it's super dog friendly. Counting down till the Christmas display opens-it never fails to impress and the staff are just fantastic too! If you are in the area pay Woodbank a visit, you won't be disappointed!

I was greatly impressed by the friendly, knowledgeable staff and their wide selection of healthy plants. It’s a great one-stop shop for any gardening and gifting needs.

A very enjoyable visit. It has a wide range of good quality plants, garden tools and furniture with a lovely gift shop and restaurant. Kids will love the old fashioned slot machines and the sweet shop, and seeing the rabbits guinea pigs and tortoises, so much to see , a worthwhile trip out

I am a regular at the cafe. They have got a new member of staff. It was so nice to be greater with a smile and friendly chat. Hope he is staying as made a big difference

Visited the ice cream parlour and was served by Jason who was adorable with my children and made their day. Thanks Jason 👍

We spent most of the afternoon here and still didn't see it all a wonderful place to visit that can take you back in time, literally, with a huge penny arcade old garden and farm machinery found above your head beautiful Birds parrots even tortoises and an abandoned barn owl, A huge range of plants that are well cared for and good value for money, an excellent restaurant with the most friendly and helpful staff and a big thanks to Luke who helped us unload as we paid for all our goods. I would highly recommend a visit, and whilst your there you can visit five Rise Locks, the tallest Locks in England only a couple of miles away. Make a day of it. Have fun. Many thanks DC

We've been visiting woodbank for years. Always a lovely friendly place. The penny arcade is a frequent source of fun with the older and younger ones. Wonderful selection of plants and everything you require to make your outdoor space beautiful. The pet shop and Elvis! The gift shop and the cafe all fab. And we recently used the flower service for funeral flowers and had the most gorgeous coffin spray for our dad. Also Christmas is lovely with the winter wonderland display. Many thanks for all you put into the place.

Really friendly staff. Great for both children and adults

Very intresting.like the birds.

Excellent,well stocked garden centre

Usually love woodbank nurseries and have been a customer for years. Popped in with my two young children this afternoon who ran into the arcade section. I was trying to get them out and the staff member working the arcade was very firm in me telling me if we were in the arcade we needed to be playing. I was very clearly trying to get them both out at the time and flustered as my children weren’t being the easiest. I completely understand the position of the staff but perhaps a little more understanding of the situation would have been helpful at the time. I left quickly after the remark. A lot of families attend here and it was a shame to be met with such abruptness and felt uncomfortable staying.

We used the wedding florist for our big day at the end of May and they were better than I couldn't of ever imagined. The ladies were so lovely and genuinely bothered about what they were doing. The flowers were gorgeous and are still going a week later! Thankyou so much!

Just love this place plants food gifts 🎁

Good selection of plants but awful customer service.

Great variety of plants and reasonably priced

I bought a Guinea pig from here on 22/04, she passed away after two weeks despite numerous vet trips and medication, the fault is solely on Woodbank nurseries for neglecting her. I was told by staff that she had received lice/mite/flea and ringworm treatment on arrival, which I took at face value. I checked her over the next day after she had settled in and I noticed she had a large cut on her neck which had scabbed over and her nose was scabby and she visibly had lice crawling over her fur. We took her to our local vets for treatment straight away, who confirmed she had mites/lice. We contacted the Woodbank who said that we could have a full refund if we returned her. We chose not to do this, as she had clearly been neglected to get in the state she was in and I was not comfortable returning her to that environment. I asked for confirmation and proof that she had received the treatment (this is basic for any establishment that sells animals and have multiple people working there, especially if they are applying any kind of medicine it should be logged) instead my question was ignored and I was offered a full refund. We have since taken her back to the vets as we noticed lumps on her chin, these have been confirmed as abscesses from bites caused by the mites/lice and tests have also been sent to the lab to check if she has ringworm. She is currently on antibiotics, as well as other treatment which could and would have been prevented if she had been cared for properly to begin with. A 3 month old Guinea pig should not be in this condition under any circumstances, and certainly shouldn’t be sold like this. On the receipt Woodbank give you when buying a pet it states that they do not pay for vet bills after the animal is purchased, this in itself is concerning as it suggests it’s been a common problem. Every other place I have bought/adopted Guinea pigs from have provided a 3 month guarantee, where if your pet gets ill they will pay for vet bills, this demonstrates that they believe they are selling the animal in a healthy condition. The fact that Woodbank openly state they do not pay for vet bills extremely concerning and should be a warning for other customers to not purchase an animal from here. Any Guinea pigs housed with mine during her stay at Woodbank will have lice/mites and most likely ringworm, and the department manager has not confirmed whether they have received treatment despite my requests for this. I am also aware 3 other Guinea pigs she was originally housed with were bought the day before and more than likely have the same issues. The department manager claimed all Guinea pigs currently in their care have been thoroughly checked, however the same assurance was given for my Guinea pig, and it’s evident she had not been thoroughly checked so it’s questionable what their thorough checks entail. The department manager and the store manager are not accepting liability for the neglect of this Guinea pig. When my partner mentioned we have been advised by the vet to contact RSPCA the manager laughed and stated that “they deal with them all the time”, this response is very worrying and confirms other people are concerned about the welfare of the animals at Woodbank. Previously whilst visiting the pet department, one of the girls who works there was discussing the Guinea pigs kept in the centre pen for breeding and stated in front of multiple customers that many of the pups were stillborn and that it was an on going issue, further showing they are not able to care for the Guinea pigs they currently have and she also confirmed once they had babies they would sell the sows, which is also ethnically questionable. I strongly advise against anybody buying an animal from Woodbank unless you want a sick animal and are willing to cover vets bills.

Great range of quality products at reasonable prices, with a vast array of items to purchase from garden items to indoor decorations. Also a very nice cafe with a broad range of products to suit all tastes.

Bought plant in decorative pot that was faulty, it is completely warped and wobbles. The last one and they wouldn’t do anything for me. I was told I could use some cardboard to prop up one corner of the pot so it was perfectly fine to sell it to me that way. Good shop but pricey and a poor attitude toward customer service, however the checkout employees were nice and tried to help a bit. I got home and pulled the plant from the pot. due to the warped pot the plant roots are full of fungus as there was no soil in the deepest part of the pot.

This business is currently selling pets with ringworm aswell as other infectious conditions including but not limited to: lice, open sores, scabs, ulcers. RSPCA has been contacted aswell as other charities and animals rights organisations. Please be aware of the risk of buying from this store. The manager of the company laughed when I mentioned the RSPCA on the phone and claimed to "deal with them all the time". They deny any responsibility for the 3 month old guinea pig.

Fantastic garden center,everything you will need,only one downside... The pet store that's there has 2 giant tortoises,10 years old now,no bedding or stimulation in a 6'x5' concrete pen, spoilt it for me I'm afraid. Would have given them 5 stars

Really good garden centre. A good selection of plants and substrates and accessories. Good prices even for the rare houseplants, although I would like to see more of the rare options. Particularly enjoyed the animals and meeting Elvis! I was impressed with the price of the philodendron White princess I purchased which was giant. Loses a point for the cafe which was quite poor. The food took a long time, and the waitress served a meat burrito to my vegetarian friends - when they questioned if it was veggie she said yes but it wasn't as it was full of sausage and bacon! When the veggie one eventually arrived, it was missing half the advertised ingredients and the coffee was burnt. Additionally, the poached eggs were like rubber :( Wouldn't come back to the cafe. Overall a good spot but get breakfast elsewhere, especially if you have dietary requirements.

Plenty to see. Very helpful staff.

Normally take kids here they love seeing the animals and fish. While I was there I thought I would buy some fish for my tank. The fish infected my tank so I emailed them. The reply I got was white spot is caused by stress and I should check my water. I replied my water is fine no nitrates, nitrites, or ammonia. The replies where rude I thought and was from a text book. I will not be getting fish from there again and I do not think I will return to woodbank again.

Always good to be surrounded by spring hope in horticulture A lady bought two huge packets of wild flowers to spread in her meadow . How lovely

What a wonderful place, never seen anything like it with the old amusements and cars we had something to eat in the restaurant too and they were very swift , well definitely be back again

So much choice, all reasonably priced.

One of the best Garden Centres I've visited.

Great place as an exhibition centre as well as a garden centre.

Nice selection of cakes and Ice cream. Say hello to Elvis while you are there. Wonderful Christmas selection

We chose this place as a convenient meeting place for lunch and a cold weather meet up. Good food, good choice, generous portions and friendly service. Lots of car parking and easy to find..... don't forget to visit the macaw and spend a pound in the penny arcade

Lovely helpful team of staff. We found a good range of plants and seeds that we wanted plus a lovely little restaurant

Please please please review your ice cream counter service as it’s practically non existent ! Second time leaving empty handed!

Great garden centre, there’s loads of products and it’s better than most garden centres, at Christmas the decorations are lovely. This garden centre also includes a proper old school arcade, I recommend this garden centre!

Delicious sausage butties today.

Lovely place to visit. Lots of wonderful plants, gifts and everything you need for inspiration

The best garden centre within a 20 mile radius!

I had a bit of fun in my favourite garden centre today. I placed a few of these adorable little quackers in between ornaments 💛🦆If you was there did you find one? We visit this garden regularly and sometimes have a meal in the cafe. Plenty of parking and healthy plants at reasonable prices.

Brilliant experience at Santas grotto. Santa and Alex the elf were brilliant with the children, the grotto kept us entertained whilst queueing Loads to look at, the children loved the hamsters, fish and tortoise. All the food was great, the brie ,bacon and cranberry panini was so tasty. They were very busy and we did wait along time which was such a shame but everyone enjoyed the food.

Love going to see the Christmas shop Lovely trees made up

Went for Christmas display, very ordinary and very expensive . Lots of far better ones in 10 mile radius

Poor service. The whole restaurant part needs cleaning the tables and chairs we’re sticky to touch .. the salt and pepper pots wer covered in sauce hadn’t been wiped . Very slow service . Had to take knives and forks back to get clean washed ones I asked the young girl to polish them. Utter chaos in my opinion not a pleasant experience at all. Not like it use to be.

Needed greenhouse glass, friendly staff found me greenhouse glass. And the dogs are welcome.

Thank you for providing mobility scooters, which allowed my visit to look around your lovely garden centre ‘pain free’. I currently have Plantar fasciitis & any walking is limited. It was lovely to get about, see Christmas area, enjoy the cafe and buy a few things too.

We did not think it was has good has previously years .

Just bought all my autumn winter bedding plants here. Good quality plants at great prices. Also had a lovely cuppa in the cafe!

Good place for plants and to look at pets wish plants was abit cheaper though

I have passed this garden centre a few times and called in my chance, I was not disappointed! A lovely garden centre with a wide range of products and a lovely restaurant too. All staff were very pleasant and welcoming, I will definitely return soon.

Very popular garden centre. Lots of choice and good cafe.

Thank you Matty, gave me excellent advise, you saved our old goldfish with your professional advise. Thankyou your wonderful 😊

I've been to this garden centre a lot and always found staff to be very helpful. Plants are reasonably priced and healthy BUT staff in pet section ate incredibly rude. Left me stood for 5 minutes at counter (I wanted some fish) and ignored me whilst they vacuumed! These staff need training in priorities. Will keep on using garden centre but will get my pond koi from elsewhere

Very nice cafe with lovely simple food and very polite and friendly staff.

Not enough staff around no real order in store can be v expensive

Thank you for the amazing flowers you did for me for my sisters funeral they were perfect thank you

Lovely. All kinds of animals and interesting plants. Had lunch which was very nice. Most staff very friendly and fast. Enjoyed a lot.

Great love all there plants They look after them well

Ordered breakfast and hot drinks, finished breakfast several minutes before drinks arrived. So slow yet staff seemed to be just standing around

Usual nursery features but including tropical fish, macaw, owl, reptiles, rabbits etc. Penny arcade. Cafe. Excellent for kids.

Went today, the tables were dirty and sticky, the service was slow, the vinegar bottles had flies in ! Staff stood around talking, while dirty plates were left on tables for over an hr ! This place has really gone down hill. I won't be going again in a hurry !

The cafeteria is way overpriced and appears to be run by children with no training. They leave you waiting at the counter while they wander off and do something else (my first attempt at being served); they served me, took my money, put it in the till, then wandered off, leaving the till drawer open (second attempt). I had to call her back to give me my change. I paid nineteen pounds and forty pence for two tuna rolls, two ice creams and two 500ml bottles of water. If I could give minus five stars, I would. I went to the gift shop (some nice things in there, if highly priced); went to the counter, where the assistant was, to pay and the assistant wanted me to walk to the other side of the counter. I have arthritis and every step hurts, so I asked why - she said that's where the card machine is. I replied that I was paying by cash but she still wanted me to walk to the other side. She wanted to know why I shook my head, so began an argument - for me that I shouldn't have to walk for the convenience of shop assistants - she said she didn't need an attitude like mine. Well, she needn't worry, as I won't be back.

Cage gone downhill so don't bother, and the disabled parking is terrible since they moved the door, yellow line paint must be hellishly expensive for them not to have sorted it out by now.

Really impressive garden centre. Not as pricey as Tong but not far behind 🤔

Superb garden centre. Staff are approachable and helpful. James is an asset to the garden centre - very knowledgeable!

The garden centre is a wonderful place to visit. Not only does it have a large range for all your gardening needs it has an old one penny arcade, cafe, and animal section within. There are usually a few friends to visit including Elvis the parrot and Bobby the owl. Including two giant tortoises that roam free at times. The cafe is open for those who wish for some food or those who just wish to buy an ice cream from a variety of flavours. Highly recommend to those who love gardening or those looking for a day out.

Fantastic as usual. Only drawback is that I can't help but spend too much money!!

Lovely place with very nice staff and a fantastic selection of house and outdoor plants. Cafe always seems to be full but has lovely food if you are able to snag a table

First visit wonderful afternoon staff so friendly.

Lovely place to visit only down side no prices on items

Superb garden centre, with all sorts of nice touches - just look up! Restaurant let it down slightly. Although the staff were very nice, a 40 minute wait for food was silly. Food quality probably about what you'd expect, we found it a little bland.

Massive garden centre with lots of everything.great little cafe too.nice relaxing walk around.well worth a visit.

Fork truck driver w Bolton great

Had a lovely lunch today ,very friendly and lovely food ,will definitely come back

Plenty of stock and helpful staff. Add a friendly checkout operative and it makes for a pleasant experience.

Great garden centre! Loads of selection's, the old amusements are great to go on, a lots of fun. Delicious ice cream :)

Wow, a good old fashioned garden centre. Good food, great nursery and indoor plants, even a pet and aquatic centre. Well worth the journey.

It is a fantastic nursery and lots more for buy…. Very nice for who loves gardening…..

Good range of products, from cuddly toys, pet stuff, and of course, gardening equipment etc. There's a great Victorian arcade inside too, nearly all the games are playable and extremely fun.

Ordered 2 pananis which were quite nice however the service was poor as our hot drinks were already drank when the food arrived of which we had to ask for as they made up but waiting for the waitresses to serve to us the cafe was not busy at all at the time

Not much changed but the products are good quality

Having arranged to meet family at Woodbank I looked at the reviews on Tripadvisor. Lots of 1 star negative reviews mention poor service in the cafe. We were pleased to find excellent service from the staff and a lovely bacon butty and cappuccino. Happy to go back.