Dobbies Garden Centre Edinburgh Reviews Summary

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Every staff member is very polite and disability friendly."
• "Special note of thanks to the dining room staff first class service today when we visited, very polite and professional."
• "Young friendly staff, polite and efficient."
• "Thee best Dobbies I’ve ever been to! Friendly and helpful staff."
• "We had an afternoon coffee here today and I can't fault the staff. They were all patient and smiling."
• "Thank you Dylan & team for great service, and giving our parent a great day out."
• "Staff are very friendly and happy to help."

Cons:

• "You could tell they didn’t want to be there."
• "Insufficient staffing both places."
• "Lovely place. but all staff seemed a bit stressed."
• "Service was very bad before this occasion about a year ago, I see nothing have sadly changed."
• "Great shop but restaurant a disaster area. Staff are rushed off their feet and rude."
• "Yvonne (floor manager) very rude to my elderly disabled mother."
• "Service in the restaurant has become very slow despite large numbers of staff wandering around."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "This place is amazing and could teach McDonald's about the speed of food delivery."
• "Food quality exceptional."
• "Our order came quickly. It was excellent."
• "The food was excellent."
• "Great food at reasonable prices."
• "The food was great, really enjoyed the meal there."
• "Cakes and hot chocolate lovely."

Cons:

• "The beef was dry with almost no gravy, the potatoes were overcooked and had a mildly burnt chewy texture."
• "I ordered a croque monsieur... In reality it was the absolute poorest excuse for a croque monsieur that I've ever seen."
• "When my meal arrived (chilli) it was lukewarm and one small spoonful of chilli and a mound of rice."
• "Really disappointed in the food today. Kids meals are really small - probably up to age 8yrs."
• "Poor gluten free offerings, especially on the cake and biscuit side."
• "I ordered a fish finger roll for lunch and it was basically inedible."
• "Ceasar salad nice but would have preferred chicken fillet or Strips of chicken as the chunks appeared to be processed or out of a tin."

Ambiance and Environment

Pros:

• "What makes Dobbie's special is the fact that it is so well lit (large glass skylights on every ceiling) and artfully decorated."
• "The butterfly world here is worth a visit too!"
• "One of the best around Edinburgh."
• "As Dobbies go,this is a big one.The cafe is spacious."
• "A fantastic selection of plants, furniture, garden furniture and tools."
• "Nice selection of plants and flowers."
• "This place is huge! Amazing garden centre with lots to offer."

Cons:

• "The garden centre isn't as peaceful as others I've been to as it's part of such a big complex, surrounded by roads."
• "It was like kennels, one couple, middle aged well dressed were allowing their dog to eat off the table."
• "The soft play very poor and too small."
• "Music so loud and bad quality speakers that you can't hear yourself think."
• "The train ride advertised wasn't working in the garden centre."
• "Place cleanliness in the cafe was appalling, seat dirty and covered in food, tables uncleared and dishes left, had to clear own table."
• "Soft covered seats were filthy, covered in stains."

Value and Pricing

Pros:

• "This has been even better recently with the reduction in vat which Dobbies were passing on to their customers."
• "The outdoor plants are reasonably priced on the whole and those I have purchased have thrived."
• "A good place to come for a family trip on a lazy day."
• "Good lunch for canteen style. I had a salmon salad and it was tasty with big chunks of salmon."
• "Great wee place! highly recommend the fish shop- 5* - beautiful/colourful choices, knowledgeable staff and reasonable prices."
• "Probably the best garden centre in Scotland."
• "The meals were lovely and enjoyed a wee cake after."

Cons:

• "Luv a walk round this place but never buy anything here coz it's too expensive."
• "Even the cafe prices seem excessive."
• "Service was very slow."
• "The restaurant is overpriced and we experienced impressively slow service when we visited at the weekend."
• "The food is very pricy, £3.25 for a small empire biscuit!"
• "Pretty expensive place. The Café should be done under the trade descriptions act."
• "The only downside is some of the prices in store are a bit expensive."