January 2024 by Ajh18138
The restaurant/garden centre was very cold. Not a pleasant atmosphere to drink coffee (which was only warm) and walk round the garden centre. Never been to such a cold garden centre. It would have been far too cold to eat in the restaurant. I did visit Dobbies to shop in the Pavers outlet, purchased boots with an extra 20% discount.
November 2023 by 698kaine
Overpriced cold Christmas lunch. Waited in line for over 35 minutes for the Christmas lunch with young inexperienced men on the tills. Not their fault however at such a busy time no manager was to be seen. The poor lads working there bloody socks off with little to no help. Food was also cold and not enjoyable I felt bad feeding it to my dog however she seemed to enjoy it. Won't be returning
November 2023 by tomgV6541IH
Quality, price and service. Dobbies delivers on none of these. Quality: The food was cold, even my dog would reject those sausages. Price: Almost £40 for four inedible breakfasts and drinks, cold flabby scrambled eggs and anaemic sausages. Service: order was taken by a lady who looked quite unhappy. Some staff members were bickering between themselves and between them lacked organisation, which was a key reason it took 40 minutes to get our food. The one star is solely for the hash browns, which were great. But even the hash browns couldn't make up for the overall experience. So, unless you're looking for a subpar meal that will cost you an arm and a leg, served with a side of staff drama, I'd suggest steering clear of Dobbies.
October 2023 by kimrichardson1957
My husband and I visited recently and waited for over 30 minutes just to order a coffee and cake each. The tables were not cleaned and cleared and it wasn?t as if they were that busy! Terrible restaurant and although there have been numerous complaints over the years it doesn?t look like anything has been rectified at all!
June 2023 by Diana p
Food was fresh and enjoyed by both of us, but the service on the drinks side was very slow as assistant was too busy talking, was to hot to be standing there waiting and although some people were moaning she didn?t seem to be bothered by this, the young lad who was serving on the till was very polite and was apologetic about the wait
March 2023 by nicolahU9473LB
I rarely write a review but we had our daughters 4th birthday party with them and the staff made it such a fantastic experience. We opted for afternoon teas which are delivered on tiered afternoon tea platters per child - parents raved about the quality and quantity of food. The soft play was small but perfect for little ones. Thank you to all the staff for making it so stress free for us.
January 2023 by jackiebB1446BH
We haven't been for a meal for a good while. After reading the reviews ,it very nearly put us off having a meal. When we arrived we noticed the restaurant was busy, hence, it couldn't be that bad. Both my husband and I had the lasagna , which was tasty ,hot and filling, the side salad was fresh, and the garlic bread was lovely. The staff are constantly on the go. Yes the queuing takes a while, it always has been like this, even when it was Woodlands. We will back again.
December 2022 by AF5150
When this was Woodlands, it was lovely. However, Dobbies brought it and it shows! The staff wear permanent frowns on their faces, the prices have shot up, and the Christmas displays average at best. Today, the whole store was freezing cold. Then there's the restaurant. Wife and I queued for nearly 20 minutes for two Fish & Chips with peas with coffee. Took a number so the server could find us, but the food wasn't very good at all. Rock hard batter, very dry fish and luke warm chips. The coffees were decent though. Awful experience with dogs constantly barking and the very cold temperature whilst eating. Dobbies ARE usually top drawer, but there's something not quite right with this branch. Oh, I DO wish they would employ security or install CCTV, lots of blatant shoplifting from members of the public. Today, was a poor experience overall.
November 2022 by JoyW386
We went to soft play today and lunch. We saw that afternoon teas were advertised and looked lovely. We hadn't pre booked but asked if it was possible to have two. The staff were very helpful and we were told yes. We opted for a Christmas and a traditional one. £20 for the two. They were delicious and such good value, I have paid over double for afternoon teas that were no where near as good. Even though the staff were under pressure with the volume of customers, they were very friendly and cheerful. Will definitely be returning for another afternoon tea.
November 2022 by Mark B
one of our group had a dobbies card which offers very good value we just opted for a drink and a cake the cakes where on the whole very good {lemon one was a bit dry) the coffee was very good but the hot chocolate a tad underwhelming nice garden centre to wander around but some of the prices are a tad high
October 2022 by 842helenac
Went in for a coffee and a mooch - got to the cafe at 4pm, told they have ALREADY stopped serving food despite closing 90 minutes later. Unacceptable. Staff couldn't care less, very underwhelming. Christmas display gets poorer every year and plants all overpriced. Go further afield to Gates' or Sapcote, better experience, nicer staff and a much more pleasant atmosphere. Very clearly only get away with it because it's the closest garden centre around. Even the Dobbies in Atherstone is miles better than Stapleton.
August 2022 by Sarah H
They have some serious issues here. Not only has the quality of the food gone right down. Service is exceptionally slow. By the time you get to pay your food is cold. If you are just queuing for a drink it can take up to 20 minutes. Cakes are dry and tasteless. Drinks average at best. Staff seem grumpy and miserable and customers seem to be an inconvenience. I used to love meeting my friends here for lunch. What has gone so badly wrong? Covid can?t be blamed as the service and quality deteriorated a year or so before then. Such a shame. Food used to be great and most staff at least looked friendly.
August 2022 by John B
Expensive and lacking in anything to get excited about, the actual gardening areas are something of a shambles, constantly being rearranged and priced very much at the top end of what is acceptable. I now buy my plants and other gardening needs elsewhere, having used the old Woodlands almost exclusively for well over 20 years. I go for the butcher (Walter Smith) and fruit & veg stall outside. Inside, what used to be attractions - locally made bread and cakes, local eggs, Laithwaite's wines, a wonderful cheese counter - have all gone to be replaced by shockingly overpriced Sainsbury's products. As for the restaurant, service is glacially slow and the prices are extortionate. Such a shame.
July 2022 by 40milesofbadroad
Uninterested dreadfully slow service in cafe. Coffee frankly undrinkable. Avoid drink at home or elsewhere
April 2022 by Paula C
Visited today to buy plants. Prices extortion I couldn?t believe what was being asked. Uninterested staff. The Toilets need closing down they are the most unhygienic disgusting filthy toilets I?ve see inside restaurant or store. Inside cubicles really bad paint falling off walls and doors, the rest too bad to mention. The sinks where chipped black mould around top of all sinks everything extremely dirty. They needed a good clean and mop goodness only knows the last time they had a proper clean. We had two scones and had to pay extra for jam and butter. Scones like biscuits on top too long in the oven. Coffee had grease floating on top. Didn?t return coffee as I had to wait again in a very long cue and we had just done that once. Price, very expensive we will visit our usual in future Palmers in Leicester Wonderful Garden Centre. Not worth a visit.
