Not a great visit. Busy and maybe understaffed. Took a long time to order but I get that they probably need to stagger the orders when busy. Had a filter coffee which wasn't great. Vegetarian breakfast ok but eggs undercooked on top - no one wants a snotty egg!
richard myers
well it was our first visit to the willow restaurant as we normally go in the riverside cafe me and my father in law both got sausage and mash my wife got steak panini and wedges which she enjoyed the sausage and mash looked great when it came the sausage was beautiful and the vegetables and gravy was lovely but the mash potatoes were an absolute let down and to be honest i’d be embarrassed serving packet mash potatoes yes you read it SMASH!!!!!! and to charge £18.50 for it if it had been real mash potatoes i’d have no bother
LightPacker216997
Having received an afternoon tea voucher for two as a gift, I booked in the Willows restaurant for the Festive Afternoon tea for two. Having experienced a range of afternoon teas in numerous cafes, hotel’s & restaurants over the years, this has to rate as one of the poorest yet. The three sandwiches were such poor quality with cheap, limp white sliced bread for two of them, no side salad/ crisps or garnish of any sort. The scone was dry & the cakes/ pastries were tiny uninspired offerings. For £16 the tea was overpriced and such a let down. When the tea was served it was plonked on the table with no explanation of what flavour the soup was or the range of desserts on offer. At no point did any member of staff come over to see if everything was ok. I always tip for good food & service but felt on this occasion nothing was deserving of anything extra. I was just thankful that I hadn’t paid for this poor excuse of afternoon tea & the gift card covered the cost. It seemed the sort of establishment that the personal touches & attention to detail wasn’t of any great importance, relying on the coach loads of day trippers to what always appears to be an overrated & overpriced destination. I’m afraid there are far better independent & much better quality cafes & eateries to visit than here.
N B
Wow what a nice surprise! We ate in the riverside cafe and had the cheese & onion pie with veg, we wasn’t expecting much from it for £10.50, but it was one of the best ‘roasts’ I’ve eaten out! By far better than any carvery I’ve been too. The cakes looked amazing as well, such a large choice! To top it off you’ve got a gorgeous view of a river whilst eating and drinking coffee, 10/10 recommend and will definitely be returning.
Kasia D
Just need to thank staff member Loren who served me one Tuesday. She noticed I had the little one in the pram and offered to carry my tray for me after ordering hot food. She then got me a drink too, waited while I paid and took me over to a free table. Just very kind, I wasn't expecting it! So thanks Loren :)Vegetarian options: The vegan nut roast was great, can be purchased from the farm shop too
Ron Jones
Great Christmas display, staff all nice and
Kevin O'neill
Extremely poor value for money.
Christina N
The food is lovely and last time we came we had a lovely experience but just going recently maybe it’s because it’s Christmas and busier but the service was really bad. Spent ages waiting to order and multiple staff blatantly avoiding eye contact with you! There seemed to be a lot of staff around but was so hard to get one of them to help. Sorry but just wanted to feed it back as it was so nice the last time! The food is delish though so it’s such a shame! ?
John Ingle
Riverside Cafe with self service. Atmosphere and staff both nice. Got a latte and carrot cake and both were poor also the selection of food available was limited especially given the size of the cafe.
Jon and Linda
Excellent flapjack and tea, coffee was good for a machine too.
Willows restaurant is slightly more expensive than the large cafe next to it, but the difference is well worth while. Excellent food and service. Definitely worth a visit for lunch
Gill L
The menu had great variety, all reasonably priced and what we had was delicious. What was particularly stand out for us was the service, specifically that from Mel. She is warm, friendly, professional and clearly takes pride in what she does. A gentleman near us had a prosthetic arm, which spontaneous fell off as Mel was serving him. Many people would have been phased by this, not Mel. She completely took it in her stride, read the situation beautifully and had a great conversation with the gentleman. She took just a few moments, during a busy day, to completely normalise the situation and make the gentleman feel at ease. Highly recommend this restaurant, for all dietary needs and preferences
kimberley G
Great for a coffee mid shop around the beautiful garden centre or for a lunch with the girls , good for kids as they cater wide range and the ice cream is a hit!
Scott Whittle (ScWhittle)
Been to Barton Grange and Willows before, but this is our first time in The Riverside Cafe. Self service Displays of fresh sandwiches and salads. Hot food including pies available. Large choice of cakes and sweet treats. Self service hot drinks.
Dave Merry
Oh dear, the Carrot Cake was well below par today. No topping lacked spice, and it was heavy. It is our favourite place for this treat but very letdown today. Whoever made this one don't do it again it was poor. Get lessons from the chef who makes the nice one or go back to being a brickie.
Not a great visit. Busy and maybe understaffed. Took a long time to order but I get that they probably need to stagger the orders when busy. Had a filter coffee which wasn't great. Vegetarian breakfast ok but eggs undercooked on top - no one wants a snotty egg!
well it was our first visit to the willow restaurant as we normally go in the riverside cafe me and my father in law both got sausage and mash my wife got steak panini and wedges which she enjoyed the sausage and mash looked great when it came the sausage was beautiful and the vegetables and gravy was lovely but the mash potatoes were an absolute let down and to be honest i’d be embarrassed serving packet mash potatoes yes you read it SMASH!!!!!! and to charge £18.50 for it if it had been real mash potatoes i’d have no bother
Having received an afternoon tea voucher for two as a gift, I booked in the Willows restaurant for the Festive Afternoon tea for two. Having experienced a range of afternoon teas in numerous cafes, hotel’s & restaurants over the years, this has to rate as one of the poorest yet. The three sandwiches were such poor quality with cheap, limp white sliced bread for two of them, no side salad/ crisps or garnish of any sort. The scone was dry & the cakes/ pastries were tiny uninspired offerings. For £16 the tea was overpriced and such a let down. When the tea was served it was plonked on the table with no explanation of what flavour the soup was or the range of desserts on offer. At no point did any member of staff come over to see if everything was ok. I always tip for good food & service but felt on this occasion nothing was deserving of anything extra. I was just thankful that I hadn’t paid for this poor excuse of afternoon tea & the gift card covered the cost. It seemed the sort of establishment that the personal touches & attention to detail wasn’t of any great importance, relying on the coach loads of day trippers to what always appears to be an overrated & overpriced destination. I’m afraid there are far better independent & much better quality cafes & eateries to visit than here.
Wow what a nice surprise! We ate in the riverside cafe and had the cheese & onion pie with veg, we wasn’t expecting much from it for £10.50, but it was one of the best ‘roasts’ I’ve eaten out! By far better than any carvery I’ve been too. The cakes looked amazing as well, such a large choice! To top it off you’ve got a gorgeous view of a river whilst eating and drinking coffee, 10/10 recommend and will definitely be returning.
Just need to thank staff member Loren who served me one Tuesday. She noticed I had the little one in the pram and offered to carry my tray for me after ordering hot food. She then got me a drink too, waited while I paid and took me over to a free table. Just very kind, I wasn't expecting it! So thanks Loren :)Vegetarian options: The vegan nut roast was great, can be purchased from the farm shop too
Great Christmas display, staff all nice and
Extremely poor value for money.
The food is lovely and last time we came we had a lovely experience but just going recently maybe it’s because it’s Christmas and busier but the service was really bad. Spent ages waiting to order and multiple staff blatantly avoiding eye contact with you! There seemed to be a lot of staff around but was so hard to get one of them to help. Sorry but just wanted to feed it back as it was so nice the last time! The food is delish though so it’s such a shame! ?
Riverside Cafe with self service. Atmosphere and staff both nice. Got a latte and carrot cake and both were poor also the selection of food available was limited especially given the size of the cafe.
Excellent flapjack and tea, coffee was good for a machine too.
Restaurantji Recommends
Willows restaurant is slightly more expensive than the large cafe next to it, but the difference is well worth while. Excellent food and service. Definitely worth a visit for lunch
The menu had great variety, all reasonably priced and what we had was delicious. What was particularly stand out for us was the service, specifically that from Mel. She is warm, friendly, professional and clearly takes pride in what she does. A gentleman near us had a prosthetic arm, which spontaneous fell off as Mel was serving him. Many people would have been phased by this, not Mel. She completely took it in her stride, read the situation beautifully and had a great conversation with the gentleman. She took just a few moments, during a busy day, to completely normalise the situation and make the gentleman feel at ease. Highly recommend this restaurant, for all dietary needs and preferences
Great for a coffee mid shop around the beautiful garden centre or for a lunch with the girls , good for kids as they cater wide range and the ice cream is a hit!
Been to Barton Grange and Willows before, but this is our first time in The Riverside Cafe. Self service Displays of fresh sandwiches and salads. Hot food including pies available. Large choice of cakes and sweet treats. Self service hot drinks.
Oh dear, the Carrot Cake was well below par today. No topping lacked spice, and it was heavy. It is our favourite place for this treat but very letdown today. Whoever made this one don't do it again it was poor. Get lessons from the chef who makes the nice one or go back to being a brickie.