Dobbies Garden Centres - Birtley Reviews 424

TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

3.6

Durham Road, Birtley, DH3 2BQ Chester-Le-Street, County Durham, GB


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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

We visited Dobbies at Birtley, Co Durham and went into the restaurant for a coffee. 2 coffees and 1 scone, jam and cream. I was fourth in the queue and waited for ages for 1 man to be served. Only 1... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Visited Dobbies in Birtley, wouldn’t normally have made the trek but had been given gift voucher. I also squandered £15 to join Dobbies club to maximise the voucher. Reasonable selection of plants and... See more

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Visited for monthly free hot drinks and birthday treat as annual members. Staff were friendly, area was clean and tidy. Hot drinks were very nice, cakes were tasty and restaurant was quite busy. Would... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I cannot express how much the manager at Birtley Dobbies helped me, I have become disabled and need to put perennials in my garden as I cannot plant all bedding each year. This man was so informative... See more


Company details

  1. Garden centre

Written by the company

Dobbies has been the home of gardening for over 150 years. You can trust us to provide quality products, expert advice and inspirational ideas for you outdoor space, whatever size it may be. But it's not all about the greenery. At your local Dobbies, you'll find all you need for your home and garden, plus delicious food and drinks in our restaurant. Visit www.dobbies.com to find out more.


Contact info

  • Durham Road, Birtley, DH3 2BQ, Chester-Le-Street, County Durham, United Kingdom

3.6

Average

TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

424 reviews

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Hasn’t replied to negative reviews

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

We visited Dobbies at Birtley

We visited Dobbies at Birtley, Co Durham and went into the restaurant for a coffee. 2 coffees and 1 scone, jam and cream. I was fourth in the queue and waited for ages for 1 man to be served. Only 1 girl making the coffee. Then I noticed a person using the served yourself coffee machine so I came out of the queue and went to serve myself. No milk. So a young assistant went and got a jug of milk. And I had no clotted cream for my scone so she went and found some. I paid £12.50. Got to my seat and my husband said “ this coffee is lukewarm “ and it was!!!!
There was a microwave so I went and heated both coffees up. The clotted cream was so hard it wouldn’t spread and had to go onto the scone in slices.
As you can imagine we weren’t impressed. When you are charging this amount it should be a near enough perfect experience

15 April 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Visited Dobbies in Birtley, wouldn’t normally have made the trek but had been given gift voucher. I also squandered £15 to join Dobbies club to maximise the voucher. Reasonable selection of plants and gardening equipment although some of the plants looked a bit ratty. Oddly they had a selection of Klass women’s clothing … like I’d drop in for bulbs and suddenly need an evening dress. The allotment isn’t that formal. The reason I’ve. Taken to Truspilot was the state of the lavatories. Disgusting. Dirty toilets, used lavatory paper on the floor, overflowing sanitary bins, toilets that didn’t flush properly and the whole area looked desperate for refurbishment. We were going to make a day of it and visit the cafe but after that, I was very reluctant to eat there. It’s a shame. The staff were helpful and cheerful. Spent the voucher and will chalk the £15 membership to experience! .

28 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Arrived at 14:20 for a coffee and cream…

Arrived at 14:20 for a coffee and cream scone, the 2 for 1 offer on the scones doesn't start until 14:00, but there was only one scone left, we asked if they were bringing any more out, to be told that was it, but we could have one of the cheaper (no cream/jam) instead, neither me or my partner fancied that option so ask for one of the other cakes instead, but were told it would not be on the offer. We decided to ask for the manager, as we felt 20mins was a bit poor to run out of (clearly) a popular dessert! The manager although polite had numerous opportunities to come to some kind of compromise, but unfortunately nothing was forthcoming and neither was a valid excuse!
When regular customers give you the option to put something right, you have the opportunity to gain a great sense of loyalty or in this case turn a disappointed regular away! We normally have a look around the centre after our drink and dessert and buy something else far more than we don't, but neither my partner and myself feel like rerurning or renewing our membership

7 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Breakfast at Dobbies Birtley

Breakfast at Dobbies Gateshead

Staff couldn't do enough to help, food was really nice - and the price was right. 2 English breakfasts with black pudding, bacon, beans, hash brown, toast, sausage - £15. Great stuff.

26 May 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Birtley Dobbies Manager is really Informative and helpful.

I cannot express how much the manager at Birtley Dobbies helped me, I have become disabled and need to put perennials in my garden as I cannot plant all bedding each year. This man was so informative and helpful he advised me all about different variety of bulbs and plants I could plant, and where they'd flourish best. Honestly he was so nice and really helpful. I have not experienced anyone so willing and helpful anywhere.

4 February 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Our favourite garden centre, it’s Dobbies

Just popped in for a cup of coffee and a scone. Then had a browse around the plants, where we purchased a few. The girl that was on the till was very helpful and got us to join as a member. All in all it was a good experience.

25 May 2024
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

EXcellent day.

All staff have excellent product knowledge,they all greet with a smile. The plants are varied and well stocked and are reasonably priced.We love to visit the restaurant every time we visit.

15 May 2024
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great Customer Service

Visited while in the area, nice and roomy shop and plants all looked healthy. Got a few garden tools and a big bbq which a lovely staff member Steven helped me get in my car. Praise where it’s due!!

18 May 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

We had afternoon tea at Dobbies today…

We had afternoon tea at Dobbies today and it was amazing.
We took our friend to celebrate her birthday and she loved it and was really impressed.
The food was very fresh and tasty and there was more than enough.
Just want to thank Colin and all the great staff for the great service we received would highly recommend Dobbies Restraunt.
Well done everyone some very content customers here.

12 May 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Buying garden furniture

Brilliant service today when buying garden furniture. Staff were very friendly and extremely helpful. The deal on the garden furniture was excellent. When we visited the previous week, we ate in the cafe - good choice and tasty food. On the whole, Dobies was fabulous!

6 May 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Misleading sales staff giving out…

Misleading sales staff giving out loyalty cards that involve later subscription charges which aren’t explained. They are actually short free trials which are impossible to cancel. Customer service is not helpful so beware of the scam.

23 March 2024
Unprompted review
Dobbies Garden Centres - Birtley logo

Reply from Dobbies Garden Centres - Birtley

Hi Sarah

We sincerely apologize for the confusion and frustration caused by the loyalty card situation. We understand how important it is to be transparent about any potential charges or commitments, and we deeply regret that this information was not clearly communicated to you. We are actively working to improve our sales practices and customer service to ensure that such misunderstandings do not occur in the future. We value your feedback and will take immediate steps to rectify this issue. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Team Dobbies

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