Birkacre Cafe — Restaurant in Chorley

Having read many of the preceding reviews, my wife and I went along to the garden centre and had a snack over lunchtime on Sunday. Well, I must have caught them on an off day! The restaurant was ok; the service was pretty slow, though initial taking of order was quite quick. Waiting 25 mins for a cup of coffee and a soft drink wasn't really acceptable and although the food followed within a further 5 mins, the toasted sandwiches were tepid i.e. they had been sat on a surface awaiting collection. The glass served with the cold drink was grubby and when I asked one of the staff to change it for me, she looked at me like I'd asked for something outrageous and didn't actually say a word to me! The glass was returned duly washed. The general demeanour of the waiting staff was grim and unsmiling. The quality of the food was so-so. The service was pretty poor. Given that it wasn't cheap, I would have expected (and indeed have had) far better. Oh, one more thing ...... there are several 'hand made' notices dotted about the place and in particular one that refers to the behaviour of dogs - sorry guys this is a nonsense, particularly when you allow a bunch of noisy children to disrupt the peace! Unlikely to be back unless and until you sort...

We visited the Birkacre Garden Centre Restaurant for a full English breakfast, expecting hearty food to match the cosy surroundings. What we got instead was... let’s just say “unique.”

Let’s start with the baked beans. Cold. Not lukewarm, not room temperature—cold. The chef’s attempt at gourmet fridge-to-table dining, perhaps? And while we’re on the topic of missing the mark, the breakfast itself seemed to be playing hide-and-seek with some of the advertised items from the menu. Was it sausage roulette day, or had my toast just gone on strike?

The waiting staff were friendly enough, but there was a noticeable lack of initiative when it came to drinks. A simple “Would you like another coffee?” might have gone a long way. Instead, we sat with dry throats and growing doubts about whether anyone actually wanted us to enjoy the experience.

On the plus side, the garden centre itself is lovely, so you could probably console yourself with a plant or two after your disappointing breakfast. Just don’t expect the food to fuel your green-fingered adventures.

Will we be back? Not for the breakfast, unless the chef and the beans can...

Have been a few times now, staff always friendly and is a lovely restaurant. However, my food orders have had small mistakes, like ordering white bread and getting brown, or asking for crisps instead of chips, and getting neither. My only feedback would be a little more attention to detail. No one checks in to see if you need anything after the mains are given. Also, I've always been up for a dessert, but oddly they clear the table of mains after the customers leave. It means we don't get asked if we want desserts or anything else. Just small observations, certainly not enough to put me off going. But I think if it's table service, it shouldn't mean having to constantly try and grab attention for things like drinks and desserts. This has been on every occasion, so not just a one off. So yeah, a little constructive feedback, but overall lovely staff...