The Dabbling Duck — Restaurant in Guildford

The Dabbling Duck is a charming and well-loved café nestled in the picturesque village of Shere, Guildford. Its location is easy to find, situated right on Middle Street, and you certainly won’t get lost trying to reach it. The café’s position in this quintessential English village adds to its charm – surrounded by historic cottages and peaceful countryside, it's a perfect stop whether you're passing through or spending the day exploring the area.

One of the standout aspects of The Dabbling Duck is the quality of the food. The menu offers a great selection of freshly prepared dishes, including hearty breakfasts, homemade cakes, and seasonal lunch options. Whether you're after a proper English brunch, a light salad, or something sweet with your tea, the food is consistently delicious and well-presented. Portions are generous, and ingredients taste fresh and thoughtfully chosen.

Service here is also a highlight. The staff are friendly, attentive, and professional, creating a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere for everyone – locals and visitors alike. Even during busy periods, the team remains calm and efficient, making sure that customers feel taken care of without being rushed.

This isn’t my first visit to The Dabbling Duck, and certainly won’t be my last. I keep coming back because they maintain a high standard, and every visit feels like a small retreat. Whether you’re seated inside their cozy interior or enjoying the courtyard garden on a sunny day, you’ll find it easy to unwind.

In short, The Dabbling Duck combines great food, reliable service, and a lovely setting. It’s an ideal spot for a relaxing break, a catch-up with friends, or just to enjoy a well-made coffee and a slice of cake in one of Surrey’s most...

As a 'local' I have eaten here many times. Today we had the worst experience. We (3 adults one toddler) were told we couldn't come in because my 3 yr old son was still eating a £1 ice cream cone purchased at Shere delights across the road (those of you visiting Shere that don't know Shere delights do visit, it's a wonderful sweet shop that even if you are just popping in for a quarter of pick and mix are always wonderfully friendly and great with the children). When we questioned it, the manager said 'you wouldn't take beer into a pub'. Well no but 1) DDuckdon't sell ice cream cones 2) I have and do sometimes take a drinking bottle of juice for our son in to all our local pubs and not one has ever refused me entry and 3) if they are that obsessed with extracting ever last penny from a customer that they would want to remove the ice cream from a toddler so his mother would have to buy him something else from them they are no longer my sort of cafe. Sadly dabbling ducks success seems to have gone to its head. Rather like the used to be superb Tillings cafe on the A25 that also got greedy (and rude) and now no one goes. We went round the corner to ye old sandwich shop, not the best name I know, but wow!!!! What a fab welcome. When we asked if it was okay to have ice cream cone the manager there said Im offended by the idea with a huge smile and then why on earth would I mind?. Found us a fab table. Served the most generous portions of scrummy coffee cake and in a quiet moment even played cars with my son from a box of toys in the corner. My advice: Pass by the dabbling duck and head to the sandwich shop round the corner opposite the Shere Shop. Lovely atmosphere and an attitude that deserves...

This is the worst customer service I have ever received and I can’t help but think it was racially motivated... Me, my Indian wife and mixed race son walked into the dabbling Duck and waited for a table.. A member of staff said they’d sort it out in a minute.. I sat and Waited due to a leg injury.... Then another Women came over with a stinking attitude, looking us all up and down and said I have that table over there... It had approximately 8 chairs around it, so I said should we just sit at this one because we don’t need that many seats and you could save that for a larger group... Well she huffed and puffed and the anger on face was unreal... So she angrily said ok, so we sat... She then came over and sprayed us all with table cleaner... She didn’t ask us to move out of the way, just sprayed us in our faces and our clothes.. I asked have we upset you and she offered no retort... I then asked if she was just angry and then again, no retort... My wife said she felt very uncomfortable with her attitude and asked us all to leave, which we did... But I returned and asked to talk to the manager and to my shock, the angry waitress said very smugly I’m the manager... So I asked if she thought it was ok to make people feel uncomfortable in her shop, to which she replied, you shouldn’t have sat down, you must wait to be seated.... I told her I only sat because my leg hurt and she could’ve said, do you mind just standing up so I can clean the table... As soon as this manger saw my wife was Indian, you could just see the disgusted look on her face.... This use to be a great place but something has fundamentally changed.... Check the CCTV and you’ll see... Hated that I had to...