Lilypad Cafe

Amazing café with so many different gluten free options available. It was super clean and all the staff were extremely friendly. I had the gluten free blue cheese and pulled beef pitta, the flavours were incredible, and a hot chocolate that had lots of cream and marshmallows. Would come here again.

Amazing food. Quality is incredible. We ordered 2 afternoon teas which was fab value and the special cod finger sandwich 2ith potato skins was fab. Staff were so lovely and an asset as it eas very busy. Only down side and why I knocked a star off is very limited dairy free items. My daughter is allergic and there was only 1 sweet on offer where as 4 gf ones. Come on in this day and age you need to cater for the market of not only vegans but those with allergies. 3 meals plus drinks came to 52.00

I go usually once a week with my friend and we have never had a bad meal yet it's a nice place to relax with a pot of nice tea and view the grounds lovely and tidy relaxing

Excellent. Very good and efficiently run café, manned by plentiful busy and conscientious staff. You need to wait in the queue to be seated. Plenty of outdoor seating available or you can sit inside. Last time I came it wasn't a full 5 star place, but it really is great now, vastly improved and I highly recommend eating here. I visited on a week day before school holidays (phew!!), it was busy but not bedlam and the staff were great. I had one of the specials: Watermelon and orange salad bowl, but a no ham version. It was huge, a really generous portion and wonderfully colourful. I got a piece of lemon cheesecake to take out but had a meringue for pud. Oh my.... it was the size of my head!!! Mahoosive indeediohs. It came with fruit, ice cream and cream. Though huge, it was light and not heavy to eat at all. Oooo, I could eat another one! Easy 5 star rating.

To be honest I was debating posting because the staff at the actual gardens were lovely. But this experience was upsetting enough for me to post my first negative review in a long time. We arrived to poor service and a dismissive attitude. We were not rude, in fact we went out of our way to be kind to the staff, but in turn we were returned with short and frankly rude conversations. The only attentive part of the experience being whether we paid or not (to be frank, I held on to the receipt because I was half expecting them to come back). I would not want call to call what we experienced prejudice but it was odd that we were the only young mixed couple at the cafe. The food itself was lukewarm and greasy which would be serviceable if it was not seasoned by the bitterness of the team. It's a shame because it's on a common route to York and we enjoy having a stroll and a coffee at a cafe but I will happily take my money and time elsewhere.