Ben's Yard Restaurant in East Cambridgeshire

My mum & I wanted a bite to eat for lunch & at first tried the cafe on the Ben’s Yard site but found there were no free tables so we went into the restaurant to have a drink & small bite to eat. Upon entering, my mum made a comment about sitting by the window, the bald man with glasses looked over to the tables by the window (one was free) & then proceeded to lead us to a table in the centre of the room telling us, “I think you’ll be more comfortable here”. We said no, I think we’d like to sit by the window actually! Both ordered a Raspberry fizz but were told that they didn’t have it so we ordered non alcoholic Bellinis which arrived after a long wait but were very nice. We tried to order the ravioli but were told they also didn’t have that so we ordered the tart small plate & mussels. Both the bread that came with the mussels & the tart looked overcooked & I had to send the bread back as it was burnt in places & too well done for me. The bald man said he’d bring me a spoon for the mussels sauce but never did, I had to ask someone else for one. I needn’t have bothered though as the sauce was VERY salty, to the point it was not nice & I stopped eating it. We had a long wait for the bill & the server asked me directly if I’d like to leave a tip (not particularly great etiquette) I said no. Very overpriced for underwhelming food. And the collective customer service experience was poor, we won’t be returning.

We went with our family and had a great lunch. The staff were excellent, and all the dishes were served promptly. We chose a selection from their Festive menu, and every dish was delicious. We were especially excited about the dessert trolley - it was amazing!

Great venue offering a large choice of dishes and professional service. We went with my daughter and dog and all felt very welcome. I can highly recommend the aubergine dish and the moule frite and for dessert indulge with the dessert trolley! Thank you very much, we will come again soon

Been a long fan of Amelie since their first restaurant at The Grafton. Decided to take them up on their complimentary sparkling wine offer they have pre Christmas during breakfast. Boom, they did it again! What a great spot, a little out of Ely but worth the drive. Had the eggs Florentine, eggs cooked perfectly, sparkling wine in hand - what more could you want?!

Stop off for breakfast after visiting beautiful Ely. We both had full English breakfast and were offed a complimentary Buck’s Fizz or Prosecco, such a nice touch. Our food was well cooked and plentiful. Our requirements for lactose and gluten free were no problem at all. The best asset for this lovely restaurant is the young lady who waited our table; welcoming and polite and nothing too much trouble. We will definitely visit again when we are next in Ely.

Visiting the restaurant since the takeover with Amelie , we visited for lunch. I was so happy the chicken caesar had stayed on the menu and it was just as delicious. My mum had the fish cake . We tried the traditional flat bread as a table sharer and it was so light . To know this delicious delicacy is yeast free is great news as I have an intolerance. The puddings now have a French feel of light patisserie and my gateau was delicious. My mum cannot eat coffee or chocolate so they offered her an off menu trifle . This was such a lovely touch. Staff were pleasant and attentive without being overbearing . We loved listening to the manager explain about their flatbreads and why they chose to have them on menu, you could tell he was very passionate. We shall be keeping up our visits to the restaurant .

We have been here 3 times recently. First for breakfast, then tried the Sunday lunch and again today for lunch. It’s a really beautiful setting and the customer service is excellent. All of our meals have been top class, but my favourite was the Sunday lunch. The quality of a Sunday lunch always hangs on the gravy for us, and it didn’t disappoint. Today I had the burger and hubby had the flatbread, of course I pinched a bit and it was delicious, really light and much nicer than your typical pizza. The burger was the best I’ve had in a long time. It’s really good value and we’ll definitely be back.

We met new friends there. All four of us were delighted with our food choices. The staff were super friendly and efficient. Most, I believe were family members.

Wow - what a difference! Amelie have only been running the Ben's Yard restaurant for around a month - but it has now improved beyond belief. The owners and staff are friendly, yet very professional. Service is first class, and the food quality really good. I have an allium intolerance [onions, garlic etc] and they coped with this impeccably. Would recommend to anyone!

First time back in the restaurant since it was taken over …the gentleman working there was very attentive ,knowledgable and excellent people skills. The Turkish eggs weee beautiful .Tried a sample of flatbread which was beautiful.

Terrible from start to finish,over cooked food,cold coffee,very little food to choose from no cakes,scones,sandwiches the list could go on and on the older gentleman I presumed the owner didn’t know what he was doing at all,lots of complaints while we were in there.the one plus was our server was lovely very apologetic, looked and sounded very embarrassed also putting people in the outside area to wait for 15/20 mins when lots of empty tables overwere available was very unprofessional considering it was cold and they had young children.

We have visited Ben’s Yard a couple of times for Sunday lunches and they have always been really good, so we decided to book in for afternoon tea for my mother’s birthday. Firstly, the service is always really spot on, the servers are always really friendly and welcoming they do a fantastic job of making you feel comfortable and at ease. Similarly, the service of food was really efficient, they took our drinks order as we sat and both food and drink came out swiftly, Secondly, the food was delicious. Two of us are gluten free and have been to places previously which have cheated out a bit and just used obviously Tesco items on their gluten free afternoon teas. This cannot be said for Ben’s Yard, all the cakes seemed to have been made in house, and were presented beautifully. The sausage rolls and scones were still warm which made them really pleasant to eat, and the sandwiches were a nice variety. Finally, I have to say the atmosphere was really warm, I think this was mostly as a result of what I have already highlighted about the servers. Each time I have been to Ben’s Yard the staff are really good, they made mum feel really special for her birthday and made it a very pleasant afternoon for us.

Disappointing experience. After a 40 min wait - restaurant wasn’t busy - I asked and was told food order hadn’t reached kitchen. Having had two drink orders surely someone should have noticed Had the fish finger sandwich - didn’t eat the doorstep bread and more batter than fish and salty Only a few dessert choices and the one I wanted wasn’t available Sadly the food doesn’t match the decor and price point. It would have been nice to have been offered a free coffee after the long wait. I so wanted to like this place

Nice restaurant near Ely. Plenty of parking for Ben's Yard and a short walk to the restaurant itself. We didn't book and didn't need to. There was plenty of seating available and we were seated quickly by friendly staff. Interesting menu with a variety of choices that should suit all tastes. My guests had fishcakes with a herb sauce which they said was good and in fact they cleared their plates. I had crispy chicken salad with a peanut sauce whoch was very good and a large portion. I also cleared my plate. The desserts were ...interesting... the rhubarb and peach dessert was described by my wife as a decontructed crumble with way too much clotted cream. My other guest had raspberry brownie which had a few small issues, not least of which was it did not seem to be fudgy enough. I had the vanilla creme brulee. This latter was described on the menu as served with shortbread. A classic combo. What arrived was anything but classic. Apart from the lack of shortbread, which was batted away by the server as "there are almonds", there was indeed a pile of toasted almonds and a berry mixture on top of the caramel. All OK but not what was on the menu. Issues: the fruit had obviously been cooked with star anise which was left in the fruit. This initially gave a very pleasant licorice flavour, followed quickly by a very unpleasant extreme bitterness from the spice. There was also no discernable vanilla, and the custard itself was marginally undercooked. Summary: good main courses but questionable, and expensive at £9 each, desserts

Excellent breakfast. A lovely way to spend a Sunday Morning. Very good service and great food. Not cheap but good size portions, well presented and good quality.

This is not a restaurant - it’s a glorified cafe. Came for an eventful family lunch, quick main course as there were no starters. Very short lived, painfully slow service - had to ask for some things several times.

Appalling service. Went for a Sunday lunch (booked in). We were eft waiting ages before being shown to a table which hadn't been cleared. Waitress said she'd come back but never did. Witnessed various people leaving over similar reasons. Witnessed one waitress actually add waste to a dirty table and continued off EMPTY HANDED! It was a joke. It was half full, so no excuses. We chose to leave as if they couldn't be bothered to clear a table for 20 minutes, I can only imagine what the rest of the service was going to be like. Shocking.

Popped in for breakfast with my family. There’s a distinct lack of good quality breakfast options in Ely so we had high hopes for the Ben’s Yard Restaurant. It didn’t disappoint. It’s hard to mess a full English up - although so many restaurants do - Ben’s Yard Restaurant however, clearly use high quality ingredients and deliver an exceptional breakfast. An added bonus is of course the interior design of the venue, coupled with first class waiting staff… particularly our server, Taylor, who was incredibly attentive and is a real asset to the restaurant. In summary, a fantastic breakfast at a wonderful venue made all the more enjoyable by the excellent team. Highly recommended.

We love Ben’s Yard, but had yet to try the restaurant for lunch. Well we did today and we were not disappointed Friendly and attentive service as always , and the restaurant has a great atmosphere , and beautiful decor. We both had mocktails today and they were really refreshing . The chicken Caesar salad was amazing ! Unreal! Best I have ever had out. Served warm and the chicken was so juicy and tender . I also had the brownie … divine. My mum had the fish cakes and crème brûlée , both of which were described as ‘ wow’ . Honestly a beautiful and stylish restaurant with a chilled vibe and great service . Lucky to have it in the area.

£3.20 for a cappuccino that was 3/4 full by the time the froth went down and made out of a machine! Floor in cafe looked like a tractor had driven across it as it was so filthy. Shame as a lovely setting but no desire to return. Disappointing…

Fabulous birthday lunch for Mum. Food amazing,service attentive without being over the top,well priced and they really went the extra mile to make mums day extra special...without being asked! Will definitely be back 😀 thank you again to all at Ben's Yard Restaurant.

This was the restaurant NOT the cafe as seen cafe reviews on here. Lovely greeting by our waitress so lovely first impression, service was wonderful and happy, we ate last weekend, couples and friends for breakfast. Food and drinks amazing as was service throughout; we will be back, highly recommend, my poached eggs were cooked to perfection, full English breakfasts were appreciated by all!

£4.75 for one jam doughnut in the cafe should tell you all you need to know. Pure, unadulterated greed.

was really disappointed with the breakfast toast was burnt some of the food was really over cooked had a job to cut it definitely not worth the 17 pounds each breakfast we paid for

Called in for light lunch while visiting family. It was 1130 - breakfast was no longer being served and the lunch menu didn’t start until 1200 - so no real option for food. We ordered cheese scones - very heavy and stodgy, and Victoria sponge - this was not available, so changed to chocolate cake. Drinks order included one oat milk latte, luckily not an allergy, as served normal latte. Staff quickly realised once I’d started to drink that they’d made a mistake. Pretty average place, but expensive. Can’t believe there’s no menu option between 1130-1200, except for cakes or scones.

Disappointing return visit. We came here soon after opening and were very pleased. This time, the menu has been reduced to very little, service was bad, prices were for better food than we got. Twice, I had to get up to go look for a server after trying to get her attention for over 15 minutes. We will not return.

Average breakfast for a not so average price. We reserved a table and even though only two other tables in we were given a tiny table by the toilets. The pricing at the time was off - eggs Benedict for £15 but a full English...

Very attentive staff.Fast service .Good choices on a menu for gluten free diet .food was fabulous ,will definitely re visit

Just had a Bens Yard burger at the new restaurant and oh my god was it amazing. Totally recommend. Flavour was so yummy, meat lovely and the caramelised onions were just amazing, so good. Better than any other place around. Staff were so lovely. You...

Perfect! Beautiful decor, wonderful food at a fair price and staff were lovely! It was our first visit and we were very impressed, so much so I’ve already made another 2 bookings. Everyone should get along and support this wonderful new addition to the area!

Service far far too slow. Restaurant not even 1/4 full and took ages. Food itself was very tasty. Needs a lot of work to be good.

We had a lovely breakfast here, with a large group of us including children and babies - the staff were very accommodating moving tables around to fit us all in and to make room for prams. They were so helpful when ordering and allowing changes...

The restaurant looks so lovely but don't let appearances fool you. We arrived at 1140 and the restaurant was empty. We waited quite a while to get menus, then about 20 mins for drinks and about 45 mins for lunch. Felt like we spent all...

Our first visit to Ben's Yard restaurant and we will be back. Lovely restaurant, very relaxed, service was brilliant and very friendly. We had the burger and the sea bass followed by the lemon tart. It was all delicious. It's not the cheapest but certainly...

Such gorgeous restaurant to discover, only opened last month. Beautiful decor. Went with big family group with lots of little ones and so many options for vegetarians/vegans/meat eaters which was just fantastic. Also staff so lovely and attentive and we had really speedy service.

Stumbled on this newly-opened (6 weeks ago) restaurant yesterday and had a fabulous experience. The staff are clearly very proud of what they have on offer. We had three courses and all six presentations were very good. I'm vegan but had a choice for each...

Just dropped in to take a look/taste. We were welcomed quickly and given a menu. The decor and atmosphere are great! Lovely service too. My husband had a Big Ben burger and I chose the Beetroot falafel with a side salad. The food tasted great!...

Booked a table for breakfast on a weekday but quite quiet, took our dog with us as another reviewer suggested they were dog friendly which they are inside and outside. Nice full English breakfast, have had better sausages but overall a pleasant meal with decent...

Such a shame. Our first experience and our last here. Reserved a table for lunch but our table was changed so mot reserved. Taken to a table and left without a menu and no drinks offered. We have a ten minute rule and as not...