Rievaulx Abbey Cafe in Ryedale

We have visited this cafe before but just for a drink inside the modern cafe area. This time the extended family (8) decided on food as well. Sitting outside in a shaded area everyone enjoyed their food choices, with the Monk's Pottage being a bit of a highlight! If you are visiting the Abbey, be sure to stop and refresh in the cafe.

We stopped for a snack only. Cheese scone was lovely, I'm reliably informed the ice cream was also delicious. A nice coffee to round it off. Plenty of seating on the day we came, we sat outside. Very clean.

Easily the best cafe of any English Heritage site. Visiting the abbey has become an excuse for going to the cafe. Always a lovely selection of handmade, traditional cakes and really nice tea. It's in such a nice building too. I had fruit cake with a chunk of Wensleydale, a pot of tea and it was perfect.

Handy and sizeable cafe. Accessible without paying for the main site, and you can browse the shop too. Lovely staff, good coffee. 10% off for EH members

Having never visited before decided to relax with a small snack after a few hours round the abbey, drinks were great but the cakes were fabulous, good selection of other foods so not limited, pies looked very nice but had to stop at some point, well worth the visit.

We enjoyed an excellent cup of coffee and snack after walking round the ruins of the Abbey. Very clean friendly staff

Lovely food with fantastic views of the ruins. I am partially disabled and the staff were more than happy to deliver the food to the table. It was delicious!

Rievaulx is a favourite outing for me and my elderly parents - magical in all weathers, plenty of space and sufficient parking for the visitor numbers they have and a really lovely cafe with views of the Abbey. We visited again today and had a particularly good lunch - they had the steak and ale hotpot (with gluten free bread available for my dad), and I had a really memorable sausage and mash with onion gravy. Both wonderful winter comfort food. My dad was also very happy to find there was a gluten free cappuccino cake. I was sorry not to try the pork pie and salad which looked very good but will save that for next time. We'll be back soon!

We visited Rievaulx Abbey on a warm Sunday morning in September in the company of some friends. We had driven here and there is a small (pay & display) car park though this is free to English Heritage members who also run the abbey site. We combined our visit with the 3 mile walk from Helmsley Castle and took one of the cars to the (pay & display) car park in Helmsley to walk back to the Abbey. After our walk, we visited the abbey café before touring the site. The café is reasonably large and has some lovely picture windows making the interior very light, airy and seemingly spacious. The windows also a give a marvellous view out over to the abbey. There was a reasonable choice of small meals, drinks and snacks, we each had one of the afternoon teas and on our table for four by the windows for four by the windows thought that this was a good quality eating experience at a reasonable cost.

Very nice cream teas here. Very clean areas and great service. Only a disabled toilet inside you need to go to car park for others

The best feature is the view of the Abbey while you sit and have tea. The food is what you might expect at such a place....very good overall but not memorable. The staff was very friendly.

Nice little cafe, great views. Staff super friendly and helpful. Lovely food and tasty but not much change out of £30 for 2x soup and sandwich deals with a tea and coffee and two biscuits. Nice for a treat though

The staff are friendly and the food is well presented and tasty. There is seating inside and out. A gift shop is attached to the cafe.

Great views of the abbey and a nice comfortable cafe for a drink and snack. It is spacious and a great addition to the visitor centre.

Very good coffee amd cake with friendly efficient service. There are laserge windows looking out over the site.

A pleasant enough place in a good location in the Abbey grounds and to be honest the food was nice but there needs to be more attention to detail in my opinion. Tables were small, chairs uncomfortable, cutlery poor and the prices were absolutely eye-watering

Nice atmosphere, in a new tea-room (new since I last visted a couple of years ago) with a great view of the abbey. I only had tea and a cheese scone, but it was one of the best I'd ever had. Crispy on the outside with a topping of cheese, and light inside. It looked like it had a smidgin of wholegrain mustard in it to add a little dash to the flavour. I'm an English Heritage member, but you don't need to be a member or pay if you only want to visit the cafe.

I used the café while in Yorkshire on a charity bike ride throughout the Dales. The food and organization was 2nd to none, we were a very large group and they coped superbly. Highly recommended.

What a beautiful, peaceful and very photogenic place this is...I really was blown away by the atmosphere which was enhanced as it was misty on the morning we arrived. English Heritage have done a magnificent job in preserving this beautiful place and although some people...

Popped into the cafe as part of visit. Don’t remember it being here last visit but a very welcome addition and tastefully fits the location. Very friendly staff and chance to rest a while before continuing the journey.

We had walked from Helmsley on a hot sunny day, so were well ready for a drink and something to eat. By mid afternoon, the cake selection was a bit restricted - gluten free carrot cake, lemon drizzle and bakewell tart along with pre wrapped...

Staff attentive to clearing of tables and santising. Use of paper cups /plates and wooden cutlery acceptable though not sure having them stood in beakers for picking up detracts from multiple touching by other hands. Good that can sit outside too.

Tea in paper cups with wooden stick stirrers. Sandwiches in cardboard packs, over chilled and with no plates offered. Very expensive, two teas and two sandwiches for £14.

We stopped at the Abbey which was half way round a walk we were doing. As we hadn’t planned in advance we couldn’t go into the Abbey as we hadn’t booked, however if we had joined the English Heritage we could have gone in! We...

We stopped into the cafe for a scone and jam to begin our visit. We were pleased that we were able to buy scones and jam with clotted cream and tea and coffee. We were still on residual covid processes paper cups and wooden cutlery...

We had an amazing takeaway Monk's Pottage to round off a wet but nonetheless wonderful December visit to Rievaulx Abbey. As ever the service was friendly and the food very wholesome and substantial, the pottage, developed to replicate a monastic diet, was very tasty and...

We had the Monks Pottage and the steak pie with bubble and squeak. The dish of Monks Pottage looked small but we were assured it came with 'a substantial lump of granary bread'. This turned out to be half a small slice. The bubble and...

The cafe coped well with social distancing etc. and my cream tea was all put into a paper bag for me to take away. The scone was lovely and I really enjoyed sitting outside in the sunshine to eat it.

Well presented modern café with a good choice food and drink. Inside and outside seating with good toilet facilities

The choice of food here is very poor. The food is overpriced and lacks the basics. Sandwhiches were ham and pickle or cheese savoury not just the option of ham or cheese. My 7 year old likes cheese sandwiches but only had half of his...

Stopped here for lunch after visiting the abbey and the cafe looks right out towards it. We had a window seat. We ordered a Cheese Scone and a Fruit Scone with a large coffee and bottle of diet coke. The woman serving us appeared not...

This is a nice café adjacent to the gift shop at Rievaulx Abbey. The café is bright and modern, the staff are friendly and you get great views of the Abbey from the full length windows. Great for coffee, snacks or a light lunch.

Didn't have lunch as it's more sandwiches and snacks than meals tho they do game pie for about £10 and sausage or bacon butties for £6.We arrived early fortunately as it got busy after 12. We had scones and coffee which was lovely.Got lovely window seat so could look out and admire the wonderful views of the abbey

Came across this cafe by accident having visited the terrace and walked down to Rievaulx. Didn’t think English heritage had any. Excellent small cafe with views of the abbey. Decent soup, sandwiches as well as usual cakes etc. Good adjoining shop.

What a lovely cafe in a lovely setting. We stopped here before going round the abbey, the food was really tasty and very filling. I had the cheese savoury sandwich and it was very filling. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

This cafe would get full marks if just for the cheese, tomato and caramelized onion flan I had. To describe it as delicious would be an understatement! But beside this it was also a very pleasant, relaxing place to have lunch. A bright, sunny day meant the views out of the huge windows looked at their best. The place was clean and clearly well cared for and all the food was well prepared and presented. The staff were friendly and helpful and it always helps to be greeted with smiles.

This is a typical tea room of English Heritage,seemingly destined to engage the tourists. It serves a variety of light lunches,teas and coffees.

The Yorkshire sharing platter was generous and showcased some local hams, cheeses and pies- a ploughman’s on steroids! All enjoyed in the most wonderful setting

Quite a few smelly damp dogs in there meant we could not face lunch. Why oh why allow them in a food venue?

Great lunchtime menu, dog friendly and gluten free option, we will be back again to enjoy along with the Abbey.

We visited for early morning coffee and then lunch whilst visiting the area with family. The counter staff were very friendly, however, the gent serving the food to tables, was miserable.

It hasn't got the greatest selection in the world here, but really, the basic tea and coffee with some cake is a solid way to be. The cakes were incredible looking and the food did not seem to be stingy portions. Sadly, the day I went, there was an issue with the supply of hot food but these things happen. The staff were lovely and polite even though they were rushed off their feet with the unusually high number of visitors and the tea was lovely and the tables clean.

My wife and I each had a sandwich, a cake and hot drink when we visited recently and thought that the prices are inline with what you would expect from an English Heritage establishment.

Didn’t think I was hungry - until my bacon bap was served. Loads of perfectly cooked, delicious, quality bacon.

Nice clean and warm cafe with glass walls so that you get good views of the Abbey. Good choice of meals and snacks, we had the tomato soup with generous hunks of lovely bread.

Das Cafe ist ziemlich modern, die Bedienung sehr freundlich und das Esen schmeckt. Eine idealer Ort für eine Pause beider Besichtigung der Abbey.

Good place, but the coffee is far too bitter and strong. Such a shame and a real let down. Sadly, I much prefer the old building and far more in keeping with the area. Staff were warm and friendly and pleasant. There’s a small array of foods to choose but not a big selection and didn’t appear many choices of cakes. Not too sure if I’d be in a hurry to go again, a real let down with bitter coffee! Yuk!

Super place for a cuppa before during and after the fantastic Riveaulx Abbey. Everybody happy and set us up nicely for our walk around.

I've heard tell and keep this to yourselves that you might enjoy a very good view of the Abbey from the odd 2/3 cafe tables! Regardless of all that the cafe proved to be one of the best attractions based cafes we've ever come across. The food and drink was of good which befitted the sparkling modern and airy surroundings with huge amounts of blazing to enjoy any..er...views there might be. We chatted to a very lovely English Heritage representative who certainly got us to join EH but we've enough with National Trust and Historic Houses memberships - using the NT cards Rievaulx Terrace to enjoy that attraction and enjoy a lofty panoramic view of the Abbey from there as well. Anyway the cafe is such a wonderful oasis.

We had walked from Helmsley and were in need of sustenance, so made the cafe our first stop. The gentleman serving was helpful and we each ordered the Wensleydale patty and salad. The food was fine, although I am not exactly sure what was in the patty beside leeks. It fulfilled a need and hubby got our water bottle filled, besides us buying cold drinks. We ordered at the counter, were given a number and the food was brought out to us.

Having toured the abbey called in for a swift cuppa.

The abbey ruins are awe inspiring but take time to have refreshments in the cafe. Really helpful staff, great views of the abbey from seating area and coffee and cakes delicious with generous sized portions.

The modern and spacious building with outdoor tables offering a great view of Rievaulx Abbey. Adequate but not wide very choice of food and drink. Very good value. Car parking charge can be set against the cost of refreshments.

This is a newly built cafe and visitor centre shop combined together. Lovely views from the large windows. Excellent coffee and cake too. Shop is beautifully presented.

We were only after a snack and drink, and joined a queue of about 4 people. We were waiting for the best part of half an hour to place our order (during which people abandoned the queue with frustration at the wait). Very inefficient serving and preparation of coffee / taking payment etc.

Great little place - perfect for refreshments and snacks. Gift shop attached. We had scones and tea.

Large cafe, comfy seating, good service, Greeted on arrival in the car park by "Dave" who was extremely informative, gave us directions and told us the best places to visit in the area. The tea shop had lovely views over the old Abbey and was a very welcome refuelling stop before touring the grounds.

After a long exploration of Rievaulx Abbey on a hot day we were in need of coffee and cake. We weren't disappointed; good coffee and delicious cake went down a treat and the staff, despite the heat, were as friendly as could be, making it a lovely way to end our visit.

After a substantial hotel breakfast, we were ready for something to eat mid afternoon. The Yorkshire Platter for 2 was just what was needed. The Pork pie with Apple was scrumptious! A good choice and highly recommended.

It was only after we'd ordered food and sat down that we noticed we were in the dead fly zone. Because of the poor design of the building flies naturally congregate at the bottom end where there's no escape, just a sure eventual death, where they lie amongst their former friends waiting in vain for a passing cleaner to sweep them up. I tried not to look at them on the floor and find it hard to comprehend how anywhere serving food could be so unaware. I was going to complain at source but it had got quite busy and couldn't see anyone in charge. It spoilt what should have been a nice lunch.

After walking the ruins called in for a coffee and a delicious sausage roll and very nice it was.Outside was clean and no problems with bringing the dog in.All in all nice experience .

I was let down by the tea room. I ordered a Yorkshire Platter for lunch which contained: half a small pork pie, half a sausage roll, a tiny jar of chutney, small bowl of salad leaves and a tiny bowl of coleslaw and a slice of bread. All for £8.95! Plus the fact I had to wait almost 20 minutes for it to arrive, as they said they were expecting a large party of people to arrive. I was in before them, so I expect to be served before them.

Walked 7 mile route from Helmsley to Rievaulx. Lovely walk and the cafe has great coffee, welcomed our fur baby and loveliest lemon drizzle cake we have had in a long time.

We called for a drink with family.

Spaciously airy internally, and with some outside seating, this cafe offers a relaxing experience supplemented by the excellent cafe food and refreshments.

Popped in for a cupper before leaving the Abbey, couldn't resist a piece of Lemon Drizzle cake, delicious. Freindly staff and resonable prices, also so meals.

The staff within the cafe couldn't be more helpful and friendly. We were going to sample the scone with jam and cream and a pot of tea but were told the Cheese scone was really nice, so we decided to give it a try. The scone with the added soft cheese and little jar of onion chutney was delicious. Eating a scone, drinking a great cup of tea in the sunshine whilst overlooking this beautiful building, whats not to love..........please make sure you visit the cafe and scone with cheese or jam and cream is a definite must!!

Decent sized café with some of the seats providing great views of the abbey. Does get very busy though and you might end up waiting a while for your food

Very nice tea rooms, I had a piece of (lemon and lime) cake I think it was and it was delicious. On holiday we visited so many coffee shops that I forget all those pieces of cake but this piece was memorable. Very nice views of the abbey from the coffee shop as well.

We waited for over an hour for our food, it was absolutely ridiculous. There weren’t that many people and a lot of the food they sell would be preprepared, so I have no idea why meals would be so slow. It really disrupted our day having to sit for that long in the cafe waiting for our meals. My 4 year old daughter, who only wanted a ham sandwich, was beside herself and chucking a real tantrum after waiting so long. The ruins are absolutely beautiful, so I’d recommend packing a picnic and enjoying that instead. The food itself, once it arrived, was ok.

A new spacious building with large windows over looking the abbey,tea was okay but service was slow. Strange that the toilets are still outside on the car park.

If you’d asked me if Rievaulx Abbey needed a Cafe, I would have said no as I thought it would ruin my favourite place to visit. It hasn’t! Architecturally, it is a thoughtful addition and doesn’t spoil Rievaulx as I feared. The Cafe provides a good variety of choice ( catering for hearty walkers’ appetites or light bites for ‘strollers’) and good value.The staff in the Cafe are friendly and courteous creating a pleasant atmosphere in which to eat.

We stopped for a bite and a hot chocolate after touring all around the Abbey. Plenty of tables and space....

Home cooked Yorkshire menu, nothing fancy, good for light lunch on days walk or cup of tea and cakes, rather...

When I saw this large building going up last year I thought it was going to house the new museum...

As annual members for English Heritage we often go to Rievaulx just for an afternoon walk with our dog Gracie....

The cafe is nice and it's a lovely walk to get to but considering they had plenty of staff, the...

Rievaulx Abbey is set in the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside. It's not on a main road but on a twisty...

Took too long to order - queue was getting longer. Food when served was lovely. We both had soup with...

We came here and enjoyed a very good lunch after a trip to the Abbey. The Yorkshire Platter for two...

I had a quick bite to eat here before venturing into the Abbey. The facility, whilst very modern, has been designed to fit into the environment. The food was quite good and everything was clean and tidy as well.

Esta nueva cafetería se llena de luz. Sirve una buena variedad de comida y mis favoritos actuales Rose limonada. Las tartas también eran buenas. Una vista de una amplia zona de césped con un fondo de las majestuosas Abadía en sí es magnífica, especialmente en un día soleado.

This was the perfect stop on our walk from Helmsley to rievaulx and back. Lovely coffee, amazing flapjack and great sandwiches. We sat outside with our dog and enjoyed a fantastic view. Service can be a bit slow but can't fault it otherwise.

Visited on a Tuesday in may and surprised how busy it was. The food, drinks and service were good and a high quality. What makes it is the view of the abbey from the cafe even better when the sun shines as it did on our visit. Would have given it top rating but disappointed by a couple of things. Slow at clearing tables and leaving food on the floor. Secondly the toilets are located outside and this would not be good if eating inside then going out if it was raining.We will visit again and look forward to excellent sandwiches

This is a very nice cafe located with a lovely view of the abbey. I am very fussy about my cup of tea, and this cafe did not disappoint - lovely hot, strong cuppa! Also the scones were really excellent, crisps the outside and beautifully springy and moist on the inside.

The weather was not the best when we drove out to the Abby, but it was dry. It's a lovely piece of history and the kids loved running a round exploring and playing games amongst the ruins. Had the weather been warmer it would have been nice to have a picnic, but it was freezing so we spent a couple of hours looking around and then moved on.

The cafe is situated in a new building with glass walls giving a great view of the abbey ruins. The food was good and well presented and the service and cleanliness were excellent. Only problem was the noise of chairs scraping on the floor but that wasn't the cafe's fault, just the visitors'.

A simple menu and choices but was tasty and hearty - just what you expect in beautiful Yorkshire! We sat outside with our dog. Service was great.

We made a detour whilst walking in the area to enjoy teas and coffees in the this most spectacular setting. Service was very slow and coffee was no more than ok. The huge piece of Victoria sponge cake was delicious but the butter cream icing in the middle was far too much- about an inch thick! Friends enjoyed their chocolate orange cake no lemon and lime cake and the setting was was wonderful. Not quite sure if the new cafe and visitor centre is a big improvement on the old one.

Living fairly locally we had visited Rievaulx before and love the place. But had not seen the little museum before so that was interesting. The cafe was a real find. The food is really excellent. Fresh local produce , plenty of it and lovely lovey staff. All a credit to .English Heritage and how it should be done. Dogs are also allowed in the cafe and Abbey grounds so that is a big plus as well. The prices of the food is competitive and as I say the food itself excellent. The Yorkshire Sharing Board was a treat with home made park and apple pie, sausage roll , ham and cheese...phew ! Do go it's worth it on all counts , We were delighted to see an away day by a party of nuns at the Restaurant !

We had a nice lunch here. The staff were very friendly and the food was excellent. I had soup of the day and wasn`t dissapointed. Price were middle of the road.

As a local resident, Rievaulx is a regular destination for us... the peace of the stunningly beautiful romantic ruins, the local walks and the cafe. Having waited for an unbelievably long time for this [presumably very very expensive??] refurbishment, we were some what disappointed with the result. Let me point out that we had no problem with the staff who really are doing their very best in difficult conditions. Over a period of a week, we visited twice, once on our own and once with a visitor staying with us. Oh dear, ALL that time waiting for this miraculous new facility.... wooden boarding looking very cheap and unfinished, the floor in a worn and dusty condition, faulty windows with wooden poles still in place and surly workmen still swarming all over the place. The second visit was even worse... really really busy but with many tables out of use due to workmen in the way, toilet block closed leaving queues in the cafe for the only toilet... what a shambles!! I do feel for the staff.. They were doing their best in very difficult circumstances. Why has this work taken so long and what phenominal amount of money has it cost us as members of the organisation? Whatever this is, the result is very disappointing. As a 'local', I was ashamed on behalf of all the national and international visitors to this amazing venue... the monks of 11th century onwards will be spinning in their graves!!! And probably laughing at the poor results of an era with so much money and modern technology at their disposal and such a second rate result.

We had a very nice walk around the abbey in beautiful sunshine,so we were ready for lunch by 1pm.There was only one person at the counter and we had to wait quite a while before we were served,and by this time there was quite a long queue behind us.We both ordered ham sandwiches and Earl Grey tea,but they had run out of Earl Grey,so we ordered ordinary tea and a raspberry and vanilla,both very acceptable.Sandwiches are made to order,so we sat outside and waited for ours to arrive.The ham was very nice,but the pickle was completely tasteless,and the salad garnish was very disappointing,consisting of leaves,tomato and cucumber.A portion of coleslaw and a couple of crisps would have been very nice especially as the sandwiches cost just short of £6 each.

Lovely walk around Rievaulx Abbey and the cafe was great for a cup of tea at the end. The cake and biscuit options were good and the staff were friendly, smart and helpful. It is in a beautiful building with some lovely features including the sloping windows drawing your eye to the stunning views of the abbey. However, clearly due to delays there were ongoing building works in the cafe with contractors all around inside and outside the cafe. There was no male toilet as yet. Clearly this work is going to be taking a lot longer to complete.

Pleasant cafe, inside an out availableLovely viewsPolite,friendly staff Nice little things to see inside

After visiting the Rievaulx Abbey I needed something to eat and drink. Looking at the prices were expensive and fancied something light. So I had a sausage roll and a pot of Earl Grey Tea. The sausage roll was dry and very crumbly not to my taste and was a little expensive for what it was. The Tea was good. The cafe is good for a whistle stop, next time I will try the sandwiches and see if they are better.

The cafe had gluten free bread available on request and a gluten free chocolate brownie. The brie and cranberry sandwich was fantastic, the brownie was lovely and the staff were very helpful

The restaurant at Rievaulx Abbey was very good indeed. Very nice food (soup and sandwich) and absolutely amazing setting in which to eat it!

We visited early on a Sunday, the staff in the shop were very helpful and great with advice, however the staff in the cafe were surly and unhelpful and one woman in particular was quite rude when asked a simple question.

We went for a long walk and ended up at the cafe for a well earned break. We had tea and cafe, which was heaven and so perfect. The cakes were wholesome and tasty and not too heavy and had that home baked taste. So would we go again, yes most definitely and ended up going 3 times it was that good.