The Courtyard Cafe at Harewood in Leeds

Mainly want to give feedback that I truly think the prices are way too high. Come on folks £7.50 for a bowl of soup! £8 for very small bagel with barely any filling. We shared a bowl of chips.....they were nice. Then decided to give the hot sandwiches a go at the top car park from the catering trailer. This was 2pm and way before closing time and they had no stock remaining for any of the hot food. Disappointing. We'll bring our own tasty pack up next time as I noticed most folk were doing. The courtyard cafe was practically empty on a weekend day and funnily enough the people who were there were also sharing a bowl of chips.

We decided too start out day with a nice cup of tea There was no one in when we arrived Waited and waited for someone to take our order When the young girl did arrive it was not service with a smile The drinks was good and we sat outside Found a dry table if someone had taken time to wipe the rain away motor people would have sat there

We are veggies and in a situation of very restricted choice for veggies we had the chickpea burger. It came in a soft white junk foody type bun and chips that we can honestly say were the worst we have ever been served up with. We didn't eat them and the fact that they served these up shows total disrespect for their customers. They were burnt--dark brown in colour--and really nasty. The chickpea patty itself was passable. As for the kimchi that was supposed to accompany it, we think that was missing. A couple of slices of cucumber and a small piece of lettuce were the sum total of veggies present. All in all, it was vile and we shall not be returning to eat. A pity as Harewood House is lovely and fascinating and the gardens are beautiful too. The setting is incredible and demands better than this.

£4 for a scone? come on guys you can surely do better than that. Put a dampener on our visit. Other historic houses in the area do not charge anything like that.

This review is solely about the cafe. I have written another review about the exhibition in the house. We went as an extended family of 7, 4 adults and 3 children: 10,5 and 1 on 11 December. We are members so go quite frequently. Booking was mandatory for the exhibition so they knew how many people were booked in and if they knew their business should have been able to guesstimate how many of those would eat in the cafe. How wrong can you be! At 12.30 they had one child’s grab bag lunch - tuna. We asked if a ham one could be made up and were told they didn’t have any ham! How difficult is it to have ham in a kitchen, at Christmas. There were no children’s meals that our 2 would eat available. We had to buy an adult meal for the 2 older ones to share, as they had run out of most of the children’s meals, not ideal. There was a good choice of adult meals though some had sold out, bad planning again given they knew how many visitors were coming through the gates. We settled on the burger of the week which was lamb and very good. The straw that broke this camel’s back was that they had run out of metal cutlery. We had to eat with wooden cutlery, have they tried to cut a burger with wooden cutlery. Please invest in a pub glass washing machine, clean sans sterilises really fast! Fortunately we always take our own baby food wherever we go! Come on Harewood the pandemic is over, people was to go out again, get your act together and get back to your pre-pandemic catering.

We arrived at just after 4.30, having had a dreadful experience at the Muddy Boots Cafe (also a Harewood Houe cafe) we hoped for better here. The staff were cashing up, even though the cafe is meant to be open until 5, and they offered only take away teas and no cakes at all. We walked away, thoroughly disappointed by Harewood's catering offers and their staff, who just can't be bothered.

I rarely post a terrible review because I try and find something positive to say BUT honestly I'm struggling. We visited Harewood House whilst up in Yorkshire for a one week break away. Firstly in examining the menus and general ambiance of both the Terrace and courtyard eateries neither really appealed to us. The Terrace seemed over the top posh for a stately home visit, there was no one in there, the staff were milling around trying to look busy and were not welcoming and then to top it all we suddenly found ourselves in the midst of a small family wedding which quite honestly was embarrassing. The Courtyard menu just didn't deliver when measured against other stately homes such as Castle Howard which I had visited two days prior. Taking the lesser of two non appealing eateries we opted for The Courtyard. The staff were not welcoming or friendly. we ordered a ploughman's and I ordered the slow cooked lamb panini with wedges accompanied by carrot cake and white chocolate cake plus drinks. The panini was just awful. The lamb was definitely not slow cooked, it was fatty and grizzly and I left half of it. The wedges had been reheated and were dry with no flavour. I then was looking forward to the cake only to find that this was dry and obviously beyond its best. Looking around the restaurant I could see other people had also left food on their plates. Just a really poor experience and one that would reflect upon me recommending Harewood to friends for a visit.

Having had coffee at theTerrace, we girded our loins and tried the Courtyard for lunch! I was amazed at the difference, friendly staff, reasonable prices, decent tea. You could be sure you were in a different place. Good sandwich, ham and mature cheddar, good cup of tea, quick and easy. Keep up the good work.

Firstly no chilled cola or beers… slack service. Expensive for very average food. Not a good experience overall.

Nothing for the gluten intolerant apart from a flapjack or prepackaged cake which to be honest are horrible.

Dirty crockery, very slow service, tasteless sandwiches and very dry scones. Customers clearing tables in order to take a seat. Staff not bringing sugar and drinks when requested. Really not worth the money.

Appalled at the inflated prices, some people have no shame and l am extremely disappointed that Harewood allows such mediocre food at inflated prices £12.50 for fish and chips, small less than half size haddock and unseasoned barely cooked wedges. Spoilt an otherwise lovely visit.

Very good soup and roll, enjoyed on the terrace looking over the lake. Cafe had a good range of food and tasty treats but no alcohol on sale

We were lured into Harewood house last weekend by the 'Street Food festival' except there were no street food stalls. There were a few stalls selling jam, cheese and cakes, etc. So this was a huge disappointment ! Finding no Street-Food, we decided to have lunch at the Courtyard Cafe as were getting hungry by that time. Ordered a cheese sandwich, burger ands chips and an exotic sounding veggie 'beans' salad. After a long wait we received what looked like a few beans tins opened up and thrown together on limp lettuce - which was the veggie salad. Completely insipid and rather pale looking. This is the worst plate of salad I have ever seen. Onto the cheese sandwich... stale chewy bread! Luck we don't wear dentures ! The burger came with 9 chips. Yes, I counted them. The smallest burger and chips I have ever seen. I checked if I had accidentally ordered a children's portion, but there was no option for kids meals ! Let me add the cost of each item was around £6-9 each. I called the Manager to make a polite complaint. Luckily, the young lady was serving at the time so I called her over to politely complain about the poor quality of the food. I made it clear what the issue was with each of the dishes as described above and she responded with a covid related reason. I said the beans were thrown together out of a tin for £6 ???? I replied that Covid was a poor excuse... I showed her the other complains for this Cafe on Trip advisor which she had not seen, ofcourse.... I said that I would be writing a complaint as I am doing here now. She offered us some free drinks. We declined. Poor service. Poor food quality. Poor Customer Service. I would thoroughly recommend that you avoid this place at all costs. Its is a rip off and a really bad experience ! Harry

We came here and bought some overpriced sandwiches (£6 each). Maybe that would have been ok if they were actually tasty. But no. The bread was stale and the salad was just a few prices of lettuce with mustard. The filling of the sandwiches were also lacking and there was about 5x more bread than anything else (especially unpleasant as stale bread isn’t particularly tasty). The staff were nice enough but it doesn’t really make up for the standard or price of the food.

Two ambitiously described snacks at £6 per piece turned out to be a stale cheese roll and an even more stale bap with a slice of beef inside. The view might have been good, but it was raining so hard we could only peer at a wall of grey.

Arrived early but they didn't have food promoted on the blackboards. Queueing system confused. Poor value for money. Tried the terrace tearoom later but that was a disaster!

Although a bit wet yesterday in Yorkshire we had a fantastic lunch out at Harewood courtyard. Outside a BBQ with meat from the estate (a delicious cauliflower option too!) We watched the meat being cooked and was served on 3 tacos. Absolutely fantastic! Felt very...

Never had a proper meal here but the tea and cakes are delicious and it looks well stocked with other items too. Friendly staff and the charges are reasonably compared to other similar establishments.

Great service, cakes looked delicious, good service and friendly staff. Lovely environment to take in the tranquility of the house

HAREWOOD House is such a vast experience that many visitors such as ourselves spend the entire day there. So lunch is quite an important meal and we took ours at the Courtyard Cafe after touring the grounds and before we went into the house. Staff...

We ordered lunch here on a Wednesday, we sat in the shade in the courtyard, the food was brought out to us, we could not fault it . Very nice food, good cup of tea, help your self to water, clean cutlery, polite staff, more...

Popped today for a lunch with a friend. Plenty of choice of hot, cold and snacks and drinks. Reasonably priced. Good service. Good food. Definitely recommend.

Only negative you can’t have anything not listed so granddaughter wanted a tuna sandwich but could only have tuna on a jacket

We only had a snack in here, but the hot chocolate and toasted tea cakes were really delicious. The courtyard had a huge Christmas Tree in the middle of it with strings of lights reaching across the area with lovely Christmas music playing. Extremely clean...

Not much atmosphere inside. The coffee and cake were good. Service was speedy. Not blown away but ok.

Lots of nice homemade food, some thing a little different from the norm which made a nice change, Pizza van in the courtyard serving freshly made pizza to order and reasonably priced.

Sit down, coffee and a snack. Selection of food was ok. but rather expensive for our pockets I'm afraid, so just had a beverage and scone. Nice touch to have water bottles available.

Great selection of food, the cakes are beautiful and the staff work very well together as a team. We had gorgeous weather so sat in the courtyard this time. It was a very pleasant stop. I would recommend.

We only had a coffee and cake which was acceptable, if a bit pricey! The courtyard setting was lovely in the sun. A nice place for a rest and recharge the batteries.

Enjoyed seeing the birds and animals. Feeding time with the penguins was fun too. The cake and coffee was really good. Nice afternoon would definitely come here again.

we walked down after visiting the house, hoping for something substantial to eat, only usual café offerings. Only hot food was soup +roll or pie and peas. Plenty of sandwiches and cake.

Food and drink were OK but over-priced. Cakes were not covered so open to the flies. Mug dirty. Plate wet. Table and floor covered in crumbs.

good setting with outside seating and small shops and there is also fresh veg on sale limited menu but good value

Hermoso lugar para parar a almorzar, aunque la comida no era tan buena. Yo tenía pollo cajún con cuñas de patata - las cuñas eran de color marrón oscuro y obviamente frito varias veces y el pollo era difícil y duro. Mi compañero, por otro lado, hizo una buena elección.

Nous avons profité de la visite pour manger dans ce petit restaurant sur le site. Plats simples et notamment de bonnes salades. Service rapide.

Acceptable. Menu based around easily deliverable cafe food so was never going to be spectacular. Was filling & satisfyingly enough. Priced same as similar venues. All things considered (venue, volume, speed) it was OK.

Llamado algún refrigerio ligero después de nuestra visita a la casa principal. Disfrutamos de un bonito trozo de tarta y un café en el hermoso entorno de el patio viejo y la zona de los establos. No es el lugar más barato para comer, pero a la vez muy agradable.

Patatas fritas tenía un sabor muy peculiar. Cantidad sopa era pequeña pero cuesta aproximadamente 5 libras. Las mesas estaban sucias y en la hora que estuve allí nadie enjugó una mesa al aire libre. Yo le recomendaría quedarse en el café y pastel.

El lugar ideal para almorzar siempre por supuesto que he pagado por la entrada a los jardines.

Poor service, staff slow making drinks. Expensive for average food. Had to send my cold jacket potato back but in fairness manager soon rectified my complaint. Its a shame when Harewood is such a lovely place to vist. Next time its a picnic

Pasteles hermosos y tés, zona de estar preciosa por dentro y por fuera, un gran servicio y un personal amable, gran patio

So, in the menu it is written espresso: 2.25 pounds. I bought a double espresso and guess how much it costs: the double price, 4.50!!! Are we serious? Where else they charge for a double espresso the double price? They should definitely reconsider their pricing!

The cAfe cake and latte was fab after a nice afternoon exploring the birds and animals. Clean and lots of choice of quality food. This is a nice place for families with small children, not many animals and birds to see for the price you pay

Harewood House and grounds are a lovely place to visit. We regularly come. The Courtyard really let's the place down. Always unecessarily slow when queuing for food & drink. Restaurant tables filthy.They obviously know as spray and paper towels available for guests to clean tables!A disgrace

After a pleasant time visiting the House and Gardens we found The Courtyard Cafe........such a big disappointment. They obviously used a local Caterer, the selection of sandwiches was minimal, the soup cold......and the hot food presentation was not good. It was not a busy day, but tables were left uncleared, and the staff just were not interested in their customers. Cakes looked dry and unappetising and a poor selection.....This is such a shame as the venue comes across as high class...we visited another venue using the same caterers the next day and the produce looked much better and was well cooked and presented, and better service by the staff.

We love Harewood House but this cafe is a real let down. The food options are really poor and it's very overpriced. There are little gluten free options. Also the staff stop serving hot food too early. It's such a shame because the surroundings are beautiful. It's so relacing to sit on the terrace and watch the penguins. However, until this place improves, we will continue to bring a packed lunch!

It was a pleasant afternoon after the VW festival at Harewood I needed to have a break from work Arrived around 15:30 to find a gaggle od staff behind the counter taking more notice of the conversation than the waiting customers.We ordered coffee and had chosen sandwiches and cake,after paying rather a lot for this choose a seat in the sun to find the coffee was cold the cake was dry and crumbling and the sandwiches were wet. All of which was pointed to a member of staff who couldn't have cared less and offers to replace the coffee. We were surprised about the lack of interest but will return certainly to the park but will possibly not eat as often, unless they look at costs.7 out of 10

While the grounds and the setting of this establishment are beautiful, the menu is very limited, the seating is limited, the staff find it difficult to deliver your food to you due to a mediocre ordering system, and overall the experience is quite average, with a very bare restaurant overall. The terrace is very nice however.I would still recommend for drinks, cakes, or a light bite to eat. Don't expect a big meal.

After enjoying a pleasant walk in the gardens, we decided to have a light lunch at the Courtyard. The baked potatoes were OK the tuna filling had to much mayonnaise, the side salad was average, with 2 Americano coffees the total bill was £19 which we thought excessive for a self service café, the only saving grace was the staff were pleasant and helpful

Tucked away to the rear of the Courtyard, the Cafe service area is a tiny bit of a jumble and not well-lit .... so it is difficult to see exactly which sandwiches are on offer and what they cost ....... BUT ...There was a good display of fresh made Cakes and Biscuits and we were tempted by the Carrot Cake slice (moist and very delicious with a zingy butter icing topping) and the Chocolate sponge cake (a bit too heavy and dry ... but very chocolaty!)A well made Cappuccino was appreciated ... as was a bottle of Dandelion & Burdock that takes me back to childhoodThe staff were hard working and extremely helpful ... offering to carry trays to the table and caring that we had enough to eat and "could they help us with anything else" .... Well Done to themIt was actually warmer outside on the rear terrace than it was inside (although it was a chilly day) ... and if you go out there you will also be able to enjoy the penguins in their adjacent pool!!

This cafe lacks the ambience of other places at Harewood. The place is also quite spacious and tends to attract families with young children - good if you have them, maybe not if you haven't. My fish pie was satisfactory but nothing special. Service was rather humourless.

Basically, you pick your food as if your at school, pay over the top prices and get forgotten about. The food was very good, but I expect good service even when it isn't table service, we waited 45 minutes for our food and they had lost the order. It was very quiet too, there was only one other table taken!

Having had a walk round the bird garden and lakeside garden we walked to the courtyard for lunch. It was 12.30 the cafe wasn't busy we ordered jacket potatoes with mature cheddar cheese and at £7.50 expected these to at least come with a salad garnish! No the side salad was an extra £4.00!! The staff were miserable didn't smile put down our change on the top didn't hand it us they never said please, thank you appalling service!! The cafe itself was dirty we had to clear a table to sit down then wipe down the top ourselves there was food on the floor the food itself was overcooked and barely warm!!! Considering the grounds and house are stunningly beautiful the cafe was terrible a complete let down wouldn't recommend to anyone!

Four of us pensioners enjoyed tea and cake after a visit to Harewood House. the courtyard is only a short walk form the house - even in the rain!

Myself and the wife decided to take a break from our walk round the grounds of Harewood House and grab a well deserved drink.. The surroundings are breath-taking and the furnishings, although not contemporary, were very comfortable. On this occasion we only ordered a drink with our choice being Yorkshire Tea. This came in a stainless steel pot and was enough for two people to enjoy two cups each. It was very nice and I think cost £5 (I may be wrong, it may have been £4) and was decent value for money considering the surroundings. The array of food on offer all looked very nice although on this occasion we didn't partake.

I ate here in july with my mam was nice food home cooked and plenty to choose from. I paid £9.95 for chicken and leek pie and vegetables. They also do paninis and sandwiches. There was plenty seating and also near to the bird garden which is worth a visit.There is an outside terrace which you can sit in and eat which is nice in summer. The staff where freindly and the place was clean and comfortable

Called for a coffee with my granddaughter who was asleep in her buggy. (Lots of nice food selections but we have brought a picnic today - will definitely be eating there on my next visit) The coffee was very nice & the young man on the till carried it outside to a table for me. The setting is really nice (& there is plenty of seating inside if the weather isn't good...

Enjoy are members here at Harewood house. We have had coffee and cake here before. Today we had lunch Penne pasta with tomato and ham, i had lamb tagine with cous cous both were excellent. Service was good and staff always polite.

It was good to be able to sit inside with doors open to get the breeze in today's heat wave.. Good self service arrangement with hot food brought to the table when ready

I realise I should have reviewed the cafe here rather than under Harewood House itself but I've only just found the right place! Having been a visitor to Harewood House and the cafe for at least 30 years I have seen a number of changes but have always enjoyed food from there. Sadly, it is now very overpriced (£4.50 for the cheapest sandwich and most things dearer). We will probably be told that from researching other establishments the caterers will believe prices to be comparable. If this is the case then other places are over priced too! The truth is that other

Had a lovely afternoon in the grounds of Harewood House, however the experience at the Courtyard Cafe was more than disappointing. They had no sandwiches left, fair enough , they had been busy, so instead we ordered 1 cup of tea, a hot chocolate and two pieces of flapjack. It was expensive, and there were no trays to take our fare through to the tables. On asking a member of staff if there were ant trays, we were looked at blankly and told "I don't know". After finally locating a tray, we went through to the tables, there were piles of used plates and left food, which no-one was clearing away. My hot chocolate was watery and cold. The gentleman who was sharing the table with my mother and I had ordered sausage and chips. The sausages were not cooked through, when he asked for them to be changed , the reason given for them not being cooked was "it's because they have a high meat content"!!!!!

Short review as we only had a coffee but I was really, really disgusted to see cakes and biscuits being served uncovered right next to where people were queueing up. A small child being carried in front of us reached out and and touched a couple of the coconut macaroons! Pity the poor soul who ended up buying them! I think it is appalling that food is left uncovered where people are coughing, sneezing, brushing past, flicking their hair etc. This is totally unhygienic and should be stopped. Coffee tasted great though!

We visited on a Friday and although the weather was very nice the cafe was very quiet. Our experience did not reflect the comments of other reviews. We were served promptly and the staff were very helpful. We all had quiche and salad along with coffees and it did not take more than would be expected to be served.The food was lovely and the setting is of course spectacular. Would certainly go again.

Lovely courtyard to sit in on a sunny day. Inside pleasant too. The food was actually nice, but the system spoils it. It was quite quiet when we were there, but you order and get your hot food, then queue for drinks, then queue to pay underneath an air conditioning fan, by which time your hot food is now cold food! It took so long to pay that some hot food that was specially prepared for us had been brought out to the courtyard, walked around a bit to make it really cold, taken back in, to find the people who had ordered were still waiting to pay. The part of our party waiting in the courtyard had no idea that the food was for us!An overhaul of the system is desperately needed.

My wife and I had lunch there mid July.She had fish and chips and I had the quiche.The fish was dreadful and undercooked. Naturally it was returned and the young girl serving was perplexed about what to do so went for the manager who couldn't be found anywhere. My wife became tired of waiting so asked for an egg and mayo sandwich and said she would not pay for it. The girl said the manager would come and see us when he/she reappeared.Naturally the manager never appeared! We left vowing not to eat there again. I should add that we dined here in August 2012 and had burger and onion rings. Expensive but absolutely superb. How things change, if they don't get their act together they'll not have any repeat custom. Major, major let down for an up-market tourist attraction.

Every time I have visited this cafe the service has been poor. Lots of staff but very little actually seems to happen. On each occasion visited I have been the only customer waiting yet have had to wait a long time for poor quality food. My third visit today and I was surprised it has not improved. I wont be going back.

We decided to have brunch on arrival at Harewood House and it wasn't a great beginning.There were a number of staff but no one appeared to be serving anyone (it's one of those set ups where you push your tray along a rail and ask staff for what you want as you go along); it all seemed pretty chaotic and, considering that there was only one family in the queue before us, it took a staggering amount of time, and intervention from the manageress, to achieve one bacon roll, one slice of cake and two coffees.I'm told the bacon roll contained a disappointing amount of bacon, but the chocolate cake was very good and so was the coffee.We sat in the courtyard, which is pleasant, and it is also possible to sit on the terrace, which has lovely views.

The choice of sandwiches was very good and the staff were both cheerful and helpful, considering the company had just been given the contract.

The staff at The Courtyard produced two fabulous meals for a group of 49 and 39 in the historic stables on the Harewood estate, owned by the Earls of Harewood. Simple lunch self-serve with sandwiches, cake, coffee and wine on arrival so we could enjoy our visit. By special arrangement we had a glorious champagne reception on the terrace overlooking the wonderful formal gardens and valley. The staff even managed to get the sun to shine! Dinner was back in The Courtyard Restaurant, but in the upper floor, with views of the Penguin pools! Again, a delicious three-course meal with wine, wonderful to enjoy the 18th century stonework and gardens as we returned to our Slack Coach! I would definitely recommend it - ask for Emma Patton, who made it all effortless and magical!

Well, the cafe is a limited option of food however to have hot and cold food is good but the soup of the day wasn't so good and expensive. kids took the fish cajun which barely had fish in it. on the other hand the hot drinks were nice to have. I think we will take our food with us next time and may be have our drinks from the cafe

The service was poor, it took 30 minutes from entering the area to completing our payment before we sat down, only one till in operation, they could not handle more than 4 people at a time, our food was warm when it was served to us but cold when we sat down 20 minutes later

The terrace on the south side of the cafe overlooks the penguin pool and enclosure. We arrived at feeding time, and watched while the bird park staff explained things to children who were given fish to throw to the penguins. Although it was the end of the season, the cafe was well stocked with soup, snacks, and speciality coffees and teas. The staff were pleasant and attentive.

I've lived in Leeds all my life however, I've never managed to visit Harewood. Myself, my mum and my grandma visited on a busy Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately we were quite shocked at the entrance price but proceeded to go in. The grounds were beautiful, the penguins were very cute and funny to watch but other than that there wasn't much else going on. We decided to visit the courtyard cafe and initially were a bit apprehensive as it was so busy, however, I'm happy we did. The food was very reasonably priced, well presented and tasted wonderful and fresh but I have to say the staff were exceptional, although it was VERY busy they were all smiling, looking smart and being very attentive. Brilliant end to a our day out!

If one was to visit Harewood House again, I would avoid this place at all costs. My coffee was awful, there wasn't any service & my sandwich tasted old.