The Dining Room at Poets House Hotel in East Cambridgeshire

Great food, good atmosphere, friendly staff

Fabulous afternoon tea at the Poets House in Ely. We arrived early, no problem, table was sorted quickly and we were seated with some drinks. Afternoon tea is delicious with traditional finger sandwiches of cheese/chutney, smoked salmon, and egg mayo/cucumber. Also a selection of fresh scones with clotted cream and jam and delicious 2 (or 1 in some cases) bite cakes to finish off. Enough to fill you up if you're hungry and a takeaway box for any leftovers as we did. Great for couples of family's as kids are welcome, some were present at the time we visited and they seemed to indulge(!)

Enjoyed a fantastic lunch today at Poets House. We were a large table of 9 but were well looked after. Food and drinks were all well received. I had the arrincini to start followed by beef teriyaki for main then I shared the crème brûlée for dessert. All very tasty and good portion sizes. The service was very good our waiter looked after us so well.

Really great meal with high quality food, drinks and service. All staff very friendly and helpful. Delicious food that we would highly recommend.

great service as always good food and plenty of it

Best use yet for this historic building. A bit too chilly to eat Al fresco but lovely and warm inside and great food.

Excellent, wife and I went on our 49th wedding anniversary for a treat. The food was excellent as was the service, we will definitely be going back, fully recommend.

Ely’s most relaxed and consistently good venue for drinks and fine dining, but it’s the service that makes it stand out - you always feel comfortable and valued as a customer and nothing is too much trouble. The team is outstanding, thx

I came here for their Sunday roast. We arrived early and had some drinks in the seating area near the bar. Very comfortable, all the bar staff were extremely nice and the view is not the garden was lovely. When we ate, we chose to eat outside. The food itself was delicious, and specially the beef. Atmosphere (warm sunny day) was perfect, tables are not too close to each other. Again, the wait staff were very friendly and apologised for any waiting (I think they were short staffed that day). Overall, I’d recommend and would come back again.

The service was excellent and the food was delicious. I can also recommend the cocktails. One of our favourite places to eat.

Good choice range of food and drinks. Staff attentive without being intrusive.

Returned for another lunch with friends. Good choices - something for everyone on the set lunch menu. Ate a leisurely meal in the lovely walled garden enjoying the late summer weather. Excellent service.

Lovely weather so able to sit outside, a bit of traffic noise but not intrusive. We had the 2/3 course set menu, where there were enough choices to make a decision. The service was great and the food very tasty. Would definitely go again if we were in the area. Perhaps increase the range of non-alcohol beers available.

First time visit. DEFINITELY go again! Beautiful surroundings, inviting environment, very nice, hot, tasty food, good selection of drinks and lovely attentive servers who made you feel welcome. Prices are unusually very competitive to other dining experiences considering the building you're in and the way you are looked after. An oasis in the desert! You'll not be disappointed! This visit was our first of many to come! 👏👏👏

We had a lovely afternoon, the roast was delicious. We will definitely be going back for date night.

We initially booked here simply because it is open on Mondays. We were very pleasantly surprised. The fixed price lunch menu was very good value and we will be back next time we are in Ely.

Very nice set mid week menu, sat in the pretty garden on a beautiful day celebrating our friends birthday. Food was excellent and nicely served. We are looking forward to going back.

Lovely, warm welcome. Service was excellent and the food, exquisite. A really lovely place to enjoy a wedding anniversary meal.

Called for lunch, Staff were professional and friendly.wife had fish which she enjoyed I had minute steak which was one of the best steaks I have had for a very long time, we were visiting Ely and if we visit again we will definitely eat here again

Lovely place for a birthday celebration which was what we wanted. Pleased his birthday was acknowledged by the staff. Lovely tasting and presented food. Good value for the quality of the place and food served.

We had a voucher fir afternoon tea. We sat in the garden under a beautiful mulberry tree. A perfect afternoon. The staff were excellent. Front of house lady was charming.

This was our first visit to this restaurant but having looked at the website we decided to treat ourselves to something a little special for a special occasion. On some occasions in the past our expectations have not been met unfortunately with venues that promise much but were sadly lacking in most key areas. On our arrival we were welcomed by a lady who was extremely helpful, made us feel that our custom was valued and engaged in light hearted conversation with us both which was so wonderful we felt we had picked the right place from the very start. The great experience then followed the whole way through our time here. Every member of staff we had contact with was absolutely superb. Everyone was so polite and couldn’t have been more helpful. We aren’t people who dine out every week but we do visit several different restaurants over the course of a year but this one stood out fantastically. The restaurant itself was beautifully decorated and spotlessly clean and was an absolute pleasure to be in. Then the food ! Everything we ordered was cooked to perfection, extremely tasty and we both agreed value for money. We simply couldn’t fault anything at all from arrival to our departure it was fabulous. We are already planning our next visit in the near future.

Called in on the off-chance of getting a table for lunch as we hadn't booked. Very glad we did, the staff were excellent we were offered a seat in the bar whilst a table was made ready. The food was excellent and nicely presented. I would definitely recommend and I will be going back again.

An excellent evening. The food was wonderful, well cooked, hot, well presented & served.

The restaurant setting is excellent as is Poets House in general. The staff were excellent and the food was exceptional. Thoroughly recommend this hotel & restaurant.

Transferred from the Dining Room to the Garden (due to the weather). Staff made it easy and were most helpful. Food was good.

Lovely meal to celebrate our anniversary, thank you.

I didn’t enjoy this meal at all, I started with a red pepper and tomato soup, it was nice but nothing you couldn’t buy from Tesco, I then had chicken in a mushroom sauce, it arrived with no sauce, I had to ask for it, the chicken was overcooked and dry, I thought it was an expensive meal for chicken and chips, the gardens are beautiful but I won’t be going back

This was our first visit to Poets House, Ely & we weren't disappointed. We were celebrating our wedding anniversary & a frien]ds birthday & from the moment we entered the staff were welcoming & attentive. The food was excellent & just right portion wise. The ambience was lovely our table was in a bay window which made us feel like we were in our own little bubble. One draw back Poets House doesn't have any parking facilities & with Ely being popular with tourists I would advise arriving early to allow time to find a parking spot. I can throughly recommend Poets House & we are already planning another visit.

The food was delicious and service was outstanding!

food was great and nice sized portions have used a few times and new things on the menu this time beef was great sea bass looked good

good food, excellent position by a window and good service. Enjoyable occasion. Would come back.

The service was very poor. We had to call the waiter for service in the bar and again in the dining room. The food was very disappointing. Fish cakes were dry, barely cooked, lukewarm and mostly potato. One of our party found a piece of smoked haddock. My beef teriyaki was strong in flavour but it had 3 tiny slivers of beef. I asked for more sauce for the sticky toffee pudding which was lucky as it was dry. We sent the affogato back as the ice cream had melted. They did agree and replaced it. Such a wonderful place but I don’t think we’ll be returning.

This must be one of the best restaurants in Ely. Lovely setting, great staff, reasonable prices, good food. I have just been for lunch. I had a non-alcoholic cocktail called Violet Crush. Very good. Would be even better with unsweetened cranberry. I had Bang Bang cauliflower florets. Not a real bang but a nice warm spice. Smoked haddock fish cake with a poached egg and salad was next. A bigger egg would have made it all the more delicious.

The food was average and expensive for the quality received . The sirloin I ordered was just under £30 and was on the tough side . My husband had the sea bass which was one small fillet . The other meal was okay . Don’t mind paying the price but expected better quality . The cheese and biscuits ordered were £16.00 , again on the pricey side for what you got . The service however was very good . Nice people .

Always a memorable experience at the Poet's House for all the best reasons. Lovely table in peaceful tasteful surroundings. The meal was delicious, it was Chicken in a tarragon sauce and it couldn't be faulted along with the attention and professionalism of the friendly staff. Coffee in the garden was the icing on the cake. Have been there on numerous occasions and will continue to do so.

Lovely lunch. Had the 3 course meal. We were the only people in restaurant at one point, aside from staff. Very attentive service. Good selection of dishes on lunchtime menu. Shall return to try more of them.

Excellent experuence overall. Faultless service. Very disappointed that no lamb was available

Food good, staff friendly, and helpful

Fantastic service and atmosphere. Food was lovely but a little limited on choice - only because had two teens with us. Slightly on the expensive end on price but still happy to pay it and tip.

We have finished our food and the staff came several times wanted to take away the dishes. It felt like they want to kick us out as early as they can…

Went for a birthday celebration for my mums birthday with my sisters. We all had afternoon tea. It was one of the best afternoon teas we have ever had. They even catered for my sister who Is gf and vegan. Hers looked amazing aswell as ours but we did say we all wished we had the same as hers as it was amazing. Its not easy to gf and vegan but they topped it off. 1000000% we will definitely go again. The staff was amazing and lovely polite 😊

Overpriced and uninspired lunch set menu with nothing available à la carte. Poor execution of dishes overall; an under-poached egg, the white sagging wetly, greyly into a disappointed fish cake was a lowlight. Wine was okay, staff were friendly but made mistakes on the order: eager to the point of not quite listening.

Nice Afternoon Tea,in very pleasant surroundings

Thursday night in March and I was almost alone in the simple and elegant dining room. The broccoli soup (£8.50), made, I think with a good celery stock, was very good. The mushroom and pak choi tagliatelle (£19) was not so impressive - neither creamy enough to be Italian nor spicy enough to be Asian. £9 for a single (very nicely cooked) poached pair with a cinnamon and red wine jus (and Chantilly cream) seemed just about OK. The wine seemed to be very good value, however, so that, in total, the bill came to £62.85 for three glasses of wine and a three-course meal. Excellent service from a young woman who finished every comment with "of course' - which was a bit odd. I'd be happy eat (and drink) here again. Of course.

For the price we expected a little more - my starter was a prawn,tomato & Feta dish - and lacked any real flavour- other guests had soup which they said was ok - The roast was poor - hard roast potatoes and very average meat - and veg was lukewarm. Restaurant beautifully decorated and good service- but overpriced for standard of food

Sadly, I booked through opentable but for some reason the venue weren’t informed of the booking. Therefore when we arrived there was some confusion. After 2 failed attempts at our order we finally received our food (afternoon tea), which was again incorrect but we went with it. The only reason it wasn’t an outright failure is because the staff were so attentive and apologetic (a lovely lady even gave me a complimentary glass of Prosecco). Lovely venue. Great staff. Not sure it was worth £64 but there was quite a lot to eat in one go and we did get to take our ‘leftovers’ home. :-) Booking online didn’t work, so call up to book if you want it to be right. Oh and there’s free parking nearby. However, it was very busy, so get there early, to await a free space.

Dinning with you was a truly magical experience ✨ I hope you adore these pictures as I do, nestled under the cherry blossom 🌸 Thank you 😊 Chrystal Elizabeth 🌙

The quality of both starters and mains was disappointing and not up to expectations from this type of establishment. Service was fine and other aspects of the restaurant were ok but overall it did not provide particularly good value.

Very nice ambience and staff very friendly. Food is nice but not over the top. Good location. Not too crowded. Good for a family lunch. Near the cathedral.

Had a lovely Sunday lunch here. Roast beef was tender and the accompanying vegetables fresh. Will definitely return

We was thoroughly looked after from first arriving to our exit The staff was very attentive and friendly made the birthday occasion wonderful The meal was first class and well served Thank you very much Poets House

Excellent food very flavourful and original both main and puddings

Had a lovely Valentines evening , lovely food brilliant service. Lovely ambirnce and quiet environment . The perfect evening

We went there for Sunday lunch. Firstly the positives: Staff friendly and helpful. Nice interior design. Roast beef, although not the best quality, was cooked well. Good selection of vegetables which again were well cooked. Negatives: starter pate was like something that had been cut up from Tesco, very disappointing, served with 3 little Melba toasts. One in our party had prawns, and it was a tiny portion of prawns and salmon for £11 (ordered off menu so it was kind of chef to do it), but still ridiculously tiny portion. The wine prices are eye watering! Central London prices for Ely location, you choose. The bar looks nice but the drink prices are off putting.

We had lunch from the set menu which offered a good choice. My husband requires gluten free food and every effort was made to ensure that his food was safe. All our food was superb and the staff were excellent. We will definitely be eating here again.

Great food, compliments to the Chef and the kitchen staff. Have been here several times and would highly recommend both the bar and restaurant.

Food was very good we had the festive fixed menu which was good value it’s the drinks prices that make it expensive evening out but doesn’t stop us going back as we enjoy relaxed atmosphere

My partner and I, for the first time, ate at The Poets House on December 28th. It was a most enjoyable dinner date as the surroundings, service, food and drinks were truly excellent. Not a single hint of disappointment! Our three very tasty courses comprised Smoked Salmon starters, Venison Pie and Sea Bass mains, finally, amazing Cheesecake desserts. Everything was perfectly prepared and presented by staff who attended efficiently but were very polite and friendly. All in all, a most enjoyable evening which we hope to repeat very soon. Thank you Poets House!

Food was ok but only a very limited Xmas menu was available. Service was excellent. Bar area was noisy

Poets House is our local dining venue of choice - either in the bar or in the dining room it's normally excellent. On this occasion just before Christmas though we were somewhat disappointed. There was confusion when we sat in the bar beforehand - the maitre d' said he would come and get us and then another waitress tried to usher us through before we'd had our drinks. The dining room lacked atmosphere - we were put on a table away from everyone else and it was frankly dull for 23rd December! The food came fast - too fast. I had pate which was lacklustre and the others in our party of 5 weren't overwhelmed. I had the turkey offering - it looked as though it had been on the plate for hours and the Yorkshire pudding looked as though someone had sat on it. A few bitter sprouts and some tough roast potatoes. Two of our party had the venison which again was pretty lacklustre and looked as though it had been plated for hours. It was accompanied by some stringy beans that frankly looked as though they were stuck to the plate. One of the party had the fish which they said was fine. The other diner had the steak burger on my recommendation as it's generally fabulous. Not this time. No onion ring, a stale looking brioche that broke when touched and a bit greasy looking overall. And every time we were served the nature of our table meant that the waitress had to lean across others. Really not very professional. The wine was okay when it arrived. So, whilst it wasn't horrible it just wasn't up to its usual standard and the maitre d' agreed with my husband when he paid the bill. Post dinner drinks in the bar were taken at a pretty grubby table even though there was hardly anyone in there and by 10 p.m. we were being reminded the bar would be closing shortly..... It may well be because it was Christmas but frankly I don't expect that at Poets House. They are muchbetter than that. We will continue to use Poets House and hope it was a "blip".

Great service,decor was lovely, felt very luxurious, but the cost did not match that,as very good value for money.

Our meal and whole experience was very good. A man on an adjacent table having a teams meeting with ear buds in could of been annoying for others , but we were enjoying your food and service too much to be bothered with his moderate volume conversation.

Lovely setting and attentiive staff. Room was drafty with another table asking to move due to being cold. Salmon starter was amazing but vegetable parcel was a let down as served with just mash and cauliflower cheese. No colour to the food, all beige plate and quite stoggy. No creme brulee available even those it was a quiet Tuesday night. Overall setting was very elegant but food was a bit of a let down.

Delicious food, excellent service and a lovely dining room. What more could you ask for?

The turkey was quite dry, stuffing was solid; soup was a bit glutenous. Waitresses were very good except the one who served coffee to our elderly relative (bit superficial in her responses).

Nice atmosphere but very poor choice for vegetarians. No choice just one thing

Very pleasant dining room, with lovely relaxing decor. Quiet and pleasant for conversation. A few draughts from doors though. Excellent food and very attentive service.

They have a really nice Christmas menu at the moment, with some good Veggie options available, all 3 courses were really good. Some great seasonal cocktails too. The food came out quickly but not rushed, the service was friendly and attentive. The ambience was festive but not noisy. We haven't been to Poets House for a while, but after this great experience, we will certainly be back soon. Can definitely recommend this.

Lovely atmosphere. Beautifully decorated room. Made to feel very special on my birthday. Food was beautifully presented but not fussy. My only caveat was we were charged twice on the bill. Very quickly resolved though as soon as it was pointed out.

Poet's House is an excellent place to dine in the centre of Ely: wonderful historic setting, tastefully decorated, delicious food from a sensible, smallish menu that is not overwhelming, and served with flair and style. Head Waiter was impeccable.

Service was amazing and really friendly staff. Food was slightly underwhelming for the price but the lovely staff made up for this, will definitely be returning. :) and it was a nice touch they mentioned our ‘dinner occasion’, which was the celebration of a new job!

Pleasant welcome and service was good. The set 2 course was good value and nicely presented.

The food was very small portions for the price charged. The burgers arrived cold. The resturant was empty. The fire alarm went off during the meal leaving us stood outside in -2 for a couple of minutes during the meal with no offer of any kind of compensation in the form of a hot drink etc. The restaurant is clearly aiming for high standards, but sadly has missed many of the small attention to details.

It was just an enjoyable experience, we were celebrating a birthday what a perfect lunch choice

We only ate bar food but everything was of a high standard. The restaurant was busy so I assume it's as good as the bar food👍😎

A delicious lunch with family which included a special 70th occasion. Excellent food and service.

Food was good, service ok with friendly staff but attention to detail was lacking and was quite slow.

The service was fantastic, the tea were great, attentive and nice. The food was delicious, a lovely meal out with my family. The only issue was that there were quite a few mistakes on the menu and we only found out about them when we were asking about the dishes. Didn't ruin anything but this feels preventable

Fab roast in very relaxing setting. Would definitely recommend .

Well presented delicious food, very attentive service, elegant venue.

The service was excellent friendly. The setting very relaxing and calm when we visited. There was a varied menu, suiting our tastes. The quality of the food was first class, although expensive for a meal for three people. We will probably visit again, but the cost will limit the frequency.

We had gone to Poets House to book Christmas lunch for a party of 10 friends. We often drop in for coffee and a slice of carrot cake. But on that day, as it was quite near to my Birthday, my husband decided we would stay for lunch. We decide on the 3 course lunch which was excellent. A good selection, cooked to perfection and nicely presented. Very friendly and efficient staff too. Highly recommended !! We now very much looking forward to our Christmas lunch..

We enjoyed a delicious Sunday lunch at Poets House - everything was gorgeous - the welcome, the setting, the staff, the wine and food! And even a relaxing coffee by the bar to finish off our experience !

While the food was at its usual high standard the new ordering system failed and although we sorted the mix up with the cost it was a shame

We celebrated our 40th wedding Anniversary with style by going to Poets. Just a small party but thoroughly enjoyed it throughout. Food was good, service excellent, the dining room was well thought out with plenty of room between tables. Overall a good venue and would recommend it for special occasions.

I also think that our experience warrants six stars. The service, including Maître d'hôtel and superb waiter, could not have been better. The food was served promptly and beautifully cooked. My steak was spot-on and the bass was perfection. The atmosphere was just right for a romantic evening. We were unable to park at the venue but there were spaces opposite near the cathedral, so no problem.

“The Peckham Spring” The heading will become apparent later in this review. On the 22nd September, we had a table booked for 4, it was both couples weeding anniversary’s. We arrived 20mins early to have a drink in the bar. This was the point when we should of left. Ordering 4 drinks from exceptional young an inexperienced staff was a challenge. The drinks took ages to be made (at this point there was only 2 other guests in there). 3 cocktails and a beer, all of the cocktails were spilt by the waitress on serving and were not made correctly. At the table, We ordered wine and still water (bottled). This is where the heading for this review arrives from. This restaurant, (I use that terminology loosely), severs “tap water” in mineral water bottles and chargers £5.00 for it. (Del Boy must be running this joint)! We have been fortunate to have traveled far and wide in this country and abroad and never come across this deceitful act which is inessential fraud and theft. You may ask why do we “assume “ this?, well firstly Ely water has a distinct taste and secondly the bottle was open prior to arriving at the table and they had filled it right to the top! Shame on you Poets House. So on to the food, 4 starters, all below average. 4 mains, that all being sirloin steaks. My “plate of food” was probably the absolute worst dish I have ever had presented in front of me. A side salad straight out of a bag, un washed or dressed, a cold mushroom which wasn’t seasoned or warm, a steak which hadn’t been seared or cooked correctly to medium rare and was completely un edible and wouldn’t cut with a steak knife. This was accompanied with a bucket of chips which was dripping in oil. The only positive part to this review is that the waiter who served us is the only asset this establishment has. I voiced all of this to the said gentleman on the evening, and what was disheartening was that he total agreed with everything we mentioned. The owners, the management and the (cook) (as they don’t have a chef), need to be educated by their waiter if they have any chance of this establishment improving. In conclusion to this review, I strongly advise anyone looking for a decent plate of food to avoid booking the Poets House,Ely.

I think Tripadvisor should allow you one 6* review to give out per year. Our meal here last night deserves more than 5*. We were met be a friendly Maitre D, and decided to have some drinks in the bar first as we were early. We ordered cocktails from an extensive menu. I'm not a cocktail guy, but seeing a 'Hemmingway' made from absinth and champagne, I was too curious not to try it. It was an event watching the mixer make it, and of course was incredible. We were led through to the dining room as we finished our drinks. We were there to celebrate an anniversary, and found a beautiful anniversary card from the management on the table. An incredible touch. The waiter was perfect, friendly and chatty, but not intrusive. Extremely smart and polite. The food. The food! I think I can honestly say it was the nicest meal I've ever eaten. I had the ribeye, medium rare and it was PERFECT. I also had the stilton sauce which was divine. My partner had the chicken and it was also, perfect. We had one of the cheaper wines, and a dessert - both absolutely lovely. I've been coming here since it opened, but can safely say it is at the absolute top of its game. We were made to feel like royalty. It's 'posh' and fairly formal, but not stuffy. There isn't a single thing which could have made it better.

Good ambience, attractive decor, helpful staff. Good service throughout, well timed removal of finished dishes and serving next course. Let down by boring menu, essentially same as every other restaurant in town. Dishes reasonably prepared and presented but not of the standard as the atmosphere, service and ambiance.

Great setting and the service was fantastic. The whole experience was only let down by the food. Don't get me wrong, everything was cooked to perfection but the whole menu lacks any ambition. A beautiful piece of Seabass served with chips? Lots of burgers on the menu. It just doesn't match the setting or ambience. Ely is crying out for a 'fine dining' experience, and sadly this is only half way there. They could do so much more just by making small changes to the menu and being more adventurous.

The menu is short and offers a choice of meat, fish and veggie. Portions are not too large and the food is well cooked.

Excellent food and faultless service. A thoroughly enjoyable experience.

I took my mum for afternoon tea here at 1pm in the afternoon. Afternoon tea was okay, but the service really let it down. We were served when we first arrived, and then left to our own devices entirely. I had to go out of the restaurant to the hotel reception to ask for more water and a box at the end of the meal to take the remaining cakes away. We then went through to the bar for a drink, and the experience was ruined by a couple members of staff moaning and speaking poorly of other customers who were still having afternoon tea in the restaurant. We promptly moved outside after that, this hotel/ restaurant is in a lovely setting but as the title of the review suggests, it is let down by the customer service.

We had been looking forward to this, Afternoon Tea being something we have enjoyed many times. Sadly this one got off to a bad start. We had chosen, on booking, to be in the Restaurant. However when shown to our table it was set for Dinner so had to be re set while we sat there.The Champagne was mediocre,sandwiches good, scones passable,although one of the fruit ones should never have been served as it was very misshapen,a insipid,tasteless jelly dessert, cakes reasonable.There was no explanation of what any of these things were, just plonked on the table. Also choice of tea or coffee, chose tea but no selection just English Breakfast. Plus only one small jar of jam for the scones fortunately we were able to help ourselves from the already set Breakfast Tables.Why the jam wasn't served in a dish, the correct way, beyond me.The service,or lack of it,was very poor. We were the only guests, I wonder why? However, occupying another table, in ear shot and eye line were four members of staff having a work meeting, not what is expected or wanted at any time but certainly not when having Afternoon Tea in a supposedly better class hotel.Not at all what we had expected, hence the title.

Lovely setting and great food, service excellent but oh dear, no ambiance, an under utilised restaurant that needs greater promotion to the local people.

We had a fantastic Sunday lunch, the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. Would definitely recommend

Very nice food. The steak was cooked to perfection!

An amazing lunch and the staff were happy and helpful. Overall a wonderful experience.

First visit to the Poets House Hotel for Sunday lunch. Excellent experience all round. Met at reception, taken to table, good waitress service and attention during the course of the meal. Superb food well presented. Booked for a three day Christmas break