The Woodyard Coffee Shop in Central Bedfordshire

I have just looked at the reviews for this restaurant which I was very surprised to see they were mixed! Last night we went out with friends for a Valentine’s Day dinner. Upon arrival was a restaurant beautifully and tastefully decorated. The tables and lighting looked amazing! Very charming lady and gentleman looked after us. Glass of champagne on arrival and the atmosphere was lovely. Our meal was gorgeous. The presentation was so nice it seemed to ashame to eat it! I have to say, yes, we did have to wait between courses, as they only had 2 people serving everyone. But I don’t want to rush through my courses, I like to have a breather in between so it wasn’t a problem at all. It was perfect. Just like to say a big thank you for such a lovely dining experience. You both made our Valentine’s Day a delightful one 💖 We will definitely be back!

This is a lovely place to visit. Located in the grounds of Luton Hoo. It can be hard to find if you’ve never been before, but it is well worth the effort. I had the vegetarian full English breakfast, and the food along with the service was excellent.

First visit and what a delight. Friendly welcome from the owner, beautifully furnished and the most delicious home cooked food! So looking forward to a return visit, wonderful lunchtime spent with my friend.

I nearly cancelled on Monday morning, after reading the previous review. Thank goodness I didn’t! We were a group of 4 discerning ladies, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. My steak and mushroon pie was really delicious, and the croque monsieur and pasta went down well with the others and looked good. We also enjoyed imaginitive puddings, and a good selection of drinks. We were still chatting and not being rushed at gone 3 o’ clock - a great girls’ catch- up. If you want fast food, go to a burger joint. But if you want quality, freshly cooked food in a relaxed environment, then I would thoroughly recommend the Woodyard Cafe.

ABYSMAL>>>ABYSMAL>>>ABYSMAL!! Went as a foursome to celebrate my wife's birthday. Got there at 12.30pm and waited over 15 minutes before we were able to order soft drinks. Took another 15 minutes to arrive! Ordered a Starter, and Main Course of Garlic Bread and Olives. The Starter took another 35 minutes and consisted of half a roll with garlic butter with a very small dish of olives. The Main Course arrived ONE HOUR after we had sat down, despite reminding the waitress that we were short of time. The meals arrived with stone cold vegetables and laid out worse than school dinners! There is a website, which the Manageress denied even existed, which extols their experience and which says that they all have international hotel experience. NOT even fit to be kitchen porters! I CANNOT IN ANY WAY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE, EXCEPT MAYBE FOR A POT OF TEA IF YOU CAN WAIT AN HOUR OR MORE!! VERY POOR!!

We had been using the Woodyard for small inhouse business meetings, sitting on the chesterfield sofas and keeping it informal. We turned up in November for such a meeting to see the sofas have gone which was disappointing but not a game changer, so we grabbed a chair at one of the tables, but when we looked at the menu we left. We just wanted a basic sandwich, maybe with a few crisps on the side with a coffee. But the the menu had been completely overhauled to not included such 'simple' thing and the costs were ridiculous. Unfortunately, we will not be going back.

Since our local cafe Harpers closed at Pepperstock, we've missed having somewhere to drop in for coffee or a light lunch. Right on cue, The Woodyard, just off the A1081 on the Luton Hoo Estate, is filling the gap. It's an attractively converted workshop, all timber framed and tastefully furnished. Under the new management of Viv and her team, it's bubbling with enthusiasm and great food. My scrambled egg on toast was delicious and the £6-95 price tag seemed very reasonable. I'll be back!

My fiancee works on the estate & it's been a regular thing to go & have lunch / breakfast meal whenever we can. Not realising that the cafe has been taken over, we ordered the full breakfast which normally comprises of 2 of everything, 2 x toast & wonderful service. What actually got was the equivalent to a half breakfast 1 x of everything & a higher price when paying.... its a shame that such a popular cafe to estate employees & locals are now gonna have to either pay for laa dee da food or eat elsewhere. For us we're not gonna bother as its priced us out & this place is best in the hotel grounds rather than the walled garden side.

Met a friend here for breakfast. I had the vegetarian breakfast and my friend had the full English breakfast, we both enjoyed our food. The lady that served us was very helpful and the atmosphere very relaxed. The location is stunning, being in the middle of the Luton Hoo estate Parking absolutely no problem. Will definitely use this place again.

Under new management. Prices of cakes increased by £1 in one week to £6.95. This was for slice of banana cake not even something fancy ! Prices of cakes seem to be ‘invented’ at time of purchase. Nice cappuccino Slow service

An amazing Sunday Lunch with excellent food and wine. The service was exceptional and very accommodating. Thoroughly recommend as a wonderful experience. Well done to all !

I went to the Woodyard cafe following a tour of the Luton Hoo walled garden along with 9 other ladies for lunch. We booked for all 10 of us for lunch having been told there were vegan options. Also this is stated on their website and menu. I am vegan and when I asked what the vegan options were the server said there weren’t any and just walked off! In the end all I could have was a scone!! Additionally we waited over 20 minutes for our drinks order to arrive and 50 minutes for the food to arrive. There was no apology for the wait even though we had chased up our order. When then food eventually arrived my scone didn’t .. the man who brought the food to the table said “l’m not the scone department” Absolutely appalling service and several in the group didn’t particularly think their food was very good. Will never go again and certainly wouldn’t recommend.

Had a great lunch at the Woodyard today. My husband requires a gluten free diet which can sometimes mean a highly restricted choice. The server was really helpful and suggested the Halloumi salad, which looked - and tasted - delicious. I had the Quiche Lorraine which was also really tasty. accompanied by a lovely salad. Can thoroughly recommend.

I love this place. It’s deep in the grounds of Luton Hoo but it’s easy to find and parking is not a problem. I meet a friend here every Tuesday for breakfast, the food is excellent and is at a reasonable price.

Took my wife to The Woodyard today for an impromptu coffee & a bite to eat. Things have changed since we last visited; now there are many more tables & chairs, obviously to cater for more customers, but the replacement furniture is lightweight, plasticky & a bit feeble. Somehow the atmosphere has suffered too, which is a shame, as this was always a terrific little hideaway café. Then there was the attitude of the girl slouching across the counter – not even a thank-you as I ordered & paid, but at least this surliness wasn't reserved for me alone, as I overheard another lady being treated to a grumpy & pointed attitude as she ordered. To the girl in question, I would say this: if you don't like working with the public, get a job elsewhere that isn't customer facing. It's tough, but you can't go through life thinking the world owes you a living – it doesn’t. Working in the hospitality industry means you need to adopt a smile most of the time, especially when you're dealing with people paying you for a service, and ultimately paying your wages. It's a real shame that it's changed like this, because café culture is largely about the atmosphere that people experience when they visit these places. On a brighter note, the menu looked really good – the cakes were excellent and my sausage bap was very enjoyable, brought to our table by a different girl who was much happier doing the customer-facing stuff, so it wasn't a complete let-down. However, I doubt we'll be back for a while...

Really accommodating staff rearranging seating for different sizes groups. Simple but tasty fare, e.g. Southern fried chicken burgers and a good selection of cakes, in a wooden building.

I wouldn't go again , we were served breakfast with burnt toast which I think is unacceptable. We also got charged £6.95 for beans on toast as a kids meal which I think is extortionate. Really disappointed as e had heard some really positive things about this place.