The Yard - by Silver Oak in East Cambridgeshire

I like the concept of this place, nice and relaxed vibe. But when you get there you have no idea what to do or how to order. When I booked online I couldnt book for our group of 12 so I called as advised and they wouldnt take the booking over the phone (?) but said book online for 10 people and write in the notes its for 12. Which I did....when we got there the table was sat for 10 of us but really you could only sit about 8. So we all squeezed in with our dogs and figured out how to order food and drinks (which you have to do at separate areas so its all a bit of a faff). Sadly the food took well over an hour to arrive at the collection point, we checked 3 times to ensure our buzzer was working and we were absolutely starving.....there was a sign stating a wait of up to 45 mins but our wait time was silly.....place was busy-ish but by no means heaving. The food was all fine for everybody, some of the options were unavailable, but we all got fed in the end. I personally think its overpriced for what it is but we wanted a casual, sociable meeting space for family so all was well. We didnt want to wait around again for desserts so went elsewhere for coffee and ice creams. An OK experience but wouldnt go out of my way to visit again. Have to say the limited amount of staff were friendly though!

Never been here before, we like to visit different places. Would highley recommend. Great food, service. Quick as well. Inside or outside eating

Great place to meet and chat. All year round thanks to cosy pods! The hot chocolate is awesome

Went then early one morning to try their breakfast and it was awesome. If you are in the area I would recommend

Pre booked table for 17.00 as due at concert at Cathedral at 19.15. Within 10 minutes of arriving, queued up to order Harrissa Halloumi (only thing that needed cooking), Hummus bowl & side order of coleslaw. When I paid, I requested a receipt, the order was timed 17.13. After 40 mins asked what was happening & was told that orders were taking up to 45 minutes, so expected ours to arrive shortly. After 1 hour went back to the ordering hatch, no staff manning desk & a notice stating there was a 45 minute wait on orders (when we placed ours we were not informed of any delays). Finally a member of staff was walking by & when I requested a refund & told him we were not happy, he first went to the kitchen to check on our order & immediately came back to start a refund, so obviously our meal wasn’t anywhere close to being ready. He asked if we had a loyalty card - seriously!!! Venue was busy but not every table was occupied. Nipped into Waitrose & grabbed a packet of popcorn to have before the concert. The experience ruined a lovely Saturday evening.

Booked a table in advance of going to a concert. Waited 1 hour after ordering food before having to call it a day before going to concert. Staff not particularly apologetic- asked if we had a loyalty card- as if!! Got a refund but no apology. Wouldn’t consider going again.

Don’t expect to get a meal within an hour of ordering! May 2025 Pre booked table for 17.00 as due at concert at Cathedral at 19.15. Within 10 minutes of arriving, queued up to order Harrissa Halloumi (only thing that needed cooking), Hummus bowl & side order of coleslaw. When I paid, I requested a receipt, the order was timed 17.13. After 40 mins asked what was happening & was told that orders were taking up to 45 minutes, so expected ours to arrive shortly. After 1 hour went back to the ordering hatch, no staff manning desk & a notice stating there was a 45 minute wait on orders (when we placed ours we were not informed of any delays). Finally a member of staff was walking by & when I requested a refund & told him we were not happy, he first went to the kitchen to check on our order & immediately came back to start a refund, so obviously our meal wasn’t anywhere close to being ready. He asked if we had a loyalty card - seriously!!! Venue was busy but not every table was occupied. Nipped into Waitrose & grabbed a packet of popcorn to have before the concert. The experience ruined a lovely Saturday evening.

Absolutely love this place, so much on offer than food and (the best)coffee. I've been to silent disco's, comedy nights, wine tasting, painting and nights out. There's so much to offer here and the staff are lovely !

Stopped off here for a drink as I stumbled across it randomly. It's a big place with indoor and outdoor seating including cosy huts. They have a good selection of drinks and coffee

I booked for 13 people to celebrate the 1st Anniversary of my business, Fight Klub. I found Andi very helpful and responsive in catering for our dietary requirements which included vegan and gluten free and the booking process was stress free. On the day, our table was clearly marked and the table where our food selection was to be set was also right next to us and easy to access. The staff were friendly and welcoming and the food came out right on time. The vegan and gluten free options were kept separate from the other food options and everything was fresh. I thought the buffet selection was excellent value, there lots of choice and lots of food and we were allowed to take our time over eating - at no point did we feel rushed. We were given cardboard boxes (big tick) to take the left overs away with us - so no wastage. Despite The Yard being very busy with other customers, our group was well looked after and everyone enjoyed the afternoon. I would have no hesitation in recommending The Yard for large (and small) group bookings and look forward to going back there again. The food is delicious and reasonably priced, as were the drinks. All in all, great value and a fun place to go.

Bruce's bacon butty rocks and the hash browns are legendary but everyone knows that!!

Could not order food on the app and no menus on the tables and no staff appeared having waited 10 minutes. The sign on the kitchen hatch said to wait for FoH member!!

I stopped by The Yard while on a motorbike ride and was immediately impressed by how understanding and accommodating the staff were. My bike doesn’t have a key, so security is always a concern. Without hesitation, they kindly allowed me to park it off-road near the premises so I could keep an eye on it while I enjoyed my beverage. The atmosphere was relaxed, and the food looked fantastic, and served with a smile. It's rare to find such hospitality these days, especially for bikers! Highly recommend this spot for anyone passing through, whether you're on two wheels or four. I’ll definitely be back!

Place is very pretty. But 40 minutes wait for sub par pub food is unacceptable. Meat toastie was hard like a shoe. Won’t return. Tip. Order the kids burger. At least with that you get a sad slice of cucumber for some veg unlike the adult equivalent.

Immensely disappointing, waited an hour for food, only 4 burgers and chips. £15 for a crap burnt burger and not great chips.

Best coffee in Ely. Always friendly, and the place was really buzzing on the sunny morning I went. Dogs are welcome too!

Served a well needed coffee, with the cleanest latte art from Andi, served by the wonderful Ana. If you ever need a good coffee with good service these are the two to get it from

Good pizza, plenty of seating. Kitchen closed quite early on the Tuesday we visited. Not busy at all.

I always have a great time at the yard with great service by all the team especially Ana who is great and polite. Jack and Lily are also very good.

First time visiting, indoor seating was closed for a private function so had to sit on the outside tables which proved to be a nice change! Food was excellent and service was fast. Would look to book a Pod next time as they look very cosy.

This was our 1st time eating and booking one of the pods and found the food perfectly expectable. The atmosphere of the pod allowed us peace and quiet. The process was ordering and picking up food looked well. Enjoy the visit. Thank you.

Great breakfast offerings tasty home cut bacon and lovely poached eggs bagel offerings are really filling

Great little find, good variety of food options and delicious coffee. Would recommend.

Small portions, unimaginative menu. Venue was quite cold - probably better in summer .Has potential but needs to up its game .

Loved our first visit. We will be back!

Great food, great hot chocolates. Lovely to have a late night eatery/place to hang out

Best coffee in Ely! The breakfast bagels are huge & delicious! The pods are super cosy & warm.

Great place for food, drinks, generally hanging out with friends.

The Yard is becoming our favourite place to eat/drink in Ely! The food is always amazing, there is always lots of Vegan options available and the Gluten free options are second to none! The staff are absolutely lovely! I think this place is probably the most dog friendly in the area, even having blankets for your dog to use. We keep bringing friends and family to show them what a great place it is, whether you’re there for a coffee, beer, lunch or dinner, The Yard really does have it all! Just to add to this review, a month on and The Yard have updated the food menu… it just KEEPS getting better!!! So many options! Vegan kebab has become my new favourite, with Mac and Cheese now topping my parters favourite! - will never stop bigging up this place!

To be fair you don’t really know what you’re doing when you get there as no staff about, however we found our table, had to find where to order food then had to go get drinks separately, a long queue but just made it in time before buzzer went off for our food. It was stone cold, I think because it’s served up on what felt like cold tin plates. Quite tasteless, you couldn’t cut the black pudding so I had to pick it up! Bacon was rubbery and they buttered the toast, I don’t like butter so couldn’t eat that. Overall disappointing. Not for us.

Would of been nice to order coffee to the table 😃

A lovely Mother’s Day treat - The Yard Burger & mock tail we’re both delicious & the bunch of daffodils for Mother’s Day was a really nice touch 🌼

The Yard has got to be one of the best additions to Ely. It has a really lovely relaxing vibe about it. The team is always so friendly and attentive, too. We quite often pop in for coffee. We've enjoyed breakfast, lunch, and dinner on many occasions. The menu has a good selection for everyone to enjoy. It's been really good to see The Yard evolve from when it first opened. The addition of roller doors has made it a great place to escape bad weather. The Nordic Pods are fabulous. We were lucky enough to book a pod for Boxing Day. They are warm, comfortable and so cosy on a cold day. The Yard hosts plenty of events and themed evenings. We especially like the silent speed quiz on Wednesdays. The Mamma Mia themed silent disco, was a great evening. Well done to at The Yard for creating such a wonderful place that is enjoyed by all in the community.

First time visit was only spoilt by the cold fries with the burger- no apology and no refund - otherwise we really enjoyed ourselves

Lovely set up but food not great. Avoid the honey harissa haloumi listed as a salad/ light bite but was neither. Nice environment and bar

We pre booked a pod and it was lovely warm and cosy.

Food was amazing. Lovely friendly evening. Lovely wines.

Have been for brunch there but not one of Thier events ,we did wine tasting with a 3 course meal was so good food was delicious and loads of it and the wine tasting was lovely,we arrived very early as went by train and they were more than helpful and happy for us to come in and wait , definitely going to more of Thier events , brilliant time

I recently booked The Yard for a big birthday party. From start to finish, and including the day itself, I could not fault the help, organisation, food, drinks and venue. Andi in particular was so brilliant. Huge thanks to the whole team for such a memorable event!

This is gotta be the coolest place in Ely ! Went to a comedy night on Saturday and had a fantastic night . Great choice of drinks too . Can’t big this place up enough . Super friendly staff and a feeling that the venue is going to go from strength to strength . The cherry on the cake would be if a music license was granted . Be great even if it was an afternoon of music 10/10

Booked a Nordic Pod for brunch for 4 people , two birthdays! Our designated pod was occupied, luckily there was another empty. We were told to sit, but nothing else was explained. Finally found lighting & heating. Waited 10 mins, found someone to explain the ordering of food and the bar and were given menus. At 12.30 pm 3 out of the 4 meals we wanted were not available, in fact most of all the menu was unavailable and a wait of over 35 mins for food. So pointless booking the pod which is only for 2 hours. Would definitely not recommend and will not go back.

Ordered full breakfast didnt relise until id eaten half had no eggs

We had a lovely time catching up with friends we didn't want to leave

Booked a lovely pod for the evening,was stunning it came with heating and blankets. Definitely recommend

Visited for the first time and booked one of their new pods, great atmosphere, lovely inside with heater and blankets if you need them. Brunch was great! Will definitely be returning!

Great vibe. Love the Nordic Pods

Paid £7 for a bacon sandwich that had one bit of bacon in it. When I suggested that was a bit cheeky, the lady looked at me like I was an idiot and asked ‘well what do you want me to do?’ I got two bits of bacon after that. It’s a shame, as the coffee is great and the setting is lovely. But it puts me off going back. EDIT: So quick update. My complaint has been dealt with in what I can only say is a very fair and proportionate way, and I am grateful. Further experiences have been positive and I’ve revised my rating as a result. I am trusting my previous experience was a one off blip!

I couldn’t recommend The Yard more. There’s delicious food, a great atmosphere, and the staff are incredibly helpful and friendly. It’s pet friendly and there’s a plenty of seating, inside and outside.

Great place, nice food, excellent coffee and great atmosphere. We come here as a family regularly.

Very good place for breakfast/brunch.

Excellent place made special by Andi and The Team x

Another fantastic evening at The Yard! So many brilliant events here. Comedy nights, Silent Disco and tonight wine tasting. Always brilliant service from Adam and Andi. Can't wait for the next event!

Brilliant! What a fab venue! Whether you want a (best ever) coffee while on a dog walk or a lovely meal and few drinks, this is the place to do it. Great atmosphere, can’t wait to spend many spring and summer evenings here :-)

Did the coffee roasting course on Saturday, excellent experience very enjoyable learned a lot thoroughly recommend.

Great little venue, local(ish) offer on the beer, street food & good local coffee. Great vibes and good atmosphere. Friendly staff, I can imagine this place is lively in the summer

Fantastic concept and amazing food. Plenty of choices for whatever you fancy, from coffee and drinks to light food, full lunches and desserts. Well worth the cost and with a clear focus on the sustainability and celebration of the local produce. There's outdoor seating with plenty of shade, an indoor area and even a small play area for children too. This is no doubt the first of many trips to the Yard.

Great fun dancing the night away!

Excellent food, with only a short wait. Very comfortable in one of the pods. Staff very friendly and courteous as usual. Well priced.

I only put 4 stars for service because it isn't table service here. This in no way takes away from what a lovely experience it was! We booked a nordic pod: this is sort of a cross between a booth, a mini shed and a tent (with a see-through zip panel at the front) complete with overhead heater and blankets. We went on a very cold day (5°) and our feet got very cold so I would advise thick socks or boots. The food is lovely, freshly cooked in good time, There is much more on offer than I imagined; so much choice I will need to go back to try some of the other delicious items on the menu. Nothing is as expensive as you'd think considering how 'trendy' and unique it is.

Great fun! We had such a good time at the silent disco! And added perk of coming out in our pjs and slippers!! Reasonable prices booze and yummy food too!

Wine tasting at the yard is always a really enjoyable evening , lovely to hear and try different wines , the venue is a lovely place to visit

Such a great experience and our neighbours were the best!! Love meeting new people and having lovely wine 🍷(wine tasting event)

Fantastic time at the wine tasting. Fabulous food and allegies catered for. We will be back

This place looked great but failed us miserably. Very poor value for the money spent over £60 for 4 of us plus a further £15 on coffees. The eggs undercooked pale yellow, terrible quality ‘meat’ the sausage was particularly unappealing and child size bites of what I think was the hash brown. Too much back and forth with ordering getting food getting drinks. By the time we fetched our food it was cold. All in all terribly disappointing and do not recommend.

Great place for a coffee and/or food. Area is mostly outside, but is well heated and covered.

Fab pie night - very tasty and good value! Was so full!

Such a nice venue to enjoy a coffee and meet with friends.

Had the best time celebrating NYE with my girls at the Yard. It was the most perfect, chilled way to see out the year and bring in 2025 but there was still a definite buzz about the place. Staff were friendly and fun as always. Great idea, hope you do it again next year!

We had a lovely time but it would have been good if there had been someone to meet and greet and show you how the evening was being organised. The cocktails were lovely, and made very quickly, considering there weren't many staff on the bar, but it would been good to have a soft drink option incuded in the price as it cost an extra £30 for soft drinks on top of the £160 I had paid for food and drink. The food was very good, as always. It was a shame that there was no music playing - because of this, there wasn't a party atmosphere created and it didn't really feel like a New Year's celebration night as there wasn't the 'celebration' at 9pm as advertised on your social media.

Came for the new year's eve celebration event. The food and cocktails were good but on the tickets it said speak to someone when you arrive to get sorted. There was noone available as they were all behind the bar serving so it wasn't really clear how you get your drinks or food with your tickets. There was no music - this might be due to a license but it did say on the website that we would "bring in the new year at 9pm!" Nothing happened at all. No count down/celebration/music etc. It just felt a bit flat. Not quite a new year's eve celebration.

Good food. Have GF and Vegan options. Cozy and dog friendly.

I especially love the coffee shops outside. They really make great coffee. 🫶🏻❤️

First time here, had a superb lunch and sat indoors... Very clean, very friendly and the self service aspect is easy, as is ordering. Menu choices are excellent and I'll be back to taste more!

Even on a chilly day, this place is buzzing. Perfect for a cheeky coffee or mulled wine.

Great visit - booked a pod and it was fab.

Had a lovely time in one of your pods having drinks Easily booked online, and great venue

Took mum and dad for brunch and booked out one of those Viking pods. Was amazing and gave us a lovely Christmas Eve atmosphere. Also eat and drink there regularly, do the quizzes etc… never disappointed

I absolutely love the yard. Always excellent food, drinks and service. The events they host are incredible and of a huge variety. Super dog friendly, I'd recommend it to everyone. My favourite place in Ely, a real gem.

Booked one of the new Nordic cabins which were lovely and cosy,. Although, we ordered through the QR code on the table and were left waiting 30 minutes for 2 drinks, which on a night where it isn’t especially busy, isn’t great, especially when we didn’t even order food! Nobody around to ask and my partner had to hunt out the bar area in order to ask for our drinks, only to then have to wait for them to be made at the bar in front of her. If we’d have known, we would’ve ordered at the bar in the first place. The bar staff didn’t even seem particularly apologetic. There also isn’t particularly good signage or instructions around the cabins or their use when you get to The Yard. We ended up asking at the coffee shop on the way in and they didn’t seem too sure. Overall a nice place to visit but I’d order at the bar if you don’t want to be waiting over. 1/4 of your time slot just for a drink! The experience is lovely but the place needs just a touch more customer service. (Also I received my Espresso Martini without espresso in it. Safe to say a mix of JUST Kahlua and Vodka has quite a kick to it 😂)

The Nordic Pods were really cosy. The fur throws on the back of the benches were lovely but it would be even better if there was also a bench cushion or a throw covering the seats as the wood is a little hard and also cold on a miserable night.

We had our Zumba Christmas Party at the Yard and we all had a lovely time. We booked the buffet menu - it was yummy 😋 & lots of food. The staff were very helpful and friendly. We love the Yard and we meet there every Saturday after Zumba to catch up while having the best coffee ☕️ Thank you Nella

Come here constantly, super friendly bunch of people ☺️ food is great and coffee is the best around

We recently dropped into The Yard for a quick coffee but ended up staying much longer because of the wonderful Christmas atmosphere. They even had a Santa’s Grotto and although we didn’t have tickets, the staff were so kind and accommodating, letting us visit, which absolutely made our kids’ day! We shared a delicious pizza, enjoyed mulled wine, and ordered a burger from the kids’ menu—all of which were fantastic. The entire experience was warm, festive, and so welcoming. Thank you for creating such a magical experience for our family. Merry Christmas to everyone at The Yard!

As always a great evening, thank you Kevin for making it so much fun with your stories and knowledge and thank you to the Yard for the great food an service

We enjoyed our food and drinks here. Food is okay but nothing crazily special, but they have a good selection of drinks. The atmosphere is good too, so a nice place to visit if you are out in Ely!

The staff are always friendly, the food and drinks are great and the atmosphere is spot on! Love it!

We have booked on the monthly wine tasting for the second time. Staff are always really attentive, especially Adam, and the food is always great. Will definitely book another wine night soon!

What a lovely venue! So thoughtfully put together and flexible. Great food and coffee!

We had a great late night meeting here in the Nordic pods. The food looked great and the drinks were refreshing

We are so lucky in Ely, we have wonderful independent shops. I thought we had everything you could want. We needed the Yard we just didn't know it. Well done Susie, Bruce and the fab team. It is lovely, food, drink and lots of space for meeting friends.

More than artisan coffee. This is an independent hub. Buy the best coffee in Ely and have a nose around the indoor independents market. There is a little cafe at the back too serving seasonal “street food”. I bet it’s a hidden gem.

Booked one of the Nordic Pods. Was a lovely experience… warm and cosy ❤️ Also very private. Will definitely book again!

We booked a table for 25 for our u13 girls cricket team Christmas get together. We were given plenty of space indoors and were very well catered for. The food was excellent and reasonably priced.

My friends and I are such big fans of The Yard. The breakfast is our favourite in the city, and tonight we had their Christmas dinner which was wonderful and at SUCH a good price. The staff are funny and friendly and the venue is beautiful - we're obsessed with the new Nordic Pods which are super cosy in winter! The Yard ALWAYS delivers.

The food took a long time to arrive. When it arrived it was cold. The mulled wine was good. Cool, informal, well decorated atmosphere. In the back there is free city hall parking for 2 hours. It has a play room for young children (up to 5/6 years old).

Absolutely fantastic! Coffee the best (silver oak) venue stunning and creative, food divine and the most wonderful atmosphere - very happy to return x and Jack is just lovely!!! (He served me today)

Great service from Jack and the rest of the team. Perfect cappuccino (the best in town!) & tasty food. The Nordic pods are a great idea, too. Thank you.

We tried the new pods for something different Just for drinks Was really lovely and toasty in there Good system using the board to show which was yours and others when they were free Will use again for food The only thing missing from the yard, is fire Either a fire bowl or the ethanol pyramid style fires Would really complete a winter yard

Always a fun experience at The Yard! Super dog friendly and lovely staff!

Love the Nordic Pods. Food great and good value. Will definitely return when next in Ely.