The Yard Cafe Cotesbach in Harborough

A limited menu but a lovely experience in a unique setting

A stunning hidden gem where we were made to feel very welcome. Do not be fooled by the surroundings. Inside is a cosy environment with a relaxing environment. The food was very fresh with a good range of drinks. Dogs are very welcome.

Best cafe I have EVER had the pleasure of visiting! Home made bread is out of this world, the focaccia was divine ✨ selection of herbal teas amazing. Definitely making this my regular!! And to top it off, the biscoff brownie is to die for YUM. Excellent tunes. What more can I say???

Best cheese on toast ever, served by lovely friendly staff. So glad we found this place by accident.

Quirky! We loved it! On one of our regular trips between Cheshire and London to visit family. Tasty food. Beats a motorway service station any day. The 3 staff knew exactly what they were doing. Service was slick and efficient despite the constant stream of customers. A little gem. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

2 minutes off the M1. Dog friendly. Stopped for coffee and cake. Coffee very weak, flat white very milky. Cakes looked better than they tasted. But much nicer than a service station

Where ever possible we like to use local, independent businesses. Whilst travelling to the North, we googled places for breakfast/brunch and found this place just off the M1. It looked great and is relatively easy to find. We were soon parked up and walked in, to be greeted by two very obnoxious ladies. Not sure if they were the owners or just customers, sat on the right just through the door with their old laptops out, leads everywhere. If looks could kill, one of them couldn’t help make a sarky comment, as went to find a table. WOW! We found a table amid collected menus from the till area, whilst it wasn’t freezing, it was not warm! WOW, very very very pricey for what they offered, but then again probably in line with those rip off service stations on the M1. The large breakfast was certainly not worth the money, 1 sausage, 2 rashers of bacon, tiny ramekin of beans, 12 small mushrooms sliced, a slice of toast, 6 cherry tomatoes and an over fried egg nearly £14! Big thing about it being Jasons sausage, which looked like the butcher that was on site. Perhaps Jason needs to go and learn about sausage making and taste. We asked for poached or fried eggs, this was met with a firm NO! When the food arrived, the cook seemed affronted that we asked for some more brown sauce, what we had was a table spoon of sauce in a dish for the 3 of us that had asked for sauce. No salt and pepper, no cutlery! Cutlery eventually arrived, but we had to go and find our own salt and pepper, we had sachets of wet salt and pepper given to us. We duly ate our food whilst been dive bombed by flys! Wonderful experience! PS try cleaning the toilet area and vacuuming the extractor fan, the dust is stopping any stale area being extracted!

Had passed signs for this cafe a few times so we dropped in today. Situated in a converted old building with uneven floors and mis-matched furniture, it was quirky and lovely! We had 2 full breakfasts which were cooked beautifully, everything fresh and made to order. Really tasty, with friendly staff. Thank you!

Really Lovely place, best sausage rolls ever, bloody good coffee, great staff super friendly and really lovely setting!

My wife enjoyed the home cooked style of food as did myself and our son. The location is not really conventional and the food preparation area quite small so well done for being able to serve nice food. As it is in a rural setting the abundance of flies in this hot spell of weather is not a good look for the business. Everything is quite rustic so do not expect perfect surroundings inside or outside.

As per my March review I meet an ex work colleague here about once a month, usually for breakfast. Slightly later meet today and cafe has just switched over to lunchtime menu, told breakfasts no longer available and there then seemed to be stock issues on lots of items! Lots of customers ordering after us being told items N/A! I had the last sausages and they are a good quality. Not as clean as usual! Will return for our breakfast meets.

Popped in for breakfast today as I was working near by. Delicious food and great service in a quirky but lovely setting.

Charming understated with excellent food. A gem of a cafe in a Harry Potter esque setting

If your in the “know” you will be aware of this place Fab food for motor biker’s in the same courtyard as Idle Torque motorbike shop definatly one for a visit.# the Yard Cafe Cotesbach Leicestershire LE174HX .. ps hidden behind an old Manor House next to a blacksmiths and butchers!

Amazing homemade cake and lovely staff

My eldest daughter gave me the book “Extra Mile” for my recent birthday which gives details of good eateries near motorways thus avoiding run of the mill motorway service stations. This place is dog friendly inside and out and serves very good food. Highly recommended.

We were driving through the area and thought this looked an interesting place to stop for a coffee. It certainly wasn’t the usual coffee stop as it is located in an old farm yard building. Two flat whites cost £6.60. You need to be aware that the walk to and from the car park is on very rough ground with adjacent stinging nettles.

By good fortune the café we had planned to go to had stopped cooking. So went to the Yard Café, Cotesbach. Do not be put off by the yard which is a hidden gem for various small businesses. BUT the café and its food were excellent. Yes limited menu but clearly home cooked, locally sauced, beautifully served. A must if passing by that way.

Went for brunch and the although the menu was very limited, it was a good selection. The food was freshly prepared and absolutely delicious. All staff were brilliant, really helpful and friendly. Will definitely be back another day.

Love meeting up there. Lovely coffee and the best cheese on toast ever.

Excellent food in a rustic setting.

Friendly welcome, excellent service, nice coffee and excellent Sausage sandwiches or Pasties. A regular meeting spot for me and an ex work colleague.

Simple menu but oh my, it is simple done extremely well. Very fresh ingredients, homemade quiches to buy. I had a sausage ciabatta roll which was delicious. Coffees are amazing and cakes are all homemade! Soooooo much better than anything you would get at a service station. :)

We regularly take our VW Beetles for a drive out to the Yard for a lovely Latte, breakfast bap or quiche. Followed by a tasty cake. The staff are always friendly and look after us. The yard has plenty to take in including motorbikes across the way.

Pretty ploody pleasant and perfect pasties.

Great little place! High quality food with some unusual options. Friendly and attentive staff. Particularly nice to sit outside in nice weather.

What an absolutely wonderful little hidden gem! The staff we're so accommodating, chatty and friendly. The food, which majority of its ingredients are organic and sourced from local producers or their own garden, is absolutely delicious! Also their flat white is spot on! Can't wait to go back when I'm passing by on the M1!

Always super lovely food and service

Visited The Stable Cafe today, what a fabulous place. The homemade soup was the best I have ever tasted and the cake was superb. Well worth a visit. Thank you

Delicious, a real treat and lovely atmosphere, gem of a place

Looked for lunch options off M6 /M1 rather than use motorway cafe and not disappointed. Nearly missed the turning on a very small unmade road located nearly opposite church in village. Not sure the cafe was open as middle of December and no one visible, but once inside warmed up with the log burner. Staff were friendly and menu caters for vegan, vegetarian and dairy free without compromising on taste, Eclectic mix of customers from locals, visitors, walkers etc. Glad we made the 3 mile detour to this cafe rather than suffering bland motorway food. The food is very good and well presented generous portions.

A great find for breakfast, lunch & snacks just a few minutes off the M1. Far far better than stopping at the services! Lovely friendly welcome and cosy ambience. Will keep it in mind for all further trips this way.

This is a nice place to go for a coffee and something to eat. It is in a lovely picturesque village, and is an old stable yard setting. The setting is very rustic, with exposed beams. It has a nice ambience and attracts the right sort of people. Coffee and food good, service good, staff friendly, prices competitive. Nice experience.

Lovely little cafe. Unfortunately took 35 minutes to bring us 2 lattes, and then found our food order had not been sent to the kitchen. BLT was lovely but could not work out why a salad of lentils, beetroot and red onion would be paired with a bacon sandwich!

Great service cosy and tasty food

My husband had lunch and appreciated very much their coffee and sandwiches

Made the short detour off the M1 to stop here for a snack. Highly recommended, great food, lovely coffee with real chocolate shavings on top (nice touch), friendly service and a lovely emporium to browse round and spend your pennies. Will definitely revisit when we are in the area.

Had a gorgeous gluten free bacon sandwich here. The bread was fresh bloomer which is very rare. Definitely would recommend this place.

We made our first visit here today. Lovely friendly staff and a pretty, quirky setting made for a good lunch. We shared a quiche and both had salad. The quiche was delicious and was served with home grown salad. I wish we’d known about this little gem before - we will return.

Huge portions of delicious quiches and sandwiches lovingly made from local produce. The absolutely perfect place to break a journey on the M1. I will definitely return!

Lovely people, fantastic homemade grub. Many thanks.

Beautiful home made and home grown food. Couldn't have asked for more

Nice pleasant place, good food and drinks, hot or cold , some great live folk music, live music, pleasant cafe staff 😀

A Stunning Brunch and beautiful setting!

We went to the garden barn first but the owner was so rude we left so my sister said we'd go to the yard cafe ,my first visit omg it's a hidden treasure I loved it the sausage roll was amazing actually the best I've ever tasted friendly helpful staff plus theres lots of nooks and crannies to explore would definitely go again

Friendly, warm welcoming staff with great food all reasonably priced. This place has souch character and is immaculately clean and there's even a friendly dog that roams around t court yard with his ball in his mouth. 👌👌

Great sausage butty and coffee. Really lovely staff in great surroundings.

We had quiche - several choices - with a side salad. Both quiches were hot with crispy pastry & really delicious. The side salad was tasty, though perhaps a little limited in content [leaves, tomato, cucumber, thin slices of courgette & yellow pepper], but very tasty with a lovely dressing. We sat inside as it was a little cool & breezy outside & there was plenty of space between tables. Our only negative point was the rather bizarre background music which seemed to consist of a loud throbbing beat & was quite unpleasant & intrusive. [This is a comment from people who love rock & heavy metal!] We recommend this cafe for an excellent & good value lunch, but maybe bring earplugs.

Lovely food, location and staff.

Good food friendly staff and a band was playing

Relaxed atmosphere. Friendly staff. Excellent coffee and cake. Our favourite place for coffee and cake or a wonderful breakfast or lunch

Fabulous place to visit food lovely, friendly staff, would recommend highly

Food was wonderful, couldn't fault. Atmosphere was also lovely. The service was quite poor - not clear how to order, 2 of us ordered inside, 1 of us told to order from the table but no one came over so ended up having to go inside anyway. Drinks were slow and requesting tap water was responded to as though it were a huge inconvenience. It also didn't arrive and had to go inside again to ask for it. Needs clearer instruction and organisation but otherwise a great meal.

Lunch today. Delicious ploughmans with plenty of very tasty cheers, and very good quiche. Salads tasty and good setting .

Great cafe ,great location , great for a light lunch and refreshments

Lovely coffee but the marquee was a bit smelly.

Visited the yard café for lunch and it more than met our expectations. The food was of a good quality and well presented, most of the ingredients being sourced locally. The weather was fine and we sat outside in the yard which is a lovely...

Their is a wonderful place to have a wholesome breakfast, local flavoursome produce . Friendly service very relaxed atmosphere. The yard cafe at cotesbach is on my rest stop when travelling north.

One of my favourite places for brunch, on my own or with friends. Takeaway food during lockdown has been amazing, and I’m very glad to be able to sit down for weekend breakfasts again. The food is always fresh, with local ingredients - particularly the...

Great local cafe friendly staff with a nice bike accessory shop next door and lots of nice bikes to admire

Lovely cafe in a quaint setting serving delicious food and drinks. A warm welcome awaits you.

Fantastic food and nice, relaxing atmosphere.

Thank you for a lovely lunch with live music - we loved the mushroom and bacon quiche!

Perfect place for an afternoon tea 👌🏻☕❤️

This is such a lovely cafe in a gorgeous little spot without any heirs & graces but bags of charm. The food is always really good & made with local produce the ladies that serve you friendly & chatty. I rarely eat meat but they always yummy vegetarian options. The quiches are my absolute favourite but everything I've tried has been good & today we ate off their brunch menu which came with delicious home made baked beans! I'd recommend having pudding too as their cakes are particularly nice! All in all this is one of favourite places to visit locally, we often walk here with our little dog, who's also welcomed with a drink!

Looking for somewhere to stop for some lunch, this place is a hidden gem. The food was lovely with good portion sizes. The staff were friendly and paid lots of attention to the COVID rules. Lovely courtyard to relax whilst having lunch.

Sausage rolls are delicious washed down with a cuppa. It is a very nice cafe

Walked across the fields to The Yard cafe for coffee and cake. Friendly and welcoming staff, coffee was super, great choice of home made cakes they were delicious. A return visit will be very soon. Thank you.

Always good and very friendly. Can't wait to hear the Spitfire engine going again.

Very warm welcome. Great coffee and cake selection. Top service. Lovely quiche.

Great place to go for good food and beverage

Very sweet little place! Great food and good price and friendly staff. Cotesbach is definitely well worth a little visit if your ever in the area

Wonderful location, quick service and tasty food!

Very nice spot. Very good food and super friendly with a great atmosphere.will b we retuning soon 😃

A very nice little cafe. I superb coffee and locally sourced produce.

Nice food. Simple menu but cuvettes all bases.

Only a couple of miles from Jn 20 of M1, far better than services, in fact better than many little cafes.. Homemade quiche is fantastic..

First time coming here and instantly the environment of the place and where it is was so nice and chilled. This is a perfect place to take someone on a date with or to escape all the stress going on in your life. The service...

Excellent service, even for our late arrival so close to closing, they were still happy to serve us. Great location, like a secret garden. #DARANOSWYN #PANDEMIC2020 #COLWYNSTRIDERPRODUCTIONS

Bit to pricey for a small cafe could easily get 2 meals in a pub for the same money

Lovely atmosphere so many really different bits and pieces Due to covid restrictions only doing drinks and cakes but we should understand and it was lovely You can hire out the sheperds hut for up to 8 people a d they're light the fire and bring drink and cakes over How good is that!! We've bkd it for nxt week Good all round place for a good couple of hours

Absolutely fantastic! I had a bacon, egg and fresh tomato on the most wonderful bagel ever! They must bake the bagels themselves - they’re like no other! 🥰 Going back ASAP! 👍👍👍👍👍

Quaint cafe in old courtyard, good coffee, cake & service

Best Flat White I’ve had this side of Melbourne. ( tbh though I’ve only stopped in Abu Dhabi airport at 4.00 am this side of Melbourne ) Still excellent. Perfect temperature too.

We happened upon this gem of a café a couple of weeks ago when the M1 had a closure during a drive to Leeds. Not only was the coffee lovely but the homemade cakes and quiche were to die for. There was a live folk...

I love your cafe esp veggie breakfasts. Are you open again now? Want to come on Friday for lunch. My friend and I like to meet at yours. Its half way for us & dog friendly out doors.. Thank you Lynda xx Bedfordshire

This review is long overdue. Used to routinely stop here and almost sad I no longer need to make the regular drive that takes me past here anymore. Sitting outside in the sun with a coffee and the dog always made for a pleasant morning/afternoon and The reason I wrote this now is I have just recommended to a friend that they make a point of stopping by here when we're all allowed to travel again.

Great food and excellent service. There is also a friendly cat in the yard.

Lovely rustic cafe. Friendly, quick service and delicious food.

Amazing breakfast ,great selection of cake's , freindly staff

Lovely feel to the place, cosy atmosphere complete with log burner. Everything is made fresh, including quite a few veggie and vegan options. Breackfast served till 3.

Nice little cafe, good food and great cakes

I came across The Yard Cafe purely by chance as they had stuck a sign out on the A426 Rugby Road. Thought I'd give it a try for lunch. The place is in part of the old stable yard. Some of the area they share...

Lovely place, hidden away in a small yard.

I’ll be honest my initial impression wasn’t great but having spoken with the owner everything was resolved and nothing was too much trouble. So please Keep up the good work. 👍

Lovely food, quirky place, ace service.

Travelling down the M1 we stopped here for lunch in preference to a service station. A very good decision! The friendly staff, rustic building, pretty Christmas decorations and tasty food combined to make it a refreshing and enjoyable break from our journey.

nicely prepared tasty food prepared and serviced by friendly staff .

The Yard cafe is tucked away in cotesbach but well worth seeking out, food is great, always have a full yard breakfast which is HUGE. Service from the owner Annie is always with a smile and the fire is always roaring at this time of...

Breakfast at midday for two. I was saying goodbye to a friend who was leaving the area - and I always feel lifted by the welcoming staff, and a really perfectly cooked big breakfast. lovely thank you best wishes David