Sanders Yard

Relaxing atmosphere and lovely food required a return visit. Stopped for elevenses, with a nice pot of Yorkshire tea and a tea cake. Noticed they had some interesting vegetarian fare as well, so after climbing the 199 stairs to the Abbey and back down, we needed somewhere warm for a pleasant respite. Had a bowl of beautiful minted pea soup with feta cheese and two warm granary rolls. Just the thing to recharge before facing the shops. Lovely place inside and out.

Sanders Yard is a bit of a gem in the heart of Whitby. A few tables on the outside accompanied by an impressive water feature was a good start. As we ventured inside, the first room was full of luxurious sofas and leather chairs, an area perfect for people with young families or couples having a spot of lunch. This leads into the counter area were you order your food. The menu is primarily vegetarian with a variety of dishes like quiches, butternut squash lasagnes, vegetarian burgers, all good wholesome food. There is variety of filled sandwiches and jacket potatoes with a sizeable side salad too. There were some half term specials including some meat/​fish dishes like meatballs, seared tuna and an Aberdeen Angus burger.
We dined in the main area with spacious wooden tables with chunky wooden tables, surrounded by local art — spectacular visions of the tempestuous sea. A huge wooden boat suspended above us too! We ordered a chunky vegetable soup with a heart shaped croûton, and accompanying homemade rolls (still warm!). I had the Welsh Rarebit, with the cheese infused with mustard and sweet onion chutney side. Both dishes were very fresh and tasty, its nice to find a restaurant that is just a little bit different. The coffee was not to my taste though, a little acrid, but that’s just personal taste. Will definitely return to sample more of the menu.

This is a brilliant place. The food is fantastic, the portions are huge and the atmosphere is relaxed and calming. Some stunning paintings by local artists hang on the walls. The veggie selections are out of this world — especially the butterbean lasagne and home-​made garlic bread. The children are well catered for with toys, books, bottle-​warming available, baby-​change, etc. The staff are great — nothing is ever too much trouble. It’s a great place to go when you want to eat something wonderful but don’t want to go to the trouble of dressing for the occasion. The plant in the far corner needs a good trim, but I guess everybody’s too busy cooking wonderful food to do it. I prefer it now that it’s a separate entity from the shop — and the menu’s much more varied.

As I normally go to Whitby with a veggie we often call into Sanders Yard. I prefered it when the café was at the rear of the health food shop. Now the only entrance is down the yard. As a veggie place it’s very good but as it’s 99% veggie the meaty menu (if your not veggie) is limited. But all the food is good, the counter ordering service is adequate for the type of place. Food comes reasonably quickly. Not cheap (or perhaps I’m just getting mean!)

We had breakfast here because we were staying at the Shepherd’s Purse which is on the same courtyard.
I got the Vegetarian Breakfast and my companion got the English Breakfast. Both were enormous — including veggie sausage or pork sausage and bacon, scrambled eggs, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, and toast — yummy and only £5! It’s an excellent meal to fuel you on the 6.5 mile clifftop walk to Robin Hood’s Bay.
The dining room is cute and cozy. Food is ordered from the counter and delivered to your table.