The Yurt Café is an unexpected little gem tucked away in between busy roads, in Limehouse. With the unappealing Highway resurfacing from the Limehouse Link Tunnel just paces away, and Commercial Road at the back of the DLR railway that runs behind the café, one may imagine a place that is anything but quiet and relaxing. But as soon as you turn the corner just after the DLR arches, and enter the gate of St Katherine’s Precint, you immediately change your mind at the view of a vibrant and colourful community space and the unique dog-friendly venue that is the Yurt Café.
The Yurt Cafe: a unique dog-friendly cafe in Limehouse
The Yurt Café is a place where to have coffeee or brunch while sitting inside the yurt, enjoying the light coming from the ceiling. But is also a spot to treasure the sunshine in Spring or Summer, sitting at the outdoor tables under a beach umbrella.
Born in 2015 as part of community project St Katherine’s Precinct (run by a charity), the café has a wide range of cakes, savoury dishes and drinks. It is an ethical business, as food is sourced locally where possible, and they “pay our staff a living wage and aim to keep our menu affordable and any surpluses are reinvested into our work in the community.”
It is a place where people also come with their laptops to do some work in a quiet space. Forget the shiny and Instagram-likes crafted cafes of Chelsea, the Yurt Café is a truly unique and rustic place, which will bring your mind to Mongolian tents, or, if more familiar, may remind you of an American Indian teepee.
The development has mindful spaces, and also hosts board game nights, knitting circles and more in the adjacent facilities.
We visited the Yurt Café in different seasons, enjoying both the outdoor and indoor space. The avocado on toast is delicious and you will find dog water bowls available for thirsty canines. It seems a pretty popular destination for local dogs, as the times we have been around we always found furry company, with more that one dog at the tables near us.
The Yurt Café is open from 9am until 5pm Monday to Sunday (hot food closes at 3:00pm, although drinks, cakes, pastries and snacks are available until 5pm). You can find it at 2 Butcher Row, Limehouse, E14 8DS, and Limehouse DLR station is just a 5-minute walk.
You can easily make it a dog day out, as there are many things you can do in the area. Below are our top recommendations.
Things to do with your dog in Limehouse to make it a dog day out
1. Yurt Café + walk to Canary Wharf
Close to the Yurt Café, you can walk around the lovely Limehouse Basin and head towards the Thames Path, where you can enjoy a lovely walk to Canary Wharf. Stop in Ropemaker’s Fields on the way, where there is also an enclosed dog park in case you need it.
2. Yurt Café + Limehouse Basin, Regent’s Canal and dog agility trail
Alternatively, after your pit stop, you can take the Regent’s Canal from Limehouse Basin and walk towards Mile End Park, where you can make a test the agility equipment with your dog.
3. Yurt Café + kayak paddle
For a more adventurous day, perhaps in Summer, after your coffee you can hire a kayak at Moo Canoes in Limehouse Basin and go for a paddle upstream. You can find more about Moo Canoes in this blog post about our adventure on a canoe and in this guide about all dog-friendly water-based activities in London.
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