The Yurt Café & Precinct accepts private hire for up to 35 guests at a seated meal or up to 70 guests at a standing reception. Organizers use it for staff parties, birthdays, hen parties, other celebrations and informal weddings. The venue is the Yurt Café at St Katharine's Precinct, 2 Butcher Row, in Limehouse, East London, one minute from Limehouse DLR station. Timing and food can be adapted to each booking.
Seminars and company events
The café sells private hire for staff parties and similar gatherings. It suits a team celebration, an end-of-year meal or a relaxed reception where the whole group shares one space. The official site does not describe meeting equipment, screens or conference layouts, so a working session should be discussed with the team before booking. A Christmas parties and events package is published each season, and a separate set of social gathering packages covers other occasions.
Weddings and receptions
Couples can hold an informal wedding celebration in the precinct and the Yurt Café. The package for this setting is an evening hire from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. It includes five canapés served with a glass of Prosecco, a feasting menu with two starters, three mains and two desserts to choose from, a menu tasting for the couple and white table linens. Bespoke menus are available on request. The Royal Foundation of St Katharine, which runs the site, also sells larger wedding packages in its Georgian rooms, gardens and chapel. Those are described on its own wedding page and are separate from the Yurt offer.
Rooms and capacities
The Yurt Café is the main event space. It seats 35 guests for a meal and holds 70 for a standing reception. The café opened in 2016 as London's first yurt café and later added a community hub and a stretch tent. After ten years of use the original yurts had worn out, and two new yurts were installed in October 2026. The outdoor precinct is part of the wedding offer. Because the café also runs as a community hub with live music, exhibitions and local activities, ask the team which spaces are free on your date.
Accommodation
The Yurt Café has no bedrooms of its own. The Royal Foundation of St Katharine, on the same site, lists 44 bedrooms and includes overnight stays with breakfast in its larger wedding packages. Whether those rooms can be booked alongside a Yurt event is not stated on the site, so confirm it when you enquire.
Catering
Food is prepared by the café team and adapted to the event. The everyday menu covers breakfast, brunch and lunch, from granola with coconut yogurt to a full English breakfast. Ingredients are locally sourced, and the coffee comes from the specialty roaster Mission Coffee Works. New menus and longer evening opening hours were announced for November 2026. For weddings, the canapés and the feasting menu are set by the package, and bespoke menus can be requested.
History and setting
The café sits inside St Katharine's Precinct, home of the Royal Foundation of St Katharine, a charity founded by Queen Matilda in 1147. The foundation has been rooted in Limehouse since 1950 and runs the café as a community space. Profits from the café fund activities for the local community, so a private booking also supports that work.
Getting there
The venue is at 2 Butcher Row, London E14 8DS. Limehouse DLR station is one minute away on foot. The precinct is a short distance from the River Thames and Canary Wharf.
