What style of food do you serve?
We offer one seasonal, vegetable-focused tasting menu for our guests, which changes depending on the seasons and the best produce available from our suppliers.

What style of restaurant are you?
We consider ourselves to be a relaxed, modern restaurant which serves a tasting menu: there are no tablecloths, we do not have a dress code, and our service style is friendly and informal. We strive for a lively atmosphere and play music throughout our open kitchen and dining room, adjusting playlists to suit each service: you can find details of our playlists on our social media, or by signing up to our newsletter.

How much does the tasting menu cost?
Our tasting menu is priced at £85 per person.

We have a varied wine list, where bottles of wine start at around £30. We also offer an alcoholic drinks flight and a soft drinks flight. If you’d like to bring your own bottle, corkage is £30 for a 750ml bottle.

We also serve a selection of local beers, wine, cider and soft drinks by the glass. We add an optional 10% service charge at the end of your visit: this is added to your food and drinks bill and is shared equally between the team.

Do you accommodate dietary restrictions?
Our menus are created without using meat or fish, but we do cook with dairy products and eggs.

We are able to cater for vegan or gluten-free requirements with at least 24 hours notice. When making your reservation through Tock, please let us know if you have any gluten-free or vegan diners in your party.

We cannot accommodate any allergies. Given the complexity of our menu and the use of foraged ingredients we cannot guarantee the absence of traces of any allergens, and we do not work in an allergen-free environment. As a result of this, we are unable to cater to people with severe or life threatening allergies to any ingredients.

We are also unable to cater to aversions: for example, we are unable to create nut-free or mushroom-free menus.

If you have any questions about allergies or dietary requirements, please email us to discuss.

When do you release bookings?
All of our bookings are released a month in advance, at midday on the first Tuesday of the month. We send newsletters on the day we release bookings: if you sign up to our mailing list, you’ll get an email to remind you that tables are about to be available.

The day I wanted to come is sold out: how do I join a waiting list?
Head to our bookings page and tap through to Tock. Select your desired date and scroll down to see availability – if no tables are available, you can join the waitlist. Select as many dates as you like, and fill in the information requested, and we will contact you by email if any tables become available.

What’s your maximum table size?
The majority of our tables are for two, four or five diners, however we also take bookings for one or three diners. Please get in touch by email if you’d like to make a reservation for one or three. We aren’t currently taking reservations for tables of more than five.

Is your restaurant suitable for children?
Due to the small size of the restaurant’s dining room we have decided to only welcome children over 12, so as not to affect the experience of other diners.

Can I bring my dog?
We love dogs and are always pleased to meet them – however due to the size of our restaurant’s dining room, we do not allow them in during service (with the obvious exception of guide or assistance dogs) so as not to affect the experience of other diners.

What is your cancellation policy?
If you would like to amend, reschedule or cancel a reservation, please contact us directly by email: hello @ vanderlyle-restaurant.com

Up to seven days prior to your reservation date, cancellation requests and reductions in party size are refundable minus a £5 bank admin fee.

We require seven days notice for rescheduling requests: please note that rescheduling is unlikely.

All amendments to bookings (cancellations, reductions in party size and rescheduling requests) with less than a week's notice will depend on whether we can fill your table from our waitlist, in order to ensure we can operate at maximum capacity.

Can I transfer my reservation?
Yes! To transfer / gift a reservation, log in to your account and then select 'Reservations'. Each reservation has a transfer button next to it.

Do you sell vouchers?
No – but bookings are transferable (see above).

Is the restaurant wheelchair accessible?
Yes, our restaurant is on the ground floor with no steps required to access, and we have an accessible bathroom. Please let us know ahead of your reservation if you have any additional requests, and we will do our best to accommodate or provide reasonable adjustments.

How can I contact you?
Where possible we prefer you to email – hello@vanderlylerestaurant.co.uk – as our team are either cooking, preparing for service or working with guests. We regularly check email throughout the day, and will get back to you as soon as possible. Our emails are not monitored at weekends.

Where can I park?
There's on-street parking around the back of the restaurant that’s designated as single yellow so is free after 5pm. There’s also two car parks on Gwydir Street & Queen Anne Terrace Car Park: both are just a few minutes from the restaurant.

Do you host private events?
Not at the moment: we’re not currently accommodating events or large parties.

Are you on Instagram?
Yes! You can find us here: @vanderlylerestaurant

Why are you called Vanderlyle?
We wanted a name for the restaurant that was ambiguous enough not to have any connotations or expectations. ’Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks’ is a track by a band called The National, who we love – they often sing this song with the audience at the end of their live sets. Matt Berninger, the lead singer and lyricist of The National, will occasionally make up a word when he can’t find one that fits the sentiment he’s trying to express: and Vanderlyle (pronounced Van-der-lyle) is one of his words. We loved this ambiguity, and the idea of paying homage to one of our favourite bands, so we wrote to The National to ask permission to use it. Thrillingly, they wrote back: ‘Thanks for reaching out with the flattering request. We hope we have a chance to dine with you next time the band performs around Cambridge :) Best of luck with the new restaurant!’

Music is a big part of the experience of dining with us: we carefully consider each service’s playlist, and regularly share what we’re listening to on our social media accounts and in our monthly newsletter.

Can I work with you?
Yes! We’re always on the lookout for individuals keen to join our team, supply our restaurant or work with us: tap here to learn more.