Reviews in Cumbria and Lake District

1 night stay Sept. 2009 hospitality very good breakfast excellent,room very good.

Best pub in Keswick, well run, good beer, fab food, recommend the pork chops or steak

We went for a 'Special' meal at Oilys. We asked about seating and were directed by the waitress to armchairs totally unsuitable for dining. We asked if we could move to dining chairs further in the restaurant. We were told we could sit in two places but they were the same. The place was virtually empty as it was a sunday evening. We did later move ourselves when a nearby table with dining chairs became vacant. As I have a slipped disc it was great to be comfortable eating. My friend's meal was great he had the rump steak with mushrooms, tomatoes, mushrooms, onion rings, sauce and a salad. I had the aubergine stack listed under 'Something Special'. Our meals were the same price of £8.95. Mine was very like the restaurants name 'Oily'!! I had 3 slices of aubergine and 4 mushrooms with cheese on. It was listed as vegetarian yet the mushrooms had been cooked alongside my friends' steak and tasted strongly of meat. The vegetables seved with this were chopped turnip, cauliflower with tomato sauce and red cabbage. I ate what I could of this food as it was meant to be a special night out, and suffered extremely bad indigestion afterwards. It was very poor value in comparison with my friends meal and poor as a 'vegetarian meal. No one came near to ask how our food was. I did tell the waiter that the food was not good and was extremely greasy and tasted of meat. There was no reaction. I normally only eat strictly vegetarian and if a restaurant states a food is vegetarian , then it should not come into contact with meat in its' preparation or cooking. This restaurant really needs to address its vegetarian menu and cook the food without contact with meat. I was so disappointed and not happy to feel unwell afterwards!!

This establishment is very welcoming, the staff are friendly and very helpful. The appearance is warm and cosy. The food is delicious and looked mouth watering. I would recommend this fine establishment to all country lovers. It is a very child friendly place.

Good home cooking , Very clean and very friendly service . Will call again on our next visit to the lakes .

One of the Lake Districts little gems..... Get yourself to the next beer festival!!!

This riverside cafe was charming and Toni and her staff were friendly and helpful. I need to eat gluten-free and so I was in heaven because they had several GF choices (including bread). I had Cassoulet, a French style bean stew, on a jacket potato with three salads. My husband had Turkish Pilaf with lentils and rice. Both dishes were terrific! They used fresh ingredients, and the food was cooked and spiced perfectly. We're from California where vegetarian food is all the rage. Waterside has some of the the best veggie cuisine we've ever had.

homemade chips, great portions really really good meal. Best meal we've ate in keswick for some 15 years of visiting. Advice to future diners here look beyond the slightly dated decor and you won't be disappointed

homemade chips, great portions really really good meal. Best meal we've ate in keswick for some 15 years of visiting. Advice to future diners here look beyond the slightly dated decor and you won't be disappointed

We ( a party of 8) have just spent our 4th new years break here. Once again the staff have come up trumps. The New Years Eve meal was fabulous. The service was excellent and the ambience of the hotel still remains friendly and welcoming.. Its a great place to stay and even a better place to eat. Miss it miss out

We always dined here when in lakes, but, I'm afraid things changed on our last visit. Very rude, ignorant member of staff - I can't believe someone would speak to a customer the way she did. Only reason we stayed was because everywhere else was full and I was very hungry. We ate upstairs - food brought on paper plates, plastic cutlery, and, my husbands chicken was full of ice!!! He would not let me complain as I was so annoyed he was worried I would really lose my temper. I know you cannot publish but please pass on my comments to the establishment.

i cannot recommend this place on the basis of the manger ? tall guy blonde hair he is most probably the Basil Fawlty of the lakes . very unhelpful,no toliet facilities and not prepared to help when asking about bus service on new yers eve. would never go again !!

we have a house in cartmel so im ALWAYS looking for great places to eat , this is a FANTASTIC place! the food is delicious , the drinks are excellent, and the staff and environment are equally pleasing!!!!! well done gillams!!!! 5 stars!!! * * * * *

A great boozer with a landlord reminiscent of the bald guy out of Goonies. Highly recommended and popular real pub.

A group of 5 of us ate here last Saturday. The food was generally very good although the service was a little lacking. There seemed to be lots of staff around but we did not get the water we asked for and a plate was not provided for one person's main course. Don't ask for a pudding as they all seemed to be unavailable.

I had my daughters christening here, wanted somewhere that catered for everyone from kids who wanted ice cream right through to the oldies who wanted a nice cuppa and those in the middle who wanted something stronger. The service I received right from day one when I popped in to make initial enquiries right through to the point when I was ushering my drunk rellies out way after closing time was exceptional. Nothing I asked for was a problem and despite my last minute manner of organising everything including having someone around to let the balloon people in, playing my own cd, having the tables rearranged etc. The couple who run the place bent over backwards to make sure everything went according to plan. I have very fond memories of the day, the food was gorgeous and plentiful, the kids were given lovely hartleys ice creams, the place looked great with stunning views across the marina and most of all there was a great atmosphere with everyone enjoying themselves. I have had loads of positive feedback from guests who attended the christening and I would not hesitate to book this venue again or just to go along and dine there.

In Carlisle for a Xmas shopping trip and found Keez on Internet, location ideal as only 100 metres from back of Ibis hotel. One of the best restaurants we have visited with friendly staff and delicious food, no pressure to move on to next course. Although the festive period and Xmas menu it was varied enough-problem was which meal to choose all looked very good. Certainly will go out of our way to visit again when in Carlisle and recommend to friends.

oilys is a very good place to eat we have been quite a few times staff are always well dressed and polite