Reviews in Cumbria and Lake District

Visited on Thurs 23 July and we were so impressed we returned the following evening. Prawns in tempura batter were the best ever, deep fried brie was light and tasty. The steaks (T-bone and fillet) were full of flavour and cooked perfectly. Not exactly cheap, but worth every penny they were so good. On the second night the stroganoff and the wild boar were also excellent. The service was attentive and charming. Wish we could have stayed in Ambleside longer to sample the whole menu. Not much to add, except that both meals we had were truly excellent, and we're thinking of returning to Ambleside in the future just on the strength of this restaurant.

During our holiday in the Lake District my boyfriend and I had a wonderful dinner here. They have a varied and very tasty menu, for very very reasonable prices. (at the time 20 for 2 course meal and cinema ticket) But don't expect a dirt cheap meal in a dirt cheap atmosphere! Expect a dirt cheap meal in a very classy environment. This newly opened restaurant is is very stylish and gives a total experience. Both the quality of the food and staff approaches some high profile (Michelin) restaurants I've been to, but paid 10X more. (and by the way, it's vegetarian)

Ate in the brasserie which has a contemporary feel, nice relaxed atmosphere with lovely views of the well kept gardens. The menu however is nearly identical in both the brasserie and restaurant, I enjoyed salted cod, mushroom risotto followed by a delicious sticky toffee pudding, the best thing about the brasserie are the lake & garden views.

Truly excellent food, wonderful combinations, attractively presented and served by friendly knowledgeable staff. A wonderful experience, thank you.

We went to Michaelangelo's for our wedding breakfast and it was absolutely perfect! The food was delicious, the service was some of the friendliest I've ever experienced, and they made our evening amazing. We had given them some decorations to make the area we had reserved special (we were sitting in an alcove that was part of the restaurant, that made it a little bit more private for our group). I had an image in my head of how I would have done the decorations (like any bride I wanted everything to be just how I wanted it!), but when we got there it was done up much more beautifully than I had imagined. They'd obviously put a lot of effort and care into it and we really appreciated it. Everyone in our party enjoyed the night and the food very much, and we send a big thank you to the staff there!

we ate at the Dove and Olive Bistro,which is part of the Wordsworth hotel and is primarily for non residents.It has its own bar area to which you are taken for pre-dinner drinks before your meal. The hostess and waiter were very professional and looked after us from the moment we arrived. The menu was not very complicated,but catered for everyone.Our meal was delicious and the homemade soup was to die for!.Everything was made from fresh with local produce. I would recommend the Bistro highly for anyone staying in Grasmere,and the prices were very reasonable for such a tourist area. We will definitely be going again when we go back in October. Please try it,you will not be disappointed!.

I discovered this place driving to a friend's and decided to stop for a cold drink. Upon looking at the menu, I decided on lunch. The food was good and the service was great and staff friendly. I decided to go back on several more occasions and tried other menu items. I must recommend the lamb chops and the lamb shanks, although everything I tried was great. It ended up being my pub of choice while I was in Cumbria

This is a great find. Maybe we were not so clever at finding the decent eateries in the Lakes, but this is one amazing little place. Really enjoyed the meal. We love food and does this place do good food!!! My duck was so tasty. As for the seafood terrine...WOW. We were only up for 3 days and we only found this on day 3. We were gutted. Would have eaten there 3 nights on the trot. Staff were great too. Yeah, been to all the posh restaurants in London. Gordon does good food, but these guys do it for a lot cheaper in a lot less pretentious environment!!

I visited this inn a few years ago and can honestly say this was the most unwelcoming experience I have ever had in the Lake District. Our presence at the bar was ignored, any decent ales were off and we were asked to move from the fire (despite being completely drenched and the only guests there.)

In these difficult times of the recession, it was a joy to find somewhere giving real value for money with excellent food. During the month of June, the Brown Horse at Winster has been offering a two course lunch for £7. It was so good my husband have not only been back for lunch twice, but also booked an evening meal there too. Beautiful food, nicely presented and with really good traditional ales, what more could we want? We are fortunate enough to be locals, so we expect to be going there again soon. Do go and try the meals there , made with locally produced food, and don't forget to try the sticky toffee pudding......a real favourite of mine.

As far as mexican restaurants go, Amigos is by far the best we have ever visited. The food was delicious and came quickly. I recommend the Loaded skins for starters and the Pollo con Jalepenos. They also have a range of frozen cocktails which tasted fabulous. The waitress (Emma) is a wonderful hostess and instantly made us feel very comfortable. After finishing our meal, we insisted on commending the chef on the fabulous food. The chef (who is also the owner) was very friendly and keen to talk to us. We would recommend this restaurant to couples and families alike. Despite the fact that we came up from Manchester for a week, this has highlighted our holiday and we will definitely be visiting again. Please note: The entrance is at the rear :-) xxx

We chose a beautiful day to have Sunday lunch at the Stickland Arms nr Kendal. For that reason we dined in the beer garden. The pub has a wonderful view over rolling countryside. Inside it has an upmarket feel, close to its rural and historical roots. The food really was excellent. All the portions were harty and I would definitely recommend you try the Topside of beef, Lancashire Hotpot or the Fish and chips. Service was good, my only criticism would be when I rang and left an answer machine message for my booking no one replied. When I mentioned this, a lame excuse was given. Really surprised they don't have online booking if the phones are not manned properly. That aside this was one of the best Sunday Lunches I have had.

Reasonable prices for Ambleside,service very slow though, we waited half an hour to place our order and then a further 15 minutes for the food and the pub was only half full. Meals are nothing to write home about, just bog standard pub food really, with plates looking full due to plenty of lettuce!. OK but average.

small pub so get there early. The bar meals are lovely and the steaks cooked to perfection to your liking (with proper chips!). Friendly staff and reasonable prices for food and drinks. Would definitely recommend.

Fantastic as always. Thank you

Went here on Fathers Day, got a phone call day before to confirm reservation (nice touch). However the time we were given when we booked and the time they told us on this phone call were different by 30 mins. We arrived at 12.30, place fairly quiet, I heard a few diners moan about the wait for food and one table had all meals served bar one and he was stuck waiting, while the other diners ate. Our server came and took the order, it was over 30 mins before the food came (we only ordered mains). Food itself was good, and perhaps somewhat over garnished , with both salad and fruit. My wife had a piece of the tie that hold the Lamb joint together still in her dinner plus what seemed to be a bit of plastic in the food (she was almost finished at this point). The waitress took note and took the plate to the kitchen. The manageress came over and explained it was not plastic as it isn't used in the kitchen, it was probably a bit of hard cabbage else it was most certainly not put there by the kitchen staff, were we sure we didn't drop it in the food! That was it, no apology, it wasn't their fault, no offer of any kind made. Perhaps thats why it wasn't busy on Fathers Day. We are not going back.

Visited Michelangelos for a post wedding dinner for 12 people. The best word to describe the whole experience is Outstanding. I suppose we were not the typical group of diners as we were celebrating a wedding, however from the moment we discussed the booking a few weeks ago to signing the bill, everything was first class. Seated in a delightful semi-private area, our table had been dressed up with style to reflect the occasion. We supplied all the trimmings, balloons/cake/candles etc and felt a slight embarrassed that we were asking maybe a little too much from the staff. Everyone in the restaurant were delighted to help make this a night to remember. The food was fantastic of which all of our party agreed. I had the scallops which are to die for, please try them. The service was attentive and genuine. Michelangelos is a lovely restaurant very close to the station and is quite imposing once inside. Prices are very reasonable for the quality of the restaurant and particularly the food. I must give special mention to Krystal who handled all of our numerous requests with a smile and very pleasing manner. Oh! and thanks for the complimentary bottle of bubbly. Can`t wait to go back again next time over in Carlisle. In fact bride and groom plan to have anniversary there in years to come.

Very good meals, reasonable prices, good atmosphere & service