Reviews in Cumbria and Lake District

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

The staff on a Friday night are always so helpful, courteous and nothing is too much trouble for them. Thank you and please pass our thanks on to them for such hospitality, it is in sharp contrast to some service / treatment one receives these days.

Another excellent meal at The Ship. Lyn, Helen & Katrina very pleasant & welcoming as always.

My wife and I ate at the White House on Friday 5th June 2009. We are both in our forties and really enjoy a good night out with good company and great food. Without doubt at the White House we weren’t disappointed; we had a fabulous evening! The food and wine was excellent and all at a reasonable price. Please be assured this is not a pub restaurant in our opinion. It’s much more. Janine was our hostess for the night and she and her colleagues looked after us very well. The service is attentive without being on your shoulder every second. Consequently we have no hesitation to recommend this anyone who is in the area.

We have eaten at Giannis 3 times. The first 2 were on quieter week days. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, and the food was average (what you'd expect from a small diner) and priced to match. For example we ordered some olives and were given a plate of microwaved, tinned black olives with a bit of butter over them. The 3rd time we went, it was a Saturday. We were sent upstairs to a busy bar to wait for seats. After 10 mins we were briskly taken to our table. This time we felt very rushed. Our main course arrived as soon as our starters were taken off our table (about 15 mins after ordering). We had calzone pizzas and were upset to find that they weren't cooked properly. They were filled with raw onions and mushrooms, and the cheese had not fully melted. We therefore did not eat our pizzas, and did not pay for them as we were not offered any replacement and were told they actually were cooked. We have never been back.

lovely very peaceful nice place for a lovely afternoon out.recommend the shortbread delicious.

wonderful place to take the kids they loved it and the food wasn't bad too.not to expensive and the kids can play while waiting for the food.

the garlic bread is outstanding and the cabonara is just fabulous! a definite thumbs up. bit hard to find . had to stop and ask for directions!

best italian in carlisle. not too pricey. for four it was £30 for a meal each and drink and garlic bread.(at happy hour) worth going at happy hour. food is well cooked. don't be put off by the location. near a few kebab,takeaway shops.really nice food.

when we went in they had the bull fighting on the Tv. we politley asked them to turn it off as it was upsetting a few of our party. they refused to turn it off and after a while we asked again they refused again and a few of our party had a quiet word they refused and said they would not turn it off it was their house and if you where in someones house you would not ask them to turn their tv off. this was very upsetting for us.