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High ceilings, shabby-chic chairs, and old-fashioned filament bulbs in jars set the scene for this handsome conversion of what was once a bank: the family-run bistro's name references the financially themed nursery rhyme. Although there is an a la carte menu, the set menu is a particularly good value at £26 for 3 courses, including delights such as homemade mackerel pate with Isle of Wight tomatoes and elderflower balsamic and grilled cannon of Cumbrian pork with wild mushrooms. Book ahead, especially for weekend evenings.
42 King St., Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 7AY, England
Known For
- Cocktails and whiskies
- Beautifully presented food
- Busy nights should be booked in advance
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An informal restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Simon Rogan, Henrock is a superb addition to the dining scene in Bowness. Much of the fresh produce is grown on Rogan's farm in nearby Cartmel, and all of the dishes are seasonal with strong roots in British cooking. In addition to lunch and dinner, Henrock also has an imaginative afternoon tea menu with sweet treats such as chocolate and passion fruit tartelette and pink pepper, raspberry, and rose choux buns.
Crook Rd., Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 3JA, England
Known For
- Local ingredients
- Creative afternoon tea menu
- Michelin-starred chef
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. No lunch weekdays
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The village of Cartmel has earned a place on England's culinary map with this ambitious Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms. Chef Simon Rogan's innovative food incorporates long-forgotten herbs and cutting-edge techinques. The restaurant is in what was once a forge, now converted to a bright, contemporary, and airy space with dark wooden beams, stark white walls, and splashes of color. The set menu comes with up to 16 courses and includes delights such as dry aged Herdwick lamb with fermented cabbage and fennel sauce, and a fritter of Duroc pig and smoked eel with lovage. L'Enclume's 16 elegant rooms are in three different buildings around the village.
Cavendish St., Cartmel, Cumbria, LA11 6QA, England
Known For
- Fresh seasonal ingredients
- Carefully chosen wine pairings
- Decadent tasting menus
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.–Mon., Reservations essential
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The quality of locally sourced and foraged food has been raised to a new level by this Michelin-starred restaurant, which, together with the Lake Road Kitchen, has given Ambleside unexpected status on the British gastro map. Chef Ryan Blackburn has created a menu anchored to Cumbrian traditions but at the same time mouthwateringly creative and contemporary. Look for hand-dived scallops with pumpkin, braised daube of beef with smoked celeriac, and Cumbrian gingerbread with rhubarb soufflé. The restaurant has an unprepossessing setting, down steps in a dim room, but there's history in the whitewashed, rough-hewn walls: Wordsworth once worked here as "Distributer of Stamps.” A tasting menu is also available at lunch and dinner.
Church St., Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 0BU, England
Known For
- Creative seasonal menu
- Celebrity chef
- Excellent wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Tues., Reservations essential
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With a porch that appears in a Beatrix Potter story and a location just a rabbit's hop from the author's home, you might expect this pub to be something of a tourist trap, but luckily it's anything but. The meals are tasty and copious, making use of local ingredients. There's a slate floor, a crackling open fire, and a bar that stocks some of the best beers around. Four bedrooms upstairs offer a good-value alternative to pricier lodgings.
Off B5285, Near Sawrey, Cumbria, LA22 0LF, England
Known For
- Literary influences
- Standard pub fare
- Some of the area's best ales
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. in winter
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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Up the steep slope from the water's edge in Bowness, this spacious, stylish pub serves good home-cooked fare as well as a fine collection of beers that includes its own Hawkshead brew. The seasonal menu includes a traditional Cumbrian sausage ring and breaded whole tail scampi from Whitby. Leather sofas and open fires make the Angel a cozy place; service is low-key and friendly, with crayons for kids and games to play. The decoration is bright, minimal, and contemporary, with wooden floors and off-white walls. Thirteen comfortable, good-value bedrooms complete the picture.
Helm Rd., Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 3BU, England
Known For
- Draft beers and ciders
- Landscaped gardens
- Local, seasonal food
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At this authentic Turkish restaurant located in a courtyard just off Main Street, the chef combines speciality ingredients from Turkey with those grown and made locally in Cumbria, so every dish has a multicultural twist. The owners are warm and welcoming hosts.
Headford Court, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 9LH, England
Known For
- Authentic Turkish ingredients
- Dark Turkish coffee and delicious baklava
- Generous portion sizes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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Flocked floral wallpaper, old lamps, an open fire, and a handsome wooden floor set the tone at this appealing pub. Homey and intimate, the pub serves big, tasty portions of traditional British food such as scampi tails, chicken-and-leek pie, and gammon with egg and pineapple. You can wash it down with locally brewed beer. The excellent Sunday lunches are popular with locals.
15 Kirkgate, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 9PJ, England
Known For
- Popular Sunday roasts
- Hearty British favorites
- Eight real ales on tap
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.–Thurs.
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Attached to the Coniston Brewing Company, whose ales are on tap here, the Black Bull is an old-fashioned pub in the heart of the village. It can feel a little dated, but it's a good pick for simple, hearty food such as fried whitebait, housemade leek-and-potato soup, and a tasty steak-and-ale pie. The beer choice is exemplary. Old photos of Donald Campbell's boat Bluebird decorate the walls, and there are wooden beams and benches. The inn also has 11 ensuite rooms, which are suitable for families.
1 Yewdale Rd., Coniston, Cumbria, LA21 8DU, England
Known For
- Locally sourced ingredients
- Large range of real ales
- Old-fashioned decor
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At this 500-year-old pub, restaurant, and inn in the heart of superb walking country, antiques, comfortable chairs, and prints and oil paintings furnish the cozy, beamed public rooms. The hearty traditional British food—from grilled haggis with housemade plum jam to pan-seared sea bass and wild-mushroom stroganoff—is popular with locals, as are the many whiskies and ales, including a specially brewed Britannia Gold beer. The whole family can relax with a bar meal and Cumbrian ale on the terrace while taking in the village green and the rolling scenery beyond. The nine simple guest rooms (eight of which are en suite) are more modern in style, with large, comfy beds.
B5343, Elterwater, Cumbria, LA22 9HP, England
Known For
- Specialty beers
- Traditional oak-beamed interior
- Annual beer festival in November
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Husband-and-wife team Kevin and Nicola Tickle run Heft, a superb fine dining restaurant in the village of High Newton, just outside Cartmel. An imaginative set menu with dishes such as oxtail and thyme custard and a Shetland mussel kebab glazed in cucumber garum is served at lunch (£45) and dinner (£95), and there's a separate Sunday menu available until 6 pm. The building was a 17th-century inn, and the Tickles have preserved many of its original architectural features. Heft also has five double bedrooms.
High Newton, Newton-in-Cartmel, Cartmel, Cumbria, LA11 6JH, England
Known For
- Historic building
- Locally sourced ingredients
- Good value tasting menus (especially at lunch)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Wed.
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At the more casual and affordable sister restaurant of the Old Stamp House, head chef Dan Hopkins and his team create seasonal menus inspired by the Cumbrian landscape, sourcing their ingredients from small artisan producers. The lunchtime set menu is a particularly good value at £27.50 for two courses.
3/4 Cheapside, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 0AB, England
Known For
- Seasonal menu
- Locally sourced ingredients
- Wild game from the Pennines
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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This eatery has one of the best views in Bowness, thanks to its outdoor terrace overlooking the lake that is drenched in sunshine for much of the summer and has quite a party atmosphere. There's often live music and an extensive drink menu that includes signature cocktails, plus a tasty selection of sourdough pizzas, burgers, and shared plates.
Lake Rd., Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 3DE, England
Known For
- Fantastic lake views
- Casual atmosphere
- Live music in summer
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With fabulous views over the rolling countryside of the Winster Valley to the east of Windermere, the Masons Arms is a slate-floored traditional old inn serving local ales and good pub food. Old mirrors and tankards decorate the walls, and there's a speciality gin list as well as a menu showcasing the best local ingredients. Favorite dishes include slow-cooked pork belly, Cartmel lamb with a rosemary and garlic mash, and a particularly good glazed ham hock to share. In winter there's an open log fire; in summer outdoor seating beckons. Five suites and two cottages provide stylish places to sleep, should you wish to stay.
Strawberry Bank, Windermere, Cumbria, LA11 6NW, England
Known For
- Locally farmed meats
- Housemade desserts
- Popular children's menu
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This unpretentious 17th-century inn in the pretty little village of Troutbeck is in a superb location. The menu showcases local ingredients and there's a traditional Sunday lunch with roasted meats and all the trimmings. The intimate dining rooms have oak beams, flagged floors, and log fires. If you want to stay overnight, the 10 ensuite guest rooms have splendid views, and the spot is well positioned for walks in the beautiful Troutbeck Valley. The Queen's Head is owned by Individual Inns, a small group of properties in the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.
Town Head, Troutbeck, Cumbria, LA23 1PW, England
Known For
- Historic building
- Plenty of cask ales
- Weekly fish-and-chips night
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Hidden away up a winding lane past the old mill waterwheel, homey Rattle Ghyll is a deservedly popular little café serving great housemade cakes, soups, sandwiches, and salads. The tasting plate of cakes is an especially good option. Local art hangs on the berry-red walls, and old exposed beams give the place extra atmosphere. It's child-friendly, with books to read, and there are seats outside above the stream for good weather. Head to their deli and shop for local produce, an eco-conscious refill station, and coffee from regional roasteries.
Rydal Rd., Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 9BS, England
Known For
- Housemade soups
- Tasting plates of cakes
- Outdoor seating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No dinner
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Young locals and windblown walkers gather in Keswick's liveliest café for excellent coffee or tea, fruit-flavored cordials, and some serious hot chocolate. The music is laid-back; the staff is undeniably cool; the walls are hung with paintings and photos; and there are housemade pizzas, tapas, and pints of local beer for long rainy days or cold winter nights. Don't miss the decadent chocolate orange cake.
20 St. John's St., Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5AS, England
Known For
- Decadent chocolate orange cake
- Ethically sourced tea and coffee
- Live music on Wednesday evening
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The National Trust now owns other pubs, but Sticklebarn was the first. With its own water supply and hydroelectric power, the pub's aim is sustainability; the kitchen uses as much produce as possible from the immediate area and makes its own gin and vodka. Most of the menu is traditional pub fare—burgers, macaroni and cheese, and lamb stew, for example—aimed at the Langdale walkers who fill the rustic, wood-beamed dining room. Tables spill out onto the terrace in sunny weather. There's also a wood-fired pizza oven.
B5343, Great Langdale, Cumbria, LA22 9JU, England
Known For
- Real ales on tap
- Family friendly
- Wood-fired pizzas and other standard pub fare
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. No dinner
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This coaching inn and dining room is in Sedbergh, a pretty town nine miles to the east of Kendal. The husband and wife team prepares food with influences from the Lake District, Germany, and Japan, and source their ingredients from within 20 miles of the restaurant.
44 Main St., Cumbria, LA10 5BL, England
Known For
- Exceptionally friendly service
- Creative menu
- Locally sourced ingredients
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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Chocolate rules at this old spot serving 16 chocolate drinks. You can choose among 300 kinds of chocolates in the shop, too. Aztec Experience hot chocolate blends five spices; the milk-chocolate truffle cake is scrumptious. Servers in period costumes also deliver traditional English fare such as potted shrimps.
54 Branthwaite Brow, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4TX, England
Known For
- Period costumed staff
- Traditional English desserts
- All things chocolate
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No dinner
