Restaurants in Cumbria & The Lakes
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Lucy's on a Plate
Lucy's started life in 1989 as a specialist grocery, but over the last decade it's mushroomed into a full-blown gastronomic empire, with premises dotted all over Ambleside, as well as a Windermere outpost and even a cookery school in Staveley. The original bistro is still the best of the bunch, though: a light and inviting space with pine tables and a sweet conservatory, serving Lucy's trademark quirkily named food, such as 'fruity porker', 'fell-walker filler' or 'pruned piggy-wig'. It gets very busy, so bookings are essential at busy times and weekends.
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Glass House
Ritzy restaurant in a converted watermill (with the original mill wheel and machinery still on site), serving some of the most accomplished Med and French food in the Lakes, underpinned by top-quality local ingredients – Herdwick lamb, Lakeland chicken, and fish from the north coast ports.
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Yanwath Gate Inn
Gastropub gorgeousness is at the order of the day at the Yat, 2 miles south of town. It's been named Cumbria's Top Dining Pub three times by the Good Pub Guide, and the grub puts many of the county's gastronomic restaurants to shame: wild venison, saltmarsh lamb, Brougham Hall chicken and crispy pork belly, chased down by Cumbrian cheeses and beers from three local breweries.
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The Jumble Room
Hidden away on the edge of the village, this boho bistro recently scooped a top national award from Les Routiers, and it's hard not to be swept up in the sheer energy and enthusiasm of the place. Letter-print tablecloths, porcelain knick-knacks and spotty seats are packed into the tiny dining room, and the menu wanders at will from England to the Far East.
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1657 Chocolate House
Got a sweet tooth? Then dip into this chocaholic honeypot, brimming with handmade candies and umpteen varieties of mint cake. Upstairs, waitresses in bonnets serve up 18 types of hot chocolate, including almondy 'Old Noll's Potion' and the bitter-choc 'Dungeon'. Take that, Willy Wonka…
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The Red Lion
This beautiful 15th-century coaching inn is the town's oldest pub - look out for the carved medieval figurines just underneath the eaves. The main bar serves up local dishes such as Cumberland sausage in yorkshire pudding and steak and Hawkshead bitter pie, and there are pleasant unfussy B&B rooms upstairs.
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Lakeland Pedlar Wholefood Cafe
You'll be hard-pressed to find a heartier lunch in the Lakes than the ones served up at this long-standing establishment, noted for its chunky sandwiches, homemade soups, veggie chillis and inch-thick cakes. There's a bike shop upstairs.
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Le Gall
Don't let the name fool you - this buzzy little bistro doesn't just do Franco-flavoured cuisine. The eclectic menu takes in flavours from practically everywhere, so you should be able to find something to take your fancy, whether it's an Italian panini or a Mexican fajita.
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Sweeney's Bar Restaurant & Rooms
Count on decent Brit cooking in comfortable surrounds at Sweeney's. It's half chic wine bar, half restaurant-with-rooms: leather sofas and polished tables spread over two floors, with a beer garden for soaking up the rays.
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Essen
This groovy new bar-diner is the newest entry on Carlisle's culinary scene, split over two floors and decked out in spare, contemporary style. There's a light lunch menu or a more extensive evening menu offering mainly fish, chicken and fusion flavours.
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Eclectic
Eclectic by name, eclectic by nature; this three-floored café-venue-bar has something of a split personality, with a funky beer and wine bar on the ground floor, a fusion restaurant on the first floor, and a private party room on the top level.
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Kwela's
African flavours underpin the menu of this unusual new restaurant, offering intriguing dishes such as moorish skewers and South African bobotie (curried lamb with almonds) in an atmospheric dining filled with canvas chairs and a sackcloth ceiling.
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Priest Hole
Next door to the Royal Oak pub inside the old Kelsick Hall, this spicily shaded restaurant has a melting-pot menu of Italian, French, Spanish and Cumbrian cuisine, where Blencathra venison sits alongside Prosciutto ham and manchego cheese.
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Zeffirelli's
Affectionately known as Zeff's by the locals, this buzzy pizza and pasta joint doubles as Ambleside's jazz club after dark. Artful lighting and big curvy seats conjure a cool vibe. The movie-meal combo costs £17.95, including a two-course meal and a ticket to the flicks.
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Jericho's
Now installed at the Waverley Hotel, the town's most upmarket restaurant is a favourite with the foodie guides, and head chef Chris Blaydes has acquired a deserved name as one of the Lake District's most talented chefs. The town house setting is an ideal counterpoint for the modern Brit bistro food.
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Lemon & Lime
This global bistro takes a mix-and-match approach to its wide-ranging cuisine - for starters you might choose falafels, spring rolls or Yakitori chicken, with Malaysian noodles, Thai curry or chicken schnitzel to follow.
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The Lighthouse
A buzzy continental café-restaurant split over three floors. It covers practically all bases, from breakfasts of cappuccino and cinnamon waffles through to sophisticated suppers of fell-bred lamb and sirloin steak.
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Green Room & Vats Bar
The café-bar at the Brewery Arts Centre serves drinks, wraps and sandwiches during the day, and a more upmarket evening menu featuring crispy pizzas and hearty mains such as Grizedale venison and vegetable tian.
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Porthole
An old hand on the Windermere dining scene, this friendly restaurant specialises in fish and seafood, served at small tables in the hugger-mugger dining room accompanied by a great selection of vintage wines.
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Buttercups
There are plenty of tearooms and cafés in Hawkshead. Try Buttercups, on the first floor of the old Hawkshead Institute, which does a daily 'special sandwich' and a great value tea & cake combo.
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New Moon
Kendal's best food is served at the fresh and funky New Moon, which takes the best Lakeland produce and gives it a zippy Mediterranean spin – roast duck breast in a five-spice-and-honey marinade, pork with Parma ham, hake with a pesto crust. The two-course Early Supper menu, served before 7pm, is great value at £9.95.
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David's
Town-house dining with a gentlemanly air. David's has been a big name on the Carlisle scene for some years, and it's still up there with the best. Expect original mantelpieces and overhead chandeliers partnered with suave country dishes.
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Harry's
Part wine bar, part cafe, part bistro, serving solid (if rather unstarry) steaks, pizzas, pastas and club sandwiches, along with the prodigious Harry's Big Breakfast.
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