Black Bull Inn Restaurant in South Lakeland

I can't understand the recent negative reviews for this place. We've eaten here twice this week and both times we've been very happy with the food, service and ambience. We've also tried a nearby hotel/pub/restaurant and found it to be wanting. There's no need to book as there are always tables available. Sometimes the bar is busy but the staff are friendly and efficient. There's a huge choice of beers available and they even do quality wines by the glass. So often the best wines are only available by the bottle but not here. Yes, they only take payment by card but I don't think there are many folk in the UK who would struggle to pay that way.

Rang to book on a Saturday night and told to just turn up. We did and got a table. Staff couldn't do enough for us and explained specials board. We both had gammon and couldn't fault it. Lovely, friendly staff and will definitely return. Well done to all the staff.

Would not accept my cash as payment. Barman was actually curt and rude when telling me legal tender was no more. Will boycott this pub in future

Possibly the worst pub food I have ever experienced. Extortionate prices, cheap ingredients. I can understand holiday destinations charging a premium to go out to eat, but to serve edible food is surely a minimum benchmark. Avoid at all costs

Great location for watching the word go by in the center of Coniston. Unfortunately the bar service is dreadful (on multiple occasions) Staff seem to have zero sense of who’s next.

Cracking pub with extremely friendly and helpful staff. but the food was mediocre bordering on, wait for it, sub-par - generic pub food not done that well. Would happily go back and drink all day in there...but wouldn't eat there for dinner again.

Recently visited Coniston and had two meals here. Lunch was outstanding and all our party agreed the toasties were the best they'd tasted. The beer was excellent and the staff very helpful. However we returned for an evening meal. I had beef which had been...

From welcoming us when we checked in right up to checking out. Everyone we met personally and those behind the scenes we didn’t see, thank you for keeping us fed with superbly prepared and served meals, putting up with our crazy breakfast orders and having...

Visited this place for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. The pub itself is a very nice local pub with classic pub decor and a warm feel to it which is lovely if you’ve been out for hike or are visiting the lakes. The staff are...

I stayed at the Black Bull in Coniston a couple of weeks ago to go walking in the hills. I've got coeliac disease and need a gluten free diet. The Black Bull was perfect and we had a really great stay. The staff were very...

We went here on a Tuesday at about 2pm so it was quite quiet. There was 5 adults in our group and we all had food. The barman was very entertaining joking with my Dad and he made us all feel welcome. I had the...

Really cosy pub with delicious eats with a nice selection of dishes for all diets and tastes. the beer selection is also good and the decor suited for the location.

I can’t think of a better start to a holiday than that first pint of Bluebird Bitter in the Black Bull! The fish & chips were superb as always.

Excellent Food and Staff 1st night, two x belly pork on a potato, pea and carrot resting with creamy leaks and cabbage - delicious. Followed by strswbetter and prosecco cheesecake, omg just lovely. Beet excellent. 2nd night, chicken liver pate and steak and ale pie...

We had a very tasty late lunch at the Black Bull during the speed boat week. As a family of 7 we were looked after brilliantly from start to finish, nothing was too much trouble for the very friendly staff. The fish and chips were...

Visited the pub last night for some hearty, quick pub grub food and I have to say although the service was lovely and efficient this was the worst food I have tasted. Chips were undercooked, onion rings covered in batter and rubbery and the burger,...

Great pub, good selection of beers. Top notch Roast Beef Dinner. Staff were really helpful. A tad expensive, but you pay for quality.

There is one so factually incorrect it should be removed. Firstly the staff at The Bull are amazing, this is nothing to do with the The Bull. The said man’s dog, lunged at, bit and wouldn’t let go of my dog as we walked past,...

After a long days walking we were all ready for a good pint. We were not disappointed. All the local beers were great, with the oat stout being our favourite. As the beer was so good we decided to stay for food. The belly pork...

Welcoming and very efficient pub with good choice of real ales and excellent pub classic meals. Can get busy and is not cheap - like much else in the area - which perhaps accounts for some negative reviews. We were more than happy with our...

Initially this place seemed good, welcoming staff and pleasant clientele, a mix of tourists & locals. But tonight I had an extremely unpleasant event which occurred directly in front of who I assume to have been a duty manager. Earlier in the evening there had...

May have been a mistake - and I wouldn’t have minded if the bar maid had been pleasant - however made to feel as if it was all too much effort - perhaps that’s why there’s a surcharge?

Drinks were good and service was prompt. Food very very average. For the price paid I was expecting better. Soup was bland and the main was served with oven chips. Disappointing.

Came here on August Bank Holiday Monday after a nearby pub, The Wilson Arms in Torver, closed its kitchen very early. It turned out well for us in the end because instead of sitting in The Wilson Arms' souless marquee eating from takeway boxes, we...

Visited twice within a few days & decided to have Kunch there. Female staff member on the first day couldn't have been kinder. 8 of us wanting lunch & to sit by each other, the Female staff member that met us, managed to get 2...

Visited here many times and always good. This time pre booked as Sunday of bank holiday weekend for family of 6 adults and 5 kids. Staff all very friendly and our waitress was lovely and very attentive. Kids meals expensive at £7 and worse of...

Breakfast and food was good terrible service by the manager chucked us out because of disability not great as I had been going through mental health issues you seriously need to improve your access for those with disabilities in continuance issues

Made to queue to place order for food and drinks only to be told to come back in 10 minutes as chef could not cope. Children fish fingers were filled with grey unappetising and inedible fish . Staff seemed indifferent to our disappointment. Would not...

We ate here as a large family group during a recent holiday. I had scampi which was nice but chips were bog standard frozen ones. The food was quite expensive for what it was. It was a disappointment as the place had been recommended for...

Calls customers thick if you forget your table number or pronounce the beer wrong. Would not return.

We have been in for a few beers over our holidays but yesterday had lunch on a wet day. I had the gammon which was very nice, maybe overpriced but very good and my wife had the scampi which she says was excellent. The beers...

Best pub in Coniston, great beer , good food , the specials are really good ! And everyone is really helpful . Definitely recommend this place , it saved us from a very wet couple of days !

Stoped her for some dinner sat out side it was realy nice staff friendly food excellent local brewed beers very nice visit and will definitely be returning

Spent the weekend near Coniston and booked breakfast for Saturday morning. We were a bit early but staff welcomed us and we had a hot drink before our breakfast. Food was amazing and set us up for the day! Staff so friendly and attentive. I...

Delicious lunch after a long walk. The portions were huge. Everything. was piping hot and came super quick. Good prices,?very friendly staff and a nice pint too. Highly recommended

Called in looking forward to a nice pint of Bluebird and a pub meal. Asked for the menu and was told it was on the blackboard. Choices were an expensive Sea Bream, a Cumberland Sausage and Blackpudding Scotch Egg and a vegetarian curry. Pint was...

This once lovely village pub has gone down hill fast,absolutely awful rude manager with a very bad attitude,the pub smells like it hasn’t been cleaned since the 1960s or decorated for that matter,the whole place is dull dated and lifeless,with over price poor quality food...

We had Sunday lunch here on 6th March. The lunch was great and the staff could not have been more cheerful and helpful. Definitely would recommend.

Food was OK but quite pricey. Chilli was beef and kidney beans, hardly a taste of the chilli! Husband had fish and chips which were OK. Shame they only took card and not cash. When I said our table hadn't been cleaned to the man...

Everything you would expect from a typical English pub, good grub, great ales. Warm friendly setting and chatty locals.

Poor manager, the rest terrific. On Thursday evening had drink and asked staff if I could book a group to eat on Saturday night. They said that they did not take bookings! However, there were group bookings in the diary?! Told to come back Friday...

Spent the day walking in and around Coniston, so good food was needed afterwards and the Black Bull Inn didn't disappoint. The menu had a good selection of typical pub food and plenty of choice for our little one. We kept it easy and had...

Stayed in Coniston for a week over the festive period and had drinks and food at this establishment. I think the beer is brewed by themselves and to be honest there was plenty of choice if you like your real ales. The price was a...

A superb pub with its own brewery. Excellent food served in good time by friendly attentive staff. The beers are worth a visit alone, huge selection of zero mile ales.

In the heart of Coniston a fine country pub.A warm welcome with good food and drink. Good atmosphere and convivial surroundings. Used by visitors and locals alike. Nothing not to like here.

We visited the Black Bull regularly in 2016, we had a fantastic range of food, atmosphere was great, they even did Christmas dinner special on Christmas Eve , prices were good , staff were lovely. We recently went back this year with some friends and...

Great selection of beer brewed in the brewery in the back of the pub, nice tasting beer, just what was needed after a long hike! Friendly staff and good service! Food was average pub food and a little pricey but can see the tourist attraction...

Great welcome and service from Lauren. Food was fantastic and as always the ale was superb. Try the scampi and the sticky toffee is amazing

Very traditional feel to it with a large roaring open fire. Good range of beers, including locally brewed ales and lager. Food portions are huge, I had the beef chilli which was delicious.

Cracking pub , new barrel of bluebird ale👍Atmospheric authentic pub. Great choice of ales . Mostly coniston brewery but others available

We love this pub for its beer and atmosphere! Soggy walkers. Soggy dogs. Friendly staff! Usually, though, the food offer has been extremely hit and miss. However, on this occasion, the food really was pretty good! The fish and chips, The Black Bull's most popular...

Food was ok traditional pub fare but the place was dirty. Custory wipes of tables between patrons with a damp overused cloth and the ladies lavatories were absolutely disgusting. Won’t return solely due to cleanliness even though the staff were pleasant and food ok.

We stayed in a cottage in Coniston earlier in the month & made several visits to the BB eating twice. It is a large but pleasant clean place l and not brilliant quality friendly staff. The beer (& my wife tells me) The Gin are...

We are in this pub several times during our stay in coniston. The food was really good and there was plenty of space. The staff were fantastic, really friendly and helpful. Would highly recommend.

This has to be the best pub in the area. Good home cooked food and lots of it, friendly staff, local beer. What more could you ask, always return when staying in Coniston.

We went to this pub for a drink after a meal, first impressions were not great as there was rubbish om the floor, the table we sat on hadn't been cleaned and the smell of food was bad greasy fish smell, but we decided to...

Great food, hence very busy, we come with friends twice a year so it is always 4 different meals, we eat there every time we are in Coniston and never had bad meals.

We only visited this place twice for a drink as didn't see people eating. Beers are OK but not cheap (especially they brewing them on the premises). I think we pay similar prices in Surrey. Food menu wasn't cheap too and sadly not very exciting

We stopped in on our way back from Coniston Lake, after a hectic day paddle boarding. Luckily they had room for us! With parking! The service was quick and efficient and it was nice to see staff still taking precautions such as masks etc despite...

The Black Bull is situated in the centre of Coniston and offers an ideal location for exploring the area The Breakfast was very good, and the Fish & Chips were excellent The owner was very friendly and went out of her way to help with...

Very atmospheric and busy Bub. Lovely selection of excellent beer - would recommend the IPA but be careful - it is strong!! Food not great - standard pub fare... Gammon egg and chips greasy, but not terrible at all..

We had tried to book a table here in the morning but were we told this wasn’t available at the moment, due to COVID-19 but to come back before 7.30pm to ensure we got a table. (We did). The staff were friendly, helpful and accommodating...

We had two steaks and a fish and chips. The steaks were good quality and perfectly cooked and the fish and chips were good. Service was good and the selection of drinks was also good. You can’t book into the pub for meals and they...

Disappointed with the fare at this busy place. Benefits from an excellent roadside location but the food was distinctly average. Soggy batter on the fish suggested it had been slightly undercooked compared to the crispy scampi. Won't go back

Great don't take bookings so best of all worlds! Food great value. Lots of different areas for different sizes of groups/families in or outside. Best of all brewery on premises!!

Stayed here for a couple of nights and enjoyed our stay. Coniston is a lovely village and this pub is right in the middle in prime location. Fortunately, the weather was quite kind to us and we sat in the front beer garden enjoying the...

We celebrating our anniversary and went for two steaks, a bit pricy but hey it’s a special night! One filet and one sirloin, 2 glasses of wine, £70! And the food was very mediocre, the sirloin was never 10oz, this is a village pub not...

It's always nice to see a decent number of more "local" ales rather than the multi-national standards allied with a varied menu made my visit here during my stopover in Coniston.

Extremely kind staff, very welcoming! Lots of selections of DELICIOUS beers and mouthwatering food. Honestly a truly lovely pub in thr centre on Coniston!

great pub in the centre of the village. lots of old world charm and info about the lake. Local beers on tap and a good menu. Plenty of outside seating

Popped in for a local pint. Oatmeal stout was good. Decided to have lunch & had the hot chicken & stuffing sandwiches. Had granary bread & thick slices of chicken. Cappuccino was lovely. All agreed it was really good. Spoke to waiting staff, don’t know...

Seems like a nice place, but I came looking for the vegan options promised by the tripadvisor tags, and found none. Don't know if reviewers add these tags or customers, but either way, they should probably go.

Stopped off for lunch while walking the area, busy place right in the centre of town, good food and drinks, plenty of outdoor seating for walkers or anyone passing through

Stayed for 1 night at this hotel, room was comfortable with a view of the surrounding hills. Evening meal was ok, breakfast a little below average the staff were friendly and efficient.

My son orderd the chilli and it was just mince beef fried up with some kidney beans, light brown and horrible. The sausage 'platter' my husband ordered was just a cumberland sausage on a tiny bit of mash and 5 green beans. I was luckier...

We popped in to this pub on a couple of occasions. It was always busy but it was nice to sit outside taking in the views from the village. We tried the coniston brewery lager which was out of date but other than on that...

Popped in a few times over our 10 day stay in Coniston. The food was always spot on from the scampi, half roast chicken and the burger which was ok, a little dry for my liking but for £15 with cheese is overpriced. The gammon...

Great place. Lovely staff. Nice area to sit out the front and watch the world go by. Lots of nice pictures inside. Fabulous in house brewed beer, so many to chose from too. Had an amazing Sunday lunch, well worth a visit and we’ll be...

Great pub/brewery in the center of Coniston. Called here for a drink in the afternoon and went back for evening food. Fantastic selection of real Ales including bottled gluten free beer all brewed on the premises. Staff were absolutely brilliant, great knowledge of celiac diet...

It has its own, excellent brewery. That is enough for me to be fully satisfied. Every beer I tried (all of the bitters, and light ales) was excellent and there are plenty to choose from for all tastes. The food was homemade filling and tasty...

We arrived with two HUNGRY girls after a busy day exploring the lakes. The chef happily split an adults gammon for them and the plates came loaded with food including 2 eggs each! Staff here genuinely care and were so friendly and kind. The most...

We were visiting the area recently & decided to pop in for a bit to eat. Wish we hadn’t! It’s clear the owners do not care for the welfare of the staff. They are squeezing in as many people as they can with no social...

There is a great selection of beers and ales. The food was great we stayed in Coniston for 3 nights and ate here twice

Came here for Sunday lunch, Helen our waitress was very lovely and helpful, the menu is nice bit of everything that you would expect from a country pub. We had been out walking and where starving so opted for the Sunday lunch! Beef was cooked...

I visited a few days ago whilst holidaying in Coniston with friends and was worried about finding food that would suit my dietary requirements which is often a very stressful experience for me. Alec and Mark (I believe these were their names) were very friendly...

Visited during June half term and staff coped well with extremely busy pub. Still managed to eat as a group of 6 without pre-booking - 2 nights in a row. Food fine - nothing special but perfectly decent. And the beer is fantastic. Really top...

A very bad experience of the Black Bull in Coniston yesterday for me and my girlfriend. Firstly the service was slow and no table service available (unsure if this is covid safe, who knows those rules now). We were told this pub was a more...

Went to the black bull sat outdoors. A family member was carrying a square flat box containing left over pizza which was being taken back to the cottage. The pony tailed man pointed at the closed box he was carrying and abruptly said "you can't...

Great selection of beers, cider and ale with very efficient and friendly staff. You don’t have to book to eat which actually was invaluable last week as it was so busy everywhere in the Lake District that we struggled to book anywhere. So ended up...

Only popped in here for evening pint so review limited. I did not realise this was a beer connoisseur type pub so if into local beers this place to go. Evening meals till about 8 pm. Pleasant pub.

Great location and really friendly staff. Very welcoming and attentive would visit if in the area again

Great selection of beers!! Everything brewed by themselves and they have 2 lovely outside areas plus it’s a dog friendly pub :) - Downside as a veggie is that they only had one veggie option, a veggie curry :( - I ended up eating a...

We visited the bull for an evening meal and drinks, as usual there was big competition for tables during this covid period, however we managed to get a table and awaited our meal, it came on time, piping hot and high quality and great value,...

We were staying locally with friends and sat outside for a sandwich lunch. Very chatty waitress and tasty sandwiches. The following day we decided to have a late lunch there before heading back home. Same chatty, blonde waitress and we chose soup and fish and...

Lovely pub ended up going both nights we stayed here. Very Covid aware and staff are doing a splendid job in difficult circumstances. Fantastic beers and good selection of food to comply with legislation. Felt very safe inside and only a 15 min walk from...

Cosy and friendly atmosphere with a great selection of beers and good options for food. Burger (with cheese & bacon) was meaty and the regular (not brioche) bun made me question why people ever made the change. My wife had the beer battered cod which...

Cosy pub with log fire. The waiter was smart and very accommodating. The burger was lovely, shame they had run out of coleslaw. The locally brewed Pilsner was very nice.

Always good to be here. Beer is great and options for paddles to taste the extensive range, their own lager is not bad too. Food is reasonable had scampi and haddock plenty of it too. Service was good and lots of dogs welcomed too.

Had an evening meal and a few drinks, food was average and overpriced but fair enough they are trying to claw back some lost profits, what really spoilt the night was when we bought our last round at 9:30pm the bar staff began cleaning up...

Enjoyed a very nice meal when visiting the area, social distancing very well observed by all staff, excellent menu with the usual pub favourites and a specials board. Nice pub with good atmosphere, dog friendly.