Bodega Tapas Bar in South Lakeland

Looks very inviting from outside; bar on the right entrance was ok but we preferred seating arrangements to the other bar to the left accessed through an arch, which does have its own front access. Having checked the menu for the overpriced tapas, we decided on just having drinks only. Had to ask for a cocktail menu, but declined at £10.50. I just had a beer from the other bar (Theakston Summit) which was well kept BUT the Sauvignon Blanc from an opened bottle in their chiller was sour. This does happen occasionally if left over from the previous day. Mentioned it to the woman behind the bar, completely off hand and zero customer service, my wife just left the drink. Observation. The sign outside states cask ales, only the one on sale, the other bar was all keg beers. Would not recommend this establishment.

Awful, awful service!! We rang to book a table at 715pm and was told they don’t take bookings but that the kitchen closes at 9pm, so to head down. We rushed to the restaurant and when we arrived we entered a bar with almost no customers and plenty of tables. The bar steward, who we spoke to on the phone, said that food orders were now upstairs only. Upstairs, there was another area with no customers at all. and plenty of tables…up a few steps was a small room which appeared to be the restaurant there was a table of 4 available. On asking for a table for 2, the waiter said we have no tables available and they were full. I pointed out a table that was free. He refused to sit us there, saying he had to keep that free in case a party of 4 came in. He then offered up a buzzer, which would alert to a table of 2 becoming available. It was pouring down outside, on a cold autumn Wednesday night. There were no parties of 4 walking about. The town was dead. I tried to reason with him telling him how quiet it was but he was happy to see us frustrated and as we walked out he said in a rude patronising tone “Good bye” We visit the lakes annually and have always enjoyed a meal, and the atmosphere there. This rant stems from utter disappointment

Stumbled upon this place on a short break in October. You might walk by it as it doesn’t look anything from outside. The foods great. Portion size for tapas was big. I had an individual paella which had loads of fish and meat. Garlic mushrooms were very good also. My wife had chicken skewers and meatballs and also thoroughly enjoyed them. Staff are great and they use a menu sheet for ordering which dispenses with any awkward dodgy Spanish pronunciation. All in all great value and smashing food. Don’t leave Bowness-On-Windermere without giving it a bash.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt more unwelcome at a restaurant. Staff were rude and uninterested in my wanting to be there. After me addressing a problem, the only enthusiasm was in the waiter calling out “goodbye.” The food used to be astonishing. Standards have dipped more and more, over the years, yet prices are ever rising. I’m finished with Bodega.

This is a good tapas bar in Bowness staffed by Spanish staff and offering authentic food at a reasonable price together with sensibly priced drinks. Very busy on the night we were there though they don’t take bookings so probably best not to choose a popular time.

Food is boring best thing about this place is the toilets. Frozen food nothing special could have made this at home in a fryer (if I had one)

We wanted to have something different for lunch, so decided to try this tapas restaurant. Great choice on the menu and although we had to wait a little while for the food (when cooked from scratch ... this is how it should be), the dishes were tasty and plentiful. Friendly service and reasonably priced. Would definitely return when next in the area.

Brilliant place but I wish they would restock the duvel, love the staff, restock duvel, all my needs where met, apart from the fact they don’t have duvel

This was our first visit to Bowness and my first visit to a Tapas restaurant, we found this place by chance and decided to give it a try, the food was lovely with plenty to choose from,we chose 3 dishes each which didn’t look a lot when it arrived but we had plenty. The food was freshly cooked & piping hot when it arrived we would definitely recommend it and we would go back again if we’re ever in Bowness.

Fairly good service in the restaurant upstairs. Bar downstairs was OK too. Tapas was quite good, but the padron peppers weren't cooked properly. Patatas bravas was very good, as were some of the meat dishes. The menu could use some more vegetable dishes for balance. Some dishes rather overpriced, but Bowness is a tourist trap so this is perhaps to be expected. We had to wait a while for a table but it didn't seem busy!? We were asked to have a drink downstairs while we waited.

One of the best tapas resterauants that I have eaten at. The food is great and cooked really fresh, the service is good and the price is right. The atmosphere is great as well. Well done everyone!

We have been coming to Bodegas for 20 years plus & having been waiting for Kyle!!!! Equally the beers & tapas are excellent! Not to be missed!

My second visit to this restaurant so I knew the food would be good. It was very quiet as it was a rainy November evening but the food and service were still spot on. We ordered 6 tapas dishes between two of us and this was more than enough. A reasonably priced bottle of red proved a delicious accompaniment to our meal. All our dishes were so good. Special mention to the patatas aioli as they were so crispy on the outside and fluffy inside - divine. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend and will no doubt return when next in Bowness.

We sat downstairs and had a few drinks while waiting for a table to come available. We hadn’t booked and being Saturday night it was very busy. There’s a great selection of quality world beers and the usual spirits, we had a nice cocktail too. Very good vibe to the place with some quirky seating. Staff were all very friendly and grateful for any tips we gave. The food was nice and the upstairs restaurant area had a good Spanish feel to it.

We visited Bowness on Windermere and was looking for a tapas bar. When we read the menu the first thing my partner said (he is Spanish) was that it’s definitely Spanish that had written the menu. Plenty of options on the menu so we went in. Partner is from Valencia and we go back regularly for tapas. We have found a few ok tapas restaurants in England but some dishes have been good and some not so good. We both said this is the best tapas we have eaten in England and will definitely return when in Lake District. The food was not greasy, or over cooked. Was plenty of it and such good flavours to each dishes, not one dish was average. We ordered 8 dishes which come to £58 and we was stuffed afterwards.

This place is only ok. I love tapas and I’ve had the pleasure of eating some really good dishes and sadly this doesn’t meet that standard. Some of the dishes appeared to be factory made and others on the menu didn’t sound very Spanish The service was very quick as we sat down and all 10 dishes arrived all together within minutes of ordering but after that there was little service at all. We’d have ordered more drinks and maybe more food but nobody came by the table and after 15 minutes of waiting for the bill we got up and paid at the counter as we left. The whole visit took little over an hour. With a more “Spanish” atmosphere, slower more relaxed service with food made in house this could be really good but as it is with average food eaten while listening to to Sting and the Police it only just worth the visit - what a pity

We had a lovely meal the other night. This has been one of my favourite bars and restaurants in Bowness for a number of years. I recognise a number of staff who have been here for many years. Excellent service great selection of drinks and lovely tapas with generous helpings and good value for money.

both the bars where very good excellent service good choice drinks from soft drinks to cocktails very good wine list did have any food but what i saw comming out to tables looked very inviting and hot

Went for a few beers, the staff were very friendly, the beer menu was vast, good choice of music playing and a good overall atmosphere.

This is a decent and authentic-ish tapas spot in Windermere. Easy ordering (you use a tick sheet to order). Feels informal, but great effort has been made to make it feel Spanish inside. We had a jug of Sangria and 6 plates.

Food was incredibly bland. Service was fine. Wine was nice but the food was just ridiculously bland. We had to put salt on everything and still didn’t want to eat it

Average to poor food. Good friendly service, good range of beers, however very average verging on poor food. Don’t expect anything more than ready made sauces and packet to pan dishes, however you get what you pay for.

We paid a lot of money for some very poor food indeed..we’d hope to recreate our time in Barcelona on a rainy night in The Lakes but got sad looking food,cheap supermarket bread and a bad stomach…there’s better places I’m sure..

The food here is absolutely delicious. We are a family of 2 carnivores, a vegetarian and one seafood lover, so tapas is a good choice. The portions sizes here vary, with differing plate sizes, but mainly they are very generous, but it was a little difficult to work out how much to order. We ordered far too much, but managed to eat it all! We would go again.

First place we go to when visiting Bowness I love it! Food was amazing highly recommended friendly staff!

Food cold when brought to the table , quality and qty poor , waited half an hour to be seated definitely not worth the wait. Save your money

We came here with high hopes as we eat a lot of tapas and like to try new places, what a disappointment. The food was tasteless, like it was all frozen. We sent a dish back straight away - when they came to check on...

Came years ago and often told people that it was the best tapas we had ever had! So was disappointed on this visit as food was not the same quality. Average food, over priced drinks and odd atmosphere! I suspect they are putting more focus...

Food was horrendous. All frozen. The paella was defrosted mush. Garlic bread raw. Patatas bravas were old potatoes and rock hard. As they cleared the plates which were still full, they didn’t even ask how it was. Go to Tapios where you’ll get some decent...

Venue is lovely , nice atmosphere. Sangria was nice . Food was ok nothing special, we ordered Paella as a tapas dish , was advertised as chicken and seafood, there was not one bit of seafood in it.. we mentioned this to the waiter who...

Fantastic spot this restaurant. Food was delicious and there was plenty of variety. Staff were excellent as well and the ambiance was also very good. First class place

Awful. Sticky wobbly table. The food was oily, tasted burnt, cheap ingredients and rubbish service. Please avoid.

It’s a fantastic cosy place with great drinks and prices! Haven’t got food but there’s a food spot too in case you’d like something to chew. Great Hispanic bartenders and great music too.

Been a few times over the years and the service and quality of the food never disappoints. Good size portions, delicious and varied tapas and friendly staff...please visit...it's a gem of a place...one of our happy places visiting the Lakes. Thankyou ladies and chef(s)💖💖💖

went last year and everything was perfect couldn't fault it however i don't know what's changed because this year everything was greasy,oily and bland. really disappointed compared to last year

Wow wow wow ! Some of the best tapas I have ever eaten in the UK. Absolutely love this place .. first visit and safe to say we'll be back again. The food is absolutely fantastic, reasonably priced, cooked well, well presented and very very...

Food absolutely amazing, very fresh, staff very pleasant. We ordered 8 dishes and each one was perfect, price was better than expected.

We chose our food and then we were told we'd ordered too much for 2 of us. We ammended our order based on the advice. However another waitress took our ammedned order. They delivered the wrong order having not spoken to the original waitress and...

Utterly awful food. Should be ashamed to call it tapas. Pale, unappealing prawns, paella that was more like a golden rice sachet from days gone by, over fried croquettes, and a seafood salad with indistinguishable seafood that looked like it had been hole punched out....

Unfortunately can't rate the food. Arrived at 12.00 for tapas. Waited in restaurant for about 10 minutes, no staff around. Found two in the next door bar, seemed disinterested in a customer, continuing talking to each other. Finally looked up, rather reluctantly gave me a...

Absolutely amazing tapas. Great service and would definitely return. Ordered 7 dished between two of us and each dish was delicious.

On this occasion the quality of the food was very poor, greasy Calamari, tasteless albondigas and all other dishes were poor accompanied by cheap bread. Won’t be going again

Can't thank Bodega enough, especially Iza who sorted everything out for us. We came up to Bowness for a hen party and had some activities planned at the house we'd booked, but needed some form of catering for dinner. I knew the bride to be...

Absolutely incredible!! Shocked at the bad reviews, because we couldn’t fault it. Beautiful dishes, beautiful sangria and all well priced. If we ever make it back to the lakes we’ll be returning, thank you.

We love tapas so decided to give this place a go! Wish we hadn’t terribly disappointing staff not interested, food was mediocre at best frozen and deep fried nothing tasted home made nor quality

We have eaten here on several occasions previously and had really enjoyable meals. Unfortunately our lunch today was OK but not up to previous standards. The food was not as hot as it could have been and was fairly bland. The staff really weren't interested....

WE LOVE TAPAS ITS OUR GO TO! We are on a rare night away from our children on an overnight stay in Windermere. Gutted we picked this place! food was bland & greasy it felt like no effort what so ever went into it 😞...

We popped in here for a drink and saw the food menu. We headed up and were seated by friendly staff. We chose the sharing board of meats and cheese, and 3 other dishes. It was all delicious. We felt full after and enjoyed each...

We planned a special trip to go to Bodega. Based on their website information, we arrived at five past twelve as it stated that food starts being served at twelve and they do not do reservations. We were told that food is not served until...

We had a drink in the lively bar before we ate here, there is good music and a good vibe in the bay which continued to the restaurant upstairs. Food was excellent and worth the little wait - it was very busy- we had the...

Came in for drinks and it was quiet so thought we would order food too. After reading the recent reviews we were sceptical but honestly the food and drinks were 10/10. Staff very pleasant and tentative, give this place a try if you’re in Bowness...

Went on a Sunday night just by chance. Had a few drinks which were good and well priced. Staff were ok. Unfortunately had some tapas. Honestly wouldn’t call them tapas. Prawns you can get from Iceland in a box for £1. And sure they were...

We came here early on a Friday night (about 6.30pm) and were advised there would be a 40 minute wait, to which we agreed to. One real ale was not available. Within 20 minutes our food arrived and was plonked in the middle of the...

Popped in the Bodega for a relaxed drink. Service was great, lovely and friendly. Great to sit by the fire and enjoy a gin and tonic.

Lovely food, wonderful service. Really nice place. We got seated and served really quickly. Lots of nice options to choose from. Reasonably priced too. All staff really friendly and welcoming. Would like to visit again.

Came here early Feb on a quiet Sunday and quite enjoyed our visit This platter was quite nice but the Gambas prawn or individual tapas was a little pricey Owner was friendly and spoke to us while it was quiet I would return

What can I say, good atmosphere, friendly helpful staff and lovely tapas food !! What more could you want. I would definitely recommend.

Is everyone drunk when they eat here? That’s the only explanation I can think of for all the glowing reviews of the food. Visited as a family on a quiet Monday lunch time. Food was quite honestly on par with supermarket party food. Infact I’m...

The dinner took one hour to come out. One of the dishes was cold. The Paella was small and had no prawns in (as listed), it was nearly 10 pound for that one dish. Tried to get the waitress to come over but they didn’t....

After visiting a few other sub standard eateries in the town this was a little gem. Wow what can I say. Yes it gets busy but it’s busy for a reason. The food was amazing. Staff were friendly and attentive. Great all round experience will...

The food was good and the bar staff were great, but the management of the restaurant was a let down. We went upstairs, having been told by the staff downstairs about the process of getting a buzzer, to just be told by the waitress that...

For the third time running I thought I’d put my love of tapas above bad customer service. And yet again I was disappointed. Waited at the bar for several minutes… again with other potential customers to be completely ignored by bar staff. It doesn’t matter...

My wife and I visited Bodega's 'for cocktails' before our scheduled dinner booking elsewhere (I had Guinness), saw another couple's meal being delivered and thought 'that looks very nice' and decided to stay, so I 'phoned and apologised to 'elsewhere' and stayed . . ....

Pros: The restaurant was cosy and warm on a cold February night Cons: The food was inedible. We ordered 6 items from the menu and it all arrived in just a few moments which made us suspicious, and with good reason, it was all just...

2nd time on visiting here, taken friends this time & not disappointed, would defo go back again. Food was super again & love you can try lots of different things. Great night, great service, great staff.

Lovely place Cocktails amazin not cheap though but is anything now Friendly staff Wish we had the food but didn’t sadly Lovely fire n atmosphere

Fantastic end to the night with great drinks and service. Staff were super friendly and polite. 10/10 experience would recommend.

If I was to rate the service of the first 30mins it would be a strong 4, first time we have visited and was excited to try the cocktails and food. When we entered we sat in the bar area on the right hand side...

Went last night and was really impressed. Food was delicious, well cooked and good size portions. Staff were lovely and service was prompt. Will definitely be going back.

We spend a lot of time in Spain but this restaurant is every bit as good. Very polite friendly staff. We ordered a platter and some side dishes and were amazed at the portion sizes. I would recommend this restaurant to lovers of tapas.

OMG where do I start I have never had A Tapas meal like it! It was AMAZING!! We loved everything thing we ordered and if I could have licked my plate I would have!! I highly recommend the food and the staff are lovely too!

Visited here every night of our honeymoon, the bar maid from Argentina was absolutely amazing and made our evening fabulous. They have a large variation of tapas to suit everyone. Great selection of wines too. Can't wait to come back and visit soon. Tom and...

The tapas bar is upstairs from the wine bar. This bar served the greatest tapas. Service was quick and food was good value. Highly recommend

Just been for a fantastic meal in possibly the busiest restaurant in Cumbria. Food was excellent, service was excellent especially given the stress the staff were under from impatient guest's trying to jump the system. Very professional, well run and bargain price.

This is a tale of two visits. We have been to the bar before for a family birthday and enjoyed it so, when we were going across to Ambleside for a week in a cottage to celebrate a wedding anniversary, we decided to give the...

Bought a mojito cocktail, didn’t look nice didn’t taste nice, bottom of my glass was all sugar! Spoke to the bar lady (manager I think) who dismissed my opinion.

We called in for a quick evening bite and some drinks. Food quality was very poor and well over priced for what you get. In Windermere you better off staying with the traditional pubs.

We ate here last night and it was really disappointing. The food was tasteless and some of it obviously frozen like Christmas party food you get from Tesco - particularly the prawns and garlic bread. We visit Bowness a lot and last came here in...

We went in on Saturday afternoon for drinks and had a great time and went back again on Sunday early afternoon to try the tapas. We had four dishes to share between four of us and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were booked in at a...

I've been here before 2 to 3 years ago and it was really good. I've had the privilege of experiencing tapas in Barcelona, but also at Ole Ole in Lincoln many times. Tonight was awful. This is not a tapas bar any more, you could...

We have always eat here over the last 5 years it's been fantastic we went last night have not been for just over a year and we was gobsmacked how much its gone down hill. Staff rude an pushy and the food was disgusting in...

We came here for our third visit over about 5 years last night and found it to be just as fabulous as ever. The service was great and the food was still really special. I would easily rank this up with the best tapas bars...

Lovely place. Same it only serves from 5om to 9pm for food. The food was great however the muscles tasted of nothing. The sauce was bland. However the rest was great But please clean the toilets. The men's toilets had not been cleaned before opening...

Used to love this place however both the bar and the restaurant upstairs have gone majorly downhill. Rude, unwelcoming staff - food tastes like they’re putting chef microwave to use more often than needed, small portions for the price. The place is also looking kind...

visited on 15/10 blonde lady behind the bar was rude and unwelcoming, shoved a menu at me to tick what food we wanted, i asked for a gluten free menu to which she stabbed her finger at the sheet and said its on there, would...

Decided to visit this place earlier tonight. What a disappointment! Ordered few dishes inc bread even it was stale! The portions were really small, tasteless & overpriced! The white bait was deep fried and horrific! A couple of other dishes.. tempura prawns & ham croquettes...

I used to come here all the time pre-pandemic but returning to Bowness there’s far better places to go nowadays. Drinks served in filthy glasses. There was a mix up with one of the orders made at the bar - the waitress came back to...

Visited Bodega on Thursday 13th October at 8pm and asked for a table for 2, the restaurant clearly was not very busy but was advised it would be 10 to 15 minutes for a table. My wife and I had no problem with is and...

Amazing!! Amazing food and amazing service!! All the food we received was perfect! We had chicken wings, ribs, chicken fajitas and a few vegetarian options and it all tasted great! Everything came out quickly and we couldn’t fault the service. Very highly recommended

Extremely busy leading to 45 minute + wait for food but waitress did warn us before we were seated. Food very good and we would certainly visit again.

We are 3 friends who went in here on a Friday night. The waiter told us “you must go upstairs at 6pm as it gets busy”, we were wondering why the place was empty when he showed us to our table. We selected a few...

If you fancy a beer/wine/Sangria etc, this is a great bar with very welcoming staff. We had a night here while staying at the close by Belsfield hotel. The plan was to have one or two and move on. Instead, we stayed until late, so...

Arriving into Bowness I fancied some tapas for lunch - something warm, light and varied. We came across Bodega and asked if dogs could go inside to be told only outside (fair enough). My initial thoughts to the man serving behind the bar should have...

Two weeks in England and this was the biggest food and service disappointment. Our initial interaction with the server behind the bar set the tone. He could not have been any less interested in being friendly or greeting us with a smile. We placed our...

We walked in (upstairs, above the bar) without a booking and we’re greeting by a waitress who told us there would be a 45 minute wait which we were okay with as we were still working up an appetite. You order food by ticking boxes...

Ordered a round of drinks for me and my family and said to the Barman ‘take one for yourself’.. this usually means a small tip where I’m from (North) however this guy progressed to ring half a pint of Guinness through for £5.60! Fast forward...

We’ve been disappointed before here but gave it another try, bad move- portions are small- yes I know tapas is little bits, but for the price it was ridiculous and there’s no excuse for marginally Luke warm food, it’s only come from upstairs and it...

Miniscule portions delivered after a very slow wait and by a waitress who needs to learn how to smile, they cost nothing!!

Love this place. Fabulous vibe. Authentic. Lovely staff. Wide range of beverages!!!! Not had food here, but definitely looked good and didn’t see anyone complaining! More enjoying! The only let down, the bathrooms could do with a right good clean and spruce up!

Would definitely benefit from better customer service. First of all, the website says ‘walk ins only’ This is the opposite of what we were told by the waiter. He told us we could have a table as long as it was vacated by 8 as...