Cafe Ambio in South Lakeland

There food is so beautiful and delicious and they have lovely and fantastic staff I love going to cafe for breakfast and lunch it’s so nice inside sometimes you hear the sheep’s and the pigs because there is an auction place next door to the cafe ♥️♥️♥️

Brilliant pleasant staff, Imogen and Dani to name but two, , lovely full english including a cuppa, £10, n cakes were delicious ...we took wheelchair in and it was no problem and the parking was a plenty

Nice cafe with plenty of parking for large vehicles. I ordered the Ambio breakfast and asked to swap black pudding for bacon and this was not a problem and the breakfast was enjoyable. Staff were really good and friendly. Would recommend and return

Nice pot of tea. I had a Bakewell slice cake to help the tea from being to wet! It was a good combination!

Great cafe at a great location, we were here for the cumbrian wool gathering....Good coffee, good food and goid vibes!

I called in on Dave's Day and had a full English breakfast (the curly sausage was delicious) with coffee for a tenner, venue, service and food was all fantastic. the sausage rolls and cakes on offer at the front counter is without doubt a reason to go back try and i will, i'm now wishing id bought some to take home but being on a motorbike on the day didn't think they would arrive home in good condition. My only niggle is the website isn't clear if they are open on Saturdays. Great stuff see you soon

Great food,I had the best homemade sausage roll, it was huge and full of meat and the coffee was spot on.

Part of Kendal Auctions so dominated by farmers which is good to see. Good selection of food and drink available. Great cakes and very large cups of coffee.

I wish I had read the reviews before taking the plunge for lunch. The staff get full marks for service and attentiveness. Sorry to say the quality of food was awful. Presentation good. Chips good. It goes downhill from there. The worst hamburger white bun I have ever tasted. If you can imagine cardboard which melts in the mouth? Never tasted anything like it. The burger was reminiscent of the cheapest meat - tasteless. A £13 meal for which I could have paid a few pounds for a bag of chips down the road. The cheese sandwich- the coleslaw was plentiful but had NO taste. At least the tea was plentiful with an extra pot of water. I have to applaud the staff. The management need to pay more for decent food. £25 is a quarter of £100. A rip off. I will take a flask to the auction house in future. The 2 stars are for the staff.

Nice relaxed cafe, friendly staff and excellent food. What more could you ask for?

We love our local cafe ambio so we stopped off at J36 for brunch. The tables were all so dirty we opted for a coffee to go instead. Takeaway station was also dirty with no sugar. Lids were flimsy and did not fit the takeaway cups. Even trying to take care one of us ended up covered in boiling hot coffee. Shame because the one at backbarrow is great.

Great, friendly staff, delicious food, always fresh and hot

Excellent from the very first day it opened,absolutely brilliant and friendly staff,DON'T miss it,next to MOTOR MUSEUM BACKBARROW.JOE newbybridge Cumbria.

Nice food despite the rural smell of the auction 🤣

Not at all pleasant.Only thing hot was chips. Covered in awful gravy peas stone cold pie not much better. Very disappointed as is a treat normally

Great customer service, ordered two hot drinks, good price for the size. Would definitely recommend

Came here as we were staying over nearby and this seemed to be the most local but unfortunately it is somewhere we didn’t come back to because the food was okay, ridiculously expensive. £3.50 for a couple of slices of toast or one tea cake. The coffee was very bitter. I got the decaf having a caffeine sensitivity but it was very bitter and tasted funny. My son got a cappuccino and he also couldn’t drink his saying it tasted funny, which it did and it was also mostly foam and very little coffee. We paid £14.50 for one tea, one cappuccino and one decaf latte with one toasted tea cake and 2 slices of toast so yeah, not great. The teacake was very dry, as though it was past it’s best before. Even though this was our most local place for breakfast we did travel further the following days. Disappointed.

Came here as we were staying over nearby and this seemed to be the most local but unfortunately it is somewhere we didn’t come back to because the food was okay, ridiculously expensive. £3.50 for a couple of slices of toast or one tea cake. The coffee was very bitter. I got the decaf having a caffeine sensitivity but it was very bitter and tasted funny. My son got a cappuccino and he also couldn’t drink his saying it tasted funny, which it did and it was also mostly foam and very little coffee. We paid £14.50 for one tea, one cappuccino and one decaf latte with one toasted tea cake and 2 slices of toast so yeah, not great. The teacake was very dry, as though it was past it’s best before. Even though this was our most local place for breakfast we did travel further the following days. Disappointed.

Good spot for starting a car rally. Bacon butties in the morning were great, and the scone that I had later. Staff and parking excellent. Pity I got lost on the rally but that's another story.

A welcome rest stop, great coffee.

They serve pie and chips but dont warm up the pie! I know!

Lovely cakes and pies. Good service

A good hot breakfast, but staff could warmer!

If this is the auction restaurant, it was really nice

Overbaked very hard scones, an overpowering smell of animal waste and blocked leaking urinals and sinks. Not our best coffee break.

good familiar food and coffee, helpful staff, can be noisy though quiet today with small groups chatting

Almost closing time but warm welcome and good coffee and cakes. Menu from lunch looked inviting too. Clean and spacious.

Nice staff and good atmosphere.

Hard to find using Google maps directions

Top class pit stop for some food and coffee

Proper food and drink great choice

If you are vegan avoid. There is Nothing for us apart from dry toast.

Very average cafe, not friendly, and overpriced. £6 will get you a very average sandwich with a sparse side salad which is 95% stringy lettuce. Male toilet smelt of wee.

Cakes looked nice although only 1 gf option and that was in the freezer. However nice staff and enjoyed ny cappucino

Good quality food and drink, reasonably priced, good service.

Friendly, helpful staff. Lovely mushroom soup

Really good breakfast sandwiches

Vastly overpriced and small portion for what is meant to be a farmhouse breakfast for £9 Also £4.50 for possibly the worst sausage roll I have ever tasted.

Takeaway cup of tea and a slice of chocolate and coconut cake 😍 WOW really tasty, great option for those visiting Kentdale vets and felt very safe in terms of Covid restrictions. Thank you

Sadly closed despite the website claiming it was open. We'd hoped to grab a take away coffee on our journey. Very disappointed at innaccurate information

Great place to stop for a coffee. The staff are welcoming and friendly. Coffee is nice and strong too. There's adequate outdoor seating too.

Disappointed really...read reviews on here and thought I’d try it on my way to work.Covid aside, which it does well, the breakfast at £9 was average.Builders tea in a mugGood sausage and baconPoor toastAll ‘thrown’ on a plate.Guessing the main market is the Farmers in the area.Off to try it’s ‘Sister Café’ at the Motor Museum next, to see if that’s any better at a £1 dearer.

Best breakfast and really friendly and helpful staff.

Food was OK and plenty of it. But did notice that they did not disinfect the tables after clearing them.

The staff were really friendly and helpful when I called in for a salad. The chef made me a delicious chicken salad with ingredients such as pickled radish (a revelation!) and super fresh salad veg. It's by 1818 auctioneers off the M6 at Crooklands. Well worth a stop as an alternative to service station fare.

Called in today, ordered scone, bakewell tart and coffee.Scone was burnt, and I discovered on tasting that the 'bakewell tart' contained coconut, no almonds whatsoever. I told the member of staff it wasn't bakewell tart, and she became defensive, stating that the chef sometimes did make it with coconut. I told her that it was therefore not bakewell tart. They did eventually swap it for a different cake, but no apology.

It's a nice cafe that smells of sausage which seems only there to mask the smell of the cattle market. The floor was thick with sawdust from the cattle market which I'm not sure is so good for the cafe. Coffee was nice but I suggest a takeaway.

Nice little cafe- great cappuccino. Handy just off J36 - lovely staff.

Great cakes & coffee, convenient for a meeting close to the mptoway Will definitely use again.

Called in on a wet Saturday and not sure what to expect. Ordered a quiche and coffee and was thrilled. It was homemade, still slightly warm served with a super salad which was not just 90% lettuce as many are but was full or fresh peppers, tomato, cucumber and a delicate homemade coleslaw. I had also ordered chips and they were excellent - not cheap frozen fries but crispy and fresh. The filter coffee was good too and value for money excellent. The staff were friendly and efficient and the place was spotless. Worth every penny and will definitely call again.

Went to dalesway tyres and visited the caffe while there. If the farmers like it it must be great the food was plentiful and good a must visit

Straight forward venue with nice food. It lacks character although the chairs and seating it's comfortable there is only two sofas in the corner it is obviously aimed at the functionality aspect of eating that being said the food was very good coffee was very nice the cake was a little bit on the dry side but tasty the staff were very pleasant definitely a venue to use if nearby, not sure I would necessarily seek it out as an experience.

I often pop in here for coffee, cakes, a quick brunch bite, or occasionally lunch. It is in excellent location, close to the M6 and a good venue to meet colleagues. It is very popular however and sometimes hard to bag a table. There’s usually some tasty scones and a specials board. Good coffee and a loyalty card which transfers to the other Ambio cafes.

I never knew this cafe was here, just off J36 on the M6, until a friend suggested we meet here. It is at the Auction mart, with plenty of free parking even on Auction days. The coffee and food are very good, fresh and hot. Prices reasonable. But, beware, the portions are enormous! The staff and service are amazing, helpful and efficient. If you go on an Auction day, there are big roast dinners on the menu, the farmers seemed to be really enjoying them! I will definitely visit Cafe Ambio again instead of the motorway services.

I visited cafe Ambio for a business lunch with a group of 14 of us, two days in a row, and being gluten free I wasn’t expecting much but out came a lovely sandwich and side salad, on really nice bread. The best bit was the huge slab of gluten free lemon drizzle cake which was so amazing I questioned whether it was truly gf. I didn’t get ill so it most definitely was gf and I was very happy to be given another piece on the second day. My only regret is not taking some home with me! I’m looking forward to visiting again.

Great food,cater for gluten free also service is fantastic and the staff are really pleasant.Great menu choice,for food and drinks and very clean

Very convenient location, just off the M6 motorway, and plenty of free parking. We've visited a couple of the Cafe Ambio chain cafes and found the coffee pretty good. Giant size scones go down a treat too!

A good find, the food is well served by friendly staff, and on auction day great atmosphere as well as carvery on offer. Good value all round

As we were passing popped in here for a quick coffee. It is quite a popular venue and filled up as lunch was approaching. Coffees were great. So many places serve a bitter coffee but Ambio serves a lovely smooth blend. Although we were not eating the food menu is varied and the plates that were being served looked wonderful. Lunch next time we visit!

THis is nice place and handy for motorway, lovely cakes and good choice of mains and snacks. SAndwiches which came with a small bowl of salad and we ordered a portion of chips which were a bit pricey but quite good. It was quiet on this day but still enjoyable. REasonable price on sandwiches.

Great coffee, great food - especially for breakfast or a cake - and can thoroughly recommend it for a refill. Convenient location and nice bright, modern décor. First rate establishment.

Met up with friends for coffee. Good large light area with a choice of comfy chairs and traditional tables and chairs. Drinks were great and some of us had cakes who said they were very good. It is right next door to the 18 18 auction rooms just off the M6 at Junction 36.

Called into here on my way to the vets. I had homemade soup and bread, also with a fresh latte. The cakes look lovely and they make as much as they can on site. Cannot fault it. I will be coming again with my wife. A hidden gem of a cafe for great food.

Called in for coffee and cake but could not stay as it smelled too bad. I know it's next to the auction rooms, but if we are expected to eat there, I think it needs to smell nicer! Sorry.

Great recommendation from a stranger. Very easy to find on J36. Ordered ham, egg and chips. Beautiful fresh eggs and very hot fresh chips, ham from a packet a bit disappointing, but otherwise great choice. Very nice pot of good strong tea and good selection of cakes. Nice staff, very clean place with plenty of space. good access.

The important bit, the food, is great. Really tasty, good portions and well priced. The room itself is a bit bare bones, but for a spot that can get used by a load of people coming to a livestock auction you can understand why it is what it is! Its also a good option to stop off at from the Motorway for a bite instead of the usual service stations.