Cafe Ambio in Allerdale

After an exhilarating session on the forest segway course we found our way to this cosy cafe with great food and a very friendly team. Fantastic burgers and cake all whilst taking in the spectacular forest scenery.

Same as last year. Looks nice from the outside. Inside cramped seating, tables too close to each other. Ours was dirty. Soup tasteless although nicely presented, wonder if freshly made or just reheated from another day. Captive clients and overpriced.

Called in here after a lovely walk yesterday. First time since it changed hands and I have to disagree with a lot of the negative comments. Five of us had the most amazing food. One had Sunday lunch and said it was amazing. The rest of us had sandwiches and flat breads and all of it was delicious. Staff were friendly too. (The dressing in the salad is amazing!) We will definitely be back.

The menu was limited & on the expensive side. Circa £13 for Cumberland sausage hot dog that was no more than ok. The coffee we ordered was on the cold side & was received 20 mins before the meal arrived. Two young girls were waiting on & we asked for a high chair & she replied they didn’t have them then remembered they did. Could be better.

We stopped for tea (and cake of course!) after our major ascent on Day 1 of the C2C cycle trail. Having enjoyed drinks and cakes we felt well set up for our descent into Keswick. In retrospect we should have enjoyed the moment even more as it rained on the subsequent days!

We’ve stopped at the cafe at Whinlatter on many occasions but this was our first visit since it became Cafe Ambio. I’m afraid the change was not for the better. Yes…the location is fine…yes, you can be entertained by the antics of the feeding birds but despite the positives,overall the product wasn’t very good. Nothing wrong with the service with friendly and efficient staff but luke warm coffee and what tasted like a stale cake didn’t make for a good experience. Sadly there isn’t any alternative once you’ve parked. When we visited, the toilets were closed for repairs and had been replaced by one portoloo which was absolutely disgusting. Immediately next to the cafe, there’s a well stocked gift shop with an absent assistant to the extent we had to wait a considerable time before she appeared. There were no other customers.

I had a sausage butty. £6.40. The sausage was great. The bun was a cheap, slightly sweet bun that definitely tasted cheap and nasty. There was no garnish or even butter on the bun Total rip off for a £1.00 sausage and a 10p bun. Definitely won't be eating there again. I saw a family of 5 coming in and dreaded to think how much they would be spending.

Rubbish, tasteless, over priced food, served not with a smile. A real step down from the cafe that came before at Whinlatter.

As a regular mountain biker and fell walker, I’ve been visiting the cafe at Whinlatter regularly for almost 20 years and Cafe Ambio is the third operation in the same premises in that time, I was initially unsure, but I think it’s a significant improvement on the previous Siskin Cafe where it wasn’t unusual to wait 45 minutes for food to arrive. The service is now quick and efficient. The fried chicken burger with guacamole and bacon is great. The roast beef roll is usually very good too. Today I had a festive flatbread with turkey stuffing, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce etc. It was delicious. The coffee is vastly improved too. Not quite strong enough for my taste, but still very good. I have seen a few criticisms of price. It’s certainly not cheap, but it is a remote location where it’s tricky to get staff and the quality justifies the price in my view.

So we nipped in for lunch me and my daughter. I ordered hot chocolate, latte, sausage roll, hot dog which was a piece of Cumberland Sausage and a bread roll (£13.50). Two pieces of cake, £35. You make your mind up but to me the food which was responsible is well over priced. The cafe has restaurant prices. The views from the cafe has been spoiled by the stick on plastic to make the glass obscure. Logos on each window add to the spoiling of the views. The previous cafe had better and cheaper options that seemed to work. It’s a real shame because it really nice in side now with better cakes but as for the rest, it’s a backwards step for me. I don’t think I will go back which is a real shame as we really enjoyed the previous experience.

Was served my an older lady who was outright rude. I asked questions in regards to the menu due to allergies which she dismissed and basically told me to get a grip. I was then declined a glass of water and had my order thrown on my tray.

After a great mtb ride we deserved a treat. The young staff were very friendly and polite. The coffee was good and the selection of cakes and treats was great. We sampled the raspberry sponge cake and the courgette & avocado cake. Will definitely visit again. Stunning location to sit on the deck and watch the birds feeding.

A huge improvement under new ownership. Friendly staff, quick service. Dog treats also. Soup and bread was tasty, although not sure either were fresh.

Amazing Sunday lunch! Visited cafe Ambio at whinlatter after a day in the forest! Went for the Sunday lunch on the specials! Perfect Sunday lunch and very reasonably priced!

Absolutely mortifying experience. The food was massively overpriced for nothing and has very limited vegetarian options for children leaving my child not wanting to eat at all. I was then refused a glass of tap water to take my medication with despite ordering other food and drink. When I challenged this as it goes against my basic human rights the woman told me that I should stay at home if I can't afford a bottle of water

I’m not sure why the reviews are so bad on here but the meal we had was delicious. We ordered the kid’s chicken goujons, chicken burger and the soup of the day - cauliflower cheese. It arrived promptly and looked fantastic. Staff were friendly, polite and prompt. The soup was absolutely superb, really special. Soft crusty bread with plenty of butter, delicious crotons and hot thick soup. The chicken burger was a full breast that seemed to be hand battered, chicken goujons were the same. Chips were huge, chunky and crispy and soft on the inside. We really enjoyed the meal and it was in such a lovely setting, seeing the birds whilst we were eating was just wonderful.

Went to the cafe with family for lunch. The menu choice looked promising however after a long wait the photograph worthy food tasted rubbish and cost more than an evening meal. It’s all the more disappointing as this cafes predecessor Siskin’s Cafe never missed a beat, and made tasty reasonably priced lunch time food. Ambrio is trying to do too much and frankly this is one to avoid. The chain is no better at any of its other locations

Have used the cafe at Whinlatter many times over the years when it was under previous management and named ‘Siskins’.Came today with my family for food and drinks after being out and about on Whinlatter.Ordered our food from a rather surly lady serving on the til.After we had ordered and spent almost £27 on 2 breakfast sandwiches, 2 teas, 2 soft drinks and a brownie we wanted to order ice creams for the children.The same lady behind the till was extremely rude to my partner demanding he follow the sign and use the outside takeaway hatch to order ice creams even though we had clearly not long been served and had paid to be seated inside.Clearly the takeaway system should apply if only purchasing ice creams but not with paying customers who have spent almost £30.The lady then proceeded to comment to her colleagues after he’d gone outside about the fact that he had not followed the ‘instructions’.I didn’t raise it as I didn’t want to ruin the lovely day we were having but I then saw the same lady being rude to other customers.Really sad and such a shame as it’s always been a lovely, well run cafe until now.Avoid unless you want to have expensive food served by rude staff.

Attended the go ape which I must say was excellent. However, used the cafe on two occasions, once for takeaway coffee which was fine and second time to sit inside to eat. Both children asked for an icecream after finishing there sack. We were told I had to queue outside to buy an icecream at the takeaway point when it was quite clear we were sitting inside. My partner over heard the older lady working behind till pass comment which I fund damming. Really horrible atmosphere I would not advise people to use this facility.

Tha cafe has changed hands, now run by Ambio. Sadly the coffee, cakes, service and ambience are all worse and much more expensive than before. "Come back nice coffee and home made apple cakes please!". I see that many of the reviews for their other cafes are also poor... A prime location deserves better...

Very disappointing. This used to be the Siskin Café, with comfortable chairs and decent views of the bird tables outside. Window screening now hides the view. Why?? Coffee was overpriced and not hot; ditto the food. Used to visit Siskin regularly - will not be coming here again.

This has to be the worst breakfast I’ve had. Full English. Anemic sausage - toast with no butter - over cooked egg - homemade beans (dry) - the whole plate was just dry.