Chesters By The River in South Lakeland

Unfortunately Chester’s not what it was. Toilets are poor as can be evidenced by the negative comments by those queuing up to use them. Having said that and although we have seen a decline in the level of service ie paper bags and no table service et al the food especially bakery products remain outstanding. It would appear that things are now geared to help the running of the establishment rather than to ensure good customer service. We have been visiting Chester for years and the decline is very noticeable but we will give it another chance because apart from anything else the actual location is outstanding.

I'm local but haven't visited for some time. The place has definitely gone downhill in that time. Basically it's become a rural McDonalds but with tourist prices. We went for coffee and cake/scone.. Cake and scone came in paper bags..no plates! And we were expected to take our rubbish out to the bins to dispose of it and leave the table cleared but not cleaned. Shan't be going again.

We stumbled across this place and I'm so glad we did. Fabulous food, both savouries and sweet treats. We had the margarita Foccacia, onion bhaji which we both so tasty, soup and bread and took away some cakes for later. Blackberry and ginger victoria sponge and apple and cinnamon cake. We could have bought the whole display! Make sure you pop in, you won't be disappointed. I should point out I think it is vegetarian but even as a full blooded meat eater it was awesome food.

No friendly faces, rather pretentious food options,long wait times, exclusively vegetarian, spicy options, would have loved a basic plainer menu. Coffee awful.

A wonderful location and really nice food. It can get busy at weekends meaning lots of queuing and long waits. They have taken their wonderful pizzas off the menu too which is to its detriment imo. I think it may be due to a staff shortage.

We went in for afternoon tea. The scones and cakes were delicious.

Having visited this cafe for over a decade it has seriously declined since our last visit. Table service has been scrapped in favour of sluggish service at the main counter. This is not a good spot for a family lunch, the offering included no meat options and nothing child-friendly. The cakes were the only highlight. It is sad to see a lovely, family-friendly cafe change in this way to favour vegan & vegetarian cuisine and inadequate service.

A lovely, but soggy, walk from Ambleside to Chester's for lunch, to introduce puppy Chester to Chester's 😊 sadly no chocolate brownies available, but delicious alternatives, thank you

Fabulous eatery... my partner introduced me to Chesters and we love it, delicious fresh food.

Not enough tables when busy queue at counter, limited parking , seemed a bit pricey was ok

Amazing cakes, good coffee and wonderful onion bhaji.

I was blown away by this place. It was super full when we arrived, soaking wet after a big downpour. Everyone were so lovely making space for us. We had some lovely interactions with people around us throughout our stay. Which was a fair while as we basically got a three course meal. The pastries and onion bargie were super tasty with delicious dip. The main was the tastiest, warming dhal I've ever had, with the side of veggies done beautifully too and the focaccia was light and fluffy. The cakes were all delicious (we sampled 3) and the coffee was a treat too, they even went to the effort of making it half decaf/half caf ....as it was a tad later than expected due to the amount of gorging. All the staff were super lovely, they were very busy but still made time for lovely smiles, they were efficient too getting through loads of orders and a big queue quickly and the preparation before hand must have been such a mission as they were so well stocked. The crockery etc are all cardboard so recyclable. Seems like they have developed their offering to make it sustainable and meet the high demand they have for a fairly small place. I was so impressed and dream of coming back here when I next visit the lakes Well done guys, superb. Wish there was a place like this near me.

This is a fantastic cafe, delicious food, an incredible range of savoury and sweet, really lovely staff, great atmosphere, clean and comfortable

My husband and I were on holiday in June from Australia and found Chesters online before travelling. We visited each day of our short trip to Ambleside because we were so impressed by the delicious vegan food on offer, especially the sausage rolls and scones! The setting was idyllic and we will definitely return on our next trip to the UK.

Two visits this week. Service is good. Cakes are to die for. Great to be able to sit outside under cover. Recommend stopping here when out walking. Shop attached to cafe has some very nice products.

Fantastic location, cinnamon roll was the best I’ve ever had. Will definitely come back for a lunch.

Chester's is perfectly placed for a post hike cuppa. Good service and a great selection of cakes and food located in a stunning area.

Delicious vegan cauliflower biryani and followed by huge and decadent cherry bakewell. So good, and great location, would definitely recommend

Still a very nice place to visit but not quite the same with the self service now. Food and drinks still good though.

Great cozy place to get nice sandwhiches and incredible coffee (even with oatly available).

Arrived too late for hot lunch but they have plenty of cold options. Biryani salad was good and the vegan sausage roll was very well done. The focaccia didn’t taste great cold however, and could have benefitted from being heated up. The food is slightly pricier than your typical cafe but justifiably so; everything is vegetarian and all the meals and bakes are very creative. The attached shop has lots to browse and is definitely worth having a look through. The best part of Chesters is definitely the view; sitting outside near the rush of the river is a must.

A good welcome cup of tea after a wet walk.

Arrived at just before 3. Got asked a question by another walker whilst I tied my dog to the bench and when I walked in to the cafe at 3 minutes past 3 I was told I couldn't have hot food by a very matter of fact man with no sympathy or customer care whatsoever. Hot food was still being prepared and taken to tables. I felt incredibly sad by the man's attitude and recommend a customer care course to give him the skills to help make this place as wonderful as I had heard it is for everyone. Saying this, I had previously stopped for coffee and cake, and what I ate was fresh and delicious. I encountered the same customer coldness from the same fella then to.

Tasty scram! Well worth a visit

absolute gem of a find, lovely options and great location and atmosphere. we will be eating here every time we visit the lakes from now on!

A great selection of veggie and vegan breakfast food - lots of different pastries and cakes on offer, the food is delicious. The only downside is that there isn’t option to warm the pastries/take away breakfast options and the ‘hot food’ section is limited with only a few options. Chesters has also changed their approach in the last couple of years - they are no longer table service - you queue and collect your food before taking to the table yourself. You are also encouraged to clean up your table after yourself, putting your rubbish in the relevant recycling bins. If you don’t like this ethos, then Chesters will not be for you. It can get incredibly busy after 10/11am.

Amazing location, great tasting food and drinks.

Beautiful location overlooking the river and a short stroll to Skelwith Force waterfall

Brilliant takeaway bakery with lots of delicious vegan options and amazing coffee ☕️ lots of options to take out or eat in . I had the noodles with tofu and banana blueberry cake.

The restaurant has changed considerably since our last visit. The menu is very limited only really pastry items or granola for breakfast. The pastry items were cold at opening time suggesting not made on site. Dirty table at 9am with notice saying clear up after yourself and dirty floor similarly unloved toilets. In contrast the walk along the river is outstanding with the reward of a magnificent view at the end which is priceless. Will do the walk again but sadly not the cafe.

Every year, we holiday in the Lake District, and we used to visit Chesters every time—sometimes multiple times a week. Yes it’s in a beautiful setting, and yes the food is still nice, but the service is just no longer there. After our last visit this afternoon, I felt I had to share my experience: 1. You no longer get plates, crockery, or proper cutlery. Your food is given to you in a paper bag, and you eat it on top of that, using disposable cutlery. 2. You have to clear your own table. It’s not just about stacking your tray in a trolley; they ask you to sort everything into different bins and areas. 3. The tables don’t seem to be cleaned between visitors. I had to clean my own table when I sat down. And while sitting in for an hour during a very quiet period, I didn’t see any of the tables being wiped down. This is just not what I’d expect from a sit-in cafe, particularly at its price point. I’m not saying the food and drink are expensive—the prices are on par with other cafes in the area—but those other places do come with table service and crockery. I'm sad to say that that was our last visit to Chester's. But we certainly won't be returning until the service does.

Good food, just something slightly disappointing about the service, e.g. cake in a paper bag, not on a plate.

Food good and generous and acknowledge the eco approach ,but having to wipe down the table from the previous customers and risk slipping on squashed chips, crumbs and used wipes underfoot are unpleasant. Surprised they are paying such little attention to health safety and hygiene. Server observed taking chips to nibble from communal pre service bucket of chips.

Terrible so much so it's a joke really, consistently milking punters no service just take your money and do one attitude. Soulless and crap.

Lovely food however I was disappointed that only veggie options were available. I think the cafe should accommodate all dietary needs. No table service- I felt like I spent the majority of my time waiting at the counter for my food to be ready. You also need to clean your table away as well. This would all be well and good but the prices are very high and don’t reflect this. The cafe reminded me of a fast food chain that might do well in central London, but not in the heart of the Lakes. I think the cafe should revise its business strategy. Also, I went in for breakfast and was surprised at how limited the options were. Big changes need to happen it seems.

I've always loved this cafe and the bakery but was taken aback to see it had changed again since when I'd last visited. I was so excited when I asked 'what on the menu was vegan' to be told 'everything apart from a couple of things labelled'!!! It's so hard to find a good cafe with real food, that's not heavily processed and caters to many dietary allergies and focused on being plant-based. The staff were rushed off their feet and you could see they were doing an incredible job of producing everything fresh but maintaining fast and enthusiastic customer service. They were very informed about each dish and very helpful. I hope the owner really values their hardworking team which are a huge asset to the business. This weekend I visited another cafe in Cumbria and was made to feel a burden when I asked what was vegan - the staff member wasn't very knowledable, quite rude, and unenthusiastic so I won't be going back to that one.

I’ve been coming to Chester’s for a very long time and have witness the changes to the place and menu over the many years, not for the better. Today’s visit left me very disappointed and I won’t be returning again. Gone is table service, grab a dirty table and line up to order from the most limited menu I’ve ever seen, unless you fancy a jackfruit sandwich. I ordered chips for the 3 children as there was nothing else on the menu suitable, £5 a bowl and they were salty scraps so crispy I’m not sure you could class them as chips. My husband and I had a scone each, again so salty! The fab selection of cakes once a pleasurable experience have been whittled down to a few sponges and a scone. The toilets also needed a good clean. If you want a very limted vegan menu, where you pay over the odds to serve yourself and eat off paper bags then this is the place for you. I won’t be returning!

Great vegan menu, I'm a fussy eater but there is a good variety and frankly I regretted not having the more adventurous salad, fine as the sourdough pizza was :) The cinnamon buns we had this morning were the best I've ever had (we usually have Rhodes bakery), it's a lovely place Great clean facilities and friendly intelligent staff

Fantastic place, great location, fabulous food, friendly staff. The cardamom buns are heavenly.

Popped in during our visit to the nearby waterfall. Scrumptious scone with jam and cream plus a delicious vanilla bun washed down with gorgeous hot chocolate. As others have said, the disposable cutlery wasn't quite what you'd expect, however the food really was divine. Lots of beautiful vegetarian main meals on offer - if I was local I'd take great delight in sampling everything! A proper gem of a place

Superb choice of mainly vegetarian dishes. Very original and more than perfect for a lunch break during your hike in Elterwater. Incredible desserts. On the other hand, it's crowded and the places inside are taken by storm. If the weather is nice, enjoy the terrace.

Slow, slow service, really gone down since table service stopped, food quality still really good though so we go again and again

The Bakewell slice was the best ever!

I love this place. I have never visited Chesters without there being a long queue. The fact that there is a queue and that people are prepared to wait testifies to the quality of the food. If you want a slab of meat, go elsewhere. If you want superb vegetarian and vegan choice and great cakes, Chesters is for you. It's so amazing to get such wonderful, delightful food. Efficient, helpful staff who are rushed off their feet.

Great food , fast pleasant service. Unexpected pleasure. We’ll certainly be back.

Our car had a puncture just up the road and the staff at Chesters could not be more helpful. There was limited mobile phone reception, and with their help, We were able to sort out breakdown recovery and a taxi home. We also had lunch, and the food and setting were both brilliant. The shop was full of lovely things for children, the home, books and gifts. Highly recommended if you are in the area.

Wonderful! A selection of delicious (mainly?) vegetarian dishes, pastries, wraps or sandwiches to eat in or take away, and a selection of home-baked cakes and bakes to follow. Yum. A great way to finish off a walk. Sit in, sit outside under cover, sit on the open or take away.

Great food with loads of vegan options. Dog friendly. Take away and find a quiet spot on river a short walk away or eat in on the terrace next to the river.

Discovered this little jem by accident. Great bakery. Bought a couple of pasties for our hiking lunch. They were very tasty.

Terrible experience here and totally overrated! I found the manager rude and lacking basic skills in customer service with a feminist attitude. The food itself is like a few people have said on the reviews, just poor quality, especially the cakes loaded with sugar, and a good baker will tell you that a good cake is full of good ingredients, and minimal sugar. A total disappointment!

The most lovely dog-friendly spot with delicious food and incredible shop next door! Highly recommend.

Incredible food, great vibes and Fantastic location. So many vegan options.

This was our first visit here, so glad we did! Found staff welcoming and friendly ☺️ Great choice available, all of which looked delicious 😋 I opted for the biriani, was the best I have tasted (and we frequent many Indian resteraunts!) Dogs and muddy boots welcome! Had a large baby change area, would recommend putting a stool in for putting chamge bag on or feeding mums 😀 Fantastic views across the river, definitely will be back, hopefully it won't be the typical English weather next visit!

Very nice place good wholesome food, lots of good walks in the area car park can get very busy.

Had an amazing lunch. Lovely friendly team behind the counter serving great looking and tasty cakes and veggie food. Really enjoyed sitting by the river . Very good coffee.

VEGETARIAN CAFE NO PIZZA NO HIGH CHAIRS I feel it very important to state the two facts above in my review, I came to this cafe for lunch assuming that as per the website/photos/online menu that they served wood fired pizza by a river. I arrived to find that in fact they no longer sell pizzas and instead sell a range of rather odd and contrived vegetarian cold foccicacias, a bit disappointing if I'm honest. I have no issue whatsoever with establishments catering for the vegetarian and vegan consumer, in fact I would encourage it, but I feel it should be made clear that this is the target market of that particular cafe. To arrive expecting a pepperoni pizza and instead sit at a picnic table clinging onto my baby daughter whilst eating a stone cold slimy Mushroom foccicacia was both surprising and rather irritating. I also waited 15 mins for someone to bring my cold foccacia from the counter to my table in a brown paper bag, this I find genuinely amusing, it then took a further ten minutes for my wife's soup. My advise should you wish to heed it is to avoid Chesters like the plague and spend your hard earned elsewhere.

Very disappointed - heard good reviews about this place online (judging by recent reviews I’ve seen, this is a historical reputation and the place has clearly changed and gone downhill) we based a lot of our day on coming here for lunch, hearing about the woodfired pizzas and gorgeous views On arrival we were told they no longer served pizzas and it was now counter service only, all Food options were what could be seen at the till. All Food options were veggie/vegan, and while I think that it’s so important for these to be catered to, it would be nice to have the option for non-vegan/veggies, or could at least be advertised more clearly as a vegan cafe. Lunch options were very limited - I had soup which was ok, served in a small disposable cup with a flat wooden spoon and arrived a good 10 mins after my husbands cold mushroom focaccia. I had my 7 month old baby with me, who we had to hold while eating the entire time as they don’t have high chairs ???? (What food establishment doesn’t have high chairs?!) so we had to shovel our food into us in turns while the other held our baby. The only thing we could order our baby that she could eat was chips which arrived heavily pre-salted and we couldn’t give her due to this. We all left disappointed and hungry. Would not recommend to anyone and certainly won’t be back

While I've yet to meet a vegan whose opinion mattered, I thought it was a bit deceiving to not have the word "vegan" on the café's sign. Nonetheless my sweet potato salad was fresh, and while the chicken was missing, I can't fault them for trying.

Nice place by the river serving coffee, cake and vegetarian dishes. Quite expensive but fresh and good quality. Since COVID it has lost the table service and as others have mentioned paper plates, cups and disposable cutlery are what you get now. However, a bit cheeky to have to “accept“ or “decline” to leave a gratuity at the till when it’s self service, disposable dishes which you clear up yourself, and the the food which is good is already expensive. Still, well worth a visit if you’re in the area and there are nice walks around, suitable for all ages, right from the cafe.

Fantastic selection of sandwiches, salads, pastries and cakes. Especially enjoyed the panzanella salad and the cauliflower korma sandwich. Enjoyed the salad so much we bought extra to take away.

I was very surprised to read some of the comments on here. Four of us have just had lunch at Chesters and have nothing but praise for the place. Yes, you have to queue for the food, but it gives you time to look at the selection and make your choice. Yes, you have to wait at a counter for your food to arrive, but is that a hardship? The cutlery is wooden and I suppose can make it difficult to cut things, but it will still do the job. Yes, you are asked to clear your table, but is that a problem and not common courtesy? We had a selection of dishes and cakes and it was all delicious. I certainly don’t think that is was expensive compared to what we have paid elsewhere in the area. All in all our whole group will certainly visit again.

Location is great especially if the sun is out but they can definitely improve the service considering also the prices. You pay for what would be table service in other places but at least at the time of the visit, you had to order, clean table etc. I know, it’s not a big problem and most probably their costs are already high without hiring the (very difficult to find) staff but that’s why there are only two stars for service.

A beautiful place going downhill… we have been coming here for years, however the last 3 times have been awful. The prices are going up and the quality is going down. The pastries we had were dreadful I couldn’t even eat them, they tasted like they had been deep fried in chip oil 😷 It was so disappointing as the prices are not cheap. I recommend you avoid this place and go to the other nicer local coffee shops that have much better quality of ingredients.

Nice wee cafe that we sought out whilst out for a walk to nearby waterfall. My scone was delicious but I would have preferred a teapot to a single cup of tea. Hubby enjoyed his scone and bread. Appeared to be a wide range if vegetarian sandwiches etc.

There were plenty of tables available. Previous occasions have been overcrowded. We had a hot rice curry and an aloo sag pasty plus a piece of chocolate tiffin and nice hot chocolate. The café service was good. The shop seems to have downsized and changed it's business somewhat, still worth a look. The location is excellent, apart from the ,sadly, now derelict slate business. A gentle walk down the valley from Langdale.

We will not be eating here again. We have been going here for many years as a daytime restaurant with table service. We went 2 days ago to find the whole concept changed. Service was delivered in a similar way to a fast food restaurant with everything supplied in disposable so called eco friendly recyclable receptacles. Prices of what was available seemed very similar to previously when table Service was offered and the range was significantly reduced. The quality of the food available remained of a high standard but the ambiance has been destroyed. It felt like they were milking a long established and well deserved loyal customer base with a new style of delivery of service. Reviews over the past 12 months say it all and if places were only scored on their last 12 months of trading the score would now be around 2! They are trading on their past good reputation. It is very sad and I am sure there are many who have not experienced its previous incarnation who will be happy. Time will tell.

We were nearly put off by some recent reviews but glad we went. It's a lovely spot by the river and we were lucky to get a table outside with a river view and lots of birds. The cakes all look lovely. They're quite pricey but a good size, so you could share. Nice coffee. Service was pleasant. It is a shame there are takeaway cups with cake served in a paper bag rather than proper crockery.

What a find. Superb place, very busy and obviously well known. Cakes were absolutely amazing. Will be back to try some savory dishes as they looked fabulous too. Great coffee. Great Vegan cafe

Maybe it’s time that Chesters pay attention to the comments many are making. We have also been visiting for years and this time will be our last. A big change to once was an excellent cafe. No service. Queue to order food, queue to pick up food, clear own tables (dirty by the way). All disposable cups, cutlery etc. Ever tried to cut a scone with wooden cutlery on a paper bag (no plate!) Absolutely terrible experience. Staff not great either, when I asked for my half cup of americano to be topped up with hot water, I did not get a friendly response. This has turned into a poor money making place. Please avoid and don’t waste your money here. There are plenty of excellent alternatives in the area.

I was disappointed in this place. It had been highly recommended a few years ago and never had chance to go. We finally managed to go but did not live up to expectations. The location is lovely, however the part of the outside area which was undercover (needs it in the U.K. with the great British wet weather) didn’t overlook the river, it overlooked the car park and the recycling bins! The area outside wasn’t too clean either, quite a bit of rubbish on the floor. There wasn’t a lot of choice in cakes (maybe we arrived a bit too late) but the most disappointing part was the coffee was served in paper cups, the cake came in paper bags (no plates), with wooden cutlery! Then we had to clear everything away ourselves. This is fine if we’re paying takeaway prices and expecting takeaway food but when we were expecting a cafe with cafe prices, it would’ve been nice to have cups, plates and cutlery there isn’t wooden.

The only thing that saves this place is the atmosphere, that’s all. Changed awfully from when we last went pre Covid. Brought our children and was told they didn’t have high chairs. What cafe doesn’t have high chairs?! As others have mentioned, all cutlery is compostable and throw away which rather defeats the object of being environmentally friendly. Not even so much as a plate. No menus on the tables, so you have to make an on the spot decision. The prices…£5 for a portion of chips?!? All handcut poorly as many of them were just crumbs. Granted the cake was nice, but for the price you pay there’s no table service, cutlery, an extremely limited menu, grumpy service (when asked if the only choice was oat milk was met with a gruff YES and stormed off). Such a shame the place has gone downhill, definitely won’t be recommending it anymore.

Don’t come here if you fancy something traditional as you’ll be disappointed. But if you’re not bothered about your protein intake then you’ll find something to nibble on for an extortionate price. The milk in the flat white was curdled. Or maybe it was just oaty. Hey ho.

Excellent food. Love to visit when we are in area.

The location and tranquility of this place is unbeatable. The food we had (soup, noodle, a focaccia sandwich and donuts) were fresh and delicious. My flat white was really nice. Hospitality is hard, making food from scratch is hard and it is generally much easier to remember leaving a bad review rather than a good one. I would personally really recommend trying this place out :)

Upon arrival at this place, it's hidden away. The food selection alongside the cakes is very attractive, and one of the reasons I came to the lakes from Durham for the day. However what a disappointment it was, as I will explain. There's minimal customer service here, and when a customer who's clearly not from the area, asks for a napkin or tissue, you would expect especially the manager, who I didn't know was at the time, to be more than happy to assist, and not say "they are over there with a smug attitude" which was appalling. I also explained to the same manager later, one of the cakes I bought, was too sickly and tasted disgusting, and being a chef, I should know. I was met by the same manager saying "well everyone buys that cake, and no complaints," and same smug attitude. I don't care, I'm a customer, who is totally unique from everyone else, who is not happy, and you shouldn't as a manager argue with the customer. I felt inwardly, she was a very insecure, feminist that clearly has a problem with masculine men like myself, I could just read her like a book, like the majority of our woke society today that has a chip on the shoulder, so to speak, which is her problem and her let down as a person. It's rare these days to meet a confident lady, who acts like a lady. Also before I even encountered any of this, I overheard a woman in the gift shop, who works there, talking about the universe talking back to her, I thought to myself, this is what happens when you smoke drugs, and drugs are for mugs, goes the old saying. So I'm sure a picture has been created and my advice is, don't waste your time coming here, as there are plenty of better ones within the lakes, as they don't care about customer service! It's not about the money, it's all about the service.

Nice location however the food is only ok. It's a little bit cheeky asking for a tip at the counter then once you sit down adding a sign on the tables asking you to clear your own tables.

Used to come quite regularly with the family, first visit in a while and it's changed completely - everything served on paper plates or in bags, indoor seating gone, very limited menu, no table service and broadly a bit dirty.

Always good to call here for the coffee and samosas

Mind blowing food! Stumbled across this place as I walked the Cumbrian Way and my god was I happy I did! An incredible, eco minded bakery serving an exquisite selection of traditional baked goods and indian/fusion foods. All vegan or vegetarian, and all utterly incredible. Highly recommended for a snack you might not have heard of before! Also have a proper log-fired pizza oven but didn't try that.

We haven't been here for my years..it was our families favourite. My boys loved it. But! It seems to have changed inside dominated by the kitchen/ counter and less seats. It use to have a sofa with a cozy feel..now it looks like your just pushed into the corner or forced to sit outside, which is preferable now. The menu is reduced compared to last time and yet a larger counter service. We would go for the lovely salads some lovely specials. My cake carrot cake was nothing special the coffee was burnt. Such a same please but it back to how it was!

I challenge anyone to find a better carrot cake than you get at this place. It's expensive but the portion is very large, I asked them to cut it in half to share and they did no problem ☺️

Cakes delicious, friendly service, lovely gift shop

Worst scone I have ever had. Supposed to be cherry and almond not one cherry in it. No taste of almond. Very dry and crumbled to nothing. Would not recommend.

Amazing food, good quality and really tasty, beautiful location. The cakes are delicious and big servings too. We will come back every time we visit the lakes

Love the ambience and the food here. It was easy to find vegan options

Great cafe by the river, lovely buzz. Coffee was really nice, amazing breakfast buns and delicious looking lunches. All veggie or vegan. Amazing place, would highly recommend.

Good coffeeee And perfect toilet point Staff is very nice and yes, you can find good coffee here

A fantastic cafe with the best cakes I’ve ever had. Lovely seating by the river.

The best fritatta i have ever eaten. By a stream with friendly robins

Best veggie/vegan food we've ever had!! Great coffee too, highly recommend Chester's toanyone. Superb !!

Gone downhill since it's moved to self service. Who wants to use wooden cutlery? Quality food on offer doesn't match up to the service and eating experience...

A difficult review for me… The food is delicious, it’s vegan and has lots of choice. That’s awesome. The more places like this the better and I’m a big fan. In my opinion that’s the good bit, it’s let down by the rest.. it’s eye wateringly expensive, you have to choose not to tip when you pay even though you buy your your food at the counter, collect it yourself when it’s ready, and clear it away when you’re done. Also, everything is to go, in cardboard boxes, paper bags and paper cups that contain plastic. Firstly this will generate so much waste.. I’m vegan because of the obvious environmental benefits, so this doesn’t sit well with me. That, the price and the lack of service mean I can’t love this place as much as I should do for somewhere selling good vegan food in the middle of the lakes..

Not cheap!but expected to clear your own table to help out.What exactly are the staff paid for?

Been going to the lakes for 20 years and and it's sad what has happened to Chesters, though I understand some of the changes. Location is everything it seems. It's been vegan for a while now, the hot food is pretty good but the cakes and bakes are not great, which isn't uncommon with vegan baking in my experience. You'll find better elsewhere locally if you look. Unfortunately, since covid they've switched to takeaway cups and bags etc only and you dispose of on site when you're done. This means tables aren't cleaned so often and it's a bit dirtier these days. Also its a shame that despite going vegan, so much rubbish is being generated. Reusing and cleaning crockery would be much nicer and less wasteful. Prices are fine, but would expect crockery. Eating quickly cooling food off of paper with a wooden fork isn't a great experience to be honest. Coffee is decent, so 3 stars. If you're vegan, you'll probably ignore any faults and like it all, but held up against the competition this place suffers. Only succeeds because of its location imo.

Very delicious, vegan food that even a carnivore can love!

Lovely coffee & cake the hot savoury food looked very nice too. Charming shop attached with excellent cards and gifts.

Very nice place to go to And very nice food

Edit 2024: Chester's has more of a 'in and out' cafeteria vibe now, like they're just looking to churn customers through with takeaway food in takeaway containers. (You no longer get anything you see plated in the photos) Massive shame that they've opted for this model. What you can get is still good. - Plenty of choice. All vegan, vegetarian, all good! Great tasting food in good sized portions. Can't wait for it to reopen again for dinner bookings!

We call in here whenever we are walking this particular part of the Lakes and the coffee and cake is really, really nice. Everything is served in bio-degradable cups / bowls etc and the outdoor seating area is nice. Free WiFi and dog friendly too.

The shop here is super cute, the nicest shop we’ve visited in the lakes for sure. They have a lot of really lovely books and other bits. The cafe is also great we had some coffee and a pastry and it was a 10/10!