Cortillo Lounge in South Lakeland

Lovely food , helpful staff. Worth a visit.

I now have a habit of going first thing in a Monday morning to pretend I am a Parisian bohemian with my little sketchbook. It is a quiet time. The decor is fantastic, uplifting and inspiring to look at. I love it! The manager has been so friendly kind and helpful to me as I have reduced mobility. There is an excellent disabled toilet. Although I only drink tea on a Monday morning I have many times eaten with friends at different times of the day and as vegans we have always enjoyed the variety and colourfulness of the food. It’s in my top 2 in Kendal as a cafe (equal draw to Baba Ganoush!)

We stumbled across this place as it was open on New Year’s Day. It was doggy friendly and the food was lovely. Service was quick and staff were helpful.

Staff where so helpful. Food was delicious had steak, cooked the way I wanted. Great place to eat and dine would highly recommend

Staff tried to seat 8 of us at a table for 6, despite the place not even being half full and plenty of tables to use. Sat us in a freezing cold draft all night, slow closing door didn't help. Pre ordered but the food was mixed up, the wrong items prepared, overly complicated sharing platter of starters (nightmare if you have dietry requirements), underwhelming small portions for both starters and mains, a number of items were cold and a totally inedible overcooked chicken burger (hard like a coaster!) no offer of not paying for it until we said we wouldn't pay. Staff did provide us with a free round of drinks by way of an apology but we left hungry and disappointed. What a shame, was a great place when it first opened but we won't be going there again. Regularly visit Lancaster and Blackpool branches which are run much better.

Went today for brunch with the family having previously visited on a few occasions as a couple or sole visits for drinks. Food was exceptional, a great selection and much better quality than some of the other national chains in the area. We liked the fact it was not overly busy. Service was good and food came quickly yet was hot. Kids meal was also good value and extremely high quality.

So nice sitting in the window watching world go past. Thankful refilling before more Christmas shopping. Avocado was delicious

Grest burgers and s lovely atmosphere

The staff cooks here were wonderful. Having to suddenly deal with 16 of us without warning they were wonderfully accommodating and treated everyone so well. Thank you all so much. Kudos to everyone working Sunday morning 22 Nov

Lovely and cozy always fast service and delicious food

Excellent tapas, great friendly helpful staff and allows dogs!!!

Worth a visit, staff were excellent and the food was done to a high standard

We called in here for breakfast/lunch whilst on holiday. We had the chicken club ciabatta. It's not a standard chicken club as they have put their own twist on it which very nice. Really tasty. Staff were helpful too. Would definitely return.

i visited kendal for work this weekend and on my lunch break i decided to make a day of it and go somewhere nice for lunch. i went into the cortillo lounge as it was just down the road and i’m so glad i did! right off the bat the staff were so lovely. shakshuka is one of my favourite meals so i was delighted when i saw it on the menu! the food came very quickly (especially for the quality) and it was absolutely delicious! i loved it so much i decided to get a later train back the day after so i could go again for dinner. i got nasi goreng and a couple sides and omg, i can’t stop thinking about it even now that i’m home lol. there was not a single staff member who wasn’t a delight to interact with. the atmosphere is so bright and bubbly during the day and very cosy in the evening. 100% recommend to anyone visiting kendal, i can’t wait to go back when i’m not working and try out the tapas and have some drinks. thanks so much guys :)

Visited in August and the service was excellent. The staff were very helpful.

Absolutely appalling experience. Attended on Tuesday 29th Oct. Any day of the week they have a tapas offer on which is 3 dishes for £13.25 or £4.95 per dish, but on a Tuesday if you do the 3 dishes you get a glass of wine for free. I ordered at the bar and the manager took my order, when ordering my 3 dishes patatas bravas, calamari and chicken wings the manager repeated back to me what I’d ordered and we made a joke about the patatas bravas as I can never pronounce it. When the food arrived on the tapas board there was guacamole and nachos instead of patatas bravas so I said to the kind young waitress that the 3rd item was wrong, she took it away and left me with the other 2 dishes and told me she would go and change it, which I was happy with. 20 minutes later the 3rd dish still hadn’t arrived and myself and my friends had finished our food. Another waitress (dark hair, late 20’s) was serving the table next to us so we politely said ‘excuse me’ in which she came over. We explained what had happened and that I was still waiting the 3rd dish in which she responds that it is hectic down stairs and this is why the mistakes had been made. We were all very polite and understanding even though this particular member of staff came across very rude and unhelpful. She then went onto say that her younger colleague who had originally dealt with the problem should have put the amendment through the till and not just told the kitchen as it wouldn’t work. I then told her that I didn’t want the 3rd dish anymore as it was now so late and I was past the point of eating. She reluctantly offered me a refund, returned back with the card machine and offered me £2 back on my card. Myself and my friends questioned why I was being given £2 when I’d paid £13.25 for 3 dishes and was only given 2. The waitress kept repeating that it was because it was ‘an offer’ I told her that logically she could either refund me for the individual item at £4.95 or divide £13.25 by 3 and give me an equal to a 3rd of the deal. She was adamant she could only give me £2, telling me to go down to the till and look for myself. In the end I thought I was getting no where to took the £2 refund. When the waitress walked off my friend reiterated to me that in theory I had just paid £11.25 for 2 tiny plates of tapas and the refund wasn’t fair. The young waitress from the beginning came over to serve the table next to us and my friend (nearest to her for ease) said ‘excuse me’ very politely. The girl came over very smiley and we’d explained what had happened and we asked the girl if the other waitress was the manager in which she replied no she is the deputy as such and when we told her about the £2 refund she agreed with us that that didn’t work out and she would go and speak to her main manager. In which she did, then she returned and told us he has asked the ‘other girl’ to come back over to us. She storms back over and says ‘I have been informed that you have shouted at my 16 year old colleague so I am asking you to leave the premises’. We were all too in shock to speak, at the fact that she thinks and was accusing us of shouting at her colleague when we could not have been more nice and polite. And asking us to leave the premises when we still had drinks to finish, for no valid or apparent reason other then that she knew her idea of logic was incorrect and she had no idea how to deal with customers. It was an absolute disgrace how the ‘deputy manager’ spoke to us, shouting at us to leave. All blown out of proportion and handled absolutely disgustingly. Myself and both my friends all work with customers in different settings at our place of work and we understand when places are busy it is challenging but you were all given numerous attempts to make things right and you failed. And on top of this you were threatening and nasty. The manager stood back watching it all which I thought was bizarre. No idea of customer service whatsoever. A whole episode of drama over a piece of tapas on a Tuesday night, wow, learn how to deal with YOUR mistakes more efficiently.

Me and two friends went to cortillo lounge today Sunday I’ve eaten here a few times but today was a very bad exsperience we all ordered at the same time mine came first then another one 20 minutes later then the last one a brunch came 10 minutes later the service was terrible I had chicken it was so dry it made my throat sore swallowing it the whole exsperience was terrible there are loads of eating places in Kendal so we will choose another one as our favourite place I feel as gone down hill

Loved the decor and the whole lay out it's a beautiful use of space, service is hard to rate when it's ordering by QR code it makes it slightly impersonal for my liking but the lady that brought us our food was lovely. Eating out is always tricky for me as I have allergies and a lot of the food either contained those or was spicy, due to the QR ordering it was difficult to have questions about the food. Other than that I thought it was a really lovely atmosphere, not sure if I'd return for food but id love to come back for a cocktail!

Great day pub if you have a family

Excellent decaf Oat Latte, delicious food and great service.

Really helpful staff member Elizabeth went above and beyond to make sure I could get my takeout dish promptly as I was in an unanticipated rush. Very kind, welcoming and helpful, and my falafel salad dish was exactly what I needed for lunch. Would recommend.

I’ve enjoyed many nights here with my partner, we always feel welcome. The staff are awesome and friendly. I come here often and most of the time by myself when I need a bit of “me time” we all need that and this is the place! I definitely think cortillo is the best thing that’s happened to Kendal, as it creates such a good atmosphere. The food is lovely as are the staff, always welcoming and friendly. It’s like home from home. Keep up the great work you’re doing guys as it’s highly appreciated from me!!!

Good food, all day breakfast was fine.

Excellent food good choice of beers. Friendly service

Excellent food great service lovely atmosphere

Great breakfast and good service

Good food at a reasonable price in a modern, comfortable setting. The service was very prompt and the staff very friendly. A good selection of food on the menu so I will be back again to sample other options, would recommend for the price!

Wanted cake with my coffee but choice very limited

Love love loved it ❤️ Great atmosphere, staff absolutely lovely and polite, friendly and welcoming. Went with my dear old friend and we had confy sofas at the front with the windows open. Would definitely recommend and can't wait to try dinner time and drinks

Lovely staff, great food, comfortable venue. Highly recommend

I was impressed with Kendal's Cortillo Lounge. Once sat down, you can order everything from the table (via you mobile and a QR code) with your card, or you can go the till and order there. The staff were bright, polite and keen to make sure we were ok throughout. The food was of the usual high quality I've had in other establishments of the lounge franchise. Kendal was no exception. Well prepared good quality food. Meal sizes were fine, although a touch more mascarpone (with the pancakes) would have been appreciated. The bathroom was clean, hygienic and the hand dryer was a proper blast. So a solid recommendation for the Cortillo Lounge and I'd visit again if in Kendal.

Always love Kendal's Cortillo Lounge and their to die for flatbreads. Always great service too.

Decent place. They have a separate vegan and gluten free menu. Sufficient choices for all dietary preferences. I ordered a chicken flatbread but it had too much sauce. Hoping they can fix this. Staff was helpful and service was quick.

Its a lovely bar/cafe with a great atmosphere, always seems to be lots going on like quiz nights etc... Theres a good range of vegan and veggie food, and food is usually brought out quite quickly. We've been in a few times now, the first couple were really good but you could watch the quality slowly go down. On the past two visits all of the food has been so covered in salsa or other sauces it was quite sickly to eat. On the last visit there seemed to be only one front of house staff who was practically running everywhere, she seemed incredibly stressed but was still doing a great job. The drinks, especially the cocktails are so overpriced considering most of them are just two shots and some soda.

All good- seamless click and collect, excellent service, extremely tasty food and value for money

Amazing range of really lovely gluten free food! Fantastic service, beautiful chandeliers, lovely lovely decor too, comfortable and great for a evening family get together.

me and my friend cane here for lunch and i got the avocado burger and a milkshake, im not normally one to write a bad review but i had a stroke of bad luck with all of my food, the avocado was rock hard and not ready at all, the milkshake just tasted of milk and my fries had a huge piece of plastic in. I told the bar about the plastic and they apologised, but i feel like the kitchen shouldn’t be sending out food like that in the first place, especially for the price. Despite that, our service was very good and the paintings were beautiful!

Had a nice evening meal here on a recent stay in Kendal. We shared two of the tapas boards, each with 3 dishes on, all were very good. Had a couple of cocktails, and shared a portion of churros for dessert. Was all very good. If I had to find a fault, could the staff, great as they were, stop calling a couple of pensioners “you guys”?

Been a few times now, best experience yet! Our food was great, came out quickly and the Elderflower cool drink is so good! The staff are friendly, especially the redheaded Scot! Will keep coming back!

Excellent food for a great price.

This place has a friendly, cozy atmosphere and the servers were very friendly and helpful. Me and my co-travellers ended up eating here twice during our brief stay in Kendal. The first time I had a Buddha bowl that was very tasty. The second time I had a chicken Caribbean curry that was ok. The second time we were there, it was unexpectedly busy and the restaurant was short-staffed. This led to some lengthy delays in the kitchen, but the servers did their best to keep up with the rush and offer us some freebies to make up for the inconvenience.

They have a very varied menu. Everything we tried was delicious. Very friendly staff. They have an app to order, by mistake we duplicated a dish and they were kind enough to cancel it.

Really like this chain, glad to find it in Kendal. Fantastic menu, great vegan and gluten free menus. Never had a bad meal in the chain. Had mushroom soup with GF roll, was lovely soup, my friend had a veggie, aubergine flatbread and said it was delicious.

Much better than expected. This looks like a regular chain serving average food, but after a week in the Lake District the meal we had here was the best by far. Surprisingly delicious and would liked to go back again!

Absolutely stunning inside and out, the food is just as amazing. Fresh clean and a lovely atmosphere, I don't usually come into Kendal town despite living here but I will most certainly be coming back here. I had the smashed avocado brunch and it certainly did not disappoint!!

Popped in on a rainy day for a coffee (flat white) which I requested extra hot. It was one of the best coffees I have had in a while. No matter which coffee place you're in, when you ask for it extra hot you don't always get it extra hot, and these days, a flat white often comes with too much froth - not this one. I liked the little glass cup and saucer too, just the right size. Shout out to the staff also. I casually mentioned to the helpful waitress that my 20-year old was looking for a summer job and had applied there but hadn't heard back. She got the manager who was lovely. He came right away, introduced himself, shook my hand, explained it probably wasn't Cortillo since they are fully staffed (he did his summer hiring in April) and so not advertising, but the name Cortillo is easily confused with other places -- and then * he gave helpful advice about which other places in Kendal are hiring!*. That's above and beyond for a casual enquiry. Both of these staff members were so nice and friendly. I'm currently sitting here enjoying the end of my coffee and people watching. It looks like a happy and efficient place. Tables are well spaced and the acoustics are good. The menu looks great, and the food coming out is steaming and yummy looking. I'll come back with family for a meal one of these days. I am not surprised they are fully staffed, the manager is clearly up on his game (unlike other places these days). Full five stars.

food was very average, bit cold so was probably sat under a heat lamp for a while. one of the staff was quite rude, bit snappy and irritable. only popped in for a breakfast so wouldn’t go back. disappointing for a lounge.

We came here for a late lunch and really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. It had been very busier earlier but was OK when we arrived. The food was excellent and the staff very friendly and helpful. Do try the flat breads, they are delicious.

Got treated like we committed a war crime because we had to get a coffee from next door because they didn’t offer oat milk on the app. Still after buying 2 full breakfasts from the place we was made to feel unwelcome from the unpleasant waitress with the snotty look on her face looking over at us as if we lied about the situation. Besides her we enjoyed the food but just unfortunate they have a jobs worth of a staff member working there.

Always a good experience here, great for friends and family. A bit dark in corners. Lovely and helpful staff. More than plenty foods to choose from.

Art work gives place a different feel

The service was not very good, the food was mediocre.

Popped in for a coffee while we got our bearings in Kendal. Nice coffee, good service. Very busy, it is obviously a popular place in Kendal.

Great place for food and a drink

Good food, dog friendly, ideal for meeting friends as not too noisy.

Great evening, friendly staff will go again

Good location in the centre of town and plenty of food and drinks choices on the menu at reasonable prices. Only downside was a slightly long wait to be seated but an acknowledgment of our presence would have been nice and I would have been more accepting of the fact that staff were busy if they had said ‘I’ll be with you shortly’. Otherwise no issues and would visit again

Only called gor a coffee but it was nice

Incredible staff. So friendly. Tasty food and good value. A rare find!!!

Nice food, great coffee. Warm welcoming atmosphere and lovely clean toilets

Food was good value for money....but was very disappointed in the service...we asked if we could sit upstairs, told no as they hadn't a table for 3....only tables for 2 or 4!! It wasn't busy, as it was a week day lunch time... Ordered a bottle of wine and asked for the screw top, so we could take it home if we didn't finish it, he threw it in the bin and said no, they didn't have a licence..we are 3 mature ladies and certainly weren't going to bottle neck it on the street!!! We had paid for a full bottle and felt we should have had the option to take home what we didn't finish!!!

The food and the atmosphere was great. The service was really good. The GF menu was spectacular. The coffee, however, let them down, but I'd definitely go back.

Food hot and well presented, service excellent. Coffee was good if a bit pricey. It was very quiet

Wen t with my daughter for lunch, I had heard it was a great place, but unfortunately, for me, was very disappointed! Food was very bland and basic, expensive, cutlery and plates all dirty, nice service but feels like nobody really cares... such a shame...but I will not be returning!

The place was freezing and to top it all the food was cold. What a total disappointment. Will not return now. Been going down hill for a while. Was great when it opened and we have used regular.

Great place to grab food and drink before going on to a show at The Brewery Arts centre

Walked in off the Street after 5 eateries wernt selling food at 1645 hrs. Ordered a fantastic burger. Friendly staff eager to please and very pleasant. Had lovely meal would highly reccommend. Cheers guys.

Best cheesy fries I think I’ve ever had! Shame I had to wait 35 mins but they gave me a complimentary beer to compensate, would have been 5stars otherwise!

Great place, lovely quirky vibe, amazingly friendly staff! Food was awesome, cant knock the place, thanks for having us 🫶🙏

First visit was a pleasant experience. Nice atmosphere, staff were calm welcoming and professional. We were all able to find multiple options, I am gluten and lactose free and another is vegan, highly recommend to anyone but particularly those with dietary restrictions.

Love the place nicely decorated in a unique way. Food was hot and well presented as well as being tasty. Good VFM.

Very disappointing. I had dinner with my daughter. Not very busy but difficult to find a table as lots had not been cleared. Only 1 menu per table. No table service. App did not work. You could not run a tab but had to pay for everything at the time. Apparently lots of customers have 'done a runner'. Very reassuring !! Sweet potato fries were nice but my ciabatta was luke warm at best and this after a long wait. I don't like being critical but I work in the hospitality sector and this was my experience. Long wait to order anything at the bar.

Fab food and service, staff were so helpful explaining the menu

I didn't know what to expect coming here but we will definitely be visiting again. Food was exceptional and the menu range was very large. Plenty of drinks options and my milkshake was amazing. Definitely visit here if you're passing.

Mezze salad lovely. I could eat it all day. Lovely skimmed milk latte. Definitely recommend

It's good to have an arty cafe/bar in Kendal. It has exactly the right ambience of comfort - studiedly scruffy, combined with friendly staff and good, reasonably priced food.

So good to have lots of veggie choices

2nd choice for a light lunch. It was delicious. A very good decision to visit Cortillo lounge and would definitely visit again.

Staying in Kendal for a few days and decided to try this restaurant as it had a good range of food on the menu. We all enjoyed our meals, a lamb curry,, cauliflower curry and burger. With it being a Monday night we also took advantage of the wine offer with the main meals which made it excellent value. The staff were very pleasant and helpful which added to the enjoyable experience.

Small portions but amazing food

Very clean and tidy Helpful staff.Food excellent.

Nice place with a Good atmosphere and comfortable surroundings. Very Friendly staff. Food was nice but very small portions for the extravagant cost.

Pop the heating on guys. It's baltic in there. Food was cold in seconds.

Absolutely delicious food, really good vegetarian options on the tapas menu and lovely atmosphere.

We decided to come in here as we just wanted to share some fairly light bites. Glad we did. Really casual place (yep, a lounge!) with a pretty varied menu of tasty comfort food. We got an interesting mix of bang bang chicken, Mac n cheese and flatbreads. Arrived pretty quickly and was very tasty. Only quibble was could have done with more chicken… Staff were really nice. Good value.

First time visiting for myself and my wife with my sister and her partner. The philly-cheese baguette was really nice and chips were crispy outside and fluffy inside which is spot-on in my book. The burgers were also very good (I nicked a bit of my sister's). Lunch was accompanied by a nice pint of reasonably priced Sam Weston's vintage cider. Next time, I'll have a pud cos they looked good. All in all, well worth a visit.

Always a nice atmosphere and the staff are lovely . I enjoy the tapas and a good pot of tea . Yesterday s tea cake left a lot to be desired, hard as the Hobbs if hell lol l think Bob the builder made it 😅🤣😅😅 . Didn't eat it threw it out for the birds . Their beaks are stronger than my teeth x

Had a few days in kendal. Went twice in 2 days. Took my son there, tasty burgers.

A very pleasant restaurant with a beautiful chill and quiet atmosphere. I am very satisfied with this restaurant. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who is wondering about going. It is a quite large restaurant with 2 floors. The toilets are surprisingly very clean and hygienic. Colourful restaurant and many paintings which gives it a classy look. As for the food very exquisite and pleasant. Food comes out very quickly and the staff is simply fantastic with kind and helpful services. If anyone is wondering, this restaurant is situated on a one-way road just keep that in mind. However, the only downside we saw, we're the brownies however every person has their own preferences. The brownies were bitter yet some people may like it. Overall, this is a wonderful restaurant with high quality cleanliness, food, staff and appearance. Simply a fantastic place to eat.

We visited for dinner late on a Sunday evening. We were honestly surprised to find anywhere still serving food at 9pm. We had booked a table elsewhere but their site allowed us to book for 8:15pm when they actually stopped serving food at 8:00pm so we were turned away and thought we would end up with fast food as being the only option late on a Sunday. The host was very welcoming. We ordered at the bar and the drinks were quickly brought out with the food soon after, which was good as we were ravenous. All the food was delicious. I had the bang bang chicken and my son had the chilli, husband had a bacon butty and onion rings. Word to the wise, the red chillies served on top of the chilli are bird’s eye chillies and quite piquant, a bit too spicy for my son. So if you aren’t up to the heat be sure to ask for it without them, or to have them in the side. They were in a little pile though so it was fairly easy to pick them off and my husband loved them! Despite the late hour at no point did we feel rushed and left well fed and far happier than we had been earlier in the evening.

We've been to several lounges around the country and we are always happy with the food and atmosphere!

All good. Good food and service it was dinner time a bit quiet but still nice

Great tapas ,quick and polite service and fair prices

I took my mum for lunch to the Cortillo lounge. It was excellent. We had 6 tapas bowls to share along with fries and a garlic bread and enjoyed every bite. The atmosphere is very relaxed (we sat downstairs), and the tables are well spread out with plenty of room between them. We were able to leave her wheelchair beside the table without it being in the way. The music was very quiet - just enough to add to the background, enabling us to talk without needing to shout to each other. The staff were friendly and the service was very good. We had a wonderful lunch and will definitely go there again.

Went the extra mile to accommodate a birthday request! Really appreciate it, will visit again, thank you for the hospitality. Food and drinks were top draw

5 of us went for Sunday lunch yesterday. Nice welcome put 2 tables together for us. Ordered at the bar tapas and a variety of main meals desserts and drinks. Didn’t have long to wait for our food. We all enjoyed our food . Staff very good . Only slight let down was a couple of us had cold plates so the food went cold quickly. We will be back, thankyou.

Food was delicious, plenty to choose from. Nice decor

Nice food, wasn't a particularly filling portion. Nice venue but slightly cold.

It's just like a Wetherspoons with tacky decor.

Huge potential, getting increasingly badly delivered. Great food - let’s get that out of the way first, the food is great. And whilst friendly, the staff have no uniform (or seemingly any dress-code policy at all, if they do it’s not enforced ), no badges, no visual clues whatsoever that they’re stuff - so no way of knowing they work there. You can literally see the “do you work here or are you just a helpful stranger?” confusion on some the faces of people visiting for the first time when the staff do interact with them for the first time. Today, almost everyone who came in stood at the “please wait to be seated” sign without being acknowledged for several minutes, the bar staff can see them stood there and did nothing. The sign needs to say “please find a table and order ant the bar/app”. Instead, other patrons had to tell them to just take a seat and order at the bar. A great place, letting themselves down on the basics.