Forest Side in South Lakeland

We came here for the 6 course lunch taster menu. The hotel is stunning and has gorgeous grounds. The food was obviously delicious and the chefs were very enthusiastic when coming to the table to describe the dishes. Our server seemed a little bit fed up (which fair enough everyone has bad days). And the cocktail i had was amazing. We were given a voucher for the restaurant / hotel as a wedding present last year so it was great that we finally got to use it!

Forest Side is a well positioned hotel, set in Grasmere it gives you a good central position between Windermere and Derwentwater. It is best suited to adult couples who want a good evening meal - but if you are a family, this is not the hotel for you. The rooms have little storage space, a problem probably made worse by having to retrofit an old building. And whilst breakfast was very nice, the food is very much suited to adults. Children are not big fans of Rye bread and the bar menu only runs until 6pm when all energy then goes into the evening dinner service. If you happen to come back from your walk beyond 6pm you are then forced to fend for yourself, no food offering or room service exists and the kitchen are unable (despite being asked) to prepare you even a simple plate of pasta. The waiting and reception staff feel inexperienced, which is letting down what could be a decent experience - but to call this luxury or suggest it should have a Michelin star is, in my opinion, a stretch too far.

Beautiful hotel in a stunning location. Food is delicious and superbly presented. Staff helpful and friendly. Nothing is too much trouble. Dog friendly and great walks in surrounding area .

Great lunches and tasting menus

Amazing experience from the service to the food and the wine experience. Definitely will be back.

Fabulous visit - wonderful location, hotel and food experience - we will be back !

Great location and service. The food was mostly great but there was one or two courses of the vegetarian tasting menu that were average to poor for a restaurant of this high calibre and price point. We left a scarf there on our visit, and although we called not long after we left they were unable to find it, and it was pretty difficult to communicate with them. Overall I do recommend it if you are after a meal for a special occasion. Nice people, you will be well looked after, and a beautiful setting.

4 x course lunch menu was incredible. Beautiful surroundings and restaurant

It is most definitely a five star review we had the most sublime lunch from the warm welcome on arrival the lovely setting impeccable service and brilliant food together with a wonderful wine flight to match each delicious course a wonderful lunch well done Forrest side we will certainly be back.

Our first visit... and whilst we could not fault the food, and presentation in any way, and the price... very reasonable. We were rather underwhelmed with the staff and service.. It started well.. but then it seemed that we were abandoned.. the kitchen staff were working hard to clean down etc.. which we fully understand... but we would have liked to finish the meal with a coffee... but no-one came... we waited... So we got up from the table, found our own coats... and went to pay... It rather spoilt what should have been a memorable lunch...

I booked the 4 course lunch after reading fantastic reviews about Forest Side, but we unfortunately left very disappointed. Our previous experiences of a Michelin-starred restaurant have left us in awe of the food, and feeling cared for by friendly staff. Despite the food being good, the service was unfortunately cold, mechanical and unenthusiastic - it felt like the staff didn't want to be there, and they had no warmth about them. We got engaged the day before, and I was super excited to share this and make this meal a celebration, but unlike other restaurants of this level, the staff hardly spoke to us so wouldn't have known why we were there, let alone if we were celebrating anything. I'd really like to mention that the food was beautiful - the "Snacks" were divine and the mussel dish was one I'll always remember. Sadly, the experience as a whole was flat and I'm gutted to have left feeling this disappointed.

We had booked this place for our Golden Wedding lunch. They contacted us several times just to be sure we were coming. They had been told more than once it was a special occasion. This place is not concerned with customers - only with food. So there was no warm welcome, no “Good afternoon - Welcome to Forest Side”. No manners. We asked for a pre-lunch drink as we were there 15 minutes before our table time. This was permitted by the barman with apparent surprise. The menu was a choice of 6 courses, or 4 courses. We don’t eat 6 courses, so we looked at the 4 course - beetroot, lobster, a game bird, and a pudding I cannot remember. My wife asked about the lobster “How is the lobster cooked?” The waiter looked embarrassed then eventually said “It’s in a pasta”. Disappointing. We didn’t want the game bird, so We decided to leave and asked reception to call us a taxi. It was pouring with rain or we would have walked into Grasmere and taken pot luck. The waiter returned and said the chef had said we could have the sea bream (or was it bass) as a main course. We decided to stay and see what happened. The dining room has no warmth or atmosphere - wooden table tops, no cutlery to be seen - it was hidden in leather craftsmen’s tool rolls. Haha! All so pretentious. The food tasted underwhelming. The two amuse-bouche were unremarkable - one tasted strongly of Heinz 57 salad cream; the other was lamb belly served on a small skewer with warm moist hand towels. More pretentiousness. The fish really was tiny, so we needn’t have worried, it was two mouthfuls, and tasted of horse radish. There was one sliced runner bean beneath it. The service was formal unfriendly and pretentious. I felt the staff were undertrained, amateur and frightened. This was a very disappointing experience, though comic in some ways. Expensive ways. We won’t go again and will not recommend it. The service The service was formal and over-theatrical but the servers were mechanical and cold - they looked terrified. I guess of the chef. If you want a 100% foodie place, all etentiousness, where you are made to feel you are lucky to be allowed in - go ahead. It’s not on our list of welcome places for a good meal. Service was It was

Absolutely exceptional. Everything was perfect. We are yet to see what the rooms are like. We came for lunch - 6 course tasting menu. The whole experience was perfect and food was incredible. Can't wait to come back!!

Lovely location. Excellent friendly service. Beautiful rooms and delicious food and drink. What more could you ask for? Update.... Breakfast spent watching red squirrels visit the nut feeder in the garden :0))

A fantastic place for amazing food and service. The six course lunch is wonderful - stunning flavours. Incredible attention to detail from the staff.

This was our first trip to Forest Side and We had an excellent lunch . We chose the 6 course taster menu and were most impressed with each and every course. Each dish was beautifully presented and explained and staff were friendly and professional. We particularly enjoyed the display and explanation for the beef tartare. All round a fabulous experience.

The accommodations at Forest Side were outstanding in every way. The entrance to the lodge is absolutely beautiful and my anticipation as we were driving up was quite high. And then, we rounded the corner, and the Lodge came into view. It was breathtakingly stunning. My stay was perfect. From the beautiful ensuite room, to the delicious food, to the individuals that I was fortunate to meet that worked at the Lodge, I could not have asked for more in any regards. If you are staying in this beautiful area, this lodge is a must. I could easily spend a year there, exploring the beautiful area and relaxing in the impeccable accommodations. My stay....no words.

A really wonderful experience from beginning to end. Service, food and ambience were all top class. Equal to - and better than in some cases - L'Enclume

Fabulous meal, food and service. Highly recommend to go and dine in this restarent. We will be back again. Thank you for exceptional experiern

Exceptional in every way! delicious dishes with lots of herbs and flowers out their garden. Attentive service with an eye for detail. We had a lovely table overlooking the beautiful garden . For us, this was more than a 1 star…we will certainly return

Came here for lunch and it was amazing the staff really made the day as they were all lovely and so happy and very informative in regard to what we were eating the view from our table was across the grounds which was lovely We had the 4 course that is more like 6 with snacks and bread all the dishes were superb We would return and we would recommend this restaurant 100%

Went to Forest Side with my wife and daughter on Saturday 1st April. Over the years I have visited some of the Lake Districts best restaurants including L'Enclume, The Old Stamphouse etc and this is up there with the best of them. What an experience. The property itself is a beautiful space, with a luxurious lounge, beautiful dining room with a view to the activities in the kitchen from some tables.It has a spacious mature well attended garden and patio area. Moving onto the staff, they were extremely friendly and welcoming and very efficient from the point of arrival till we left. They even arranged a tour of the wine cellar for me with the head sommelier Michal. Now moving to the food we opted for the six course lunch accompanied with a bottle of Folle Blanche and some cocktails The food was divine, beautifully balanced dishes bursting with flavour and cooked to perfection. Every dish was a standout dish in some way. At the moment I am on a bit of a Michelin journey in Scotland and the Lakes and once I have completed my bucket list will make a return visit to a select few. Forest Side is on that shortlist

To be clear with this review the food was superb. It was the service that wholeheartedly let the experience down. We arrived to a frosty welcome from the waiting staff. There was no warm welcome to what should be the start of an phenomenal experience given the Michelin star status. The waiting on staff uniform was in desperate need of an iron, the trousers looked like they had dug out of the washing basket, the shoes were filthy. This was not a good representation of standards. The staff were indifferent to the point of being rude with a friend who we were dining with. I actually burst out laughing at how rude she was. She clearly realized that I had seen her openly mock our friend, yet she made no attempt at any sort of apology. At the start of the meal we asked if we could go to the bar for a drink after our meal to be told in a very curt fashion ‘No’, there was no effort to accommodate us or to problem solve. The lack of professionalism was embarrassing. Having been to other Michelin starred restaurants this was woefully bad. Such a shame given the high hopes we had for the evening. It was actually Like they did us a favor and we hadn’t spent an absolute fortune with them. Would not go back and would not recommend. Sadly.

Been here for lunch a number of times and latest visit was as good as ever. Lovely flavours, excellent execution and presentation and great service from a friendly team. Shame they don’t take dinner reservations from non residents as otherwise would like to try that (currently can only book lunch as a non resident, although you can ask to be added to a dinner waiting list but that’s not ideal for planning). Not sure the background music is really needed but that’s a minor detail.

Tried to book a table for dinner in the restaurant. Was on the waiting list since around the start of September. Got a call saying a table has become free a week before. Wanted to book for 4 course dinner but told could only book if having 8 course. This is pretty terrible in my opinion. Money making with no consideration for a customer that was waiting for nearly three months.

Forest side is in one of the most stunning areas of GB The sterile concept of the new world is an anathema to us, the food is acceptable but not amazing cf. the amazing food of Lisa Allen Northcote, Nearby Hirishi at Gilpin there is no comparison, with much better value at Rothay Garden nearby not pretentious but good wholesome cooking ! And very friendly Michelin you are not comparing apples with apples!! The undressed tables in a large soulless room with no atmosphere are so disappointing the glassware is cheap and a pack of cutlery albeit in a leather holster is lazy and who cleans the leather pouches , why not lay the table ? and put a clean crisp tablecloth to cover grubby unclean wooden surfaces? No flowers pictures or any attempt to make the place welcoming are a sad indictment of corporate indifference to the customer experience What happened to the days of a welcoming Manager M’aitre D in control of his customers journey of enjoyment ! The eye watering prices can be justified if the experience leaves The customer excited and. Content! But Leaving with a feeling of disappointment and lack of enthusiasm to return is a recipe for disaster, Sadly the food is good the rest is in my opinion extremely poor . These places need to be exceptional and deliver on every level to achieve the accolades of Michelin sadly I believe Michelin have got this one wrong!

We've eaten here several times over the years, and it's always a worry that maybe, this time, it won't be as good as we remembered. Well, that has never been the case. Somehow the staff (both visible and "invisible" ) raise their game constantly - keeping them ahead of the other restaurants in the lakes by dint of their friendly, professional and helpful attitude, and the incredible attention to detail. My wife has a medical condition which can make eating out somewhat of a lottery in some places, but the staff at Forest Side dealt seamlessly with a brilliant personalised menu for her, without nay fuss or apparent trouble. The menus are truly outstanding - and mainly local, with some very interesting twists and turns, but all flavoursome, and with varying textures. At first, each course seems small but by the end of the meal, you feel very well fed - and you are!

I had followed the Head chef- Paul Leonards career and looked forward to see how he had adapted to cooking in the Lakes. Before dinner we had the opportunity to visit the wonderful hillside garden and had a sneak preview of the ingredients we could expect from the evening ahead. Dinner began with a selection of small snacks highlight was the large bite sized cheese gougere which was crisp but melt in the mouth. Then the menu, we opted for the 8 course tasting version flowed over the next two hours and guided us from Summer peas with curds enhancing the flavour, through Scallops with Langoustine Head sauce to Dexter beef with bone marrow all showcasing the kitchens skill. Then the highlight with a breadth of textures and cooking styles of homegrown beetroots in a variety of juice and preparation which exploded with flavour. Line caught Seabass with garden courgettes and Aged cumbrian lamb finished the main courses and we were treated to two desserts a Garden strawberries and lemon Verbena showcase of summer and then a Chocolate and blackcurrant course to finish up. Whilst expensive it did offer value for money and a worthwhile venue for a special occassion-

Had an excellent 5 course lunch here with all the refinement and quality that’s implied in the price and menu. The location is a treat and we were seated next to an open French window with a lovely summer breeze coming in (helpful as one...

This was the second time we had lunch at Forest Side. The first time was in Sept 2021. In both cases we cycled from Ambleside via the picturesque Grassmere Lake Route and the staff were very accommodating in terms of storing our cycling gear and...

Amazing lunch. Food incredible and staff are a credit to the establishment....

Pleasant country house for short stay in the Lake District. Friendly staff and good food. The nightly tasting menu is excellent but, if you stay too long, evening meals can become a repetition of anticipation and tasting titillation rather than relaxed high quality dining. That said, can’t fault the food and culinary expertise. Great location only 5 minutes walk into Grasmere and hillside walks start directly from the hotel.

Excellent food and service, would go again anytime

A lovely place to stay and the food is amazing they had a power cut when we stayed and the only problem I had was a cool shower and no fried egg and we were given a free nights stay with 8 course tasting menu

Fantastic stay! The staff were faultless and attentive from start to finish! A number of nice finishing touches made for a very enjoyable stay! Amazing food and an extremely comfortable / relaxing hotel set in beautiful ground! Can't wait to return to sample the summer menu!

We went for the 8 course meal and stay at this 4 star hotel which lived up to the expectations and feedback. One of the best hotels I've stayed at. The hotel room was lovely with the nice touches from the Bramley toiletries, mini cakes on arrival, freestanding bath to the shower. The Michelin star meal was amazing, very well thought out and art on a plate. The head chef prepared a great meal for us and elevated the ingredients including the beetroot dish which was my favourite. Although minor suggestions include a better hairdryer and iron, along with bottled water in the room. Also the staff need to be slower when they explain each course as it was difficult to understand what they were saying. Would definitely recommend this hotel and the meal.

The food in this restaurant is simply fantastic, I cannot complement the chefs enough. The flavours are complex and very well balanced and the presentation brilliant. The dinner is a fixed menu of 8 courses and at the moment the restaurant is only open to people who are also staying. For a Michellin starred experience the food is very well priced but I think they try to make up for it with the wine. If you opt for the wine flight they serve 75ml glasses and so for the price it doesn't seem that generous. If you opt to order your own wine from the list the prices are a bit steep and in my experience they poured very quickly and were quick to offer replacement bottles trying to upsell. In terms of a moan that's it and I can't really say the wine issue is a real negative, indeed some people might say its just good service. The food can't be beaten though - it's brilliant.

This week we are at three Michelin star restaurants in the Lake District. One of them very famous. After lunch at Forest Side today, this wins hands down. It is the way tasting menus used to be...unpretentious and simply outstandingly well cooked and presented. The...

Stayed for 1 night in a suite with the 8 course tasting menu. Cannot fault anything. Lovely touches in room like fresh milk and a welcome cake. Taster meal was amazing and all the staff were attentive and friendly. Loved every moment.

How this place is only rated 4.7 is beyond me.We are staying in the Master Suite and had the 8 course taster menu last night.If you include the snacks and homemade bread its like having 12 course really.My wife and I were extremely pleased with our experience at Forest Side and we havnt even had the breakfast yet .The breakfast I already know will be equal or better than any I've had before as last night's food was an experience you really should treat yourself too at some point.The Chef is a genius to put it accurately, the lamb belly snack was so nice .The sea bass was as fresh as you could Finld and the Deer well it left me wanting more. The room is 5 star and the food is too . Regards Gary and Sian Moss

Just beautiful. Superb food. Great wine. Excellent service.

A birthday treat to myself after years of wanting to try here. My partner and I visited on a Sunday lunch, and couldn't fault anything. From the great welcome, to the stunning wine list to the delicious nibbles and amazing courses that followed one after...

We’ve eaten here in the past and decided to try a return visit for the night. The eight course meal was a delight and the highlight of our stay. The room was well appointed and the bed was one of the most comfortable beds we’ve...

Amazing, go here, you won't be disappointed. We ended our honeymoon here and everything was spot-on. Staff were attentive, helpful, friendly. The master room was spacious and well decorated, the bathroom walls were getting a little tired, but it was still fantastic. The food was spot-on, we had the 8-course menu twice and had the wine flight the second time. The second night the menu had changed considerably, maybe only 2-3 courses were exactly the same. The only thing we could comment on is that the waiters could speak a little louder to account for their masks. The breakfast was also great, really different. Highly recommended!

A great few nights stay at the Forest Side. The food is superb, breakfast also lovely. The staff are all very friendly. Allowed me to charge the electric car there too which was a nice touch. Situated very close to Grasmere. Room had high ceilings and had character. Bathroom spacious and modern. Mattress slightly too soft for my taste.

We have visited The Forest Side 3 times now. Each time it has been genuinely outstanding. So good in fact we decided to host our Wedding reception there and we could not have been more pleased with the way the whole team looked after us in the run up to and after the day itself. Paul and his team produced unbelievably high quality food which blew our guest away. The wine pairings were unique and delicious in equal measure and the highlight of the whole experience was the warm professionalism of the reception and waiting team. I cannot recommend treating yourself to an experience at the Forest Side enough and we certainly look forward to returning for our wedding anniversary for many years to come. Gratefully, Colin and Hannah

Loved our time at Forest Side. Beautiful and comfortable surroundings. Perfectly located for all you would want to do in the Lakes. Fabulous food - we had the 8 course tasting menu plus wine pairings. Friendly, attentive and well informed staff, all of whom made us feel welcome and at home during our four night stay. Just perfect!

Fabulous place, fabulous food and fabulous staff in a fabulous location, it was just, well, fabulous 😁

The room was vastly overpriced for what we received. £289 a night for a small room on the top floor! We’ve stayed in much nicer rooms for the same or less money, for example the Pig hotel chain

Excellent. The correct ballance of relaxed and attentive service, combined with exceptional food and drink.

Food and service excellent. Will definitely be back.

I can not recommend this hotel highly enough. I had to change the date of my initial booking 3 times as my wife is poorly. No problem for them at all. When we arrived, the lovely Jessica came out in the pouring rain to assist me and my wife and take us directly to our accessible room. The service we received was second to none. The hotel itself is in a great location and the breakfast is outstanding. Great selection of drinks in the bar and the rooms are spacious and very comfortable. Can’t wait to return and sample the Michelin food. Thanks again.

This is the true gem of the Lake District. 5 Star from start to finish. The food is exceptional, staff are amazing, location perfect. Keep up the incredible experience that is The Forest Side.

From my DJ perspective, this was my first visit to Forest Side. The staff are great and attentive. The venue is clean with good views, and there's are plenty of photography locations. The entertainment is held in the restaurant, which opens out onto the patio and open into a smaller room on the other side. Only 4 stars because I could only find one shared loo, (there's probably more, but they're not sign posted.) The other is the restaurant's poor accoustics, which annoyingly amplifys frequencies in the 200 - 400hz area. Used as a restaurant, It's lovely, great for wedding breakfasts, and evening meals, with views over the gardens. I personally liked the layout, the way the kitchen has its own serving area, it's a nice touch. (which you can see on the left of the photo)

Brilliant service and food. Will be going back!

Incredible experience. Great service and outstanding food.

We were delighted with our stay at Forest Side Hotel especially this trip being our first to the Lake District. The Hotel is set in a beautiful location within very short walking distance of Grasmere, and infact there are some wonderful walks to take advantage of from the Hotel which we really enjoyed. We received a very warm reception on arrival. The staff throughout our stay were very helpful and polite. We could only enjoy the delicious breakfasts as the restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays evenings, but as a result were able to take advantage of eating in some superb local restaurants. A picnic was organised on our day of departure and this was also delicious. We would not hesitate to recommend Forest Side or stay again.

Two of us had Sunday lunch here recently. An excellent 4 course menu with wine pairings. A very smart comfortable dining room situated in a lovely hotel just outside Grasmere, Lake District. Staff were efficient and polite, the Sommelier polite, knowledgeable and instructive. My only...

Always enjoy a special occasion here. We took our grandson to celebrate his 18 th birthday. The ambience,food.,drink and service is excellent. I'm sure we will be visiting again. We've only been at lunchtimes so I would like to try an evening meal. The grounds and surrounding area are lovely.

We had the four cours menu with the optional cheese course. We had a cheese course each but in hindsight, as we are not large lunch eaters, we would have gone for one between the two of us. The service was friendly and the dining...

Beautiful food, great service, friendly staff and lovely room. The only thing I would question is the price of the drinks!!!

We didn't stay overnight but went for an evening meal and honestly couldn't recommend it enough for anyone in the area after a good food and wine experience. 100% worth a visit, I'm still dribbling a little bit even just thinking about it. Thank you so much guys, we had the best time.

Beautiful room with everything you'd expect and an ultra comfortable bed. Food fantastic, all perfect: food, presentation and service.

Gorgeous country house and garden in a superb quiet location near Grasmere. A great mix of traditional and modern high-class rustic decor. We loved the breakfasts, the wine, the comfy beds and wonderful bathrooms. We stayed in a number of places during our trip but our 3 nights at Forest Side were the best. Would highly recommend. We would love to return.

Absolutely amazing with very friendly staff.

I very rarely if ever give 5 stars, unlike others who give a 5 star rating to their local pub... But this was very close! Excellent service, excellent room and same again for the breakfast. Perfect for visiting Grasmere! Shame the restaurant wasn't open or it may well have got a 5. I'll be back though and expect this rating to improve!

Superb tasting menu and great staff.

Amazing food, staff and room's! Nothing was to much trouble. Amazing setting

We stayed at the Forest Side for a birthday celebration. The hotel is beautiful and the service from the staff was excellent throughout. The room was clean with comfortable beds and the food was something special. It was everything I had hoped for from a hotel of this standard.

We had the lunch tasting menu with a lovely red wine. The tasting menu was incredible, all the flavours were delicious. It had a good range of meals. It was six courses, but we also had complimentary snacks to start, which was a nice surprise....

We had the 8 course tasting menu & wine paring. As expected there were a few suprises along the way so it was more like a 9 or 10 course menu by the end. The building is a beautiful period property in a lush forest...

This restaurant has a pleasant outlook over the hotel’s grounds. Set not far from the main road, the grounds are surprisingly tranquil. Unfortunately, the restaurant is not tranquil and it was running at 50% capacity. It has a wooden floor and a high ceiling, which...

staff were really great and welcoming. room was nice, but located on ground floor, near stairs and an exit, which meant quite noisy when people were outside, also delivery vans interrupted the peace and quiet. the restaurant was fab, with a really professional staff. The...

Stunning place, stunning food, brilliant staff 👏

Fabulous and Amazing place to eat. Delightful staff ....lovely experience.

We didn't get the full experience of this lovely restaurant and hotel as because of covid the lounge areas where closed to non residents. The staff where really pleasant and welcoming, we chose the 4 course menu. I am vegetarian and dont like beetroot this...

Outstanding from start to finish. We stayed with our 3 dogs in one of the dog friendly rooms - and it genuinely was dog friendly. A dog bed, bowl and treats had been laid out for each of our boys on arrival. There is a separate entrance as well, which is great for bringing back muddy dogs. We had the 8 course vegetarian tasting menu, and it was sensational! Breakfast was also outstanding. The staff were great, very friendly, and extremely professional.

Nothing short of perfect. The Forest Side was everything we could have dreamed of and so much more. The rooms are immaculate, the staff are super kind and provide the warmest of welcomes, and the food was impeccable. Cannot rate this beautiful hotel highly enough.

Have had evening meals here before as a resident and non resident. Could only book lunch this visit as a non resident. Wasn’t sure what to expect after some not good reviews on this site. Disappointed not to have a pre dinner drink in the...

We stayed at the hotel and in these Covid times opted to eat in the hotel. The food was tasty and very well prepared. The staff were very professional. The sommellier perhaps could have been a bit more insightful.. On the first evening we only...

Very good experience all round. Beautiful well appointed room. Excellent 4 course dinner with wine pairing, complimented by relaxed but attentive service.

Stunning location, fabulous food served in a very comfortable country house hotel.

Amazing food, Great service, Friendly staff, Super wine, Love to go back soon

Tasty food and reasonably priced rating menus. Really enjoyed our visit for lunchtime, helpful staff and flexible with food options between the different menus. Lovely gardens and a fairly relaxed atmosphere, though could be more so. The hotel looks good but we didn't stay sadly. On the plus side they do have some stuff friendly rooms, worth a visit

So good, I think even better than when we went a couple of years ago. The breakfast was also probably the best breakfast we have ever had. Lovely room with absolutely beautiful views. A bit confused by the plug socket situ and the irons weren't great but really very minor details. Forest Side is an absolute treat!!

We love this hotel and its exceptional restaurant. The 8 course menu with wine pairing is a real treat. This time we stayed in the oak room, one of the master rooms. Comfortable and luxurious touches like a welcome cake and nice toiletries. The breakfasts are also top notch. The area is wonderful, lots of beautiful walks. We will be back next year!

Cannot fault the Forest side at all. From the greeting at the entrance through the dining experience to finally leaving, the staff were attentive, helpful and easy to be around. the food was to die for! I'm not a dinner that normally goes for 'fancy food' but can hand on heart say I enjoyed every course and every flavour. Thank you to all the staff, chefs and waiting staff. Definitely recommend going

Had the four course lunch. It was served by very pleasant members of staff in lovely surroundings. The food was really well presented and all dishes were delicious. The main course was pork and was the absolute high light - mouthwatering. A thoroughly enjoyable experience and we'd be very happy to return.

We enjoyed a lovely lunch everything was delicious. We started with drinks in the lounge and had coffee afterwards. The service was excellent.We had the Bait menu as some have commented the portions were very small but very delicious.The delicious homemade bread which was not...

I'm mystified as to why this place has received recent negative comments. We've visted 4 times in recent years and had lunch two days ago. Food & service still superb. That's all one needs to know...

Excellent in every way thank you to all.

The staff are very friendly the room was very comfortable and the food was excellent best food we had ever

This was an excellent experience at this restaurant. From the moment you walk in the staff are incredibly friendly and nothing is too much. All the staff knew about my partner’s allergies and the menu was catered for her. The food was really good but if we didn’t have the bread on the table we might’ve been a little hungry at the end. One of the main downsides was the price of the drinks, even hotel prices around lakes aren’t as expensive. The experience was expensive and sadly im not sure i’d be in a rush to come back

We have visited two or three times a year and I have written glowingly about Forest Side in the past, but our recent visit in December left me disappointed.Maybe we are just fed up with tasting menus but we found our hefty bill of just over £200 for two not value for money. Each tiny taster was indeed tasty. All were interesting. Without the home made bread we would have gone away still hungry. Something has changed with the departure of the last chef, and the dining room was quiet with few residents or visitors. On a positive note, they are always excellent at noting food allergies, and offer a personalised menu.There’s lots of competition now in the Lake District and Forest Side needs to rethink its approach. I would recommend reading Trip-adviser comments and respond to them.

Such a lovely setting, beautiful meal, most comfortable bed, ever, and super staff. Can't fault it!

We stayed here recently - it was a surprise from my husband. Our room was fabulous, the Rose, with lovely views and a superb bathroom. We opted for the 10 course tasting menu which was great, really enjoyed it and decided to go with the wine flight - sadly I couldn't hear most of the descriptions of the wine from the sommelier. The dining room was a touch lacking in atmosphere. Would I stay here again, sadly probably not and that is all due to the price of drinks. At the bar before our meal I wanted a Chardonnay so I was brought the drinks menu, I was told the Chardonnay was a good one - American! However £25 for 125 mls, I don't think so! Although there were cheaper(!) alternatives. I don't know what the mark up on wine was, it's difficult to tell but I can guess at the mark up on the small local bottles of beer as I know what they cost. I don't mind paying a lot for a tasting menu I know the amount of work that goes into producing that but Forest Side get your drink prices sorted. Even with the wine flight, Le Gavroche charge slightly more but at least they are not as mean with the amount you get. And automatically adding on 12.5% service charge (you can ask for it to be removed) is just taking the .......

We visited this place several times previously when it first opened and we loved the experience every time.We took my husbands PA and her husband last weekend for Christmas and had told them how fabulous it was.On arrival you used to be greeted at the door by two smartly dressed receptionists who even opened the door for you every time. This time we wondered in and went up to the reception desk but the greeting was quite cold. Considering it was Christmas apart from a weary looking tree there wasn’t much else to make the place look festive. We were showed to our rooms ( which are lovely ) and met our friends in the lounge for pre dinner drinks.Again the lounge felt very unfestive and the decor is tired! The lighting was all wrong, very bright, there were rings on the coffee tables and the pop music was so loud you couldn’t heat the waiters talking. The drinks were ridiculously expensive, never have we payed these prices even in London or Dubai!We were showed through to the dining room and the waiters were attentive but cracking jokes and larking around which didn’t quite fit with the style of fine dining advertised. My wife’s husband had to ask twice for a drink as he was drinking beer and the sommelier never noticed his glass was empty when pouring our wine.The food was presented nicely but not of the same standard as it used to be however we learned that the chef has changed now. We were still hungry after dinner!We gave feedback but have never heard back!

Very dissatisfied after Tickle has left it’s not the same at all . Service bad too Not a patch on Askham Hall I will not go again

Fantastic food, great service, friendly professional and knowledgeable staff.

We waited till after our second visit to revue Forrest Side and we were not disappointed. Both visits we sampled the Bait Menu and are already discussing when we are able to try the full tasting menu. The food was excellent and the sevice and staff could not be faulted