Gilpin Spice in South Lakeland

Gilpin Spice offers a stunning dining experience, especially if you snag a seat overlooking the kitchen. The Ox cheek is absolutely incredible, and the Lamb Rump Boti is to die for. Service is top-notch, and the atmosphere is buzzing, making it a must-visit spot for food enthusiasts.

One of the best dinners ever. We sat at the chef’s table and it was a great experience talking to the chefs and getting their recommendations - amazing vibe. Best egg fried rice of my life, really good pak-choi and Korean chicken, and I would give a million stars as well to the mango magnum. Cocktails were outstanding too. Thanks team for giving us such a memorable dinner!

Fabulous evening at this beautiful Lake District restaurant - great food, service and ambience. Faultless!

Dampen expectations before you go. The quality of the starters (aloo tikki and Asian fried chicken) was probably 3-star, and main courses 3- or 2-star. Pork belly was very average, and Goan prawn curry was below mediocre, the flavour was anything but authentic, with too much turmeric. There was 3 prawns in the curry (please correct me if I am wrong) ! Pak Choi is clearly an acquired taste, I could not eat it. Fried rice was different from usual, and was probably the best dish we had. No, it was the dessert, a sorbet of some kind that was the best. While it is not wildly over-priced, we did not feel that we had quality food overall. Tastes and opinions differ, I guess. Oh, by the way, sitting at the Chef's table is mighty uncomfortable, with nowhere for you to rest your feet on. We had to change our seats for this reason. Also, the cocktails were below par, quite disappointing.

Amazing! Some of the most delicious food I've ever tasted! Great service & delightful atmosphere

We came over from Blackpool to celebrate with our freinds ,who had booked months ago for her husband birthday..The service was fantastic from the minute we had a drink in the hotel bar ,to the end off our meal ..The food was absolutely delicious, lots of new flavours I haven't tryed before and the passion fruit and mango dessert was yummy, great Atmosphere wonderful evening well worth the wait x

The food and service were excellent, some of the best I have experienced. I had the lamb and it was the best, very very tender. All very reasonably priced for such good food and service - you would pay twice the amount in London.

The food was faultless it was stunning. We came this evening for my birthday and we didn't want it to end. I even saw an old friend Danny who iv not seen in 30 years working his socks off. We will be back highly recommend . The staff were very friendly and helpful and compliments to the chefs

Food was excellent 👌 Service was top notch even when you asked questions they knew the answer Atmosphere was really good 👍

I love this place. The food was delicious, special mention to Westies chicken, the egg fried rice and the beef cheek. All beautifully cooked with the perfect amount of spice and flavour. Staff are super friendly and on hand to talk you through anything on the menu. All helps to create a nice relaxed atmosphere to enjoy some great food.

Beautiful restaurant with excellent staff and gorgeous food. We booked the chefs table which was awesome as you get to watch the chefs at work and they even chat to you and give you recommendations. These guys never stop, if they’re not cooking, they’re prepping and it’s cool to watch! My recommendations would be the Braised Beef Vietnamese Curry and the Tempered Potatoes, also the Jamaican ginger cake is out of this world!! Can’t wait to go back already!

First time here and won't be my last quality food

What an amazing treat to eat Spice at Gilpin Hotel. The staff went out of their way to welcome us and even managed to squeeze us in when there was a cancellation. The meats and fish were of excellent quality and we enjoyed watching the dishes being created. The chefs and sous chefs worked so well as a team and managed to advise us of our choice of menu for the three evenings we dined there. A special mention for chef Philip an excellent chef and personality. Definitely coming back.

Some of the best food i have ever had! The lamb was absolutely perfectly cooked and the beef to die for. My only gripe was the music was awfully loud Staff were very attentive and service was quick and professional. I had a wonderful birthday here :)

A new food experience for us, not a bit disappointing. Unusual dishes and so beautifully presented. Delicious, delicately spiced and complimentary flavours. We will be eating here again in the new year when a new menu is posted. A real birthday treat for our father's 99th birthday.

We headed to Gilpin Spice for a special 60th Birthday ! The staff were amazing and did a special “happy Birthday” plate. The food was amazing. I can’t even describe how good it was and for such good quality the price was reasonable. The house rose was a smash hit. I had the prawns, pork belly and a coconut and pineapple dessert. Would recommend to anyone Thank you

Fancy restaurant with a very warm and pleasant atmosphere. The menu proposes a variety of fusion cuisine dishes, very tasty overall but slightly uneven. The service is impeccable.

I visited for a solo birthday lunch and I was made to feel very special. I was greeted and wished a happy birthday by everyone, including the chefs. The food (edamame puri, sticky rice, fried veg) was delicious and brought to me quickly. I had a pineapple mocktail which was extremely tasty. Between my mains and dessert (strawberry and basil sorbet) the chef brought over a birthday plate which really made me feel special. I can't wait to come back!

A little confusing. " Shared plates " for main course,are not very big. The idea is, that the party orders quite a few " shared plates " and all people share. Quality of the food is good, and very pleasant surroundings.

Fantastic food and fantastic service. The greeter stood by the entrance was very friendly and helpful he pointed us in the direction of a few animals they keep on the grounds after our meal was a great end to a fantastic experience at the Gilpin Spice. Would recommend to anyone visiting the area.

Another great night excellent dinner particularly loved the ginger pudding and fried vegetables.

We were very excited to visit this place, however it turned to a massive disappointment. The service is very poor and the behavior of management is as if they are doing us a favor welcoming to their restaurant. Manager was very rude and very non attentive to some guests. Vegetarian options are very few. Some starters are very good e.g. chilly paneer. The mains were very disappointing as one Aubergine dish just had vinegar dumped into it and fried rice was salty. When the manager asked why we are not eating and asked for the bill, we mentioned the reason but he just ignored our concern rather than asking the Chef what was wrong. Asked them to help book a taxi for us as we were finding it difficult not being locals, initially instead of helping, his attitude was like I am not a magician nor know anyone apart from who you are calling and said that I am not a taxi driver to have contacts for you. I think there are many other options for visitors, not sure how they managed to get good reviews so far.

Stunning food (compliments to the chef), friendly helpful staff.

A very enjoyable night at the chefs table 👌🏽

Food, amazing. Atmosphere up-there, service with a smile and that is all you can ask for, especially Carlo. Cheers for a great night 👍

Enjoyed a nice meal at Gilpin Spice. The mains all tasted great. The menu had plenty of variety and interesting vegetarian options. The coconut and pineapple dessert was absolutely the star of the meal and is highly recommended. The various rooms were beautifully decorated, however it seemed like the main room near the kitchen was bustling and getting a more attentive service.

We couldn’t comment on the atmosphere as we were sat outside of the main dining area and didn’t see any other diners apart from table next to us who were having a business meeting and not eating or drinking until we were ready to leave. Our waiter totally ignored us after taking our order or bringing our food. We asked to move from the table given to us and we were refused as we could only hear the business meeting only a few feet from us. We also could not see anyone else in the restaurant. There was no ambience or interaction with anyone as we could not physically see anyone else.

Extremely dissatisfied and underwhelmed. Service from a very rude and highly strung waiter who spoilt the evening from the get go. We stayed at the Gilpin Hotel and expected far better from this restaurant. We were rushed to order like many others and when my wife asked if we were annoying him his response was a sarcastic “ no I love you!”. His behaviour was dire, if not farcical. Sadly when we mentioned this to another staff member, they knew exactly who we were talking about. The food itself was simply dreadful and showed a high degree of complacency and laziness. The concept of Asian influences and spices was a misnomer! The food was bland unseasoned and with no flavour or spice! Unfortunately I have nothing positive to say about this restaurant. I highly recommend YOU DO NOT CONSIDER THIS RESTAURANT IF YOU VISIT THE LAKES!

Simply amazing, waiting staff were great with a rundown of what to expect and recommended amount of dishes. We chose to sit on the chefs bench and got to see a real performance up close. We would come back anytime with so many more items to try

Wow! We’ve missed being in such a lovely restaurant, making an effort, drinking a lovely wine recommended by the sommelier, but most of all eating seriously fabulous food, in a lovely atmosphere. Thank you all at Gilpin Spice

Lovely food definitely be going again

Great food and service. It was a pleasure to watch the next generation being trained.

Unreal. Best restaurant in the area. Waiting list is lonnnng. But I can understand why. Staff amazing, food even more so.

Lovely food and very helping staff

More than met my high expectations. Good atmosphere and service. Very delicious food. Will definitely return.

Superb restaurant within the grounds (and part of) The Gilpin Hotel. The setting is lovely, and the restaurant is very well decorated and furnished, adding to the dining experience. Staff are helpful and attentive and the food is absolutely delicious. My wife and I had the sharing menu, two starter dishes (chicken skewers, and king prawn skewers), followed by the chicken tandoori with rice, and the mussel and prawn curry), all the dishes were very tasty, and there is plenty of choice from mild to hot, so something for everyone. Sorry to say there are no pictures with this review, as I did not have my phone to hand, but believe me when I say this is well worth a visit.

Couldnt recommend it more, an assault on the taste buds, a table at the bar overlooking the kitchen area is a must , the chefs are great and engaging, the maitre'd is a real character and really enthusiastic. Pity the same cant be said for the hotel, we lost power and were in the dark most of the evening at our chalet, no apology , infact no response whatsoever , a disappointing destination stay ...take your own candles

Exquisite. We ate here for our anniversary. The tables overlook the kitchen so you can watch the food being prepared. Service was superb; not too 'over the top', but attentive. The food can not be faulted.

STUNNING dinner, right at the chef's table. Cannot recommend enough. I had an early seating at 6pm on a Monday when the restaurant was full, but not at capacity. This meant the cooks were able to take a bit of time to personally explain each dish, provide their recommendations, and have a bit of banter. The service was exceptional- every server was so friendly and attentive. Whilst all of the food was incredible, the tomato soup, paneer, and ginger pudding almost made my brain stop the moment I tasted them. Be cautious with the drive to and from the restaurant if you're driving in the dark and rain though, the roads aren't very good nearby. Overall amazing experience, so glad I went.

Beautiful location, staff friendly and helpful. Food superb.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. if you love Indian and Chinese food like I do then this is the place for you. Great staff that are there to do all they can to make your meal as enjoyable as possible. Then there is the food, just incredible flavours, and I had to eat it all, leaving some was not an option, it wouldn't be fair. The Pho spiced Octopus So tasty. You won't regret it.

Delicious food, very attentive staff and great ambience. Can highly recommend a visit to the Gilpin Spice.

We enjoyed a fabulous meal as a family of four. Were staying one night in the beautiful Gilpin hotel. Both excellent.

Supposedly Michellin restaurant on a Monday night when we visited the service was absolutely POOR and the meal salty. When we offered our criticism the manager said they were `NOT a Michelin star restaurant and tried to fob us off by reducing our drinks from the final bill price. My husband insisted on a new bill which included our drinks and we paid in full. Whilst we were eating we could hear loud banter between the serving staff and yet no one came to wait on us. Very dissatisfied and disappointed Prof Ami David

Simply...a wonderful experience. Food was excellent. Service was first class.

Amazing food, decor and service

They cancelled our reservation for 8 a mere one week prior to the reservation saying that the restaurant is now suddenly only open to hotel residents. Despite explaining this was a post wedding celebration they were extremely inflexible. Covid can't even be an excuse because they are still open for afternoon tea and hotel residents. Please tread with extreme caution booking here, particularly for any special event you may have planned.

Poor service, sat in a corner and forgot about.

Very very good 2nd visit excellent

Best Asian food ever. Great staff, very helpful and friendly, excellent service. ❤️

Incredible food. Incredible service. Great that you can watch the chefs at work cooking these great dishes. Thank you for a great evening 👍😍

Lovely tasty nicely spiced food. Helpfull and friendly service. Delicious sweets. What's not to like.

Really interesting and delicious food ideal for sharing. Beware ordering too much as you won't want to leave anything!!

This was the most magical dining experience ever stunning from start to finish

Perfect. The food was brilliant. Asian take on a creamy tomato soup was delicious. The mini main recommendation was excellent, despite our reservations. The octopus is special. The service was attentive, polite and friendly. I'd prefer the plates to be done more like tapas, all available at once, but that does not detract from the experience.

Amazing food, top quality service, beautiful environment

Great food. Great restaurant. A hugely hidden gem! Don't miss it. Slightly on the expensive side but well worth the surroundings, service plus food. A lap of luxury!

really modernised indian food apart from chicken dish which was like Chinese food.

Excellent and a little bit soecial

Style and sophistication. You have to be a "foodie" to properly appreciate this place.

The Food was amazing! We found ourselves at the Gilpin Spice for a true food experience curtesy of the 2019 CAFT Christmas ball raffle prize. And what an experience we had!! The staff were fantastic and very attentive, with beautiful decor and a cosy fire we didn’t want to leave, but all good things must come to an end... We will be back though and would highly recommend to anyone and everyone looking for a trip across eastern cuisine in the Lake District.

Food was lovely. Service was a bit of a let down. I like being left alone to dine, but had to wait and ask for drinks! Also we waited a while to say good bye and check they had our room number as we were staying, but no one came for 10-15 minutes, so we left without anyone saying a word or asking us if we had had a good meal! Was a little surprised considering the price/hype/reputation. This was also booked as part of a fiftieth birthday treat which was mentioned at the booking, it was not even mentioned by the staff, little disappointing.

Best restaurant we've been to in Windamere, the food was beautiful and the restaurant and setting was stunning. A must visit place for everyone. Very reasonably priced, enjoyed every minute

Fantastic food. Great mix of flavours and good value for the money. Only thing that was a downside is that there was no option on the card machine to add gratuity and we don't carry cash. The service was amazing, so it would be nice to have this.

Perfect date night spot. Bit spendy but not overpriced. Warm welcome by FoH. Might have been nice if the chefs stood frowning with their arms crossed as we walked in had cracked a smile, or a hello, or even pretended to be busy. But what they lacked in greetings, they made up for in cooking. We had a great meal, complimented by good drinks, with a chilled atmosphere. Good music too.

Good but not as good as I was expecting. Lovely staff but the food was a bit hut and miss. Some of the dishes were superb, delicately spiced and delicious. Others were unexciting and bordering on bland. The pork belly was very tasty but the fat wasn't cooked as I'd expect. I was hoping for the crunchy spicy cracking you get in good Chinese restaurants.lnstead it was flabby with a thin crust of crackling. Sou-vide and a blast on the rotisserie not the 12 hour slow cooking on the menu. Enjoyable enough but didn't live up to expectations.

So disappointing - took my mother here for a birthday lunch today and nothing was good. Very poor, inattentive service (certainly joyless despite the festive season), followed by spicy but bland and flavourless food - takes some doing with all the wonderful spices of the Orient. To cap it all we both felt slightly unwell afterwards. Past it’s best for sure:

Cannot recommend this place highly enough

4 stars because as tap water drinkers it was not replenished in fact we waited 15 mins to even attract an eye. Not unusual as most places we go don’t appreciate alcohol not being bought. Food needs no comment as all the reviews reflect its quality. Staff helpful otherwise and I did note under a lot of pressure to deliver maybe more needed !!!

Probably the tastiest food I have ever eaten! Great service and atmosphere

High quality Pan Asian food at reasonable prices. One of our favourite’s in the area.

Outstandingly tasty vegetarian tasting menu. Lovely dining room with open kitchen and brilliant cooking. Loved it.

The food was really good. We had the vegetarian tasting menu & couldn't eat another thing by the end. Soup, biryiani, curried pasty, potato, a gorgeous mango-based dessert. The service was pretty good up until the end of the meal, at which point the team let themselves down with most of the tables in our 'booth'. Basically, after main course, nobody seemed interested in any of us. Shame, it took the edge off a lovely evening.

Interior amazing, atmosphere amazing, service amazing, food was out of this world!!!!

Gorgeous food, beautiful setting and very welcoming

Absolutely love to dine here, the food is amazing!!

Exceptional quality, extremely well presented and every dish was outstanding. The combination of dishes from the menu all work very well together and we couldn't fault a single thing. Didn't leave feeling hungry as can sometimes be the case with more upmarket restaurants, portion sizes perfect and the costs very reasonable. Drinks a little expensive perhaps but overall great value. You get what you pay for and this is certainly worth paying for!

Perhaps this is the hidden gem of the Lake District. Just wow! Unbelievable attention to detail and flavours that are just sublime.

absolutely stunning taste and dining experience

Food tepid,Plates cold,chicken not great,chat and lamb very good.Service good.The experience did not live up to expectations.

Meh....faux Keralan at a high price...lovely setting, buzzy atmosphere and wacky loo signs...but genuine Keralan cuisine? I think not. Sauces were to samey, no Matta rice and disappointing Dahl. Not recommended

Friendly and welcoming staff and nice food toped of my stay at the hotel.

Very different and very good. Lunch today was a definite 10 out of 10. Food was so good and the staff very helpful and knowledgeable. Made a very welcome change to find somewhere in the Lakes which believes in quality rather than quantity. Beautifully spiced and served in an attractive way. Well done to everyone who made our lunch really special

We visited here for lunch after eating at L'Enclume, the decor service and quality of food was amazing. We would definitely go again we had the laksa and a few different starters all very fresh and pleasing.

Quite a nice experience overall, but nothing too write home about . Food was average . Staff made a good effort to make us feel welcome , they knew it was my 60th birthday but did nothing to acknowledge it. I think a complementary drink perhaps would have been in order. But taking everything into account 6/10 would be fare if I had to mark it.

Lovely place, food a bit meh.. not value for money

Delicious food on a very nice property. Great option to mix it up from all of the traditional pub menus. Make a reservation, as they hold many tables for hotel guests.

Glorious food, excellent service, reasonably priced for fine dining. Try the Kulfi, it's nothing like the premade stuff you'll find at 99% of Indian restaurants in the UK - it's absolutely glorious - I'd go back and order 5 of them if I was given a chance!

Good - a much better experience than than the overpriced and over rated hotel

Just been for my first visit - lunch on my birthday. I had heard very good things about it, and was not disappointed. Imaginative decor using lots of natural materials, and different eating areas. The food is the thing, though. A variety of Asian dishes served almost like tapas, sharing menus and main plates. The cooking was superb - a dish of sea bream completely delicious. I can't wait to go again, though it's not cheap!

Horrible staff in main Hotel, blank you for the rich when they have no idea who you are! Terrible was stood for 15mins!

One of the best meals I've eaten recently. Absolutely amazing food and great service.

Excellent lunch experience. Wonderful spice-flavoured foods at a reasonable price in a nice setting. Good service, too.

Delicious food. Great experience. Throughly recommended.

Indian style cooking with a twist, tapas style meals. Great for sharing, and in lovely surroundings, really chic outside with stream and lighting. Need to book well in advance, but worth the visit.

Fantastic experience - food incredible- surrounding grounds are amazing

Stunning food. Fabulous service in a fabulous location. Contemporary and very different. We loved the mini sharing platters and the satay skewers are to die for especially the beef one. We had the belly pork as a main and it was delicious. 10 out of 10. ❤ (gotta zoom into the pic of the restaurant taken from outside as my phone died whilst we were inside 😕)

We were staying at Brimstone, 30 mins away by car, but thought let’s venture out of resort and pay this restaurant a visit as it was recommended by a friend.

Tasting menu was good. However the main courses (beef and duck) didn't have the flavour or punch of the earlier courses. Service was great.

We had the most amazing food at this restaurant, we will most certainly be back.