Heft, Inn + Restaurant in South Lakeland

The room looked inviting initially as we arrive as it has a country style traditional bar area.. we were taken to our table which had a cafe style feel to it ie very high and wide. The colour a mock pale wooden effect not in keeping with the building. The first member of staff was very professional but then the 3 subsequent ones were lacking. The wine list never arrived , our drinks order never arrived so had to visit the bar to prompt them. The menu was lacking and very expensive. Now we are not cheap by any means but I begrudge paying 40 pounds for a 2 course set menu but being forced to get a pudding as there wasn't an option for a starter ! This got my goat straight away. The main option was 1 of 3. No red meat option. The red meat option for a further 10 pounds per person which was a 2 rib of beef you have to carve yourselves . Not up my street. A 10mm of glass of wine was 9 pounds. Which again I don't mind paying if the setting and service are spot on. When we finished the mains No one came to take our desert order . Odd considering how may staff they had. Full of want to be types trying to be something they are not. They are way off the mark here and a Sunday roast should not cost 110 pounds . Our protein equated to 2 to 3 tablespoons so basically its 40 each for a plate of veg. I am gutted as we are local and desperate for a quality restaurant. Also I haven't written one of these for so long but I feel very strongly about this. Avoid.

We went with friends at the end of November to do the full evening tasting menu. On arrival I liked the pub type setting with separate dining area, sparse decor but honest and clean. We arrived early and there was a great selection of beers and drinks available and after 20 minutes in the bar we were shown to our table. We had already decided as a group to do the wine flight prior to arriving however I was slightly surprised at the £95 cost which was very pricey for, from memory, 7 small glasses of wine (although the sommelier did give us a top up on one). It was the most I can recall a wine flight being in recent memory. The food was excellent with a theme running through various dishes and each dish was explained by the waiting staff, although it is a fairly echoey place so at times it was hard to hear a great deal. I don’t think any course was sensational but there was nothing less than good. What did grate was the automatically added 12.5% service charge. The staff were good and the service was fine but I am not a fan of it being added and I’ve not seen it set as high as 12.5% (10% is usual when it happens in my experience). A few weeks after this we went to a similarly high end restaurant and it had no obligatory charge and I gladly rounded up to what turned out to be slightly over 12.5%. Places need to either cover their staff wages in the prices and advise people only to leave tips if they receive exceptional service or leave it down to the customer - this isn’t the US! Overall it was an enjoyable meal but I don’t think it’s on my list of places I must revisit.

We had been wanting to go to Heft for some time due to good reviews. We went for Sunday lunch. It was quite cold in the bar when we arrived. We were asked to wait and have a drink before we went through to the table. We waited about 10 minutes. My husband’s drink ( a Diet Coke) didn’t appear until we went through to the restaurant. There was quite a rowdy group in the bar and we were seated next to them in the restaurant. We were unable to hear the waiter because of the next table’s noise so asked to be moved to a quieter table. We were told this was not possible although there were empty tables for two in several locations. So we had to strain to hear the waiter and our own conversation was drowned out several times by the group at the next table. We were advised by the waiter that we should order 2-3 additional sides ‘for the table’ . These were an extra cost of £3.75 per side. The main meals came with herb and garlic potatoes, pak choi, sauerkraut etc so we decided we did not need any more side dishes. The lemon sole and pork chop were delicious but my pak choi was very greasy and salty. The herb and garlic potatoes were similar in appearance to small jacket potatoes and seemingly soaked in oil of some kind. They were far too greasy. The accompanying bread was sourdough. Perhaps a choice of bread would be better. It seems to be sourdough with everything these days and it is probably my least favourite bread. We opted not to complain at the table but we’re generally disappointed so far. The young man who served us completely failed to engage with us. Perhaps because of the noise nearby. It was as if he was reading from a script and could not deviate from it. At the end he asked us if he could ‘grab us anything else’ my husband joked that we didn’t want anything ‘grabbing’ thank you very much, but he just stared at us. All in all a most uncomfortable experience. I was hoping the desserts would rescue the day. My panacotta was quite a small portion . I didn’t want pastry or crepes which were the other choices. I would not ordinarily order panacotta but that was the only other option. Apart from cheese which again was at an additional cost. Then it was time for the bill and the ‘discretionary’ 12.5 % service charge. I requested a 10% service charge to be added. So we were disappointed and perhaps all the factors had come together to conspire against us on this occasion. I hope this feedback is looked at seriously and is answered professionally and not sarcastically as I see one unfavourable review has been. I am sure our experience is not typical but when you have been wanting to visit somewhere for a long time it is always a shame when it doesn’t live up to expectations. It was also too cold to take my jacket and scarf off in the restaurant. I am sure it warmed up as the lunch service progressed but it was quite chilly overall in the bar and the restaurant when we were there.

Ease of booking, good beers on arrival, friendly, efficient service. And even better the food so far is Magnificent We are so glad we plumped for the taster menu as we are experiencing taste combinations which we wouldn’t otherwise have ordered A big thank you and I’m sure that this will be the first of many visits

We had been wanting to eat at Heft since we discovered its existence when we moved to the Lakes last year. We had been into the pub to eat many times, but had never had the opportunity to eat in the one star rated restaurant until now. Firstly, the staff there are friendly, warm and attentive. The serving and description of each dish done with care and thought. We also took the matching wines and the knowledge around how the wines were made and why they were matched was fantastic. The food, my God the food! Each course was an utter delight, beautifully presented and absolutely packed with flavour. More than a few times I found myself wondering how the chefs there can make ingredients like that taste so wonderful. The wines were perfectly matched and it was interesting to note that these were not available on the wine list, so an added treat of something a little special to accompany your meal. It might be a while until I revisit the restaurant but it won’t be long until I’m back in the pub at Heft. I genuinely feel so lucky to have such a wonderful place nearby.

Can’t fault the service but we ordered lamb from the Sunday roast menu and it arrived lukewarm and I couldn’t even cut into it with my knife it was that rubbery. I explained the issue to the waiter which the said they could send another one out fresh but by this point we just wanted to leave. Asked for the bill and they refused to remove food from the bill. So ended up paid without eating. Super overpriced.

Heft excelled themselves this weekend! They hosted an amazing wedding... beautiful, tasty, elegant food, stunning decor and the most polite, friendly, hardworking, efficient staff I have come across. Many people I spoke last night were in awe of your effort and I wish you all the luck going forward with the beautiful new rooms! I, and many others, appreciate the hard work that goes into running an establishment like this. Thank you so much Kev, Nicola and your team. Cheers!

The setting is in a lovely village the restaurant is also the local pub which is quite unique one half for locals and the other for restaurant diners. The decor and ambiance are lovely and has a relaxed atmosphere. We chose the Sunday menu so we could just have two courses which is enough, there is only four courses which is fine so we both ordered the lamb Henry. The was ok the lamb was pink but quite fatty the accompanying sides were nice deserts were ok but nothing special we had wines by the glass and they were yet again just ok. The service was efficient but with the young staff dull and lacking any personality or connection. These days the Michelin people dish out stars very easily, we have just cancelled another booking for one such place it’s just not worth it.

We had the tasting menu at £120 per head, avoiding the flight of wines option. The food was nothing short of excellent. Coffee, some drinks and 12.50% service charge added about £50 per head. So, an expensive night out but most enjoyable.

We visited this lovely restaurant again with some friends. As always the food was excellent as was the service and ambience. The tasting menu is always very interesting and they are very good as making whatever changes necessary to meet food preferences . 3 of us had the standard menu with minor changes and the fourth opted for the pescatarian menu. We come here for special occasions but also sometimes come to the bar for lunch where they do very good food at very reasonable prices and good beer.

We visited for lunch on a Thursday. We had a warm welcome and the bar has a good range of ales and other drinks. I think you could just visit it as a pub without booking and their bar menu looked quite reasonable. We had the set 4 course lunch, good value for £45 each plus drinks, etc. The opening snacks through to the petit fours at the end were all very nice and well presented. The flavours were generally quite subtle, but we enjoyed each course. The service was attentive and friendly, although the time between courses, particularly at the start was a little too long. Since they only have one seating time I would think they could get the first courses out a little quicker, but not a big problem. The pub and dining area were pleasant spaces with plenty of period character, although it was a little cool where we were sat but it was quite a chilly day.

Wonderful experience today for our anniversary lunch. The menu was a perfect choice of local produce prepared and presented with amazing skill. Every course presented had its place on the menu. The staff made us feel extremely welcome and are exceptionally knowledgeable regarding the menu and all wines and drinks available. We can't wait to visit again.

We were first-time diners at Heft and were a little unsure whether or not to order the rib of beef for Sunday lunch, based on some negative comments from 2023. Maybe Heft changed things up after the previous comments, but our 2-course Sunday lunch experience was excellent. Heft is located in a very attractive old pub, with a cosy and characterful bar section in front and more minimalist Scandi-chic interconnecting dining rooms to the rear. We were greeted by Daniel Bennett, the award-winning young manager-cum-sommelier and general all-rounder who pitches in as needed to support his team. The staff are young and sometimes maybe a bit nervous but will grow into their roles under Daniel’s guidance. The 2-course Sumnday lunch was everything we hoped for ane more. The rib of beef was tender, roasted perfectly pink-to-rare red and sliced for us so we didn’t have to perform that sometimes messy task ourselves. We ordered several side dishes, including a yummy chorizo mac-and-cheese, creamed kale, roasted cauliflower and delicious gravy. The beef also came with roasted shallots, garlic roasted potatoes and Ramson Bearnaise sauce (Ramsons being a kind of wild garlic, foraged from the Lakeland hills), which was to die for. We each had a pudding but had to bring home our leftovers in a doggie bag, branded “Heftovers”. We ate those with gusto a couple days later, wasting nothing. We will certainly return on our next trip to the Lake District (we are annual visitors) and will try the tasting menu next time but hopefully also another Sunday lunch! Well done to chef Kevin Tickle, manager Daniel Bennett and the whole team in giving us our best meal so far of this year’s trip to the Lake District. As a postscript to the above review, which I had left on the DishCult website/app, we returned to Heft for a couple of drinks in the bar and some bar meals on a Friday. These were also delicious. We’d never seen a sausage roll as large, more like a sausage “log” best shared with your partner! The smoked salmon with lemon cream cheese and sourdough bread was top-notch. They say these are “bar snacks” but you could make a substantial meal out of Heft’s bar menu, for those who don’t want to do the tasting menu or Sunday lunch. Great stuff. We’ll definitely be back for more.

came for the sunday lunch menu, could not fault it at all! from the service to the food everything was amazing! just an overall great experience, would definitely recommend.

Quality from tip to toe. Lovely 5 course menu. Each dish was tasty. Staff were attentive and knowledgeable. Friendly atmosphere. Clean as a pin. Fantastic.