Herdwicks Cafe and Bistro in South Lakeland

Grubby! Salt and pepper pots needed a good clean, tray drinks were served on was dirty. Staff were not invested in the customer experience; not very welcoming and music was overpowering, it seemed to be on just for the staff. Radiator badly positioned right next to seating, lots of clutter around. The sausage rolls and pasties looked very anaemic yet carried a hefty price, not home cooked. Not recommended.

Lovely place for a snack or lunch. Dogs very welcome and even have their own mats to lie/sit on. 🐕 treats are available.

Coffee was as weak as water, never again, why should you have to pay extra for another scoop. Coffee should be a decent strength, if you like it weak have more milk or latte etc. Not fair on the general coffee drinker. Really awful.

Excellent venue, and includes a bike park out the front! Recommended. S

Coming from South Africa, you satisfied my appetite 100%. Your lamb & mint burger was excellent. Thank you.

Popped in here a couple of days ago for some late lunch. It was quite cold in the venue which was a shame considering it was nearly full. I found the menu quite overpriced for the quality of the food. I had a teacake which was quite small and didn't seem particularly fresh. I shared a scone with my partner and the scone was £3.60 as it is, if you want cream and jam add another £1.50. seems expensive with no pot of tea. The scone was also quite small and overbaked. The good part was that it was a dog friendly cafe, so get the trade the other cafes in the town don't get.

Lovely cafe and toilets. Great selection of food and drink, helpful staff

Fantastic lamb & mint pasty and nachos. Great quality. Sat on the sunshine. Can't beat it.

A good range of options, from pastries and sandwiches to specials like today's chilli and rice. Proper chicken in kids nuggets was also appreciated. Lots of choice for children too. Food arrived promptly and was thoroughly enjoyed by all! 100% recommend.

Interesting little cafe with lots of outside eating. food was good and team were happy even though it was really busy and 30 min wait on food... worth the wait. check out the specials before ordering!!

Fabulous cafe. The food was lovely and the service spot on. Highly recommended.

Lovely neighbourhood cafe that is super dog friendly.

Decent little cafe just on the edge of the main part of Coniston village. Very dog friendly and a decent lunch time selection

Farm to plate experience! Delicious food (as expected), friendly staff, spacious, outside seating and bike friendly Certainly a welcome addition to Coniston!

Food is delicious, desserts look great but we were too full. Staff are so friendly! We did not have our dog with us but it is so nice to see how caring they are towards everyone else’s! Giving treats and even sheep skin rugs for them to lay on ❤️

Very nice for coffee and snacks and lunches. Also sell novelty items.

Lovely cafe to have a nice cuppa and to rest your legs.

Coffee the worst I've ever been served (barely a hint of coffee flavour), toastie greasy and overloaded with cheese so it was sickly, food overpriced for what is served. Ordered a hot chocolate with the works, it turned up plain. When this was queried we were grudgingly given cream, then told rather rudely that the order slip didn't include cream so we should be grateful for getting it for free. Yes mistakes can be made, orders misheard, but good service would include the good grace not to make the customer uncomfortable about querying an order. I will not be coming back.

Perfect stop for coffee and cream tea during a circular walk from Tarn Hows to Coniston. Great service. Highly recommended.

Lovely cafe, little bit slow on service took about 10-15 minutes for two coffees but they were busy so it's understandable. Very friendly staff and in a lovely place. The decor is lovely, they have a wall of dog visitors which is a cute touch, very welcoming.

Been twice now I've found the gem, excellent coffee and cake both times and 10% discount if you arrive by bike

Very friendly. Very dog friendly. Amazing Tea & Ginger Cake

Friendly staff, very nice atmosphere, good service, and lovely food. The coffee was smaller than expected and a little disappointing, but we would definitely recommend the brownie and toffee cake. A good place to stop.

Just popped in on a visit to the village. Good coffee & hot chocolate and excellent cakes. Plenty outside seating as well as indoors.

It was lovely. I got a cheese toastie and a salad. The thing is the cheese toastie had way too much cheese on! There was probably more cheese than toast! Other than that it was absolutely lovely😁

Great place for walkers and visitors alike, highly rated vegan flapjack would certainly encourage me back

Popped in for takeaway cakes on a Sunday morning. The cafe was rammed but the service was still very efficient and friendly. The space is bright and airy and the terrace outside is a great sun trap with plenty of picnic benches. There is one hour parking on the street opposite the cafe but it fills up quickly. You're better parking at the John Ruskin school during the summer and walking into town.

Lovely cafe and most dog-friendly cafe I’ve ever seen! Good coffee and good gluten-free options.

Excellent food and drink very friendly helpful staff , plus a added benefit of 10% discount for motorcyclists. Would definitely recommend 👌

Lovely food and friendly staff but very expensive. While I appreciate they use good quality local products £45 for 4 breakfast butties and hot drinks is a bit much personally.

Good food, good service, great coffee.

Hubby and I had the best sandwiches ever and a sharing bowl of chips . Great value for money well presented food and friendly staff .

Great coffee and lovely cakes from very helpful and friendly staff

Great place for bikers to stop at ,good coffee and the food looked good

Great cafe with a good selection of meals from the menu. You can just have tea and cake if you prefer. After 3 p.m., no hot meals are available. Very dog friendly with seating also outside. Level access. It's located a short way past the coniston museum. On street parking outside or along the road.

We sat outside with our 2 dogs. One of the staff dried the bench for us. Cakes were delicious, coffee good and probably the best Earl Grey I have tasted. Dogs loved their Lakes ice cream too. Staff very pleasant and helpful. Food looked very nice too. Definitely recommend.

Beautiful interior- efficient service but I was disappointed that they didn't serve a traditional full breakfast (only breakfast buns) , couldn't get a poached egg or indeed low fat spread for the toast. My companions all enjoyed their breakfast buns but it wasn't really what we were looking for.

This was our first visit to this well recommended cafe and we were so glad we did. Very welcoming, very dog friendly (means a lot to us), extensive menu and really friendly staff. We had two ciabattas with Brie and bacon, a bacon and sausage breakfast bap and I chose the southern style chicken ciabatta. Now I can’t talk for the rest of our party but they all seemed to like what they had but as far as I was concerned WOW!! I’ve just found my new favourite. Perfectly cooked chicken with sweet chilli sauce and cheese. Comes with fries and salad and a bargain at £13. Definitely a substantial lunch. We’re here in Coniston for two weeks so will make many return visits to try out some more of their menu. Thank you to everyone at The Herdwick. See you soon!!

A very nice selection on the menu to choose from. Scampi and fries were very nice. Seating inside and out. Staff very friendly and professional. Prices extremely reasonable

Tasty café with a lovely cake and drink for lunch while visiting Coniston and the Bluebird, highly recommend visiting, even for dog owners as the café is 100% dog friendly and has a wall of the majority of dogs that have come and visited.

Nice dog friendly cafe with great views. Seats inside and out

What a great little place. We had sandwiches that were bouncy fresh and delicious coffee. It was so friendly. Lots of places say ‘dog friendly’ but the Herdwick truly was. Badger was treated like a prince. The staff are charming and the place was spotless. Highly recommended .

We were greeted with a nice warm welcome, which goes a long way in my book! The cakes (cherry and almond slice and ginger cake) were good with the ginger being deliciously moist. However, I was disappointed with the cappuccino. For me, it was little more than a milky coffee with a smidge of froth on top. For dog lovers, there’s a special menu for them plus plenty of ‘standard’ treats. Our pooch loved the ice cream

Good home made food, dog friendly, happy friendly staff.

Lovely cafe in the town of Coniston

Lovely cafe, great hot chocolates and cakes

Lovely dog friendly and attracts motorbikers. Great little cafe, with great views in the surrounding areas

Our family visited this cafe/ small restaurant before the Ruskin museum next door. We had never been before but greeted like friends. Fantastic friendly service with huge smiles. I really value a warm welcome on a place where so many pass through, we felt at home before even ordering! The food was very well presented and good value. It was the 'normal' dishes presented in such eateries. Toasties, scones, sandwiches and cakes. We had a mixed bag as a family of 5 and all were good. If you're heading to the Ruskin or ambling around Coniston, there's plenty of cafes to visit but I doubt you'll do better than here. Thanks to the staff, great job.

Firstly what a stupid irrelevant opening comment from Davidp, glad the owner shot him down. Superb food, drink and atmosphere, neither the dogs or bikers affected our visit. Perhaps some people should just live and let live eh Davidp.

Great food and great service made even better for having a discount for bikers

Great cafe with good outside seating area. The soup was fantastic!

Service was superb, very friendly on a cold and wet day. Very accommodating and engaging with our little boy. Food and drinks were spot on. Thank you so much would highly recommend

We were made welcome but our dog got star treatment. Most excellent place would definitely go there again.

I forgot to take photos of the Bacon and Egg baps before they were gone !! Suppose it says it all. Four large bits of bacon and runny egg ! To nice to just leave sitting there. Nice little cafe with great service and lovely bacon ! Well worth a visit.

Great place for a coffee and snack.

Lovely environment. Delicious food, friendly staff, dog friendly. Just down the road from the Ruskin Museum

Called in for 2 coffees, a cheese scone & a huge black pudding & sausage roll. The sausage roll was bloody lovely!! Great service with a smile. What's not to like!

Great little spot near the Ruskin Museum. Had a diet Coke and an almond slice before continuing North.

Wonderful Dog Friendly Cafe Absolutely fantastic coffee shop in Coniston. We had teacakes and coffee and both were excellent. The coffee and walnut cake was also delicious. The staff were so friendly and welcoming. The made a special fuss of our dog too. Would definitely recommend this outstanding coffee shop. Thank you.

We had one of their lamb and mint burgers with chips and side salad. Just delicious, as usual! The staff are really friendly too 😁

Excellent new venue..sat outside

Lovely cafe with a homely atmosphere

First walked in me with polite welcome Seems nice friendly place mixture of people Just had a coffee bought to you with table service some table and chairs some nice comfy leather chairs

They do a great sausage butty very tasty. Coffee is good too

Very dog friendly cafe - amazing tea and cake on a drizzly day. Black pudding sausage roll was lovely. Staff came straight over with a dog treat for Mabel, my cockapoo. Would highly recommend

We had the cheesiest toasties here. Went fir the option with a bowl of homemade soup on the dish - delicious. Super dog friendly and chilled.

Nice cosy little cafe . Very welcoming with dogs. Definitely recommend. Came on the bikes from coniston lake.

Excellent freindly staff. Dog freindly cafe.

Had a delicious mint hot chocolate here in the middle of the afternoon after a chilly hike. A local farmer recommended Herdwicks as a great place to come for a hot drink and a sit down - he wasn’t wrong! Staff were very friendly; the atmosphere was great with cyclists, bikers and hikers all enjoying food and drinks.

Great tea and cafe. Friendly staff

Cute family run coffee shop in Coniston. Decent coffee and cream tea. Service friendly despite me making a mess of our table with the pepper dispenser

Lovely coffee, and a good selection of cake, definitely will be going back

We called in to Herdwicks Cafe for a warming latte after struggling to get to the village during the heavy snowfall this weekend. I was amazed at the welcome given by the staff. They were brilliant, the brought a wool fleece for my very wet Spaniel Sid and he even got a couple of treats. Thank you x

Great place for food and drink. Dogs are very welcome and get lots of treats and fuss.

You cannot help but love this place. Everything is great.

Friendly staff, great coffee, lovely place to take a break. Cakes looked amazing but didn't try any. Vegan sausage roll was highly rated. Dog friendly cafe, although a badly behaved hound was in there when we visited, constantly barking at the couple of other well-behaved hounds who were just chillin', which made it slightly less relaxing this time. Grrr woof!

We have been in here a few times for drinks in a morning & decided to have a spot of lunch in here today. We went for toasted sandwiches which were delicious. The staff were very helpful & friendly. Dog friendly which is lovely. If you are in the area you should definitely visit here.

Herdwicks in Coniston is open for Takeaway With homemade sausage rolls fresh out of the oven 👌.

Really friendly and helpful staff. Nothing was too much trouble. Brilliant place! 😃👍

Lovely cafe with indoor and outdoor seating which is off the main road. It’s dog friendly and staff are welcoming and friendly. Marked down a star because how expensive the food is - such as £10 for a jacket potato with 1 topping. The service was also a little slow on that day but we weren’t in a rush.

Lovely cafe with terrific selection of drinks and food. Very dog friendly too.

Such a wonderful cafe, a warm welcome and our dog was made to feel right at home. Amazing service and the warm cheese scone was the best I have had!

The Hardwicke Cafe is a true bacon butty haven, living up to its reputation as the maker of the "best bacon butty in the world" as described by our friends. Our visit to this charming cafe was a mouthwatering experience that left us craving for more. The use of fresh, locally-sourced products was evident in every bite. The quality of the ingredients shone through, making each bacon, egg, and sausage combination a delightful treat for the taste buds. If there's one minor setback, it would be that the bun, while delicious, didn't quite have the sturdiness to handle the glorious combination of bacon, egg, and sausage. It's a testament to the generosity of their servings, but it's a problem I'm more than willing to overlook. Overall, the Hardwicke Cafe deserves nothing less than a solid 5-star rating. The taste, quality, and the sheer joy of indulging in their bacon butty more than compensates for any minor bun-related inconvenience. If you're in search of the ultimate breakfast delight, look no further than the Hardwicke Cafe; it's a bacon lover's paradise! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dog friendly, lovely surroundings and a lovely cup of coffee on a cold day. Just the job!!

Wonderful Cafe they do the most amazing sausage rolls as well as other lovely food !! Very friendly staff. Dogs are welcome although we haven't a dog anymore, lovely to see others.

Stopped for a coffee and a snack, with our young daughter. The staff were so helpful and couldn’t do enough to keep everyone happy. Well worth a visit, highly recommended.

Great coffee and cakes. And the "Wendy special" milkshake was a massive hit with my daughter.

Lovely little cafe, dog friendly, delicious food. Lamb pasty made with the local lamb was fantastic.

Lovely food and great service 👌

Good spread of all day good. Many dog friendly items also available to buy. Ample of place to sit out.

Amazing! Food was top notch and fresh. Service was great but not pushy, and delicous coffee and cake afterwards- could not recommend more :)

Great place for dogs. Nice cafe and very friendly staff.

Lovely clean cafe in Coniston. Had a lovely flat white with oat milk. Dog friendly....without a doubt. They even have wee rugs for your dog to lie on. Staff super friendly and they treated all the dogs so well. Almost didn't need to feed my dogs last night after all their treats Great cafe....highly recommend 👏👏👏👏👏

Great food, friendly staff and perfect for dogs who are made to feel very welcome

Great cafe and top food and a brew, and dogs so welcome

Lovely food and especially good if you have a dog! Staff are very friendly. It is more expensive than most cafes though.

Welcome rest after a very wet and windy trip over Wetherlam. Lovely cup of loose leaf tea and the most enormous and tasty sausage roll. Salted caramel Tiffin in the background was a great finish! Café is nice and airy for wet walkers.

We were going to call in The Green House for breakfast but it was closed for refurbishment so we saw this nearby and went in. We ordered coffees then asked if they did breakfast. It was our mistake to order drinks first. The answer was "only breakfast buns" but looking at the menu, they do serve bacon, sausage, eggs (all in buns) and beans (with a jacket potato) so how hard or imaginative would it have been to offer a breakfast? We only stayed because we'd just ordered coffees. Looking at the menu and the surroundings, there was a sign which mentioned how 'Gemma' did the front of house whilst 'Spencer' created the magic in the kitchen with the beef...well for a jacket potato with cheese, it would have cost you £10...now that's not magic...its a mystery! So, the main point of this review is that place is very expensive and does not offer any magic experience. We won't go in again.

Great dog friendly place great staff

Absolutely delighted with the service, with how much they care to make you and your pup's happy. Highly recommend 😊