Levens Kitchen in South Lakeland

We stopped here when traveling through Cumbria, although the house and garden were not open the kitchen was. Very good menu and service. Good main cafe, garden dining and the unique Howard room. Would recommend the beetroot and goat cheese salad or the venison and pasta dishes from this visit. Even though the garden and house were shut the deer park provided an excellent walk after lunch

I love coming here with my sister usually but brought my mum this time. Ordering from the menu Hot smoked salmon with soft boiled eggs…’ she clearly expected it to be hot or st least warm. It was really cold and not s hint of warmth. Disappointed, we spoke to the staff whose response was simply ‘oh that just refers to the way it’s cooked!’ No apology for a very poorly written menu or an offer to change it. Bit disappointing service.

Absolutely gorgeous food here, visited a very busy place today but soon shown to a table. You order at the counter but served pretty quickly, we did wait awhile for our food but boy was it worth waiting for. Chilli chicken flatbread and gnocchi with cauliflower blue cheese & peashoots both absolutely delicious and shared banana walnut & salted caramel cake. A must visit for imaginative food.

Very good, quality food, mostly light meals but chips can be added. Excellent salads, imaginative ingredients which work well. Very popular. Dogs welcome in certain areas. Can get quite noisy. Friendly place. Wish they would do gluten free pizza option.

We enjoyed our lunch, it was very pleasant as usual. The staff are lovely, and we found the young waiter who sorted our table to be very helpful. We love Levens, it has a unique style and atmosphere, and we will most definitely return. The G/F cake selection has been better, would have liked more of a choice on the day, rather than just a brownie or a flapjack.

Treated like 2nd class citizens!! Ordered 2 x teas, a lightly warmed cheese scone and a piece of cake - we said we were sitting outside near entrance on wooden bench. Staff appeared vacant!! We were asked to go and wait out of the way or outside, we were pretty offended, so said we would go and wait at our table. The order was brought out to us, my daughter asked about cutlery and butter for the scone and was told it was inside, so she had to go in and get them. The butter tasted like margarine and the tea was disgusting as the milk had been put in, not allowing the tea to brew. Very disappointing visit not to be repeated.

Called in for dinner was busy had a wait of 10min menu was ok a little pricey for dinner items had the sandwich and my wife had the gluten free one good size portions we also had Parmesan and truffle fries £7.50 very tasty coffee was nice atmosphere was good you have to que to order your food which takes a little time gives to chance to look at the cakes which are also nice pizzas looked good coming out. If I had to change anything then more choice on menu and more gluten free thanks

After visiting the hall and wandering around the magnificent gardens, we called in at the Levens Kitchen for some much needed lunch. It’s a simple system…wait to be seated, take a menu, note your table number and then order at the counter. Why oh why do some people think they can just ignore the queue and walk straight in?! A table was quickly found for us and we selected our lunch. There was a short delay at the counter but not caused by the staff but by customers still deciding what they wanted. Our food soon arrived and was very good and reasonably priced with lunch for two, including drinks, costing £25. After refueling, we returned to the gardens before visiting the gift shop. Well worth visiting but please be patient!!

On a short break to the Lake district and had been recommended this restaurant from the hotel. Really disappointing. Had to queue over twenty minutes to be seated which is not a huge problem I understand it gets busy but then to have to queue a further fifteen minutes to order my food seemed absurd. Had pizza which was nice but very expensive for a café setting. Staff were friendly although didn't seem bothered by my complaints.

A nice balanced menu. Plenty of vegetarian options and I heard people saying the pizza was excellent. However the plates were lacking. Looked tastier than it was. The chickpea dish particularly. I’m not sure how you can make roast squash taste so little. The hummus and chickpeas were equally bland. Lovely cake. Had the banana and walnut. Very tasty

Decided to visit after a recommendation from our daughter. Even on a drizzly Wednesday it was very busy. Disabled parking so close was a bonus.. Nice menu for both Brunch and Lunch. My husband was delighted that just for once he could have a burger as they serve gluten free bread. He reported it was amazing. I who very rarely eats pizza was tempted by the pulled ham hock, pineapple chutney and roquiteo pepper pizza. Oh my word the dough was as light as a feather and cooked to perfection, altogether a pleasure to eat. Great coffee too. Good service. Not the cheapest place but hey where is these days?. But worth every penny. Will definitely be going back .

The menus is pretension over provenance inspired by everywhere other than Cumbria. Local appears to be Greece, Peru & Italy. If you can't spell it it's probably in the menus! Why not let good produce speak for itself without trying to impress? Good staff and a pleasant atmosphere but an ego led menu.

We have been here for brunch a few times now and the standard is always good. The menu is imaginative and although there seems to be a few regular dishes they do seem to vary it quite a lot. This is not the place to go if you fancy an all day breakfast or a bacon sandwich but if you do fancy something different it's well worth a visit.

We popped in for tea and (huge & delicious) cake then walked the deer park footpath and returned for lunch. Superb food. Called in the following day for afternoon cheese scones.

Very busy good reputation with excellent staff / Felt the food was expensive and adding cake and coffee became expensive / However have to say with a full restaurant that seems to negate my price level criticism ?

We visited Levens Hall today and decided to have coffee. This turned into lunch and we weren’t disappointed. The food was very good quality, the portion sizes were generous.We had towait a little while but it was worth it. The kitchen was obviously busy. We will definitely be back again.

Went for lunch for my birthday today and it was absolutely brilliant, staff were smiling and super friendly, my husband had the beef cheek ragu, and I had the beef and bone marrow smash burger, both were so delicious, it was super busy the entire time we were in and that was a Monday, but it doesn’t surprise me when it’s that good. We’re coming back with family next week. Amazing place

Last month, Levens Bakery opened. We visited and have been weekly visitors since, popping in for food in the restaurant or getting bread/sandwiches from the bakery. When they first opened, cake slices were £3.50 each. Now, they're £4.50. I'm assuming the price of cake ingredients haven't gone up in the last month and the business owners are cashing in. I visited today and I didn't purchase my regular cake slice. I'll stick to the Witherslack Shop where whole homemade cakes are available for less than the cost of a slice at Levens Hall. Also, why put an eating area next to the toilets? All you can smell is the cleaning fluids when you're trying to eat. It's not very hygienic to be so close to poo particles and chlorine vapour.

We visited Levens Hall and enjoyed a very good coffee, with cake, on arrival and then a really good pizza lunch. The service was helpful and friendly, even at during a very busy period. There was a going choice of food. You have to get a table first and then order at the counter. There seemed to be a system for people on their own? The food/drink is then brought to you at the table. A bit confusing at first but it seemed to work. Also you can access the cafe without paying to visit the Hall - convenient!

Took my sister for a little treat lunch out today to my favourite place (around 35 minutes from home) and absolutely gutted to say I was very disappointed. Upon arrival at around 11.40, we got menus and had a look at what we wanted. As I am lactose intolerant, eating out can be a pain - but previous experience of Levens Kitchen assured me I'd be okay here. We both checked out the menu and I queued up to order. Queuing time was around 15 minutes until I reached the front, when I asked if I was too late to order the dairy free option on the brunch menu (served until 12pm), to which the lovely, polite staff member assured me I was not. I was thrilled as it was just what I fancied. I proceeded to order a sour dough pizza for my sister (from the lunch section which stated it was served from 12pm), to be told I couldn't because it wasn't 12pm yet. I checked my watch, which read 11.57 and double checked with the lady. At which point I asked if I needed to queue again and she said yes. I was absolutely baffled. I returned to my sister to inform her of this (our table was located near the door and coincidentally at the back of the queue. I realised that by the time I reached the front if the queue again I would not be able to order my preferred option and do began working out what I would eat. At which point, a member of staff asked the whole of the queue (6 or 7 people) if anyone was waiting to order brunch, when everyone responded with "no", she said they would take lunch orders - this was now 11.58!!! To my utter disappointment, I queued again for a further 16 minutes before reaching the front, ordering a dairy free sourdough pizza (which I later found out I couldn't have because although stated on the menu could be made dairy free, actually couldn't be). The pizza received was okay and brownie a little grainy and dryer than usual (my sister couldn't finish hers). All in all, the service was very disappointing today - and very petty regarding times and re-queuing when they decided one more minute later that it was actually okay to order lunch items! Unfortunately I will not be returning as the food we received was mediocre at best and the experience had left us feeling rather deflated. Such a shame to have travelled out for a "treat" which did not turn out that way.

Sorry, I really want to like this place. I love visiting the gardens. I keep hoping the kitchen's highly unpopular queuing system will change as the bad reviews roll on in but it seems as though no-one checks these things. I usually visit with friends, and I keep on taking them to eat, thinking surely they'll change the system but they don't. tl;dr Don't bother coming here if it's busy unless you are blessed with endless patience and are not hungry. First, everyone waits in one queue for a table. Then, you sit at the table, look at the menu, and decide what everyone wants. Then, one or more of you stand in another queue to order the food (and if you all go, hope they don't reallocate your table by mistake although this has happened more than once). The second queue is always *very* long and the people behind the counter, esp. one whose name begins with E... can be very snippy, probably from the long line of people complaining about the wait. Why do this to your customers and staff? Finally, get ready for them to be out of a decent amount of the stuff on the menu even if you're there in the first hour of lunch. But guess what, since others in your party are typically waiting at the table, you won't know what to do and if you go back to ask them you lose your place in the queue and have to queue up again. Yes, folks, that's the system! One more thing. If you order one of the deserts you'd better *really* like sweet stuff, especially in the GF things where the pastry chef seems to think sugar substitutes for gluten. It doesn't. Last three times I have been there with friends, several of them have left the cakes after a bite or two, because there's so much sugar in them. Observed one person trying to change a cake at the til because it was too sweet, and being met with a shrug of indifference. Have the management actually tasted the cakes lately? Do they care about customers at all? Because of the Hall and the visitor flow, they will probably always be busy. But I don't fancy their chances if foodies stop by.

wonderful food and great care taken for all those with dietary needs with a great selection for us too. There was an item I couldn't have with my salad which was feta, being dairy free, so they replaced it with something of my choice instead of removing it and still charging the full price like so many places do.

Nice looking restaurant BUT oh the endless queuing! Firstly we had to queue up to get in and seated then the waitress said one of us would need to queue up to order at the counter. Why on earth would you go out for lunch with your partner or friends and one of you spend 20 minutes away from them queuing - not very sociable. There were 14 people in the queue to order food. Won't come again.

Having visited many cafes, as previous reviews will show, we today decided to take a ride down to Levens Hall. We decided to visit the cafe ,once on arrival for coffee and cake, then after a look around the grounds and house, for lunch. My wife is coeliac so requires a gluten free diet and this cafe did not disappoint. The food was excellent and the service was second to none, friendly, efficient, polite . We could not have asked for more. Definitely one to recommend. Other cafes should take note, especially one in Portinscale.

Absolutely love coming here to eat. We both chose salads - mine had the figs and feta - and really enjoyed them - perhaps just too much endive on one. We also had cake with a drink after touring the gardens. Only complaint: a really, really long wait to place our lunchtime order. Seemed lots of staff serving but not enough in the kitchen itself.

Love Levens Hall, stopped for a cake and cuppa after a walk. Chose the Lemon and Raspberry drizzle cake, was very dry and the sugar on top was far too much could taste it for ages after. I’m a baker myself and feel that less show is more on a cake.

Always worth a visit if you are passing by or doing a walk in the local area. The choice of hot food and delicious cakes is always brilliant. The staff are friendly and there is plenty of seating inside and out. Also in Summer they operate a take away service outside, saving you have to queue in the restaurant.

We went for a coffee and cake. The first time we went a few years ago, this restaurant was a revelation; Covid obviously affected everyone, but by now we should be back to normal; unfortunately there is still some work to be done, especially on...

A good lunch stop. Menu has some very unusual items. I had a lovely soup and sour dough but would have struggled to find anything else on the lunch options. My companion on the other hand thought the menu was great. From my point of...

This was our food stop on the way to Bowness. A perfect distance from Manchester. We weren’t expecting much but this was five star dining. Situated in what I suspect is a converted barn, nearly all the tables were full of people enjoying the food....

Visited for the first time after completing the ‘Deer Walk’ with family. Very impressed with the decor, facilities, food range and quality. Busy but lots of staff on duty. Modern dining area and also lots of outdoor seating which will be lovely in spring/summer. Free...

I’ve just been to the Levens Hall Christmas market and as a regular visitor to Levens Kitchen I wanted to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to the team for ALWAYS going above and beyond! Always welcoming and always with a smile...

We walked to Levens from home with a plan to gave something to eat when we got there before tge walk back. Lovely atmosphere and staff very professional. Ordered soup and a sandwich and both were excellent. The service was very good, staff very pleasant...

Superb lunch, excellent menu, with a really good selection of food, and really nice staff. A very well ordered and clean cafe.

We visited Levens Kitchen for the first time recently for a coffee and scone before enjoying a walk in the nearby Levens Park. The quality of both the coffee and the scones was outstanding. We have found the scones in many places to be dry...

Really not happy with my visit today for brunch. Coffee was just luke warm and food was barely average. Loads of garlic in my dish which was not mentioned in the menu and overpowered the food. Non crispy pancetta that I left as it was...

Spent a fantastic day out at Levens Hall. Finished off by excellent lunch. Popped in the following day for tea and cakes late afternoon! Well worth a visit

Lots of outside seating and dog friendly. The cakes were amazing and the best I had in the Lakes! Service also really good. Well worth a stop!

Stopped for afternoon cake and drink. Plenty of tables and queue not too long but very few cakes left and gentleman who served us seemed very bored and tired . ( He yawned into his hand then continued to handle cups and saucers!). Cakes we...

I visited Levens Hall kitchen last year and thought it was the most inefficient cafe I had ever visited but I thought it might be due to covid, however, today I returned and found it was even worse! You have to queue up outside to...

Excellent service, delightful home cooked food. The menu is not the usual run of the mill fare usually experienced in these venues. It is open all year except for 6 weeks around Christmas so even when the house and garden are closed it is well...

Very long queue at least half and hour to get a table, couldn't even get a drink hot or cold in thier shop, and this was at 2 pm

Leven’s kitchen have a fantastic selection of lunchtime meals including lots of veggie choices. I had the falafel which was superb & my daughter had a pizza which she thoroughly enjoyed. It was excellent quality food & the service was great. We didn’t have room...

High quality brunch menu, with lovely fresh ingredients. Friendly staff, nice atmosphere. Good selection of cakes - took one away for later in the day!

Very nice and pleasant experience. My husband and I happened by here as we were travelling and popped in for a bite. We were pleasantly surprised by how lovely it is inside and by the quality and standard of food as well as staff. We...

Great food and very organised set up. Really interesting salads, and perfect for me as a coeliac. Immaculate and very positive and motivated staff.

We called in for coffee & cake on our way home from the Lakes. At 2.30pm (Fri) the cafe was very busy but as the sun was out we decided to sit outside. If the cafe is full you have a decent amount of outdoor...

Came for a visit with my best man just to talk through wedding plans. We had pizzas and coffee’s, both of which were very delicious 👍🏼👍🏼

Great food plenty of choice for vegetarians. The only negative was the tea wasn’t very good not sure what tea bags they use.

After having enjoyed several high quality lunches at Levens Kitchen, yesterday’s poor offering was a huge disappointment. Two different meals were ordered - a "cauliflower steak" with cheese sauce & a chicken & bacon burger in a bun with chips. The former was badly burnt...

Great food here at Levens Kitchen in a large recently restored/or built? hall. In fact though it is cafe style and choices the quality and flavours are much more like a restaurant. You can see very professional looking chefs working away in the open kitchen....

The pizzas were lovely, but the vegan beetroot salad was poor and seemed thrown together without much thought or preparation, and there was no discernible dressing. This was a disappointment as we’ve bought takeaway salads from here before which were gorgeous. But my main bugbear...

Had a lovely first trip to Levens Hall to try breakfast.We are pretty fussy when it comes to breakfast and I come from a chef background. We had french toast with berry compote and I had eggs benny with ham, the eggs were perfect, I...

Lunch on a busy Wednesday, but still good service with friendly staff. I had the beetroot and goat's cheese salad which was amazing. Good size portion, beautiful to look at and to eat. Staff well informed and friendly. Would definitely recommend.

Met up for a lunch here. Very tasty soup, drinks and cakes. Was catching up with a friend but by the time left we were perished. Wondering whether they are keeping it cool owing to covid worries. It will put me off returning until next...

When we arrived for breakfast there was no queue , two tables were occupied and had been served and three members of staff were behind the counter. I placed my order and asked for the drinks to be served with the food. The blonde haired...

Been a few times to Levens Kitchen solo or with one or two others...we were that impressed that we decided to take a larger group for Brunch....we were warmly welcomed and all enjoyed various sandwiches and cakes...the McLeven sandwich seemed to go down particularly well...

Stopped here for tea and cake. Not sure what brand of teas they purchase but not much depth of flavour in the breakfast or Earl grey tea. Wouldn't be surprised if they were not teas from Grange. Cakes OK but quite expensive. I feel the...

We went for lunch, 2 adults and 5 children. We ordered off the little Levens menu which suggests kids meals suitable for under 12’s. My children are 4 and 7 and my friends children, 1,4 and 7. I couldn’t believe it when the food arrived...

The cafe was a very nice place and It was very clean but the food was not great and it was very over priced

We stopped for lunch after visiting the Hall and the Gardens. Fantastic food. Worth the money. My favourite was the courgette and lime slice of cake.

I have been here a few times and to be honest I don’t really rate the food. Expensive and not generous portions .The cakes are a good size and could be shared but again I find them disappointing. The flapjack was like eating breakfast cereal...

Friendly staff are on hand to guide you to a table and from there one orders and pays at the counter. The guidelines ask for one member of each party to go to the counter but this did not seem to be enforced. A small...

Pleasant place to sit and relax having a coffee and scone. Spoiled a bit for me by seeing flies all over the cakes, which were covered to be fair, but not good enough to keep the flies away.

Friendly and attentive staff. Whilst the food was tasty, and clearly well made, it was slightly slim on the portioning sides of things. I was hoping for a little bit more filling in the bao bun - if not, maybe a little something on the...

Absolutnie wyjątkowe miejsce 🤤🤤.. Wpadliśmy przypadkiem w drodze powrotnej do domu z weekendu w Lake District i po zwiedzeniu pięknych...

We came on a day that the hall was closed but the car park was full. Now we know why. We had the most delicious scone and cake with our coffee. The waitresses were friendly and the kept all the tables spotless. Well worth a...

Favourites are Eggs Florentine/Eggs Benedict and Veggie pizzas. Service is always good and cleanliness second to none.

Food was lovely but courtyard area where you eat was not a good experience. Not Covid safe as no staff clear or clean 5ables between customers. Bin in the courtyard was overflowing with rubbish. This was mentioned to staff but nobody could be bothered to...

First class and very upmarket food in a beautiful setting. The menu is just a little bit different but provides incredibly fresh food using local produce wherever possible. Their homemade bread is wonderful and is available for takeaway- to be highly recommended. Absolutely love their...

We visited this restaurant soon after it moved to its splendid new premises. We have called in for coffee and snacks regularly since then and recently we visited with friends (socially distanced) in the evening for Christmas dinner. It was very apparent that the high...

Absolutely splendid Christmas Lunch. Impossible to recommend more highly. A lovely selection of food without it being over the top.

I’ve been here a few times and always found it enjoyable. Situated in the grounds of Levens Hall (which as a child I was always told was one of the most haunted houses in England - aren’t they all?) it’s a standalone cafe/bistro in the...

We visited today 29/10 for a tour of the main house. On arrival the chap at the ticket desk was very friendly and helpful. We booked a guided tour at 11am and the lady who showed us around was extremely friendly and very knowledgeable about...

Always liked this place, but called today for lunch. I waited 20mins to get in, only to see a lot of spare tables. Then once seated, covid rules were fine, i waited over 30mins for my sandwich and coffee. The menu is limited, the sandwich...

Very nice. Efficient friendly staff. Nice sitting in the old part with log burner very cosy. Just had cake and tea but very nice. Will definitely return and have lunch what others were having looked really nice.

We live locally and since they opened, Levens Kitchen has been one of our favourite lunch spots. We visited today and were impressed by the Covid precautions. Lots of signage, staff all wearing masks, sanitiser and spray available. It all makes for a safe feeling...

My husband and I had booked open garden visit tickets online and decided to use them today as the weather is perfect. We loved the gardens, then had a fantastic brunch in the cafe - the brioche french toast with berries was fabulous. And we...

Very poor signage re Covid precautions and the ‘one way system’. The wearing of masks not enforced nor track and trace system - which I wasn’t made aware of at all. Coffee was cold and when I told the waitress she just said she would...

Only recently discovered this wonderful little cafe but in the last 8 weeks we must have returned at least a dozen times!! First came for a coffee with my wife . They serve our favourite coffee by the Carvetii roasters - the flat white is...

After the garden and the house we went to the Levens kitchen we had very psoh hot dog and a very thick but terrible nice cheese and salad sandwich both very good value for the cost.

Lovely picnic lunch came with three sandwiches, 3 cakes and a drink and got to wander around the gardens for just £10! Well worth the money.

NOTE: This place is not taking part in the EAT OUT TO HELP OUT SCHEME !! This despite being included on the government website as taking part! The house and gardens are very nice but it is unfortunate that they don’t tell you that you...

We decided to head home on the A6 instead of the M6 for a change and of course this took us past Levens Hall and there was a large A board advertising Cafe open and at the last second we turned in and decided to...

Not a big menu but what they do serve is good. The cakes are wonderful and I especially love their cheese scones slightly warmed up. Yum.

First time visit to this place and it was a delight. Like the wait to be seated system then order and pay at the counter. Breakfast dishes, salads, pizza, soup and sandwiches. The cafe layout and decor is lovely. Food was very good, smoked chicken...

What a delight to have the chance to attend the supper club “From estate to plate” The room was decked for Christmas and we ate a festive feast. A delicious amuse bouche followed by honey glazed duck, roasted fig and candied walnut. This was followed...

We visited the kitchen during our Lakeland stay over half term. Having been before for lunch we decided to give their afternoon tea a try and we were overwhelmed by our experience. As it turned out we were the very first family to try the...

Visited Levens Kitchen while staying in Arnside and it is a lovely quaint location on the estate. The restaurant area with the high ceiling is lovely.

My wife and I had lunch here last week and it was outstanding. The food, clearly prepared to order and using the freshest ingredients, was absolutely delicious. The waiting staff could not have been more helpful and the cakes, according to my wife, were to...

First time we have been and we were certainly not disappointed. Wine chosen for each of the main dishes and such a lovely and tasty range of food across the evening. Thoroughly recommend and we will be back again at some point.

We booked for a table of four for the Levens Hall Supper Club, which runs the last Thursday of every month. We didn't know quite what to expect, but after reading the menus both the vegetarian and meat/fish sounded delicious. The menu certainly did not...

Eggs Benedict. Yum!!!! Probably the best I have ever tasted. The cakes looked great as well. Intend to come back ASAP

Kid in a sweetshop syndrome kicks in here!!!!! If you're wanting something different cooked to perfection and expertly presented then you'll want to reserve a table forever. OK, prices are a bit more than you might expect but by golly it's worth every penny and...

delicious cakes, home made and creative nice courtyard that you can relax in and take in the estate while enjoying a cup of tea.

My wife, her sister and I visited Levens Hall for a day out and we really enjoyed the house and gardens. I have to say the gardens looked fantastic! But the real difference from last time I visited was the cafe. Long gone had the...

We were delighted with the new cafe, light and airy, tasteful decor, very tranquil, polite and very efficient staff! Interesting, varied menu, what’s not to like. Unfortunately, this lovely place has been discovered by a group of sweaty, lycra clad male cyclists of a certain...

We had a lovely walk from Levens Hall preceded by morning coffee. First time we've been to the new cafe and were disappointed by the menu. No toasted teacakes, only sourdough bread. We had lunch after our walk and again very disappointed with the menu....

A friend reminded me about the Levens Kitchen at Levens Hall...it's great, so much better than the previous restaurant. Imaginative menu, not badly priced. Super scones, cakes and coffee. Smart, helpful staff. Lovely setting (obviously). The Kitchen must be hitting other local eateries hard it's...

Clean, fresh, welcoming, spacious - just a lovely place to eat, inside or out - your choice. The food was fresh and tasty. Nice addition to the gardens and house.