Lucy's on a Plate in South Lakeland

Avoid! Avoid! Avoid! Just had one of the worst dining experiences of my life, for a 30th birthday celebration courtesy of Lucy’s on a plate Ambleside! I honestly don’t know where to begin with this, maybe the appalling manager, slow service, bland overpriced food, not sure really but here we go. So we email this place the previous evening to our booking enquiring about a reservation for 2 people, we heard nothing until WE contacted them around 3/4pm the following day to be told “oh yes im just on with the bookings now and was just about to call you”which I didn’t believe but that’s fine, on the phone I explained it was a special 30th birthday meal for my partner as they asked were we celebrating an occasion. We were looking forward to our meal and arrived slightly early about 6.20 for a 7pm table, we thought we could maybe have a drink if they had a bar or somewhere to wait for the table. We were shocked to see the manager fumbling around with his booking sheet to clearly see he didn’t have our names down, just to write us in in front of him, he then makes a joke saying “that would of been embarrassing”yeah it certainly would have been embarrassing so not a great start at all, we sit down to read the menu and notice some essay on the front talking about the guests and what they were celebrating, no mention of my partners 30th birthday just a half arsed after thought saying hello Andrew and Rhianne, as we were clearly forgotten about. After looking at the menu we decided to go for 2 pork belly starters £12 each and lamb shank £28 and lamb tagine £24, starters came out pretty quickly around 10-15 mins so great, unfortunately BLAND!! The apple puree could of been anything as there was no flavour at all, no sweetness to balance the dish just the flavour or pork and a little black pudding Bon Bon, BLAND! Then we wait for almost 1 hour, yes 1 hour for the main, asking the waiting staff how long, got told if it’s not here in 5 mins I’ll go and punch the chef, yes haha very funny but just get me my food I wasn’t up for jokes by this time, then the mains come, my lamb shank was dry had next to no sauce or should I say gravy at all, the mash was lukewarm the veg the same and very undercooked, I’m all for al dente but this just wasn’t and a piece of parsnip no bigger then your little finger, this place is a long way off fine dining! I asked for some more sauce and was brought a gravy boat of wishy washy gravy that they must use on every dish! Honestly very similar to a bisto gravy, where’s the lamb flavour or the reduced stock to coat the lamb shank, absolutely nothing! My partner said the lamb tagine was lukewarm again but after waiting an hour we were so hungry we just ate it, she said the cous cous was just bland and had nothing special about it, she said the cous cous from Sainsbury’s ‘food on the go’ was much nicer, why is this when we’re paying all this money? We also noticed there was no check back to see how we were enjoying the food as tbh they just weren’t bothered! When our plates were cleared(25 mins after we had finished) we were asked was everything ok, I said hmm yeah ok to which the waitress replied “ok yeah” great and takes the plates. This is where I would of informed the manager that someone was not very happy and suggest they go and speak to them! I was very reluctant to say anything because I’m aware I’m celebrating my partners 30th and didn’t want to make a scene, after such terrible service and food we just couldn’t order a dessert as we weren’t going to give these people my more of our money, we receive the bill at £115 for 2 starters 2 mains and 2 drinks each one of those was non alcoholic. Very overpriced for the quality you receive. Then to top the night off I go to pay, this is where the manger really shows his lack of experience, from me counting out the money to pay he never once asked “how was your meal” how did your partner enjoy her 30th birthday celebration” nothing! Didn’t even say enjoy your evening, honestly I recommend you research this place before going here as it’s beyond bad!

It was simply just great. Simple things done very well with some very personal touches.

We had dinner at Lucy's after a long walk on the hill. Great menu, excellent food, nice atmosphere, really lovely touches (kids colouring and competition, owner saying hello to everyone). Thoroughly recommended.

We love it and have gone back many times

Dined here Sunday night (13 October) We were placed next to the door in the bar area. The door was continually being opened with customers coming in. It was a cold night. I counted at one time 9 customers standing literally next to our table waiting to be seated while we were eating our meal. Staff were continually walking behind me to get bottles of wine. The food maybe good (if pricey) but customer comfort should be prioritised. Sitting next to the door is unacceptable. We were not the only ones to complain about our seating on the night. We won't be back.

Prefer to have been told the beef was not on the menu when we were handed the menu rather than when we came to order. This also applied to the wine,which had run out! The lamb shank and tagine were delicious Pudding v dissapointing. Profiteroles were surely not choux pastry and the bread and butter pudding v dissapointing too. Had to attract waitresses attention in order to place order. We returned to our hotel for our coffee instead of waiting

Lovely friendly place with a decent and different menu. Dog friendly

We had a wonderful dinner. We ordered rib eye steak and chicken breast. The meat was cooked just right, tender and juicy. The sauce, side dish and presentation were marvelous. The decorations, lighting and music matched perfectly.

If you are in Ambleside book a meal here, the combination of food, atmosphere, and service is outstanding. When we booked they asked if it was a special occasion, we were there to celebrate the life of a close friend called Lucy who died a year ago, her favourite place was Ambleside. The restaurant personalised our menus with thoughtful words and pictures of her. The table was decorated beautifully and the food was delicious. Our waitress was delightful. We all decided that 'Lucy's on a plate' made our evening perfect and we will definitely be back. Thankyou to everyone who works there.

The restuarant had a nice homely feel and the personalised menus are a nice touch however the food was underwhelming, bland and overpriced.

Dog friendly, good atmosphere. Our food portions were a little small but delicious nevertheless. Friendly staff, can recommend!

This was our 6th visit over a few years. The welcome is always very friendly. Menu choices great and food is delicious - save room for a pudding. Service is excellent. we'll be back.

Very dog friendly. Delicious, delicious food. For the quality, well priced. A special experience.

We’ve eaten here before and loved the experience however it did not live up to our expectations on our second visit. On a positive note, on our recent visit, staff were lovely and attentive and the restaurant was busy and bustling and was a real welcome on a wet and windy Thursday October evening. We ate as a couple and were looking forward to a child free relaxed evening to enjoy a few drinks and good food. We were shown to our table at about 7.40pm and a waitress came to take our drinks order and we ordered food at the same time. Literally within 5 minutes of ordering, our food order arrived (much to our surprise and no sign of our drinks). I had the sea bass with new potatoes and samphire and which was really delicious but the size of the fish was so small for the price and set us back £26! My partner had the lamb tagine which was delicious and was a more generous portion. We had finished our meals by 7.55pm and had only just received our drinks. We felt a little deflated by this point and I was still starving hungry! We decided at this point that we felt reluctant to spend another £20 on desserts so we drank up, paid the bill and left at 8.25pm. It was certainly not the enjoyable experience that we had hoped for. We felt rushed and ripped off! Unfortunately Lucy’s on a plate (which we have always talked fondly off, as we had one of our first dates here) is somewhere that we will not be revisiting.

Highly recommended. Excellent food and service with the warmest of welcomes from the owner, Lucy, who will take your coats and show you to your table. But the most remarkable feature of Lucy’s restaurant is that you will be asked in advance if you are celebrating a special event (birthday, anniversary etc etc) and you and your special event will be printed on the front of the menu. Brilliant marketing.

Very pleasant relaxed evening. Atmosphere suited us, full but not noisy with enough space between tables that conversations remained private Food very good, service excellent, prices reasonable.

Very friendly and welcoming. Vibrant atmosphere. Excellent food. Loved the puddings too. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening.

My girlfriend and I had a lovely, romantic candle lit meal last night, the food was absolutely divine. The owner Lucy and her staff members (including Basil 🐕) are very friendly and accommodating. The choice of food was superb and I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a delicious meal with great service!

OVERPRICED, POOR SERVICE, and SMALL PORTIONS! We booked a table with Lucy’s on a plate for our last night in Ambleside. Given the price of meals on the menu, we were expecting the experience to be more upmarket. In addition to this , two out of three of us are vegan and so we were grateful to see a few vegan options on the menu. Unfortunately, we would not recommend people spend their money at this restaurant, especially if you are vegetarian or vegan. Firstly, the service was very poor. We were sat on a table by the entrance and it seemed as though we’d been completely forgotten about. Granted the restaurant was fairly busy, but from my experience of working in a much bigger restaurant, it didn’t seem like floor staff had been organised very well or that any one had been allocated to take care of our table. The location of the table was a bit uncomfortable, which we would have probably overlooked had the food made the experience worth it. But, for some reason the wine was stored to the left hand side of our table, which meant that staff members had to squeeze by about three or four times whilst we were sat there to collect a bottle. On the opposite side we had a cold draft coming in from the entrance and a crowd of people all talking, which ultimately made it very difficult for us to enjoy our meal in peace. As for the food itself, we ordered three meals in total. A fish and chips (£24), a mushroom pasta (£22) and a stuffed pepper with rice (£25). Now, I didn’t realise until after the meal, but I was baffled by the prices. How is a meal that is made up of vegetables and a stingy portion of rice more expensive than the much larger portion of fish and chips? Doesn’t make any sense at all. Furthermore, how is it that rice and veg are some of the cheapest foods, yet we had the smallest portions and the stuffed pepper was more expensive than fish with half a plate of chips! Now, as mentioned earlier, I am grateful for the provision of vegan options, but creativity was lacking and i’ve had tastier cans of ratatouille from Tesco. As for the mushroom pasta, it was served without the vegan parmesan and wasn’t anything we couldn’t have made better at home. Basically it seemed as though little thought had been put into the veggie options and I couldn’t feel more ripped off paying £25 for some vegetables and rice. I chose not to complain in the moment, because I didn’t want to ruin the evening for one of my family members who seemed to be enjoying themselves. But this experience was that poor it’s worth letting others know that you’ll get more value for money at any other restaurant in Ambleside, such as the excellent Bar Es Mexican restaurant across the road.

We visited Lucy's on a plate on a Sunday for the roast (which was very good) table booked for 5:15pm, we checked the online menu before visiting and saw there was a deal for 3 courses, when we arrived we were given a menu with no starters on, which was fine for us as we just wanted mains and dessert anyway, but for those who would want starters it looks like you would have to ask for this. The staff were by no means rude and were pleasant enough but they weren't exactly friendly or generally welcoming. There was no atmosphere to start with but as more customers entered and chatter filled the room it didn't feel as awkward, could have done with some background music whilst the restaurant filled up. Regardless of this you go to the restaurant for the food which was amazing and well worth the visit! Portion sizes will not leave you feeling hungry, and the quality of the food was great. Food generally came out in good time also, the restaurant was full by the time we left which is always a good sign. Over all we had a good experience but coming from a hospitality background the staff could just be a bit more enthusiastic to be there and create a better atmosphere, perhaps we caught them on a bad day though. Wishing Lucy and the team all the best.

Mmmmm not what it once was !! This restaurant used to be one of the best in Ambleside, unfortunately not any more . Very expensive for what it is and not value for money anymore . Service was good , food is now very average , place is grubby and dated , needs an update / overhaul !!

Smarter wine glasses would be nice. Mash was a bit lumpy.

Lovely dog friendly restaurant- the food and cocktails were very special. Thank you!

My daughter took me to Lucy's on a plate for our birthdays and it didn't disappoint,we loved everything about it.Eill definitely be recommending to friends and family.

Our first visit, will certainly not be our last, can highly recommend, but you need to book ❤️

Party of three, one the that the beef in the "hole in one" was a bit tough, the gf "chish and chips" were nice as was the "pepperpot vegine with couscous". We had our dog with us and they provided water and a couple of doggy biscuits for her which was a nice touch.

Excellent as always. Good choice of menu options. Was there as part of a large group and they managed everything very well.

Absolutely loved our evening at Lucy’s- friendly staff, delicious food and a wonderful atmosphere. Thank you so much 😊

Amazing food and cocktails, lovely service. I would definitely recommend this place.

We went here to celebrate our engagement with friends. Lucy went above and beyond and made the night very special with personalised menus including some pictures of us. The food and service was excellent as always. Thank you so much to Lucy and the rest of the team

Came for the early evening menu. £26 for 2 courses and you got given good size portions. We had the fish cake, lamb tagine and beef shin which was all really good

Nice place. Good food. Went for the early evening menu & got the fish cake and Beef shin.

Extremely disappointing. We managed to get a table without booking, we were initially impressed with the menu, setting and staff. After ordering, our drinks arrived quickly but it took longer than expected for our starters to arrive. We chose the potted salmon, which was accompanied by stale sourdough bread along with the bruschetta, that was described as having ‘crushed tomatoes’ which in fact was just whole tomatoes on bread. For mains we had the lasagna which was more like corn beef hash, and the vegetarian nut roast, which was unenjoyable. 2 cokes and 2 beers later and the bill was just shy of £85! Extremely expensive for such disappointing food. The whole meal we could overhear the staff bickering about some staff pulling their weight more than others, and arguing about who’s meant to be cleaning which tables. Overall a huge letdown.

Outstanding food. Highly recommend the beef shin and apple pie. Service excellent and relaxed atmosphere. You won’t regret it

This is one of my favorite restaurants! The atmosphere is always great, and Lucy herself is often there and meets and greets you which is awesome. The puddings menu is INCREDIBLE, with there being over 20 puddings daily!!!! I personally find the salted caramel mess (in the jars of class section) one of the best puddings I have ever had!!! This is a great place to have a laid back evening meal! ...btw you can ask for a shoutout for on the first page of the menu!

My family and I had a lovely evening at Lucy’s. The food, service and atmosphere were all superb and as well as this the menu was really fantastic. Will definitely come back and recommend to my friends.

Lovely restaurant, great atmosphere, friendly staff...but most importantly the food was perfect. The juiciest, tastiest stuffed chicken breast ever followed by a toffee apple crumble that rates amongst the nicest dessert I've ever eaten.

Simply one of the best places to eat not only in ambleside but in the lakes!, a great welcome with a personal touch on the menu, service very, very good, staff so attentive, food... pork belly with black pudding bon bon so so good rib eye steaks perfectly cooked and the gluten free dessert made sam very happy not often desserts are so good for gluten dairy free! Please if you are in ambleside visit this place, you won't be disappointed

We've ended up in Lucy's by absolute accident - didn't book anything and we liked the menu. Right away after entering the restaurant we've been greeted by extremely friendly, smiling staff and regardless lack of booking on Thursday's night we got a table. Interior has stunning feel to it, on every step you can see that this place has a heart of its own. We ordered lamb and fish mains - we loved them, probably the best of a kind that we ever had. After mains we couldn't stop ourselves from trying out desserts - we ended up ordering apple crumble tarte and sticky toffee pudding. Both were brilliant and served a role of a beautiful ending to a beautiful evening. I recommend this place to absolutely anyone who wants to make an additional memory from their trip to the Lakes. Thank you for this experience 💖

Lovely dinner. Best dishes for us were mackerel and horseradish starter and apricot/ amaretto bread &butter pudding with custard. 2 big highlights. Goat cheese on a mushroom starter needed more mushroom. That layer was a bit thin. Main courses bit pricey but fine (we had "fish orgy" i.e. fish pie ). Wine by the glass upgrade to the better wine quality was worth it 👌. Entry level quality was quaffable but next level was noticeably better. Lovely nice staff, working very hard and very busy but took the time to engage with customers. Would come back if in the area, and if it's a special treat dinner

A must go. If you’re in Ambleside you must go this place, very beautiful setting and an amazing menu, I wish I could have tried more. If you’re looking for hearty and passionate English cuisine then come here. Service was very good and food was 10/10. Will definitely be coming back here next time I’m in Ambleside and have recommended friends and family to this place.

Great food all round with a great atmosphere and service we will be back

Fantastic early evening offer. Food was beautiful and the service could not be faulted. Well worth a visit. I'll certainly be going back 👍

We visited tonight for my 60th Birthday…. My wife booked and Lucy took the booking over the phone…wonderful first impressions as ever. When we arrived Lucy was on meet and greet and guided us to a lovely table…with a balloon…plus my celebration was listed on the evening’s menu which was a lovely touch…. The wine was excellent! - a bottle of white and a bottle of red - Sauvignon Blanc from Lucy’s recommended and a Guggenheim Malbec from the main list! I had a starter - prawn & crayfish cocktail - stacked with seafood and gorgeous. The missus passed on the starter. Mains - Venison ( Poor Little Bambi) which was fabulous I had the ribeye which didn’t hit the mark sadly - a poor cut of meat which the chef must have missed - however after pointing this out to Holly the effervescent MaitreD on the night all was resolved satisfactorily. The kitchen mustn’t allow this level of poor meat delivery to go to table though so we mention it on here. Desserts were great and should be enjoyed! It’s tough for restaurants at present and it’s a competitive business…don’t let your standards slip Lucy - it’s 5 stars from us but that’s thanks to Holly who saved the night. A great ambiance and service throughout 🙏🏻 Thank you.

Excellent food with lots of gf and veggie options, love the decor and quirky vibe, brilliant service and great background music. A must every time we visit the lakes!

Amazing find. Top quality food without the extortionate price tags. Best meal eaten in Ambleside!

Fantastic food, great service and lovely setting. Best in Ambleside.

Excellent food, varied menu, attentive staff spacious restaurant to accommodate any larger parties but small enough for more intimate dining. They have a daily newsletter so don’t be afraid to disclose if you are celebrating an event, a delightful and personal touch.

Great night at lucy's on a plate. The menus are printed daily with a lovely daily notice on the front which i thought was a lovely touch. The food was delicious, great portion sizes and there were lots of gluten free options for my boyfriend. The steak was cooked great and was served with a heaping of garlic butter and peppercorn sauce (the garlic butter is insane) My only downside of the food was the chicken was slightly overcooked but the flavours of the dish and other components were great so balanced it out Staff were on the whole good, welcoming. Knocked a star off because the relaxed environment meant that staff often were talking a lot to the guests and it took a while to get our orders in.

Excellent address in Ambleside. Make a reservation to be sure of finding a table. A bit of a wait despite everything, including for the dishes, but it's worth it from the starters to the wonderful desserts.

A very lovely meal from start to finish, with wonderful waitresses and waiters and a peaceful ambiance. Thank you Lucy and team <3

Disappointing compared to our last visit. Poorly seasoned beef shin and a chef that seems confused between fondant and dauphinois. No crackling with our starters either. Minor issues, I expect, but we won’t be back.

A great meal and a very friendly atmosphere. Would have given five stars overall if it hadn't been for a fairly long waiting time for our wine. But it was a busy night.

What a lovely place this is ! We celebrated our Silver Wedding Anniversary here even when I booked it a week before the email I had back was full of congratulations. On the night we were given a mention on the first page of the menu which really made our night ! And the food was beautiful really good selection on the menu something for everyone's tastes. The sweet menu is just incredible we had trouble choosing there's a hot and cold selection. If you want something special and you want to feel valued as a customer go here ...candles on the tables lovely atmosphere and lovely staff . Thank you Lucys for making our night so special we will be back from Staffordshire as soon as we can !

Good food served by great staff all in a excellent and friendly relaxed atmosphere . Best meal I have had in a long time. Gluten free was no problem to them and the choice was second to none. Early bird menu has plenty of choices and is great value for 2 or 3 courses. I would highly recommend a visit. Best in Ambleside by far. If there was more than 5 stars they would get them but 5 is the maximum I can give them.

Lovely meal tonight at Lucys Shin Up and Summer Salmon lovely food lovely people. Highly recommend

Absolutely gorgeous food, fab staff and Lucy is a diamond 💎 you can tell so much thought and effort is put into the menu, and when you call to make a booking, Lucy takes the time to have a gab with you ✨️ when we arrived, the table was set with streamers for my Aunties birthday, and a balloon... gorgeous personal touch 💗 and the menus are also personalised... honestly it was a beautiful night and I'll be telling everyone to make a visit xx thank you so much for making my Aunties birthday so special xxx

Food was very good - I was v happy with mine, my husband was ok with his. Had to wait a bit for the table we had booked and then towards the end the service was a bit 'tempremental' which was a shame.

Lovely atmosphere and decor; great service; wonderful food and wine at reasonable prices! (Only disappointment was bread sticks instead of bread on dippers starter) Daily menu also welcomes pre-booked diners! Fantastic!

Friendly service. Food excellent choice, well cooked, tasty, good value. Little items make the meal a special event. We had fish pie and beef shin s mains and creme brulee and apricot bread and butter pudding. The evening menu, names everyone who has booked on line and that just makes it a personal experience.

Excellent food , lovely staff with very personal service.

Went here recently. Myself and my friend are vegans , I just think unfortunately if you’re vegan or vegetarian don’t come here ! It’s basically all meat or fish , only 3 veggie options, and says you can ask for these to me made vegan , however the meal is clearly not made well for the vegans , I think they clearly only make an effort with the meat dishes , which is a great shame as vegans and vegetarians exist and deserve a nice meal, with some actual flavour and seasoning , we basically just payed 20£ each for a plate of tinned tomato , and 2 sprigs of salad on the spaghetti dish .. it was really disappointing , not to mention a waste of money .. and felt too shy at the time to say something, I regret this now .. Just thought would leave a review so any fellow vegans or veggie can know to avoid this place.. really sad as I don’t like being mean or anything , but this really felt like extortion.. just also very depressing to see all the menu was just meat and no thought to the vegan or vegetarian people at all .. I read another comment on here and it sounds like they got served the same ‘ spaghetti with tinned tomato ‘ as they are also vegan .. also said it was undercooked.. Just hope maybe Lucy can think about the vegans and vegetarian people , and make them feel like they are having a good well made dish .. worth 20£ . With fresh ingredients, herbs, seasoning and love .. I could have made what I got served for 2£ . (Spaghetti and tinned tomato ) Wish I felt could have said kindly to your face and maybe get a refund , but don’t like confrontation.. Just leaving a review so hopefully no other vegans or vegetarians have a bad experience here .

We are so spoilt for choice of great restaurants on our short break here in Ambleside. Tonight we visited Lucy’s in the same street as our AirBnB. It was packed with atmosphere. We enjoyed cocktails followed by main course and dessert. A bottle of wine from Alentejo in Portugal finished our delightful dinner.

Love the way you write the menu but food not hot and my chips were soggy.

Overpriced for what it was. The drinks were very nice, however we ordered two mains that weren’t that special. On the menu they looked super apetizing,but when they were brought out were very mid. The meat in the tajin was hard and dry, the tomato very overpowering, you could not taste the apricots or the raisins at all. The chicken breast that was supposed to be stuffed with sunblushed tomato and spinach, maybe had 3 spinach leaves and perhaps one piece of tomato. The fondant potato wasn’t cooked all the way through. The description on their website makes you want to try, but it wasn’t special at all. The experience We’ve paid 70 pounds and left hungry. I wouldn’t come back.

Good food, poor service. 30 minutes for the initial drinks and pre-starter nibbles to turn up isn't a good dining experience.

Will definitely be back. First time we've been for our special occasion. We were really made to feel at home. Since our return home, we are still meeting persons who have also visited and are also singing the same praise!

We thoroughly recommend Lucy's in Ambleside 👍 The food was fantastic ('Fig in the middle', 'Lamb shank redemption', and the 'Saucy Lemon Pudding'), the service was extremely good and a great atmosphere. The personal touch on the menu for those who had booked in advance was a brilliant idea. It's not often that we are as impressed as we were with todays experience.

Food was nice, only one guy serving food from the kitchen upstairs, he was the only one working, 3 young girls stood around talking, and others had no idea, 2 guys on the front counter, had no people skills, didn’t say goodnight thank you! Wouldn’t employ them, one of them said do you want to pay ? Yes, I’ll be back in a minute he said, never came back someone else took our payment, not worth a tip either, need training and definitely too many staff standing about bored ? One of them could be of emptied the tissue bin in the loo which was so full, and looking scruffy.

Saying the food was great is an understatement - everything we tried was top notch, especially the boosy chicken liver. But above all, Lucy's warmth and kindness made our whole trip extra special! Note to self: book in advance next time to get into the daily newsletter.

My family and I booked Lucy’s to celebrate our Father’s birthday and we couldn’t have been more disappointed with the experience. We really wanted to love the place, but it was a hectic experience to say the least. Firstly, we arrived at the restaurant to hear a member of staff arguing with another member of staff loudly in front of diners. I think we should have taken the hint at this point that something wasn’t going well. We were seated at our table and informed that Lucy hadn’t printed off enough menus. We understood and waited patiently for around 30 minutes for food menus whilst we ordered drinks. The service on the night was generally quite slow, but the waiting staff seemed pleasant and the restaurant was busy. Unfortunately it took a long time to take our orders, and round 1 hour to receive our starters. 3 main meals arrived after a long wait after our starters and a short while later a member of staff informed myself and my partner that the chef had placed cheese on our vegan pasta meals. At this point we were missing 3 out of 6 meals. When they informed us of the cheese mishap, they seemed surprised that another member of our party was missing a meal also. It felt very chaotic. Our mains finally arrived and to our dismay the spaghetti was completely undercooked, as if it had been rushed. We spoke to the staff about this but were so hungry at this point that we attempted to eat it anyway. The dish wasn’t as advertised (missing olives) and was very bland for a £20 meal. We were essentially served undercooked pasta in tomato sauce. Writing this review is important as the restaurant is charging an awful lot of money for a negative experience and overpriced food. If we had known, we would have gone elsewhere. We spoke to the staff about the experience and they informed us that the owner has been made aware and may want to speak to us. We didn’t see her all night, despite the staff informing us that Lucy would need to settle our bill for us. Upon leaving, we tried to find Lucy with the help of her staff, but was informed that she had personal issues and had left the restaurant. It sounded like a difficult night. However, I would take a look at the other reviews as this doesn’t sound like an isolated incident. In the end, 3 of the mains mentioned above were taken off the bill by the member of staff on duty along with 2 drinks. Personally though we felt that more could have been done as all 6 of us felt our dining experience was negatively affected by the night. As we left we thanked the remaining staff that were serving who were visibly having a tough shift and putting in the graft.

Terrible experience… The staff were arguing with each other upon entering the restaurant, not a great start. After being sat down, we were kept waiting for quite a while as “not enough menus were printed”. Fast forward an hour and our starters arrive. All fine with those. The service was pretty slow and had to ask for a water refill 4 times before getting any. The mains took a long time to start coming out - we were starving by this point. 3 out of 6 mains arrived and 3 spaghetti arrabiatas were to come (2 of which were ordered as vegan). The waiter informed us that the 2 vegan mains had mistakenly been covered in cheese and he seemed confused about the other missing main. A little while later (when the others had finished eating) the pasta dishes finally arrived. Something looked a little off looking down at my plate - the spaghetti seemed to have right angles and look stiff in shape. One mouthful confirmed that the pasta was exactly as hard as it looked! The arrabiata sauce sounded delicious on the menu, mentioning olives etc, but the reality was a very bland simple tomato sauce with no detectable olives. All 3 of the pasta dishes were heavily under cooked and bland. We were too hungry after our long wait to consider sending it back. The lower layer of pasta in the bowl had softened up by the time of reaching it, but the rest was not good. For £20 this is unacceptable quality. Our disappointment with the mains spoiled the evening and we didn’t wish to stay for dessert. We spoke to the waiting staff to ask what could be done and they assured us the owner would come and speak to us. We waited a while, but she didn’t arrive. We went to find her and the staff didn’t know where she’d gone. We were eventually told that she had left and was dealing with personal issues (sorry to hear this). The waiter told us that they would take the 3 pasta dishes off the bill, plus 2 drinks. That still left us with a £150 bill for a meal that nobody could enjoy. The building was very nice and the printed customer names on the menu a nice touch - such a shame the rest didn’t live up to that. Having looked at the long list of similar reviews, I’d definitely be looking elsewhere next time. Very over priced for the quality and experience.

7th June 2024 Extremely disappointed! This was meant to be a meal to celebrate the end of a fabulous family holiday and my husbands birthday. On arriving we sensed such a bad vibe as there was an obvious staff and management issue. We waited 1/2 hour for menus to be printed and 2 hours before our main meal. Three meals came and then some 5 mins later we were told there had been a mistake in the kitchen over the vegan dishes and eventually they arrived but the dish was just uncooked spaghetti with basically chopped tomatoes mixed in. No seasoning, no herbs and no olives as was on the menu. Having waited two hours and with no solution they decided to eat it. It was terrible. We did ask to speak to Lucy as we would not be paying for these meals but not once did she appear. We decided not to have pudding and when we asked to see Lucy again were told she had left . In these circumstances we should have had an apology and no Owner/Manager should leave their staff to deal with these problems. There are obviously serious issues here and reading recent reviews we are not alone. There was no staff directives and limited staff for a busy restaurant. Disappointed, angry and embarrassed for my family.

We were somewhat disappointed in Lucy’s it came highly recommend! And my name being Lucy we arrived and with jest I told everyone we came as my name was Lucy. Well for whatever reason the lady seating us took a hate to us. And sat us at a table looking at a room to hang coats. We ask her if we could move to a more friendly table. She told us all tables were taken and appeared to hate us. So we settled to sit at a table looking at a wall one way and a cash register the other way. We order our food and about 15 minutes after ordering the food we were informed they were out of the food. So I can only give you fare waning avoid it like hell, so sad for us as everyone had been unbelievably nice and sweet where ever we went. Just seemed a sad way to leave the Lake District.

Lucy and her team catered for our wedding in May, and we couldn’t recommend her enough!! We had a beautiful selection of canapés, and a three course wedding breakfast which was delicious! The service was excellent and all our guests commented on how nice the food was! Lucy was very knowledgeable and helpful on the lead up to the wedding, she was more than willing to help ease the stress and we knew the catering was in great hands! She also provided our wedding cake which went down a treat! We can’t thank Lucy and all her team enough, thanks for making our day so special. Helen & Shaun

Stunning food stunning place and staff! My favourite at Ambleside

Enjoyed a birthday meal and everything was lovely, food, service, wine and cocktails. Highly recommended.

Average at best . Average food , average service. Reasonably priced . Would I come back no

Special birthday tea with Alice and fam. Made even better by a personalised menu and birthday message with family photo. Thank you team 👍👍

Lovely little restaurant with wonderful food. Good service and attentive staff with a wonderful atmosphere. The early diners menu to be served before 6pm was very good value and a nice choice of options. Would recommend.

Lovely atmosphere great food well worth a visit very popular need to book ahead of time

To start with, the menu was for that day and personalised with a large dash of humour. The selection was surprisingly broad considering the fresh ingredients. The starters and mains were delicious. We had no room for dessert but were drooling over the choices. The atmosphere was perfect and the service excellent. A most pleasurable experience. We will definitely return when in the area.

Our experience of the service was very poor. We arrived on time for our booked table at 7:30 and at 9pm we hadn't eaten anything. When we asked about our food 1hr and 25 mins after we arrived, we were given some bread sticks and were told they would 'table our order'. We hadn't ordered anything else, so expected our food was on its way. We left without eating and had to find somewhere else to eat. We appreciate it's a small, and very popular business, but this level of service isn't good enough. We carefully researched a nice place to eat after a big day and were disappointed not to eat any of the food, which looked nice.

Had an absolutely lovely time here. We got seated straight away by Lucy at 8pm, after making a reservation a few days earlier. We ordered a 3 course meal, fish cake with salad and tartar sauce was delicious. Our mains were both yummy, I had vegetable Tagine (which I would enhance with some melted cheese) and my husband had classic Fish and Chips, you can’t go wrong with. For dessert, we chose the crème brûlée and the lime and ginger cheesecake, which were honestly divinee. Good job Kirsty! Service and attention to detail were on point especially as we were celebrating my husband’s birthday. Lucy congratulated him as we came in and they prepped a little balloon on our table 🥹 They also have a personalised menu introducing all the customers for that day! which I thought was very cute and innovative. All in all, very positive experience would highly recommend!

Never left a review in my life but had such a good experience at Lucy’s on a plate I felt it necessary to leave a 5* review. The atmosphere was very relaxed and the staff friendly and welcoming. Cocktails were delicious and so was the food. We waited a while for the menu which at the time I didn’t realise was typed with special mentions to diners celebrating an occasion (what a lovely touch) I kept the menu as a keep sake for your 10 year wedding anniversary. We came to pay and a lovely couple on the next table who we chatted to briefly had paid for our cocktails ! We later found out they were called Mr & Mrs Shaw, what a lovely gesture. We had a wonderful night and could not recommend this restaurant enough

Lovely restaurant with really tasty food and plenty of GF and DF options. Plus I enjoyed their funny plate names. Loads of dessert options too!!! 🤤

Amazing food. Highly recommend. Best food we have had in the lake district. Very cute personal touches too making you feel very welcome. Definitely be back when we next visit.

A wonderful dining experience, food was innovative and delicious, service friendly and efficient. We shall definitely be back.

Absolutely fabulous place to eat, food is fantastic and the service wonderful. Can not recommend this place enough.

Amazing food Very personal and attentive staff Hope to go again 😍

Nice buzzy place. Had high expectations based on other reviews but sadly didn't meet out expectations. All our dishes were on the cold side particularly the sauces, maybe the plates were cold? Was expecting a richer sauce with lamb shank with the braising juices but was more like a simple gravy than a slow cooked broth. Vegetable cookery was good. Stuffed figs should have been blue cheese but 2 seemed to be a regular orange coloured cheese and texture wasn't as good as blue cheese. Portion size was good. Some staff busy and good, a couple on their phones at the bar when we left.

I am proud to be Autistic and when booking restaurants request tables that best meet my sensory needs. Lucy's absolutely smashed it Lucy personally came to see my needs were met during the evening. Outstanding ❤️

First off, the food was great and I suppose that's all that matters. However, the owner tried their best to ruin the experience. For some reason we had to be seated by the owner even when there were other staff available, this meant we got seated half an hour after we arrived due to the owner chatting to her friends and totally ignoring us whilst we were stood near the door. Later on in the evening, staff were unable to get to our table to attend to us as the owner had sat down at another table and totally blocked us off from the rest of the restaurant. I expect Gordon Ramsey might end up here with a film crew...

Booked a table for a birthday meal and the evening started with a 10-15 minute queue outside in the rain to get seated. No acknowledgement of this and no attempt to make up for the fact we spent such a long time queuing in the rain. Once seated, took a long time to get our drink order (a lady who came in after us got a glass of something or other delivered by the manager before our drinks) and our drink order only arrived a couple of minutes before our meals. Lots of chatting to some customers but not a lot of checking in with all customers. Food was excellent and I have to acknowledge this. The mash with a couple of dishes on our table wasn't very warm but my main and dessert were both excellent. Really tasty and decent value for money. Bathrooms need some work. No paper towels when I went in and lots of black mould on the walls. Disappointed but there's plenty of choice in Ambleside

We were recommended Lucy's by a friend and I eagerly emailed Lucy there and then to see if we could come the next night and Success!!! We had a 7.15pm sitting and I cannot fault any part of our experience. Fantastic service, personable waitresses that were interested in us and food that was just out of this world. I do now understand why we were recommended this! Next time we hope we make it on to the newsletter!!

Really nice setting- the early-bird menu is a great price for a 3 course meal before 17:45 as well!

This place is truly wonderful Food is excellent, and the service is second to none! The menus always mention clients by name, and if they are celebrating, that is mentioned too. The owner treats everyone as if they are long-term friends. Love this restaurant 😍

Lucy was a great owner/host. All the staff were friendly! Also dog friendly! We had 3 courses and all of them were fantastic! Me and and my wife are both years and dairy intolerant and they catered for us no problem. We will be sure to head there again when I’m Ambleside.

Friendly, great food and great service. On a busy night they worked hard, found us a table despite no reservation and I was impressed with the Roe deer haunch in red Berry jus.

Amazing food. Staff very friendly and attentive. Very relaxing and enjoyable. Would highly recommend.