Mathilde's Cafe in South Lakeland

Great cafe in the centre of Grasmere and perfect for lunch after a long walk. I had the swedish meatballs which were delicious. They also serve lovely cakes too.

We had some fabulous scones here. I chose the savoury cheese and blueberry and ginger along with a cuppa tea and coffee. I had to change the teacup as it was dirty. However, the ginger scone was outstanding. The best scone I have tasted in ages. Delicious! I loved the pottery the food and drink were served in. Staff seemed friendly enough but rushed off their feet. Perhaps they were understaffed today? I think the gallery has been established for some time and I noted the cafe seemed to be popular. Having eaten here now I can see why.

Beautiful cafe with Swedish menu influences. Linked to Heaton Cooper studio so lovely artwork everywhere. Fantastic choice of coffee & cakes. Dogs welcome outside. Good service. Would definitely visit again.

I visited here because my favourite cafe was full. The selection of cakes is interesting with a Scandinavian twist, I had a blueberry crumble cake, it was a little dry but still tasty. The service however was a little lacking. Customers find their own table, then order at the till. They were busy, however to not ensure a table is clean before bringing the next customer’s order is disappointing, some focus on table clearing would be an improvement.

All the good reviews to date are well deserved, it's a great cafe with brilliant food, but the staff here deserve a mention too. Inevitably they have to encounter a mixed bag of customers but without exception they remain friendly and welcoming and polite in the extreme. Very professional.

During our first visit to Grasmere, we discovered an absolute gem of a cafe: Mathilde’s. The food here is outstanding. It was surprising to find an establishment serving Swedish cuisine in the Lakes, but their website reveals an interesting backstory that supports their unique ethos. The menu is curated with care and attention, and the presentation and taste of the food are exceptional. Over the course of three visits, we enjoyed the smoked trout, meatballs, beetroot hummus, veg breakfast bap, and the hot dog. We topped off our lunches with their superb range of cakes. The coffee is excellent too. Everyone needs a Mathilde’s in their life, and we will certainly be recommending this place to friends.

Call in regularly when passing through Grasmere- well worth pulling off the A591 for. Coffee, food and cakes all excellent with some really well thought out and unusual options. Lovely environment and friendly staff. The only downside is the dog restriction which limits me to eating outside, or having to go elsewhere when the weather’s not great. Apart from that, faultless.

Visited on a rainy Tuesday. Unfortunately dogs aren’t allowed inside but there’s lots of outdoor seating and an area of it is covered which is great. We only had coffee and cakes so although the menu looked delicious we didn’t try the main meals. The coffee was excellent (Carvetti coffee roasters who we love), gorgeous crockery (always nice that a cafe goes to the effort of picking something nice). Scones were amazing and huge, cakes were great too (even got some more to take away!). Service was friendly. It’s set within an art gallery and gift shop too so nice to have a browse. Cycle racks and bike pump with outdoor seating. Gorgeous views of the hills.

Called in for lunch and a coffee whilst out walking and it was brilliant! The coffee was gorgeous, really strong and just how we like it. We both had the hot dogs with the extra bacon bits and cheese and it was amazing! They were huge and so tasty. Would call in again if we were back in the area to try something else. The cakes on display also looked fabulous but unfortunately we didn’t have room to try one!

Our third visit and as enjoyable as the previous ones. The cafe is attached to the Heaton Cooper art gallery and is certainly different than most Lake District cafes as the food has a Scandinavian twist to it and, believe me, the food is absolutely delicious. Seating is both inside and out. No dogs are allowed in side but are welcome at the outside tables. The process is simple…take a menu, find a table and order and pay at the counter. The cafe can get busy but we only had to wait a couple of minutes before we found a table. We both had the poached eggs on sourdough with bacon and sausage and we didn’t have to wait too long for our food and drinks to arrive. Our food was superb and the coffee excellent also. For after, there is a mouthwatering selection of cakes all of the “eat me” variety! Prices are about average for the Lakes…we paid a total of £31.70 for our meal including coffee and tea. Service is first class and tables are cleared quickly. Toilets and free wifi Very highly recommended.

Another lovely visit to Mathildes… we arranged to take a couple of friends to celebrate his birthday and we all had a fabulous lunch.. all enjoyed it, lovely staff, scrumptious food… what more could you want ?.. Thank you 🤩

Wow. What a fantastic find! I’m not one to write reviews, but I was just overcome with how beautifully curated everything was: the food, interior and what a gorgeous selection of cakes and pastries. The flat white was so delicious that I ordered a second. Will be sure to return soon!

Been coming here for many years and the food is excellent, lots of things with a Scandinavian twist. Definitely recommend the cakes!

A but if a different menu with a Scandi twist. Lovely setting with shop and gallery ( yes we did purchase some art) to explore after coffee and snacks. The cakes looked great and our choices were both great, had to get something else to take away which was just as good. Went back on another day for breakfast - lovely tasty eggs, and we bought some prints this time to adorn our walls.

Called in for coffee mid morning and were so impressed that we went back for lunch. Lovely view from the window, almost like an artwork itself. Staff friendly and cheerful, service great. Food excellent in every way, served on beautiful pottery with tasteful style all around. Toilets beautifully clean and even a pastel art exhibition to enjoy on the way. Loved this place and will definitely be coming back as often as possible.

This is such a lovely café! We called in after a long walk and had a very welcome pot of tea with a slice of scandi tea loaf. It was so delicious we called in the next day too after another walk and ordered the same again! There were lots of other delicious items on the menu. Even the crockery was gorgeous!!

Delicious cake, helpful staff and great ambiance. A little pricey but otherwise great. Location in Grasmere is great and lots of outside seating with a view is really lovely on a sunny day

Delicious coffee and fabulous cakes. The Almond and caramel cake was simply delicious. Nice setting opposite Lucia’s with a gallery and little bookshop. Clean and tidy.

Wow, what a great stylish little find in the village of grasmere! we did not expect to find a Scandinavian style cafe here. The food was really great! Very impressive hot dogs and wonderful tarte of the day with a fresh salad. Highly recommended for a lunch break of just afternoon tea.

Mathilde’s in Grasmere is a Nordic style cafe which is well worth a visit, an excellent selection of drinks and food from cakes to, soup and much more. I can strongly recommend the hot dog - so tasty! The cafe gets busy but don’t let that out you off, it’s well worth visiting!

Really unusual but delicious menu with good variety plus a selection of cakes. Great service and great value. Dropped in for lunch - soup and hotdog followed up with tea. The people who served us were enthusiastic and extremely attentive

This is a lovely place, great food and drinks, nice ambience, and all attached to the wonderful Heaton Cooper Gallery. There’s just one comment, the service at the till to place your order is just so slow, I mean really slow. So slow it’s painful. Twice this weekend we departed because we couldn’t take it any longer.

Tutto ottimo, locale pulito, carino ed accogliente. Buona cucina, solo un po’ di attesa per il pranzo. Comunque consigliato se si visita Grasmere.

This was my second Three Hills gelato of the week, the first being from their shop in Keswick. I do highly recommend that you try this gelato, it is divine and the finest gelato that I have tasted outside of Italy.

Glorious Grasmere setting. Delicious food and coffee. Distinctive Nordic influence to menu and ambience. We will return.

Unfortunately, I am unable to review the food we ordered, because 40 minutes after placing our order with no food arriving, we had to get back to our car as our parking time was about to be up. The coffees we ordered to go with our meals turned up quickly enough, but would have been stone cold by the time any food might have arrived. When I asked for money back as we had to get back to our car, I was told to re-park in Grasmere and come back as there is plenty of parking in Grasmere (!) There was no apology for taking more than 40 minutes to deliver our food order and we left feeling like we were being made out to be unreasonable, although we did get a rather grudging refund for the food we hadn’t had a chance to eat. If we had been warned that there would be such a delay between ordering and food arriving, we would have gone elsewhere.

An exceptional bistro/cafe offering the best coffee experience, mouth watering cakes and a superb range of breakfast and lunch food[some with a Scandinavian twist]. The staff are also exceptional, providing a wonderful visitor experience. To top it off, the location is outstanding being situated in glorious Grasmere with fabulous views of the surrounding fells. We will go time and time again. Very highly recommended.

Called in for brunch mainly because it was the first place saw after parking up and glad we did. We both had the poached eggs on sourdough with extras - bacon, sausage, and mushrooms. Delicious. The eggs were perfect - golden runny yolks, and everything else was top quality. Service was great, even including a discussion about shirts whilst ordering. Definitely worth a visit

We visited on a busy, sunny Sunday after a walk. Great menu with lots of interesting choices. The tart of the day (pea) was lovely and fresh, and the accompanying salad was tasty. The hot dogs got the thumbs up too and we were disappointed we did not have room for the puddings. The staff we friendly and helpful and we will would definitely reccommend.

Fanstastic place for a quick lunch. Food was absolutely great. Nice combinations and flavours. Friendly and smiley staff. Great place! Will visit again.

Absolutely beautiful views whilst sitting outside. The food was gorgeous, we stopped by for lunch & returned the next day for breakfast. The cafe inside is beautiful with a gorgeous art gallery attached. The staff are so accommodating, welcoming and friendly especially Naomi.

We have been staying in Grasmere for 3 days and have come to MATHILDE daily. Whilst the cafe and food is lovely, with good coffee, the staff let the cafe down badly. Not once have we received a smile or any pleasantries from any of...

We dropped in on our way back from Easedale Tarn heading onto Allen Bank(Both places worth a visit) My wife had a light lunch of soup and I had a scone. Both were excellent as was the coffee. Service with a smile too. It was...

We always enjoy Mathildes. Great coffee and cakes, really lovely and friendly staff and the cafe is beautifully done out with vast indoor seating and great outdoor seating with plenty of cover if it’s a wet Lake District day. Always a great experience.

Gorgeous cafe! Popped in here with my family on our way to Allan Bank and had a delicious almond croissant and hot chocolate. Very clean with stunning view of the mountains surrounding Grasmere. Look forward to coming here again when we visit the lakes next...

Quick lunch with friends whilst visiting Grasmere. Our friends had the quiche and salad which they said was delicious. My husband had the soup and I had the amazing beetroot hummus. We would definitely return

No visit to Grasmere would be complete without looking round the Heaton Cooper gallery. Not having been for many years we were delighted find the addition of Mathilde's, where we had a bite of lunch. From the extensive menu we chose celeriac soup, while the...

Popped in for a hot chocolate and a cake recently. Very impressed. Hot chocolate was lovely and not (most places serve it tepid for some reason) and the selection of cakes left us spoilt for choice. Fully enjoyed it brief sojourn here. If passing we...

We love Matilde’s for coffee and cake and know that you have to Waite ages for services. But today, after a long walk we ordered the (mini) tart and fries with so much salt - needs compulsory gallon of tap water to accompany them. Really...

This was our first visit and, assuming we visit the UK and the Lake District in the future, we will certainly call again. There’s plenty of car parking at Grasmere within a short walk of the Heaton Cooper gallery, where Mathildas is situated. It’s also...

I called in for breakfast and enjoyed good coffee and a great bacon sandwich on toasted sourdough bread. I was very tempted by some amazing scones and pastries, several with a scandinavian twist and plenty of imagination, and I'm disappointed I didn't find time to...

Can thoroughly recommend the poached eggs on sourdough toast with salmon - absolute quality. Coffee is excellent too. Great cafe with a really nice atmosphere and easy to see why it is so popular. Thoroughly recommend.

A pleasant coffee break during our day in Grasmere. Good service and enjoyed looking around the gallery.

The cakes and scones are fabulous . I had the rye and date and it was one of the best cakes I’ve eaten in a long time . I will definitely return as this cafe is something special

The most amazing breakfast we'e ever had in our life!!!All food fresh and delicious! Coffee and hot chocolate were excellent! The staff was so polite,helpful and very nice. It was an extraordinary beginning of our day.We strongly recommend this place and the town Grasmere!!!Thank you!

Had the misfortune to stumble upon this venue on a lovely autumnal day last week. If you want to experience slow service, extremely rude staff or it could of been the owner and want to be spoken to like a child, then this place is...

At last proper crockery and cutlery is restored, replacing those awful paper plates and wooden forks. Great cakes and service

Excellent coffee, the best I had on my trip. Served in lovely cups as a bonus . I would recommend for coffee alone. A nice sunny spot to pass a few minutes people watching, interesting art gallery as well.

Very good quality coffee, cakes and scones in a busy but pleasant environment. Baked products a little bit different from the usual offerings and we’ll worth the slightly higher prices

We are vegetarian and were looking for something nice for lunch. We thought we would try this place. One of us ordered the butternut squash tart and chose to have the fries with it. The other chose the mushroom soup. We are convinced the soup...

We visited twice during a brief stay near Grasmere. We had scones and coffee one morning (both excellent) and in our second visit we had soup, and poached eggs on toast, for lunch. Both were outstanding (my poached eggs were served a little hard and...

We all enjoyed our elevenses. Cheese and mustard scone Blueberry crumble cake Granola flapjack. All fresh and delicious. The crockery is charming and the service was excellent. We will be back to try the lunch offerings.

This cafe is worth a trip back to the Lakes alone!! Really delicious (Swedish influenced?) food, beautifully presented, great value and lovely (eager to help) staff. Perfect place for lunch (and we went back for breakfast too the folowing day!)

We called in after a walk for coffee and cake. The choice of the latter was more than enough for us and the scone, brownee and flapjack we ordered were very tasty. They had a nice area to site outside and enjoy our food in...

Had to wait in a queue for a while to get the coffee, perhaps they were understaffed. Coffee was good, hot chocolate (the best or so my wife said) and they had a good selection of cakes. Not much for gluten free people like me.

Waiting too long to order despite only a small queue, staff seemed flustered and disorganised, waited around 30 mins for food to arrive. My husband ordered soup and skin on fries I had salmon gravlax gravlax very small and fries were not skin on soup...

Lovely place for a sit down lunch. Both savory and sweet items were delicious. And the story behind the name for the cafe is as charming as the cafe itself. Service can be a little slow but it’s worth the wait. It’s vacation after all...

Great service with amazing coffee and brownies. We felt welcomed and the staff could not do enough to please us. Food was amazing with a good selection (for late breakfast) Seating inside and outside so you can enjoy the sun

Fabulous service, the soup was the best I’ve tasted. Cauliflower and juniper! Cakes looked delicious. I’d just ask that if your dairy free milk alternative is oat please please make it gluten free too, sadly I didn’t have an option as I am gluten and...

We visited this cafe on a perfect day, all seemed right with the world. Sadly that feeling soon dissipated when trying to order coffee. The process seemed more like ordering a four course dinner! The staff were totally disorganised. Finally the coffee was served and...

Love this place, we visited several times and detoured our walks around Grasmere to end here. Some really interesting cakes and pastries, many of which I’d never tried before. Top quality, we enjoyed everything we tried.

Yesterday I visited this venue and found it annoyingly disorganised. The couple had no idea of “time and motion” and whilst I am not conversant with the use of coffee machines, I felt that the wait I endured just to obtain four cups of coffee...

So glad we stumbled upon Mathilda’s on our tour of England’s Lake District. I ordered the eggs with smoked salmon. The eggs were poached to perfection. But the surprise was the salmon. Not just a slice or two of nova lox. It was at least...

Wow!! Beautifully presented, very tasty food. Blows most other cafes/restaurants out of the water to be honest. I haven't had food that's excited me this much in ages. Highly recommend this place.

As a local I am familiar with the many choices. Mathilde's has done something different with their menu and atmosphere. The staff are absolutely warm and friendly, even when they are confronted with long queues and impatient customers. Just have a look at those cakes...

Wow such painfully slow service - lots of staff doing nothing but frustratingly they are aware of the queue, Cakes are over priced Would not recommend it return unless they can speed up the process a bit - it’s not complicated! Actually did this review...

Called in for coffee and tea at lunch time. Nice coffee nice assortment of in house made cakes. Pleasant room indoors with outdoor seating also. However poor girl taking orders making drinks plating cakes sending stuff to kitchen was run off her feet. She was...

We visited this cafe a couple of times when staying in Grasmere recently. The first time was for coffee and cake - the coffee was excellent and the cake delicious (Sour Cherry Crumble Cake). We returned a few days later for lunch. It was quite...

Just called by chance on a recent visit to the Lakes, initially to visit the wonderful Heston Cooper gallery which shares the building. Had late pm cuppa and cake and everything looked so good that we returned the following day. Very nice coffee/mocha with excellent...

Very convenient location, in the centre of this little village and for those coming off Easedale Tarn walk. Nice outdoor seating terrace. Coffee is very good and the cakes are excellent. Very friendly service too.

Don't assume this place will be open when it says it is, even when you've checked its social media. The sign on the door might say 'Open' but on a number of occasions we've had a wasted journey because, for whatever reason, the lights are...

Attached to a beautiful gallery, this cafe has a fantastic selection of food and drink. We had coffees which were excellent! Plenty of seating, especially for families with children. Staff were friendly and chatty!

I've gone to Mathilde's a lot over the years, and have generally excused the very high prices because the food and staff are both really lovely. However I find it increasingly difficult to ignore the price gouging that happens - the most egregious is that...

Service was a bit fluffy !! Well over priced for small bowl of soups and small coffees which were a bit watery. Total price £22.87 for two people. we don’t mind paying for really good food and good service, but think you will have to...

My husband and I rocked up to this cafe 20mins before closing. So many places would have said we were too late and refused to serve us. Not here. Not only did they serve us, they also reheated my husbands hot chocolate without being asked...

Nice looking place and great looking food. We had drinks and a scone and chose to sit outside to reduce Covid risk. Sadly the outside tables were not cleaned before we were served. Not a problem is the server advised the table was not ready,...

Could do better with communication.. we were a group of 3, wanting a coffee, 2x hot lunches and cake.. We found our table, the place was busy but not rammed as their were empty seats. Ordered our food etc. 50mins later others that have entered...

You could tell the cake was homemade it was delicious Coffee was lovely and hot. Service very good and tables where wiped before being seated Very busy with customers but members of staff very polite and attentive.

We popped into Mathilde’s for a coffee and cake stop, the staff were really friendly and everywhere was clean and inviting. We had a brownie and the ginger & lingonberry cake which were both amazing! The coffee was good too and the cold drinks were...

Halloumi Sourdough Sandwich is yummy and the cakes are lovely can recommend for a quick but good bite to eat

Perfect setting for a tasty lunch. The soup of the day, served with toasted sourdough, was delicious. We also enjoyed their juices. Service was friendly and prompt. Lunch prices were reasonable, given the quality of the offering. Food and drink served in compostable containers with...

If such a thing as THE Queens award for cake exists then it should be given for the magnificent Almond and Marzipan slice that I enjoyed here recently. My best bit of cake this year.

Great food but would think twice about going back because of the cardboard boxes & cups that the food & drink is being served in! Not acceptable or necessary!

Walk in with my girlfriend on a day visit to the lovely Grasmere. Heavenly hot chocolate and a lemon and poppy seed cake. Thank you to the very charming Naomi. A big recommend and we will definitely be back soon. Thank you from Marc and...

The seating outside tempted us to visit for a late lunch. An eating place we hadn’t noticed a year ago during our last holiday. Obviously keen regarding Covid with disposable cardboard boxes & cutlery plus their thorough way of wiping down the tables. A bit...

We have been several times with friends and the 2 of us for coffee and cakes. Excellent cakes, great choice and quality and taste! GF options too. Lovely coffee despite paper cups at present due to staff shortages. Lovely ambience. Our fave one in Grasmere.

Very poor and a real shame nice food served in cardboard packages to dirty tables not forgetting the wooden cutlery must have trained at MacDonalds

Lovely staff, very good coffee but a very, very greasy breakfast roll which is still repeating, 4 hours after eating! And the disposable boxes are really difficult to eat out of - surely by now a high temperature wash in the machine would be better?

We stopped for morning coffee which was fine (though I wish they had espresso cups) and a snack. Polite staff.

This cafe provided a slightly unusual menu which attracted us to it. Mainly snacks and light-bites it has a Scandinavian vibe. Think open sandwiches and Dill. In fact there was possibly too much Dill. We felt that the eating experience was not as exciting as...

Absolutely the best carrot cake in the land. Superb coffee too. Will definitely return. Keep up the great work guys! :-)

What an absolute Gem. We live in bowness so not so much of tourist but as a special treat for my birthday my partner took me to this little cafe. Food-fantastic, service-excellent, very clean and looked after. Do come and visit this place, you won’t...

nice cafe in the centre of Grassmere. The outside dining area is sheltered from the road by a hedge. good service by pleasant staff, only stopped for a cake & cup of tea plenty to choose from

Possibly the best bacon sandwich I’ve ever eaten and the loaded fries were wonderful too. Great staff and quick service. Highly recommended.

Really lovely little cafe recommend to us by a friend. On a busy Friday we managed to get a table and the food didn't take too long to arrive. The food itself was delicious and there is a great range of cakes. Food served in...

We have visited this cafe previously and found the food to be very good. We were therefore very disappointed to find that they were still in full Covid protection mode serving a limited menu in cardboard boxes with plastic cutlery and paper cups. All other...

Visited for a quick lunch sat in their lovely garden area. Even though it was quite busy we managed to get a table straight away. The menu is quite compact with a Scandi feel with some unusual ingredients and sauces. My wife had the tart...

Lovely place have lunch after a walk around Grasmere. Tart of the day, asparagus and feta with a beetroot salad was delicious and filling. Another recommendation is the grilled haloumi sandwich.

Lovely cafe, we came here after a long walk and fresh coffee and cakes made our day. It has a beautiful garden where you can enjoy in a nice weather.

Excellent late breakfast. Halloumi sandwich and bacon and egg on sourdough. Good halfway point on coffin route.