Matthew's Bistro in South Lakeland

1st time eating at this bistro and the food was excellent, atmosphere excellent, and the staff were so friendly, we will definitely go back next time we are in Ambleside.

Was very recently at Matthew’s and wow what an experience. We went back two nights as the food was just too good. Nurturing, wholesome and good value for money I can’t say enough good things. One of the best fillet steaks I’ve ever had and I’ve had many. The chef here really knows how to cook meat. I will also definitely be back to Ambleside for that chocolate brioche bread and butter pudding. Still thinking about it.

Best ever… The best food in England！！

Lovely food and great service. Will be returning next time we're here.

Me and my fiancé stopped into this little Bistro when looking for an evening meal and we’re very glad we gave this place a chance. The portion sizes were very good and the quality of the food was also excellent. We ordered a bottle of wine and it wasn’t too expensive which was nice. The service was also quick and friendly. We will likely be visiting again soon. Two thumbs up. 👍👍

We had a lovely meal here. Bistro was busy without it being too noisy so you couldn’t talk. Service was spot-on as was the food.

Good food,friendly staff. So good we went back twice in five days. Definitely a place to visit if staying in Ambleside.

Excellent as it was a few years ago.

I don’t think we have ever eaten off the menu as the choice of specials is too good to miss. This time we have local venison in a port and black currant jus. Fabulous dinner - will be back again and again.

Lovely food and attentive unhurried friendly service - would definitely come back. I would thoroughly recommend this restaurant

We ate here on a Friday evening while staying in Ambleside. We’d booked a table which I think is advised as it did steadily fill up over the evening. The food that we had was fantastic (Green Thai curry and beef bourguignon). Everything was very tasty. The desserts didn’t disappoint either (crème brûlée, sticky toffee pudding and chocolate baileys cheesecake). The staff were very friendly. Will definitely be back.

Excellent food. One that will stick in the memory. Very pleasant and friendly stuff. The venison was delicious. Lovely atmosphere.

There are some great reviews, and that is why we chose to visit… sadly we cannot share a glowing review as others. Food was average at best, we have had better meals in pubs… Sorry didn’t do it for us.

Superb homely food. Well cooked and well portioned. Honestly, no faults what so ever. Loved it. Good value for money and lovely attentive staff.

Visted as a walk-in. Had the Beef Bourginion with seasonal veg and Apple and Quince crumble with custard. Everything freshly cooked. OMG delicious. Staff were amazing. So friendly and attentive. Bistro was full. The two girls absolutely worked their socks off. Thankyou for a fantastic experience.

Fantastic. What an absolute gem. Visited with family and our 6 week old grand son and we where made soo welcome, nothing was too much. The food is fantastic very tasty excellently presented. Fresh vegetables, cooked to perfection. The land very succulent, fell off the bone. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Fantastic night, well worth a visit.

We have visited this fantastic restaurant a number of times when visiting Ambleside, this was once again a great visit. We both opted for one of the specials, fillet steak with chunky chips, tomato, mushroom, salad and peppercorn sauce, absolutely delicious and a massive portion. With no room for dessert we opted to pay and go. There was an issue with the card machine which meant we had to leave, withdraw cash and return, fine for us, however if you were having to pay/withdraw on a credit card this might not be so great. For us, it was another very enjoyable evening..

Great food and friendly service

The wild boar and venison meatballs were incredible. So tender!

1st visit here but definitely won't be our last. The service was fabulous, so very friendly, but professional. The food was really delicious. Pate to die for, the lamb just fell off the bone, I'm not a big lover of mash potatoes, but they were smooth and buttery. I was too full for desserts, but they did look really good.

French style but a large range on the menu to suit everyone. Very well cooked and served. Small bistro style so well worth booking.

Amazing food all round, definitely the best find we've made in Ambleside. A great place to spend our friends birthday. Great service too.

Delicious food. Excellent overall experience. We would highly recommend

Food was disaster. Definitely not advising.

Excellent food amazing staff, french onion soup is the best, seafood ravioli is so good.going back again soon when next in Ambleside.

The last time I had Lasagne like that was in Cortona in Tuscany. It was absolutely superb!

Fab food, and staff, will be back,

Excellent service and the food was superb, will definitely return on our next visit.

Back for our fourth visit and it never dissapoint!! Wonderful atmosphere, great, friendly service and unbelievable food and plenty of it. The pate I had was so tasty but my wife's goats cheese starter was so, so tasty. My lasagne was as good as it gets, with some lovely hone made garlic bread. My wife had the catch of the day which she also loved. There were some lovely looking puddings coming out, but neither of us had any roombfor any!! It is advisable to book as it can get busy, you will not be dissapointed with the food and you certainly won't leave hungry!!!!

One of the BEST places to eat in Ambleside! ❤️ I'm sad that we discovered this GEM of a Bistro on our last day in the Lakes. Such a lovely change from the hum-drum offering of pretty much every other restaurant, pub, or eatery around. The food is excellent and the service top-notch! Very reasonably priced as well as good-sized portions. The specials change regularly and offer even more selection to the extensive menu. Definitely will come here the next time we're in the area!

Quite boring food served in a cosy setting by friendly service. Being forced to choose two meals made it a relatively expensive experience as well. The intentions were there but both the entry liver plate (which turned out to be liver pate), and the catch of the day served on risotto were lacking spices and flavour. With the price at £28 I felt a bit robbed. The extra vegetable serving I ordered were unfortunately just as bland.

Very varied menu, with something for everyone, plus Specials on a blackboard. Set price as a 2 or 3 course meal other than some of the Specials. Food was really lovely and so were the staff. Wine very nice - we picked the NZ Sauvignon Blanc but there are cheaper options too. Recommend booking in advance

Great food, huge portions, reasonable price, really friendly staff. Can't fault it.

Stunning and beautifully cooked, high-quality food. I ordered lamb and it honestly fell apart. Would 100% recommend as the number one place to go in ambleside. Great location and second to none curtious and friendly staff.

Stand out was the patè, the rest was delicious too.

This is one of our favourite restaurants in Ambleside. Never disappointed with the food or service

We popped in after visiting the play park around 6pm and they were just about to accommodate a family of 4 - really should have booked butbit was our first evening in Ambleside. The food was absolutely exceptional, the kids enjoyed thier meals and we were all stuffed! Staff attentive and the service was good. Definitely on the list if you are after high quality food in Ambleside.

Excellent food and service and reasonably priced for the quality and generous portion! My special starter lobster ravioli was very fresh and delicious, while the slow cooked lamb was super tender and melt in your mouth. Was determined to try their pudding but just too full after the main, till the next time!

What a find we had Prawn cocktails for starters with lovely juicy plump prawns and a nice sauce For the main course I had the slow cooked lamb which was divine crispy fat that melted away in your mouth and the meat was so tender and moist it was pure heaven My 92 years young has a small appetite and we asked for a smaller portion so he could have his starter and the staff made him a nice size portion I had pudding rather than the starter bread and butter pudding which was Devine Overall highly recommended 🤩🤩

Great food, service a bit slow but overall good value and experience. Would definitely revisit

Good, tasty, reasonably priced quality food. Best place we have been to in Ambleside. Great service too.

Fabulous restaurant! Very friendly staff and a Dinmore menu with some great dishes. I had Matthews pate to stay which was delicious then the smoked haddock risotto for main..... yum 😋 You definitely need to book as they were turning people away.

5 of us. First time at Matthew's 3 courses all perfectly cooked and served very helpful.

Probably the best restaurant we’ve been to in Ambleside. Great menu, good quality, lovely food and great, friendly service.

Great atmosphere, lovely staff & excellent food

Absolutely delicious food, really friendly staff, would definitely recommend! :)

Excellent food and service as always.

Lovely food. I had the venison, which was delicious and key lime pie, which was so refreshing.

We loved the atmosphere and the food. Lovely people and excellent service and dishes. We went back the following night.

We did the early bird option here on a rainy day. The food was very nice and the service excellent. It is good to get value for money and this is definitely the case here.

Had a delicious meal at Matthew's Bistro during a short break in Ambleside. Every dish ordered was cooked to perfection. Staff were extremely pleasant and attentive. A must if you're in Ambleside! 😊

Excellent food great service and friendly staff will definitely be back next time we're in ambleside

Second time here, we really love everything about this little place, the food is so beautiful, you can tell they really cook with love,

An absolute gem in Ambleside! We treated ourselves to our final nights dinner at Matthew’s and wasn’t disappointed. From entering we were met with a friendly welcome , everywhere is spotless and it has a really lovely atmosphere. The food was fantastic! We will definitely recommend to family and friends when they visit the Lakes.

Very pleasant dinner. I’d strongly recommend the piripiri prawn starter.

Food was really amazing like the service, highly recommended!

Fabulous food; hot, expertly cooked, big portions and excellent service too. Cannot recommended highly enough.

Wow what an amazing little restaurant. The menu has a slightly french feel with dishes you don't often see any more like beef Bourguignon and Stroganoff (yes I know it's Russian). I had the Garlic mushrooms to start followed by the Bourguignon and they were cooked to perfection. The waiting staff were very attentive and the service was good on a very busy Saturday night. I will be back

Good choice on menu, delicious food, friendly staff. What more do you need

Every time we visit Ambleside we book here and we are never disappointed...delicious flavours and lots of choice. Very pleasant staff who make it a lovely experience

Cosy atmosphere and great food. Lovely, attentive hosts.

The service and food was amazing last night, we had French onion soup,meatballs for starter the fish for the mains that was absolutely amazing and the meatballs were to,the deserts are so good! Staff are really friendly to,definitely be back again

We arrived for opening 5.30 and felt so welcome by Helen. Food was absolutely lovely and service was top class, its a definite return visit for us top marks for the chef as well

This is a small place so it is essential that you book a table. I had a pre conceived idea about what I would eat from the menu. One look at the specials board and I changed to a King Prawn and Chorizo spiced starter followed by Cumbrian Fillet steak. My wife had the steak after a garlic mushroom starter. All the food was brilliantly cooked. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Extremely good food and staff very friendly. Would definitely recommend.

Lovely place and staff friendly

Great food and wine lovely friendly staff and nice atmosphere would very much recommend this bistro

best lamb ever. will definitely return

Great little place. Could not get in last year but this year they had a bit more flexibility. Great atmosphere, good set menu options plus some local daily specials. All very fresh and very tasty. Service was on point and the lady who served us clearly knew how to help customers to decide what they want. The impression I got was that several people were repeat customers, which says a lot

Absolutely wonderful restaurant! The service was fantastic, the lady serving us was such a delight ✨ the food was flawless and reasonably priced. The photo attached was a special and could not be faulted! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 100% would recommend

Great food from a friendly little restaurant.

Great food, juicy steaks and Lamb that fails off the bone. Excellent and very attentive staff.

My husband & I dined at Matthew's Bistro on Tuesday evening. What can I say, attentive staff, flavourful food and at a great price, what's not to love. We will definitely eat there again on our next visit to Ambleside 🙂

Really fabulous meal and terrific, friendly service. The meatballs starter was a particular favourite.

If your ever in Ambleside you need to dine here, Excellent front of house and the food is delicious, will definitely be coming again, thanks very much.

What a gem of a place. Food and service excellent. Can't believe I have walked past so many times and never gone in. Will never pass again without dining here 5 star.

Amazing quality and service! The food is incredible, lots of choice from the menu and staff are great in helping point out drink recommendations and specials. The lamb was the most succulent I've ever had and the red cabbage, I just wish I could recreate that! Will be returning and recommend to everyone.

Brilliant meal. Superb staff and service

Delicious food and great service. Complements to the chef/Matthew!

Really lovely food, excellent selection on menu & staff really lovely, friendly & helpful. Really enjoyed the night, lovely atmosphere.

Our first visit on a busy night do book they were turning people away, wonderful food great staff two girls who worked together to keep the place ticking like clockwork. Would certainly return very enjoyable experience.

I visited matthews for an early dinner with my family including 9 month old baby. The food was excellent and the staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. Really enjoyed it, thank you. Highly recommend.

Five of us ate and we all enjoyed our meals. Would highly recommend

What a fantastic place popped in on the off chance greater my friendly waitress got seated and dined nothing to much trouble food cooked to perfection. I am a chef myself and only have admiration for this chef and his team don't miss out give them ago

Quality food. Ate here twice whilst on an annual trip to Ambleside. First night there were 8 of us having different starters and mains and the other night, there were 4 of us again having different foods. All were tasty, cooked superbly and offered good value. Will definitely go again. Thanks Matthews...

Great little bistro fabulous food with a fantastic price you have to go there superb food

A fantastic hidden gem in Ambleside. Would thoroughly recommend. Food was delicious and in good sized portions, waiting staff were lovely too. Enjoyed it that much, we returned the following day to try the early evening menu.

Well worth visiting. The food was gorgeous,cooked perfectly. We had 3 courses tonight, lamb fell off the bone, patè was to die for and the lasagne was very tasty and desserts spot on. Lovely friendly staff and service was very quick. Best meal we've had in a long time. Will be going back in February when back this way.

Excellent meal tonight The service was faultless, very welcoming & accommodating. Lovely atmosphere & we will definitely return here if we visit Ambleside again. Thank you 😊

excellent food and service at reasonable prices. lamb shoulder to die for.

Great dining experience . Super food and great staff.

Excellent place but must book in advance as you will probably not get in otherwise.

The food was amazing, staff were great, we will definitely be coming back on our next trip.

Absolutely beautiful Cumbrian bistro food, and very pleasant staff, walked out almost bursting at the seams as we ordered so much, but worth every penny and every bite

Excellent food . Charming, welcoming staff. So looking forward to coming back when we're in the area again.

Friendly staff and good food. Suggest you book as it is busy and was full the night we went.

Fantastic food, one of the best meals me and my husband had while staying in Ambleside. You need to book in advance

We were lucky to have both our first and last holiday evening meals in Ambleside at this fantastic restaurant. All courses are of very generous proportions and exceptionally tasty, and also it's great to see a decent choice of bottled beers for those of us who aren't wine lovers. The staff are friendly, and despite the pressure for tables, never make you feel rushed. It is essential to book as they have to turn many people away. Matthew's is a place against which other restaurants we go to in the future are judged!! Superb value for money. Highly and wholeheartedly recommended.

This is a first class restaurant. A wide ranging menu and the quality of the food was wonderful. The mains of lamb shank, chicken masala and the salmon special were all first class. Good service and great value. Highly recommended but suggest you book as several people turned up and had to be turned away.

Struck lucky with a last minute booking on a busy night. Great food, generous portions; could have worked my way through the starters menu alone and gone home happy.