Matthew's Bistro in South Lakeland

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.

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.

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.

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

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..

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.

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

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!!!!

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

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.

You will not be disappointed, such a great find, food excellent, staff top class, need to phone early morning on the day for booking, thoroughly recommend.

We managed to book a table here during our holiday last week and I'm so glad we did.Delicious food, nicely presented with good service. Husband had beef bourbignon and I had veggie chilli; both were really tasty and plentiful. Children had pasta dishes which were boxed up for us when they couldn't finish it. Desserts were perfectly sized and delicious. Will definitely re-visit if we're in Ambleside again.

Managed to secure a table whilst staying in the area, the reviews were all very positive and we were not disappointed. Staggered table times meant that the service was excellent, the food and drink fantastic. Many thanks to the team for ensuring we have a very enjoyable evening. Booking at the time was only via phone which was handled very professionally given the high demand for tables.

Fantastic food and friendly staff, would definitely recommend but you need to book ahead! Only 4 stars as the table was in the door and there were lots of wasps and flies coming in.

The quality of the food here was superb. A truly enjoyable experience. The staff are excellent and the service very good indeed. Very reasonably priced.

What a fantastic little place! The food was amazing, piping hot and absolutely delicious. The staff were friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Overall, a brilliant experience, would highly recommend.

We had an excellent evening at Matthew's bistro , staff were so friendly ,good prices and excellent food . Can highly recommend this place .

We came twice to Matthew’s last summer and just the once this year as we wanted to visit a few different restaurants. 2 of us ordered the spicy chicken which felt incomplete as a meal in comparison with some of the other mains- perhaps just needing a little more veg. We ordered fries to top up. Like so many restaurants at the moment it looked as though the team were a person down and it was very very busy. A good thing the restaurant being full and both waitresses worked very hard and extremely quickly. The sticky toffee pud is GF and perhaps the best I’ve had anywhere - a great dessert! We enjoyed our evening once again.

This is where trip advisor really works. This is a fairly small bistro that you could easily walk past without a second thought - and miss out on a fantastic meal at a reasonable price. We were only in the area for 6 nights but loved our first meal so much we managed to get a booking for a second. Be sure to book - the staff were constantly turning people away.

Lovely cosy bistro. Sits next door to a larger establishment so can be easy to miss but seek it out. 2 menus, 1 before 7pm and 1 after, good choice of food. Very reasonable 2 or 3 course offering and very tasty food. Try Matthew's Chicken which is in a creamy wine wine sauce that doesn't hide the perfectly cooked chicken breast

Loved this restaurant, just what we wanted after a long drive. Cosy, relaxed & friendly. You definitely need to book at this time of year even on a Wednesday but it’s school holidays & not many people getting abroad, there must have been at least 15 groups/couples who tried to get a table whilst we were eating & they were fully booked. The portions are big but not ridiculously so. We had pate to start (sharing was more than enough), then the beef & lasagne. The prices are really reasonable, lovely staff, couldn’t fault a thing, we loved it all. Thank you x

We ate here with the family at the 8pm sitting and it was just fabulous! The staff were very welcoming, friendly and really attentive, without being intrusive. The food was outstanding. Our party included gluten intolerant people and they were not in any way restricted for choice. Everything was cooked to perfection. They could really give Tommy Banks a run for his money!Definitely recommend and hope to come again the next time we're in the Lakes

Second visit here and will definitely be back. Service and food were excellent, great menu with lots to choose from. Make sure you book as restaurant was full and lots of people turned away.

Just - Wow! I had insalata Caprese , Pollo Marsala and gluten free apple crumble with custard. The boyfriend had Wild boar and venison meatballs, Lakeland lamb and Key Lime pie with ice cream. I had a glass of Sauvignon blanc and the bf had a beer - came to just over £60. The food was so delicious! Stunning Most of the menu was gluten free so I had an excellent choice. The staff were friendly and the restaurant had a nice feel - not too noisy, not too quiet. Definitely recommend!

My son and I had a delicious simple dinner here. The Chicken Liver pate was memorable as was the lamb, which was as generous as it was flavourful. But the staff were the stars - could not have made us feel mor e welcome.

Nice friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Lots of families when we first arrived, clearly popular with children as well as adults. The menu is mostly ‘hearty classics’, good simple food done well. What more do you need after a day on the fells? Excellent quality food, and friendly front of house team. Would recommend.

We ate here twice during our week in Ambleside - cannot fault the staff (friendly), service or the food - amazing! Don't miss dinner here!!

We had a brilliant meal here. Really speedy, friendly service, delicious food. Recommend the French Onion Soup and the lamb. Great for kids as they offer all the usual suspects but also will do smaller portions of the main menu offerings. Our kids had garlic bread and pasta dishes which they loved. Wish we’d had room for pudding! Will definitely return when we visit the area again.

We dined here twice during our 4 night stay in Ambleside, The staff were very friendly, the food was superb, just make sure you leave room for desert, these were absolutely delicious. Highly recommend

My husband, sister inlaw and myself came here to eat for the first time tonight. We were looking forward to our meal as it has good reviews. I have never been so disappointed. We ordered the chicken with vegetables and roast potatoes. The chicken was cold, the so called vegetables were in the sauce (tiny) which was bland and the roast potatoes,im convinced was Aunt Bessie's . We informed the waitress that the chicken was cold and we couldn't eat any of it. She was apologetic. When we asked for the bill. The manager came over and we had to pay in full for two meals that we never ate. I find that this was a terrible service as we should have at least had the meal taken off the bill. We were so shocked that they never offered any explanation or a good will gesture,. That we just paid and left. We will never come here again.

This restaurant was highly recommended by our B&B and we're so glad we went. We would advise making sure you have a reservation as they are popular and otherwise might be full.Very relaxed atmosphere; with friendly staff and making you feel Covid safe.Food was very good; the lamb was so tender it was falling off the bone - delicious! Chicken Stroganoff was also great. Would also recommend going on an empty stomach as the portions were also generous.

Both the food and the service here are both first rate. We chose from the early dinner menu which requires ordering before 7pm and comes at a lower price than the post 7pm menu. We had the chicken liver pate, flavoured with juniper berries, herbs and cognac and served with onion marmalade, and prawn cocktail to start, both delicious. Our mains were smoked haddock and pea risotto, cooked in white wine, and pollo marsala, both excellent and full of flavour. Our desserts were creme brûlée and rum soaked raisins on vanilla ice cream, again big hits. The chef blends flavours like a maestro and even though we were both delighted with every one of our choices they required us to put aside many other enticing options. This is our new favourite eating spot in Ambleside and we hope to be back.

Still good value after all the years we’ve been coming, menu doesn’t change much and still good options in starters, mains & desserts. The two young waitresses were very accommodating of the grandkids requests for variations on the desserts and drinks (wouldn’t recommend strawberry ice cream with sticky toffee pudding but went down well with a 9 year old girl). We will be back again. Beef bourgingon lacked onion and not as good as sometimes but still very edible, wish there were some draft beers.

We were very lucky to happen upon Matthew’s Bistro after we hadn’t booked anywhere to eat - and just by chance we managed to get a table. We usually have a rule of eating once at any establishment but the food and menu choice was exceptional - we immediately booked agin. it’s worth booking just for the French onion soup, which was one of the best I’ve tasted, and the mains and desserts were top notch too. Service was great too - with staff working really well as a team. Will definitely be booking again ahead of our next trip to Ambleside

Excellent food. We've been to Ambleside many times before, but not here. Ambleside has changed recently and some of our regular places have also changed. The town was also very busy. Consequently, we hadn't booked but called in for a table for two and were seated quickly. The goats cheese starter has to be the best I have tasted. My wife had lamb for the main course and I had chicken stroganoff. Both very tasty and plenty of food. Staff were friendly and service was efficient. We both said we would make this one of our go to places next time we go.

Fantastic food. Great service. Accommodating. Fabulous menu and very reasonably priced! We were very happy with our meal and would love to come back again next year! Would definitely recommend this place for couples or families!

We had a brilliant meal last night at Matthew's Bistro. The food was superb - especially the French onion soup and the slow roasted lamb shoulder. Service was also excellent - polite, efficient and friendly without being intrusive or ever feeling pressured or rushed. I just wish I lived nearer - I'd be there every week!

Had two meals here this week can't fault the food or service excellent valve for money wishiing Dominique and Matthew all the best hopefully see you end of the year

We had another exceptional meal this week, after visiting last year. Arrive hungry as the portions are very generous and everything is home made. The lamb is amazing and would definitely have it again! Can’t wait to return next year.

Excellent choice and value for money with set price. Almost everything on menu was or could be adapted to gluten free. Which meant for once my husband and I could have the same choices. I could have sticky toffee pudding with ice cream. Such a treat!

Great meal at Matthew’s - portion sizes are huge; and the food good - we all really enjoyed our meals. I really shouldn’t have had the dessert though - it was delicious but I could hardly move afterwards! Friendly staff who were also really clued up on allergies; pretty much everything was it could be gluten free, which also meant my husband was (for once) able to have almost whatever he wanted.

Had a really lovely meal at Matthews Bistro. Really couldn’t fault it. We felt very safe with staff wearing masks, the tables at a good distance from each other. The food really was delicious and very good value. We had liver pâté -absolutely gorgeous. I nicked some of my husbands! I had the creamy mushrooms which were also beautiful with some warm artisan bread. Main course was beef bourguignon for us both Beautifully dome, tender meat and delish! We were too full for desert! The waitress was lovely. We shared a bottle of wine and my husband had a lovely IPA The bill came in under £70 Would definitely recommend this lovely restaurant Booking advisable!

Had a nice evening at this friendly Bistro. Food was good, enjoyed the Chicken Stroganoff, and portion sizes are generous - so much so, after a starter and main course we couldn't manage a Dessert. Nice bottle of wine, relaxed atmosphere. Well worth a visit.

Just had the best evening meal here in Ambleside. Everything was delicious. The service was excellent and well done to the staff on duty. Thankyou very much, will be calling again next month.

We went back to the 70’s which we remember! 🤣 We enjoyed the retro feel, and the service was good. Friendly ambience. Good veggie dishes.

Lovely meal would recommend for laid back good quality dining with a good section. Prices are decent and the onion soup is tasty!

We really enjoyed their king prawn starter special asvwell as the mians . Service was friendly , altogether a nice dining experience

Delighted we got a table at the second time of trying. Chilled atmosphere with friendly staff. But the main attraction was the food. Once we’d read the menu outs we knew we’d have to eat there. Virtually everything on the menu we like. So we had Marvellous Moules Mariniere followed by classically cooked Chicken Stroganoff. For myself, luscious Lakeland Lamb followed by rewardingly rich Rhubarb Eton mess. Alliteration aside, we thought the £23 for two courses of such exceptional food was superb value. We wish you continued success, you all deserve it

Great range of food reasonably priced. Pleasant surroundings and friendly staff. Food hot and well presented. Probably a meal to suit all tastes.

We, 5 of us on a walking holiday, visited this restaurant on our first night on our holiday on 5th June 21, & it turned out to be the best food of our week-long trip (& that's not to criticise any of the others). Owing to Covid in particular we had to book our table well in advance, as per all restaurants & pubs in the area. Between us we ordered a variety of dishes so this tested both the serving staff and the kitchen & both were excellent. All food was cooked to order but with only a small wait. Although there were 2 menus, à la carte & fixed price, they were happy for us to select some dishes from each. The waitresses were friendly & knowledgeable, of the food & drink, of the local town and of the local walks & which direction to take them in - great service!

Booked after recommendation, and so glad we did. Excellent customer service from front of house staff who were very attentive to our needs. Service was quick but not rushed. Restaurant had a relaxed atmosphere in very clean and tastefully decorated bistro. The food was the main reason I’m writing this review, we both enjoyed our starters followed by mains of veggi chilli and Cumberland sausage which were cooked to perfection. We didn’t get to a desert, no room left. Matthews will definitely be a place we will visit again.

Lovely meal with friends, the food and staff were amazing. I would definitely recommend this place if you are in Ambleside.

Having visited before we were delighted to book a table at short notice. As usual the food and service did not disappoint. We chose the two course filed price menu at £19.00 a head plus drinks which compared to some similar eateries in the Town was a bargain. Nice to see the place so busy and we will return later in the year. Oh and a big shout out to the maitre d who we had not seen there for quite sometime and his effortless service.

A bit disappointing! We were looking forward to the dinner because of the good reviews and also the whole range of vegetarian options. Unfortunately the vegetarian chilli and the Thai curry were fairly average, in hindsight it seems like the bistro is throwing the vegetarian options in for the sake of having a vegetarian menu. We would prefer less vegetarian options but excellent quality, instead of more vegetarian options that are average. We thought the desserts might rescue the night but nope, we had the chocolate and honeycomb cheesecake which tasted really cheap and way too sweet. For how much we spent, we felt that we bettered off spending it at other restaurants in Ambleside

Absolutely delightful bistro. The staff were fantastic and food was gorgeous. We had the beef and Thai curry. We certainly recommend and we will be back.

Lovely bistro with friendly, efficient staff. Varied menu with something to suit everyone. Everything cooked to a high standard. All four of us had a lovely evening and enjoyed every course. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to dessert. Wished we lived nearer. I would definitely recommend booking as it seemed very unlikely you would get a table just by chance.

We booked to dine at Matthew’s owing to the proximity to our B&B and also that the idea of a Bistro appealed- a description often used but rarely justified. Well, Matthew and his team certainly know what they’re doing. Charming service by a smiling waitress (yes- even behind a mask!) and a very good meal indeed. After a day on the fells I was a tad peckish and went for the “Special” Cumbrian filet steak. It was superb- very well sourced meat and perfectly cooked- Bleu - as requested, again not always easy to get right in the UK. We were the last to leave, but absolutely no rushing from the team, Matthew told us he’s been doing this for 20 years....long may he and his team continue to thrive.

A delightful bistro , friendly staff and gorgeous food. We both had beef bourginon and it was tremendous. highly recommended.

It was really busy but the service was amazing. The food was fantastic and portion sizes were substantial. Cumberland sausage was lovely. Mussels as a starter were huge and smelt and tasted great. Definitely will be back in the future

We first visited on Wednesday 9th December and enjoyed it so much we decided to book for the next night, we were determined to make it to the dessert menu, as had been mentioned before the portions are very generous.We both had the chicken liver pate to start which was delicious and well presented, I had the Lakeland Lamb with homemade mash potato and my partner had Spaghetti bolognese both meals were delicious but I made the mistake of ordering garlic bread and neither of us could manage desserts.The next night we were not going to have the pate because it is quite a large starter ....but it was so good we both had it again. we both had the chicken stroganoff( no garlic bread)Made it through to the dessert menu I had Key Lime Pie with ice cream and my partner had cheesecake with ice cream both delicious.The staff where very friendly efficient and professional.We will make sure we book for our next visit to Ambleside, would love to be here when all this covid madness is over!

We booked a few days in advance and were very happy with our choice of venue and the Covid measures in place. The early evening set menu (2 courses for £17) was excellent value for money. The sauce on my pollo Marsala in particular was outstanding. Two very satisfied customers!

Fantastic food and pleasant service. Goats cheese in Parma ham for starter lush! Lakeland lamb really good ... we’d go again!

Wife and I visited on 29 October planning to have 3 course menu for £25. Great choice of dishes made it difficult to choose so we had two different ones and had half of each each. Main course we both had lamb. Great choice it was delicious but I think we had a whole sheep between us!!! It beat us and we both left a bit. We decided to just have one dessert between us and just managed to finish it.Good service and would recommend to anyone who loves good wholesome food.This is first restaurant I have felt I must recommend in years!

We visited here after reading some great reviews and it certainly didn’t disappoint. All of the starters sounded so good we couldn’t decide, so we ordered 5 starters to share between us and they were incredible- the moules marinere were amazing and a really generous portion. The French onion soup tasted sublime and the chicken liver pate was a treat. Staff were friendly, attentive and looked after us very well. Would definitely recommend! Excellent!

We visited in early October. Just called in on the off chance and they had a table just after 6pm. We chose from the early bird menu which had a good choice and was reasonably priced. Starters were tasty garlic mushroom's and tomato and mozzarella. The main courses were delicious, we had lasagne with garlic bread and chicken with lovely fresh vegetables very reasonable , sadly no room for a pudding. The service was excellent, all the girls were lovely, friendly and checked if everything was OK. We couldn't fault this lovely bistro and would definitely come again

Arrived at 8pm and so did most other tables...Only two people waiting on tables so we thought we were in for a long night...We couldn’t have been further from the truth!!!The service was attentive and efficient and the food was superb!! Our first time and we will be back! Well done to the two waitresses! You are superb!!

We were welcomed warmly and the food was amazing. Generous portions and very tasty. Booked on the day and great to see it busy during the week. All Covid procedures being followed so felt completely safe. Would recommend a meal here.

We visited Matthew's for the first time tonight and it will definitely not be the last time!! From start to finish we had a lovely experience. The restaurant is clearly COVID safe and visual measures being taken to ensure everyone's safety. The waitresses where great, very attentive, polite and quick to manage all requests.The food was delicious, from the starters to the mains! I only wish I had had enough room for a dessert! Thank you for a lovely evening and we will be back soon!! I would highly recommend Matthew's to anyone visiting Ambleside.

Estaba muy ocupado, siempre parece serlo, la comida era excelente y el servicio era realmente bueno y muy amable. Probablemente elegiría algo diferente del menú la próxima vez, pero aún así fue muy agradable, vi a otras 3 parejas rechazadas, así que intente reservar con anticipación

Visited for an evening meal while having a few days in Ambleside. Good food and service. Felt safe and the prices were reasonable.

Can't fault the service or the food. Staff were very friendly with all current measures in place. Would recommend.

Un restaurante encantador, excelente comida atractiva bien cocinada con buen servicio.Mucho para elegir. Muy recomendado pero es necesario reservar con mucha antelación. Queríamos volver, pero el lugar estaba lleno para las próximas dos noches. El signo de un buen restaurante.

Comimos aquí el jueves 9 de octubre para la sesión de las 8 pm.La comida y el servicio de mesa estuvieron bien, sin embargo la experiencia fue totalmente estropeada por el grupo de cuatro hombres en la mesa contigua a la nuestra que llegaron ya ebrios y pasaron la totalidad de la comida conversando en voz alta entre ellos usando un lenguaje obsceno y abusivo, que fue audible para todos los demás en el restaurante.Al final decidimos irnos y pedimos la cuenta, habiendo estado sentados menos de una hora (otros comensales que habían llegado después de nosotros ya se habían ido en este punto). Después de pagar le mencioné cortésmente a una de las dos camareras que habían estado sirviendo que el ambiente había sido inaceptable. Ella estuvo de acuerdo conmigo, así que le pregunté si el gerente no había estado presente para resolverlo. Ella dijo que estaban "en la parte de atrás" (por lo que entendí que significaba la cocina), así que les pregunté si podía hablar con ellos sobre eso.Ella desapareció solo para regresar varios minutos después para transmitir que el gerente "no saldría a hablar conmigo porque estaban demasiado ocupados", pero que se le había pedido a la mesa ofensiva que estuviera más tranquila.Por lo general, la mayoría de los establecimientos están muy interesados en que los clientes planteen cualquier problema que puedan tener allí mismo, en lugar de quejarse después del hecho, en forma de una crítica negativa, por ejemplo. Claramente, este no es el caso en Mathew's Bistro. Es probablemente el ejemplo más asombroso de falta de profesionalismo y deficiente servicio al cliente con el que me he encontrado. No hace falta decir que no volveremos.

Comimos aquí después de un largo día caminando por la zona. ¡Deliberadamente nos permitimos abrir el apetito y no nos decepcionó! La comida es excelente. Platos clásicos servidos de una manera que equilibra muy bien entre una excelente presentación y comidas sensatas. La sopa de cebolla francesa es realmente de clase mundial. El filete del menú de especialidades era excelente y claramente un buen trozo de carne muy bien cocinado. Combinado con un lugar de bistró adecuado y un excelente personal que está realmente atento, fue un verdadero placer comer aquí.

Very nice food and excellent value for money! Couldn't fault anything. The gentleman running front of house was spot on. Think he was back just doing Friday nights. Would certainly recommend this place.

We stayed in Ambleside for 2 nights and had dinner at Matthews Bistro Very reasonable price for evening meal. Very friendly staff and a great atmosphere. Good wholesome food Great pace of service not rushed but not too slow . We will visit Matthews again

Acabo de tener una comida encantadora aquí, fresca y muy sabrosa, extremadamente buena válvula por dinero, el lugar estaba completamente lleno, lo cual fue agradable de ver. El personal no podría haber sido más amable, con suerte volveremos entre Navidad y año nuevo.

Excellent food, friendly staff, efficient service. I would highly recommend this Bistro,. As it is a popular eating place , pre booking is a good idea.

Best meal we have had up here, mussels were really good and the lamb for the main too was delicious. Great value too, was genuinely impressed by the quality of the food. Would recommend this place, and when we come up again we will definitely go back. Staff were great and we wanted to thank the chefs at the end as the meal was delicious so well done to you all.

Well we had our booking cancelled at the tapas place round the corner so we looked up other places and this popped up. Wow! Amazing good and huge main course portions. Well worth a visit!

Very good food in large portions.The fixed price menus are good value too.Friendly, quick service, and the new Covid table layout feels safe and relaxed.I always try to visit this when in Ambleside, and pleased to see the high standards remain.

Three of us ate here- and we did try to book for the next two nights but the Bistro was already full- you do need to book.Food is of generous portions, well cooked and swiftly served.We have not found any fault with this restaurant on four visits this year.

Comimos aquí después de la reserva previa, ambas chicas de la recepción son muy acogedoras y son un ejemplo de cómo brindar un excelente servicio. Los entrantes eran deliciosos y realmente te preparaban para el plato principal. La carne bourguignon y las salchichas y puré de Cumberland eran excelentes, también teníamos verduras al lado. El pudín de caramelo pegajoso estaba delicioso. Recomendaría y visitaría de nuevo.

We had such a delightful experience on our first visit to this restaurant on the first evening of our holiday we booked a table for our last evening as well - part of this visit meant we couldn’t award the place a full 5 stars. First visit - a great vibe, we were welcomed with a warm smile and happy staff. The ambience was ‘buzzy’ and we absolutely loved our food, especially the Lakeland Lamb. Second visit - apparently we turned up late (a mix up, not sure whether it was us or the restaurant) so we were offered a table right by the door. When we commented that we’d specifically asked for a side table the response was that it was our fault for being late (no more 15 mins max!) .. we felt quite uncomfortable both with how we were dealt with and the table we were offered. Thankfully - after looking at the bookings - a table away from the door was then offered. We found the ambience didn’t match the previous week and there wasn’t such a ‘buzz’ though of course that’s down to clientele, not the restaurant. However, the food was still absolutely amazing. We had the Lakeland Lamb again, plus the fish of the day dish - prawn & smoked salmon linguine in a rich cream & white wine sauce - delicious! Starters were the meatballs and the French onion soup. Would definitely recommend this place for the food - and if we’d only been the once then we’d not have any questions about visiting again ourselves.

Animados por las críticas positivas y las recomendaciones personales, hicimos nuestra reserva y esperábamos una comida deliciosa. No nos decepcionó. La sopa de cebolla francesa (¿cómo hicieron tan deliciosos crutones de pan frito?) Y un pastel de pescado de eglefino se disfrutaron como entrantes. Los platos principales fueron la paleta de cordero servida con puré cremoso. La carne se desprendió del hueso, absolutamente perfecta para nuestro gusto. El precio era razonable y sentimos que la comida representaba una buena relación calidad-precio. Muy recomendable, servicio amable y espacio adecuado entre mesas.

Lovely home-style cooking, what's needed after a long day walking the lakes. Best sticky toffee pudding in the area.

We stayed in Ambleside for 2 nights and had dinner at Matthews Bistro Very reasonable price for evening meal.Very friendly staff and a great atmosphere.Good hole some food Great pace of service not rushed but not too slow .We will visit Matthews again

I haven’t written a bad review before, but felt moved to do so tonight. We had booked as had most other people, however the table for 4 next to us was very close. I could easily touch the chair with my arm bent. No one has sat there when we sat down it was the last table to be filled. I had assumed they were leaving it for social distancing, however a party of 4 arrived and were seated at the table literally 50 cm away. I raised this with the staff who said as they were full we couldn’t be moved so apologised we felt that way. The room was hot with no ventilation (others had commented too) which made the proximity of the tables even worse. It would have been fine if they had just created the table as a 2. After we had complained we felt intimidated by the occupants of the other table despite the fact we booked. We felt we had no option but to leave as quickly as possible, taking our wine with us. We were not offered anything in the way of a reduction despite my wife leaving most of her main course . The food itself was very good, and as regular visitors to the Lake District thought we’d found another keeper in terms of favourite restaurants. Sadly this isn’t the case, we felt as though COVID-19 social distancing rules were being followed properly, especially compared to the excellent standards being shown at other restaurants. Sadly We will not visit again because of this unsettling experience which the staff were not prepared to do anything about.

The atmosphere is ok but could be improved by making a change to the furniture, at the moment it feels a little bit like a cafe rather than a Bistro. it needs softening up a bit. There wasn't a great deal of variety on the menu, the muscles were excellent but the Matthew's special Chicken didn't do it for me I'm afraid. Far too much sauce, too small a portion of chicken and no veg at all. It was cooked well but just again the presentation needed work as you eat with your eyes as well as your mouth. Not much choice on the wine by the glass either.

We booked quite a few days in advance for dinner (which is almost a prerequisite these days) & we saw a few people turned away which is probably unusual for a Thursday night.We ordered the Thai green chicken curry and scampi. The curry was well flavoured with an assortment of vegetables. The scampi was fine but you can't really go wrong with deep fried seafood. We both opted for sticky toffee pudding for dessert & although it came with a generous amount of toffee sauce, was slightly burnt or reheated too long as one edge was very tough & un-sponge like which was a bit disappointing. Hopefully it was just a one off & it didn't ruin our meal.The restaurant was full so the staff were very stretched but always polite & friendly.

Fabulous! Rang at 7pm and got table for 8pm. Service couldn’t have been quicker or friendlier. Food was fantastic, really tasty. Mathews chicken particularly good. Puddings excellent. Generous portions. Couldn’t fault it. Thank you to the two lovely very friendly and efficient ladies who work there for making it a very enjoyable experience and to the unseen chef for cooking great food.

we were struggling to find a place to eat and happened across Matthews Bistro, asked if they had space and they were fully booked but someone hadn't turned up.The food was amazing, and service was excellent too. We were lucky to get in but certainly weren't disappointed. Portion sizes were more than enough and could easily be smaller. The taste was amazing. Between us we had the bolognese, lasagne, pesto pasta, and carbonate, all were incredible. Thankyou very much and will book next time we're up.

Had a lovely meal here today. Managed to book a table day before, so glad we did as very busy and turning people away, left feeling full and happy. Had the early evening menu, good choices and can have either 2 courses or 3 for set price. Food came quickly and was piping hot and all served on hot plates. Lasagne was very tasty and served with lovely salad and garlic bread. Pasta Arrabiata dish was huge and very filling not very spicy but had good flavours. Cumberland sausage tasty and lovely touch being served with black pudding. One of our party had a starter for main, chicken tenders, home made and very tasty. Desserts lovely but we were absolutely stuffed.Well worth a visit, booking advisable.