Queens Head, Troutbeck in South Lakeland

Well we live in Australia where pubs have all the atmosphere of a warehouse and our visit a to the Queens Head yesterday made me wish I still lived in England. We’d had an unexpectedly long walk through the village of Troutbeck and my daughter was not feeling well, and our lunch here totally redeemed the day. The menu was great and we all thoroughly enjoyed what we ate and there was much swapping around of things from plate to plate. The pate was rich and smooth. The bread board was enormous, the olives tender and the dipping bowl kept us guessing - olive oil, balsamic and honey? My son thoroughly approved of his chicken burger in ciabatta and wolfed it down. As he is now eighteen he enjoyed a pint of Dizzy Blonde with it. My palate is better on wine but I had a few sips and that was a very nice beer - smooth and a little bit flowery, in a good way. I had a delicious shandy and the manager was very gracious about my indecisiveness about what beer to have it made with - so much choice!! It was bloody delicious. The other great thing about this place is that it’s in a building which is several hundred years old and has been fitted out with incredible grace and style. It’s the perfect English pub - low ceilings, wooden beams, firesides and comfy seating and dogs. I’d come back in a heartbeat and in fact might just make a special trip before we head off down under again. Stonkingly good. PS: I’m a writer and usually write about Tasmania where I live. If you’re interested, find me on Amazon - Apple Island Wife. Happy days!

Wonderful welcome made to feel part of the family, that included Jack our dog. Great Drinks choice, wonderful High quality food, at acceptable prices, and great rooms with nice little touches like the bottle of old Tom! But the people make the place a go back venue for us

Can't review the rooms as we only popped in for lunch but have to say the food was very tasty, decent portions (partners fish and chips was massive), good value for money and the service was very friendly. We sat outside and it was very pleasant. Thanks

Beautiful place and thank you for the last bottle of English Sparkling Wine!

The staff were lovely and it was great to have the wine presented in a proper ice bucket. The food however was less than great. We Came for Sunday lunch. It looked and tasted like it had been cooked several hours before and then kept warm. The gravy was like thick set glue and the veg was cooked to destruction. The oven baked veg wasn’t much better. We love coming here but this hasn’t been a good experience. How hard can it be to have some veg blanched and then cooked through to order? Please think of those customers who come to eat a Sunday lunch later in the day.

We have been a few times. Just an excellent very welcoming place to stay.

One of the best hotels we have stayed in we will definitely be back

My partner and i called in for a drink whilst hiking. Unfortunately our brief experience from staff of this establishment was an unpleasant one, of being made to feel unwelcome and downright rudeness from staff. Staff were found to be rude and abrupt, the guy behind the bar very surly and short with us, and when we asked to simply browse a menu for future reference was informed they were fully booked and wouldn't be serving us! That was not what we asked! A female member of staff was also rude and spoke to us both with a condescending manner when we accidentally sat at a reserved table. All in all, a really poor experience and one we definitely won't repeat when we're in the area again. Appalling service.

We only ate here. The staff were friendly, the food good and generous.

We arrived here at lunch time today, after already researching online for dog friendly pubs. Well it didn't let us down, staff were so friendly, and our dog milly was welcomed with open arms, she even had her own lunch, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Our food was amazing as well, we will definitely be back. Lovely atmosphere and spectacular views. Sorry only took a picture of millys food 🤣

Everything was amazing. Perfect location, attentive staff, absolutely fantastic food, from the roast beef dinner to the full English breakfast. Really nice pint of helles on tap and some really lovely wine. The room was massive with a big TV, the bed was so comfortable and the pillows, bedding really top quality. There are some great walks nearby the hotel and a couple of other pubs within walking distance to make a night of it. Close to Ambleside and Windermere it makes a great base for exploring. I forgot to mention how nice the staff were, making it a memorable stay. We will be back.

Very good meal here. Somedays there are specials.We had a fish special. Local beers are amazing. Staff so helpful Do go it's great

Beautiful pub in a beautiful setting, hope to be back soon

Sunday dinner in such a picturesque spot was great, very attentive friendly staff. Food was good not brilliant

Great place for a nice quiet break away. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Food was great. Will definitely return and highly recommend

Nipped in here for a pint after a lovely hike in the area. The pub was so lovely inside we decided to stay for food. Staff were immensely friendly and service was excellent. Had a few excellent cask ales and the food was brilliant. Outside seating area is great too.

Only a short drive from Ambleside, the Queen’s Head is a lovely pub and hotel ready to accomodate hungry walkers and well-dress punters alike. The inside is rustic and warming - a wooden interior and lots of different dining areas creating a cozy atmosphere. The staff are very friendly and service was incredibly quick - we were served by Lee who was charming and attentive, providing excellent service. We ordered two beers and two j2os - served with refreshingly cold glasses and poured to perfection. For starters - we ordered the hummus sharing platter. The hummus - smooth and creamy - was accompanied by toasted flatbread and crunchy, sweet red peppers, all complimenting each other well. For mains, we ordered one beef burger, one Moving Mountain (vegan) burger and two gammon steaks. We were easily able to make accommodations to the menu - such as an extra egg instead of the pineapple on the gammon, or having the gherkins on separate plate so that *one* fussy member of the dining party wouldn’t have to taste them on his burger, but could still be enjoyed by the rest of the group. The ‘Moving Mountains’ burger is one of the tastiest vegan burgers on the market and I was thrilled to see it on the menu. The burger itself did not disappoint - it was complimented well by the mushroom and red pepper inside. The regular beef burger was equally delicious, topped with crispy onion rings and a side of coleslaw and chips. The gammon steak was also tasty - the perfect cut of fat and meat and had even my mouth watering , despite having stopped eating meat long ago. The portion sizes were huge and we sadly were unable to finish all of our food! This coupled with the incredible taste and service solidifies that the Queen’s Head is an excellent choice for dinner!

Fantastic place to stop great friendly staff and good price for quality food and beer .we stayed for 2 nights and would highly recommend 👍rooms are fantastic good supply of milk tea and coffee comfy bed as well 👌can’t wait to stay again in the near future..forgot to mention breakfast was top notch as well

Lamb was delicious, and 'the' place to go for a steak!

Wonderful pub with excellent food and service

Really enjoy this pub every time we come! Great for doggies

A great location, place to stay, great decor and comfort throughout and very friendly and helpful staff

Fabulous evening meal by the fire. The atmosphere was very good & the service was excellent, eapecially from the lady serving our table. Both of our meals were cooked perfectly, very tasty and well presented. High end pub grub! Our first visit but definitely wont be our last, and we’ll certainly look to book a room next time.

Stopped here for drinks one afternoon after a walk, decided to return for food on another day as great menu. It's a very beautiful pub, decoration to a very high standard & lovely outdoor seating area. Staff very friendly. Definitely top of the list to end up after walking!!

Very friendly hosts - excellent service. Ordered a few nibbles to go with post-walks beers and they arrived almost instanty. Waitress then brought couple of pots of gravy to dip spuds and Yorkshire's into. Après-walk heaven!

Exceptional & very dog friendly !

Very comfortable rooms great service and friendly relaxed atmosphere

Lovely food. Great service. Nicole was waitress and was excellent

lovely place to stay, Great Gable was a room with an excellent view. Excellent tea and coffee and fresh milk for room. Really appreciated leaflet with local walks. Great staff.

Always an excellent experience. Staff are friendly, customer service is exceptional, food great and our dog is always welcomed. Sam and the team are always kind and caring and make us feel so welcome.

Top class, great value & excellent welcome & staff

Absolutely stunning pub and rooms. Sam and Mark are fantastic hosts and made us all feel very welcome. Can't recomend a stay here more highly.

Had a lovely weekend at this very friendly pub. Accommodation was first class, staff were brilliant. Very dog friendly. Food was great and selection of ales was really good.

Brilliant lunch here. Both the fish and chips and the steak and blue cheese sandwich were brilliant. Dog friendly and staff were great. Will definitely be back when in the area again!

Very pleasant atmosphere. Staff helpful and friendly. Brilliant Pub. Will be back soon.

Fantastic stay at The Queens Head Samantha and Mark head a fantastic team and we had a fab stay, such a friendly team and everything catered for and fantastic with our dog. Dinner was gorgeous and Chloe Grace and Henry were so friendly and such good fun. We will definitely stay again

Fantastic, comfy room with everything we needed for an amazing stay and dog friendly too, with incredible views. Welcoming, friendly staff who looked after us and treated our Border Terrier like a Celebrity. Delicious food and drink. Pity we could only stay the one night. Thank you so much and see you again soon.

The Queen’s Head is an excellent dog friendly gastro pub, offering a warm welcome, excellent food, keen pricing, clean and comfortable accommodation and well cellared beer. The location is fantastic for walking the Central, Eastern and Far Eastern fells. Highly recommended!

Perfect for a stay in the Lakes. Great combination of great food, friendly staff, comforting and cosy surroundings all at a very reasonable price.

Beautiful comfortable rooms with a hearty breakfast every morning.

We had a delicious dinner here tonight! The food was absolutely amazing, with generous portion sizes! I had the pie which was full and meat and my partner had the sausage and mash which had the biggest sausage ever! The food came really quickly and tasted fresh with amazing service from the owners of the pub! This pub had the most cosy feeling ever with lovely decorations and BRILLIANT views! Can’t recommend enough! Didn’t use the hotel facilities so cannot comment on that :)

Weird and very unwelcoming place. We came in at around 7 pm last night after a long cold walk. We asked for some drinks, and were told yes, but no food service. We were pretty hungry, and accepted that there was no food but asked for a small bowl of chips with our drinks. We were refused, despite food still coming out while we were seated. At around 7.40 we asked for a cup of tea and hot chocolate and were told that the coffee machine was off, so no. The man behind the bar seemed more interested in chatting to other staff, and we felt very unwelcome. We went to another pub for better service and for friendlier staff. Would recommend not coming here if you want a pub vibe, there are other pubs in the area, so would go elsewhere.

As locals the Queens Head had been recommended for a meal. We booked a dog friendly table and the atmosphere in the 4 table area was lovely as was the lady who greeted us. All extremely professional. We ordered two main meals and that's where it went wrong. 20 mins after ordering we were asked what we had ordered as the wrong meals had been cooked and there would be a delay. We waited almost an hour for two main course meals. My husband ordered catch of the day a meal that took him 4 minutes to eat due to its small portion. The lovely attentive lady may have been busy but after announcing our delay we saw little of her. What would have made their mistake right would have been to offer an apology and a few nibbles or a drink on the house while we waited. We declined a desert as we feared another hour wait. Sorry but we cannot recommend based on our experiance which is a huge shame as it's such a lovely setting and right on our doorstep.

Excellent accommodation,food/drink and staff

Fabulous location with great walks from the door! Well presented, comfortable and clean bedrooms, wide menu options ... overall extremely good!

On our weeks holiday we’ve visited the Queens Head twice. Us humans loved it and thought the food was the best we’ve had while we’ve been here - so good we booked to come back a few days later. But as a separate point this is THE most dog friendly place I’ve ever taken my dog too. The staff are so obviously dog people and Teddy loved the doggy menu and the pub as a whole!

Great find, lovely pub, really friendly staff and super food and drinks. Would highly recommend and will be visiting again when in the area. It's very popular, so would advise booking even in off peak time!

Lovely stay! Beautiful room. Great breakfast. Staff are lovely and friendly. Will be back. Gill and Paul xxx

Called Sunday evening Fish and chips were excellent. Proper homemade chips and big white flakes of fish and batter was beautiful. Lamb dinner. The best lamb ever, so tasty and lots of it. Cooked to perfection. Queens Head very clean and tidy. Sta are very professional and interested in serving you and greet you with a happy, cheerful voice and smile. We will definitely return and highly recommend to friends and family. Thank you to all concerned.

Great food, excellent service and a good range of beers. Rooms are probably perfect but as we only live 3 miles away, we haven't had the pleasure. A perfect place to relax after a long walk.

While I did not stay at this hotel, I did visit the restaurant. The atmosphere was cozy and the staff was wonderfully friendly. I ordered the fish and chips special on the recommendation of my fiance, and let me tell you.... It ruined fish and chips for me - in a good way! I don't think I will ever be able to find a place that can top theirs. The fish was crispy on the outside and so very moist on the inside. The chips were fresh-cut and also crispy and tender. The next time I visit the Lake District, I will definitely be stopping here again!

Excellent pub for evening meal. Called in when we were in the area. Great service and dog friendly if you want to take your 4 legged friend with you.

Just spent the night at the queens head and had a great stay, the room scaffel pike was lovely. The staff were welcoming and friendly from check in to the restaurant and bar staff, the food and breakfast were quality and delicious.We will definitely be returning for another stay in the near future. Many thanks Richard & Deb ( cooper the lab )

Great two night stay - Sam and Mark (owners) couldn't have been more accommodating or friendly, even seating us in a quieter area for breakfast to ensure our nervous rottie could settle. The room was perfect (Skiddaw), as was the whole decor of the hotel. Fresh milk and flapjacks in the room were a nice touch, as was the goodie box for the dog. We were made to feel really welcome, and will definitely return!

We only popped in for a pint after a long walk but it was a lovely pub, cosy and warm on a cold February day. Plenty of choice of beers. We would love to come back to try the food.

Just popped in after a walk, outstanding 👏 👌 dog friendly

Had a lovely family meal. Great food and atmosphere. The staff are super friendly and attentive. Will definitely be returning

Excellent food though could have been a tiny bit warmer for me, excellent service, very welcoming and accommodating.

Quite slow service but made up by the very friendly staff. Food was good.

Very friendly staff, good atmosphere, great food (at both evening meals and breakfasts), good range and quality of drinks (the beers are very well kept and always very tasty), very comfy bed and spacious, very nice bedroom (we stayed in Pillar). Not the cheapest place to stay, but you wouldn’t get all this quality for a cheap price.

Out if this world, very tranquil, staff are lovely and so helpful, everyone made our stay really special and our dog Maggie was treated like a princess. Left like we have all been friends for ages.

Had a meal in restaurant excellent food

As usual our stay for 2 nights was just amazing. Wonderful location, wonderful food, wonderful room. It’s truly home from home made extra special by Sam, Mark and all the terrific team at the Queens Head.

Probably would be a great pub for its location and features but we have been made to feel so unwelcome! Not sure it was our accent (but you work in public services in a very touristic place) or just the person behind the bar - once again if you hate people that much why to work in customer service?? Just never wanted to go back to that place after that very first day

Lovely pub with great cask ales, cocktails and tasty food. Roast lamb was delicious.

I recently visited for an overnight stay and couldn't fault anything. The rooms were lovely and comfortable. The food was amazing and the general atmosphere was so relaxed. I will definitely be back!

Prevoiusly visited this old English pub about thirty years ago. It has been tastefully renovated. The food and service were excellent. For any enthusiastic walkers staying the night, they have provided details for three walks of varying length. A nice touch was the jar on the bar containing spare reading glasses (though I'd recommend arriving with your own).

Called in for a drink. Was made to feel very uncomfortable. Told table next to us was reserved and would have to move by 2.30. Homophobia very much alive and well. We was constantly stared around.

Me and my girlfriend where looking forward to visiting queen's head as we had heard they had great sunday roast. We tryed booking in Early in the morning but at this stage booking had closed. In hopes of getting a table we called in to which we where advised that we can come in and tables are left for first come first serve basis and that they had closed down the online booking (not that they where fully booked) Excited by this we drove over in very unfamiliar and (being foreign) dark country road. We found parking and walked in to an almost empty restaurant which at least made the road seem worth it we asked for a table for two. At this stage the host decided to alert us to the fact that the restaurant was fully booked today mind you this is something i have no issue with had this been advised on the telephone. But there lack of communication and general lack of care for at least caused us go drive in very unfamiliar roads waste our time. Additional about 3 tables where occupied the rest was empty and this was around 6-7pm. Furthermore on the door of the restaurant was written "bookings taken until 3pm" we called around 9-10am

Stayed here for valentines and birthday. Lovely hotel, great bar area. Friendly staff. Just wished they served some decent gluten free beer and not the ubiquitous Peroni.

Perfect in every way. Thank you!

Very friendly staff, great food, well stocked bar and a great location. Bedroom was spotless, bathroom was well stocked with toiletries and the shower was brilliant. The staff were very helpful when I had a problem with my car, supportive and allowed me to stay after normal check out time to wait for vehicle recovery. Great customer service. See you soon.

Great stay and food excellent. Highly recommended and visited many times!

Came in to ask if they had any availability for a table for two. The guy behind the bar said they didn't have any availability (absolutely understandable). When I asked if they had anything availability later on, he said "we do, but it's our last table" in a way which strongly suggested he didn't want to give it to us. Made us feel very unwelcome so we went elsewhere. A shame really, because we had heard good things about this restaurant. Update: Wow. Shocking that the restaurant would lie in their response.

Amazing hotel, food and staff. One of the best places to stay in the Lakes!

Beautiful Location, will be lovely on the summer to sit outside and enjoy the stunning views. Very friendly staff and lovely interior ☺️ Food was amazing 😍 a pub with HOMEMADE CHIPS 🫶🏻I don’t do oven chips. Definitely one of the best places for food in the lakes and I’ve been to a lot in the Lakes! Will be here all the time now, thank you 🫶🏻

We had a lovely couple of days at the Queens Head Troutbeck The staff were friendly, informative nothing was too much trouble Food was excellent with varied menu. Our room was well appointed comfortable and clean. The decor is tasteful. There is a bar area for drinks with a lovely open fire. Great for winter breaks

We’ve been here many times before for a drink or to eat but never stayed, we usually self cater. I absolutely loved it. The fixtures and fittings are all oak, some reclaimed, beautiful quality soft furnishings, quite luxurious. The crockery, toiletries, welcome pack for us and our dog all high quality and thoughtful. The staff were all great, it was very clean, breakfast was wonderful, lots of choice and Bailey enjoyed his sausage. we ate there both evenings and really enjoyed our meals. We will definitely stay again. In fact, if the lighting in the bedroom and bathroom had been a little brighter I think it would have been perfect!

Had two nights in The Queens Head in Troutbeck , owners and staff were very welcoming on arrival , rooms were beautiful , the dogs got a welcome box with toy and treats , also sausage for breakfast .... Sam and Mark and staff were absolutely brilliant , nothing was too much trouble and took time to chat . The food was lovely and desserts to die for . Also had a lift which was great !!! Thankyou all so much for making our stay the best !!

We had another wonderful visit today, the food and atmosphere was amazing as always, thank you. We can’t wait to return again. We had one spoilt pup too ❤️

We popped in for a drink after a long day's walk! Lovely chilled out atmosphere, the food looked crazy good, decent beer.

Sam and all the team were so welcoming and immediately made the stay relaxing and cosy for us on a cold Winter evening! The service was brilliant, served very quickly for food and drink, fire was lit and the pub and room were so warm after our long Lake District walk. The service for our dog was also fantastic, from the beautiful dog friendly room with a cute little welcome pack to the complimentary sausage for our pup at breakfast. Everything was so clean despite being so dog friendly and a walkers hub! Cannot wait to book again soon!!

We had a lovely evening here for dinner. We came with our poodle who also enjoyed his doggie chicken dinner! He was made such a fuss of and the service was very friendly helpful and welcoming by everyone. We really enjoyed both the drinks (highly recommend the organic Malbec!)and amazing food the homemade sticky toffee pud was divine and everything was also noticeably sparkling clean. We will definitely return and hopefully stay next time. Definitely recommend!

Fantastic winter short break, lovely building and superb food.

The building itself looks good from the outside and even better on the inside. The staff were welcoming and very helpful. The atmosphere was very good, the service and food excellent

Everything about the place was fantastic, the pub, rooms, hosts, food and drinks

Had food very nice lovely decor

Womderful Sunday roast. Lamb was excellent. Lovely country pub close to footpath.

A gorgeous cosy pub with delicious fresh food and very friendly welcoming staff. Absolutely love the fact they even have a dog menu that our little pooches enjoyed. We were on holiday over Christmas so it was gorgeously decorated, had the traditional turkey dinner that was divine! Was our first time visiting as a family member recommended we go and it definitely wont be our last!

Great hotel and perfect for dog lovers

It was the most perfect visit and as a solo traveller with an excitable Labrador I was made to feel super welcome. The accommodation is just fantastic, so warm and welcoming but modern and new. My room was super cosy and I loved the beams, decor and the lighting. I’ve ate at the queens head many times before but this was my first time staying overnight and I was so impressed. I left feeling super relaxed and well looked after (I usually boom self catering accommodation so this was a real treat!).

Lovely stay in a perfect pub with gorgeous rooms. Totally friendly and dogs are made very welcome too .

Spent six nights over christmas and once again Sam, Mark and the team at the Queens head proved a outstanding service matched by non in the Lake district. Christmas dinner was outstanding and the service by the friendly team, who had given up their christmas day was matched by non. You will never find a better little hotel to spend a weekend or week. Thank you Sam, Mark and your fantastic team. See you soon Mark and Helen.

Amazing beer battered fish and chips, and all other meals I saw were equally impressive. Deserts too were excellent. Excellent staff were extremely friendly and attentive, everything was "of course, it's no problem". Very comfortable seating and surroundings, cosy atmosphere and beautiful Christmas decorations. Didn't stay, just visited for a meal.

We have been coming to this pub for many years and booked to spend Christmas Day here. At £95pp (11 people) we expected far more. We booked with plenty of notice (5 months) and upon arrival were seated at two separate tables, we were not informed that this would be the case and when presented with this issue the manager confirmed they only had “one large table big enough to seat us” which was already occupied. I asked for them to consider how we would be compensated and the member of staff was entirely disinterested. Our bill was over £1000 and whilst the food was to a good standard the service and willingness to ensure our family sat together at Christmas was not forthcoming. I’d recommend this pub for a Sunday lunch but absolutely not for Christmas Day if you want to feel well looked after and spend it sat at the same table (if your party is larger than five).

Excellent service and food brilliant

Quick trip to Ambleside, we stopped at Queen Head Troutbeck. The welcome from the manager was downright unpleasant. The coffee was hopeless, the beer was old with a strange bitter taste. We got the impression that they simply didn't want us there.

Overnight stay, evening meal and breakfast. All superb. Our dog was allowed in our fantastic room, we were met with a box containing treats a toy for him and he was greeted in the morning with a sausage for breakfast. The rooms are lovely and comfortable, not too warm with everything you need. Great tea / coffee facilities in the room, and the food and drinks in the bar are superb. The whole ambience in the hotel is a cross between a hunting lodge and ski chalet. All credit to the management and staff

Alwsys our lunchtime stop on our way to Ambleside, excellent food and service.

Cracking Sunday dinner with a very generous serving of lamb.