Restaurant Lovage By Lee Smith in Derbyshire Dales

What a fantastic restaurant! We visited as a treat as we were visiting Bakewell and we’re glad we came. The staff are wonderful and incredibly welcoming. The food was incredible. We had the 7-course tasting menu and each course was unique with such attention to detail. Although it is expensive, it’s reasonable for such a delicious tasting menu which stands up against other restaurants that are twice the price. We can’t wait to come back again soon.

A real gem of a restaurant! We’ve been twice now and the experience is nothing short of outstanding. If you want fine food in a beautiful location then Lovage is for you. The pork belly and scallops were the best I’ve ever tasted!

An amazing night out last Saturday to celebrate my husbands forthcoming birthday. It was a first class night from the atmosphere, service and fabulous food. We are real foodies and this has to be the best restaurant we have eaten in so far.

We ate as a party of 6 on Saturday & all had the taster menu. This is the best food we have ever had! Everything was amazing. Fantastic waiting staff to top it off! Would definitely recommend for something very special. Well done!

Great place to eat, by the way. I hope Maverick enjoyed his meal

Very good staff and a comfortable atmosphere with a civilised amount of space between tables. Tasting menu was fair value and certainly showed they are putting effort and imagination into what they do. With tasting menus not everything rings your bell, but that’s what tasting menus are about. You can take a few risks. The execution and presentation is of a high standard. Can’t see even the fussiest and well traveled diner coming out of here and not feeling mildly impressed.

An absolute gem. The staff was amazing The service was impeccable and the food was simply incredible. If you're in the area you absolutely MUST dine here. My only regret is that I wasn't in the area long enough to frequent this restaurant repeatedly, lol.

Outstanding food and we were treated so well by the staff. Fabulous place to visit. The taster menu is a must. Let the chef decide!

Amazing food. Wonderful vegetarian options and really conscientious service; precise and meticulous, without being fussy. Had a fantastic evening and would absolutely come again. Their take on the Bakewell tart was a particularly good dessert touch!

We had the amazing tasting menu and wine pairing. We were well looked after by Jonathan and the rest of the team which made the evening super from beginning to end. The restaurant is simply but tastefully furnished making for a very relaxed and comfortable three hours. We had such a great evening and will certainly be back for more! Thanks Lee, Jonathan and Team.

Our second visit to Lovage. Thank you to Jonathan, front of house, for looking after us so well. The whole experience was outstanding. The food is sublime. Most of the menu is gluten free which I rarely find, usually choosing food I can eat rather than food I would like to eat. Even the bread course accompanied with a nibble. No one has made a GF cracker with 'cheese spread' taste so incredible! Thank you Lee.

Visited on a Thursday lunchtime for our anniversary. We’ve been to 3 Michelin starred restaurants in the last year, one with 2 stars and this was considerably better than any of them. (FYI I’m talking about Belcanto in Lisbon, The Man Behind the Curtain in Leeds and Behind in London.) The food was delicious, perfectly cooked and the flavours worked so well together. Service was proactive and very friendly and genuine but not over the top. A relaxed, non pretentious place that we will definitely be returning to. Food was £188 for 2, including 2 starters, 2 mains, 2 desserts and a bottle of wine, as well as tip.

Hard to imagine this could be more perfect. Such clever cooking. Lovely service.delightful aesthetic. We had a magical evening. Psrtic recommend the imaginative wine flight.

What a beautiful aesthetic. Fabulous service. Charming waiters Wonderful experience. Very happy punters. Visitors from Ireland

We had high expectations with it having a Michelin Star which is why we booked here, my wife ordered cod and I ordered the chicken, with 2 sides to share. My wife’s cod was nice, my chicken was luke warm although tasty, I’m not one for complaining as I know everyone has off days and my wife would have finished before mine had been rectified, and it was still edible so I ate it, people will say I should have said something at the time, but when at a Michelin Star restaurant it shouldn’t even happen, sending out Luke warm food. Also no sides came, I asked about the sides, the waiter went to the kitchen and came back, apologising and admitting his mistake, we was halfway through our mains and with mine nearly cold we cancelled the sides as they’d be another 3-4 mins so we would have both finished eating. We’d have liked to top up our own wine to drink at our own pace, but it’s taken away from the table for the staff to top up, a couple of times we were waiting for a top up. The desserts were nice, as were the cocktails. Overall, the food was tasty, albeit not very warm, and missed sides, if this is a regular occurrence then I’m not sure how it’s got a Michelin Star, I’ve eaten at many restaurants without Michelin Stars and had better experiences, disappointing.

This is our 3rd visit to this restaurant. The food did not disappoint .. my gluten free was also well catered for . Great wine too! Unfortunately our experience was tarred as the hostess was not so friendly to us or our guests. A shame as it has made us wonder if we would bother going back

Visited on the 7th December for my wife's birthday. I can't remember the last time I had such a great dinning experience. Front of house staff were excellent, very attentive without being overbearing. Food was exceptional. I can certainly recommend it and will definitely be visiting again when next in Bakewell.

Pre Christmas family lunch was such a celebration due to the quality of this establishment. Easy booking. Such lovely staff made everyone feel well looked after. From arrival and organisation of the high chair for the younger member at just over 2 the staff looked after all our requests seamlessly. The food was excellent, beautifully cooked, well presented and overall great value for money.

Fabulous little bistro/restaurant with a great crew. Very welcoming to the interesting restaurant space which is a converted historic building. Warm, enticing and comfortable great for couples or dinner with friends. Staff here are friendly, well informed and helpful. Efficient and available without being omni-present they got the balance just right. Very helpful and honest with wine suggestions. There is a choice between a la carte or a tasting menu. Both are great value, but you need to be hungry! The dishes are beautifully prepared with love of the ingredients and thought about the combinations of flavours. Lovely extras/ snacks- the bread is the best I think I have ever tasted. Amazing. A lovely place for a special occasion. We will definitely be back.

The best food in Bakewell by a country mile. Excellent food and wonderful service. I was with my mum who has various dietary requirements which they managed brilliantly.

The best food in Bakewell by a country mile. Excellent food and wonderful service. I was with my mum who has various dietary requirements which they managed brilliantly.

Loved it. Between us, we had all the taster menus and the accompanying wine flights. The service was wonderful - very knowledgeable and attentive staff. The food and wine pairings were outstanding. I don't like truffle or goat's cheese, however one of my favourite dishes contained both! Can't fault any of it and would highly recommend. Thank you to the staff - front of house and in the kitchen.

Fantastic cooking! ... A truly beautiful meal delivered by really friendly, professional staff who gave us a warm welcome and a first class service. The ingredients in the dishes were top quality and the way in which they were put together was just brilliant! The Burrata, White Onion Soup (with a fabulous black bomber tart) were stand out, as was the soufflé. What shines through at this restaurant is the people who are there, care about what they are doing and the customer experience ... 10/10 Lee Smith and Team. Bakewell deserves a restaurant like this.

Lovely food, very nicely presented and great service from our waitress/maitre d.

We thoroughly enjoyed our "Tasting Menu" lunch at Lovage. Our lovely waitress ensured we were very well looked after and the food was a real treat. The individual courses were beautifully presented and each was nicely varied and very tasty. A well thought menu by the chef.

Once again totally blown away with our Meal at this brilliant restaurant food was amazing, as were the informative and helpful staff. Can not be faulted.

Absolutely splendid dining experience from start to finish. Taster menu was well worth every penny and more. Well done to all. My wife is allergic to cheese and they accommodated her without the bat of an eye. Will be back..... Soon

A lunchtime reservation saw us visiting on a wet rainy November. On entering we saw the inviting interior with a modern colour palette mixed with traditional internal Derbyshire stone walls. We had the tasting menu which consisted of five courses. This menu presentation obviously isn’t anything new, so we thought we knew what to expect. The cuisine had many elements that we recognised from the skills Lee had obviously honed in the kitchen of Le Manor aux Quat ‘Saisons. An establishment that we have previously dined in. There were some intriguing taste combinations with a delicious beetroot plate, although the monkfish and lentil “main” was slightly disappointingly bland. One of the “courses” was an artisan bread with a lovage butter. As delightful as it was, we felt that it hardly constituted a “course”. In many other restaurants this would be an additional “amuse bouche” but not so at Lovage. The staff were informative, not intrusive, and friendly. The ambience was rather characterless however that may have been due more to the restaurant being less than half full than anything else. It has the promise of an amazing dining experience, and obviously the skill and pedigree to make that happen. We wish them well in their endeavours.

What a fabulous time we had, the food was excellent but I have to say I think the staff make it. Friendly, attentive and I have mentioned this on my other reviews ....service with a smile - the staff actually looked like they loved working there which in my opinion gives a great relaxed atmosphere. I wouldn't normally go for soup as a starter but it was something different and it didn't disappoint. The fillet steak was cooked to perfection and my venison was delicious. My daughter didn't finish her dessert as is was really rich I cannot fault anything at all and would highly recommend - we would have had the tasting menu but we had our daughter and it would have been too much for her to eat but from what I saw all the courses looked amazing. Thank you all for a fabulous night

Our first attempt to eat here was spoiled when Storm Babet cut Bakewell off. Fortunately they were able to accommodate us the next night and we are so glad they did. This was an outstanding experience. Set in a lovely old building the interior is...

What an incredible meal at Lovage. We had the tasting menu. Each course was a perfect size, a balance of flavor, texture and color. My favorites were the Beetroot and the pumpkin dessert. We enjoyed the ambience and the service. Even on a stormy, flooded night, it was worth the trip.

One of the best meals we had in the UK. Beef tartare is a must, but you won’t be disappointed by any of the dishes!

A wonderful evening of stunning food and fantastic service from some vert attentive and friendly staff. We had the meat tasting menu which was an explosion of tastes and textures superbly matched with the wine float. I would thoroughly recommend.

Wonderful. Great food and service. Definitely worth a visit. 5 stars👍. Went with teenage children - food was really interesting and lovely service.

The best meal by far during our weekend in the area. We chose from the al a carte menu & everything was delicious & beautifully presented. Dish of the day has to be the soup with the cheese toastie though, a real crowd pleaser. Lovely staff too.

Booked as a treat for the wife was worried that Wednesday at 7 might be a little lacking in atmosphere. How wrong I was, from the moment we walked through the door the staff were warm, welcoming and attentive. They were aware we had booked...

we travelled from nottingham to sample the walk in menu . however , we got told no walk ins today , so the info on the website is not accurate. this is bad communication, i did email them to let them know of our dissapointment,...

We enjoyed a fabulous tasting menu dinner on our trip to Derbyshire. The staff were incredibly welcoming and attentive. Our food was wonderful, each course complementing the others. It was exactly the right amount so we left feeling perfect. Many thanks to the chef and serving staff for a memorable night.

Delicious food! Amazing service 🤩 and great value for money!

This business deserves to be a success. We were accompanied by foodies. They were very pleased with the menu. The chef did not disappoint even coming out to speak with us after the meal. The service was friendly and efficient. A great night was had...

Second visit to this lovely restaurant. Went with friends at lunchtime and had a delicious meal. Great service, nice surroundings and fantastic food. Would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants something a little special. Will be visiting again

After reading the reviews on TripAdvisor we booked a table was not disappointed. What an amazing evening firstly the service was amazing well trained friendly and so informative the waiting team really know they're stuff not only the food but also the wine they are...

Marvelous pescatarian tasting menu in this atmospheric fine-dining restaurant. Happy and not-at-all stuff staff help give this place a welcoming atmosphere. As the dining room filled up as the evening unravelled it became lively and buzzing - so much so that they switch the music...

A dinner for my wife’s birthday whilst visiting Derbyshire. it was first class, the front of house team were fantastic and the food delicious. The combination of flavours were amazing and the Taster Menu was definitely the way to go, well worth it. It was...

special celebration for my uncles.90th. 6 of us ranging 20 to 90. without exception food ambiance excellent. staff charming and discreet. we travelled from. various areas, uncle being. a bakewell resident. definitely a recommendation to all our friends. we will return, thank you

I booked this surprise Anniversary meal and we were not dissapointed. The waiting staff were all charming, friendly and very professional. The ambience is relaxed and comfortable. We opted for the 8 course taster and were not dissapointed! Each course was beautifully presented but most...

Lovely small independent restaurant with a chef that clearly cares about the ingredients, inventiveness and presentation. Beautiful place.

A wonderful evening experiencing exquisite food, excellent service in very pleasant surroundings.

We had the 5 course lunchtime menu and it was excellent .we'll balanced and very tasty. We left still savouring the lovely food.

Excellent food and service at this small restaurant. It’s definitely worth a try and I would certainly go again. The only thing I would like to see them do is to offer homemade breads and as often as people want them (as most Michelin restaurants do). And perhaps remove the bread with a spread from the tasting menu. But everything we had was delicious.

Great lunch for my birthday - had 5 course tasting menu, excellent food and service. Nice atmosphere, comfortable and unhurried.

Picked this restaurant from several sources and was not disappointed. Fabulous tasting menu dinner. Brilliant attention to detail and some great food. Excellent ambience and well presented and understated serving team. Most enjoyable.

For lunch we tried 3 single-course menus for £23. (1 Sirloin, 1 Bass and 1 Risotto) Apricot cake for dessert. All dishes well prepared, brought to the table at the right temperature. we enjoyed As an alternative, they have tasting menus and a la carte. I recommend it.

We were visiting Bakewell and decided to have lunch at Restaurant Lovage. We chose from the a La carte menu, and we really enjoyed everything about the restaurant so much, that we immediately decided to come back for dinner a couple of days later. From...

Another exceptional dining experience at Lovage. This was the third time we have visited & each time we have come away fully satisfied with the presentation / taste of the food and the service we received. The staff are all warm, friendly & attentive. We...

We went here on a Saturday night to celebrate finishing the Peak District Mighty Hike. The first thing we noticed was how pleasant, welcoming, and professional all the staff are. It's a busy restaurant but they were never flustered. We had the 7-course Taster Menu...

I was disappointed as soon as I walked in. The interior is very basic and with poor lighting. I had to tilt the menu towards the window so that I could read it. There was very little choice on the menu with only for main...

Another brilliant trip to Lovage. Tremendous food and fantastic service. We were looked after by Amy who was fantastic. Well done to everyone in the kitchen, food to be proud of.

Exceptional food, brilliant front of house staff, efficient and friendly service. This is one of the best restaurants I've been to in the last few years. Best Halibut cooking I've ever had. I would highly recommend this place. Well done to all involved in making...

We ate here lunch time, ordering the 5 course tasting menu.

This restaurant serves interesting dishes, blending together flavours which don't obviously go together but serving up delicious courses. The tasting menu has a number of small portions, highlighting on a scallop main. Each course left you thinking it couldn't get better .... but it did!!...

Absolutely delicious food and good value for what it was. The only downside was I thought it was a bit on the light side however it meant I did have room for the cheese course which normally I don’t 😀 Service was really lovely. Atmosphere was relaxed but maybe slightly flat. Really liked how there was a meat, pescatarian and vegetarian tasting menu option. Would highly recommend this place.

Visited at lunchtime for the Market menu and what a treat! Service was outstanding, including from Lee himself. Food was some of the best we’ve eaten at an incredible price!

We booked Lovage for a 60th birthday with our adult children and partners. We had the table in the entrance which was almost a private dining location and was perfect. If the setting is on the informal side, no white linens etc. the experience was...

Exemplar food, wine and service. Three hours of fine dining that was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. The way that the food was served coupled with how the taster menu was constructed and how the food tasted was exceptional. The choice of wine...

We had the one course market day lunch, it was nothing short of spectacular! Generous portion sizes and excellent value for money. Reasonably priced wines. Attentive and friendly service, relaxed atmosphere. A wonderful experience, we will definitely be visiting again when we are back in...

Fabulous. Book today. Husband booked the tasting menu on our long weekend away. What a lovely treat. Fabulous food, great setting and super staff. Every course was divine. Revise other adjectives to add to ‘delicious’, which is all I could say after each course. Thoroughly...

Had a fabulous meal at Lovage tonight. Spoilt ourselves with the taster menu and we weren’t disappointed - absolutely delicious! From a warm welcome on arrival to very pleasant and professional staff looking after us. If you want gorgeous food (on another level) for a...

Excellent lunch with family, would have been nice to had a few more diners in though. Service very good, but the food was very good, would be nice to see a full lunch menu as in 3 course, rather than having to order off lunch...

What an amazing dining experience! I’d highly recommend the tasting menu and flight of wines. Best meal I’ve ever had and the service was excellent.

Excellent, excellent restaurant in the lovely small town of Bakewell. Both the beef tartare and chateaubriand on special were tops I've had anywhere - including Paris recently - plus great service and a relaxed yet refined room. Only complaint is the wine list wasn't great in my opinion (I looked a few up after and our mid-range Bordeaux was boring) but didn't distract from the experience. We went with a la carte fwiw. Also...THE CHIPS. Top 3 I've ever had. Order them. No matter what.

This spot was a true gem. The dinner tasting menu was delicious to the last bite. Each course was a happy dance for the taste buds and was a lovely celebration of local produce. The service and ambiance was on point, and an exceptional wine menu. I could not recommend Lovage more.

We visited this restaurant with our family ( all adults) for our 40th Wedding anniversary celebration. We all agreed that we couldn't find fault with anything. We all opted for the tasting menu and 3 of us had the accompanying wine flight. Absolutely delicious...would definitely...

We had been meaning to try Lovage for a while and finally made it for the taster lunch yesterday and it was really excellent. The restaurant itself has a nice relaxed vibe and decor totally in keeping with the area. We received a warm and...

This was our fifth time to visit Lovage. It delivers on ever level, every time . The food on the tasting menu looks and tastes divine along with the supper selection of accompanying fine wines . It is definitely worth a visit, you will be...

What an exceptional experience! My boyfriend and I went for the tasting menus and we were not disappointed. Every single course was delicious and beautifully presented. The wine was really good. The service was also excellent - our waitress was very knowledgeable and friendly. I...

I booked Lunch as a surprise treat for my wife. I spoke to Steph on the phone who also waited on us during the visit - she is exceptional. She is very knowledgeable about the food and wine that is provided. Onto the food, we...

Superb food, drink, and experience. Chateaubriand was the best.Highly recommended. Will visit again next time we're in the area.

An anniversary dinner that was absolutely wonderful. The staff were well informed and delightful. The food was sublime ( not a so so dish in sight between the 4 of us). Would highly recommend this restaurant on food and service and also extremely good value....

From the pre-booking experience to discuss dietary requirements to the moment we left the we simply loved the Restaurant Lovage experience. 5 people taking the tasting menu option with some flexible options and the dietary needs uniquely catered for was a culinary delight. It's hard...

What can I say other than WOW? This was a treat for my wife’s birthday and this did not disappoint. The food was exceptional and the service was superb. We had the evening taster menu with the accompanying wines. Our waitress explained every dish and why the wine had been paired with it. We will definitely visit again!

Our first visit to Lovage and it won’t be our last. We had the taster menu which was superb and every component of every course was faultless, the food tasted as if it had been prepared and assembled with skill, love and care. The service...

Amazing - that’s all I need to say really. Fabulous service, the food was unforgettable and the wine was delicious. The environment is relaxed and welcoming. We’ve eaten at several fine dining restaurants and the only one that has topped Lovage has a Michelin star. Well done - just wonderful!

I can only find one word, Excellent. Excellent food, excellent service, excellent price and excellent setting. We will definitely be dining a lot more Lovage. Thank you for a excellent experience.

An outstanding meal in a charming place. The cooking was first rate, the staff immensely friendly and the menu interesting without being over-complex. Highly recommended.

First visit to Lovage tonight with my husband. Outstanding food, with a service to match. Fabulous setting, cosy and tasteful and we we very impressed. The waitress was very informative and service perfectly timed. Look forward to visiting again!!

A fabulous evening spent dining in Lovage. The staff were very welcoming and experts when it came to the menu. The restaurant itself is very calming. The food was delicious, each course different. I would highly recommend lovage and we would love to visit again

Good service and excellent food on the tasting menu. i loved the variety of flavours and textures - every course was a delight.

An extremely memorable evening, with amazing tasting menu and service. Every course was explained in detail and was wonderful.

Wow! Just wow, never experienced food like this before. We had the 7 course evening tasting menu and it was unreal. The wine choice was different to anything else eve had locally so this was a nice surprise. The whole experience from the serving staff...

We had the 7 course tasting menu with wine flight for my birthday, and they had kindly given me a low table light because I enquired in advance about the lack of candles (for me atmosphere is as important as the food). The decor is...

A superb evening. We went for the seven course taster menu and the accompanying flight of five wines and port. Every course and the accompanying wine were beautifully presented and succinctly explained by the knowledgeable waitstaff. The food was outstanding. We both thought the scallop...

Booked lunch as a treat whilst visiting the area. The restaurant is welcoming with simple classic deco. We went for the 5 course tasting menu. Each course was simply delicious, beautifully presented and explained by the team. Special thanks to Byron who looked after us....

We arrived in Bakewell on a beautiful autumnal day and visited Restaurant Lovage for lunch. We both had the five course tasting menu together with a lovely wine made locally. We enjoyed an exciting journey of creativity and flavour, the service was faultless provided by...

Let’s start with the food , excellent apart from the fish course the halibut was over cooked and dry. The staff explained each course in detail which was very good and gave provenance. We opted for the wine pairing , the wines were served with...

Visited on the back of recommendations. Was not disappointed, absolutely fantastic experience. Great staff, and the food was at a different level. Very expensive, so only for special occasions, but when the next occasion arrives, we will be back

Food and ambience first rate though we did feel 2nd class because we were not having the 7 course taster menu at £80 plus. All was great until we asked for the bill - that arrived OK but then we were made to wait 10...

I usually avoid tasting menus as sometimes they are too strange for me but this one was perfect. It's expensive but we chose to have the wine flight as well. Every dish was explained and wine to match was excellent. There was a lot of...

Enjoyed the tasting menu with a group of friends, the evening was perfection, the food tantalising and beautifully paced, the service unobtrusive but responsive, had the pleasure of applauding Lee Smith after the final exquisite plates were removed. Menu about to change, if I was...

Food was fantastic. Service was also fabulous - we were genuinely charmed by all of the servers and were pleased to have a visit from the chef. If we’re ever back in the area, we will be back!