Sheila's Cottage in South Lakeland

Lovely restaurant. Food is very well cooked. Perfect veg. Staff are all very attentive. I was dubious of going back here, as we visited several years ago and the service was poor to say the least. Would not hesitate to go again, clearly something has changed. We received first class service this time.

Really nice cosy cafe, staff were so friendly and chatty. Dog friendly also, my pup got a towel, water and a treat. Highly recommend, food was lovely. Will definitely be back for an evening meal and cocktails.

We've been here many times in the past. However, the service is clearly going downhill. We were booked in at 8.15, we arrived on time and from the minute we walked in we were made to feel like an inconvenience. The food was as lovely as ever, but the atmosphere was lacking. Waitresses were doing shots, moaning in the vicinity of us and other customers, several of which had to go and pay at the till as no one attended to their table for long periods of time. We ordered dessert and our waitress made it clear we weren't welcome. Her attitude was disgraceful as a representative for the restaurant. At 2120 we were the last couple in the place and the sense that they wanted us to leave was overwhelming, there was banging and clattering of dishes and trays, candles and lights extinguished and chairs moved. We asked for a break between main and dessert only to be met with an eye roll. We left a low tip which was for the chefs alone as the food was still to the same standard. Probably won't be returning.

Super Tomato and herb soup today. Served with artisan bread. Cosy and warm interior. Service was swift and pleasant. Recommended when in Ambleside.

Very welcoming and friendly, great food.

Excellent restaurant would recommend it 100%

Came here in the evening with our two very tired dogs after a long walk in the day. The staff were very welcoming, all really friendly and our dogs were offered treats and water which was a nice touch! The food was fab, really hearty after a long day. Staff were all really lovely and made time to chat with us which really gave the meal a personal touch. Overall, really loved this place and would come back!

A* food, service, ambience. Very friendly staff. Very dog friendly. Food and drink worth the little extra. Hidden gem 💎

Called in by chance and what a lovely place with a dog friendly area.The staff were very nice and obliging.The menu had a very good selection for all tastes and the food was excellent.Highly recommended.

Lovely little place. Just had coffee and scone but nice friendly staff

Absolutely delicious, cannot fault it at all. The people were really friendly, the place is gorgeous and the food is absolutely amazing. Would eat here again and again and again 😁

Booked at the last minute and managed to get a table. Food was excellent and service polite and prompt. Would definitely return if we were in Ambleside.

Food was half decent, we had the burger and chips! £20 though for a burger n chips felt a little excessive but just like everywhere in the lake District its overpriced

Probably best British food I’ve had after living 1 year in the UK, amazing atmosphere and kind service

Food very good, service excellent. Remains an Ambleside favourite.

Came for my husband's birthday dinner. Food was fantastic. I had fish & chips and the brownie. Both very delicious and decent size portions. Very dog friendly. In fact it was the best food highlight of our trip to the lakes.

Pleasant meal overall. Cosy inside, bit dated interior. But very friendly service with nice food, albeit nothing to write home about.

Popular place to meet and eat. We regularly eat here and it's always good.

A hard to find restaurant that is worth the effort. Food, service, and atmosphere was wonderful.

Exactly what you wanted after a long walk and it’s starts the rain outside. Fantastic food and homely place.

Stopped for lunch today, I had a lovely club sandwich & my other half had the quiche, both came with salad. The quiche came with potato wedges and i got some thick cut chips to go along with my sandwich. Everything was fresh and lovingly prepared. Staff were attentive and knowledgeable. We had a couple of beers with our meal and tea afterwards. Was very reasonably priced for a popular location. Would thoroughly recommend 👌

Great place, relaxed atmosphere. Excellent food and service.

Fantastic spot with delicious food and very friendly service, away from the crowded main street. Would recommend and go back!

Awesome food. Excellent service and definitely worth a visit.

Outstanding food, a wonderful dining experience. Had the Sea Trout followed by stick toffee pudding, which was presented as well as it tasted. Kids enjoyed thier meals (sausage and mash) and ate every bite of it, and it was a good portion. We prebooked for 6pm online and all was good when we arrived, shown straight to the table. Quite quiet at that time, but like I say we had the kids with us - the place is much bigger than it looks from the quaint outside!

A wonderful surprise discovering this delightful Tearoom while visiting Ambleside. The staff are lovely & very friendly. The food was delicious and generous portion size. tastefully & comfortably furnished, spotless and lots of space between tables, some more nice seating upstairs.

Nice out of the way place in a busy tourist town.Good food, good service. Worth making the effort to find.

Great food, good atmosphere , and very dog friendly. We were wet through and they really looked after us all - including 3 doggies

Amazing we got a club sandwich to share and a portion of fries with tea and it was delicious the sandwich was plentiful and the salad was beautiful I can’t speak highly enough would highly recommend

Really lovely restaurant with great food. We had pie, Greek filo pastry and steak. All were perfect and very filling. Plus the sticky toffee pudding is amazing.

Brought my folks to Ambleside & saw the sign for this place, Cakes & Coffee....walked in & asked for a table for 4 people for coffee. Greeted by a very personalityless young woman who just said "no, not serving any more" not a sorry we can't help or anything of sorts, very rude. Bearing in mind it's Friday afternoon at 3.30pm, we all thought this wasn't great, not as if our coffees were impacting on lunchtime tables. But for me, it was the attitude of the very unhelpful waitress that made me write this.

We found this cafe by chance only while visiting the Lake District for a long weekend. This is where we discovered blue lady tea. Thanks to my dear husband who ordered this beautiful plater with scones cheese and fruit bread and with this came the tea. Upon the first sip I fell in love with it and my daughter too. I asked this very friendly waitress to help me where could I buy it from and she told me that I can get it from Pennington on a mail order. Thanks to my husband and the lovely waitress I can enjoy the tea in my own home. Thank you 😊

the staff were very attentive friendly and always smiling....the food was fantastic couldn't fault anything...1st class well done to all starter... mushroom ramekin with bacon...delightful main....Cumberland sausage in hawkeshead ale mmmm delicious thank you Sheila's cottage.

Delightful lunch at this neighborhood gem! Rarebit with onion jam was delicious, washed down with a dandelion and burdock! What could be better. Service and presentation fantastic.

Lovely meal as usual here. I'm a local and I always recommend people to try Sheila's, lovely food and very attentive staff

Fantastic food , friendly staff. Best meal I've had in a long time.

Lovey place down a side street.Staff excellent food value for money&well presented.We had lunch would recommend.Also do evening menu from 5.30

Great dinner. Amazing chicken and mushroom pie. Would happily visit again.

Lovely place, will visit again when in the area. Staff where really nice and the place had a wonderful feel!! Only downside is I wasn't fussed in my meal but that's just me I suppose. Husband's was delicious! Dessert was very good too.

Has the most amazing steak and kidney pudding, it's hard to find on a UK menu these days and it certainly didn't disappoint, rich, perfectly cooked, just so tasty. Highly recommend.

Loved it. Really excellent food. We would highly reccomend this eatery.

The food is excellent and very good service. The supervisor is extremely professional and sorted a minor issue caused by an unexpected ingredient, mustard, in the pie which my partner is allergic to. A replacement meal was provided no questions asked. This is a very commendable attitude.

Food was lovely and would recommend. Seemed rather short of staff and had to wait for food but when it arrived was great.

Lovely little place to eat food brilliant and the staff ery warm and welcoming.

What a wonderful place to eat ! Staff amazing and the food was just wonderful! Great value for money with all freshly made food. We took our dog as well and he was treated with kindness and lots of cuddles . I would go back everyday ! Thank you Claire, David and Dougie the Cockapoo

You can only eat here, not available for having drinks

Restaurant ok. Food ok. Service very good.

Home comfort food done right. Nice touch to have sharing platters for a single person!

Was looking for some where to have lunch where we could take our dog in, the food was lovely, everything was tasty and even the dog got a treat and a bowl of water brought over. Can't fault it, will definitely be visiting again when I'm next up in Ambleside, and highly recommend.

Nestled at the mid section of slack Lane, a very comforting entrance into a extremely cosy setting. We pre booked, the table was small, but enough for us. Staff were really friendly and so helpful with my dietary requirements, which was such a relief! The lamb was soft, delicious and so well seasoned. The sausage dish was really tasty according to my husband, he really loved the red wine gravy too! Not a reaction from me, so the dish was carefully made to ensure I didn't suffer as I can't digest milk. Not the cheapest, but we wanted a fine dining experience and we got this! My thanks to the chef, and to the staff. Thank you so much for making our first meal of our honeymoon a real treat ❤️

Had a meal at Sheila's Cottage tonight with my husband, and had we found this place sooner we would've ate here each night. The food was amazing and the service excellent. Cozy, warm and inviting environment. The menu had plenty of choice, plus specials. I had the sausage and mash, and my husband had the haddock, chips and mushy peas, couldn't fault a thing. Freshly cooked, great portions, not too much, not too little, but left just enough space for dessert. Would highly recommend, and most certainly will return on our next visit to Ambleside.

We are coming from Belgium and stayed a week in ambleside. This place is really welcoming and the staff is very friendly. The food is impeccable and comes quickly. A special thanks to the waitress and the bearded waiter for being so kind and welcoming. Cheerio from the couple from the spa in troutbeck bridge :) 10/10

Fantastic menu with very attentive, friendly staff.

Service is good. Average food and old decoration.

I was looking forward to some nice food on the cold wet day on the way home from the Lake District but when I found Sheila's Cottage doors were closed! Never mind it was stated on the door opening hours and it should be open by any meaning but doors were shot and me and other people who were looking for food too have to walk away and find another place for food. So disappointed!

Quiet lunchtime, food good quality

Lovely food, nice place to eat. With plesant staff. Would highly recommend. Good for both couples and families.

This place came recommended to us and it did not disappoint. Tucked down a side street, it appears to be quite popular so booking ahead is recommended. It was quite busy when we arrived with a nice atmosphere but not overly noisy. The food was delicious with plenty of options for vegetarians. Service was good too. We all enjoyed our food. Will definitely be back when in Ambleside.

Food appeared to have been cooked by a 12 year old - barely edible Fish and chips unaccountably £17 Playing bizarre Dub covers of popular songs throughout our stay, atmosphere funereal Polite staff however and hot chocolate pleasant

Stayed in ambleside for 3 nights and ate here on night one. It was soo good we ate here again on night 3. Couldn't fault anything. Food and service absolutely fabulous.

Varied experience. The steak and kidney pudding and the chicken Kyiv were good, but the fish and chips were very average.

Excellent middle priced restaurant, with good food and professional service

Great food, great staff, great place. And dog friendly.

Quaint little place , food choice very small we wantwd the sharing board and this waant available until the evening menu; for a vegetarian , vwry limited options vut the dood that we did have was nice

Went to Sheila’s Cottage after reading reviews on Google have to say you won’t be disappointed. Portions are very generous and the food is tasty, would recommend this restaurant and would definitely visit again if in Ambleside

Lovely cosy little place. Really nice food.

Great place for afternoon tea, and they have a delicious sounding menu for other dishes

Usual lake district scenario. Very ordinary and huge prices

Nice atmosphere, great food ,friendly staff

First visit. Stopped off for tea and cake. Friendly welcome and service was quick. Food which came out of the kitchen looked and smelt really nice.

Possibly the best Steak & Kidney pud I've ever had except my wifes' (she told me to say that). Brilliant food.

Been eating at Sheilas' for over twenty years and have never been disappointed by the quality of the food be that Coffee, Cake, Lunch or Dinner. We were all looking forwards today to our first visit of the year for Lunch. Four of us duly arrived at 12.15pm. All tables on the ground floor were occupied, no problem I thought, the first floor was empty. Couldn't believe we were turned away as they weren't opening those tables until 1pm! Suffice to say we ate elsewhere. Can't believe in the current climate a business can turn away custom. Shame.

Loved it all, nothing to moan about, absolutely excellent.

Wonderfully food and great service

Only had coffee so can't comment on food here but atmosphere and premises were good. Would return to try a meal in future.

Had a nice lunch. Friendly and helpful staff.

Just had a lovely meal here. If you want nice fish (without batter!) then this is for you!

Amazing hidden gem. Warm and cosy interior, hearty home cooked food and welcoming staff who gave excellent service and made a big effort with my dog. We had the pork belly and sausage & mash, both of which were delicious and huge portions. Highly recommend!

Lovely restaurant/ food. Celebrated my 55th birthday with a good friend, stayed at Rydal Hall.

Brilliant restaurant for an evening meal. Lots of lovely choices on the menu. We will definitely be back. Also all the Staff were very welcoming and friendly.

Expensive for the portion size and quality you get. Not hugely extensive menu. I had a club sandwich. Perfectly nice but didn't justify the price. Kids meals also expensive whilst being rather simple. Ie. kids sausage and mash. Literally one sausage and some mash. And small dribble of gravy. No peas. No carrots. Etc. Would be ok if price reflected it's simplicity and frugal nature. Partner had quiche. Which was heavy on the olives. Which aren't every ones cup of tea. Once olives left to one side, there wasn't much quiche. And my partner felt an old catering trick of filling the plate up with salad to distract from rest of meal had been deployed. The Venue is very smartly decorated. Very homely comfortable atmosphere. Very relaxed dining room. Would be nice with a fireplace to continue homely relaxed feel. Ended up having spent a lot but disappointed and underwhelmed. It's appearance held such promise too.

Went to The Lakes for a couple of days and booked a table after looking at reviews. Really lovely environment, very good food and service. Would highly recommend.

Nice food, quick service, good atmosphere. Friendly staff

Cute little place tucked away behind the main streets. Totally gorgeous service, sorry friendly and helpful. Nice coffee and great coffee cake! I was also grateful for a spacious bathroom to change my baby.

A cosy place hidden away which serves delicious food and has a very welcoming atmosphere. Thoroughly enjoyed the evening on my birthday and our dog was really relaxed there too. Thankyou to all the staff for making my birthday special.

Nice little place and pleasant staff.

Excellent really good food a great place for a lite lunch. So much so we went back again the next day.

Cosy, dog friendly spot with log burner to help you warm up after a winter walk. We were with our dog and the waitress gave her water and a biscuit which was a nice touch! We ate the soup and sandwich which was delicious, the bread was nice thickly cut slices with lots of filling. Would recommend!

Really nice cosy restaurant. Dog friendly too!

Highly recommended. The staff were friendly, welcoming and efficient. There was a nice choice of food, we especially enjoyed the sharing platter for a starter. Our main courses were lovely with plenty of fresh vegetables. We didn't have room for desserts, but they looked nice on other tables! Not the cheapest, but not too expensive either. Be sure to book in advance.

Service was faultless and friendly!!! Wow the Pork Belly starter absolutely the best starter I have ever had! Food was absolutely perfect. Will return for sure, Cumberland sausage was superb, flavours were so good! Well done to all at Sheila's cottage, however the Elf never told me if I was on the good list this year! Faultless ..

Outstanding last dinner on this trip! Will be our first dinner when we next return to Ambleside❤️

Excellent food and atmosphere. From when we walked in to leaving everything was perfect. The young lady who served us was exceptionally good. We both enjoyed the Goat cheese filo tart. Thank you all.

Delicious food, loved my crab sandwich. Friendly staff

Delicious food and really first class service.

Lovely place and had a very enjoyable meal. Food is tasty and hearty and lovely, friendly service. Dog friendly so if you're less fussed about dogs be aware they may be nearby.

I’ve been coming here for several years now and it never disappoints. Attentive staff, simple but well prepared food in a cosy,quaint atmosphere. They do the simple things well. Another satisfied visit.

Delicieux dejeuner léger, nous avons choisi soupe et quiche. Le pain est fait maison et tout etait très bon. En dessert,un régal avec le carrot cake

Sheila's Cottage is a lovely café/restaurant located up a quiet side street. Friendly staff and excellent food. Ate twice in the evening and the food and service was excellent. Would highly recommend.

Delicious and interesting menu.