The Britannia Inn in South Lakeland

Lovely pub in a great location, always worth a visit. Our meals today were very disappointing, warmed up dry pie. We have had nicer meals in the past. The specials appear to be more freshly cooked though. Drinks are very expensive. Nice cosy bar and the fires are always lit.

Wow, albeit a fantastic location and a welcoming fire that’s where it ends. Cannot comment on accommodation, but the food was extremely poor! Cheese and chutney sandwich, there’s me thinking it would be fitting of the location, but it was a standard bread cake with grated cheese and artisan it wasn’t. Chips, well if you like frozen ones you are in luck, that’s what you are served up. The homemade soup was tasty, but served up with dry bread. 2 soft drinks and the bill was £27.00, I would steer clear and try ‘Slaters’ over the road (cannot comment on their food as didn’t have any), or eat elsewhere - very disappointing experience, albeit the 6 mile loop walk made up for the day.

Charged £19.00 for a large glass of wine a small bottle of water and bottle of Italian beer......RIP OFF.

Great hotel in our favourite part of the Lake District. Good food, beer and hospitality. The staff are welcoming and friendly.

This is a lovely hotel in a perfect location if you like walking. The staff are lovely, the food excellent (with amazing portions!), and the ambience of the place is great - to stay and to eat (and drink!)

Always a thrill coming here. It's a sun trap outside. Well worth a visit.

An iconic venue that's never a disappointment the staff are fantastic the rooms are great and the food is amazing.

Lovely unspoiled friendly pub in perfact setting for numerous walks etc. Great beers if you like local ales. Log fires, cosy bars and areas for eating. In good weather sitting outside is a real treat. Menu looked great we just visited for a drink a couple of times but spoke to a guest who stays there frequently and LOVES IT and the FOOD.

An excellent restaurant with speedy service. In fact the staff were incredibly welcoming and efficient. The food was of top quality. We went here one evening and decided to go back the next evening too as our experience was so good.

Lovely lunch in front of a roaring fire. Just a typical English pub!

A perfect stop off after a walk across the fells. Been coming here for 25yrs. The kids used to play on the green in front of the pub. Now they join us for a pint!

We have been coming here for over 30yrs and have always loved it. However they have decided to take off all the bitters claiming that the demand is too low which I believe to be untrue. The couple next to us did not enjoy the drinks because no bitters where available and said they would be going to a nearby pub instead even though they were staying overnight at the Brittania Inn. The Brittania used to have ales such as Neddy Boggle, Brittania Special, Bluebird which were very popular, now they have none. They have become purely profit driven and don’t care about all the patrons who have supported them over the years. The food too was pricey which we don’t mind if the quality is good , but this has gone downhill also with low quality beef and lamb. What a shame!!!! This was echoed by others around us. Don’t usually do any reviews. To whoever is managing the Britannia, probably time to listen to your customers before they all go!!

We visit this time each year as you know what you’re going to get - good service and great portions of food ! Breakfast the same. The rooms are nice clean and functional. I know quite a few reviewers have said about the drink prices and I have to agree, very expensive in my view so we cut down this year with just the 1 pint. Shame. Still highly recommend a visit though.

Always a great stop off walking around the lakes

Nice old pub with burner stoves, a good whiskey selection and an excellent barman

Visited here first week of Jan and delighted to find the place busy, roaring fire and some delightful food and service. We had a selection of main courses which included venison, gammon and eggs and sea bass. All superb. Topped off the chocolate profiteroles. Wouldn’t hesitate to return or recommend

16 th century boozer best in the world.. .food is awesome and.real ale love the fire and people

Friendly staff and decent grub , just what was needed

Delicious food as always a proper pub too

After a morning exploring the fells, we were more than ready for a hearty meal, and the Brit Inn in Elterwater did not disappoint. From the moment we stepped in, the service was friendly, and the staff genuinely cared about making our experience enjoyable—a rare find in many pubs in the Lakes these days. I wasn’t expecting much, as pub meals can be hit or miss, but this turned out to be a very tasty surprise. The food was clearly handmade, fresh, and full of flavor—no pre-packaged shortcuts here! My chicken, ham, and leek pie was a standout, served with proper chips and fresh veggies included (no need to order them separately!). My husband had the traditional sausage and mash, which was equally superb. Portion sizes were generous and filling, just what we needed after a long walk. The drink menu offered plenty of options, making it easy to find something to pair with our meals. Highly recommended if you're in the area, and we’ll definitely be back!

An excellent, local menu, very reasonably priced, and warm, real fires. No better way to spend a chilly autumn evening.

I visited this beautiful inn on 24/11/24. My visit was unexpected as my car broke down close by so with no phone signal I needed to use their phone. I was welcomed by a very polite and helpful member of staff (Owen) who couldn’t do enough to help me, I used their phone numerous times to ring RAC etc and this was not a problem for them. EVERY member of staff could not do enough to make me feel relaxed and comfortable. As I’m waiting (I’m still here) for the RAC I ordered food, oh my goodness it was amazing, mushroom stroganoff, the best I’ve tasted. Plenty of it and FULL of flavour! The next time we’re visiting the Lakes we’ll look at staying here and if not we will DEFINITELY be eating here. Do visit The Britannia Inn. You will NOT be disappointed! Thank you to you all for your invaluable hospitality! See you again.

Ideal place for a refreshing beverage

We were lucky to get a table for a family of 7 outside this busy pub during autumn half term holiday. The menu choice was very good, food was brilliant - big portions(!) Definitely the best value meal during a wee'k holiday in the Lakes. Would recommend the potted crayfish.

Lovely pub at the end of a nice walk.

Went for a drink mid point in our walk. Popular spot, lovely location

Great place with a great atmosphere for a relaxing pint.

Lovely food and excellent service

Lovely spot for a drink while put on a walk. Many outside tables.

Very popular pub in the village of Elterwater, seems to be the perfect point to start or end a walk or bike ride. We got there early afternoon and got the last table outside. Only stayed for a beer but all very good and top service. Must say the food looked good.

Quite simply just about the best pub in that area when hiking/walking. Immensely cosy with fire that I recall never goes out! Very friendly and helpful staff all round. We have been going to this pub on every Lake District trip for over 14 years! Don't fail to go there!

Had dinner at the Britannia 3 times across a week and all of us were really happy each time. Varied, daily changing specials (eg venison, interesting cuts of lamb/beef) all cooked to a very high standard and fairly priced. Great draft ales and very friendly and efficient service too. We’ll be back…!

We have been here many times over the years and love it. Dropped in for a drink last week. Wooooah! £9.80 for a Prosecco and a pint of cider shandy is the same price as a pint of cider - about £7. So by that maybe a pint of lemonade is also £7? I’m sure many people stop for a drink while walking in the beautiful lakes but next time we might find another stopping point. Although living in the North East maybe we just have cheaper pubs up here??!!

A proper English pub. Dog friendly, log fire and great real ales. Always found somewhere to sit down, the Britannia Inn is the perfect place to visit when going for a walk.

Lovely cosy place, wonderful staff, proper pub meals, good prices. As it's only place to eat out in the area( the other pub was closed) definetly book ahead and preorder meals to ensure you get what you want.

Always a welcome pit stop after a walk around langdales and Elterwater.

Lovely meal, excellent friendly staff

We ate here twice during our one week family holiday and it would have been more, but they were fully booked. Excellent food and lovely friendly staff, I would highly recommend and we are already looking forward to our next visit. Well done and thank you from the Warden family

We came here for dinner twice during our holiday and it was lovely both times. The staff were so friendly and attentive, and the food was excellent. Thank you, we will be back, hopefully soon!

Nice old pub, cracking location. Lots of outdoor tables and seating.

We had an excellent lunch at the Britannia Inn, Elterwater. The quality of the food was really good. We had fish and chips and steak and ale pie. All washed down with a pint of Bluebird. Our favourite pub having visited many times before. Always good.

Only stayed for dinner but staff could not have been more helpful and the food was wholesome and generous. Also - good selection of ales. Great place

Perfect place to stop for a drink. Plenty of seating outside, toilets and bar area generally very clean.

Spending the day walking, we decided to stop for a drink before continuing our walk. Pub was busy, but the staff were friendly and service was swift. Sat outside to enjoy the autumn sunshine

One word..EXPENSIVE. The wife had one large glass of rose which cost £10, so take a hip flask with you

Lovely stay and really friendly staff in an excellent location.

Lovely pub in a beautiful location.

Always great food love coming to the britannia my wife's grandparents and mum are from chapel stile

We often pop in here for food and drinks whilst we are out hiking in the local area. Amazing beer garden and great selection of beers. Food is also extremely tasty

First class delicious food and very attentive friendly staff. Always make time to go to The Brittania every time we go to the Lakes, booking is essential as it's so popular.

Superb pub. Great good and well kept local ales. I love the Brit.

Great food, drink and service - also a very interesting building. For me as an ale lover the highlight was the ale - both in terms of choice and quality. A real gem, quite simply a superb pub.

We have had the place as a stop on our hike for maybe twenty years. That says a bit about what we think of the place. Sitting outside with a nice glass of beer and taking a break is absolutely wonderful.

Only one toilet....:( But great place

A real favourite, which we have missed during the lockdowns. Friendly service and excellent dinner.

Visit every time we go to the lake district

Great pub with rooms. Good proper pub food and staff really helpful and friendly. Room was lovely, we had a great view.

The Britannia Inn is in a lovely location and staff are friendly. Very peaceful.

Excellent pub with good food. Very popular

Went for dinner. The food was very good and the service very good. Love the location. One of my favourite places in the Lakes. However, the decor needs some refreshing (meals not cheap).

We didn't stay at the hotel, but we visited several times during our stay in the Ambleside area! It's a lovely place to end up at the end of a dog walk! Great choice of drinks, beers & great, well cooked food & generous portions! 👍😎

Lots of comments about price - and it isn’t cheap. However, on our visit the staff were truly lovely - and they made our visit very special, especially the friendly girls in the dining room. To eat….we had one fish and chips, and the special featherblade beef. They were huge portions - we’d been walking all day so we were super hungry, so all good on that front! The beef was just delicious, really tender and very tasty with excellent portions of veg and chips or mash! The fish was a large one…and tasted very fresh supported by mushy peas and tartar sauce. Sticky toffee pudding for one and the offer of two spoons!

Lovely area, food was great. Lovely place to stay, nice friendly staff. Will be going there again. Would recommend it 👌

Perfect hub after a very long hike. Really stands out in Elterwater. Fantastic lemonade! 🍋 Helpfully close to the bus stop.

Fantastic staff, great beer and in a brilliant location.

Was ok, limited lunch menu so opted to go somewhere else so cant comment on quality of food. Is very busy in season.

A proper pub in a lovely setting, great selection of beers and the staff were very helpful and knowledgeable about the gluten free food options.

Best atmosphere, beers and food in the lakes. Our favourite pub in the whole country! Never disappoints.

This our 2nd visit here, came last year and it doesn't fail. Let's start with the down side, bearing in mind this place is approx 500 years old. The rooms are a little small, but by no means tiny. The price of drinks is a little more than expected. Right now the good bits. It's a beautiful, friendly place, seating area outside is great, although it can get busy, you feel the atmosphere as soon as you walk through the door. The beds are comfy. The food is great, I had venison steak for tea. The full English breakfast is to die for, even haggis is included. You won't need to eat for the rest of the day. Where this place excels is the staff. They are so friendly and welcoming, nothing is too much trouble. A great place to use as a base to explore. You have got to give it a go.

Very traditional Inn. Friendly staff. Good food & drink

Ok pub and inn. Descent real ales. Great surroundings, very quiet. I would rate this place well but it is just ridiculously expensive. I paid £170 for a (very basic!) room. Pints are £5.80 and upwards - London prices! Lager was horrendously expensive. Summer nights are not warm in the Lake District, it could have done with some heating in the evening.

We have been coming to the Britannia on-and-off for thirty years and have always enjoyed good service and good food before now. However we were more than disappointed on this visit. As one would expect, this place served traditional 'pub grub' in a lovely Lakeland setting. However on this occasion, the service, food and drink were mediocre. None of the staff members we interacted with was welcoming, friendly or enthusiastic. It made us feel as though were were imposing on them, certainly not a good impression if one is in the service industry. The beer we had was cloudy (suggesting that it was either towards the end of the barrel or had not settled) and did not maintain its head at all. The food was, sadly, rather bland. I had the Minted Lamb Henry. Well, if it had any mint in it, I couldn't taste it; and it was overcooked as well. My husband had the Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie. This was just dire. It had clearly been reheated (never, ever reheat pastry) and was just a mess on the plate. Very poor. It disappoints me to say this but there are other places to eat in the Langdale Valley and I would suggest you go to them and avoid this place.

Coarse service, the only staff with any sense of service is the Scouse couple. It’s a service that is all too familiar in a Bullish tourist area. Luckily nature works wonders, nicht wahr? So with a slow to kick-in summer. Obviously numbers are down compared to last year (2023), so plenty of time for the plebeians to learn more about their ignorance.

This is a popular, friendly pub in a perfect Lakeland location. Just gorgeous.

My partner and I stayed here for two nights. The room was clean and cosy with all that you need. We had an excellent dinner at a very reasonable price. Breakfast was great with a good range of options. The real ale variety was great. As the weather was wet, we only did a few small local walks, but we're not disappointed. We look forward to returning.

This great place never disappoints and I've stayed there a number of times. The food and service is outstanding, fabulously consistent and a good range of beers in the bar. The location for walking in the Langdales is perfect. Cooked breakfasts a are freshly done and well keep you going on the fells all day! The rooms aren't big but the beds are comfortable and the shower powerful. Couldn't recommend it more highly.

You simply cannot find a better pub for a chilled and relaxing pint.

Here at least twice a year...Great staff and great access to loads of walks!!

Amazing chicken and ham pie staff lovely too great place to be

Great homely pub, they loved the woop the griffon dog.

Great place to rest after hike. Nice terrace. Order yourself inside. This pub is 500 years old and you can eat and sleep well there. We brought the wrong charger for the phone and asked to borrow the charger from the staff. I was given it and was allowed to use it all night long. In the morning I asked if I could buy the charger because we were walking the Cumbria Way and needed to charge the phone more often. I got it for free. Thank you very much again!

Perfect setting with various walks from the front door. Character pub with a good beer garden and authentic atmosphere. The rooms and breakfast are good value but not the cheapest for food and drinks.

Visited twice for evening meal, large menu plus specials, we ate steak pie, lamb Henry and fish pie, well presented, v tasty and good sized portions, good beer esp the Hobgoblin stout and Wainwright amber, friendly staff. Overall very good pub food and beer.

Wonderful old Lakeland pub oozing history, set in beautiful Elterwater. Can get extremely busy, but out of season was fine. Great selection of well-kept locally brewed cask ales.

Traditional pub with a relaxed vibe. We had dinner in the bar which is first come first served and enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Good selection of local golden ales. Prices seemed fair considering the location. Lads behind the bar were friendly and welcoming to all. Food arrived very promptly on a busy bank holiday weekend.

Perfect location for some lovely low level walks in a few directions. Very welcoming hotel, good food, friendly staff. Adequate parking. Cosy rooms. Recommend highly

Lovely food and setting. Highly recommended

Only pub in this tiny village. Drinks priced just below London prices so not a shock. Great range of lagers and ales. Food was very expensive, but sadly we found this throughout most places in the Lake District. I guess energy costs have forced prices up. I did think some of the food prices were higher than London. £18.50 for a burger that looked very average. We chose not to eat there at any time. Chips at £5 for a bowl is too high, however someone at the table did order them and they were really good. Great atmosphere, lovely and warm and friendly staff.

Søde lokale ansatte, der var ved at varme op til sæsonen. Dejlig mad, der var tændt op i pejsen, fisken var frisk, og der var mere fisk end panering, tatare saucen var en nydelse. De nye kartofler er ikke som i Danmark, men herligt at kunne få andet end pommes frites.

Called in for a drink while walking in the area. Went back a couple of days later for lunch. Food came quickly and staff friendly. drinks expensive and if you book a table in the even they add a 10% holding fee, just encourages non booking.

This place has kept it's old charm and character by keeping things as they were and keeping guests happy

We were told by a friend to stop off here for a pint and something to eat. He said it a lovely Pub with a great atmosphere and he was right. We spent a good few hours sitting outside in the warm March sun soaking up the rays and drinking excellent pints of local beer.

Have stayed a few times + eaten many times at this wonderful hostelry. Stayed for 3 nights over Easter weekend - great hospitality in magical setting with lovely spring sunshine to top it all.

Lovely old pub, fabulous staff, amazing breakfast. The only little things I would change: 1. be careful not to park outside the pub around the green as you will get a parking ticket, ( think they should let you know when you book in) their car park is down the road about 100yrds away. 2. They Cleaned the room but didn’t straighten the under sheet of the bed, any of the nights we stayed. 3. The last night, we had no shower gel, conditioner or shampoo..

A fantastic pub and very friendly staff and an absolute belter of a blonde ale👍🏻😁🍻

Great stay in a great location. Lovely walks on your doorstep. Room was spotless, Breakfast was amazing plenty ofchoice. Will definatley be staying again.

Iconic pub in a glorious place. Breakfasts superb, serving local produce. Evening meals excellent, imaginative, some healthy, some indulgent. Service extremely accommodating, asked for more veg no chips, no problem. How a busy pub can serve perfectly cooked asparagus and long stemmed broccoli is new to me but they did! Bedrooms modern and comfortable. We love it here.

Lovely pub for lunch - we came with the kids after climbing Loughrigg Fell. Great (both in taste and size!) sausage sandwiches and chips. Lovely inside and out.

Been using the Brittania Inn for 30 years.Never disappoints..Great food and the brilliant Bluebird.

Excellent food, friendly and good service and, best of all, no background music, so we could have a conversation comfortably. Not cheap, but well worth it.