The Crafty Baa in South Lakeland

One of the most interesting pubs I’ve ever had the pleasure of walking into, by chance at that! We have a lovely time sat at the bar chatting to the young barmaid about the pub and the area! She helped as much as possible with recommendations of where to visit despite not being a local( Rydal water was beautiful). Upon leaving there was an altercation where a small dog lunged at the two labourers on their way in. The owner did manage to control their dog. While explaining that the group with the dog would have to leave after the dog showing aggression she was bombarded by the owner of the two dogs that the dog had lunged for (whom never witnessed the lunge as he was ordering drinks) as “dogs will be dogs”. The girl got quite overwhelmed and tried to explain that aggressive dogs could not be in a dog friendly pub. When we left the young lady was in quite a tizzy.

Omg this is by far my favourite pub I have ever visited. Love the decor and external seating area. The Windermere beer was outstanding. The staff were great and friendly with our dogs. Food was also outstanding we will definitely be visiting again. Thank you

It’s an immersive experience from the minute you step inside. You can tell from the outside. Muted lights, fire going, paraphernalia all over the walls and ceilings, so much you can’t take it all in. Huge selection of craft beers, sweet shop, bar snacks, you name it they have it! The barman was very knowledgable and asked us what kind of things we liked and then made suggestions, we went with it and enjoyed our choices. It’s definitely a must-do, so quirky & funky.

This place was always a favourite of mine since it opened. Sadly the last couple of visits have been poor so we will not return. It’s mainly down to the Scottish young lady behind the bar who is rather rude. She also storms about the place with a rather abrupt attitude. I do note she has been mentioned in other reviews too. She snapped at me when I was ordering drinks and told me rather angrily to make my order clearer in the future. This place has lost its happy vibe! My daughter also went desperately from us and had a similar experience. What a shame!

Don't go for food ,was terrible,menu isn't that good ,had 2 chilly willy hotdogs, nice warm bread next to no chilli bit of cheese hot dog from jar,stale cheap tortilli chips with cheap jar nacho sauce,bit of salad nice bread nice ,yuk and £13 a pop.they could have warmed tortilla chips put 🍗 lli sauce and cheese on may not have been as bad .but staff lovely pub quirky great music and atmosphere,just don't bother eating here.the little pu b called pie and pint could sell nice pies at least.

Fun place to visit. We had some lovely food here. There was so much to look at. It had a crazy, eclectic theme with some fun tunes playing. Highly recommend people to come and have an ale here and a look around.

What a lovely bar great music great choice of food and alcohol I would definitely recommend a visit to this great quirky bar

Very quirky, too loud downstairs - but upstairs was fine. Great choice of beers and wine was great as well. Definitely worth dropping in.

This is a very hip little pub with lovely decor. The staff are friendly and supply free snacks with drinks. We decided to go for a pizza with my family. The place is very sticky and dusty I think we should have left at this point, but it was raining and we were hungry so we stayed. We ordered Nachos to start and then pizza. I have eaten pizza in the UK in Italy and in America. This was sadly not good pizza!! The last time I had a pizza like this was at 2am after clubbing years ago!! It was covered in a very thick layer of greasy oily cheese ish stuff that solidified after a few seconds. It did not taste like proper mozzarella cheese. I ate less than half, then spent the rest of the evening on the loo. I am sure this is a lovely pub for a quirky drink but for pizza sadly it should be avoided.

All I’m going to say for this place is just go. Yes I took pictures but you really need to see it for yourself. The amount of different beers/ales is great. Try something different. Just go.

Absolved this quirky pub. The decor was amazing, so much to look at. We booked a table just for drinks incase it was busy. Would definitely recommend in you are in Windermere.

The Crafty Baa is quirky, friendly and offers a wide range of craft ales, ciders and lager. Tina was really friendly, helpful and a good laugh. Thank you Neil, the pizza and garlic bread were really good, will be back in tonight to try some more of the food and great atmosphere. Loved the t-shirt I bought, shame the hoodies not on sale too, esp with British weather 😉

I wanted milk or Hot Chocolate and the person said “we Don’t Know How to Make Milk and Hot Chocolate” Horrible and Don’t Take Your Kids here it is a Scam and horrible

Nice little pub tucked away in the town. The atmosphere is quite groovy with lots of little trinkets and signs/art plastered all over the walls and ceilings; there is always something to turn your eye too. Venue is small which is fine if you don’t mind being seated close to others.

Nice quirky boozer. Good variety of draft German beer (during the euros) loads more bottled and canned beers . Dog friendly

Was really excited about visiting this place as it came up on top 10 to visit around Windermere. Walked past and it looked fantastic and different so we were lurred in....it took 15 minutes to get served at the bar, fair enough only 1 bar man on due to the other staff member changing a beer. Onto the food, food came out in a werid looking tin thing. I ordered the cajan chicken wrap which sounded amazing.... far from I'm afraid, the wrap was TINY, gone in 2 mouthfuls, no onions or peppers to be seen just some cold chicken and mayo in the thinnest wrap ever..£11!!!! Could have got a better one in the local corner shop as a meal deal for £4. Cold loaded fries with chilli. Beer was OK. Lots of dust and cobwebs everywhere. All in all, won't be back.

Just grubby and not clean. Tables don't get wiped down, beer had a hair in it and the food was underwhelming. A hot dog is from a can with nukes melted cheese in top.

Filthy glasses, flat lemonade, old food left in the tables, and the person that served us was just down right rude. Very disappointed as the outside looks so pretty and inviting.

We popped in for a quick drink out of curiosity and were not disappointed. There is plenty of seating upstairs and it's family and dog friendly. The decor is quirky, lots of recycled wood and trinkets. Upstairs is decked out with every game you can imagine, from scrabble to Trivial Persuit as well as giant chalk boards for the kids to draw on. The selection of beers is impressive and the staff are so friendly and helpful. The menu is fairly small but don't be put off, it's lovely with something for everyone and the chilli nachos were fab! Will definitely go back!

I visited yesterday evening (27/2/24) and was disappointed to see that although the physical appearance of the bar has improved, it seems the staff & the operations have declined. I came here with a friend (my choice!) and had said so many times how great it was, but unfortunately it seems there’s a complete change of staff from this summer- last time I came in I believe it was a group of young girls running the bar and the atmosphere was brilliant. Now the staff are inattentive and are obviously wishing the minutes away. At 10:50 we got told by the bar man that we had 10 minutes to finish our drinks, which I thought was strange as the timings have always been 11 stopping serving, 11:30 closed, however at approx 11:05 he turned all the lights off, and myself and around 7 other people just had to finish our drinks fast and leave as it was pitch black! - also I believe the frustrating beeping I could hear all night was the fire alarm batteries being low!! Very sad compared to this summer, couldn’t even leave through the fire door as it had been locked by about 10:30! I don’t usually leave poor reviews but I am still thinking about my disappointing visit. X

I visited with a groups of friends. We regularly go for days out and always have a “kitty” between us that pays for the day. Unfortunately we couldn’t spend the money in this place because they don’t take cash payments. Because it was such a large sum of money we only stayed for a couple of drinks and food, we would’ve liked to stay liver otherwise. The place is very quirky but is absolutely filthy and we weren’t made to feel particularly welcome.

Great service lovely girl behind the bar Hope, Neil was on his first ever shift in the kitchen and absolutely smashed it. What a place so random and welcoming.

What a pub… Chanced our arm as a walk in on a Monday evening for some drinks and food… Pizza was superb and fresh, all the nibbles we tried were also fantastic (Scotch egg well worth a go) Gutted no crackling but everything we did receive was delicious. Atmosphere great even when packed… Staff superb… Sweet shop great little addition… Definitely one to try if you’re in the Lakes!!

To be fair I only got as far as the door took one look at the dusty cobwebbed junk hanging from the roof and left,everything looked dirty,like a Viet Cong Bunker after an air strike,staff made no attempt to greet customers and I got the feeling they were glad when we walked out,I know I was,a successful business needs an active owner,I think the owner has let this one slide to the point of no return,sorry been there,done that,won’t be back.

The staff are the absolute rudest, most useless and pathetic bar staff I have ever encountered. They are arrogant, miserable and regard customers as the biggest pain and inconvenience ever. I hope his business goes bust, it is an utter disgrace and an embarrassment to the Lake District.

The place looks miles better with the new bar arrangement, it certainly makes the place look and feel more spacious and helps the staff see who is waiting to be served. Please, please give your staff some proper training...it wasn't very busy and there was a couple sat upstairs surrounded by dirty glasses and crockery that no-one bothered to come and clear away for them.

Always return to the Baa when we visit, great atmosphere, beer staff especially Hope, and good luck with the new menu, cheers.

We missed this place the first night - walked right past it - and I’ve no idea how! It’s the most quirky venue I’ve been to in a long time. Music wasn’t too loud, there was ample seating, and it was a generally lovely ambience. We will definitely come back another night.

This is the second time we have been in this bar albeit 4 years apart. The first was amazing . What a difference 4 years make. No longer craft bar of the year for sure. Very poor beer choice, very loud horrible music, cooking smells from dirty oven or fryer permeates around the bar resulting in smelly clothes even for a short stay. Very untidy and tatty furnishings. Bottle fridge only half full and nothing very exciting like in the past. Definitely won’t be back.

Visited yesterday for coffee and food, only to be told they had no milk, so we went elsewhere. There’s Booths supermarket and a Co-op around the corner… go get some milk 🤷‍♀️. So they missed out on a food order as well as drinks order, all because there was no milk … seems ridiculous to me. Foolishly on reflection (as we were still in the area) we visited again today as I wanted to show my partner how nice the food was…. Huge mistake! It’s totally gone down hill. Wish I’d read earlier reviews. Staff not present on arrival. Staff just lack any enthusiasm or interest. Was told we could have a coffee but that it would have to be made with oat milk. We ordered food and the presentation and taste etc was nothing like what it used to be. We were handed two great big door wedges as our toasties. All bread, no real substance to them. No effort was put in whatsoever. I’d say, a great place for alcohol beverages only these days. If you’ve been in previous years, don’t expect the same food or presentation! Crying shame me thinks.

What a gem of a pub! A really excellent range of draught beers; craft beer, wheat beer, real ales & lagers.....and a truly outstanding range of European bottled beers!! Had the sharing platter and it was delicious. Good varied music. All staff really friendly. An absolute must to visit. Oh, and dog treats too!!!

I have seen The Crafty Baa promoted on social media and was delighted to visit on Saturday 16th December. We visited with the intention of having a quick drink but received a warm welcome and having reviewed the menu we decided to stay and have lunch too. The staff were friendly, the Crafty lager very nice and the food we had was delicious. It was a welcoming atmosphere and unique surroundings within the Baa itself. We thoroughly enjoyed it and will certainly visit again in the future. Would recommend.

I visited the Crafty Baa with my husband, 18-month old daughter, two friends and their dog on a very snowy Monday evening. From the outside, the pub looked amazing - like a beacon of beautiful lights in the snow. Inside, it was small and cosy and so full of character. We sat in 'the haunted room', which has been designed to reflect a Victorian parlour, complete with skeletons, antlers, scary dolls, chandeliers... it was just fabulous! The staff were very friendly, especially when they accidentally set the fire alarms off by overdoing some bread. I'd love to return to the Crafty Baa if we're ever back in Windermere.

What great quirky little place. Superb atmosphere and very, very cosy on a soggy November day. Nice open log fire with the invitation of stoking it youself if the fire dies down. We didn't eat there but the beers were good Love to go there again sometime.

We went in here because of the quirky look. I must admit it was nice outside and in. The only problem here is the drink prices which in my opinion are well over the top. £6.50 for a pint of their pale ale. My wife...

Amazing bar, great music, Emma was THE best hostess!!! Chatty, friendly and completely down to earth, she made us so welcome we had to return time and time again.

What a great find. Went here a few times during our stay in Windermere and would make the 3 hour drive again just to visit this place. Really quirky with lots of nooks and plenty of seating. Beer selection is superb.

After reading reviews I was excited to come here but wish I’d read more recent reviews in the past few weeks that I can see leaving this one today. Really grubby everywhere, staff either just on laptops or phones, asked for a food menu and...

Not as good as it was, sadly! We have been going here for several years, and have loved it. On this occasion the staff were poor, the fridges were empty, not a single fruit beet and the lovely touch of some nibbles with your drink...

We came here in the basis that it was AA Pub of the Year (but note that was 2018/19). From the outside it looks seedy and inside is dirty and unwelcoming. We decided not to eat and I was very happy to leave.

We visited The Crafty Baa on past reviews. We were mistaken. There is no doubt that they offer a wide range of beers and the beer that we had was good. However I like to drink good beer in a clean environment with staff that...

Great little bar to enjoy a variety of different drinks. Preferring cider to ale, we loved that we could sample before buying a number of the out of the ordinary ciders on offer. The one with pineapple was delicious. We also opted for a sharing...

We have been coming here from Liverpool ever since it opened its doors. Amazing place but over the last 12 months we have seen an unfamiliar decline. We visited early evening (12/11/23) Ordered the cheeseboard with camembert which we ordered dozens of times. What a...

Thank you Crafty Baa! Sunday night was a fab. Great place to chill out. But this time we’re enjoying the 🎵 music. Great sharing platter. We didn’t realise how hungry we were! 😀 Fresh food and delicious.

Been in many times before and always been OK but now charging over £22 for two double G&Ts. Cost of living and then some.

We’ve been to the Crafty a few times over the years. I grew up locally and myself and my husband visit family with our son often. We came to the craft on the 31st October whilst our son went trick or treating with family. Firstly,...

Have visited The Craft Baa several times before and have always loved it but this time we were disappointed. We ordered 2 cheese and meat platters to share with a baked camembert. Having ordered these on previous visits, this time it just wasn't as good...

Stumbled on this Baa by accident after a meal just down the road. Loved it. It was quiet on arrival but eventually it became a hive of activity. Great staff, great music and great atmosphere, I’d be back in a heartbeat if visiting Windermere. Left...

What's happened to this place been going here for years but changed so much. Hubby ordered our drinks barman had a face like thunder then shouted card only ok that's fine but should say barman thought he was doing us a favour serving us. Glass...

Unique pub tucked away, great beers, great staff , especially Leoni , bubbly personality with great customer service .

Amazing staff that ensure that the baa is family friendly. Fabulous range of drinks, really cater for all , thank you - pleasure to visit and will definitely be back next time ❤️.

A very quirky and fun establishment. Friendly and helpful staff. Great beers and ciders. Great piped music for lovers of soul, jazz and blues.

An absolute must see gem, oozing with character and good vibes. service: + quick and effective bar service during busy periods food: + we got the sharing platter with meat and cheese - it was scrumptious!! Served with lettuce leaves filled with olives and pear,...

Called today on our last day of our holidays ..what a fantastic place ,and the mix of music also great …had a look around and they have some wonderful quirky rooms ..if I had one small complaint that was I’m not quite up on craft...

Realise this place gets a lot of good reviews and the main reason we visited. However, staff were very dismissive and it felt like they were doing us a favour by serving us. I asked for a large rum & bottle or can of coke......

Fantastic little bar, has a very cosy area which I personally enjoyed I came with my labrador and she was well looked after as well as myself super dog friendly. The two girls who worked 24/08/23 were so accommodating and friendly I couldn’t express my...

We recently visited the Lakes for my 50th birthday and as I’d seen the Crafty Baa online before the trip I knew I had to find it. Well it exceeded expectations and we absolutely loved it. We spent ages looking at all the quirky decor...

We visit the crafty baa whenever we go to Windermere. We love the atmosphere and the music is great. They have a great range of drinks but there seems to be more ciders on tap than beer these days. They do some lovely wine but...

We visited the Keswick one and were really intrigued when we seen this one. So much to see and look at inside, the beer was amazing too! Love the zombie room!!

Absolutely brilliant place, totally unique. Forget the homogenous high street chain pub- from the music, through the decor and the beer everything makes having a beer here an experience- have found my local for my weeks holiday!

Popped in today (16/8/23) at around 2pm, the two girls working are a credit to the bar! Great service & food was plated wonderfully- didn’t catch their names but they were blonde & brunette- lovely girls! The bar was cool, unique, music could’ve been slightly...

Great, quirky pub ( the smallest in the Lake District apparently ) with a great selection of craft beers and ciders. Dogs permitted but children to be kept on leads !

Quirky spot in central windermere. Good selection of beer and cider. Service lets it down- lots of staff but only one pouring pints and when she changes the barrel no one else steps up to serve. Could all do with a deep clean too.

I visited after a walk to Orrest Head and back, and fancied a quick beer. Strangely, they don't serve halves, so opted for two thirds...first world problems, eh?! Service was friendly enough, but, given the place is known for craft beer, I expected a bit...

Brilliant staff, superb cheese platter , great atmosphere with music to make your feet tap. From the moment you walk in ,made welcome , mind you will get a stiff neck looking at all the trinkets hanging from the ceiling. You must go it's brilliant.

...this is indeed a "Crafty Baa"! Exterior and interior of the building are covered with spooky accessoires; the rooms are segmented into various cosy small niches; one room is "haunted", even. And the food menu (nibbles only) as well as the list of available beers...

The bar staff girl when we arrived was so full of attitude. Didn’t look up at all until I said something. Reluctantly served us. Such a bad start. Thought this place would be fun, but it wasn’t! Management should see what goes on.

Lovely little spot in Windermere. Great atmosphere, drinks and food. Friendly staff, great music and amazing decor.

Quirky, cozy little pub serving craft beer in the heart of Windermere. It’s worth a visit just to see the decor alone. Really good selection of craft beers, ciders, & local beers to suit all tastes. Bar servers were friendly, welcoming & helpful. Can’t wait...

Cool place for a beer. Good selection of craft beer and cider. The place is really unusual and obviously lots of care and attention has gone into making it like that. Loads of weird stuff all over the walls and it’s a really funny twist...

Arrived 6pm Sunday night. Floor was sticky, both upstairs and downstairs. Presume not been cleaned and it was beer on the floor. Place is quirky, in a nice way, and appeared to do a huge variety of ales and ciders. However generally the place looks...

Went here for a drink and found it to be a very unusual and quirky bar. Seating area downstairs, upstairs and outside. Plenty of beers choice. Food is available but we didn’t eat there. Found the staff had attitude and weren’t particularly welcoming

Good place for beer. A very nice selection. We cannot recommend the food or service. There were waitresses, but they didn't seem to do anything. The bartender took the order and the owner's wife or cook or whoever she was brought it out. No one...

Suuuuch a cool and unique bar with chaotic and exciting inside with lots of different things hanging up and on walls! Delicious variety of drinks on tap! We had the luck of having lovely Brad serve us who made the experience even better! Charming bar...

I was attracted by the wonderful decoration of the gate. We ordered three flavors cider in the bar, which are 7.8.9 on the board. feel like cider had gone bad when first drink, none exception for each of cup. I talked to the waiter that...

Brilliant find! Lovely service and such an interesting place to look around. Free snacks for the table is a great added bonus.

This is a cracking little place and every time we are visiting Windermere this is a MUST to visit. Quirky bar, plenty of different seating options, on different floors and rooms, never been to anywhere else like it. Small, outdoor terrace. Friendly, welcoming and efficient...

Fantastic friendly service - drinks were served with a smile at a fair price - would highly recommend for choice, price and atmosphere.

Really good selection beers, good atmosphere. The quirky decor is fantastic, there's always something else to see that makes you smile that you didn't notice the first time around. Highly recommended

Such a shame, we loved this place and visited everytime in Windermere - today, lady behind bar was miserable, no usual bar snacks and no Erdinger on draft as previously. Outside area did not seem as clean as previous visits - gutted 😿

Great bar but VERY unhappy staff. Spoilt with choice with drinks. Very quirky and Devi hell worth a visit but don’t expect service with a smile !

Fab music. Great atmosphere. Friendly bar staff, Finn. Well worth a visit. Oh and nibbles and fine beers and wine. We would visit again.

Great selection of craft ales and whiskys , helpful interested staff would definitely go back here the decor is lovely too

Lovely friendly bar in Windermere. Our second time visit in a week. Great atmosphere and ambiance. Large selection of different beers. It reminded us of a favourite bar in Bruges. Great music as well. Friendly staff, nothing too much trouble.

Based off of the reviews, my husband and I were really looking forward to coming here. However, it was a complete let down. Very overpriced food and incredibly rude staff! They appear to care more about money than people's experience as the place was WAY...

Frankly, i’m extremely disappointed to be writing this but something needs to be done. I am a regular visitor here always having the sharing platter and have been countless times, always picking here as my treat whenever visiting the lakes and Windermere. I think I’ll...

Lovely beer, friendly environment and a quirky bar. Get the sofa on the first floor and put your feet up for a great night.

Came here for some tea with my wife, asked to order some food at the bar and was told the kitchen was closed (only 7:30pm). About 10 minutes later a couple that came after us were served a portion of nachos bigger than my head...

We visited this pub 2 nights in a row as we really enjoyed the atmosphere and the staff were lovely. I tried a stout and cider were both lovely. I would definitely reccomend this place for the drink and freindly and quirky atmosphere. I will...

Beer was good. But the food was inedible. I had a pork pie for £5:90 or so. Garlic bread was dripping with grease. The pie was in a foil container. I think it had been microwaved and was cold on the inside and boiling on...

Our visit here was tarnished by one female staff member. Visited on Friday evening, as we walked in I asked if they were dog friendly to which she blanked me as she was too busy enjoying her cigarette. Didn’t end up staying as there wasn’t...

Don’t go here unless you want to be treated terribly. After ordering a G&T and noticing the tonic (which was from a machine) tasted off, I told the bartender and asked if I could swap it for lemonade. I started my ask with ‘I’m really...

Having driven 30 miles bases on numerous good reviews regarding the craft beer we were very disappointed. Out of 14 keg selections 9 were ciders 1 was a lager and so only 4 beers. The board didn't give the brewery or the correct name. The...

Visited for a couple of drinks during short stay. Sat close to fire. Barman even brought a little dish of snacks. Nice!

Quirky little pub in upper part of Windermere, inside is full of quirky walls and ceilings but be warned it is a little cramped, has plenty of choice for drinks but some of the hand pulled casks were no longer available but staff hadn’t removed...

Small, cramped, overpriced, loud, poseurs paradise, emperors new clothes, waste of a parking space, overpriced, sorry that's twice, thought 6.2 was the ABV. Turns out it was the cost of a frankly average IPA

This used to be our favourite place in Windermere however we have visited 3 times this week and in my opinion its going down hill to the staff who are disapointly rude and amateur which is a real shame. I am sure it will prosper...

Atmosphere amazing, decor, u just keep finding something new! Food fabulous , would definitely recommend a visit to this wee gem.

The sarnie was delicious as always, but a bit disappointed that we didn’t get the pear & slaw, that makes this an outstanding meal!!!

Really disappointing. Have visited many times before and always been great. But staff were rude. Wine was warm. No ice for drinks.