The Hungry Caterpillar in Allerdale

Quite honestly some of the best food I've ever eaten really reasonable prices great portion sizes lovely staff would highly recommend xx

I ordered a beef burger with caramel used onion, goats cheese, relish and garlic mayo but it came without the onions or the mayo. The other order came without burger sauce. Both orders came without the salad we asked for and both were very salty. The leafy greens that came with my halloumi side were limp, dry and tasted awful. Overall, really not impressed. £13 burgers and I would have preferred to make myself or buy a McDonald’s.

Reasonably priced cafe with a good selection of lunch items, bagels, wraps and lunch bowls. Good for counting calories as lunch bows have options to select protein, sides and sauce. Coffee and milkshakes available, hidden off of main high street up Packhorse Court. Dog friendly and free wi-fi available. Only issue we found was no hand soap in toilet, minor issue for such a lovely place! Would recommend for couples or small groups, not lots of seating however take away was available.

The food is average at best with the bagels being unsatisfactory and the £5 ‘cheesy’ chips being cold and barely cheesy. The real problem here is the service. After booking upon entry we were told a half an hour wait for burgers. However they didn’t feel the need to tell us a wrap and a bagel would take over an hour to arrive half cold. The waiters seemed stressed so were unfriendly and the whole experience was poor. Would think twice about recommending or returning due to bad service (times and manners) and average food.

Awful! £6 for a wrap filled with sauce and couple chunks of steak with one tiny square of halloumi! Been absolutely ripped off!

We were booked in today (frid) for 1p.m., 3 adults and 2 children. I was told there was a 45min wait which I was surprised about as there was only approx 8 tables in. Wait time was actually more like 1hr 5mins by the time all the meals had come out. First 2 meals came out wrong - burgers with buns and my friend had requested no buns. No fruit shoots for the little one. I was told that they were extremely busy, I'm guessing with take outs and deliveries. To be honest,if you have tables booked in I would have thought that the customers in front of you would be given priority not take away, particularly as we had been booked in for a few days. It's a shame because the food was nice when it came, but because we had been waiting so long I had to gulp mine down as I was worried about going over time in the car park. Not offered any discount either because of the wait.....doubt I will be back. Shame.

This is the second time I have visited hungry caterpillar. The first time we were left waiting 1hr 15mins for our food, this time is was a slight improvement of an hour. Although the food is nice, the wait time is just so long it ruins the whole experience. We ordered 2 burgers and were told by the waitress it would be a 40min wait for burgers. We agreed too that, but for it to be an hour, just seems like there is something going wrong in the kitchen. We ordered nachos as a starter to keep us occupied whilst we waiting for the burgers, but these took atleast 45mins to arrive, with the burgers following 15mins later. We were baffled because the place wasn’t remotely full. There were tables around us that were waiting for their food that were in before us so I dread to think how long they waited. The waiting on staff, particularly the young girl with blonde hair were very polite. The food was nice, but just a real real shame about how long you have to wait. We saw numerous take out orders going out, so I wonder if this place prioritises that as opposed to the eat in orders. I paid and we left, the plates weren’t cleared before we left either. There is a real draft that comes from a door aswell, I’m presuming leads to the kitchen or outside. Where we were sat it was just quite uncomfortable to have cold air flowing in. If the place isn’t at capacity, could more thought be given to seat people away from this area? I think a few simple things could really improve the dining experience. I would rate the food as good, but the wait time is so so poor I have gone in the middle with an average

Had a fantastic experience here. The Boss and his staff were all amazingly welcoming and the food was out of this world ! Ended up staying for the whole evening and enjoying every minute. The food is extremely healthy and full of flavour and the beers are nice too Thanks Paul and the gang, we had a top night and can’t wait to come back !

If I could rate 0 I would, I appreciate people might not agree with a bad review as we didn’t eat in the end, on arrival to a new normal wait here desk to note details for track and trace it took around 5 minutes for anyone to notice us, placed next to a window covered in flies, which isn’t a great sign in the current situation, it took 12 minutes for anyone to come over to the table who then when asked told us food would take around 45 minutes, which wouldn’t be acceptable for fine dining never mind this style of food (which when you can get it is good, don’t get me wrong) there was maximum 20 people in the restaurant which isn’t a mean feat for any eatery, maybe the concept was better suited in a smaller cafe style environment as opposed to a giant bar/restaurant lacking in atmosphere. More competent front of house and kitchen staff who can deliver food in acceptable times would help.

My friend and I were doing the C2C cycle ride from Workington. we were looking for somewhere to eat on the evening prior to our journey.we stumbled upon the Hungry Caterpillar. a Very nicely presented place, very friendly and helpful staff. They have a unique section on the menu "Bowls " we asked about them and the proprietor explained. A health dish tailored to your own likes, served in a bowl. It turned out to be a taste sensation. if you come across a Hungry Caterpillar establishment you must call in and try a "bowl"

Waited 40 minutes for a telephone order, no apologies for the wait time. On the phone I specified no salad 3 times for the bagel and after the 40 minutes wait found it had salad. My partner returned it and again no apology,he asked for a fresh bagel and asked how long it would be and he was told ' i dunno'. He had to go back 15 minutes later. So all in all it had taken over an hour for a bagel and a small box. The odd thing was i watched other customers coming in and ordering and being served before me. I believe that they had forgotten our order, it would have been better for them to own up to their mistakes instead of leaving us sat there with no apologies. On the other hand I couldn't fault the food just the service let's the place down.

I get a small bowl quite often and you get so much food for £6!! Can't fault it. This is what it looks like out of the box - it was in a box so hard to display well.

Omg Delicious - We went to the theatre opposite. Had to bring the kids for a quick bite and had never heard of the place or been there before though rem a pub being there. My children loved the kids pizzas which I tried and were unusually good and handmadeThe ‘dirty’ burger with black pudding was better than ANY burger I have ever had before and that includes when we lived in London where there is serious competition. I was not expecting that! DEFINITELY coming back. Was a bit chilly and few customers as quite early, but word needs to spread or close they should co-operate with theatre that doesn’t do food

Just had lunch again, absolutely fantastic as always. Friendly staff, excellent food choices and the food is just perfection.

We were going to have a meal here on Saturday night prior to attending a concert at the local theatre. It was 17:15, before we were served the young man behind the bar informed us that they had stooped serving meals as there was private function going on and this would be the same every Saturday. My maim moan is no where does it say sorry we close at 17:00 private function. There should be a notice on the door and on the web site. The web site also needs updating as it is 3 years out of date.

We had been in the smaller cafe when it was next door a couple of times, but it has now moved into the much larger premises, what used to be the Bounty pub. I think the new staff are still learning the ropes here. We were in about 11.45, for a quick lunch. only a few people in. Love the menu, esp the build your own meal bowl. Mainly light meals, great for lunch time. I decided on the chicken naachos, and my wife had a meal bowl. 35 mins later food came, it is freshly cooked, but they served me chicken on sweet potato fries. I did mention it straight away, they were going to rectify it, but as I was not bothered , I made do with them. Both meals were really nice however, and we like what they have done with the place. Has a big play area for young kids, and the place has a full bar.

Delicious, fresh, healthy food. Have eaten in both their cafes in Whitehaven and Workington. Can highly recommend.

The hungry caterpillar is without a doubt my favourite café in workington.The food is cooked fresh and cooked to perfection. All allergys and dietary requirements are adhered to and there is an excellent menu to choose from.And obviously the best thing is, it's HEALTHY! without feeling like your eating like a rabbit. It's a dream for anyone on a diet or trying to eat healthy Perfect perfect perfect

We ate out as a family here for the first time and overall, was a good experience. The menu isn't huge but the quality of food was excellent. I do like the 'salad bowl' approach where you choose proteins / sides / grains but would have liked bit more of the dressed leaves.Rest of the meals were good and everyone enjoyed their food. Only downside is it's a bit pricey - however, everything is cooked fresh and the ingredients all seemed of good quality.Would we come back - probablyWould we recommend to others - yes (as long as aware of the prices)

Gave it a try as heard people say it was worth a visit.Not disappointed.Excellent food which is health based.Nice settings and comfortable.Service very good.Will certainly call in again.

We had decided to go to Workington for the day and after a couple of hours in the shops decided to get a bite to eat. As usual we just walked about and found somewhere at random and the Hungry Caterpillar caught our eye (not least because of its bright lime green frontage)

Nice simple menu and all food seems reasonably priced. Drinks not so cheap but usually expect that in most eateries.

Good healthy grub, the food bowls are a great idea. Set prices for different size portions. Lovely helpful staff, nice little bistro style cafe. I'm gluten free, plenty of choices, even a dessert available.

First time. . you choose exactly what you want for a fixed price only dependent on size of bowl. Good quality food. Great staff and nice environment. Would definitely go again.

I visit here at least once a week, cannot complained food is always tasty and piping hot.

First visit for us and on the approach we nearly turned around and walked away as it looked closed. Blinds were fully closed and The place looked really uninviting. The blinds on one side of the window were all uneven and very untidy looking and certainly didn't create a very good first impression.

Loved it here. Heard lots of good things about this cafe so took a visit. I had a lunch bowl was amazing, full of flavour and left the place feeling healthy and refreshed non of that guilty feeling after eating it! Staff were very helpful was a little on the pricey side but totally understandable as obviously good ingredients were used!

Called in for lunch, had a delicious banana and carob smoothie then a delicious bowl of tasty heathy scrummy noodles with spicy chicken, butternut squash, feta and pumpkin seeds, kale and green beans, a good hearty portion, tasty and hot, will certainly recommend and will be going back, lovely!!!

Beeb here today for a breakfast. Place empty. Walked in waiting staff didn't look up from her phone to greet. Waited for her to finish texting but we got fed up and went elsewhere.

Gorgeous tasty healthy food cooked fresh while you wait. Will definitely be back. Very reasonable price .

It’s great that someone has decided to offer a healthy lunch option in Workington. One star gained just for that. The cafe itself has a modern/rustic theme and it’s quite cosy. I had a chicken and tomato pasta dish topped with salsa. It was delicious and packed with flavour. It would be great to see some more options on the menu in the future but Regardless I’ll be visiting again.

The menu here is varied, with the emphasis on healthy, fresh food. It is very reasonably priced and a refreshing alternative to the huge number of fast-food joints you mostly find in Workington.

Visited this place when it first opened and again recently. It has all of the right ideas but food just doesnt get cooked with love. Bland tastes and lukewarm food. Like the idea of the lunchbox though, they could be really tasty.

It was time for lunch and we searched around Workington for a decent independent cafe to grab some grub. Couldn't find anywhere and we were just about to give up and head to your standard coffee shop chain when we came upon The Hungary Caterpillar. It's a nice bright place with a good selection of sandwiches, bagels and wraps. They also had something called a 'Lunch Box' which was a plate of food where you selected from a meat or veggie protein and then added your rice or noodles and sauce. Food was good though it took a while to prepare and it was good value for money.

This is my fave place for lunch at the minute. Great choice for the lunch boxes. Not cheap but it's good quality stuff and you get what you pay for. Would love to see another veggie choice for the protein... only reason I havnt given 5 is because it's quite pricey for the lunchboxes.

This is definitely my favourite place to grab lunch at Workington. I prefer to sit in rather than take out. I always get the lunchbox but the wraps look tasty too. On a Wednesday it's 2 lunchboxes for £10 which is a great deal. Really tasty and lots of combinations to try.

Tasty wholesome food and milkshake. You build your own bowl of food from the good selection of ingredients available. Only suggestion I would make is for another vegan protein option.

My husband and I visited today for lunch. We both ordered salad lunchboxes. They're great as you can choose what you want in them along with a sauce. There are 3 sizes available. All the food they serve is good clean food and prepared well. We had protein shakes, which were a bit warm, could have done with some ice in. The drinks came after our food. They were busy, but after having firecracker sauce, we could have done with them arriving when our food did! Overall, nice place with good food made from good ingredients. Not a massive menu but definitely worth a visit for their salads alone.

I have eaten in the Hungry Caterpillar 3 times as I work across the round I nip around for a lunch box every now and again. I follow slimming world so it is refreshing to go to a place that does clean food, all cooked in a healthy way and be able to grab a lunch in a hurry. The lunch boxes are great as you can pick what size u want either small medium or large and then choose a meat a side and another side. I always opt for steak, brown rice with spinach and kale plus a little bit of sweet chilli sauce and it's always gorgeous. There's been a couple of times where they have ran out of steak then brown rice which was disappointing as I am fussy and only like the above combination. However when that happened last time they made me a lovely smoothie at a reduced price to compensate that they had ran out of rice. The girls are lovely and friendly who work in there and if you are following a healthy eating plan or training this place is ideal. The only place like it in Workington.

Windows smashed and boarded from outside, dirty grimy door. It's been like that for over a month. Not very appealing.