The Tannery Bar & Bistro in South Lakeland

We had drinks, lunch and dinner for 2-3 days and loved the food, the bar, and eating on the deck overlooking the river. The scenery is terrific and the remodeled decor and deck were very comfortable. There were problems and confusion with food service everyday we were there, but the remodeling had just been completed, so some reorganizing was be expected. At times we saw pretty aggravated staff members trying their best. It was often hard to get any service at all on the deck as the bartender was expected to wait on tables (forget about clearing and cleaning them) as well as tend bar. I know running a restaurant is tough, and hiring seasonal staff must be even worse. I have no suggestions about how to improve, other than to say hire more staff!!! We very much enjoyed the food and drinks, and the atmosphere. We never did get to eat in the newly remodeled dining room. There was never enough staff to wait tables, but it couldn't have been better than the deck. However, had the weather been rainy or cold, this review might be quite different! Cheers. I do hope we are able to return some time.

Recently refurbished, food was very good at reasonable price. The bar was not very well stocked, only one choice of white wine and my second guinness saw my glass getting recycled as they only had one guinness glass.

Called in a week ago today looking forward to a nice meal waiter told us there was a party of 14in so we might have a slight delay we said ok but an hour later no one come over too tell us how much longer we might be so we voiced our disgust and walked out by in in

Good service, friendly bar staff. The food was fantastic. I had the bangers & mash & it was the nicest I think I've had from a restaurant. Dog friendly.

Service a little slow. Needs modernisation

Quiet whilst we were there. Spacious. Nice seats. Food score based on hotel upstairs. Nice staff.

First time going and absolutely loved it , the food was delicious and the service was incredible, the new server Heather really went above and beyond to give great service and tried her best with a smile , every staff member was polite and the view was incredible, definitely recommend.

Good choice Good food As always in Kendal parking is a problem

Having been in once already for a coffee in the afternoon we decided to have our evening meal here and we really enjoyed it the wife had the Fish pie and I had a steak and they was well cooked and very tasty nothing not to like , decided to have a couple of desserts and they went down a treat , the folk waiting on were friendly and popped back occasionally to see if every thing was ok , nothing not to like got to be a massive thumbs up from me ..

Popped in for a quick break as we had just arrived in Kendal on a rainy day. Ordered some drinks and desserts to fuel up. Lovely quiet ambience with friendly staff! Prices are alright too.

We were staying in the hotel and had a night cap in the tannery bar. There a good range of draught beers/lagers as well as a decent selection of Gins and malt Whisky. Comfortable seats and very clean

Food was good, was a miserable day so unable to sit outside overlooking the river. Staff were spare but very courteous and helpful. The place was quite quiet.

Lovely staff and relaxed atmosphere. You don’t need to be a hotel guest to have a coffee or a sit down meal either.

Best dinner in Kendal. Staff and food so amazing. Great value and beautiful food I had the salmon with mussels… would recommend it. We r coming back again

First time we have stayed in Kendal overnight and walking about we liked the look of the menu. (Checked on Compare the Market food app and found they did 2 for 1 so booked). Dining is in a very nice lounge area and the staff were very friendly and quick. Nice food and reasonably priced house wine. My wife told them that her fish pie was one of the best she eaten with not too much potatoe. Would definately eat here again.

Came for birthday lunch, best staff, Love this place and would come more often if i was close!!! Would recommend

We had to wait to be seated because there was a large coach party in early evening. We didn't mind so went for a walk and came back. When we got a table there was a restricted menu with only a few items. This again was alright, we got something we liked. We ordered the steak pie which when it arrived was very disappointing. The pastry was soggy, chips looked a lovely golden brown but were hard and what should have been curly kale was deep fried left over broccoli in cheese sauce (disgusting). It's better to say we can't fit you in than serve a meal like that.

Called in for lunch today the 14th feb -the lady running the bar was super friendly and so helpful. Menu was great we ordered burgers and I have to admit it’s the best burger I’ve ever had. Definitely homemade burgers and the chips were awesome. Great service and a very friendly welcome from the bar lady. Food and Drink prices very reasonable. Would definitely recommend and well worth a visit.

What a surprise! Booked a table on a whim, and wasn't disappointed. Sam and Nicola on the bar were amazing, fantastic service. The decor isn't the best and we were expecting 'pub grub', but the food we received was was worthy of a far superior restaurant. Well done to everyone, my compliments to the chef(s). When we're next in the area, we'll definitely be coming again.

We have walked past this gem many times and called in on a spur of the moment whim. What a find, you enter through the hotel main door but once in its dog friendly and the food is very very good and reasonably priced, the decor is plush, well worth a visit.

Lovely service by David and Nic. Made us feel so welcome. Excellent service would highly recommend!!

Friendly and helpful staff. Nice couple of local Hawkshead brewery beers too. Lovely balcony over looking the river. Couldn’t see any vegan choices on the menu besides chips/ soup so didn’t eat here

We weren't staying at the hotel but 4 of us went for a meal to celebrate a birthday. We were told where our table was and within a few minutes someone took our drinks order, so far so good. 5 minutes or so later we had our food order taken, 3 steaks and a steak and ale pie. 40 minutes later we asked where the food was and we were told that there was a large group in and our food wouldn't be long. There was no mention of this large group or a warning that our food maybe delayed. It took another 15 minutes for our food to arrive. In the meantime other customers had arrived and had already received their food. The food when it arrived was average at best. On the plus side the steaks were cooked as requested although the one that asked to be well done was VERY well done. Funnily enough half an hour prior to going we were warned that the food wasn't very good but we were unable to find anywhere else to eat at short notice. If you're looking to eat here don't set your standards too high.

Stayed in the hotel for a couple of nights. Very clean, and very friendly service. Decided to eat in the Bistro the second night, but had been very wary due to some reviews. I’m glad to say we ignored them, and had an excellent meal, with fantastic service. All for less than £50 including a couple of drinks in the afternoon. We both said we were so glad we weren’t swayed by previous reviews, and would definitely stay at the hotel and eat in the Bistro when staying in Kendal in the future. Thank you. 👍

Perfect out on the terrace overlooking the river in the sunshine and watching the world go by. Delicious food too 👌🏽

We were staying in the hotel so we thought we'd call in and have a drink before bed Bar staff had to be called no service to the table which wasn't great and the prices were a bit OTT

The Tannery is situated within the Riverside hotel at Kendal overlooking the River Kent. We stayed here for three nights and enjoyed our visit. However, the downside was the quality of the food on offer, especially at breakfast and also in the Tannery where we dined on our last night. The menu was quite limited. I had calamari to start, sirloin steak for main and ice cream for dessert. The calamari was pleasant enough but quite expensive for around five pieces ; similarly the sirloin steak, with a diluted Stilton sauce and anaemic chips. I had a pint of Strongbow and a bottle of uninspiring, under chilled Viognier. Service was decent, but the cost of around £135 for four was too much for the underwhelming food provided.

Lovely bar and bistro attached to the Riverside Hotel in Kendal. The decor was classy and the ambience lent itself to an enjoyable evening. Food was excellent. Beautifully presented and piping hot. Staff were very pleasant. A bonus was that dogs are allowed.

A varied, good choice of food served from midday. The bar/bistro is a reasonable size and roomy. Service is good. Two real were on offer too.

Visited on Tuesday 30th July We found this place to eat on the meerkat meals app whilst staying in Shap. The bar menu was varied and had lots of tasty options. We both chose the pork loin with rosti and spinach ragu,was absolutely delicious, one of the nicest meals I've eaten in a long time, really home cooked and not turned out generic rubbish! We also had a sticky toffee pudding each with coffee Couldnt fault the place there was a young man behind the bar who never stopped and despite doing several jobs at the same time, bar man waiter, cleaner, he never failed to have a smile on his face! It was a really nice experience and even without the meerkat deal (we paid £29 for 2 meals, 2 coffees 2 diet cokes and 2 puddings) I would of been happy to pay the full price for the food we were served as it was lovely. We would definitely visit this place again if in the area. There was also a free car park we found really easily.

So arrived at 2.15 and reported to the staff we were here for the Xmas lunch at 2.30. Were told that they had been waiting for us then told us to go into the bar and wait to be called. Informed when bought a drink to wait 5 minutes then go up to the restaurant. On arrival no reception with an appetiser and were shown to our seats. To say that there was no atmosphere is an understatement. Lack of decoration and nothing for children to do. No Santa no presents for the child in our group to play with and there was music but couldn’t be heard. We were shown our seats were not asked if we wanted wine even though wine glasses on the table. Had to ask for the drinks menu. Then came our starters which started off good, however there was a lack of care with placement of the plates and no soup spoon again had to ask. Main meals were a great disappointment. Meat was dry both turkey and beef and the veg! Two serving dishes for 5 of us one of them a child. Two florets of cauliflower between us all. Lots of sprouts and carrots but only two roast potatoes which were very hard and dry. It seemed like they had been stood for a while and we had got the scraps. It was apparent soon on on that we were the last group as staff were tidying up around us. Deserts were again disappointing and came out when our child hadn’t finished his main! Once deserts were out coffee came! Talk about rushed! The decor is very tired in this hotel. It needs a good refurb with some more dedicated staff that genuinely care. We were shown out and straight out the door. No tip given. £60 a head and £30 for a child. Would rather pay more for the atmosphere and care given with smiling faces. Very poor riverside hotel

El fin de semana pasado mi novio y yo comimos en el restaurante. Buen lugar, volumen de música para que pudiéramos hablar y relajarnos. La comida estaba bien, perfecta para llenarnos. Hemos sido atendidos por un personal encantador, no sé si entiendo a un nombre, Sandra y David. ¡Volveremos defensivamente por esos dos!¡Gracias chicos!

I was able to take my dog in with me, so eating dinner on my own was a pleasurable experience. The menu choice was good and the food was very good all round.

Quick / efficient / well served and tasty Sweets very good too. Good selection of drinks too Bar staff very friendly and helpful

On holiday in the lake district. Now twice to this bar / restaurant. Food is fantastic and with Meerkat app, great value too. Just had the fish n chips and the chips taste like good fish n chip shops should and fish good size and probably best I've had. Thank youPete from Grantham

Visited on Saturday 11th August and had 2 really tasty bar meals reasonable prices and good surroundings would definitely recommend and visit again on next trip to the beautiful lakes

Having quickly scoured Kendal we defaulted to this Bistro in our hotel.We sat overlooking the river enjoying the heatwave, beer and the prospect of our supper.Our expectations were not high, therefore we were not disappointed with the fare served.I had the scampi and chips in the basket, edible, whilst my wife had mushy peas, fish and chips. Both were OK cannot get enthused about them, but good for a fall back position.

While staying at th Riverside Hotel we went here several times for drinks. There were a few Local Brewary ales (Hawkeshead) and the normal tap beers. The staff were pleasent and helpful and the beer was good. Lovely balcony overlooking the river.

Dull and relatively expensive, real shame as it could be a lovely thriving place to go

Lunch was nice, although limited with 12pm-2pm for serving. Area very sparse, quite cold looking, especially in Feb.

We ate here one evening whilst staying in the hotel.

Just wanted a snack so ordered a cheese and pickle sandwich and a bowl of chunky chips very nice service very good

Would not recommend the Chicken Kiev , over cooked in old oil. No atmosphere, cold and uninviting room, but clean. Very few people in the bar area

Ate here on first night of short stay, veg ravioli was tasty enough but not a large portion and not very hot. Partner had the burger which he did enjoy. Lager is pulled slowly which was good.

Staying at Riverside Hotel we decided to dine at the Tannery . We had fish & chips & peas which was well well cooked & tasty . Sticky toffee pudding & chocolate ice cream to follow . Service was a tad slow otherwise a good night .

Lovely hotel, the bar & bistro very good. Nice choice of food on the menu. Lovely terrace overlooking rive.

Well the title says it all really.

Great service. Lovely atmosphere. Food was great. large dishes. We ordered the steak and ale pie, Chicken Kiev, Cheesburger and from the kids menu Spaghetti and meatballs and chicken Goujons. All large portions and very tasty Highly recommended.

Kendal is a great stopping-off point for journeying to Scotland from the South, but has a dearth of good evening eateries. T

We ate in the Tannery bar whilst staying at the hotel. Great service from the staff. Great food and good choice of menu.

A nice day so went here so I could sit outside overlooking the river. When young man came out to bring food to an adjoining table I asked for a menu to be told then were on the table indoors. The people on the next table explained I would then have to order and pay at the bar but the food would actually be brought out to me. None of this information was available when I entered so I could have sat outside all day and received no attention.

My partner and I visited here Friday after coming to Kendal for the weekend. We didn't book,we found out we got a discount as we were staying at a local b&b; so decided to give it a try and got a seat no bother.

The food is not fantastic but not bad for the price, mains are about £11 and very large. The service was very good and the staff very helpful and pleasant

We only called in for a drink as we were staying in the area, had good bar service and was quiet ( well it was January) the only down side was residents children being allowed to run around the bar area.....they should have been under parent supervision.

The Tannery Bar & Bistro is situated on the ground floor of the Riverside Hotel and is distinct from the Hotel's own restaurant. It has a full bar and serves a menu of typical pub grub as well as letting you order from the Hotel's Riverside Restaurant menu if you ask. There are both dining tables and comfy easy chairs near a gas fired stove.