Wainwrights' Inn in South Lakeland

We visited Friday afternoon for beers; a traditional pub in a glorious setting.

Staff are friendly, and food is OK, but value for money was pretty poor, especially kids meals.

Great service, tasty food, fantastic location, what more could you ask. *Edit I've recently been spending a lot of times in the lakes and despite being spoilt for choice when I comes to places to eat, I always seem to find my way back here. As good now as it was 3 years ago when I left my original review.

Lovely premises and staff. Great food and pints. Very expensive and tables could have done with cleaning since there were very few customers inside prior to food serving time at 5pm. I made sure I wiped it down for the next customer and explained that it wasn't my mess.

Proper old pub, good food, friendly service

Cracking beer, wonderful food, fabulous staff and smashing people to talk to.

Called in for a Sunday roast after a night’s camping in the langdales, food was spot on. Service was great and would definitely return again. One of my go-to places in the Lake District for some good pub grub. @northern_rockhopper

Awesome little pub in a picturesque lake land valley. The river behind has a nice walking trail if you follow over the bridge.

Lovely pub, had to wait a short time for a table as expected on a Saturday afternoon, food was lovely and decent portions as well and great value

Dropped in for another pint and sandwich on a walk - great place, hope it stays the same after the zip wire development happens!

Good pub, good selection of ales and larger good pub food as well.

A lovely pub by the river. Food was good, service was quite fast and the staff were very friendly. The signature dish was the lamb. But the other dishes were great too.

Nice old pub in beautiful location,but always many people.Hard to find some place to seat.

Lovely place be aware when we visited it was card only.

Popped in for a couple of pints, good real ale, friendly staff, lovely place to stop. Can't comment on food because we didn't order any this time. Will definitely be going back.

Nice pub for lunch and dinner. Beautiful surroundings and enough seats inside and outside in the beer garden. Not too expensive and great service.

Great place but get there early if you want to eat - always busy

Really good, will definitely be back 👍

Lovely food, big portions. Good beers. Proper pub atmosphere.

Beer and vibes good. Food on the other hand is grossly overpriced, especially vegetarian and vegan options which were dire.

Wowee! So my husband and I weren’t organised at all. We turned up after the last serving time (very well sign posted) and asked for dinner. Were initially disappointed. They were very apologetic - even though not their fault. Ordered drinks. Got a table. Then later, they brought over some food out of kindness for free. Wow! So super super super kind!!! How lovely.

Unfortunately as a card only establishment, the best I can give this place is one star

Great traditional pub in a superb setting.

Fabulous walker's pub. Right at the edge of walking trails in the Lake District, Wainwrights' Inn has friendly service and lovely food. I had a stellar ham sandwich and Shandy. Perfect after an 11k walk!

Lovely pub along the Cumbria Way route. Walking distance to nearby Bays Brown Campsite. It's quite spacious inside with a beer garden as well. The food was very nice and good big portions - just what we needed after a long day's walking! There are a few local ales on tap and a selection of other beers and drinks as you'd expect. The staff were very friendly. There's free WiFi which was great as we had no phone signal in the area. I've been a couple of times and would definitely visit again.

Nice pub, good service, but food was really poor. We had fish and chips (£18) and a cheese and bacon burger (£18) The burger was tasteless and overcooked. Fish was bland with not much taste also. Guessing the food comes in in bulk and is essentially re-heated/warmed up. Shame as has the potential to be a great pub if they used fresh local suppliers.

The Chilli was nothing to shout about. Ale was good as are the views!

What a hidden gem. Fantastic food and service with a stunning view.

Really disappointing visit. Have been coming for over 40 years and had brought new friends with me. Staff were rude & awkward (moaning we hadn't hung menus back up and when we cleared a tea tray onto a spare table to make room for main meals. Even told us where we had to stand at the bar to order) Fish goujons & chips were obviously the end of a batch and had been reheated to within an inch of their life and BBQ sauce on the Hunter's chicken ruined that too. Wouldn't currently recommend which is a shame as it is in an idyllic location.

A great busy pub. A good range of real ales. The menu is excellent pub food. Fantastic atmosphere. Well worth a visit!

Delicious food ,great service, traditional Lakeland pub

Delicious food, cooked to perfection. Pleasant and friendly staff

A little pricey but well worth it for the beautiful location and surroundings

So disappointed in the food what a complete rip off 18 pound for fish and chips. Frozen oven chips deep fried come out soaked in oil. A pathetic tiny fish hidden in a big puff of greasy batter. Basically just paid 18 pound for chips and batter. Absolutely disgusting. Was looking foward to a meal out all day to be disappointed is an understatement. Would enjoy them more from aldi

Gem of a pub … great food … large fish and chips is immense and perfect 👌

Great atmosphere, food and beer

Really nice pub, other half thought the mains were expensive but I'm not sure anywhere is cheap these days (about £15-£20 for a main course, seems normal now). There were veggie options and options for small portions which was nice too. I'd go again for sure. Dog friendly and board games for people to use.

Nice friendly atmosphere and great location. Easy walk from camping ground.

Very pretty pub on the inside. We ordered four Wainwright’s, one each. All were disgusting, smelled of sulphur. Expected better given it’s the pub’s namesake. Also the music was depressing. James Blunt on a Saturday afternoon is unnerving

Popped in after a long day's walking for some food. The pub is in a lovely location, really quiet next to a river. The meal was really good and the portions were big. The service was spot on and all the staff were happy. Will definitely come back here when we visit again next year.

Didn't go in as there is an unwelcoming notice at the door saying that don't take cash. If we lose our cash, we lose our freedom. We will not support any business that denies us our choice to use cash.

One of my favourite pubs. Amazing views. Have the lamb.

Great food..amazing location..fond memories..

A must in the lakes. Great food, great staff, dog friendly. Perfect.

We love the Wainwright pub as just down the road where we stay. For an after walk pint, drinks on the terrace or indoors on a winters day all good. Staff are friendly and welcoming always. For food I would t recommend elsewhere, Seabass priced at £19 came with over roasted mini sliced potatoes and boiled broccoli. . Kids fish and chips, fish had no taste (my son always finishes his plate not on this occasion) And the Cajun burger at £18 came with just the burger and fries, no garnish. We know it’s a pub, but if you are charging proper prices, you need to pull it together and get a chef in who loves what he is doing. This wasn’t great!

Just the sort of pub you need after a long walk getting soaking wet and cold. Good choice of beers, food was very good. Shame there wasn’t a massive roaring fire ongoing. Kitchen closes at end of afternoon service and before dinner, but only for about 30mins

Great pub. Go here every time we are in the lakes. Amazing food. Most definitely recommend

Absolutely brilliant foods fantastic service is amazing just as good as always

Great pub, cosy and friendly with great food and beers. Delicious. Wainwright's Gold especially recommended. Prices may be about £5.80 for a pint and £18 for fish and chips, but that's probably about standard in most nice pubs these days and the portions are generous. Had soup as a starter and the fish and chips and could barely finish, no room for dessert. Had four different beers over two days; all well kept. Pub quiz on Wednesday was good fun; free to enter but they have a cash whip round for charity. Speaking of cash, they don't take it: it's card or contactless only. Outdoor patio with heat lamps for cold nights and umbrellas that provide a bit of shelter if it rains.

Lovely friendly pub with great food. The Wednesday night quiz is fab too - we had a lot of fun! The bar is card only, but take a bit of cash on quiz night for the local charity. Would definitely come back next time we're around!

Went for a drink while walking. We found the bar area cold to sit in. Staff were pleasant but not "friendly". Pub itself is clean, plenty of space and dog friendly.

Nice trad Langdale pub. Driven past it 100s of times over the many years. Never been in until today. Always felt it looked a bit corporate make over from the outside but the bar was very nice, Cumbrian, friendly, a few local brews felt quite unspoilt, not "done up" was very nice. Good atmosphere. Quirky bar staff. I'll be back.

Perfect pub after a long walk. Staff are friendly and they have lots of board games to play. Food was delicious we had the pie and fish and chips would highly recommend!

Average food for relatively expensive cost, atmosphere was dark, lots of kids, staff were cold. We spent £50 for a drink and 2 standard meals, no deserts/starters.

Great lunch selection, great service and a great location.

I just popped in to have a non alcoholic drink, a really nice traditional pub with lovely views over the fells.

Fantastic food, very friendly service. Huge portions and an excellent menu of very tasty food. Great range of beers and spirits. They serve food across the day and ot can get very busy depending on time of the year and the weather. Recommend getting there early to secure a table inside if weather is wet or cold. The Staff are so tentative and are eager to serve. Time taken from ordering food to being delivered to your table is less than 15 minutes and it's perfect. Recommend the Lamb, really nice and so much. I highly recommend eating and drinking here.

Very helpful, clean, good food.

Tammas , Michael and Sophie were fabulous. The Sunday dinner portion was massive and really tasty. Will return if ever in the area

We had the best food ever .staff were lovely and friendly. Travel from keswick to try it out was not disappointed 10 stars from us

Staff behind the bar was extremely rude..haven't ordered the food yet so can't comment on that. Bad start to the experience though

Beautiful pub. Staff were so friendly and the food was amazing.

A place close to my heart...great food, good beers fantastic surroundings and lovely log fire on the colder days. A trip to the Lakes has to involve Wainwrights Inn.

Called in for a sneaky gin!! Loved it ..great welcome, friendly staff, wonderful atmosphere..

Feels like you're a part of the history of Elterwater here. Everything was wonderful!

Friendliest pub in the area. Old school, open fire, home cooking, lovely staff, amazing history. Been coming here for over 40 years still the best beer and atmosphere

Nice food and welcoming staff, plus obligatory Wainwrights beer on tap. Only downside was a local sat next to the fire who was watching videos on his phone rather loudly, and being encouraged by the staff. Certainly ruined the atmosphere for a lot of guests.

We walked here from new dungeon ghyall along footpath and was worth it. The drinks was lovely staff was friendly but food abit over priced.

£5.50 for a pint of ale??? Ridiculous pricing. Shameful to name yourself after Wainwright and charge that much.

Great pub, excellent menu, brilliant service.

Wonderful pub with fantastic food and a great fire place too They have a great range of cask ales and some delicious traditional pub grub 🤤 I'll be back for sure 😁 STAY HOPPY ✌️ As always for more beery adventures from around the UK and beyond feel free to follow my Instagram page and YouTube channel @beerguideworldwide #beerguideworldwide

Probably the best lamb in the world and great service in a homely pub with log fire to boot.

A busy perfect langdale pub with the most helpful and friendly staff. Great food, beer and atmosphere on an early January evening.

Excellent chips and great customer service

Brilliant. Great food for adults and kids. Relaxed atmosphere. Friendly staff.

Nice friendly place with a good choice of beers. Food also recommended.

food good n hot but a little expensive yes your in a great area but Lamb shank at £26 is the most I have paid yes will go again but to be honest I didn't pay and wouldn't knowing what you get 4 your money

Nice pub grub in a traditional lakeland pub setting. Expect to pay about £20 per head for a main course. A few good real ales on tap.

Hubby & l had a delicious roast beef sunday lunch with fantastic service thank you 😊

Wow, what a stunning pub. Rustic, classic feel, good selection of cask and draught and really friendly staff. Cask was expensive at £5.25 for a local cask ale, but it was perfectly kept, and the atmosphere inside the pub meant it was actually worth it (not something I say often!) I will be back for sure.

Not my first visit to the inn and certainly won't be my last. In the summer booking in advance appears to be a must as is the popularity of the place. A good wide selection of local ales available with amazing food on the menu. I had the lamb Henry and it was fall off the bone tender with excellently seasoned mashed potatoes and pan sauce

Love it here, we visited on a weekend away but would gladly make the 2 hour journey to go back. The food, staff and atmosphere is fantastic. Everyone was really friendly we would definitely recommend 🙂.

Love going to this pub - staff are really friendly and food is excellent. Quiz night is great with all proceeds going to a worthy cause.

Stopped by for a pint. Have previously eaten here. It's all good 😎

Friendly comfortable atmosphere. Good food.

A bit pricey for the food. The pub it self is nice and clean.

Good service . Good pub food . Fair price .

Overpriced Poor quality Staff are very defensive Customer never right Rather spend £30 of my money with a pot noodle next to a wishing well

Amazing food and amazing staff will definitely be back

Expensive especially when the food was not good, asked for some veg with the sausage and mash and they charged us £9 for it, which was clearly frozen veg. The staff were not friendly. Would not recommend, we felt ill after the food!

I tried to get a hot cup of tea here today and was refused because they only take card payments. I had cash on me. Due to a bus issue I had been standing in the damp and cold for over 2 hours and was feeling extremely cold. I was told I could have some hot water. I left feeling very upset. This is no way to run a pub , where has good customer service gone. Well it was their loss as my husband came to find me and we would have spent money on food and drink but on point of principle I will never go in this pub again. We are frequent visitors to the Langdale valley and this is my first bad experience from a hospitality establishment.

Lovely food and friendly staff.

Lovely ambience and really great food for a fairly sensible price. I had a Cumberland hot dog which was just fantastic. Good beers on tap and very nice view of the nearby hills. Very convenient walk from the Langdale lodges. Also they have scrabble and a fire. Very dog friendly.

Very friendly and welcoming. Had a great meal and an enjoyable evening.

Good food although menu is standard pub fair with most dishes having chips. Friendly staff plenty of seating indoors and outdoors with heaters for the latter. Prices are reasonable for the area. Starting to look a bit tired inside these days but always busy.

The pub is in a lovely scenic spot, nice beer garden, the young lady that served us was very nice, there is parking at the side of the road, also wheelchair friendly, it serves food, the reason I only gave this place 3stars is because we didn’t realise it was Card payments only, so I won’t be going there again.

Great service. Great beer. Plenty of outdoor seating. Warm and cosy inside.

Lovely food, friendly staff, gets busy so get in early. Bonus dog friendly. Nice log fire on cold day.

Great pub in a fantastic location. A good selection of beers and tasty food. Amazing open fire for drying out after a cold / damp walk!

The staff are very helpful and friendly. The food is wonderful and there is plenty of seating inside and outside. This is our favourite pub in the area so far. We will be coming back next year when we are on holiday again here.