Wheatsheaf Inn in Allerdale

Great food and good service. We all ate off the specials board and loved every bit of it. Wine selection was good. Pop on an X5 from cockermouth if you want to save on taxi's and have a drink.

This place is well known amongst locals and it's out in the sticks a little too. It offers something slightly different menu-wise, from the usual gastro-pub or trendy eateries in the area. The South African theme is present from the moment you enter and are greeted by the staff, knowing our local friends from visits before. The small menu, as expected, contains a few of South African dishes. The headliner being their Cape Malay Curry with a choice of chicken, prawn or veg, and the desert Malva Pudding. There is an extensive specials board including fish and vegetarian choices. Our party variously had Haddock Mornay, Chimicirri steak skewers with Parmesan fries and a Beef Bourguignon style stew, any of which I'd have chosen ordinarily. We live in Leicester and I tend to have the mindset of why do you need to have a curry when away, how can they compete? However, none serve a South African curry, and I was intrigued so went for that. Delicious! Served with a lovely soft Nan, the nearest curry I can relate it to is a Rogan Josh. It had similar hotness, that is to say a pleasantly medium strength and had a similar fresh and light flavour. Beautifully fragrant. Then for desert, a lovely apple crumble Eton mess. What's not to like? Will return again, plus it's dog friendly, which is important given Keswick's dog lover population.

We visited this weekend for our monthly date night & we were pleasantly surprised. We live locally and hadn’t ever visited here. The setting in the pub is lovely, there was a fire on near us and it’s dog friendly so we could take our little dog. The normal menu was good enough but the specials menu had even more lovely choices on it. Both of our starters were lovely (skins and pittas) and the lamb main was beautiful, unfortunately my meatballs were raw in the middle, so they offered to re make the dish on the house but by this point it was 30 minutes after we’d shared my husbands main course, so we didn’t feel like it as much. But we understand that these things can happen and hope it was just an one off and really appreciated this dish being on the house too :)

Really lovely atmosphere with great food and service. It's a small place with families, couples and friends dining. Dog friendly but small so only one dog when we were there. We went two nights in a row!

Fabulous food that was massive in portion size and really tasty - we all ate off the special board and it didn't disappoint. Dynamite prawns were the only things off the main menu and after a rainy day it was nice to get out and dine in pleasant surroundings with a dog too.

This was a first time visit and all our party said they would recommend. Food was excellent but the menu didn't do the place justice, specials were superb. Small dining room so we sat outside in the marquee which was OK because it was early evening. Friendly, relaxed service. Will undoubtedly return in the future.

We booked for an early evening table with two small dogs. (booking is recommended as it's a small dining room) The welcome was warm and friendly and we were given a table tucked in the corner which was perfect for the dogs. The menu may appear limited at first glance, but the food is amazing and cooked to perfection. Fresh, tasty and something different to the usual Lakes pubs! We had Monkfish Scampi and Lamb Rump Kebabs with Greek Style Fries. They were delicious! You could tell they were freshly cooked and care was taken by the chef. A real treat! The restaurant was busy that night but the calm manner in which food and drinks were served was impressive. We never felt rushed or hassled, and the customer service is best described attentive, unobtrusive and very professional. This place really is a hidden gem and if you're in the area, you must give this place a try. We're gutted we don't live nearer to go back again soon!

The best food in the Lakes. We live just outside of Keswick and we’ve visited the Wheatsheaf a few times, the food is amazing. My partner always ops for the dynamite wings which are delicious! The staff and owner can’t do enough for you as customers. Thank you, we will be back!

Incredibly welcoming and delicious food; the starter selection is varied (prawns were exceptional / steak was really tender) and the mains were delicious. The Malay curry was a highlight. Owner also said they don't do a kids menu, but serve smaller portions of the menu (far better than serving the usual slop for kids like nuggets and chips). Will definitely return.

A nice well presented and decorated place. Interesting food, lots of specials. Excellent service. Food influenced by Mediterranean and Asian as well as British. All well cooked with good ingredients.

Our first visit with friends and we will certainly be travelling out again from Keswick. We went for falafel, crispy chicken and shared a moussaka which was all amazing, beautifully prepared and presented with delicious fresh flavours. I had a glass of rose which was the best I have had all year (and thankfully not Pinot Grigio blush or Zinfandel). Service was great too. The place has just a great vibe, relaxed and really good quality and value.

Just stood in the bar for 10 minutes and didn't see a single person so we are off to another pub for lunch! Missed out on our business i'm afraid and we won't be back!

I don't know if it's normal here or if this habit is reserved to foreign customers, but our ciders were cut with 40% water from tap (saw it with my own eyes when leaving) ! Worst cider I ever had, then, of course. Beside that, we had to go order at the bar (although we were the only customers in the restaurant), and a minut after seating in the corner table with the loudspeaker behind us, the manager switched on music in our ears. Add to that a not particularly warm welcome and you obtain an awkward experience instead of what should have been a comforting lunch. A shame because food was relatively good (not cheap, by the way) and the place is nice. Having myself a restaurant, I just can't understand such a behavior from a professional living off a touristic place.

Beautiful little hotel in the middle of nowhere, gorgeous views and plenty to do during your stay! Will definitely return!

We arrived and were welcomed by a warm friendly lady who showed us to our table, it was quite busy for a week night and we had to wait a while for our order,the food is good quality but the portion size was huge and it seemed a waste to send so much food back, I would have been happier with smaller portions and maybe shave a little off the price. The food was well cooked the only thing was our chips were under cooked and raw in the middle , we didn't complain as they were rushed off their feet and it felt a little bit petty to say anything., all in all a good meal and we will be back but maybe in the Winter when it is quieter.

My wife and I plus two friends dined at the wheatsheaf, I have to say that I was not expecting anything special.What a pleasant surprise, food delicious, piping hot and of excellent quality, and most importantly served with a smile, bar staff similarly pleasantMost small village pubs struggle in one way or another, but the wheatsheaf deserves every success, it is patently obvious that a great deal of time and effort goes into the restaurant quality foodWell done to all concerned.

Mike and Sharron Wilkinson (new owners) have just moved in here and only opened for food last week. Our party of 5 adults and 1 child booked in here for Sunday lunch (please use the number above as the one on Trip Advisor is wrong and needs amending although they have been informed of this). Some places offer Sunday lunch only on a Sunday but the full menu is also available here - and I have to say what a fantastic variation of food they offer! I started with Deluxe Garlic Mushrooms then had a Roast Beef dinner and finished with home made Pavlova with fresh raspberries (or strawberries if you prefer) and pouring cream. Accompanying the beef and Yorkshire pudding came carrot and turnip mash, mashed potatoes, chips and cauliflower cheese. Obviously I have a large appetite but their portion sizes are out of this world and the quality of the food is fantastic. My wife had a mixed meat salad which had a very generous portion of turkey, roast beef and ham, all were moist and easily cut. There was also pate, a pot of prawns and a lovely salad with fresh strawberries and coleslaw accompanied this along with a fresh crusty bread roll. My mother in law had duck in an orange sauce - every mouthful was delicious. They will accommodate what the child wants to eat too. Ours had Cumberland sausage and gammon but they have chicken nuggets too. The pub is set in lovely surroundings and it won't be long before we're back again. The best meal out by far.