The best restaurants in Derwent Valley Allerdale North West

Precis: Wow! Excellent! Any other superlative you choose! Full review: What a wonderful gem of a find! From the start the welcome was warm and friendly. Nothing was too much trouble for Gary, Donna and their team; what a diamond they have found in Jack! The quality of the furnishings is very high, the fittings top class and the home made biscuits in the bedroom were delicious! Even a welcome decanter of sherry to start off your stay! The hallway walls are adorned with award plaques from numerous organisations! The grounds were extensive and very well kept. We had read about the wild red squirrels and hoped we may get to spot one - no fears there; we watched them running around the garden and feeder each day! Now for the food! Absolutely excellent! Each evening started at 7pm with canapés and good conversation with fellow guests, most of whom seem to be repeat visitors, with good reason! Gary is very personable and quite the bon viveur, his knowledge of wine is excellent, after all by his own admission he has been in the game for a good number of years! The four course dinner menu is set, no choices, but the menu is on display each morning and I'm sure that alternatives could be organised if enough notice were given. Each course was exquisite, served piping hot (where appropriate!) and presented beautifully, as was the table in general. Service was efficient, friendly and knowledgeable. Breakfast was just as good! Hazel Bank has seven rooms and the restaurant is open only to residents. All this means that each guest gets very personal, and personable, service from start to finish! If you think that this review is a little enthusiastic then I doubt you've visited! Don't get me wrong, it isn't for everybody and nowhere is totally perfect, but Hazel Bank gets VERY close!

The best experience - it’s not just about the food, it’s the people…all of the staff were superb. So enthusiastic and passionate about their offerings. Team briefings every evening are followed by a seamless informal service. The quality of the food produced under the direction of head chef Jack is out of this world. We had the 2 menus over two nights. You can tell they all love working there. A unique Michelin restaurant which only has 1 star (for now).

My husband and I have always fancied trying this place, so I booked it as a surprise for his birthday. We came up (from the Midlands) with our two teenage children (15 and 17) and our two dogs. My husband and I stayed in the garden room, which is perfect for people with dogs, and the kids stayed in a mountain view room. From arrival to departure, we were made to feel so welcome. It was the smallest details like fresh milk for in your room, bath oils for your bath and a jar of dog treats and blankets for the dogs, that made it for me, not to mention the delicious evening meal and breakfast! The 7 course taster menu was absolutely delicious, I enjoyed every mouth watering mouthful. This was our children’s first experience of a taster menu and they loved it! The service was superb, with every single staff member being very knowledgable and helpful. They all worked really well as a team too. The breakfast the next morning was excellent, I’ve never tasted toast like it! Thank you for an excellent stay, we will definitely be back!

A truly wonderful evening with friends made so very memorable by dinner and amazing service at the Ivy House near Keswick. I have to say, the food was stunning, accompanied by an extremely attentive and friendly team, this is a hidden gem and deserving of recognition. Really well done 👏

Superb friendly service from start to finish. Lovely hotel with well stocked bar and food offering in the restaurant was amazing.

We sat outside and the staff explained how to order etc and we went in and ordered Our order was very quick considering how busy Awesome location and excellent service Well done to all the staff

Very good smoked haddock chowder! Excellent cake too.

I didn't stay here but we had food here. The evening meal is amazing. Chris is a fantastic chef. We get invited in for the new years eve party. Sue the hotel manager is so lovely. We stay in a cottage next to the hotel. All the staff are very nice and friendly.

Thought we would give this place a try as we saw it when coming back from Lodore Falls a few weeks ago and thought location was good. Booked Sunday lunch for 2 adults and 2 teenagers as a pre-Christmas family lunch out. On arrival no one greeted us and we waited in line at the bar to be told, not shown to, which one our table was and to come back to the bar to order. This is fine but at hotel restaurant I would expect staff to come and take our order - main course Sunday lunch £24.95, burgers the kids had £21.95 so not cheap. Inn on the Lake Glenridding for example is less expensive and far superior in location, class, service and food quality. I ordered roast beef and when it arrived I actually got lamb - no problem mistakes happen - but it did mean i had to wait for it to be replaced whilst the rest of my family ate their meals. When beef arrived it was dried out, as if heated under a grill. No one checked on us during the meal but asked if everything was ok when they came to clear. I told them my beef wasn't great - half of it uneaten - and they said i should have told them and they would have replaced. Fine, but bearing in mind i had already waited for it to be replaced once and eaten after others had finished i didn't really want to go for round 3. My meal was removed from the bill but the experience for a family lunch out was spoilt. We were in the restaurant area that doesn't allow dogs but close to the open doors to the dog friendly area - I love dogs but the smell coming through wasn't pleasant from time to time, especially when eating. Generally i think it is expensive and disappointing for what it is, pub type service and food at restaurant prices. £9.50 for puddings for example is excessive for the environment. A shame as location is great to stop for lunch if walking around Derwentwater but I wouldn't recommend based on pour experience today. As a final comment the staff did seem genuinely apologetic.

Walked from Keswick centre to Nichol End Marina. A lovely walk but was glad when I arrived at the marina cafe. Roger (jolly Roger) welcomed me in and was so helpful and friendly. It was quiet as the season is coming to an end. I had an oat milk coffee and a raisin sticky toffee scone. It was so big! Put half in a bag to take home. Plenty of choice of scones all fresh and looking delicious. Prices were so reasonable. Roger then gave me a ride in his boat across Derwent Water. He’s such a nice man. It made my day to find a gem of a place. Would def recommend if in the area. Will return and try out the boating/canoeing etc next year.

Delicious home baking with local produce and perfectly situated for enjoying views of beautiful Borrowdale. We enjoyed carrot and coriander soup with toasted cheese and chive scones - highly recommended!

Great friendly service. Delicious food. Stopped for ice cream ended up with a lamb pasty as well , delicious ! So glad call in we will be back!

Just had a fantastic weekend here for my birthday, the hotel is stunning, the staff are attentive and friendly, room 22 is beautiful. The food was excellent. Everything was delicious and of fantastic quality. The black pudding starter was exceptionally tasty and the trio of lamb and the Stonebass were just amazing. The breakfasts are so good 😊 thank you so much for a great birthday weekend… can’t wait to come back again soon

Great breakfast,cooked to perfection by Sarah, same great quality every morning. Highly recommend,great start to the day.

So disappointed to arrive last night for our restaurant reservation to be told "it's not in the book"! You are not able to book online therefore we phoned 3 weeks prior but obviously whoever took the call never "put it in the book". The fact we are on honeymoon made this even more disappointing.