The best restaurants in North West

The following is an email I have sent to the cafe. After the below incident we did go back after our boat trip and had a pleasant experience, the other staff were polite, the food was good and the service was prompt… Just hope you don’t end up being served by the resident Vicky Pollard waitress that works there. Luckily there was no sign of her when we returned for lunch, she was probably in the back sharpening her tongue. She totally lets the place down, my stars would have been a lot higher if it wasn’t for that socially inept plebe… management can you be careful who you are hiring?! Hello, We have just now visited your cafe on our way to catch a boat and we wandered into the cafe thinking we’ll have a look to come back and have bite to eat later and to ask where we book for the boat. Obviously we knew we wouldn’t be booking from the cafe but we were lost and looking for directions. I politely said excuse me to one of the waiting staff, a young slim female, and then said do you know where reception for booking the boat is. She looked at me with an angry disgusted expression on her face before abruptly snapping “what!!” She was like Vikki Pollard. I repeated my question and she again very ignorantly said “I don’t know!! We’ve got nothing to do with boats!! We’re a cafe! She then put her nose in the air, turned and walked away from me. Luckily there was a man behind us who heard the whole thing and happened to be the person responsible for the boat we were to catch. He informed us. I’ve worked in hospitality and attractions for decades at a senior level, I was disgusted at her behaviour and attitude, what an embarrassment, as a manager I certainly would not tolerate that, there was absolutely no need for it, she could have just politely said sorry I’m not sure, and directed me else where. Can I suggest you ensure your staff have at least some communication skills and customer service skills or at least learn some basic manners. She was acting like she’d been dragged up!!

Great atmosphere, excellent staff, good choice of drinks and food, lovely location

Very busy when we went, fortunately we had booked. Noisy atmosphere reduced the group enjoyment. Food acceptable but not exceptional although still good value for money. Would still recommend and return for another meal

The food is always delicious. Goods portions, reasonably priced. The staff are all very polite and pleasant. The restaurant is very stylish and cosy It's our favourite restaurant in the Lake District

One of my favourite restaurants in Liverpool.I have been to the one in Heswell a few times as well and both offer the best service The food is amazing, and so are the cocktails. I visited last year when I was pregnant and the bar man made me any mocktail I wanted. It wasn’t any bother to him at all.The croquettes are my favourite Please, if you ever visit Liverpool then come hereYou won’t be disappointed

Nice hipster hangout but Permanently closed for months. No idea what those latest reviews came from… the cafe outside is still open though

We stayed in pooley Bridge for 3 nights and managed to visit nearly every day, lol. Lovely place, an amazing outside area too with fantastic views, staff professional and friendly, baileys hot chocolate to die for. We only called in for hot drinks and cake, but we will definitely be back to try lunch or maybe even afternoon tea. Our dogs also loved the dog sausage

I’ve been a fan of Honest Burgers since my first visit in London back in 2020, and over the years, I’ve had the chance to visit several locations, with the Manchester one being my go-to spot. The quality of their food has always been top-notch, and the seasoning on the chips is fantastic—it keeps me coming back every time. One of the standout features of Honest Burgers is that it’s one of the few places in town that offers gluten-free burgers and chips, which is a huge plus for us since my husband is allergic to gluten. This has been the main reason we’ve loved it for so long. During the pandemic, we would often order from them on Fridays as a treat, but sadly, they’ve since reduced their delivery range, and it no longer reaches our home. It’s a bit disappointing as it was one of our favourite ways to enjoy Honest Burgers. Additionally, during my last visit, I was a little disappointed with the size of the burger, which felt smaller than usual. While the food is still delicious, I’ve noticed a significant increase in prices. Our recent meal for two adults and a child ended up costing over £40, which makes it hard to justify as a regular outing, even though we love the place so much. It looks like Honest Burgers will be more of a special occasion treat for us from now on.

The seabass was excellent and the service was also very good; professional and friendly. Very good value for money on the set menu. Would love to return

Food and atmosphere excellent- would recommend. We opted for the a la carte rather than tasting menu, all three dishes and sides were excellent - highlight for me was the steak tartare. We seem to run in to problems not with service per se, there was some issue with food ticket system which meant a delay between starter and main which was considerable, staff were apologetic and a free round of drinks was offered which mitigated the problem. We did wait 30 mins to be seated at our table and had a drink in the bar area whilst we waited, this might not be an issue for some folk but personally I prefer to be seated at my booking time. A few small issues which didn’t detract from the overall experience, and still rated the food and overall experience highly!

Absolutely incredible food and wonderful service, went for a birthday meal and the staff made it a great experience, catering for allergens and making everyone very welcome- thank you Arash

Absolutely fantastic family meal there was a large party of us 20 in total and our server Michele was brilliant food all on time and hot and nothing was too much trouble

One of the most interesting pubs I’ve ever had the pleasure of walking into, by chance at that! We have a lovely time sat at the bar chatting to the young barmaid about the pub and the area! She helped as much as possible with recommendations of where to visit despite not being a local( Rydal water was beautiful). Upon leaving there was an altercation where a small dog lunged at the two labourers on their way in. The owner did manage to control their dog. While explaining that the group with the dog would have to leave after the dog showing aggression she was bombarded by the owner of the two dogs that the dog had lunged for (whom never witnessed the lunge as he was ordering drinks) as “dogs will be dogs”. The girl got quite overwhelmed and tried to explain that aggressive dogs could not be in a dog friendly pub. When we left the young lady was in quite a tizzy.

The lady who runs it was welcoming insightful and charming. She gets all her meat from the local butcher which is first class. She was passionate about food and her recommendations dovetailed beautifully. My sister ate the mushrooms on toast, which she gave me to try. The mushrooms were cooked to perfection and the sauce was a perfect blend of flavour and consistency. They were really good, the lady who sat next to us has been coming for years and also recommended them, it was easy to see why. I myself had the brie and bacon ciabatta with chutney. The chutney was cooked in a slightly curried sauce which was lovely. Although I would have liked a slightly sweeter sauce maybe blueberries to cut through the mild salt in the bacon and brie but it was excellent none the less. Three breakfasts and pot's of tea for £14 per person was incredible value. I finally remembered years ago taking my daughter here for her birthday lunch and she kept asking me to take her to the place with the train running overhead, I couldn't remember at the time but she'll be overjoyed to hear I've found it. Fantastico, grazie.

Full range of Lancaster cask ales available here, with something to suit all tastes. Nice buzzy atmosphere and good service.