The best restaurants serving British food in Ambleside and Grasmere South Lakeland North West

We loved this place! Excellent range of hot and cold lunch choices and an equally good selection of cheeses. Staff were friendly and helpful- and it was easy to choose really healthy local produce if you wanted to.

Love this place, have been going since it first opened. Style, atmosphere and location is perfect. Great views, easy walking distance to Elterwater, Chapel Stile, Grasmere and Ambleside. Food is always delicious, good portion size and nice menu variation. Cocktails are good and highly recommend the gin and vodka from the nearby distillery. Staff are warm and friendly with good service. Cosy fire in winter.

Outstanding food delightfully served and paired with great wines in beautiful surroundings

Pies looked delicious, never got to try them as they didn’t take cash .

Disgusting place, do not bother with this place, the So called Lady of the house is rude arrogant and does not help, avoid at all cost.

Lovely hotel and spa with great views and easy walking distance to centre of Grasmere and surrounding area. The food is very good but expensive for dinner if on a budget. Free use of the Spa was a good touch, especially after a day of hill walking. Would definitely stay again.

I have been going to the Lake District for more years than I care to remember. Invariably staying in Ambleside. A friend recommended Mathews Bistro to me on my latest trip with my family. In the past I have walked past without a second glance. Silly me! My family and I had a great evening. The food was really good well prepared and decent portions. I thought it was going to be fairly standard English fare but I was wrong. A number of dishes had continental and Asian influences. The waiting staff were friendly and helpful. I will certainly be going there on my next trip. Thank you Mathews for a great evening.

Wonderful cosy hotel with great staff and amazing food. Happily go back.

We had a fabulous afternoon tea and cake at Cafe Altitude. We were greeted with a warm welcome from the owners and nice chat too. Both the views of the hills and the artwork on display (for sale) were amazing. Do stop by and treat yourself.

Arrived in Ambleside this evening, walked the pup then just by our cottage was the priest hole. Fantastic service and delicious food. Staff attentive and very pleasant and welcoming. Restaurant full. I thoroughly enjoyed my fish and chips with garden peas and the wagyu chop went down a treat ! Thankyou 10/10

Always look forward to visiting The Apple Pie. First visit since they changed to counter ordering but no issues. Process was efficient and accurate. Just when you thought that toasting was the best thing to do with a bath bun, they've now got bath bun French toast with cherry compote and whipped cream. Wow. Like a bath bun bread and butter pudding but light and fluffy. This place gets really busy and a bit chaotic in season due to its popularity but in mid-Feb was brisk enough to have some atmosphere but without the hustle and bustle.

Lovely lunch in front of a roaring fire. Just a typical English pub!

Fantastic cafe with great food and plenty of options to suit all tastes. They have an impressive variety of vegan choices, which is a big plus! The place is clean, and the service is friendly and welcoming. It was quiet when I visited, likely because it’s January, making it a relaxing spot to enjoy breakfast before hiking. Highly recommend!

Friendly staff that welcomed us (family of four), without a booking. Food arrived within a reasonable timescale, was tasty/ well presented on plate but was over priced for the ingredients and quality of cooking. My pheasant was very dry, little or no seasoning on smashed potatoes and the kids meal was a bowl of pasta with very little vegetables. As we were visiting and it was an unplanned meal, it did the job. But given the prices and quality of food we would probably not plan to return.

Came for day out in Ambleside and decided to have a coffee and pastry at the Cornish Bakery, amazing food, beautiful coffee and great friendly service, will definitely visit again next time! And they gave us a pastry on the house!