Eat and drink
Restaurants worth the drive and pubs worth the walk. We list places we would send a friend to, from tasting menus to a pint and a pie after a day on the fells.
Restaurants
L'Enclume
Fine Dining, Cartmel, ££££
Simon Rogan's three-Michelin-starred restaurant in a former Cartmel smithy is one of the great tasting-menu experiences in Britain. Much of what reaches the table is grown on Our Farm, his own regenerative farm.
The Old Stamp House
Modern British, Ambleside, £££
Ryan Blackburn's Michelin-starred restaurant in Wordsworth's former office serves creative modern British food with a Cumbrian soul. The tasting menu is outstanding value, and the Lakeland ingredients shine.
Allium at Askham Hall
Farm to Table, Askham, £££, dogs welcome
Garden-to-plate dining at its most authentic - much of what you eat is grown steps from the kitchen in this stunning Grade I hall.
Cottage in the Wood
Fine Dining, Braithwaite, £££
Jack and Beth Bond's Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms sits high in Whinlatter Forest above Braithwaite, looking out towards Skiddaw. The tasting menu leans on regenerative Cumbrian farms and the nearby coast.
Dodds Restaurant
Modern British, Ambleside, ££
A relaxed, long-running Italian restaurant on Rydal Road in Ambleside, serving lunch and dinner with a takeaway menu too.
Fellpack
Casual Dining, Keswick, £
A laid-back Keswick restaurant built around Fellpots, generous bowls that put creative twists on classics. The short, seasonal menu might put a Japanese dish next to neeps and haggis.
Forest Side
Tasting Menu, Grasmere, ££££, dogs welcome
A Michelin-starred restaurant in a Gothic Victorian mansion overlooking Grasmere, with much of the produce foraged from the surrounding fells. The tasting menu is a masterclass in terroir-driven cooking.
Francines
French Bistro, Penrith, ££
A long-serving, family-run bistro and coffee house on Windermere's Main Road, loved for its seafood, homely cooking and cakes. Evening tables go quickly, so plan ahead.
Gilpin Lake House
Fine Dining, Windermere, ££££, dogs welcome
Gilpin's six-bedroom Lake House sits in 100 private acres beside its own tarn, with breakfast and afternoon tea served by the water. For lunch and dinner a complimentary chauffeur runs guests to SOURCE and Gilpin Spice at the main hotel.
Holbeck Ghyll Country House Hotel Restaurant
Modern British, Windermere, £££, dogs welcome
Award-winning restaurant with stunning lake views serving modern British cuisine with international influences. The elegant dining room offers an intimate setting with locally sourced ingredients.
Homeground
Brunch & Coffee, Windermere, £
Homeground Coffee + Kitchen has been pouring speciality coffee on Windermere's Main Road since 2015, with a daytime brunch and lunch menu and a walk-in only policy that keeps it lively.
Hooked Windermere
Seafood, Windermere, ££
A small, focused fish restaurant bringing sustainably caught seafood to an inland town that thoroughly deserves it.
Hylton's Restaurant
British, Bowness, ££
Hyltons Steak House and Grill sits on cobbled Ash Street in the middle of Bowness, serving 40-day aged Aberdeen Angus steaks, tomahawks to share, burgers and proper fish and chips from noon until 9pm daily.
Lake Road Kitchen
Nordic, Ambleside, £££
James Cross's small, fiercely independent Ambleside restaurant holds a Michelin star for tasting menus of five, eight or twelve servings, built on Lakeland produce with Nordic and Japanese influences. Cross cooked at Noma before opening here in 2014.
Old Dungeon Ghyll
Traditional British, Langdale, ££, dogs welcome
The original Dale Head Inn at the top of Great Langdale, where the famous Climbers Bar has fed walkers and climbers for generations. Expect home-cooked pies, soups and daily specials, with the Langdale Pikes right outside the door.
Porto
Mediterranean, Bowness, ££
An independent, family-run restaurant on a cobbled Bowness street, cooking modern British food with an AA rosette, plus a Sunday roast and a strong gin and wine list.
Rogan & Company
Modern British, Cartmel, £££
Simon Rogan's Michelin-starred neighbourhood restaurant on Devonshire Square brings L'Enclume's farm-led sourcing to a relaxed Cartmel dining room, with rooms in the village.
Rothay Manor
Modern British, Ambleside, £££, dogs welcome
Elegant Regency-era hotel dining with a seasonal menu that lets the best Cumbrian produce speak for itself.
The Belsfield
Country House, Bowness, £££, dogs welcome
A 4-star heritage hotel above Bowness with sweeping views over Windermere, where the Brasserie serves lunch, dinner and afternoon tea and the Art Deco bar and sunset terrace make the most of the lake.
The Brewery Arts Centre Restaurant
Modern European, Kendal, ££, dogs welcome
Restaurant within a vibrant arts center offering modern European cuisine and seasonal menus. The perfect spot for pre-theater dining or casual meals in a creative atmosphere.
The Jumble Room
Eclectic, Grasmere, ££
A gloriously eclectic Grasmere institution where world flavours collide on a menu that refuses to be pigeonholed.
The Moon Highgate
Modern British, Kendal, ££
La Luna, on Kendal's Highgate, is a relaxed Italian restaurant serving homemade pasta and pizza, with a good value express lunch on weekdays and set menus in the evenings.
The Square Orange
Pizza & Bar, Keswick, £, dogs welcome
A cosy, buzzy cafe bar on St John's Street serving stone-baked Roman style pizzas, tapas and good coffee, with a full bar and regular live music evenings. No bookings, just walk in.
The Wild Boar
Grill & Smokehouse, Windermere, ££, dogs welcome
The Grill and Smokehouse is the main restaurant at the Wild Boar Estate, a woodland hotel on Crook Road a short drive from Windermere. Come for grill and smokehouse cooking, with good vegan and vegetarian choices too.
Tweedies Bar & Lodge
Modern British, Grasmere, ££, dogs welcome
A relaxed Grasmere bar and lodge with a big beer garden looking out to the fells, a strong line of craft beers and ales, hearty seasonal food and live bands at weekends.
Zeffirellis
Vegetarian Italian, Ambleside, ££, dogs welcome
Vegetarian Italian cinema-restaurant hybrid that has been an Ambleside landmark for decades. The pizzas are excellent.
Pubs and inns
The Drunken Duck Inn
Gastropub, Barngates, £££, dogs welcome
A Lakes institution on the hillside at Barngates, with a lively bar, good food, rooms and wide views towards the Langdale Pikes.
The King's Head Inn
Traditional Pub, Keswick, ££, dogs welcome
A wonderfully weathered coaching inn where muddy boots are welcomed and local ales flow freely. The perfect post-fell refuge with crackling fires and hearty Cumberland fare.
Bitter End
Brewery Pub, Cockermouth, £, dogs welcome
A cosy, unpretentious Kirkgate pub in Cockermouth with a strong line-up of real ales and bottled beers from around the world, plus good pub food. A friendly spot to settle in with friends or the dog.
The Black Bull
Traditional, Coniston, £, dogs welcome
Home of Coniston Brewing Co and their legendary Bluebird Bitter. A proper village local with world-class ales.
The Boot Inn
Traditional, Boot, £
A friendly Eskdale local at the foot of Scafell Pike, perfectly placed for a post-summit pint and pie.
The Britannia Inn
Traditional, Elterwater, ££, dogs welcome
Elterwater's village green pub is a Langdale classic - real ales on the terrace with the Pikes as your backdrop.
The Brown Horse
Gastropub, Winster, ££, dogs welcome
A Georgian coaching inn in the Winster Valley with rooms, woodland pods and a well-chosen wine list, named Cumbria's Best Pub and Bar in 2023. Dogs are welcome in the bar.
The Cavendish Arms
Traditional, Cartmel, ££
Cartmel's village pub sits in the shadow of the Priory and pours excellent local ales in a properly atmospheric setting.
The Dog and Gun
Traditional, Keswick, £, dogs welcome
A proper Keswick town-centre local, run by Greene King, known for its homemade Hungarian goulash, well-kept ales and a warm welcome for dogs.
The Eagle and Child
Gastropub, Staveley, ££
A stylishly refurbished Staveley inn that balances contemporary comfort with the soul of a proper village pub.
The George and Dragon
Gastropub, Clifton, ££, dogs welcome
Lowther Estate coaching inn with a kitchen garden that feeds a menu of properly sourced, beautifully executed pub food.
The Golden Rule
Traditional, Ambleside, £, dogs welcome
No food, no music, no pretence. Ambleside's no-nonsense Robinsons pub is a perfect pint in its purest form.
The Hole in t' Wall
Traditional Pub, Bowness, ££
The oldest pub in Bowness, right in the heart of the village, pouring Robinsons' cask ales alongside a long list of gins and serving hearty pub food all day. Low beams, a heated beer garden and plenty of old stories keep it busy year round.
The Horse and Farrier
Traditional, Dacre, ££
A friendly Ullswater-area inn with good ale selection and a menu built around proper Cumbrian produce.
The Kings Arms Hotel
Traditional British, Cartmel, ££
A 500-year-old coaching inn in the historic village of Cartmel. Famous for its traditional atmosphere and connection to the nearby priory.
The Kings Head
Traditional, Thirlspot, ££, dogs welcome
A 17th-century Helvellyn-side inn that has been reviving weary walkers with ale and hearty food for centuries.
The Kirkstile Inn
Traditional, Loweswater, ££, dogs welcome
A whitewashed inn at the foot of Melbreak between Loweswater and Crummock Water, and the original home of Cumbrian Legendary Ales, whose Loweswater Gold was once named Champion Golden Ale of Britain.
The Langstrath
Country Inn, Stonethwaite, ££
Tucked into Borrowdale's quietest corner, this tiny country inn is the perfect post-walk pint stop with genuine warmth.
The Masons Arms
Country Pub, Cartmel Fell, ££, dogs welcome
Perched on Strawberry Bank with views over the Winster Valley that justify the winding single-track approach.
The Mill Inn
Traditional, Mungrisdale, £
A whitewashed Lakeland inn beneath Blencathra, serving cask ales and proper pub food to grateful fell-runners.
The Mortal Man
Gastropub, Troutbeck, ££, dogs welcome
Troutbeck's beloved inn with arguably the finest beer-garden panorama in the Lake District. Worth it for the view alone.
The Oddfellows Arms
Country Inn, Caldbeck, £
A peaceful Back o Skiddaw village pub that rewards the effort of finding it with well-kept ales and genuine hospitality.
The Old Crown
Traditional, Hesket Newmarket, £
A community-owned co-operative pub serving Hesket Newmarket Brewery ales. It doesn't get more local than this.
The Pheasant Inn
Country Inn, Bassenthwaite, ££, dogs welcome
A historic coaching inn by Bassenthwaite Lake, given a careful 2021 renovation that kept its old Lakeland bar character. A favourite with walkers and their dogs.
The Punch Bowl
Gastropub & Inn, Crosthwaite, £££
A characterful inn in the Lyth Valley, once also a blacksmith's, lovingly renovated by local owner Richard Rose. Refined but unfussy food, beautifully appointed rooms and a quiet valley setting a few miles from Windermere.
The Queens Head
Traditional, Tirril, ££
A stone-flagged, beamed old inn in Tirril near Ullswater, the village pub where the Tirril Brewery began before it moved to bigger premises. Properly old-school.
The Royal Oak
Traditional, Braithwaite, £
Braithwaite's heart and soul, with Coledale Horseshoe views from the garden and Jennings ales on tap.
The Sun Inn
Traditional Inn, Kirkby Lonsdale, ££, dogs welcome
A 17th-century inn on Kirkby Lonsdale's Market Street, with real ales and log fires in the bar, characterful rooms and a handy base for the Lune Valley, the Dales and the southern Lakes.
The Sun Inn Coniston
Traditional, Coniston, £
A 16th-century Coniston inn with Donald Campbell memorabilia on the walls and proper Lakeland character throughout.
The Tower Bank Arms
Traditional, Near Sawrey, ££, dogs welcome
The pub immortalised in Beatrix Potter illustrations, next door to Hill Top. A charming National Trust village local.
The Twa Dogs
Traditional, Keswick, £
A friendly Jennings pub on the eastern edge of Keswick, named after the Burns poem, with a prize-winning floral garden, a few guest rooms and folk singing on Sunday afternoons.
The Unicorn Inn
Traditional, Ambleside, £
A proper Ambleside local that doesn't try to be anything it isn't - good beer, good craic, good value.
The Wainwright Inn
Traditional, Chapel Stile, ££
A Langdale valley stalwart named after the great man himself - solid ales, hearty food and a walkers welcome.
The Wasdale Head Inn
Traditional, Wasdale, ££
England's most dramatically located pub, ringed by the highest fells and steeped in climbing history.
The Watermill Inn
Gastropub, Windermere, ££, dogs welcome
A much-loved family inn at Ings, two miles east of Windermere, with its own on-site micro brewery, up to 11 real ales on hand pull, hearty bar meals and a Wednesday night quiz.
The Yan
Craft Bar, Grasmere, £, dogs welcome
A rustic British bistro with rooms on a converted 17th-century sheep farm at Broadrayne, just outside Grasmere, open to walkers and families as well as staying guests.