Eating Out
Here is an overview of what we regard as being the best restaurants in the area based on personal experience or consistently good reports received from staying guests.
Location: Windermere
Cuisine: Italian
Comments: Superb family run Italian restaurant. Serves pizza cooked in traditional wood burning ovens as well as Pasta dishes, steaks, and daily specials.
(Closed on Sun & Mon).
Francine’s
Location: Windermere
Cuisine: Continental style bistro
Comments: An excellent restaurant. We have sent a lot of guests here and every report has been excellent one of our favourites (Fantastic scones during the day !)
Villa Positano
Location: Bowness
Cuisine: Italian
Comments: Great Italian restaurant, very difficult to get a table here. Lively atmosphere.
(Closed on Wednesdays)
The Postillion
Location: Bowness
Cuisine: Bistro type mixture of English and modern European
Comments: Excellent small intermit restaurant with a varied menu. Nice area upstairs for pre meal drinks.
Jacksons Bistro
Location: Bowness
Cuisine: English
Comment: Small quite intermit and consistently good. Good value for money.
The Queens Head
Location: Troutbeck (10-15mins drive)
Cuisine: Gourmet pub food
Comments: Old English traditional pub that doesn’t serve traditional pub food. Superb gourmet food in great surroundings.
Porto
Location: Bowness
Cuisine: Modern European
Comments: Small chic restaurant modern dining, using fresh and well sourced ingredients.
The Craig Manor
Location: Bowness
Cuisine: English
Comments: Really nice old English hotel that is open to non residents. Nice reception area with large sofas to relax for pre meal drinks. Also has lake views.
Jintana
Location: Bowness
Cuisine: Thai
Comments: Open since 2004, the restaurant offers diners a relaxed, friendly environment in which to enjoy freshly prepared authentic Thai food.
Location: Just Outside Bowness
Cuisine: English
Comments: This hotel is situated just outside Bowness – 10 mins taxi ride beautiful location, lake views. Squidgy sofas to relax in before and after your meal.
The Angel Inn
Location: Bowness
Cuisine: Pub Grub
Comments: Set back on a hillside in Bowness, The Angel offers good pub food in a cosy setting. Quite trendy. Sofas, open fire and terraced pub garden.
The Golden Fortune
Location: Bowness
Cuisine: Chinese
Comments: One of the better Chinese restaurants in the area offering good Chinese fare.
The Water Mill
Location: Ings – 10 mins drive
Cuisine: English Pub Grub
Comments: Typical English pub with lots of character and a large selection of ales. Runner up 2008 pub of the year.
Lake Raj
Location: Bowness
Cuisine: Indian
Comment: Lovely open plan restaurant with a nice ambiance. Fantastic Bengoli cuisine, the best in Cumbria. Our personal favorite restaurant in Bowness.
The Albert
Location: Bowness
Cuisine: Pub Grub
Comments: Good pub grub with a good selection of meals.
The Masons Arms
Location: The Lythe Valley, 25min drive
Cuisine: Pub Grub
Comments: Typical English pub out in the countryside, excellent food both at lunch time and in the evening, worth the drive.
Bodega
Location: Bowness
Cuisine: Bistro type with Spanish influences
Comments: Great little restaurant in the heart of Bowness. Great reviews on Trip Advisor.
Fellinis
Location: Ambleside
Cuisine: Modern European Vegetarian
Comments: Superb vegetarian restaurant in catering for the most discerning vegetarian palette with a distinct Mediterranean twist. Above the restaurant a state of the art digital cinema will show the latest arthouse and niche film productions.