This guide to great restaurants in the Lake District highlights some of the best fine-dining opportunities and local dining spots in the area. The Lake District is known for its stunning views and abundant nature so, of course, we'll show you excellent eateries serving local cuisine with beautiful views.

You can find several Michelin-starred and award-winning restaurants in the Lake District’s major towns and villages. From freshly foraged dinner delights to modern takes on British classics, you’ll be treated to memorable meals in the Lake District.

  • 1

    The Cottage in the Wood

    World-class restaurant in a tranquil location

    The Cottage in the Wood
    • Couples
    • Gastronomie
    • Luxe

    The Cottage in the Wood turns local ingredients into delicious works of art right in the heart of Whinlatter Forest, England's only mountain forest. The restaurant holds a Michelin star thanks to head chef Sam Miller’s creative eye.

    The menu changes regularly throughout the year to reflect the seasons. A sample menu includes 7 courses, starting with cured stone bass, followed by roasted langoustine, and finishing with pears, parkin and ice cream. The tranquil setting is great for an overnight stay, so you might as well sample some well-curated wines if you’re not in a rush.

    Emplacement : Magic Hill, Braithwaite, Keswick CA12 5TW, UK

    Ouverture : Wednesday–Saturday from noon to 11 pm (closed Sundays to Tuesdays)

    Téléphone : +44 (0)17687 78409

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  • 2

    L’Enclume

    Michelin-starred venue with a 12-acre farm

    L’Enclume
    • Couples
    • Gastronomie
    • Luxe

    L’Enclume is a world-class Michelin-starred restaurant that really takes the idea of farm-to-table to heart. It holds the honour of 3 Michelin stars, thanks to cuisine that is defined as cooking that has been “elevated to an art form". The restaurant also makes incredible use of its 12-acre farm to harvest fresh fruit and vegetables.

    Local meat and fish make delicious pairings with its homegrown produce. L’Enclume’s sample menu includes East Coast lobster and pickled rosehip, as well as confit potatoes and walnut puree. Of course, everything is served with the utmost care and welcoming service, too.

    Emplacement : Cavendish St, Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands LA11 6QA, UK

    Ouverture : Monday–Friday from 8.30 am to 6 pm (closed on weekends)

    Téléphone : +44 (0)15395 36362

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    photo de TruffUK (CC BY-SA 2.0) modifiée

  • 3

    The Dog and Gun Inn

    Proper British pub with Michelin-quality food

    The Dog and Gun Inn
    • Gastronomie
    • Vie nocturne

    The Dog and Gun Inn serves up top-notch food in the humble setting of a classic British pub. This place proves that you can experience Michelin-starred dishes in a warm and comfortable environment, minus the strict dress code.

    This Lake District eatery takes pub grub to another level, with triple-cooked or truffle parmesan chips for sides, and venison suet pudding or grass-fed beef for mains. The serving staff are down-to-earth and welcoming – traits that just add to the warm pub atmosphere.

    Emplacement : Skelton, Penrith CA11 9SE, UK

    Ouverture : Tuesday–Saturday from 5.30 pm to 10 pm (closed on Sundays and Mondays)

    Téléphone : +44 (0)17684 84301

    Carte

    photo de John Gibson (CC BY-SA 2.0) modifiée

  • 4

    Blue Smoke on the Bay

    Stylish grill restaurant with views over Lake Windermere

    Blue Smoke on the Bay
    • Couples
    • Gastronomie
    • Luxe

    Blue Smoke on the Bay is a stylish restaurant within the Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa. Its centrepiece is a 3-metre-long wood-fired grill, with tables overlooking either a lively open kitchen or the beautiful Lake Windermere.

    Dishes are cooked over the grill, which adds rich flavours to every ingredient. Treat yourself to the likes of wood-fired chorizo and halloumi, dry-aged sirloin steak, or wood-fired butternut squash (if you want a plant-based meal). If you’re visiting Blue Smoke on the Bay during the day, you can indulge in an afternoon tea or a hearty lunch by the lake.

    Emplacement : Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa Ambleside, Windermere LA23 1LP, UK

    Ouverture : Daily from 11 am to 4.30 pm and from 6 pm to 9.30 pm

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  • 5

    HRiSHi

    Contemporary dining at the Gilpin Hotel & Lake House

    HRiSHi
    • Couples
    • Gastronomie
    • Luxe

    HRiSHi at Gilpin Hotel & Lake House is a Michelin-starred restaurant that serves modern takes on British dishes with accents from Asian and Indian cuisine. Part of the Gilpin Hotel & Lake House in Windermere, its modern décor creates a light and comfortable dining atmosphere.

    The chefs go to great lengths to produce intriguing textures and flavours. They even have a plant-based menu if you’re not a fan of meat. HRiSHi has a tasting menu and an a la carte menu, where you might find Cambrian beef tartare and potato foam or spring peas tartare with black garlic ketchup.

    Emplacement : Crook Rd, Kendal LA23 3NF, UK

    Ouverture : Daily from 6 pm to 9 pm

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  • 6

    Old Stamp House

    Ambleside restaurant offering modern British dishes

    Old Stamp House
    • Gastronomie
    • Vie nocturne

    The Old Stamp House is an intimate restaurant in the quiet village of Ambleside. This modern British eatery occupies the former office of William Wordsworth, who was the Westmorland Distributor of Stamps. It offers modern takes on traditional Cumbrian dishes, with a careful balance of bold and delicate flavours.

    Historically, Cumbrian dishes make good use of imported spices. These flavourings are added to local ingredients to create dishes like English Channel Turbot with potted shrimps and spiced mead velouté, or raspberries with caramelised rum and gingerbread. You’ll get something different with each season at the Old Stamp House.

    Emplacement : Old Stamp House, The, Church St, Ambleside LA22 0BU, UK

    Ouverture : Wednesday from 6.30 pm to midnight, Thursday–Saturday from 12.30 pm to midnight (closed Sundays to Tuesdays)

    Téléphone : +44 (0)15394 32775

    Carte

    photo de Eirian Evans (CC BY-SA 2.0) modifiée

  • 7

    Forest Side

    Enjoy dishes made with freshly foraged ingredients

    Forest Side
    • Couples
    • Gastronomie
    • Luxe

    Forest Side is a sophisticated restaurant in a stately Victorian hotel of the same name in Grasmere. Complementing its rustic atmosphere is a seasonal menu with ingredients foraged from the surrounding Lakeland and its own kitchen garden.

    Some dishes come and go as quickly as you can say “freshly foraged”, so don’t expect to return to the same offerings. But to give you an idea, hand-dived scallops and aged Cumbrian lamb have been part of the menu. Forest Side also offer vegetarian options if you’re not a fan of meat.

    Emplacement : Keswick Road, Grasmere, Ambleside LA22 9RN, UK

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  • 8

    Allium at Askham Hall

    Fine dining that might make you feel like royalty

    Allium at Askham Hall
    • Couples
    • Gastronomie
    • Luxe

    Allium at Askham Hall is a gorgeous Michelin-starred restaurant set in a 13th-century stately home in Penrith. Its gourmet dishes make the most of local produce plus its own ingredients, which are grown in its lavish gardens and the Lowther Estate.

    As with many restaurants that use local and homegrown products, Allium at Askham’s menu is very seasonal. Expect dishes with freshly harvested apples or plums, or deer and partridge from nearby woods and moors. The restaurant’s onsite cellars stock a wide range of wines from various parts of the world.

    Emplacement : Askham Hall, Askham, Penrith CA10 2PF, UK

    Ouverture : Tuesday–Saturday from 6.45 pm to 9 pm (closed on Sundays and Mondays)

    Téléphone : +44 (0)19317 12350

    Carte

    photo de Haydn Blackey (CC BY-SA 2.0) modifiée

  • 9

    Porto Restaurant

    Modern British restaurant with a heated roof terrace

    Porto Restaurant
    • Couples
    • Gastronomie
    • Luxe

    Porto Restaurant may take its name from Portugal, but its food is modern British and European. Located along Windermere’s stylish Ash Street, the restaurant holds an AA rosette, which indicates a high level of culinary standards.

    You can easily stop by for a drink and a light bite at its heated roof terrace. If you’re here for dinner, you’ll get a chance to sample a seasonal and locally inspired menu for very reasonable prices. For example, Porto Restaurant’s autumn menu features wild mushroom risotto and Lakeland pheasant. Try the Porto focaccia, which is offered at every table before your meal.

    Emplacement : 3 Ash Street, Bowness-on-Windermere, Windermere LA23 3EB, UK

    Téléphone : +44 (0)15394 48242

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  • 10

    High Stile Kitchen at Buttermere Court Hotel

    Impressive mountain views alongside a gourmet pub menu

    High Stile Kitchen at Buttermere Court Hotel
    • Gastronomie
    • Luxe

    High Stile Kitchen gives you exactly what you might want from a Lake District restaurant: impressive food and stunning mountain views. Set in the quaint Buttermere Court Hotel, the restaurant offers an upmarket take on classic British pub grub.

    Take a seat in its garden and take your pick of comfortable classics like oven-roasted salmon, or dishes with a twist such as the falafel salad bowl. If you can’t get enough of that countryside atmosphere, stay for a night (or 2) at the hotel. That way, you can try its full Cumbrian breakfast or various gourmet morning delights.

    Emplacement : Buttermere, Cockermouth CA13 9XA, UK

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Cassandra Lord | Fan de voyages