The Kings Arms - Carte

The Pier Cafe

➤ Ambleside Pier (Waterhead), LA22 0EY, South Lakeland, United Kingdom

Carte • Coffee • British • Vegetarian • Gluten Free

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"I visited this café yesterday morning for breakfast and was surprised by the cold and unfriendly approach of the waitress towards me. It is unclear whether this was due to the ongoing Coronavirus situation. Upon entering the café wearing a mask and sanitizing my hands, the waitress simply asked, "What do you want?" without a greeting or offering assistance. I ordered breakfast and enjoyed a nice view of the lake while eating. My tea was served in a paper cup and my breakfast came in a take away box with wooden utensils. There was no follow-up on my meal, which was good, had they asked. The staff did not engage with me until I left the café, where the waitress simply said thank you. The unfriendly and cold atmosphere does not encourage me to return. Despite being well-dressed and polite, I do not deserve such treatment, even during a pandemic."

Rattle Gill Cafe

➤ 2 Bridge Street, LA22 9BS, South Lakeland, United Kingdom

Carte • Cafe • Brunch • British • Healthy

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"Anywhere that does good cheese is a hit with me. If it also sells good beer, frankly I begin to become emotional. Add delicious cakes and savouries and my happiness is complete. Rattle Ghyll has all of these things, in spades and there is much more that looks wonderful but that I didn't have the chance to try. The cakes really are superb homemade and fresh. I particularly enjoyed the spiced fruit flapjack. There is a good range of bottled local beers (including some dark brews, much to my pleasure). Just because it looked so appetising, I bought a piece of vegetable fritata which was savoury and delicious. I save the cheese until last because it was the best. There is a large selection of local, national and international cheese on offer, all of which looked tempting but I wanted to try local produce. There were half a dozen or so Cumbrian cheeses of which I chose a blue, a soft cheese and a farmhouse cheddar. All of these were wonderful on the sort of level you might expect in an award winning cheese and the soft cheese had me in raptures! I think it was called Crofton. I may be wrong but I think this deli is aimed at the vegetarian and vegan community. Certainly, I saw a lot of produce labelled as suitable for those particular dietary preferences and do not remember seeing any meat. Don't let that put you off if, like me, you are more omnivorous because really good veg or vegan food can compete with more carnivorous options on equal terms and there is nothing wishy washy or compromised about any of the great food on offer here. The staff are very friendly and enthusiastic about their produce. Highly recommended."

Es Ambleside

➤ 2 St Mary's Ln, Ambleside, United Kingdom, LA22 9DG, AMBLESIDE

Carte • Sushi • Asiatic • Spanish • Mexican

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"there was a separate vegan menu with so much choice i didn’t know what to have! i ordered chips and dips the salsa and guacamole was delicious garlic bread which was lovely and soft, mushroom soft tacos which were incredible the coriander crema was delicious and patatas bravas which was my favourite!! i was just blown away by the choice and variety of the vegan menu! AND the churros were also delicious. my family shared some of my vegan food and they loved it as well. it is a hidden gem! would defo come here again!!"

Matthew's Bistro

➤ Compston Rd., LA22 9DJ, South Lakeland, United Kingdom

Carte • Steak • Seafood • British • European

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"We have visited this fantastic restaurant a number of times when visiting Ambleside, this was once again a great visit. We both opted for one of the specials, fillet steak with chunky chips, tomato, mushroom, salad and peppercorn sauce, absolutely delicious and a massive portion. With no room for dessert we opted to pay and go. There was an issue with the card machine which meant we had to leave, withdraw cash and return, fine for us, however if you were having to pay/withdraw on a credit card this might not be so great. For us, it was another very enjoyable evening.."

The Priest Hole

➤ Church St Ambleside LA22 0BU, UK, South Lakeland, United Kingdom

Carte • Steak • Cakes • British • Breakfast

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"Food is very good and we really enjoyed what we ate. The service however was pretty poor. We stood waiting to be seated for over 5 minutes. This was whilst staff stood talking behind the bar. When we were eventually seated we waited another 10 minutes before anyone brought us menus or asked us if we wanted a drink. One staff member explained they were short staffed but I watched them talking at length behind the bar. Our drinks were left on the bar for ages, to the point I was about to go and collect them myself. Being busy is absolutely ok, being disorganised isn’t for me. I wouldn’t rush back."