Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Ulverston
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Ulverston restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 13 restaurants in Ulverston and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Ulverston restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Ulverston Restaurants
1. Langdale Chase
British, Modern restaurant in Windermere
Ambleside Road - LA23
Positioned on the edge of Lake Windermere, the restaurant at Langdale Chase is closed at the time of writing while it undergoes a multi-million pound refit, with re-opening planned for late 2023. In July 2023, owner Daniel Thwaites announced the appointment of chef Michael Cole to steer the kitchen for the main dining room, whose floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the lake and the Coniston Fells.
2. The Punch Bowl Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Crosthwaite
This “consistently enjoyable” and much commented-on gastropub – originally a village blacksmiths from 1829 – wins plaudits for its “helpful and friendly staff” under owner Richard Rose, and for its signature “cheese soufflé that always hits the spot – which is why they keep it on the menu”; other dishes also go down well, not least a “raspberry soufflé to die for”.
3. L’Enclume
British, Modern restaurant in Cartmel
Cavendish Street - LA11
“Wonderful! Have been coming here since 2005 and this was the best food I’ve had, fully deserving its third star!” – Simon Rogan’s converted blacksmith’s workshop was, in 2022, the first restaurant in the North to achieve a third Michelin gong, and it’s impressive that – despite its remote Lakeland location – it is nowadays the second most commented-on destination in our annual diners’ poll outside of London. Head chef Paul Burgalieres marshalls the finest local produce – much of it from Simon’s ‘Our Farm’ on the surrounding hillsides – to provide “a symphony of beautifully orchestrated food” in a 17-course meal offering “a completely faultless experience that’s luxurious in its ingredients, cooking, time and space”. Another positive is the “smooth and welcoming service” with “immensely impressive teamwork from the staff from start to finish”. Of course, the cost is “exorbitant”, but for most diners it delivers “everything that was hoped for”: “was it worth the journey? Absolutely!” – “100% we would go back”. (“Second visit in less than twelve months… was able to really enjoy the food without being overawed which you do get on the first visit as everything is so exquisite. Cannot fault. If I could afford the outlay I’d be going more often!”)
4. Aulis at L'Enclume
British, Modern restaurant in Cartmel
Cavendish St - LA11
“As we booked for 3 people, we ended up with the place to ourselves. This was our second visit to Aulis and this was every bit as good as the first and in some ways better as we had the full private dining experience!” – Simon Rogan’s ‘development kitchen in the Lakes’ sits next door to L’Enclume and its six seats aim to provide guests with a ‘behind the scenes’ culinary adventure, with insight into the experimental, creative process and partnership with ‘Our Farm’ behind this Lakeland phenomenon. All feedback acclaims it as a “fantastic dining experience”.
5. Rogan & Co
British, Traditional restaurant in Cartmel
Devonshire Square - LA11
“Very slick and professional, and more relaxed than L’Enclume” – this spin-off from Simon Rogan’s mothership around the corner affords a more buzzy and approachable (and bookable!) alternative to his main operation (and there is also the option to stay the night). “Super tasty and joyful” dishes are “impeccably served” from a three-course menu for £79 per person. “Stayed with them too and the breakfast was spectacular!”
6. Hazelmere
British, Traditional restaurant in Grange-over-Sands
1-2 Yewbarrow Ter - LA11
2022 Review: This “delightful tea shop, delicatessen and tea merchants on the main route into Grange” is “every bit as good as Betty’s” – say fans of its “home-made breads, pastries and cakes to die for”. “Large windows give great views across the ornamental gardens”, and “there’s a real buzz from the coming and going of locals, visitors and efficient, knowledgeable staff”.
7. Heft
British, Modern restaurant in Newton in Cartmel
This “old pub is now a high-class restaurant with a lot of character”, opened in summer 2021 by locally born couple Kevin & Nicola Tickle – Kevin spent 10 years in the kitchen of the exalted L’Enclume and was also head chef at Forest Side in Grasmere. There are “lots of options for eating, from the full gastronomic evening tasting menu to tasty snacks and pies in the dog-friendly bar” along with a “good wine list and great draft beers from Lakes Brew in Kendal”. One or two reporters feel the performance here is no better than good all-round, but most would go further and feel it’s “a great experience that anyone would happily repeat”.
8. Midland Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Morecambe
Marine Road West - LA4
The “best afternoon tea ever” – arguably the main event at this “Art Deco masterpiece” of a hotel, in a “stunning location” overlooking Morecambe Bay. The food in the dining room – the ‘Sun Terrace’ – is “always enjoyable”, too; although the odd cynic says “you’re paying for the views”.
9. Henrock
British, Modern restaurant in Bowness-on-Windermere
Linthwaite House, Crook Road - LA23
The “outstanding” if “lesser-known and more relaxed cousin of the Lake District’s most famous culinary destination” – L’Enclume in nearby Cartmell – “Henrock is a fabulous option for those struggling to save up for (or not quick enough to book)” at the former. You still get real “Simon Rogan excellence”, “overlooking Lake Windermere” in the “lovely Linthwaite Hotel”, complete with “brilliant artwork, great views, delicious and innovative food, and delightful staff and service”.
10. Source (fka Hrishi), Gilpin Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Windermere
Crook Rd - LA23
“Never failing with the quality of food and service” – ex-Fat Duck chef Ollie Bridgwater did well to hang onto the Michelin star at the Cunliffe family’s Lakeland hotel, where he succeeded Hrishikesh Desai (who previously ran the dining room as Hrishi) just a matter of weeks before it was due to be re-rated. Despite the constant updating of the property, it is a relatively traditional space. There’s a three-course à la carte for £90, or a six-course tasting option for £120 (£200 if you go for the accompanying wine-tasting accompaniment). There is also a less informal option of the Knipe Grill at Gilpin Lake House, which is a waterside building elsewhere on the estate. And see also Gilpin Spice.
11. Hooked
Fish & seafood restaurant in Windermere
Ellerthwaite Square - LA23
2023 Review: This “tiny restaurant in Windermere specialises in expertly cooked fish and seafood”. Established in 2010, it changed hands three years ago and now shares ownership with Bowness-on-Windermere’s Urban Food House. On the debit side, it can be “a bit lacking in atmosphere” (one reporter discerned a “retail shop feel”) and a couple of reports diagnose service issues relating to “post-Brexit and pandemic staff shortages”.
12. Drunken Duck
British, Modern restaurant in Ambleside
Barngates - LA22
Also home to the Barngates Brewery – whose brews are on tap – this rural pub is a popular destination on the Lakeland tourist trail. It didn’t generate much attention in our annual diners’ poll this year, but such as we received was ‘all good‘ (although some feedback suggested “mains aren’t as good as the starters and puds”).
13. Ashlack Hall
restaurant in Kirkby-in-Furness
Grizebeck - LA17
An old-world, family-owned manor house near Kirkby-in-Furness on the
edge of the Lake District. Ballymaloe-trained Bobby Keegan and his
partner Jenna Freak serve estate-sourced meals family-style, at one big
sharing table in the dining room.
View full listings of 13 Ulverston Restaurants
Popular Ulverston Restaurant Searches
Ulverston Restaurant News