Diners' Choice: Lively restaurants in Cumbria

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants that have the most vibrant bar scenes in Cumbria? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Number 11 Market Place

4.9

4.9 (1071)

£25 and under

Tex-Mex

Whitehaven

About the restaurant

Welcome to Number 11 restaurant and bar,
You will be treated to delicious locally sourced home cooked food in a relaxed and chilled setting where you can wash down your food with a fantastic choice of wines (including our own Number 11 label wine), locally brewed beers and hand crafted cocktails.
Huge range of Gluten Free options and we are always more than happy to cater for all dietary requirements.

Top review

Sophie

Dined on Dec 12, 2024

Great experience, very accommodating to dietary requirements

The Pour House

4.9

4.9 (30)

£25 and under

Unspecified

Whitehaven

About the restaurant

The Pour House is a tapas and cocktail bar with a relaxed atmosphere and chill music. Established by Luke and Robert in 2023, we are a relatively new experience within the town of Whitehaven, offering cool and fresh ideas to the cocktail and tapas industry.

We offer a range of traditional Spanish and English tapas dishes from Thursday to Saturday and Sunday lunches on Sundays. We have a range of approximately 40 cocktails, including call cocktails you may desire, in addition to an extensive range of mocktails.

We have a chilled atmosphere, so we're perfect for lunch, a quick bite to eat or a longer stay with a few drinks.

Cheers
Luke & Rob

Top review

Kelly

Dined on Nov 18, 2024

Amazing food for a Sunday lunch. We got the Sunday sharing board, and it was super. Turkey was gorgeous and the toasties were beautiful. Would deffinitely go back for tapas. Christmas cocktails are some of the nicest around here. Amazing food and amazing service.

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4.8

4.8 (331)

£25 and under

British

Carlisle

About the restaurant

The Greenhead Hotel was taken over in June 2020 by local proprietor Jordan Dodwell & his partner Anna Pearson. After a complete refurb they opened the doors on the 14th August 2020.

Head Chef, Dan, & his young, eager team use the finest ingredients available using local butchers, suppliers and even forage in the nearby woodland. During the shooting season we source game from the local shoot which features on our specials board.

Situated on the Northumberland and Cumbrian border, with Hadrian's wall on our doorstep, the hotel offers a cosy drinking area with locally sourced ale, a chic restaurant serving homemade classic pub food with a modern twist and 7 newly refurbished dog friendly en-suite guest bedrooms, alongside a 45 bed Hostel, providing the perfect base for your trip.

Top review

Fiona

Dined 7 days ago

Huge portions. Sunday roast beef meal was absolutely delicious. Steak Pie also delicious and served with lovely roast veg.

Casa Italian

4.8

4.8 (89)

£25 and under

Italian

Whitehaven

About the restaurant

Welcome to Casa Italian, where we bring the heart of Italy to your table. Located in Whitehaven, our restaurant offers a warm and inviting atmosphere perfect for any occasion. Owned by Luke, Robert & Dean, we strive to provide a great experience alongside our Head Chef, Stuart and Executive Chef, Ryan. In the evening, immerse yourself in the full Italian dining experience with our carefully curated evening menu. Whether it’s a quick lunch or a leisurely dinner, Casa Italian is dedicated to serving authentic Italian flavours with a modern twist.

Top review

Tracey

Dined 6 days ago

Casa Italian was lovely, good portions of tasty food. Great table service , smiley helpful waitresses .

The Cavendish Arms

4.7

4.7 (1892)

£26 to £40

British

Grange-Over-Sands

About the restaurant

Please note we cannot guarantee specific tables when booking on line or at busy times.

The Cavendish Arms is a 450 year old Coaching inn set in the heart of Cartmel. With Simon Rogan and his famous Lenclume restaurant we have some very high standards to maintain. Our food is fresh and sourced locally to ensure the freshest ingredients are on your plate at all times. Our menu changes often and is always being developed by our very talented Head Chef and his team. Along with a great food offering, we are challenging boundaries with our selection of 25 gins, 10 whiskeys and many more superior sprits, we always try to have an alternative rather than using main stream brands behind the bar, ensuring our guests receive the best possible value for money we can provide whilst experiencing a better than expected product. In short our aim is to make sure you leave having had a memorable time and be wearing a huge smile.

Top review

Carolyn

Dined on Dec 11, 2024

Lovely ambience, Christmas decorations and a gorgeous open fire. Friendly welcoming staff and great food. Would definitely recommend.

The Black Bull

4.6

4.6 (655)

£25 and under

British

Kendal

About the restaurant

Welcome to The Black Bull, Sedbergh, we look forward to seeing you

Top review

Peter

Dined 4 days ago

A very good 3 course lunch. High quality food throughout and an exceptional belly pork and liver sauce starter. An extensive wine list. Aiming for a fine dining experience and largely succeeding. Fish main course could have been more generous size wise - I felt I got the amount I'd expect on the 7 course tasting menu which if it was available at lunchtimes I would gladly pursue.

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Experience

Black Bull Tasting Menu

Avanti

4.6

4.6 (282)

£25 and under

Mediterranean

Kirkby Lonsdale

About the restaurant

Our casual restaurant and bar focuses on authentic dishes from our favourite regions of Spain, Italy and Portugal. We hunt out only the finest quality ingredients and serve them in the same way the locals would in the regions they originate. We believe in letting the quality of the ingredients shine through by trying to keep things as uncomplicated as possible. We are a dog friendly restaurant in our garden and downstairs bar area. Please ensure you mention if you are bringing a dog as we will ensure the correct area is allocated. Thank you for your understanding.

We are now open on Mondays, serving our homemade stone baked pizza during lunch and in the evening.

Full menu available Tuesday to Sunday during lunch and in the evening.

Our suppliers are amongst the very best in the UK, importing regional delicacies used by the finest restaurants in the UK. Our fish, seafood, fruit and vegetables are all delivered fresh each day from local suppliers.

Top review

nicky

Dined on Nov 16, 2024

Lovely restaurant,great food and fabulous service,lucky to have such a nice place to dine on our door step.

OPA Greek Restaurant

4.5

4.5 (25)

£25 and under

Greek

Windermere

About the restaurant

Family run small restaurant offering homemade greek dishes,grill and lovely cocktails

Top review

Katie

Dined 2 days ago

A hidden gem. Cosy ambient taverna, great food and very friendly staff. Will definitely be returning and would highly recommend!

Pooley bridge inn

4.4

4.4 (835)

£25 and under

British

Penrith

About the restaurant

This wonderful inn is located in the centre of the pretty little village of Pooley Bridge, only moments from the edge of Ullswater Lake. Our spacious, traditional bar features open fires, free WIFI and a relaxing ambiance, which welcomes both dogs and children. On warmer days, enjoy our pleasant outside tables both in our beautiful front garden, and the peace of the Stable Courtyard away from the village bustle. Call us or pop in and say hello!

Top review

Donna

Dined 3 days ago

Lovely food in a really relaxed atmosphere. Good value for money

TJ’S

4.2

4.2 (545)

£26 to £40

Home cooking

Penrith

About the restaurant

Welcome to TJ's Bar and Restaurant.

We are located at Parkfoot Holiday Park by the shore of Ullswater Lake, a short walk from Pooley Bridge.
We serve fresh home cooked food, burgers and steak from the grill and also have a busy takeaway service serving homemade pizzas and other tasty alternatives.

Please Note

We only reserve our restaurant dining area, the bar area is a first come basis and will not be reserved for entertainment.

We operate on a card only basis, cash will not be accepted. Food and drink from the Restaurant is ordered separately.

Top review

Carly

Dined on Oct 26, 2024

Beautiful meals with a lovely atmosphere!! Only thing I would say was to introduce table service due to being so busy! But 5 star from us 👌

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