Pancakes just off the motorway? Yes please! We arrived at the Filling Station on route back to Brum…read morefrom Ayr. It was recommended to the BF on Twitter for coffee but we're hungry! As, I suspected, it very much looks like an old school diner and so immediately I want pancakes rather than lunch! Pancakes I had, stacked up high with a sausage on the side for 'real food.' The boyfriends had a burger and all is very satisfying, including the lovely homely service. We never got around to coffee as milkshakes and orange juice seemed more appropriate! Worth a detour for this place! Note: check if they take cards - they didn't last month!

Blink and you'll miss it, so don't. This tiny little diner (only 4 tables) is worth the stop on the…read moreway to the Lake District. Beautifully decorated with biker memorabilia, it used to be a car dealership, then a service station before its present incarnation. A small but tasty menu from which I ordered the full Cumbrian breakfast - bacon, Cumberland sausage, blood sausage, mushrooms, baked beans, fried egg, hash browns and grilled tomatoes. Sounds like a lot but it was really tasty, not to mention great fuel for hiking up the mountains in the district. Do yourself a favor and tank up at this family run American-style diner. You'll thank yourself after.

What a find! Excellent steak and ale pot pie with chips (fries) to die for. Done to perfection. And…read morethe sticky toffee pudding was absolutely stellar! Our server was wonderful and gave us lots of good tips for our visit. The food was truly prepared with love and care. Something for everyone!

From the owner: Family-friendly restaurant serving delicious British food with American and Asian influencesread more

Never seems to be open no matter what time of day I am in the area! However it is seeped in history…read morethough so maybe a hidden gem. The village was created by Danish Vikings as a fishing and trading port and the area developed into a Emigrant port. John Paul Jones (founder of the American Navy) himself was a local lad and sailed from here. Prisoners were also sent to Australia from this port. There is little left of the pier which once graced the shores but if you listen carefully, you can still hear the smuggler moving their illegal wares! The Steamboat Inn offers B&B at 30GBP per night an have a self contained cottage available too.

set in some awesome surroundings, this place is great to stop off for a pint and some grub if…read moreyou're out and about, highly recommended

The service was excellent. I felt invited into the lovely and warm interior after canoeing across…read morethe lake to get there. Despite us both having soggy shoes the staff didn't bat an eyelid. Instead the lovely woman behind the counter had a friendly conversation with me while I tried to coax an answer out of my girlfriend about what she wanted to drink. I had a coffee and their apparently famous American pancakes, both of which were absolutely delicious. The coffee came with a leaf pattern in the foam on top, which (trust me I've tried to do that) isn't easy. The presentation of the pancakes was also spectacular, I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into them. The pricing was very reasonable, while it is a little steep for a humble student, what you get is well worth the money. Also I have to mention the WiFi. I don't think I have ever been to an establishment that has faster and easier to use wi-fi for their customers. No sign up and boom you're online. Although sitting inside it was great, sitting outside was a little tenuous because of their large stone walls. The aesthetic of the place is fantastic, if you're sitting outside the view over the lake and the hills beyond is breathtaking, but if you're more in the mood to sit in the warm the vintage and elegant decor and comfy seating will make you feel at home.

From the owner: The Terrace at Brantwood provides freshly cooked brunch, lunch, as well as delicious home made…read morecakes, scones and other treats. All our meals are prepared freshly on site, some featuring herbs and fruit grown in Brantwood's gardens. We are licensed to sell wine, beer (and gin) as well as serving a wide range of soft drinks. Our terrace has spectacular views overlooking Coniston Water to the fells beyond, whilst the interior features original artworks from local artists as well as previous exhibitions held at Brantwood, the historic home of John Ruskin.

The higher end of average cocktails, lovely staff, I didn't have cake, but they looked of a…read morepatisserie valerie type. There's outdoor seating, inside is a little dark, especially on a grey day. I think my main issue with it, is that it seems to attract a particular type of clientele (no offence to customers- bitchier versions of my Mother (also, no offence to my lovely Mother)) which can be a little off putting.

My wife (American) struggles to find any bartender who really knows how to make a dirty martini…read morehere in the UK. Finally, whilst vacationing in the lakes, we found the Fizzy Tarté which sells itself as a champagne and pastry bar, however... their cocktails are worthy of attention too. The service was certainly attentive and we enjoyed our short break from souvenir and clothes shopping (OK I was mainly there to carry the bags!) Pop in sometime and see if you can put the bartender to the test... I think you'd be pleasantly surprised!

We were recommended this restaurant to try by a friend. In the past it was named Mississipi a very…read moreaverage American themed diner . Now it has metamaphorsed into a lovely, elegant diner and bar . The food was great , I had a crab linguine and my companion had a veggie pasta dish . Both were very good , served with some garlic bread and salad on the side. There is a cocktail bar situated at the entrance which has a good selection of beer on draught and wines . We actually were tempted back the following night with a group of friends to see if the standard was the same . Thankfully it was and everyone in the party enjoyed a high standard of food and service .

Excellent food + service! Young waitress Jessica made sure we left happy, full + definately…read morereturning!!!

Nice breakfast / lunch ... at the gateway to the Lake District? Had English breakfast n American…read morepancakes.

Good food. Nice atmosphere. Well prepared Illy coffee . Our coffee stop of choice in Kendalread more

It was only about 15 minutes off the M6 freeway to the Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley, Cumbria. The…read moreroads weren't that windy and were wide and well-paved so this is faring better than expected already. We arrived to where the brewery showed on my map, but it wasn't there. The brewery was slightly up the road within a small shopping inlet next to a coffee shop. We parked and approached the brewery and were pleasantly surprised with how impressive the set-up was. The building was large and beautiful with large wood beams, huge windows, and comfy leather seats. It was so quiet in there I didn't know how much noise we could make without being rude, so we opted to sit in the corner so we could strategize about which beers we wanted to try and how much time we wanted to spend off the road. I ordered the Lakeland Lager which is a 5%ABV Lager/Pilsner and Sean had the Cumbrian 5 Hop 5%ABV Golden Ale. I really liked the Lakeland Lager because it was crisp and refreshing with a great hop flavor on the back-end. Most of their beers were "real ale" style, but the lager wasn't. It was a nice change from all the real ales available. I also really enjoyed the Brodie's Prime with is a dark porter-style beer and is 4.9%ABV. It has a very smooth mouth-feel and is extremely drinkable. We sampled almost their entire beer selection and overall their beer was very good. The styles were done well and the beer was clean and clear and cheap! We were there around lunch time so we went ahead and ordered some food before they stopped serving. Sean ordered the beer cheese soup and I ordered the mushrooms with Stilton blue cheese on toast. The soup was served with large pieces of sourdough bread and butter so it was very filling for a good price. I tried some of the soup and it was really good. The mushrooms were sautéed in butter and the cheese was melted on top of the toast so it was damn delectable. I savored every bite of that toast. The soup was something like 2 pounds and the toast was 4 pounds. I think we walked out of there spending about 10-15 pounds total? Pretty decent if you ask me. Also, they refused to accept our tips. I am accustomed to giving tips always, but they politely declined my offer. Great service, delicious food, cheap and amazing beer and no tip?! It was one of the highlights of the trip.

I'm often in Windermere for the weekend, and having a pint at the Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley…read moremakes for a great start to it. It's a big venue, with a large downstairs area next to the bar, and further seating on a mezzanine upstairs. There's then a further bar (only open sometimes) through the back. There's large glass panels to let you see into the actual brewery itself, so it's interesting just being in the place. There's outside seating too, in the car park, so it's hardly picturesque, but it's fine too when the weather is mild or if you want some peace and quiet away from the buzz indoors. It's a good atmosphere, very laid back and friendly, with plenty of dogs. Staff are pleasant and helpful, and know their beers well. The beers are good - all sorts from your pale ales through to your dark stouts, and last time I was there I had a raspberry sour. It wasn't great if I'm honest, but you can't win them all :-) Hawkshead seem to be quite an adventurous brewery, so there's always something new to try. My favourites are the stouts. There's a range of food too which seems to be mostly traditional 'Northern' food - Shepherd's Pie, Yorkshire pudding, Venison burgers - mostly very meat heavy, so I've never tried anything, apart from the chips. The chips are good! They do a fantastic beer festival. We went this year for the first time, and it was brilliant, we had such a good time. You get a menu, and can just work your way through the ones you fancy the sound of. They're categorised into the different bars, so it makes it quite fun to work your way about trying different ones. They had a massive marquee when we were there, with a crazy and very entertaining jazz band. It's a family atmosphere, with kids there too, so the adults are sensible and nothing gets too out of hand. I'm hoping we can go every year! With regular weekend checks ins until next year.

This is a brand new McDonald's and I recommend you take a look, from the stunning open seating area…read moreto the overpowering play area this place has it all. I began my morning by waking up at 9, after I was ready I stumbled across to Stricklandgate and waited a full 30 mins in the line to get in. Dead on 12 the door swung open to a "new paint" smell and to 3 members of staff eager to let us in. We all ran to be first in line but then stopped to admire the fine architecture from the tiled walls to the sandy oak wood floor, I felt welcome and the staff seemed to enjoy serving me too. Now... on to the food. I ordered the big tasty burger and I have to say it impressed me a lot, the bacon was crispy yet not over cooked, the lettuce had a distinct crunch which complemented the onions ever so well and the patty was so big I could not eat all of it and so I took some home for the dog. My one gripe with the food however was the fact that the fries lacked the crunch that I have became a custom to, but I think that may be because the oil in the fryer had been changed. I believe that McDonald's are leading the fast food industry into the future and this restaurant is one of the best I have seen so far

Probably the most enjoyable McDonald's experience I've had in over a decade. I am not a McDonald's…read moreregular, but i got stuck in Kendal after almost everything else was closed. I have to say, im glad i did. The serving staff were very friendly and went out of their way to be helpful. The food was slightly above the expected McDonald's quality (or perhaps the quality staff just made it seem that way?). The service was very fast and efficient. And, though several people left their tables and floor area in a terrible state while I was there, the lady cleaning the tables was so lovely, tirelessly cleaning up people's messes in spite of customers with bad manners. Seriously exceeded expectations. I'd give them 6 stars if i could. I was there just before 8pm on Tue 20 June. McDonald's ought to give the whole shift a bonus. If every McDonald's staff was as good as these guys, I'd probably become a McDonald's regular again!