January 2024 by Fearless663951
Not the cheapest of meals but well worth it - very good quality food - we had four dishes and all were very good. We were very impressed all round - well worth a detour - good choice of vegetarian dishes too
January 2024 by PaulT1965
I dined here one evening midweek with my wife and close friends. We almost had the place to ourselves that made it even more intimate and personal. The dining space is cosy and rustic. I had pigeon breast to start, mushroom suet pie for main and shared a crumble for desert. We had wine to accompany, both red and white. The service was attentive. We had after dinner drinks in the bar that had a roaring fire and comfortable chairs.
December 2023 by mlauk
My wife and i stayed two nights in late November. it was great. breakfast was freshly made with home made granola and compote's, the cheese & pickle sandwiches they made for us for our walk (at short notice), on lovely sourdough were delicious and the dinner good too. Pub bar full of good beers and atmosphere. Room small and cosy. we will go back
November 2023 by James Roberts
£30 for a main and £55 for a meal and a dessert... £25 for a dessert! The pricing is not transparent as the menu only states £65 for 3-course which in my opinion is overpriced.The wine menu doesn't include the price of a large glass of wine either which is again the highest I've ever paid. Plus 3 day cancellation charge of £45 is very steep.The menu is very limited with the only meat option being venison.The surprise bill ruined our evening as we'd been here in recent years and expected not to feel robbed.
November 2023 by Safari32129129872
Check out the other recent reviews. This place has always been a family favourite when visiting the lakes, but this experience was very poor and judging by the other reviews on here, this wasn?t an isolated ?off day?. Miserable looking barman offered no welcome whatsoever. Indeed, seemed completely indifferent although this was made up for by the cheerful and helpful young lady who was serving in the restaurant. She was the only saving grace in a pretty poor show, hence two stars instead of a paltry one. I had a pint of the locally brewed amber ale and it was very good but also very expensive. The public bar is nicely presented but even so seems to lack that country inn cosiness . The restaurant I think is meant to look trendy/ rustic but just looks bare, cold and uninviting. I think they?re probably catering for the ? money no object? audience. Menu was limited and uninspiring. Most of us opted for venison which lacked flavour and was unimaginatively presented with little baskets of ?fries? a la McDonald?s. Desserts were OK but nothing special. The bill was astronomical for what we had. I think they are trading on their reputation at the moment but they are certainly going about trashing it. Such a shame as it was a great place. Very disappointing I?m afraid and we didn?t enjoy the experience at all.
November 2023 by sasco2000
We have visited the Drunken Duck many times in the past but were disappointed on our last visit. I don't know if it is under new management but the experience left us underwhelmed. The lunch menu was limited not catering for anyone wanting a light lunch as it has in the passed, not ideal if you are planning walking some distance after eating! We had two starters which were very nice & a couple of drinks each. On checking the bill after leaving I was rather annoyed to find I had been charged 20% service charge on our food! bearing in mind the 'service' was limited ie curt I was not impressed. It was noticeably quieter than on our last visits so I can only assume we are not alone in feeling unimpressed.
November 2023 by Curiosity57234628719
Walked in and very impressed by look and feel of the place, unfortunately soured by greeting from barman that was very curt. Sat in the restaurant and ordered mackerel and cheese soufflé to start followed by duck and venison. Soufflé was good and light. Not greasy at all which some are. Mackerel was not good. Very poor balance of flavours. Couldn?t taste the mackerel with the acidity of all the other flavours on the plate. Chef really needs to work on this dish. Duck was inedible. Black on the outside and completely raw with 1mm of the surface. Not an easy thing to achieve. Really disappointing as was the venison. It was the first venison I?d ever had that lacked any flavour at all. Desserts were sticky toffee pudding and the apple crumble doughnut. These were adequate but just a suggestion that the apple crumble doughnut would be improved massively if it was served warm. Overall very disappointing particularly as the bill was £65 each plus drinks.
November 2023 by Smiffy2929
Just returned from a weekend stay at the Drunken Duck. Haven't been for a number of years and the charm is still there! Had a lovely meal in the restaurant on Saturday - food was great and service was on point. We stayed in one of their standard rooms with, without a shower, wasn't a problem for an overnight stay. I do perhaps think that the price of the rooms for the facilities they have is a little on the pricey side (no shower, although we knew this), no shower head in the bath, and the facilties in the room are a little basic for £200+ per night, but we knew what it was like and the hospitality and charm at this place is great.
October 2023 by Mike A
Another wonderful Sunday lunch at the Drunken Duck. One of our favourite spots in Cumbria. Great food, friendly service, lovely beers brewed on-site.
October 2023 by Sophie P
Such an amazing experience from start to finish. A fab atmosphere and the staff are so happy to help. The food was great and our cocktails were made on request. They also helpfully went out of their way to make sure we had a taxi at the end of the day. Would absolutely recommend!
October 2023 by Gill Gale
Have stayed here 3 times in last few months .The food has been so good on all occasions .With Family & Friends the consistency has been there .It is a country Inn .With great style ,ambience & beautiful pastoral lakeland views . Welcoming log fire ,friendly faces & a relaxed atmosphere . Well done the "A" team
October 2023 by PeterUK70
We booked B&B with dinner for a long journey from Scotland back to the East Midlands. We were knocked out by this a unique and pub, restaurant and rooms in a delightful spot with outside seating, outstanding views and a traditional warmth indoors. In the evening the locals, their dogs and walkers helped make this a traditional pub, whilst at dinner the quality and creativity of the restaurant food was a genuine surprise. We honestly could not fault anything and we left happy and determined to return to what was originally just a stopover and is now for us a real destination to look forward to.
October 2023 by B-S-Struemph
We booked a 2 night (Wednesday and Thursday) stay here in early October. I'd expected good things given the reviews on various review listings such as Telegraph Travel, however after 2 nights' B&B at £210 a night we left feeling ripped off. For starters, there was neither a shower nor shower attachment in the room. Just a massive old bath. Great if you're after some kind of quirky Victorian experience, but totally impractical for the 21st century. No tea or coffee either, in what was a poky room with tired old pine furniture. For breakfast, an (almost) full English, rather on the small side, with no sausage, some soaked porridge oats, toast and a few Kellogg's cereals. Oh and the 2-course £55 auto-reserved dinner with 'discretionary' service charge added in. The beers were OK, but the bar lacks customers, and hence atmosphere. We just didn't get the vibe at all from this place, and had to conclude it's a bit 'up itself'. Sorry guys, you need to do better. We won't be staying again.
October 2023 by mikecR1833SV
Walked here from Grasmere en-route to Ambleside while Storm Babet was raging all over the country. Managed to dodge the rain but the wind was a different story. Glad to get indoors here and sample their fayre. Wonderful spiced butternut squash soup with proper bread & butter. Again, great selection of real ales. Definitely worth the effort to get there.
October 2023 by CheshireDancingqueen
You can always rely on a good pint at The Drunken Duck. We were lucky that a fabulous table opposite the roaring fire was available, on a chilly October day it was very welcome. Great service, good choice of ales from their own brewery and interesting mushroom and garlic crisps made another very enjoyable visit. Always a must when in the Lake District.
