Top 5 Penrith Restaurants

18 July 2021

As you’d expect from a town situated in one of England’s richest agricultural areas there is no lack of choice for eating out when it comes to Penrith restaurants.

Watch the world go by as you enjoy a coffee and cake in an independent café, or unwind with some fine dining or quality pub grub. We’ve found five of the best the area has to offer.

Fine Dining Penrith Restaurants: Allium at Askham Hall

With expansive, wonderful grounds and kitchen garden, Askham Hall is a marvellous, bo-ho, ‘romantic’ destination. Not only this – the venue boasts a fantastic restaurant in the old hall serving Richard Swale’s Michelin Star cooking, with the option of a tasting menu.

Locally grown and foraged the food combines richness and delicacy – such as chicken, cauliflower cheese and truffles – and everything looks like a work of art. The setting inside the hall is quite formal so dress nicely!

Bistro-Style Penrith Restaurants: Four & Twenty

Reasonably priced, proper fine dining is the established approach at this cool bistro which blends slick décor with rustic mix and match furniture. You can expect sophisticated dishes such as sea bass ‘bouillabaise style’ or pork tenderloin with garlic, sage and Parma ham. If you’re going to eat out in Penrith town centre, then head here.

Country Pub Penrith Restaurants: George and Dragon

The George and Dragon is a country estate pub with bedrooms in the heart of the Lowther Estate.  Restored in 2008, it has since become a showcase for classic country cooking using ingredients from the family farms and kitchen gardens at Askham Hall.

Having won multiple awards for its cuisine and accommodation it has established itself as a local dining destination. A great wine list, real ales, wood fires and it’s a cosy, stylish atmosphere make it a place you’ll want to return to. It’s a family, cyclist and dog friendly pub too!

Seasonal Dining: 1863 Pooley Bridge

1863 is set in the heart of Pooley Bridge, a pretty village on the shores of Ullswater in the Lake District. First built as the village blacksmith and later a post-office, it is now a family run restaurant welcoming guests back time and again to share in this corner of the Lake District.

A relaxed, friendly atmosphere encourages visitors to take time to enjoy locally-sourced, seasonal dishes created by their award-winning kitchen team.

Customers can choose from a three-course dinner menu or a six-course tasting menu.

Granny Dowbekin’s Tea Room and Gardens

The proprietors of Granny Dowbekin’s bake their scones, cakes, and pies fresh every day and offer a meeting place for friends and family from far and wide. Their location in Pooley Bridge is blessed with the best vantage point to enjoy the River Eamont and Ullswater.

The menu is full of family favourites with ingredients sourced locally and presented with the warmth you’d expect from the Lake District. They do home-cooked traditional food really well.

With homemade cakes and traybakes on display and gluten free options, vegan cakes and a range of dairy free & nut free delicacies everyone is catered for.