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The Priest Hole Restaurant — Restaurants in Ambleside

The Priest Hole Restaurant

RestaurantsAmbleside, ENG

4.4 out of 5 stars4.4(1,318 reviews)

Quick info

+44 15394 33332
Church St, Ambleside LA22 0BU, United Kingdom
£20–30

About The Priest Hole Restaurant

On Church St in Ambleside, The Priest Hole Restaurant serves British comfort food alongside cocktails, wine and beer. Fish night brings cod with chorizo on a vegetable cassoulet, and the Sunday roast comes with a range of veg, meat and potatoes. Other dishes include a steak and ale pie with onion rings, while desserts run to chocolate mousse and a baileys creme brulee, plus a cheese board. There is no cellar on site, so nothing is poured on tap. A private dining room is available for groups, and dogs are welcome in the restaurant. Table booking is recommended, as the room gets busy. There is no onsite parking, though pay and display parking is available around the village.

Good to know

  • Reservations
    Accepts reservations
  • Parking
    Free street parking · Paid parking lot · Paid street parking
  • Good for kids
    Good for kids · High chairs · Kids' menu
  • Dietary
    Vegan options · Vegetarian options

Reviews

4.4/5
1,318 reviews

What reviewers say

Reviewers most often mention sunday roast, burger overcooked bland, cheese board and chocolate mousse.

5★
848
4★
304
3★
78
2★
38
1★
50

Customer Review Summary

The Sunday roast draws the most praise, with reviewers repeatedly calling it plentiful and describing chocolate mousse and baileys creme brulee for dessert, one noting there's always room for it. Close behind, dishes like the venison steak, steak and ale pie, and cod with chorizo on a cassoulet of vegetables earn strong words, alongside a cheese board one diner rated above what they'd had in France, and onion rings singled out as among the best. Staff are frequently described as friendly and welcoming, with one couple's celebration marked by a banner and balloon arranged by the team. A recurring complaint centers on the burger: multiple diners describe it looking good but arriving overcooked, one calling the patty frozen and unseasoned and noting a staff member seemed unbothered when told. One visit also cited a long wait for mains, service confusion over starters versus sides, leathery roast potatoes, and overcooked lamb and beef. Several reviewers advise booking ahead given the demand for tables.

Featured reviews

  • Google user
    “The burger was so disappointing. It looked great, but tasted as if it was a frozen patty, without any seasoning and slightly overcooked. Had to leave half of it, and the member of staff said she would tell the chef, but I got the impression that she wasn't really that bothered. My partner had the SeBass and that was also slightly overcooked and the sauce again was not seasoned well and bland.”
  • Google user
    “We visited for Sunday lunch (4 people) on 9/8/26 and unfortunately left disappointed. The service was slow, with around a 50-minute wait for our mains. There also seemed to be some confusion from the staff, including thinking side dishes were a starter. Overall, we didn't find the service particularly warm or welcoming. The food was underwhelming. Three of us ordered the Sunday roast, and while the portions were good, the roast potatoes were leathery and both the lamb and beef were overcooked. The vegetarian roast was acceptable but nothing memorable. The cauliflower cheese tasted freshly made but lacked flavour. The burger looked great when it arrived, but the bun was very thick and dry, making it difficult to eat, and my daughter ended up leaving much of it. The restaurant also lacked much atmosphere, and our seating wasn't particularly comfortable, although we may simply have been unlucky with our table. Overall, we expected a much better experience”
  • Google user
    “We really enjoyed our visit to The Priest Hole. We booked a table in advance on fish night. The main meal of Cod with chorizo on a cassoulet of vegetables was delicious with a fantastic bottle of wine. We also enjoyed a delicious baileys creme brulee & the cheese board was excellent! (We've just travelled through France & it was far superior to any we had there). The staff were friendly & we look forward to visiting again when we are in the area! 😋”
  • Google user
    “Our continuing travels to England with my wife we were in Ambleside UK. Stopped in this pub for dinner at The Priest Hole Restaurant. There is a great story behind this name. See photos. The Place is straight up medieval. The food was great; some more pictures. I had the steak and ale pie. My drink was a great bitter ale. Don’t judge, it’s great. My wife had salmon, which she said was delicious. The service was fine also. If you’re ever in the Lake District area of the UK stop in. Highly recommend.”
  • Google user
    “We visited a couple of weeks ago for my boyfriend’s birthday. When we arrived they had arranged a banner and balloon and a sparkler in his cake which was so thoughtful. The service was brilliant and the food delicious. We didn’t feel rushed at all and had a wonderful experience. Would recommend to anyone visiting Ambleside. Thank you”

Highlights

“Warm, relaxed venue offering British comfort food & pub grub plus cocktails, wine & beer.”

  • Great beer selection
  • Great coffee
  • Great dessert
  • Great tea selection
  • Great wine list
  • Popular for lunch

Amenities

  • Wi-Fi
  • Free street parking
  • Accepts reservations
  • Outdoor seating
  • Dogs allowed outside
  • Dine-in
Show more amenities
  • Family-friendly
  • Vegan options
  • Alcohol
  • Cozy
  • Onsite services
  • Beer
Offerings· 9
  • Cocktails
  • Coffee
  • Free water refills
  • Hard liquor
  • Healthy options
  • Private dining room
  • Quick bite
  • Vegetarian options
  • Wine
Parking· 3
  • Paid parking lot
  • Paid street parking
  • Usually difficult to find a space
Planning· 2
  • Lunch reservations recommended
  • Dinner reservations recommended
Dining options· 6
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Catering
  • Dessert
  • Seating
  • Table service
Popular for· 1
  • Solo dining
Facilities· 2
  • Gender-neutral restroom
  • Restroom
Crowd· 4
  • Groups
  • LGBTQ+ friendly
  • Tourists
  • Transgender safespace
Highlights· 5
  • Great beer selection
  • Great coffee
  • Great dessert
  • Great tea selection
  • Great wine list
Atmosphere· 4
  • Casual
  • Historic
  • Romantic
  • Trendy
Family-friendly· 3
  • Good for kids
  • High chairs
  • Kids' menu

Location

Restaurants near The Priest Hole Restaurant

The Priest Hole Restaurant
£20–30Outdoor seatingVegan optionsVegetarian options
4.41,318
  • 0.1 mi

    shakshuka, crispy chicken blt, cauliflower and cheese soup

  • 0.4 mi£10–20Outdoor seatingWheelchair accessibleGood for kids

    chargrilled chicken salad, dog friendly seating, mac and cheese

  • 4.1 mi£20–60Reservations

    sunday roast, espresso martini, pea and ham hock soup

The 3 nearest restaurants by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.

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