8 Must visit cafés and restaurants in Grasmere
You don’t need to walk more than few yards in Grasmere village to find somewhere enticing to stop and eat.
For such a small place, it’s bursting with cafés, restaurants (including the Michelin starred Forest Side) and tearooms to refuel in.
Here’s a selection of our favourites
To get your taste buds twitching whether you’re staying in the area, or just passing through.
Grasmere Tea Garden | Heidi’s | Baldry’s | Freda+Ray | Jumble Room | Forest Side | Mathilde’s | Green’s
Grasmere Tea Gardens
They keep things simple at the Grasmere Tea Gardens We’re talking paninis and toasties. Sandwiches and baked potatoes. Soups and sweet treats. But it’s all home-made and delicious.
Previously owned by three generations of the Bowers family, and now run by a close friend of theirs, this charming and friendly spot is the perfect pit-stop after an energetic walk on the fells.
And talking of the fells – you can get some fabulous views of them from the heated riverside terrace.
Heidi’s Café
Dog friendly? Check. Great coffee? Check. Scrumptious cakes? Check. Add to that filling cooked breakfasts (including veggie and vegan options), toasties, baked tatties, and hot sandwiches on the lunch menu and you’ve got lots of reasons to visit Heidi’s Café. And we haven’t even mentioned the Yorkshire Pudding Wrap yet – it’s filled with Cumberland sausage, chips and gravy – perfect fuel for the fells.
Everything is cooked to order, service is friendly, and they even provide dog towels if your pooch has got his paws wet while you’ve been out and about.
Baldry’s
If tea is your tipple, then Baldry’s tearoom is the place to go – it has over 30 on the menu: everything from Assam to Lapsang Souchon to the intriguingly named Jasmine Phoenix Dragon Pearls.
Quirky décor and vintage charm abounds, with mismatched furniture, mirrors everywhere and plates hanging on the walls.
Located in the former shop and photography studio of William Baldry – one of the founders of the famous Grasmere Sports – it’s famous for its delicious home-made cakes and food these days.
From pre-hike hearty breakfasts to light bites and daily specials, there’s something on the menu for everyone.
Freda + Ray
Pizza and cocktails? Don’t mind if we do. If that sounds like it might be right up your ginnel too, then Freda + Ray is ready to welcome you on a Friday or Saturday night. We particularly like the sound of ‘nduja pizza with Tarquin’s blackberry gin and elderflower tonic.
Go during the day and treat yourself to coffee and cake, bacon sarnies, hot soup, toasties, or a filling Cumbrian breakfast – or how about Smashed Pea & Feta on Sourdough Toast from the brunch menu? Tasty.
There are tables outside for warmer days, and pooches are welcome to rest their paws too.
The Jumble Room
“The chef is an unhinged genius…” Now if that isn’t reason enough to visit The Jumble Room and sample the flavour bombs on offer, we don’t know what is.
On chef Chrissy’s internationally inspired menu you’ll find dishes like Koliwada cod, Miso-caramel sirloin steak, a handmade pasta of the day, slow-cooked Lebanese lamb stew, and Dithoise chicken – a South African dish that features chicken breast stuffed with almonds, apricots and honey.
And if you’ve got room for dessert, you must try Chrissy’s rushbearing gingerbread with hot toffee sauce and custard. Lush!
Delicious food, impeccable service – what more could you want?
The Forest Side
Housed in a striking gothic mansion, Michelin-starred The Forest Side can rightly call itself one of the best restaurants in Cumbria. And it makes excellent use of the Lake District’s natural bounty too, with more than 80% of its fruit, vegetables (over 100 varieties are grown) and herbs coming from the on-site kitchen garden, while its first-rate meat is sourced from local farms.
Combining interesting and unusual flavours in his creative tasting menus, chef Paul Leonard’s recipes are rooted in the Cumbrian countryside (the kitchen team often go foraging for ingredients together) and will take your senses on a culinary journey they won’t forget in a hurry.
Mathilde’s Café
Råraka Rôkt Öring. Difficult to pronounce (unless you happen to be Swedish) but delicious to eat, this smoked trout dish is just one of the delights you can find on the menu at Mathilde’s Café – which is housed inside the Heaton Cooper Studio in Grasmere, and named after Alfred Heaton Cooper’s Norwegian wife.
The Scandi influence makes its presence felt throughout many of the dishes on offer – we particularly like the sound of Köttbullar – Scandinavian meatballs with creamy mash, Mathilde’s pickle, lingonberry compote and gravy (and no flatpack furniture in sight anywhere). And the Nordic but nice cakes get a big thumbs up from us too.
Green’s
Buddha bowls, quesadillas, home-made Cumberland sausage rolls, and veggie chilli were just some of the specials on the menu at Green’s when we visited. Sounds good, right?
Pop in for breakfast – veggie and vegan versions are available too. Or, rock up for a bowl of soup, a sandwich or a toastie at lunchtime.
Go in the afternoon and indulge in a cream tea or a home-made cake. Or just take some time out for a drink. The welcome is warm, the coffee is hot, and the service is friendly.
There are plenty of gluten-free options – the staff know their stuff, and there’s outside seating if the weather’s playing ball. Maybe see you there?
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