Drunken Duck Inn & Barngates Brewery

Went for Sunday lunch, our 4th visit over the past few years. Our experience was really good. We shared a game pate starter, which was lovely. Mains were steak and ale suet pudding and mushroom Wellington. Both were excellent, with perfect Yorkshire puddings, lovely red wine gravies, crisp roast potatoes and plentiful veg. We shared the rice pudding, which was perfect and an imaginative set of flavours. In our experience, the quality and service were excellent and the portions generous. We were very full after 2 courses. We will happily return.

Just echoing what a few others have said. I’ll start with the good: good beer, good service, decent views (if you were to sit outside). But the price of the set menu doesn’t match the overall experience. The desserts were the best part of the meal. The starters and mains, to be frank, were nothing special (except the duck croquette, but by itself didn’t save the meal). I always judge a place by two questions, would I recommend or would I go back? No to both I’m afraid.

Worth noting they refuse to serve people with severe nut allergies. This isn’t obvious from the website or booking process and not ideal given the remote location and difficulty of finding anywhere else good to eat at peak time in the Lake District when you find out in the pub. If you don’t have allergies then it’s a beautiful pub with a very interesting menu in a gorgeous location.

Quality is good but it is more expensive than I expected. Meals are sized for the small eaters so an extra veg order is recommend. Staff are abrupt but reasonably pleasant, service charge is automatically added to the bill but there is no table service, orders at the bar only for your food and drinks.

Booked at short notice and, because it was a Sunday, reminded that the menu was a limited cooked lunch one we were unsure what to expect. We arrived on a windy and wet day and were shown to our table. Our outdoor gear (including wellies) didn’t raise any eyebrows and the table and dining room were well laid out. Service was irreproachable and the ‘limited’ menu actually offered plenty of choice and was refreshingly inventive. We opted for the two course (main and pudding rather than starter/main) and were both very pleased with our selection. |The mushroom Wellington and the orange sorbet in particular deserved our praise. We felt the cauliflower cheese could have benefited from a touch more bite and a little longer under the grill for colour but this was a minor point. The drinks menu was extensive, a 0% beer on draught was a welcome finding and the unusual Romanian Pinot noir attracted positive comments. |The price might seem higher than many would wish to pay for a ‘pub lunch’ but it’s a treat and trust me, it’s worth it.

If you are a game lover or vegetarian, you will love it - we did! I had the pigeon starter, my partner had the summer salad, we both had the venison and finished with the poached pear/crumb/ice cream and chocolate mousse desserts. We both enjoyed every bit of it. The service was great too - just the right balance of friendly and attentive. Excellent wine list with a good choice by the glass too. Having read the reviews on here beforehand I really can’t agree with the negativity, but I love game, and in my view it was done to perfection. We stayed in one of the standard rooms which was very comfortable and spotlessly clean. The breakfast was delicious too. We both had the overnight oats and the vegetarian option but with bacon as an extra. We will definitely be back.

We've eaten at the Drunken Duck in the past, but we decided to stay for a couple of nights. The hotel room was clean, warm with on suite. Overall very comfortable accommodation. The staff were polite, efficient and friendly.|Where I have criticism was with the menu, I ate the venison which was very good, the dish included a red onion tart tatin, which I found struck a discordant note with the other savoury elements of the dish, it was far too sweet. It may have made a very good desert with a sour raspberry coulis or ice cream of some description. The other elements of the dish, parsnips and beetroot fondant, were excellent.||Second night, I tried the Chestnut suet pudding ( one of the vegetarian options ). I'm afraid it wasn't a success. I found it rather bland - perhaps under seasoned and a bit stodgy.||It seems odd that a restaurant in the heart of the country had so little meat sourced from local farms on the menu, no lamb, no pork, no beef and most peculiar of all, no local cheeses. ||A very odd menu.

Have to agree with the other reviews re food & vibe - more of a restaurant than a pub, but it was all super yummy, just quite small portions and limited menu for the price. We were due to set off for a hike the next morning at 8am and Jeanette made a special effort to open the restaurant early for continental breakfast, we were very grateful! I’d come here again, but probably just for lunch or drinks.

The drunken duck is a favorite of our friend who has come here for 40 years, starting with golf buddies, then with family and best of all to celebrate weddings, and great moments. Relax here, the staff is ready to make this luxury even better with whatever you need! Directions to many local hikes or hot coffee on the picnic tables. So much fun to have, there are gardens, strolls, patios and quiet libraries too. This is the most beautiful place I've ever stayed because I can get some rest, unwind and enjoy the great outdoors. Yesterday there was a local marathon- yes!- great runners charged past into the local town of Ambleside. Hikers and dog lovers are here too. National parks close by... what a get-away we are having!!

Such a charming pub and inn right in the middle of the Lakes District. There's a glorious view overlooking the mountains right in front of the venue (with picnic tables if you'd like to sit and enjoy it with a pint). Brunch, lunch, dinner, and bar snacks are served at the Drunken Duck, and I'd only really recommend booking for dinner. The beer and cider are mostly local I believe. We did the curry bowl to share (vegetarian and VERY tasty - kind of wish I could get the recipe), scampi, fries, and tartare sauce (those fries are to die for!) and the lamb kofta, hummus, flatbread, and mint yoghurt (great for sharing and noshing). There's plenty of parking on the side of the inn. The inside is decorated beautifully (very insta-worthy), so maybe consider renting out for an event. And yes, you can bring your dog to dinner/drinks.

AMAZING restaurant and pub! We went over a year ago and still talk about the delicious food we had there, and the atmosphere of the pub is perfect. So cozy and comfortable. Cannot go wrong!!

Visited for lunch in October, 2015. Another charming pub to visit in the Lake District. My partner I visited on a slightly chilly day, so, we decided to pick a table inside closest to the bar. We enjoyed the compact coziness of the room, where a wood fire kept us company, along with a few others all enjoying the end of a weekend. (If one could rate a pub based on how comfortable it is to sit and read through The Sunday Times, this place would rank highly!) The menu featured traditional British dishes, with local ingredients like lamb, cabbage, potatoes, etc. Wine list had some French gems to order, and of course many local brews were on tap. The service was very friendly, timely, yet, professionally done at the same time. The covered porch seating area, as well as the picnic tables across the road, were all lovely little areas to admire the sweeping hilly views.

Such a quaint little upper end pub on the mountain with a great view. I wish it wasn't raining so that we could sit outside but the interior was also very sweet. I had the mackerel starter which was good but the fish was not hot- everything else on the dish was just cooked hot. I presume the fish was cooked in advance- a shame since it tasted good but would've been better if it was cooked to order. For the main I had the ox cheek which was also delicious. It's definitely a lovely place to dine and I was pretty impressed. The service was also great. We brought our dog who had a nice little nap after a long day of walking

We called in at the Drunken Duck whilst camping up in the Lake District recently, as the pub was a short walk from our campsite - or so I thought, as I didn't factor in the hill! Upside, though, is that it's downhill on the way home! We didn't eat at the Drunken Duck, though I'm given to understand that the food is good. There's no specified menu, since they use fresh ingredients every day so the available dishes will change based on what they have to hand. What we did go for, though, was the beer! Well, after a cola to cool down after walking up that hill. We decided against sitting inside, as it was uncomfortably warm in there, rather taking up residence outside on one of the available tables. As well as a few smaller tables which only seat 2, they have a patch of land opposite with some larger benches looking out over the fields down the hill. There's a good selection of proper ale available, mostly from Barngates Brewery. I can't work out whether that's a brewery based at, or otherwise affiliated with, the Drunken Duck but either way they do a good stout. Only a short visit for a few pints before heading back down the hill, but the bar staff were very friendly and the prices surprisingly reasonable for a pub which includes the word "gastro" in the description. Would certainly call again for more beer and food if I was in the area, and I'd encourage anyone to pay them a visit!

Love love love it! You can't book so we just turned up expecting a long wait but got a table straightaway. Always a good start. We went for a pork sandwich, roast beef sandwich & sausage and chips for the kids. It was all delicious. The chips were perfectly crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. The sandwiches were both really tasty (as per usual I preferred the pork but they really were both exceptional). And we finished off with a shared chocolate brownie (two brownies in as many days...it might be a favourite). Really nice place for the kids (they even had a proper change table!). It's set in the beautiful Lake District so the drive up is gorgeous too and just adds to the whole experience. I think next time I'll try staying here as well (if the rooms are anything like the restaurant it'll be worth it).

As you drive up the windingcumbrian lanes to this well known, gastro pub you can't help be get slightly giddy at the prospect of what culinary delights lie ahead. The frontage doesn't disappoint, with its vine strewn arbour & basic wooden furniture, and this carries on through the front doors into the bar with its stripped uneven wood floors & chalky white walls. The atmosphere is surprisingly relax, and we felt unrushed about moving to our table despite the restaurant being obviously busy. The waiter was very attentive & despite being obviously tickled about our ignorance over one of the cited cooking methods, we didn't feel mocked more included in the joke! The star dish was the seafood ravioli with a bisque foam & pea shots for starters...too die for.....my hubby still waxes lyrical about his duck main and the passion fruit jelly that accompanied our coffee (they have a posh name but I'm not posh enough to remember, or was that the rather delicious wine the waiter recommended for us based on our menu choices). Is this a treat? Yes but not at re mortgaging level Would we go back? Oh yeah, but this time I would consider a more relaxed attire, jeans & a nice top maybe & possibly at lunch time to see if the experience differs.

Our 5th stay at the duck - came here first in 2010. The rooms are lovely, the food very tasty and they cater well for vegans and vegetarians. We use this as a base to do some fantastic Lake District walks - and then come back to a lovely friendly atmosphere. Our only criticism of the recent change in menu since we were here last is the lack of cheese board for dessert. My husband used to enjoy that most nights at the end of the meal and misses that greatly. Thank you to the duck. We will be back next year !

The best thing about this place is the view- across the road. There are a few benches for nice days. If the weather is crap, the pub is not really worth the trip. The staff were a bit snootty, the food so so, the atmosphere was....for want of a better word....bland. To top it off, £7.75p for a glass of house wine? Faaaaark!!

Great pub - sits outside of major attraction area, up on a hill. Very good selection of beer, wines and good. I had be eyre with mushroom and it was excellent! It is a great quality dish even by London standard and I think it must be one of the best in the area. The place was recommended by the local chef from lake road kitchen which I believe is another great option in the area - sadly, I did not have a chance to eat there. Must try place, especially for lunch if you are in the area.

This bar and restaurant has a fantastic view and the tables outside are the ones to get. We found the food to be of high quality, much better than what you might expect for a country pub and the staff friendly. Another review website (they do exist) has a bad review which has skewed its score. I'd safely ignore that and have confidence you'll have a nice meal. Worth the trip out.

Great pub, fabulous warm fire and loads of good ales on tap. They have their own brewery on site. Food is great at lunch times, swanky sandwiches come wrapped in greaseproof paper, it's not cheap, but it's cosy. Always full of obviously very rich folk (hence the 4 stars, I didn't quite feel completely relaxed and at home). Lovely views, but in the middle of nowhere, so someone needs to drive, or you're in for a long walk! Taxi's probably pick up from Ambleside for a reasonable fare. And there is always the chance there'd be a room free Usually very full, booking and lots of cash essential for dinner Dog-friendly in the bar area.

I booked in with friends for one night last week. The friends go there a couple of times a year for special family celebrations. It is slightly off the main beaten track and was just wonderful! On arrival was served tea and cake beside the lake. The evening meal and breakfast was superb. The staff were both friendly and attentive. They seem to have managed to combine intimate cosy atmosphere with great style. Definitely on my list to revisit.

This place is a treat .Although it might appear to be a country pub it really is a lot more. Hotel, microbrewery and bistro. I think it won Inn of the Year 2006. It is a quality place to stay; we stayed in the . The food is not pretentious; it is a bistro restaurant in a country pub clothing; thats all. It also does pub sandwiches / pub lunches for the more caual diners. We previously stayed in the extesion block which is lovely and quiet. When cheking in you get a lovely and free cream tea. We took tea by the pond inthe private /guests only garden and had the pleasure of meeting Kipper the hotel cat

Smoke from the restaurant got into our room and all our clothes smelled. Other then that, really really really enjoyed staying there. Highly recommend.

Beautiful little spot just off the main tourist trap of Ambleside Lake with gorgeous views over the surrounding fields. When we first visited the Drunken Duck they had more of an open-plan situation with the seating arrangements with big tables and chairs making it feel more roomy. Now days they have booth seating, which I'm really not a fan of, it makes the whole place feel really cramped and you can't have random chats with other customers in the pub like you use to if you're eating by the bar. The food quality is fairly good, great chunky chips and traditional meals are on offer but the standards seemed to have slipped in recent months meaning the food comes out a bit warm but not hot and generally a little bland. Worth trying, but I wouldn't go out of your way.

During our three week stay around Hawkshead we visited the Drunken Duck on one of our last days. It is probably not fair to compare the Drunken Duck with all the other pubs around the area. But it is by far the best place we found. Delicious food, very nice atmosphere and a lot of personal around. For all that the price is obviously higher than in other pubs.

After an arduous seven hour journey, flooded roads, storms and diversions, we arrived at our hotel and we were seriously in need of a good hearty meal. So we set off in search of sustenance, travelling down windy roads in the lashing rain and strong winds, we happened by accident on the Drunken Duck. Even though we hadn't booked the staff were warm and friendly, and said as long we ate immediately we could have a table. The restaurant had a very cosy romantic feel, emphasised by the awful weather outside. Feeling a bit underdressed we ordered the cheapest mains and a reasonably priced dessert from the menu, still coming to over £50, this place isn't cheap! However, the food is fantastic, elegantly presented, but with generous portions, the mushroom risotto was just what we needed. After a raspberry pavlova that looked like a cross between a clown and a gnome, we left the restaurant very satisfied. The restaurant at the Drunken Duck is on the expensive side, but the food is of the highest quality and the staff could not be more helpful. On a weekend where 1500 marathon runners had temporarily been lost and the whole area had been flooded, the Drunken Duck had been an oasis in the storm!

Absolutely hands down the best food I had in all of Great Britain. That might not sound like it means anything, but the chef at this place can give any US restaurant a run for their money. Besides having such an awesome name "Drunken Duck Inn" the duck is surrounded by one of the most hill type gorgeous landscapes England has to offer. You can grab a beer and walk 10 feet outside and view the English Country side. There are many trails, lakes, and adventures you can embark upon. The rooms are very unique, a throw back to what English rooms might have looked like 50 years ago, minus the flat screen TV. Overall Drunken Duck Inn was a highlight of my adventures in England. I would highly recommend it to everyone. Make sure to ask the staff about the legend of the drunken duck.

This is a bar that also has a resteraunt and rooms for those who want to stay in this wonderfiul area. The nicer rooms are outside of the main building and have fantastic views. The bar has a warm fireplaces and lots of dark wood They have a choice of real ales and do food here The resteraunt meals are lovely but more expensive so if you are after plain food stick to the bar food

Food a bit pretentious and not family friendly as they had no child menu. We enjoyed our meal but it was a bit too messed around with for our tastes,too many ingredients and not plain enough for my taste. Great location though