Zest Harbourside

We were visiting the area and found on top restaurants in the area. Overall an amazing quality meal but with a point of improvement. The only thing that really let the experience down was the portion sizes were massive. They would have been better reducing the prices and portion sizes slightly and I feel they would sell more desserts therefore still making money. We walked in having no booking and they seated us at a stool area which was fine. Nice to have the breeze from the door on a hot day and watch people coming and going from the restaurant which had a constant busy flow of customers who were mainly local which suggests how good it is. We ordered mango chicken and the onion bombs as starters to share between 3 of us. Both incredible and very tasty. The mains we had were sausage and mash, spicy meatball pasta and the harbour side wok chicken. No complaints from anyone in the party except the portion sizes were too big. The service was excellent. All staff looked happy and friendly and wanted to help you in any way they could. It was nice to see them clearly enjoying working together which meant the atmosphere was really positive and friendly place to be. Its places like this that really need to be supported to stay open in difficult times for businesses as this place is a real gem despite it not really looking like much from the outside. The interior and decor was modern and clean, and they have clearly put a lot of time and effort into the restaurant recently as service was slick and professional whilst remaining friendly and homely. Definitely give this place a try if visiting the area. Make sure your belly is empty!!

Beautiful Christmas menu , this was my 1st time after it being recommended to me & didn't disappoint. I had a 3 course Christmas menu which was fantastic & entered me into the clean plate club 🤘

Absolutely incredible! I was staying the weekend in Whitehaven and went to this wonderful place. First time there I had sweet potato fries, cheesy mash and chili garlic bread. All of it was lovely but the chili garlic bread was absolutely heavenly. The second day I had the meatball pasta with mozzarella and omg, best meatballs I've ever had. Staff there are lovely, beautiful window seat view, food is decently priced compared to others in the area, not the most impressive decor but they make up for it in food presentation and taste. Absolutely give this place a go!

Absolutely excellent restaurant. The food is great, the service was excellent and it has a very pleasant atmosphere. We turned up without a reservation and were easily accommodated. Nothing seemed to be too much. I can recommend the mushrooms on toast starter and the fish and chips. I also have it on my husband's authority the squid starter is excellent. Keep going here, the place never disappoints.

Seated us as walks ins with a dog, served straight away. Food and drinks came out fast with generous portion sizes. Bought a water bowl and treats over for the dog, too. Not too expensive either, definitely recommend

After a long day travelling around the Lake District, we needed to rest and eat. We'd had a lovely walk around the harbour and saw Zest Harbourside. I'd already noticed they had gluten-free options, and as I'm gluten intolerant, I was happy to see they had some really good choices. We asked if our dogs were allowed, and they were so welcoming. The dogs were given biscuits and a bowl of water. Perfect! The food was amazing, and all of the staff were helpful, friendly, and attentive. It's so nice to find gluten-free and dog friendly with fab food. Definitely recommend.

Always one of our first choices… My partner and I have been to Zest many times over the last few years and have never been disappointed! Last night’s visit was no different, the only difference was that we were out as a family instead of just the two of us. We had our table booked and got a big table quite close to the bar which was handy when we needed anything, our server was a gentleman with red hair - I never caught his name but he was brilliant, he gave us plenty of laughs and great service all round. For food, I usually go for the ZFC (Zest Fried Chicken) with fries and gravy but tonight I fancied a change… We all had starters which came quickly, I had the pork belly skewers from the specials menu which was divine - please add this as a permanent dish! For mains, I had the bread bowl with assorted butters and the sticky sausages - the bread was delicious as ever (this is my usual starter) and the sausages were good too but boy were they hot! The little metal dish they come in keep them absolutely piping hot for the entirety of the meal so be careful if you have them. Overall, another brilliant visit to Zest and we’ll definitely be back again soon!

Food was lovely and not badly priced. Lovely atmosphere and staff were very friendly and professional

Great Harbourside location. Funky, modern interior. Staff are always efficient. This place is always very busy. You can't book a table - it is first come first served system - you sometimes have to wait - this is ok, as the place has a city bistro feel - Whitehaven needs more sophisticated places like this. Rather an eclectic menu - great for mixing and matching and especially good if you are a meat-eater. As i only eat fish and veggie foods menu was abit limited (hence 1 star dropped). Opted for the salmon which was delicious - chunky chips are a must have. Partner had the eternal favourite 8 hour lamb, which everyone raves about. Good selection of wines. Overall fab place to come for casual dining with a big group of mates or your family. Child friendly.

I can't really fault this place both as a customer and employee. I used to work there and they treated the staff very fair and there was a nice family atmosphere. The place is always busy except when its closed and the food is excellent. Each time I go out for food in whitehaven I nearly always end up in there. Its lovely to sit outside in the summer and watch the swans and geese in the harbour.

Great selection of food, slightly over priced, but excellent quality

This place is an absolute rip-off. They charge exorbitant prices for tiny meals. That would be ok if it was a classy a-la-carte restaurant but this is just a cafe-bar. Examples of silly prices: olives £3.95, sausage sandwich £5.95, ham shank (literally a tiny metal bowl with a few bits of ham in gravy and nothing else £7.95, bread bowl assortment £3.00, beef burger (on its own) £6.25, maltesers £2.50. If you think this is good value then you must be constantly eating at top restaurants and have money to burn. But remember this is not a top restaurant, so if you haven't got money to waste you'll come away from Zest Harbourside feeling hungry and disappointed.

An relaxed eating place with friendly staff and excellent food. The menu includes a good range of vegetarian and glutin free dishes.

Amazing food, always busy, great menu, not so impressive drinks menu, service can be slow, but well worth a visit