Rothay Manor

Superb food beautifully presented with excellent service in a lovely setting. What more could you ask for. Only minor disappoint was the taster menu was not available. Will definitely visit again

Superb service, food worthy of the extra rosette, sticky toffee pudding maker needs to be knighted!! All in all very good VFM- we will return.

It was Christmas Eve so it probably isn’t the night to review a local restaurant as they were, understandably, only serving their Christmas Tasting Menu and the majority of the diners there were people staying on a Christmas package. But, we knew all of that before booking it for our wedding anniversary and they had remembered that and served us complimentary glasses of fizz 🥂 on arrival, a lovely gesture. We had an excellent meal which was thoughtfully varied, excellently cooked and beautifully presented and served by staff who were friendly, attentive and extremely helpful. Although we’re generally not pudding eaters, the deserts were wonderful! We will definitely be going back.....on a normal evening.

Absolutely delicious meal. All courses were excellent. Lovely relaxed dining experience. Can you get a dry prosecco on to the wine menu for our next visit.

What a wonderful evening, such a beautiful place, food was so delicious and the staff were so warm and friendly. I would highly recommend a visit.

My husband and I visited on my birthday weekend. It was a last minute decision as we normally go to The Old Stamp House but they were fully booked. We chose to eat the taster menu and what a delight it was. The food was so tasty. Every single course, both our plates were empty. For me it was the food combinations on the plate that brought each dish to a whole new level. Rothay Manor Hotel is in a lovely setting (close to the centre of Ambleside), is tastefully decorated and the staff were very attentive. I would be more than happy to eat here again. All that was missing for me to make this a real top notch fine dining experience is more theatre in the serving of the food, more atmosphere in the restaurant (music not turned on until half way through our meal), more knowledge from the staff about what they are serving (our waitress got it wrong a couple of times) and a copy of the menu to keep (so you can compare with what your eating - so many flavours and textures to remember). For me I'd come back to try a Rothay Manor taster menu again. Why? Because I loved every course. A clever chef. I look forward to tasting his food again!

Wonderful lunch . Good service. Good price lots of extra things included. Very good indeed.would recommend to others and go again. A little gem. Good detail thought out.

A well cooked meal, with not too much choice so no dithering! The staff were lovely, helpful and gave good service and there was a welcoming atmosphere in the hotel

We had a very good Sunday lunch yesterday. The food and service were excellent and it was excellent value for money . Would certainly go again.

Wonderful food experience again! The tendon crisps were to die for. The breads were yummy. There was an excellent choice of cheeses. The staff were exceptional.

Food and service was excellent. 2 of our party had dietary requirements and nothing was too much trouble. Nice touches with little tasters between courses - would recommend

Lovely meal, we had the tasting menu, enjoyed every course and would go back again. the grounds of the hotel are lovely too if you arrive early and have a cocktail in the garden.

The food and service were excellent, it was a really pleasant evening, with a really nice setting, And well worth a visit to the rothay manor.

Excellent service, delicious, creative menu, extensive winelist, excellent vegetarian. 3 courses, canapes, palate cleanser, petit fours, 3 bottles good wine, dessert wine, 5 people, £350.

fabulous food, friendly service and delightfully inexpensive! fabulous food, friendly service and delightfully inexpensive! fabulous food, friendly service and delightfully inexpensive! fabulous food, friendly service and delightfully inexpensive! thank you

Lovely setting and attentive staff. Had the taster menu and wine pairing which was excellent with some unusual combinations. Beautifully served and the courses well explained. Craig was very knowledgeable about the wine selection and some really interesting choices for the wine pairing

Pleasant meal in nice setting, staff were attentive and polite. Would recommend.

This hotel was a little disappointing. It did not match up to four stars in its accommodation. The room was not very clean, furniture was old (though about to be upgraded I understand). The bathroom was in need of an upgrade. The food was excellent but the atmosphere was rather cool. I have been to many lakeland hotels and am always struck by their friendliness, professionalism and quality. There is a lot of competition out there and this hotel did not quite match up.

The time taken between the drinks being served in the bar to being seated at our table was too long. I enjoy a relaxed evening and taking time over a meal but the length of time between courses was also too long. I have eaten in other "fine dining" restaurants and such long intervals are not common. Unfortunately this aspect of our visit took away from the enjoyment of the food itself which was very good.

Food was excellent and well presented Staff very attentive and knowledgeable about the food and drink Nice to get additional courses that was not expected

We have eaten at all the best restaurants in Ambleside over the years but our first meal at Rothay Manor was fantastic in every aspect and beats all the others hands down. Booking on line was simple and they contacted us a couple of days before hand to see if any of our party had any allergies, which was useful as our friend is allergic to cream. On arrival the welcome was warm and friendly and we enjoyed some excellent well priced champagne in the lounge over looking the garden. We chose the testing menu and were not disappointed. The presentation of every course was stunning and at times very theatrical but the chef was keen to ensure that our taste buds were subjected to a wide range of taste and texture. The maitre d' was very welcoming and informative whilst the chef himself presented 2 course where he came to explain the techniques involved in creating the dish. The Stonebass was wrapped in vine leaves and covered in soil before heating to impart an earthy flavour. Wine was excellent and again very reasonably price and we took the Sommelier's recommendation. They even produced two separate cream free courses for our friend who has an allergy. The dining room was well decorated and tables nicely spaced to give a homely atmosphere where you could actually converse with your fellow diners. The meal was not rushed with a nice spacing between courses although the whole meal took over 2 hours. I will definitely be visiting again and recommending this restaurant to all our friends and family.

I took my girlfriend here for her 30th birthday. She had taken me somewhere similar for mine a month before and this was a bit of a disappointment in comparison. Some of the food was excellent, such as the appetisers and amuse-bouches but the main dishes I chose (from the specials) didn't blow me away. I'm sure if I had something else, that would've been great considering the skill of how everything was prepared. Also, we didn't really take to our waiter who made us feel like we didn't really belong there. The rest of the staff were great though. The cocktails were excellent and the restaurant is located in beautiful grounds (even saw a deer outside!)

A very good hotel. I enjoyed my stay here. Excellent facilities. Friendly and helpful staff. Would definitely consider staying here again should I visit the Lake District.

Quality of food is excellent and the dishes well thought out and faultlessly presented. Staff well trained and attentive. Fine dining at its best. Worthy of a five-star establishment.

Creative menu well executed . Good wine list and good value. Liked the ambiance and the service was unhurried but efficient . Friendly staff. Would recommend

The food was excellent, the wine imaginative and inexpensive and the service efficient and courteous. Overall this is a very good restaurant with imaginative chefs and informed staff.

Amazing food especially the 9 course tasting menu. Excellent service and beautiful surroundings. The perfect place for a special dinner. We will be back very soon.

Food and service both incredible. Lots of surprise courses! A shame the restaurant was so quiet so lacked a little ambience but a lovely setting that feels very much like an individual restaurant rather than just being part of a hotel. Would highly recommend.

Since our last visit the hotel has changed hands. It has been tastefully updated - nothing too outlandish! The food was always very good but the new chef is to be congratulated on the quality and variety of his menu. The meal was delicious, with some innovative touches. We will definitely return when we next stay in Ambleside.

Most wonderful cuisine ! This is one of the things you must do in your life: Have dinner at the Rothay Manor and enjoy the delicacies and flavour of Brandon Shepherd's cuisine. A really enjoyable experience with wonderful service worth of royalty.

Absolutely fabulous dinner and wine tasting evening - hope this is the first of many! Excellent food, beautifully presented by competent, friendly staff - and served on hot plates!!!

superb comfortable hotel with wonderful food and extremely willing staff. All aspects of the stay were of extremely high quality and satisfaction. Would love to go again !

Excellent service and menu in a contemporary, yet traditional Cumbrian Manor House setting. Staff extremely knowledgable about the menu. Will return to see the fully refurbished venue in 2017.

This was our second visit to Rothay Manor since July. Our meals were superb.....prepared with great flair and imagination by Brandon, the chef, and his team. The staff were very friendly, knowledgeable and efficient, particularly Craig, whose passion for wine is highly infectious! Victoria was the perfect hostess and was very enthusiastic about the future plans for the hotel, which will now be a regular destination for us whenever we visit the Lakes.

Very nice atmosphere and great food. The aging of beef main was particularly good together with the canapés which were served in the lunge beforehand

We had a fantastic 9 course tasting menu at Rothay Manor. We have had many tasting menus and thought that this was excellent and also very good value for money. We were amazed that there were only 6 of us in the restaurant. We dined on Thursday 18 August so expected it to be full. The chef came out to explain all the dishes and it was quite theatrical with dry ice and gas canisters, etc. Will definitely be dining there again when we are next in the Lake District.

Perfect. Dishes were so tasty and beautiful. Staff was friendly and professional. We had three course dinner. Start from pre amuse at bar, then had amuse, main, pre desert and desert at restaurant. Everything was so good.

We had dinner there (3 of us all had different choices from the menu). Excellent food, very innovative, great flavour combinations and presentation. Staff were superb, attentive and personable. Lovely surroundings

Absolutely wonderful meal. Modern cuisine, beautifully executed. If you've not been, you should. You won't be disappointed. Deserving of AA rosettes and hopefully a Michelin star to follow.

We had dinner at the Rothay Manor Restaurant, we did not stay as hotel guests. Firstly, we had a warm welcome, then shown into the lounge for drinks and canapés. There is a good drinks menu and a reasonable choice of wines by the glass. The canapés, of which there were three, were excellent. The decor is minimalist and fairly austere, but do not let that put one off. As one would expect with a fine dining restaurant, the service was well paced with no rush betweeen courses. Breads with butter or beef dripping and herbs spread were provided. Our thoughts were that the crusts were a bit too hard, possibly as it was a Sunday and the bread was from a day ago. The amuse bouche was followed by starters of scallops with squid ink and one of artichoke. Both were excellent in taste and presentation. For mains we had the lamb three ways with baby roasted potatoes and the grouse. Again both were top quality dishes. I must comment on the roast potatoes, these were perfectly seasoned and had a wonderful earthy flavour to them, could have eaten twice as many. The grouse is cooked using a water bath thus allowing it to be both served correctly but avoiding the "rare juices" on the plate, which pleased my wife. Pre-desert and deserts were again excellent. Highly recommended is the chocolate dome which comes with a superb rose-chocolate fondant. The rhubarb is also an excellent choice. Desert wine suggestions are provided. Service was good, but could have been a bit more attentive during the dinner with regard to provision of water and ensuring we were not running out of wine (by the glass). Overall, excellent value for money.