The Cavendish Arms

Absolutely outstanding food last night. Roast beef to die for. Calamari just perfect.

This is the throw time I have been for lunch. I love it. Very very pretty pub, lovely location. The house champagne is a total steal. A decant midweek treat! And this time i has the steak and ale pie...... I've eaten a lot of these in my time ( and I make them). This was honestly the best ever. It's next door to L' Enclume by I feel entirely content to go the Cavendish. Thank you for another lovely lunch.

We just stop there for lunch, driving from Loch Lomond to Chester. It was really a good stop because the village is beautiful, cozy, and with Michelin restaurants in the area. But for us was perfect, a delicious pull pork bocadillo! One of the best in my all life I would say. My wife ordered a soup and it was also delicious. The pub is very comfortable, simple but ancient flavored and well as elegant. Just to sum up, highly recommended.

+4

Excellent!! I had the steak and ale pie. Our US friend had the Morrocan vegetable, followed by Cartmel sticky toffee pudding and said this was brilliant too. Great Service from two excellent people. In our top three this year!

Gorgeous staff and beautiful location. We stayed over the weekend and fell in love. Thanks again. Xx

+1

Stellar Lunch at The Cavendish Arms – a master-class in Cumbrian hospitality We dropped into The Cavendish Arms Cartmel for lunch on Friday 11 July 2025 and left completely smitten with everything from the cooking to the camaraderie of the team. The welcome set the tone: Oli and the front-of-house crew whisked us to ourTable, keeping conversation flowing and glasses magically topped-up. Their service struck that elusive balance of attentive yet never intrusive, and their knowledge of both menu and drinks list made choosing a pleasure. Chef’s kitchen then delivered plate after plate that celebrated local produce. We shared a generous Full Nibbles Board brimming with Cartmel charcuterie, Herdwick lamb croquettes and oozy baked Tunworth, pairing it with crisp half-pints of Birra Moretti, sunshine-bright Aperol Spritzes and a Marlish sparkling elderflower for our non-drinker. Mains kept the momentum: my pan-roasted sea bass rested on a cloud-light beurre blanc, while the day’s pie special boasted pastry worthy of its own standing ovation. We finished – how could we not? – with Cartmel’s famous sticky-toffee pudding, fearlessly rich and utterly irresistible. Compliments to the chef for food that is simultaneously comforting and refined, and heart-felt thanks to the front-of-house team whose warmth turned a meal into a memory. A special nod, too, to owner Richard English: your pride in this 450-year-old coaching inn is palpable, and your personal table-side check-ins made everyone feel like honoured guests. The experience also represented Great value for money. The Cavendish Arms isn’t just somewhere to eat – it’s somewhere to feel looked after. We can’t wait to return.

Booked for food based on reading reviews and this did not disappoint. Booked for Saturday evening with friends and they kindly gave us the private dining room. Food was absolutely delicious, steak and ale pie was amazing. Also booked for Sunday lunch and the same room was offered (11 of us) which was great. Roast pork was lush and the sticky toffee pudding is a must. The whole team were really attentive and looked after us so well. Thank you for making us feel so welcome, we will be back next time we are in Cartmel.

We went to the Cavendish by chance as everywhere else in Cartmel was closed, but it turned out to be a great choice. The food is very good quality - I can recommend the rare breed pork tagine in particular. The staff were very friendly as well. Considering the quality of what we had, and drinks and a cocktail as well, the total of £120 including tip for two was ok, but shows how much eating out has become expensive.

We always book to go to the Cavendish Arms when we're up in the Lakes as we love it so much !!! We booked to go today and once again the food was just phenomenal. The best mash I've EVER eaten in my life. The sticky toffee pudding sent grandad into another dimension last time when he came with us, he couldn't even speak it's so nice. Today once again didn't dissapointed. Customer service exceptional. The lovely man that worked there, we were a bit cheeky as we forgot our daughters felt tips for her colouring and asked if they had any on the off chance. He went HOME to get some !! So kind, thank you so much for having us. You're all fab and the food is sensational. Can't wait to come back !!!

Stopped in by chance of a Sunday evening for dinner, roast still going and was excellent, tagine also got top marks from my partner. A lovely pub with a great vibe and friendly, professional staff who really made the meal our best in the lakes, possibly ever

Beautiful food! Absolutely great steak and ale pie, so very much tender beef and tasty pastry top. Really lovely sticky toffee pudding, and a great pint of stout that went with it perfectly. Shout out to the lovely french guy who served us, made us feel right at home. If you love good food, go here!

Absolutely awesome place. From the moment we arrived the service was brilliant! We sat in the garden next to the stream- what a location for a roast. The food was with us very quickly, was great quality and super tasty. With nice refreshing local pint as well 😜 Yes it’s a bit costly but well worth the money

Food was delicious! Atmosphere was great. Burger was to die for (Brie and maple bacon what a combo). Food isn’t cheap but you pay for what you get and that is quality cooked food that tastes amazing. Great selection of wines, beers, and cocktails. Negroni was made well. Lots of people in so the pub had great ambience but wasn’t so busy you couldn’t hear yourself think. Would fully recommend visiting this place. Staff were all lovely and attentive. Even if they were rushed off their poor feet. Come here if you visit Cartmel I guarantee you’ll have a lovely time.

Popped in for a pint and was delighted to see Timothy Taylor Landlord on tap so indulged in a pint. It was absolutely delicious. Atmosphere and craic was spot on

An excellent experience for us both: The service was very friendly, and I was recommended the blade of beef which came with very tasty gravy and was slow-cooked for etreme tenderness. My wife had the seared Salmon, which she greatly enjoyed, followed up with the white chocolate cremeux, which was lovely. We really had a lovely time and would recommend this restaurant to anyone

Fine rooms, clean comfortable and with a few welcome touches, such as ground coffee and caffetier, a selection of loose teas, for that in room cuppa. Also Tunnocks caramel wafers. Canned still water. Delicious breakfast especially the full English and the smoked salmon and eggs

Lovely winter evening dinner. Excellent food, good quantities and lovely staff. Our steak and ale pie, roast cod loin and sticky toffee puddings were all excellent. Good atmosphere and plenty of customers - nice to see good food and service is appreciated.

I'm eating here now, as I write this, having walked through Cartmel looking for somewhere to eat and I'm glad everywhere else was shut for refurbishment or building work, or their kitchen was shut, because it's amazing. Very welcoming and friendly staff, and the pheasant burger I ordered for lunch is **so** good. Sat here by their crackling fire, I'm very glad I found the Cavendish. :-)

Excellent dinner at the Cavendish Arms, a recommendation from our Airbnb host. We had the soup, sausage rolls, pork cheeks and stone bass. Every dish was great, perfect pastry on the sausage rolls, good soup, the pork cheeks in savoy cabbage were sublime, and the stone bass perfectly cooked with a lovely mussel source. Each dish was fresh with a great depth of flavour. Also impressed with the wines by the glass which use the Bermar preservation system. They have a great selection and each glass was served at the correct temperature and tasted like it was fresh from the bottle. It was really a great meal.

Wonderful Sunday roast. Great service - friendly, helpful and genuine. We booked in advance and loved our lunch - the portions were proper! ‘Kids’ roast was huge, and great value, and all of the food was spot on, cooked perfectly with lovely gravy and trimmings. A must: their own Sticky Toffee Pudding… we ordered one to share between our family of 4, but had to order another because it was just too good! We will visit again for sure next time we’re in the area visiting. We’ll come again for the food, service, ambience and good pub vibes. And the Sticky Toffee Pudding!

Not the cheapest pub in the world but this is Cartmel. But, we met up with friends here for Sunday lunch and have to say it was a fantastic meal. Some decent beers aswell. Everyone very pleasant and friendly. Would recommend.

Super food and lovely staff. Would recommend the steak and ale pie!

Absolutely excellent. We had just arrived in the Lake District and were very hungry. We were seated straight away on a busy Friday summer evening without a booking and warmly greeted. Staff were clearly very busy but patient, calm, and friendly. Great selection of both hard and soft drinks. Lovely cosy, clean, relaxing atmosphere - great for couples! Veggie options were well thought through and not just fake meat - proper food, really appreciated that. Maybe a couple more veggie options would be nice. Food came quickly and was absolutely delicious! Cooked to perfection. My partner had the steak and ale pie and said it was one of the best pies he ever had - well cooked and high quality meat, plenty of gravy, well seasoned red cabbage, props to the chef! We were very tempted by the desserts but were full. A bit pricey really, but worth it especially as a holiday treat/one off. We will be back if in this area again.

Fantastic service and delicious food. Very welcoming.

Excellent 2 nights stay. Staff are superb, as well as the food. Situated centrally in Cartmel. The room was clean and had everything required, just a tad on the small side, but we did go for the cheap room. A nice place with a chill out ambience.

Great tasting food and exceptional service.. well worth a visit.

Lovely lunch, good food and excellent service. Recommended.

We rarely choose to go to a pub for Sunday lunch as we're so often disappointed. No fear here - beautiful meat cooked perfectly, pillowy Yorkshire pubs, great attention to detail paid to every veg on the plate. Cracking pint, lovely wine, friendly and efficient staff. A top 5 Sunday pub roast for us. Excellent.

My boyfriend and I ate here whilst staying up the road in Upper Crumble Cottages. The food was amazing. Honestly, hands down, the BEST pie I’ve ever had. Steak and ale, shortcrust of course. Wow. Service impeccable. Ambience lovely. Friendly locals. Fire. Dogs. What’s more to ask for? We have booked to go back for Sunday roast ☺️

Nestled in a beautiful lake district village this pub is an ideal location for short stays or a quick bite. Our experience however was a little sour due to the comments received as we arrived. Me and my fiancee were using the cavendish as a bed for the night so we could visit L' enclume for her birthday. Upon arrival we were asked if we were dining with them and we excitedly said we were going to the other restaurant. This invoked a remark about our personal appearance which genuinely upset my faincee. She was already worried ( as we are basically working class people) about what outfit she had brought and how we wouldn't be good enough to visit a posh restaurant. These thoughts were already simmering under the service anyway, so to have someone point it out was just completely unnecessary in our eyes. Thankfully (after reassuring her for over an hour) the night went off without a hitch. It's a shame because the room was reasonably priced and the breakfast was delicious. We don't think, however, we will be returning on our future visits. I encourage people to give this place a chance though as the pub atmosphere is lovely. It was just ruined for us by the remarks of one member of staff. We know we don't have much money. This was a one time occasion, we don't need it reinforced to us.

Stayed two nights at this nice pub with rooms serving good food. Dog friendly in some rooms (call to book) and they were happy to let us leave our little dog in the room while we lunched at L'Enclume which was much appreciated. Friendly, helpful and jovial staff however on Thursday they were being worked very hard (with consequential small slip in service) and could really have done with another set of hands front of house. The room was small and the furnishings/decor was a touch tired and didn't quite match the vibe of the rest of the establishment. It was comfortable and cosy though, and well supplied with interesting teas, cosy robes, and a good bed. The garden was nice too Food was excellent throughout

I am staying in the area for work purposes and am staying at the Cavendish arms as well as eating here. The room is ok as in it’s clean but I must admit I have stayed in better presented rooms for the price. The bed was nice with plenty of pillows ( I don’t like many ). Slightly disappointed that cables are clipped on top of skirting boards but I am an electrician so would criticise this finish. The food was absolutely fantastic, for a starter I ate soup of the day and it was possibly the nicest soup I have ever tasted, for a main I had blade of beef which was served on a bed of mash with vegetables and a gravy or jus. I noted pork in the meal which I didn’t notice on the menu and I have to be careful with pork as it makes me ill but I moved the small pieces aside and continued with the meal. Again a truly delicious meal and I would highly recommend anyone in the area to eat here. All in all rooms 3 stars out of 5 but food easily 5 out of 5 stars.

+1

Cartmel was a beautiful little village, with a few pubs, shops and racecourse. The hotel restaurant/bar is decorated beautifully and had lots of character. The beer garden at the back of the hotel, is very charming, with a river running at the bottom of it. We booked in for dinner on our first night. The service was great and the food was really tasty;however, quite expensive for the quality and quantity. The following morning we asked to sit with our friends who were also staying. The waitress made it clear that she was not happy with this and we had to ask to have clean glasses and our food took an awfully long time to arrive. The waitress was quite rude to be fair. The second morning was much better and a much better experience. We booked a small double room. I was expecting small; however, not tiny. We were unable to use the plugs by the bed, due to no space next to the cabinets. The window and sills, skirting boards etc need a good paint. There was an odd smell in the bathroom. The room was kept clean whilst we were there and the tea, coffee etc were a nice addition.

I would like to offer 5 stars specifically for the quality and portion size of our food. The Cavendish is tucked down a narrow cobbled street through a stone archway and is beautifully picturesque. With a couple of smaller tables out front and a huge, well appointed beer garden at the rear where you may also have your meal. We sat indoors on good heavy furniture and an extremely rustic table that matched the condition of the roof beams which are obviously hundreds of years old. Although cozy inside it did not feel "Dark" or stuffy. Our service girls were just attentive enough and very pleasant to speak with. The 2 gents that appeared to be running the show were a little more flustered. The scenery from the back garden was particularly nice with trees in bloom and the church tower just visible too. It was quite expensive but the Steak pie was outstanding and I am sure the shortcrust pastry was homemade and quite filling. My wife chose the salmon fillet with salad and found it also very well presented and cooked but found the chilled rice quite odd and un palletable to her taste. I would definitely reccomend the Cavendish to family.

I was there for Sunday Roast because someone local recommended it. The pub is super nice and cosy. I was there without a booking but they had a table for me which I appreciated. But throughout my stay I felt like a nuisance. It took 20 min until they took my order, later they let me wait 10 min at the bar without asking or giving attention to me (I just wanted to pay). The roast was ok. Not great but also not bad. I found it too average for that price but I think that is a matter of personal preference.

The staff were friendly, and the atmosphere was decent. However, the chairs were extremely uncomfortable, which detracted from the experience. The food was quite average; I had the chicken and gnocchi, which was dry and just okay. Given the prices, the food should be outstanding, but it was merely passable. On a positive note, the chips were fantastic! The restaurant attracts a lot of tourists, but to encourage repeat visits, they need to address the uncomfortable seating and rethink the menu. A simpler, tastier approach would be much appreciated.

Attended for a special 40th birthday last Sunday 14th Sept at midday. Our Sunday lunches came Luke warm and roast potatoes were frozen, scorching hot then couldn't cut them when cooled down. The gravy was so thin, it had no taste to it. Disappointing to say the bill for 4 was £270 😳☹️

Went for food only. Situated in a very nice and scenic area. However food is hit and miss, the steak and ale pie was too salty and definitely not worth £25 but the salmon and wild rice was really good and tasty, same with the pork belly. Service was disappointing, we were rushed throughout the evening even though there was no follow-on booking for the table. Waitress wanted us to place our own water glasses on the table and pushed us to order as soon as possible. Would not recommend, I see why they didnt include the service charge in the bill.

Awful experience. Not made to feel welcome at all, quite the opposite. We almost left halfway through our drinks. They really only want you to eat in there & aren’t interested in you otherwise. The 2 stars is purely for the nice Pinot otherwise it would be 1. Good location just off the Square but unfortunately I can’t recommend you visit.

Food was over priced and very sub standard. Ordered a pie and it was basically steak in gravy with an over heated, non crispy slice of anaemic pastry. I’ve eaten better quality food with better quality service from a food truck at the side of a busy A road! Avoid is my advice

Walked past numerous empty tables to the outdoor seating as "full".. Not a massive issue as weather was nice. Food was expensive and terrible. A roast dinner and wings were pretty much at the table before I got back from the bar paying for them. They could teach McDonald's a thing or two about fast food.. sadly they appeared to forget to cook it first fat too pink for my liking. The beef on the roast still mooing and my chicken wings were far too pink for my liking and flavourless. I appreciate chicken can still be pink if cooked at correct temp but paired with how quickly it was served I didn't want to take the chance with my help because I don't know if cooked to temp. Coke either weren't official coke or flat but tasted bad. The pint was decent, finally something not to moan about. Cutlery and condiments you need to collect on your own too. Left outdoors in a tray for flies or whatever to sunbathe on. £45 later we left hungry. I'm wondering which part of this isn't factual?

We were due to stay here this week but had to cancel the day before because of a serious and sudden health episode. Granted, we didn’t have a flexible cancellation policy. But we called, explained everything, and simply asked to move the date as there was no way we could have travelled. There was also online availability in the following weeks. They could have chosen to help. Instead, they were cold and dismissive on the phone. In moments when people are struggling, kindness matters. They are not owned by booking.com — they could have chosen to help us. We booked this as our first night away in a long time during a very difficult medical period. A small gesture would have meant more than they’ll ever know. We won’t book here again and will never recommend. We’ll support businesses that show humanity and treat people with compassion.