Pizza
International
Take-out
Cafe at Skelwith Bridge turned vegetarian Easter 2016. Serves vegan pizzas, mains, pastries as well as salad options. Also has a gift shop on site (non-food). Open Mon-Sun 09:00-16:00.
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Skelwith Bridge, Near Ambleside, Skelwith Bridge, England, LA22 9NJ
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 14 May 2024 by BeeSmith
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Added by VeganLauraL on 03 Aug 2016
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102 Reviews
First Review by VeganLauraL
Catcrazyclaire
Points +105
So many choices!!! - Edit
Have visited Chesters several times before and always enjoyed the food but hadn't been since they went fully vegan. Went in yesterday for takeaway items to sustain us on a walk but ended up buying food for later too! The pre walk sticky cinnamon bun was enormous and excellent. As was the morrocan pastry, cheese and onion scone, cous cous salad and Indian veg pot. Good job chesters! Lovely gift shop too!
Read morePros: Fresh out of the oven cinnamon buns
Cons: Choice stress
Guest
TamsinD
Points +36
Amazing!! A must!!! - Edit
Delicious food!! I had the Mac and cheese (vegan) and the peanut butter and jelly brownie. Soooooo good! We are going back tomorrow.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options
Cons: Queues
Guest
JayBarker
Points +33
Heaven !!! Absolutly love this place😄 - Edit
Excellent location as handy for lots of wonderful walks. Eat in menu and take away food. Superb range of vegan pasties and savouries that just melt in your mouth. Best leek and potato pasty in the world and vegan. Fresh and tasty selection of interesting wholesome salads, I recently had some kind of toasted broccoli, fennel root and mmm giant croutons it was so good. Regular and vegan cappachinos very good coffee... oh no onto deserts... vegan raspberry and peanut butter Chocolate brownie, Vegan gateaux, banana and coconut sponge drizzle thing omg always over a dozen scrumptuous pastries and cakes to choose from. That's just my experience of their take away food. I will save an eat in review for another time. Lovely, helpful and pleasant team. Due to its success there can be a queue at weekend lunch. Get there early or just let your stomach rumble knowing it's definetly worth the wait. I need to stop writing this as I'm getting hungry ! Thank for the fab food Chesters. Can you come and make my tea ?
Read morePros: Omg everything
Cons: Way to deliciously tasty.
Guest
bmckenzie
Points +81
Veggie cafe that does lots of vegan stuff - Edit
Really nice food in cafe, now has a takeaway at the back. Great lifestyle store attached.
Read morePros: Lots of choice, Takes dogs!
Cons: Only open until 3pm
Guest
MeganJones
Points +44
Delicious food - Edit
Great restaurant and take-away counter. The salads were absolutely delicious, as were vegan croissants and cakes. Wish I lived nearby so I could keep going! We had to wait a while for a table, but the service was very efficient.
Read morePros: Great menu , Amazing vegan cakes
Cons: Often have to wait for a table
Guest
IsaacLowton
Points +44
Can't recommend enough - Edit
90 percent vegan in the take away section. I had an amazing Thai green curry pasty and there were over 10 vegan cakes to choose from, of which the tiffin and the banana loaf were spot on. Really nice location with skelwith force only 50m away and plenty of outdoor seating.
Read moreGuest
RosieZero
Points +31
Amazing - Edit
I have been going here for years on my annual visits to the Lakes, and it is my fave!! Beautiful place to sit, and a decent sized menu that changes regularly. Everything is delicious
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Good quality, Lovely restaurant
Cons: Slightly pricey
Guest
RuthMann
Points +44
Setting and food are fab - Edit
This has always been a favourite place of ours and this year we have found it has gone entirely vegetarian and much of the food is vegan or can be made vegan. Today we had cauliflower soup and kale and broccoli Caesar salad - both £4.95. It’s teetering on the pricey side but the food is really tasty and unusual and so I think worth it. Good portion sizes. Amazing selection of vegan cakes as well including vegan tiffin. There is a cafe with outdoor seating (gets busy at lunchtime and you may have to queue) and a takeaway that also has outdoor seating which sells salads and cakes as well as bread and vegan scones. Parking can be a bit tight but there is an overflow car park although not signed.
Read morePros: All vegetarian and nearly all vegan , Fresh and interesting salads, Wonderful range of vegan cakes.
Cons: tends to get busy around lunch, Outdoor seating a bit tight for space
Guest
LexyS
Points +22
So many options! - Edit
I was so surprised by all the vegan options here, must be at least 90% vegan, lots of cake too. I went once for brunch and had the smashed peas on toast (delicious) so we had to come back to try lunch. Big portions. Can't wait to go again.
Read moreGuest
VioletBeeSmith
Points +59
so many vegan options!! - Edit
Sitting by the river at fantastic Chesters. So much of the stuff is vegan. Brilliant! The pics show the vegan stuff marked with a V. They even have oat milk. I'm in heaven! I had blueberry and banana pancakes. Yummm
Read morePros: nearly everything is vegan, fabulous vibe, dog friendly
Cons: fairly expensive, gets very busy at peak times
Guest
Eeyore
Points +28
Cakes in the sun - Edit
Only had cakes here and they've all been delicious! Rest of the menu looks good too. If the weather's nice there's outdoor seating overlooking the river.
Read morePros: yummy cakes, river views
Guest
caecilieee
Points +42
Amazing - Edit
Ate here 3 days in a row, so many vegan options and they’re all great! The take-away and shop is also really nice!
Read morePros: Vegan options, Cozy atmosphere , Nice staff
Guest
MarkAndLaura
Points +31
Vegan delights - Edit
Amazing potato scones & chickpea & sweet potato pasties! Delish coffee! And fab location!
Read moreGuest
John.ellis vegan
Points +222
Worth the D Tour - Edit
Definitely not our planned journey home but thanks to Happy Cow a great find and our first visit will not be our last. Outdoor seating and take away available.
Read morePros: Good choice of food including vegan options , Friendly staff despite being very busy , Fantastic setting, Dog and cycle friendly
Cons: Not all Vegan but use to be omnivorous so step in
Guest
jacklenox
Points +66
Possibly my favourite place on earth - Edit
Chester's by the River is just heaven. The food here really is fabulous and as a regular visitor, the folks in the kitchen achieve unrivalled consistency with their frequently-changing menu. I've never been disappointed by a meal here, and coffees with oat milk are simply perfection.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan breakfast and lunch options, Sublime, vegan jam dougnuts, Excellent coffee
Guest
TheresaJane
Points +27
Taste buds heaven - Edit
So pleased to see this popular restaurant is now vegetarian with a huge choice of vegan and gluten free options. We had a huge sharing plate of salads with an undescribable palate of flavours. They also serve that elusive vegan and gf cake, a delicious marmalade frangipane. What a treat. If you are anywhere close to this area make a detour and enjoy some of the best food in the Lakes.
Read moreAnd of course the scenery is outstanding sitting by the river in full force.
Pros: lots of choice. very helpful staff
Cons: I guess it's going to be too busy in the summer
Guest
Alaneatyourgreens
Points +83
Too good to be true. - Edit
Anyone hiking in the Langdale area, or just touring the Lakes must include this gem on their route. The first thing to hit you is the location. Wow. In the trees, by a river, view of the arched bridge. Its a picture postcard, or to be more up to date, a CGI film fantasy.
Read moreNext comes the food. an amazing display of breakfasts, snacks, salads, pies, pizzas, and cakes. Veggie and vegan, all the stuff we had was delicious. The staff are friendly, the atmosphere is warm and relaxed, muddy boots and dogs are OK, and they do take-away.
Got to hand it to the owners. Not only did they make the decision to go vegetarian, but the whole operation is planet friendly and fully sustainable. No plastic or polystyrene around here. I understand that the breakfast service took a while to establish as non-veggies expected bacon, but that is all in the past and the place is busy and enjoyed and appreciated by all. Go there now.
Pros: Ace food, Take-away too, Superb location.
Guest
findingfay
Points +191
Amazing Food - Edit
Me and my mother came here for lunch today and it was amazing! It's located in a really nice place and is very beautiful and relaxing. It was quite crowded when we went and there was only one space left for our car, although there are lots of tables inside and outside, but we did on a bank holiday.
Read moreAlmost everything on the menu is vegan or can be made vegan which is great.
I had the sweet potato and pine nut samosa which came with tabbouleh and avocado and salad leaves with a really nice dressing, and then we also ordered a side of biryani rice salad which was also very tasty.
I then got a vegan chocolate and peanut butter cake afterwards which was delicious and quite a big slice.
The prices were perhaps a little dear for lunch but the food is very high quality and looks amazing so you get what you pay for, mains about £8-10, side salads are £4 and the cakes ranged from around £4 as well.
Another negative was that there are only 4 or 5 toilets for everyone which isn't very many considering it was very busy and the queue got pretty big.
Overall my experience was great and I definitely recommend it and will come back
Pros: Delicious food, good range of vegan options, lovely place
Cons: gets busy, not enough toilets
Guest
CompassionateSnob
Points +632
lovely place for hikers! - Edit
my partner and i took a hike from ambleside to skelwith bridge with the intention of having lunch at chesters and then hiking back.
Read morethe place was packed, so we probably should have booked a table but we got lucky and still fround a place to sit. but if you don't, the food is also available as take away an they even have a little space outside reserved just for eating their take away.
almost everything on the menu is vegan or can be made vegan.
we opted for a salad, two pizzas and after a while also had tea and cake there.
the food was very good and innovative.
after lunch we spent a while at the lovely shop of theirs which offers books, accessories, all things dog related, decorational objects and souvenirs.
Pros: very good food, gorgeous shop, perfect for hiking
Cons: could have more vegan cake options
Guest
VeganEleanor
Points +83
Good first time - BAD second time! - Edit
My husband, dog and I have been visiting the Lake District and staying in Coniston. I found this place on happy cow and we decided to give it a go. It's so cute!! Dog friendly and vegetarian with lots of vegan options. We shared a vegan chocolate torte and a vegan scone. Apparently they have oat milk for their coffee and tea. There's also a nice gift shop with a ton of veggie and vegan cook books and lots of other nice gift things. Staff were very friendly and made a fuss of our little dog. We might go back for some of their vegan stone baked pizzas. They stop serving food at 3pm apparently, although it is my understanding cake is on offer until closing time. We visited on a week day and still had to wait to be seated but it was worth it.
Read moreUPDATE: We returned today, a few days after our initial visit, and ordered two vegan pizzas that looked so good on our first visit. We waited to be seated again but were excited for a yummy lunch. Once we ordered we waited at least 25 mins before the waiter comes over and tells us we can't have pizza any more due to a problem with the oven and said we could order something else or get a refund. Since it was a 15 min drive back to our holiday accommodation we decided to order something else. My husband ordered a dhaal with a flatbread and I ordered a butternut squash and chickpea kebab. We assumed our order would remain in the same place in the queue of orders, but everyone else was receiving their food and we still had nothing. After nearly an hour after initially placing our order our food came, we were offered an extra tea each on the house. This was especially welcomed since I had paid more for my pizza than the thing I ordered so I basically overpaid by £1 (decided it wasn't worth the fuss at the time). My husbands portion was a fair size - dhaal, two small flatbreads and a cauliflower curry, but mine was two small chickpea sausages and the same side salad my husband got, AND it tasted very bland. I was SO disappointed because our first trip was so good and I had such high expectations. Finally, they forgot our side of chips and we had to ask for it and they gave us the horrible end bits whilst everyone else got big fluffy chips. No one checked back on us, as a long term waitress I know when you have messed up someones order you should be checking back multiple times. So we had no one to even tell our order wasn't any good. We ate and left with a sour taste in our mouths!
If you make the trip, go for cake and tea!
Updated from previous review on 2016-11-25
Pros: Dog Friendly, Vegan Cake & Oat milk, Pretty location
Cons: Service could be better, Needs tastier & larger lunch meals
Guest
VeganLauraL
Points +86
Beautiful setting and great cakes! - Edit
Went here with my family not knowing that it had all become veggie. We were a party of veggies, vegans and an omnivore. There was a great selection of salads, soups, pizzas, cakes etc. many of which were vegan or could be made vegan upon request. And all of which was delicious!
Read moreReally friendly staff and a stunning location with loads of walks nearby. We sat on a table overlooking the river. We will definitely be back!
Pros: Large selection of savoury food, 2-3 vegan cakes, loads of veggie cakes, Beautiful setting
Cons: Very popular so busy!
Guest
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