The Best Restaurants in River, Kent, United Kingdom (2025)

The Sunday Roast was a cut above what I would normally expect. Beautiful local beef and interesting accompaniments, such as the perfect, five hour carrots. The wine was superb and the owners are warm and knowledgeable. Highly recommended.

Our go-to in Kendal. The small plates are always excellent and Stacey & Harry are really knowledgable about the food and wine they serve (especially as they have their own brand Northern Wine!). Lovely friendly atmosphere from a lovely local couple, highly recommend!

Great evening at Ramble this evening. The food was so tasty and each small plate was a lovely surprise. The service is friendly and informal and the atmosphere cozy and welcoming. Highly recommend - a really good place try in Kendal. PS. The wine was interesting too, very good and reasonably priced. Thanks!

Two excellent roasts, one local beef, the other a veggie nut roast. Both served with celeriac croquettes, 3-hour carrot, potato paué, braised cabbage. stuffing, Guinness Yorkshire pudding and gravy, 5-cheese cauliflower

If you get the chance take your time to locate this wonderful historic venue tucked away down a ginel off Stramonsgate in heart of Kendal. If you do then, like us during our recent visit, you'll be glad you did. The Joshua Tree is a small family run Café & Bistro nestled in one of Kendals oldest Yards in a historic 16th century building. Here we found a warm welcome, great service and some lovely food at an affordable price. The produce is locally sourced and freshly prepared by the team in the upstairs, small and open kitchen area. The menu is unpretentious but with a great selection of what I would call traditional British fare. The homemade soup of the day was delicious, the vegetarian quiche delightful and the chicken, leek and mushoom pie superb. All served by pleasant and efficient, but not intrusive, staff in a wonderful quirky setting. The low ceilings, nice wood burning stove, and open wooden staircase leading to the upstaurs dining area all help to make this a nice venue for us to enjoy a lovely lunch.

We had the Christmas Menu and wow it did not disappoint. I’m not a big eater but the proportions of food was just right . Lovely tender succulent turkey, plenty of roasties, and four different veg accompanied by stuffing gravy and pigs in blanket. We have been to Joshua Tree quite a few times and it never disappoints. All the staff are lovely and very friendly. If you get the chance please make the effort to go it is definitely worth a visit

We have been going to the Joshua tree for several years whenever we are in the Lakes. The owners are very friendly and the food exceptional. It’s a lovely atmosphere whether you want lunch ior an indulgent cake and tea or coffee. A true gem - Christmas lunch was amazing.

Lucky find. Lovely atmosphere, welcoming staff, fresh food and drinks, Reasonable prices, this cost us £10.50

Great place to have a nice dinner. Good service, friendly staff. The method of the order was explained by a staff member and they gave us advise too how many dishes we should order for 2. We booked our table but i saw they took customers who just walked in. Food was delicious and enough for 2 of us. We ordered 2 main, 1 side and 2 starter and we shared everything.

I went to Pedro’s Casa for dinner with a friend this weekend as I have just moved to the area and was intent on finding the best dining experiences in Kendal. Well what can I say…an amazing meal with super friendly staff. We had 6 dishes off the tapas menu and each one was a delight, I highly recommended the beef burrito and the salt and pepper squid, each dish was an ample portion and beautifully cooked and presented. The wine I had was absolutely delicious too (Chilean Chardonnay) the service and friendliness of the staff was great, nothing was too much trouble for them and the took time in engaging with conversation after our meal. Overall highly recommended and now that I’m a local Kendolian I shall be frequenting Pedros many times in the future.

Very friendly staff, great variety of dishes, really tasty - recommended

Fabulous food, brilliant service. What a great place. We were only visiting Kendal but would come back just for this place and stay over. Excellent cocktails too. Decor cool, comfy seating, good relaxed, chilled vibe. Definitely my new favourite place. Brilliant waiter, guy with long hair - attentive, funny, really great service.

Popped in today for a latte and after about a 30 second, do I or don't I, I got a salted caramel brownie I was greeted with a smile and the lady behind the counter was very friendly. I requested the latte in a mug, which I received and the service was also very quick! I have just finished the brownie and OMG! One of the best I have tasted! Baked to absolute perfection! Are they bought in or made on the premises! Thoroughly happy with my visit today!

Fabulous staff, fabulous food, dog friendly and the staff couldn’t stop cuddling my little maple and brought her water and treats. Couldn’t recommend this place enough. A perfect start to my birthday weekend - thank you! And the pancakes are delicious!!!

Popped in Kendal while on route to the Lake District by local recommendation. As we wanted a dog friendly venue. food was amazing staff very polite and attentive. Great atmosphere. Allergy compliant as one of the party had an egg allergy and the other was gluten intolerant both had great food and the staff was very aware of allergy requirements. Water bowl supplied for our dogs as well. Very good menus for vegetarians and people with allergy’s.

This lovely, bustling little café had so many tempting options on the menu! I ordered the Paris Benedict (pictured), and it was absolutely gorgeous. I also tried the lavender hot chocolate, which was amazing - such a unique and delicious treat. The atmosphere was cozy with comfy seating, and despite how busy they were, everything arrived super quickly, which was impressive. The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is that while the service was efficient, the interactions with the staff didn’t stand out in any memorable way. That said, I’d still highly recommend this spot for a great breakfast!

Both the food and the service at the white horse were great! The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed, with low volume music in the background in the evening. We had the fish & chips and a beer - came out to ~£42. I would go here again, and maybe even sit outside! For my vegetarians, there were options (no vegan options), but to be clear, there was a limited menu the day we went, so this may not be representative of everyday.

Wow! What a great place. Greeted right away. The staff were friendly. Food was delicious. The Beef Stroganoff was some of the best I’ve ever had. The local lager they had was unique and great. After you walk the cliffs stop here for a great lunch and a drink.

A very atmospheric and traditional English pub circa 1365. I received a warm and friendly welcome from the Landlord Sam, as did everyone who visited during my short stay. I will definitely frequent this unique establishment upon subsequent visits to Dover, Kent, England, UK.

WOW!!!!! We LOVE this place! The food was amazing!!! Not your average pub food, this was ELEVATED pub food that could have come from a 5-star restaurant!!! And the service was very friendly and helpful! Our table had the fish and chips, mushroom risotto, house burger, bangers and mash, and the pan seared duck breast. I like duck a lot .. and this was THE MOST TENDER duck I have EVER EATEN, it was delicious! And the bangers and mash were excellent .. all the food was excellent!!! For dessert, I truly and honestly licked the bowl!!! I'm not big on sweets but the chocolate cremeux pistachio sauce honeycomb ice cream dessert was probably the best dessert I've EVER eaten! No joke and not exaggerating. At the time is this review, they were serving their Autumn Menu. All around the room we are in had people's times and dates of their channel crossing, we meet 2 people who had swam there channel! I hope that we will be back in Dover someday, I would love to go back and eat there again! ... and of course the beer was excellent too!

Staff were great, good menu range and the foofywad very good. Restaurant was a little cramped a there was a long wait for the main course but perhaps that is the nature of paella!

Had a lovely evening here. Very diverse menu, covering different tastes. Had salads with soft boiled eggs for starters. Hubby's was brussel sprouts & tasted lovely. I had the beef onglet for main & Roast Cod for hubby. Absolutely gorgeous 😍 Then the trio of desserts for him & ice cream for me. Couldn't fault anything. The atmosphere was lovely. Service was unbelievable. All food came to the table quickly & with a smile. We had a bottle of New Zealand red, which was Lush. Would definitely come back & and recommend it to anyone. A really lovely evening.

Delicious food, nice cosy atmosphere. Had good gluten free, peanut free and shellfish free options and staff double checked with the order to ensure it was safe for me to eat.

Delicious meals and friendly and attentive service. We very much enjoyed our evening, and the wine recommendation. Be warned - the paella for two is amazing but enormous! We are going to enjoy our lunch tomorrow.

This is a lovely pub with warm friendly staff and good food. Be aware that it gets very busy at weekends so you’ll want to go there before six in to get a seat and should probably book for food. We didn’t have that problem as we were there on a Tuesday but it was still popular. The portions are very generous and my fajitas and quesadillas were both tasty. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the tortillas were homemade. My cousins enjoyed his ribs (the sauce could have be richer or sweeter for his taste). Overall a really good experience made even nicer by the friendly chatty staff. Strongly recommended-would be very happy to go back.

This is a proper traditional English pub with fantastic staff, amazing food and a brilliant atmosphere. Great to hear about the story behind the pubs name with it being one of the last smuggler trading posts and being part of a secret tunnel network under the village. The Sunday roasts are traditionally cooked, decent quantity and full of flavour. The pizzas are clearly home made and again with fresh good quality ingredients. My wife and I are very particular about our steaks and have to say the fillet steak we had here was one of the best we have ever had and were both perfectly cooked. We normally try a few different pubs when on holiday, but tried this one on our first night and instantly booked to come back for other nights on our holiday. My wife, our two boys and myself would not hesitate to recommend this pub to anyone and will definitely be back the next time we visit this part of the country.

I had an absolutely fantastic experience at The Smugglers pub and restaurant in St. Margaret's at Cliff! The food was delicious, and the Sunday Roast Special with its generous portions, fresh vegetables, and delightful horseradish, apple, and cranberry sauces left me positively surprised. The friendly and relaxed atmosphere inside made the dining experience even more enjoyable. The staff were truly brilliant - attentive, friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating. Even though it was a random choice during our journey from Dover to Deal, it turned out to be an excellent one. I can't wait to return when I'm in the area again, and I highly recommend this place to everyone!

Pre-booked table, atmosphere was great,very cosy place. Staff very friendly and helpful,took our drink orders after about 5 mins of sitting down,then another 10 mins for the menu orders to b taken. Food came out hot, plenty on the plate,very nice Sunday roast dinner, afters board had plenty of variety also. I would defo recommend this place people's .

Lovely size, layout and quality of the room. Breakfast was freshly cooked and a welcome start the next day. I've only rated service as such, after a really unpleasant experience with cleaners following morning. We were packing our bags in the room, and couldn't help but hear two room cleaners vile language about guests who had just left room next to ours!

A typical lakeland pub. It was very busy on a Sunday afternoon. We went for a drink after finishing our walk. The smell from the kitchen was really tempting, but I didn't think I'd have time before getting back on the coach. Made do with a pint and some crisps. Maybe next time.

Great warm friendly local pub. Quality beers. Open fire country pub type place Also, the only one left in the village I think, so just as well it is really good.

Can across this pub as another one was closed after 2pm for food. So happy we did, ordered 3 sandwiches 3 drinks and can honestly say the food was hot, well presented and good value. Would like to say a big thank you to the member of staff who found my mother in laws handbag which she left behind and we had retrace our steps to get back. We have now been back on another occasion and again the welcome was warm and the food just as excellent as before

Look this place is everything you need in a lake district inn. Warm fires, excellent food and some genuinely outstanding beer. The staff were amazing with us and I cannot compliment the bar staff or chefs enough. Would go back tomorrow would give it 6/5 it it were possible to rate it that highly

Second time we have stayed we had two room myself and my wife , My daughter and her boyfriend. Location is great large car park which is safe. Rooms are dated but clean everything you need. The staff are great and the food and breakfast is amazing. All the staff cannot do enough for you. We stayed for three nights and we didn’t have to wait a long time for food at all. Always hot thank you for looking after us all we had a great stay we will hopefully see you soon.