Latest reviews from Kendal

“Tap for the Handsome brewery, located within a minute or two's walk of both Indie Craft Beer and Fell Bar for a nice little town centre loop. It's larger than you expect inside - there's a seating area by the bar as you go in, a larger area up a couple of steps at the back, and apparently even more seating up the steep staircase (which, as seems to be the trend in Kendal, had a different Lakeland fell written on each step). Sadly, despite all this space the place was deserted on a Saturday night - just us and a couple of regulars - meaning that there wasn't much atmosphere (despite the friendly bar lady's chatter). Nevertheless, it felt chilled out enough for us to stay for a couple of rounds, sampling several of the three casks and half a dozen kegs on offer (mainly from Handsome, with Vault City and Cellar Head as guests). Sadly the quality of Handsome's own brews was somewhat variable. Overall though this is potentially a very decent place that would have benefitted from a few more customers on our visit.“

wheresthepath 52 days ago

“Small craft beer bar right in the heart of Kendal - earlier reviews said it was part of a newsagents but it's now entirely a bar. There's twelve taps serving a well-chosen and diverse selection of brews from decent craft brewers across the UK and sometimes beyond. There's an equally well-chosen selection in the large fridges too, and the barman who served us (possibly the owner) was friendly and clearly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about beer. There are a few tables both upstairs and down, although we found upstairs a little more chilled. Probably the best craft selection in town, although there are better places if you're looking for local micros. It's a tad expensive for the area, but I liked it and would definitely return if I was in Kendal again.“

wheresthepath 69 days ago

“Visited September 2023. This is Kendal's oldest pub, dating back to the mid 1650 (when it was called the Golden Fleece due to not being olde quite yet). Although it's been heavily modernised it does manage to retain a certain olde worlde charm. Much of this is due to the absolutely bang on service - you really do feel very welcome here. It's a fairly large yet cosy place that definitely falls into gastropub territory and is very much food-led, but drinkers are welcome too. Food portions are large and tasty, albeit not especially innovative - which is just what we wanted after a tough day on the fells. Beer wise there were four casks on - two from Laine, one from Fell and from Fuzzy Duck. I don't know how much they rotate them, but all were in good nick. Definitely not a beer destination then, but it is within a minute or two of all the town centre craft beer places (Fell Bar, Indie Craft Beer and Handsome Snuff). If you want a decent meal with friendly service in nice relaxed surroundings whilst doing the Kendal beer circuit, this is definitely one of the best and friendliest pubs in town. Oh, and as a hillwalker I liked the fact that each step of the stairs was painted with the name and height of a Lakeland summit - a nice touch!“

wheresthepath 90 days ago

“We'd loved the Fell Bar in Penrith on our visits there. On this year's annual jaunt to the Lakes, circumstances (well, ok, accommodation prices) forced us to stay in Kendal rather than Penrith, so we were delighted to discover that Kendal also hosted a Fell Bar. If anything, this one's even nicer than the Penrith one (although it's a close run thing). We sat downstairs (although there's an upstairs too) and it felt really welcoming; small and cosy and with lots of fairy lights. The friendly barman made sure that conversations encompassed the whole room in true micropub style. There were a dozen taps in a decent range of styles and strengths; about two-thirds were from Fell with the rest being guests such as The Kernel, Pomona Island and Six Degrees North. There were a couple of bag-in-a-box ciders from Hogans; the cans were just from Fell. A great little place and we'll definitely return here if we're in Kendal again.“

wheresthepath 531 days ago

“On a Sunday night there don't actually seem to be too many places to eat that are open in central Kendal, so we ended up at the 'Spoons. It's in a building that used to be the old town communal bath house, and when you first go in it looks quite small by 'Spoons standards - however, there are steps up to the right which lead to a large hall-like dining area, with a further dining area and (apparently) a patio leading off that - so it's actually quite big, but nevertheless reasonably attractive by Spoons standards. Despite it being busy all staff were very friendly and took time to chat to customers, which was nice. There's 8 cask handpumps with beers from the standard Spoons list plus one local (Lakes brewery on our visit). Food was the usual good-value-but-it's-never-gonna-wow-you Spoons menu. Overall, maybe a slightly better than average Spoons.“

wheresthepath 557 days ago

“Amazed no-one had rated this one previously. It's situated five or ten minutes walk up the main road heading north-west out of the town centre, this pub is somewhat unprepossessing from outside. However, don't let that put you off - step inside and you'll quickly feel very welcome. We were warmly greeted by the bar staff, the clientele were friendly and laid back, and there was a nice open fire. The only criticism of the interior was that it was maybe a little too open-plan and spartan to feel truly cosy. Fortunately the drinks available more than made up for that. There are 4 cask beers and 3 craft kegs - all in rotation, in good condition, featuring a good mix of styles and a variety of micros sourced both locally and from across the north. There are also about 50 bottles and cans in the fridges - a decent mix of Belgian, German and craft brews. But it's on the cider front that this pub really excels. They generally have about 20 different ciders on from all over the country, including quite a few smaller producers. These are stored out the back; you can either ask to view the list held at the bar, or say what flavour profile you like and they'll find the right one for you (my cider-loving friend tried this out and said they got it bang on each time). Asif this wasn't enough they also have well over 100 whiskies from all around the world, including quite a few rare and unusual ones, plus also a large gin range. So, basically, this pub is superb for booze (and the prices are quite reasonable) - but it's the friendliness of the place that really stood out. A top-notch place, and we have already said that we will definitely return here next time we're in Kendal.“

wheresthepath 560 days ago

“Stayed at the hotel overnight on my way back from Scotland having read about it in the Good Beer Guide. A very decent restaurant & bar attached with a couple of local cask ales“

Jerseyislandbeer 932 days ago

“Kendal's oldest Wine Bar has now had a great new refurbishment and a cosy warm atmosphere. They have 4 Cask pumps most of which are supported by local breweries. They also have a great range on Keg including a new hybrid lager called Head On that's quaffable! Warming welcome from the staff and the locals at the bar, they now have a Cafe lunch service and a great loyalty reward card if your a regular visitor to Kendal too!“

ResinousChalice59 1539 days ago

“Regular JDW. Five Moorhouses beer were available, so nice if you were looking for local ticks.“

saxo 1567 days ago

“This JDW had five different Moorhouse beers on at our visit. Otherwise a standard JDW.“

Rasmus40 1567 days ago

“Typical JDW with free WiFi guest cask beers and they do food. Guest Cask beers are cheap at 2.15 a pint“

deanso 1761 days ago

“A nice bar with 3 casks of their own beers and 3 guest casks. Also 8 taps again half their own and half guest. There's a small beer fridge. Free WiFi. Friendly service.“

deanso 1761 days ago

“Beer shop with a great selection of cans and bottles. They have beer taps too. Free WiFi if you use the Kendal free WiFi. 10% discount for takeaways.“

deanso 1761 days ago

“Online order. Not a huge selection but what they do have is good, mixture of the latest fuss and hype beers from the top UK breweries, among classic Belgians etc. I managed to pick up some recent releases that were out of stock everywhere else I tried. Pleasant interaction with staff (I assume the owner). Pricing was fine. Packaging was fine, boxed (re-used) with dividers.“

LazyPyro 1962 days ago

“Its spoonies and tbf a very nice one . Food is bog standard what you would expect and very good value. Beer choice was a bit limited,but the few local ales they had on draught were superb.“

mashedtattie 2023 days ago

“On the side of a hill on the eastern side of Kendal on the road to Sedbergh, this mainly restaurant had some good aromas coming from the kitchen on my visit. It's in its own building divorced from the actual hotel, with a fairly large car park right in front of it. There's only three cask ale pumps here, all of which I knew very well including two regular ales from the local Bowness brewery, but I do get the impression these are changeable. The keg option were macro stuff. It's fairly plush given its part of the hotel complex.“

ManVsBeer 2159 days ago

“This is a local newsagents and store, but at the back of the shop next to the counter is several shelves with some very worthwhile cans and bottles from the funkiest of contemporary brewers on the shelves. Think Cloudwater, Alphabet, Northern Monk etc... I picked up a couple of new ones from Marble here.“

ManVsBeer 2159 days ago

“Better-than-most Wetherspoons, which is set in a lovely old building (completely renovated inside though, unfortunately). What sets this one apart from most is the large number of craft beers, both local and otherwise. The Hawkshead core range are available, and there are a few breweries (e.g. Tiny Rebel) that I've not seen in a Spoons before. Of course there are better choices in Kendal but I wouldn't rule this one out.“

jjsint 2436 days ago

“Cozy and friendly micropub run by Fell Brewery. Small and sparse but there's more seating upstairs. They have six cask and six keg, approximately three of each devoted to Fell's beers and three devoted to guests. The guests come from Cumbria, Liverpool and Newcastle, and all beers stick toward the sessionable strength (6.3% being the strongest) although there are some bottles which may satisfy your bigger ABV needs. Their beers are certainly good; while I have yet to have one that blows me away, from what I've had I think they're capable. This seems like a massively positive addition to the Kendal beer scene.“

jjsint 2437 days ago

“Decent if not amazing bar set off from Highgate. Piped music dampens what would otherwise be a lovely atmosphere. They have a choice of four cask ales - two from Handsome, one from Cross Bay and Hobgoblin - plus a couple of keg (Theakston Peculier IPA and the like). OK condition. Food is tasty but not particularly great value. The menu is the same in the bar as the restaurant.“

jjsint 2437 days ago

“Good food and three local cask ales in a comfy bright restaurant/bar. Children friendly, you can sit outside with a beautiful relaxing view. We had lunch with our 8months old son, the waitresses were more than just kind and professional!“

Sissio 2479 days ago

“I found this place just 5 minutes’ walk from the centre, over the bridge in a SE direction, away from the road. 6 Quality tap ales. Great surprise to find such a gem on my travels from Oz. Highly recommended for aficionadoes like me“

petrusc 2701 days ago

“A hidden gem not far from the railway station. A knowledgeable and helpful landlord is ably assisted by somebody who really knows how to cook! The food is the major pull here, but with 4 real ale taps alongside the usual lager and mass-produced "ale", there is usually something for everyone. Last visit could have been marred by sour Black Sheep but the landlord simply replaced the bad pints with the beers of our choice.“

LeylandAl 4044 days ago

“This outlet of Britain’s biggest pub chain makes great use of a historic building, one that has information about it on the outside as well as inside. The conversion of the ’Wash House’ is a gem and makes for an atmospheric and pleasant place to drink if you’re visiting Kendal or if you are a local. It’s conveniently located of the main town centre drag near the town hall with a big chimney sticking out of it, however it’s hard to get lost here. The usual menu and changing range of ales apply and seating is on a split level.“

ManVsBeer 4183 days ago

“Busy bar within arts venue. Good selection of ales. Great ambiance and an outdoor drinking area.“

Beesbeer 4231 days ago

“Small bar within a nice country restaurant. This was an absolute jewel to find as it had 4 beers from local or micro breweries on tap. Nice pub food with seating outside which means beautiful views while you sup cask ale.“

AshtonMcCobb 4306 days ago