A highly acclaimed three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Cartmel, Cumbria, England, celebrated for its modern British cuisine and use of local, seasonal ingredients, founded by Chef Simon Rogan.
Rafael Cagali is a Brazilian chef renowned for blending his South American heritage with refined European culinary techniques. He is the chef and owner of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Da Terra in London, known...
Insights
Highlights
Insights are still being generated for this restaurant. In the meantime, check the latest reviews below.
We travelled from London and would do it again without hesitation. In my opinion, the best restaurant in the UK.
The cooking is a masterclass in British seasonality. Every dish feels coherent, purposeful, and rooted in what's growing and swimming right now — nothing is there for the sake of it. The monkfish was superb: one of those dishes that stays with you. The whole menu holds together with a clarity that's genuinely rare at this level.
On value, it comfortably outperforms London's three-star restaurants. Yes, the pricing reflects the location in Cartmel, but even setting that aside, the quality here exceeds what you'll find at comparable addresses in the capital. That's not a small thing to say, and I mean it without reservation.
The service is exceptional — among the best I've experienced anywhere in the world. Water never dropped below 90% full, wine glasses were kept topped throughout, and the table was quietly maintained without any sense of theatre or interruption. Breadcrumbs cleared, every detail attended to. A kitchen tour before the main course was a wonderful touch — it set the tone perfectly for everything that followed.
If you're weighing up whether it's worth the journey, it is.
We went recently for partner birthday. I just say it was OK, food was amazing to look at but each course nothing really stood out in flavour or texture. Service was robotic nothing remarkable. Drinks just given a tablet and choose your own as didn’t want to do the wine pairing. Even asking for help in wine choice seemed hard work.
I think given we’ve done many 1/2 star restaurants was expecting more in everything, given the price. Hard to justify recommending. Just didn’t feel like an experience just we were another customer.
5
Absolutely outstanding. delicious meal, lovely atmosphere an super friendly staff. Not at all fusty and really enjoyed chatting to the waiters but also were given enough space to talk to each other too. Food incredible and enjoyed every morsel - the warm brioche with fermented yeast butter made by Sam almost made me cry tears of joy 🤣 also the “arm side offerings” were delicious.
5
A memorable dining experience with a creative menu, showcasing the highlights of British seasonal produce. Of this first course selection, the highlights were the eel and pig fritter (2nd picture), the potato pearls in cuttle fish (7th picture) as well as the beef tendon, seaweed and egg custard.
While the first few courses gave a lasting impression, the tail end of the savoury courses were good, but nothing to shout about. One of the fish courses was also too salty, even by my standards. However, the mini crumpets served as an accompaniment was unexpectedly good. The dessert selection though was the real standout of the entire dining experience. A special mention to the frozen tunworth cheese with a malt crumb and champagne rhubarb, introducing a flavour combination that I never would have thought of on my own. The anvil, their signature dessert was a delightful, harmonious execution of the classic apple tart, with notes of caramel, apple (in the form of a juice!) and miso, an increasingly prominent contemporary flavour component. The petit fours were very good too, the well executed almost Frangipane tart in particular. Overall a solid dining experience with more highlights than weak areas.
5
Felt very lucky to have managed to book a table for five of us at very short notice, to celebrate my wife's birthday with our 'kids'. The tasting menu was outstanding, thoughtfully adjusted to accommodate a vegan and a pescetarian in our group and was presented so beautifully it was a shame to spoil it in order to eat! Service was fabulous and atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, despite L'Enclume's standing as one of the best restaurants in the country, if not the world. The whole family loved it and we were looked after so well by the staff, particularly Grace who couldn't have been more helpful as well as having a splendid sense of humour!! Wine selection assisted by the extremely knowledgable sommelier was also perfect. We will definitely be back (once I have sold a kidney to pay for the wonderful evening!)
