Dodds Restaurant in South Lakeland

Stumbled across Dodds whilst looking for somewhere to eat for tea in Ambleside and what a gem to find. Cosy atmosphere, friendly staff paired with delicious food and wine. Highly recommend. The pizzas were especially nice

We came in, sat at the table by the window behind the main entrance, and then the fun began... We ordered a starter, Garlic Bread with Mozzarella. Then, for the main course, we had an amazingly tasty and to die for Breaded Chicken Breast, which came with Rocket Salad, Parmesan, Creamy White Sauce, and some Tagliolini... For desert, we had Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream and Spiced Honey Panna Cotta, which looked and tasted amazing. I can not express how amazing the service was. I would rate 10/10 if I could. We sat down at 17:05(ish) and had our starters about ten or 15 minutes later.. Shortly after that, we had our mains. We ended up staying there for almost two hours and enjoyed every second of it.Thank you for making our first ever trip to the Lake District, fulfilling and welcoming.I will definitely come again and recommend to everyone I know.

Lovely Italian restaurant with good quality, home cooked food and some inspired recipes! Very welcoming and friendly staff too, super accommodating to all guests. Highly recommend this place if you’re looking for some beautiful Italian food.

I had a really great experience in Dodds. My parents are familiar with the area and planning on moving nearby and the staff are super friendly in here. The service was quick and the range of items on the menu is great they have lots of choice. The pizza was thin in the middle part with a thick crust but wasn’t dry like most other places. The pasta my dad had also looked delicious definitely something to try again next time. My only criticism is the coke was very small.

One of the best Italian restaurant I’ve been in the region. Fish very fresh and tasty. Pizza was good and didn’t become a chewing gum after few minutes (which happens in many restaurants unfortunately). They’re not Italian but quality food is close to everything you could find in Italy. I didn’t put 5 stars just because the first basket of bread they gave us was still frozen in the middle but I must say staff sorted the issue very quickly and smoothly.

Dodds was recommended as a walk in restaurant, no booking required. We arrived at 5pm as it opened and got a table straight away. Ordered drinks and food and starters arrived 5 mins later. Didn't take a picture of the pecorino risotto balls or the black pudding but the empty plates speak volumes. The home made black pudding had pulled pork inside and was a delight.The mains were equally fantastic, the breaded chicken and the cod pasta (special).When in Ambleside treat yourselves and visit Dodds for fantastic food, value and service.

Stumbled in for lunch because everywhere else was full, but my oh my, so glad we ended up here instead! Service is swift, food is delicious. We ordered the BBQ sharing platter for two (lunch menu) and were pleasantly surprised with our choice! Fresh, soft ciabatta, tastiest hand-cut chips I’ve ever had; rich and smoky pulled pork, uniquely tart, sticky wings; mouthwatering garlic prawns, meaty handmade black pudding (also best we’ve ever had) and a cooling celeriac side salad which paired well with the meat feast. We also ordered the fancy sparkling lemonade and the grapefruit-orange drink which were both a lovely touch to the menu.Highly recommend if you’re in Ambleside and fancy a big, hearty meal cooked to perfection at a very reasonable price!

Visited Dodds restaurant tonight. What a lovely place. The staff and food were first class. I will be visiting again next time I'm in Ambleside. I had Lasagne and it was the best I've tasted in a long time. I had a fruit crumble which was to die for. Well done to the staff for excellent service.

My husband and I had dinner here, we arrived at 7 but we knew there was no booking system, you turn up and get added to a waiting list for a table. We were advised an hour and got a call after an hour to say the table was available!The team there are ever so friendly and helpful. The restaurant was at full capacity but our food was on our table within 10 mins. Everything tasted amazing, we had the lasagne and lobster ravioli. Food was tasty and fresh, very good flavours and cooked to perfection.Lasagne was lovely, pasta was cooked well with a good balance of sauce to pasta ratio. Soft stringy mozzarella on top was delightful!My husband has the ravioli which was delicious, the sauce was delicate and the lobster was not fishy at all, it came with mussels which were not gritty or tough to eat.For dessert we had sticky toffee pudding and the cheesecake, just WOW.The cheesecake was salted caramel with peanut butter and a ginger sauce, the mix of flavours was sensational, a real delight on the tongue!I cannot fault this restaurant, I would recommend to all. A real gem in Ambleside, must be visited if you are in town, it was worth the hour wait! We will be back, thank you to all the staff who made our final night here memorable.

Went in early August 2021, turned up early at 5pm as we knew it was going to be busy and only just managed to get the last table. The staff were attentive even though they were very busy and kept the drinks topped up. The food was outstanding, we had the Dodds Sharing Platter (usually a main) to start between 4. Seriously get it!! I have never had black pudding like it! Oh blimey, delicious as were the prawns, sausage and meatballs! For mains we had pizza and spaghetti boll, couldn’t fit in desert as we were stuffed!! Believe the hype, get in there!!