The Punch Bowl Inn & Restaurant in South Lakeland

Considering they were short staffed, the attention and knowledge of food being offered and wine was exceptional. Food was perfect. Cant recommend highly enough if you like souffles they are amazing. 😊 Happy customer.

Amazing service and excellent quality food. Stunning ingredients and expertly put together. All the staff very warm and welcoming and exceptionally professional. Big 5 stars, really impressed. Halibut was superb, served with chicken of the woods mushroom and shrimp, lamb looked delectable, the banana soufflé was the best desert ive ever eaten. Cooked to perfection. Really appreciate the excellent food and service.

UPDATE: we had a call the next day from a lovely lady at The Punch Bowl. Everything about the way she spoke to my husband was completely different from last night and we felt this person really loved their Inn and was gutted for our experience. The concern and apologies resonated and we were very surprised to receive this call. We have been invited back but sadly don't live nearby and their availability this week doesn't match but we have an invite for another trip. Feeling much better about the whole situation even if it doesn't fix it. Did not enjoy feeling like the enemy last night. Leaving review at 2 stars for original experience, but wanted to share. ORIGINAL REVIEW: We had a great meal here years ago and were excited to revisit. Really sorry to be leaving a bad review but we had a very poor experience at dinner. Firstly, despite a short menu, 2 of the items we ordered were unavailable, and we were only told after we tried to order. Then we tried to order wines from the short wine list, again 2 not available. The manager said he was sorry but was super unhelpful in finding us an alternative to the light style we needed to go with the variety of courses we had. The worst though was the attitude, although the word sorry was used, there was this obstructive attitude telling us it was bank holiday Monday as if that justifies the missing food and wine (don't remember getting a special Monday rate!) and then telling us they don't have space to store wine. Basically, they are not interested in changing their methods so don't go there at the end of a weekend. Then came the starters, 3 of us had cheese souffles. They were wierd and unpleasant. I'm kicking myself I didn't take a picture because all 3 were unsauced (apparently these were supposed to be twice baked, second time with cheesy creamy sauce). Well, this is not what we had, we all had dry skillets, a good textured but completely bland egg white with a crispy coat and a small amount of melted cheese on top. No sauce, not creamy, not buttery, not cheesy, in fact, the worst thing being the taste of what seemed to be super hot fried oil. Never had an oily souffle before and it left an unpleasant taste. It was only when I went to look at reviews online between courses that I saw all these pics of their soufflé, all in the same skillet, all sauced.... So I showed this to the manager who listened, who apologised, but again, not sure what for because there was no conceding that we had been served this incorrectly. The mains btw were all good, the risotto was very nice (0 truffle as per menu) but well made, nice chive oil and pickled kohlrabi flowers. Accomplished. My mother had lamb and husband guinea fowl, both looked good and apparently tasted really good too. Desserts, again, good. Somebody here can cook. We had a short interaction with manager again when the bill came with a 10% discount. We thanked them for this (it didn't quite cover the cost of the soufflés, but it was something). We still paid £240 for this dinner. My 2 stars is for the service, a good attitude and an actual interest in our experience could have salvaged our miserable evening driven by a combative attitude from their leadership. Instead, to sum up, when at the end I asked if he had gotten to the bottom of what happened to our soufflés (genuinely curious... Was it a mistake? Were they out of ingredients? Did they forget to bake it again with sauce?) The answer came from the manager 'I spoke to the kitchen about the issue, they haven't come across it'. Come across it??? I think that says it all.

We have stayed at the Punch Bowl a few years ago. However, with covid and lock downs it is a while since we have visited. The food was always delicious, and we thought value for money. This visit was a shock however. The cost of the food has almost doubled and is now out of reach of most families. We will bear it in mind for a special occasion

Nice place but not very dog friendly. We walked a distance to get there and there were only two tables inside that were for if you had a dog, and they weren't serving food outside due to (understandable) staff shortages. Probably best not to risk going if you have a dog and haven't booked though!

Mother's Day meal. The roast chicken came with all the trimmings. Roast beef was beautifully cooked but we all contributed potatoes and Yorkshire puds to the one who chose the lamb as his plate was half empty.

Just been for lunch. It's was absolutely amazing. The food was superb, staff very attractive and a lovely atmosphere. We'll done to the whole team.

We had a great overnight stay here. The location is perfect, being close to the motorway and Windermere but still secluded and surrounded by stunning scenery and walks. The staff were delightful, the room was very comfortable and the food was all superb

Fabulous food, fabulous place. The dining manager squeezed us in on a Sunday even though they were fully booked. We were lost and I think he took pity on us. But he was charming with it.

Very good beer, service excellent and food nicely prepared and presented.A veritable oasis tucked away from the main road and in a lovely village setting. The Punch Bowl is well worth a visit either just for a drink or for a meal as well. The restaurant is beautifully appointed and can accommodate a range of dining numbers. There is also accommodation available, though we did not partake on this occasion. I look forward to doing so in the future and returning to Crosthwaite. Thank you for your excellent hospitality 😊 👌