Harley's Bistro & Café Bar — Restaurant in England

There are plenty of eateries to choose from in Grasmere, but this one caught my eye! It's in a former Methodist chapel in the centre of the village. There are a few outside tables, and a pleasant and welcoming indoor space with a quaint timbered ceiling. Very quiet when I was there, but then it was a rainy Monday in March! The two young waitresses were attentive and friendly. There's a well stocked bar where you can get beer, wine, gin and a great choice of cocktails. I ordered a very refreshing apple and raspberry soft drink. The menu offered a good selection of sandwiches, pizzas, burgers and hot meals, and there were a couple of special dishes of the day. Ordered a chowder full of smoked haddock, leeks and bacon, topped with onions and a poached egg. There were other vegetables in it too, and it was served with two chunks of warm crusty bread. A delicious light meal, well cooked, and very warming on such a cold wet day! The bread was really soft and fresh too. There's a tempting selection of cakes and desserts. Dogs are welcome here, and you can get doggy treats and ice-cream for them. A nice place to have lunch if you're walking or sightseeing...

Honestly the worst meal of my life.

My friend and I, against our better judgement, decided to order the vegetarian burger. We thought, because it was almost £15, it would at least be homemade. Instead we received a patty that can only be described as a plastic soggy slab, which leaked water when you'd bite into it. It was what you would expect from a defrosted £2 veggie burger from Iceland. And it was served in a buttered brioche bun with a dixie cup of tomato (chutney?) with NO sauces - we asked for mayonnaise and ketchup to make it more bearable but they weren't given to us.

It looks sweaty and grey and synthetic, with what looked like whole peas suspended in rubber. We were so hungry and broke that we still pressed ahead with eating it - while avoiding looking directly at the burger. The fries looked like oven chips, which were harmless but definitely not deep fried. I wish we'd refused to pay for it, but we aren't from the area and wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

I unfortunately didn't take a photo but strongly encourage the café to either ditch vegetarian options altogether or invest in better...

We visited Harley's during our trip to the lake district, and what a lovely place it is!

Situated in Grasmere, and while there are other cafés/bistros available, here's why you should visit Harley's.

We were sat down very quickly, and seen to for our drinks almost immediately. The general feel/vibe in the bistro is very relaxed, and as it was a rainy day we were very glad to get inside. I didn't get the name of our waiter, but he was so helpful and accommodating to us. There are vegan options available, and he talked us through them all and even said we could slightly tweak certain dishes to become vegan.

We were also told that recently they changed their menu a little bit - this sometimes doesn't work but it absolutely has for Harley's. Their flatbread is nothing short of amazing!

For dessert, we tried the fudge cake, and the star of the show - the vegan 'jaffa cake' cake. Whoever was responsible for the creation of this is a saint!

Lastly, the prices are very reasonable in here, and there are even USB ports in the plug sockets on the tables to...