Granny Dowbekins Cafe & Restaurant — Restaurant in Great Britain

First and only visit last week for lunch. Had to queue to get in which we were aware off and didn't have a problem with a few minutes wait. Placed the order, paid and waited at the table in the garden for out food. The waiter came with our drinks after a few minutes and I could see he spilled some of them on his tray already but thought nothing of that. He set the kids' juices and my drink down but then spilled the whole large coke on the table, bench and myself. He apologised and gave me a couple of paper napkins and went off. We assumed he went to grab something to help me get myself cleaned and to sort out the table which was soaking wet but he came back 5 minutes later carrying a fresh coke like nothing happened. I asked him to clean the table and another waitress had to wait with a tray full of food so she could set it down. I was still soaked but at that point I knew I wouldn't receive any help from the very young staff. We also had to squeeze the 5 of us on one bench and chair as the other bench was still wet. We wrongly assumed that a manager would come to see us at some point during our meal. The food itself wasn't bad, it wasn't great and certainly overpriced. Large fish was very small in size and all the batter came off, the sandwiches were bland but kids dishes were just fine and my dessert (apple crumble) was excellent. I wouldn't come back purely because of the bland food and high prices but the service was just appalling. Employing staff who are young and inexperienced and leaving them to fend for themselves speaks volumes. Accidents happen but I shouldn't have been left soaking wet, wearing a ruined top and with no compensation of any sort. I was hours away from our holiday house and had to wait for my jeans and cardigan to dry, my brand new white top ended up in the bin as I couldn't get the coke stains out by time...

This was the first time I’ve visited Granny Dowbekins since it has changed hands. Previously staff were always friendly, accommodating & helpful. This time I went in with an elderly friend of mine hoping to have some lunch. As my friend struggles with her hearing we decided to sit at one end of the large table in the bay window away from the few occupied tables in the centre of the room. Plus it felt lighter and more airy for us. There would still have been plenty of room for another party of 2 or 4 people to sit at the other end if anyone else happened to come in and chose to, however Pooley Bridge was actually fairly quiet at that time. As we approached the table to sit down the male staff member by the name of Mel suddenly descended upon us and said quite abruptly “you cannot sit here, this table is too large for you” then he led us to a smaller table by the service counter and said “you can sit at this table”. He gave us no choice and no chance to speak to him to explain what our needs were as he just slapped the menus down on the table and walked away. I was so completely taken aback and shocked at his appalling customer service, plus I could see that my friend was visibly upset so I did not say anything back to him. We decided to leave and took our custom to The Crown Hotel where we were very warmly greeted and even though the restaurant area is much larger, it was actually far more cosy and warm inside than Granny Dowbekins. I feel very sad that the atmosphere at GBs is not the same any more having frequented it for well over 10 years with...

Granny dowbekin's Fantastic. Our first trip to the Lake District and our first random stop for a bite to eat. From the second we entered we new it was a right choice. Very cosy, welcoming and homely place which was spotless and with plenty of room around the tables. Staff were very friendly and food was absolutely amazing. Very good choice of vegetarian and non-veg options. Staff were very happy to accommodate our request too. Simple cheese and tomato toastie was superb. And so were chips. Portions were descent. The cakes - well, you just need to try them yourself. We didn't really need them after our meal but they looked too good to miss. And they did not disappoint. I must mention that the teapots and milk jugs are the best we've seen. We've been too many restaurants and tea rooms and this is the only one so far serving tea and milk in containers which pour liquids properly. Yes, maybe I am strange but I do like to use things which were obviously tested and work in a way they were intended to work, without spilling half of the contents on the table. I found the slim, long, solid cutlery very comfortable to use especially to cut through these thick cheesy sandwiches. 😉 The tea room is open 9-5 throughout the week. Dogs are welcome inside. Place is very tidy and toilets are clean and smelling nice and fresh. We will definitely be back. P.S. Scottish banknotes are accepted here and...