Hyltons Restaurant — Restaurant in Windermere

My mum and I had decided to stay in Windermere for the night, as it had been ages since we were last in the Lake District and fancied a short break away. After spending a wet and rainy day looking around Windermere, we retreated to our hotel for the night and were looking for somewhere to have an evening meal. With my mum being gluten and wheat intolerant, we had to make sure that where we chose had gluten free options available. After much searching and Googling, we came across the Hyltons Restaurant as we were finishing up our walk around Bowness-on-Windermere. We asked one of the ladies in there (I believe the manager) about whether we needed to book and were delighted that there was no need to book. So a few hours later once we'd got ready, we took a drive down from our hotel back up in Windermere and parked in the public car-park not too far away from where Hyltons was (free after 6pm, but only small). The atmosphere in the restaurant was wonderful, a very relaxed and chilled vibe with lovely music in the background that didn't stop conversations from flowing. We were greeted in a polite and friendly way by a member of staff, who showed us to our table. Although there weren't tons of gluten free options, they still had a pretty good selection (better than some other places). And a bonus was that they are able to make pasta dishes with gluten-free pasta. We didn't have to wait long for one of the waitresses to come and take our food and drink orders. My mum had asked if she was able to have the new potatoes with the 1/2 chicken instead of the mashed potato, which the waitress (Nikki) sorted out for her. We had seen pictures on reviews, but they simply do not do the food any justice whatsoever. When the food was brought to our table, everything was piping hot and presented wonderfully! Both my mum's meal and mine were delicious and there was plenty, a feeling of great satisfaction after we had finished. It is hands down one of (if not the best) restaurant in Bowness-on-Windermere. A warm and wonderful welcome, friendly staff, great service, fab food and drinks and a lovely atmosphere is what awaits you at Hyltons Restaurant. We will definitely be returning again without a doubt. Thank you again Nikki and all the staff! :)

*Update (21.05.2024) - Came here again, as we usually do when in Bowness, and enjoyed the experience. The food is always amazing and we've never had an issue. The staff are always very polite, friendly and efficient, the atmosphere is great and it's a fabulous place to eat if you're looking for somewhere to enjoy a good meal! Had the BBQ burger, which was delicious! We also ordered the 1/2 roast chicken with two drinks and it came to a very reasonable £39.00. Well...

I had an extremely unpleasant experience at this restaurant in Windermere, and I feel it’s important to share it, especially for other Asian or Chinese tourists.

The food was forgettable — average at best — but what really stood out was the unprofessional and borderline discriminatory attitude of a particular staff member: a female staff member with platinum blonde hair.

When I politely asked for a glass of ice, she brought me a glass of ice water. I also asked for an empty glass (since I wasn’t ordering any alcohol), and she refused in a rude, condescending tone, saying there was “no reason to give a glass if you’re not ordering drinks.” Eventually, she did bring one, but only after a sarcastic remark: “I’m giving it because I’m kind.” That kind of passive-aggressive behavior is completely inappropriate in any customer service setting.

What was worse was the obvious contrast in how she treated other customers — particularly the white guests at the next table. She checked on them constantly, smiled, and made small talk. Meanwhile, she ignored us multiple times when we tried to get her attention. When I called her while she was chatting with the other table, she turned around and scolded me for interrupting, then came back only to offer more cold and sarcastic comments.

It felt like we were being singled out and disrespected simply because we were Asian. That’s unacceptable.

I honestly don’t understand how a restaurant with this kind of service has stayed open for so long. It may have decent ratings on Google, but don’t be misled. I strongly recommend checking other platforms like Dianping for a fuller picture. To fellow Chinese tourists: don’t come here — it’s not worth your time...

Visited 24 May 2023, based on the number of good reviews.

This is one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had, and I've no idea how the hell this place is rated so highly

Let's start with the service. Staff are miserable, blunt and inattentive. We entered, asked if they did walk ins and got told you can sit there.

Then waited for twenty minutes to be served, no apologies. All of the tables were wonky and the people at the next table struggled to cut their food as a result. The whole place looks very very tired.

The food arrived. I ordered burger, fries, coleslaw and onion rings. I love onion rings. These were not great onion rings. Coleslaw was tasty, but I assume they hadn't made it. Fries were cold upon arrival. Not hot, not warm, not tepid. Cold.

And finally the burger. It was burnt on both sides. If that wasn't enough, I had to remove 5, yes 5 pieces of gristle from my mouth, completely unchewable. After the fifth lump of gristle I just gave up on the meal and pushed it away.

I've never complained in a restaurant, as I hate to cause a scene. However, I was prepared on this occasion to ask for fresh fries and complain about the burger. But back to their service issues, no one ever came to see how our food was after they'd served it.

Maybe they were too busy with the lady at the next table who complained about her food and asked for it to be remade. Twice.

You've been warned, simply go anywhere but here.

Also, no...