Badger Bar

Hotel

Quirky place great beer and great food, always made welcome when we come here.

Great food and good service.

Fantastic bar. Great service. Great ambience with some quirky bits and bobs. Also a chance to but Badger poo!

Great food and polite helpful staff.

Fabulous customer service and friendly atmosphere.

Excellent service! responsible price's and dog friendly! 🐕

We stayed overnight. The staff are VERY friendly, but the food and drinks are expensive and the shower in our room was absolutely terrible. Couldn’t even get the! shampoo out my hair!

Rip off. 15.40 for 2 drinks and 2 crisps is disgraceful. And the bar lady really couldn't be bothered with us, poor service.

Lovely stuff, amazing food huge portions. I'm not big fan of tomato and basil soup, but the one I had today was delicious and freshly baked bread. Love it, highly recommended.

Very polite and friendly staff. Dog friendly. Perfect refreshment stop during walk.

Good food and ale. Had to get attention of staff to get more drinks. As its table service only I feel they should ask rather than u sitting there 30 minutes with empty glass.

Always a warm welcome and great service. Lucky to of been in all seasons to see their open fires. Great food and value. Highly recommend the ride/walk from Skelwith fold to here.

Perfect pint stop, friendly staff and great pint.

Was there today with the family very nice food and very accommodating for our dog would recommend 100%

Location is perfect for walks to ambelside and grasmere. Highly recommend, room is nice big and food is very good. I think I will be back in summer.

Lovely hotel & staff. Location is perfect for walks to ambelside and grasmere. Highly recommend ♥️

Good food and service would have preferred to have been sitting in bar area as dining room is a bit dark for my liking but we will return.

Good food, good beer and pleasant staff.

Love this place. Been coming for many years on our trips to the Lakes. Food and ale is always great and the staff are always very helpful and good fun.

Visited for lunch, great selection of beers and fantastic, affordable sandwiches. Staff were great too, thank you.

Very warm, welcoming service and the best pie I think I've ever had in my life. We also had a very special badger encounter. Thank you!

Great food, great staff and great atmosphere.

Lovely warm fire and friendly staff. Always good to visit.

It’s a great place and the staff are lovely.
The food is fabulous and if your lucky enough you get to see a family of badgers living in the grounds.

Very friendly staff, excellent rooms and food too.

Nice food, warm coal fires and good staff.

It's just a great pub. Honest, good cooking. Always visit when in Lakes.

5 stars
Lovely hospitality. First visit today with Simba. Fantastic local stout and roaring fire. Very friendly staff. Simba loved his dog biscuit treats from the landlord.

Great good with friendly staff.

Love the badgers! Really nice location, definitely recommend.

Great bar food. Fun two days with all the family. Wonderful breakfast and everyone enjoyed the Badgers.

I would recommend everything!
The hotel, the food, excellent breakfasts, the drinks, the staff are so very friendly.
we've been visiting the Badger Bar for drinks for years.
Started staying there with our dogs a good few years ago.
We always book The Otter room.
Lovely 10/10.
Can't wait to visit in October xx.

Went in for tea last night, had the lobster on the specials board, it was outstanding. The food never disappoints. Only pub in the Lakes that serves restaurant quality food.

Booking hadn’t been received — panic stations but hotel manager was amazing and couldn’t have been more helpful so had an amazing 2 night stay, friendly bar staff, great banter, lovely quirky bar, and oh the badgers loved our stay, thank you and not forgetting great food, thanks guys x.

Pleasant staff and everything you need from both the room and the hotel in general.

Wonderful place. Amazing food and stunning location & veiws. Cant wait to go back. Although we didnt see any badger during our stay we have just been watching them via 'badgercam' Amazing!

Looking for a place that does proper hearty food — the Badger Bar did not fail us. Amazing food, friendly and helpful staff and we will be back. Dog friendly too. Made us all welcome including our dog Charlie xx.

Went to the Badger Bar for lunch, was very busy but still the service was brilliant and food arrived very quickly.
Food was lovely and very generous portions.
Great seating area outside especially if you have dogs, but dogs also allowed in the bar area.

Great pub with the most lovely food. Had an amazing beef roast in front of the fire and OMG that Yorkshire pudding! I'm only giving 4* instead of 5 because when my husband asked at the bar where he could change our 10 week old baby he was told the only place was in the ladies toilet. Thankfully I (a lady) was there so could do it, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility that a guy might be there with a kid by himself and then he would have been stumped. Plus it was mildly annoying that I had to leave my cosy spot near the fire to sort it out : ( We will 100% be back!

Went most days/nights with out 2 boys and dog. Staff were brilliant and accommodating toward our large German shepherd. Food was spot on, both the lunchtime and evening meues. Great place to relax, proper pub atmosphere!

Loved it, we stayed in the 'sheds with beds' which were fab. The bar and restaurant were good, the staff were excellent and very friendly. We had a dinner and a full breakfast here, both were very good and reasonably priced.

Nice pub full of character in Rydal. There are a number of hand pumps serving real ale together with other beers, wines and spirits. The pub has a fairly large bar area and a decent sized outside seating area. There is a decent selection of meals available from the menu which looked very tasty.

Lovely bar, excellent staff, great beers. When people talk about good pub food, they mean the kind you get here. Hearty, well cooked and at as good price. If you're lucky in the evening you can watch the Badgers.

This is only for the badger bar pub not he hotel. Love the bar always a good selection of ales on tap and friendly service. It’s a good stop not he walk over Loughrigg Fell before heading back to Ambleside. Good pub grub on offer too.

The family room looked great and was spacious, but some fixtures were disappointing underneath — for example the shaver sockets wouldn't work, the shower pressure was very weak, the water temperature wasn't hot enough, and the Wi-Fi wouldn't work. The breakfast and dinner were both great, but the bar lacked any real atmosphere. We paid a lot for the room, which seemed overpriced as a result.

We stayed 1 night in the cottage (otter 11). Room was great, comfortable and clean. The staff were awesome, friendly and helpful. We loved the food, breakfast was so good. Hotel and pub old but very well maintained giving it the perfect charm we were looking for. All of this for an AMAZING price. Seeing the badgers at dusk was the cherry on top. Thanks to everyone there for such a lovely experience.

Food excellent, staff friendly and helpful. Lovely place after a walk to refuel and rest tied legs.

Nice hotel, spacious room, clean, friendly staff, perfect location, 4 minutes drive from ambleside town centre.

Lovely staff great breakfast even if you're Veggie. Great area for walking.

I was very surprised as I arrived, a beautiful cottage, clean, and modern. The food was excellent. I would recamend Glen Rothay.

We had a fantastic stay in the Otter room at the weekend. Always good to visit somewhere dog friendly! We were lucky to have stayed during really good weather, and enjoyed a lovely meal outside in the evening. To top it all off, we saw 4 badgers around 11pm feeding. Surprisingly tame!
After a wonderful nights sleep (comfortable rooms and bed! ) breakfast was awesome. We were able to eat in the bar area due to our woofer being with us. Thank you for being so accommodating.
No doubt we will be back again. You really didn't disappoint.

The room was comfortable and the en suite recently renovated, stylish and spotlessly clean. Breakfast was excellent as was the bar food. Staff friendly. Excellent location for walks around Rydal Water, to Grasmere and up onto Loughrigg. Ambleside is also within easy walking distance. The Wi-Fi was spotty throughout the hotel. If you're in room 3 don't expect a good signal! Some may be bothered by rooms that are located next to a busy main road. At times it appeared that the hotel was understaffed.

Ate quite late on a Sunday, food was ok but took 50 minutes for two of the meals. We were a group of 7. Meals were ordered within minutes of each other but the first two meals came after 20 minutes, next two at 35 and the next two at 50 mins which was awkward. The building and decor are nice/interesting. Toilets have incorporated the rock formations in which the building is built into, this is a nice touch.

I enjoyed my pint and my scampi and chips sat in the beer garden. Was a little gutted when I looked at menu as no surf and turf anymore still good.

Absolutely loved this place. The building is so old and has loads of history, nice open fire and good food. We went in the winter but I imagine the views from the garden in summer would be amazing.

Stayed in two suits — 1 and 2. Huge clean rooms, bathrooms recently refurbished to a high standard. Very friendly and helpful staff. Bar and restaurant surprisingly cheap. And badgers coming every evening! (My son was over the moon to see and feed real badger).

Had three nights here last weekend and it was wonderful good food fab room and the staff are all amazing they couldn't have been more welcoming and friendly especially Stephen and Briony loved it so much have booked again for June can't wait!

Lovely cosy place with nice staff. Dogs allowed. Food took a while to arrive when I visited but it was heaving with customers so not critical of that.

Brilliant location, wasn't in main building, outside rooms dated. Food alright and good ales!

Perfect night away with my family. Staff polite and helpful. Excellent breakfast.

Lovely friendly place that do a fantastic & tasty 'Fell Wakers' Platter. Reasonable & honest good food. Totally recommended.

Lovely bar. Friendly staff. Welcoming pub. Quiet and quaint. Lovely chips! Nice range of local ales. Doggo loved it!

Nice little place, very cosy and full of character. We had a fantastic Sunday lunch. Really tasty food and good portions too.

A cosy bar with a good selection of local beers. Friendly staff. A great stop when you are out walking.

It's a great place among the 13 famous English lakes.

Lovely, hotel, our room was spotless. Large dimensions with beautiful views over Rydal water. Excellent breakfast, friendly, professional staff.

Roast lamb dinner was spot on, very family friendly. The food never disappoints here and it's all very reasonably priced for the lakes… we will continue to come when we're in the area.

Staff were extremely warm & friendly. Pug friendly too. Food was delicious & ample. Many thanks. Parking for patrons & staying guests. Food reasonably priced. Great walks nearby @White Moss. Visit was very much enjoyed, would return & would recomnend.

Fantastic place to stop on your walks. Food excellent especially the Thai curry. Friendly staff. Good beer garden and Sunday roasts so tasty. Good portion size. Will be back.

Had lunch. Old fashioned style, small pub area and tables squeezed in, but cosy and informal. The dead animals a bit off putting. Basic menu big portions. Big car park. They feed badgers with left overs from the kitchen when the sun's setting, very interesting!

Friendly staff and a warm welcoming atmosphere. We had a dog with us so we had to eat in the bar area which, with the three of us, a baby, and a dog was a little awkward. Apologies to anyone who has to squeeze past us! For was good we all had a roast, one beef, one lamb, one veggie. All were good, though the beef was a little tough in places. Open fires, dogs, a good collection of walkers and friendly folk all made for a nice stop. I used to live just at the other end of Rydal drive so have been here many times. There's been years when I've stopped coming but, it seems to be doing well at the moment. Thanks for looking after us on a soggy Sunday :)

Food here was delicious, well cooked and fresh tasting ingredients. Friendly service and lovely staff. Also used their car park for parking on one of our days out, £5 for the entire day isn't bad considering other prices in the area :)

Stopped for food on a Sunday evening. Great food, loads of flavour and plenty of it. I had Roast Lakeland lamb, super meal with great Home-baked Yorkshire puddings. Not going to hang on tonight to see the Badgers in the garden as feeling sleepy after the big meal.

Great stop for a well earned pint after exploring the hills around Rydal Water. Staff friendly and a great selection of beers.

Fantastic place! Welcoming and family friendly which is good for us. Food is spot on and the Soup of the Day is always nice :) Excellently situated at the end of the Coffin trail, ideal. Foe a pint or a meal before cracking on and heading to Grasmere or Ambleside. Highly recommended.

The heating wasn't working great, the decor was dated, bit of a urine smell in bar, the gentleman's toilet was a bit pretentious with a massive rock in there (because of this they could only fit a tiny mirror on the wall (nice idea but poorly executed) ). Didn't get to see any badgers, just a ginger cat. Food was prompt, accommodated large party in extra room. Lasagne was poor.

Great place to stop for a quick drink or bite to eat whilst visiting Rydal water. Very cosy inside, plenty of seating outside and very reasonably priced.

Good location. Reasonably nice place. Can probably do with a bit of updating but it was clean. Staff attentive and friendly. Will happily go back again.

Great selection of real ale. Friendly staff. Walker and dogs welcome. Good pub grub.

Great selection of local ales including the one made especially for them. Badger bar ale good food selection and one of the best beer gardens in the area which catches the sun from morning till night. Not to forget that they feed wild badgers every night! Not to be missed!

The staff are awesome. I didn't stay the night, just stopped in for a cider. They were full but loves this place!

Warm and friendly atmosphere with lovely views of Rydal Water.

Great stay, lovely room, breakfast really good. Showers could have been slightly better.

Fantastic stay… lovely room _ very spacious, great breakfast :)

Lovely bowl of soup whilst wandering around Rydal and Grasmere, dogs welcome too.

Great place with beautiful views.
The best sleep we had in ages to the point we missed our free breakfast.
Enjoyed the local home made biscuits in the room instead. Will definitely be back!

Wonderful meal! We were spending a couple of days in Grasmere. A long walk around the lakes drove us to this place. The quality of the meal was superb, the charming atmosphere of the building and the fantastic attention of the waiters made the rest. All in all a wonderful place.

Great location very close to the town, food served is very nice and at around 10 each evening there is badger feeding and this can be watched from a short distance away.

Excellent location for many classic lake district walks. Good breakfast and packed lunches. Great Badger Bar has a wide selection of local ales and a good wine list. Massive portions served in the restaurant. Lovely place, we will go back.

It may still be a little frayed round the edges, but that only adds to the appeal. The hotel has an informal atmosphere where friendly staff are at pains to help. Our room, the Otter room in the coach house, was just what we wanted: our own access to the ground floor room, spacious and very well equipped. Having a very old dog, the ability to whip her out into the grounds easily and at all sorts of unsociable times is a real plus, even if the charge for the dog's stay at £8 a night is a little steep! Though we didn't take advantage of it, the hotel offers to serve your breakfast in the bar where dogs are allowed instead of the breakfast room where they are not. Breakfast was excellent but without kippers, which I am rather partial to! Evening meals were similarly of a very high standard, really well prepared though, again, a little limited in choice; I believe that the new management are tackling that one! Evening meals are taken in one of the two bars, one doggie friendly, where service is good. The 'Eastern European' staff complained about elsewhere may have some difficulty still with the language, and may still be learning their trade, but they couldn't be more helpful or efficient. Our stay was for two nights just before Christmas of 2015, we have booked four nights for February, 2016. If your 'thing' is evening suits and hovering waiters with napkins, you might be disappointed! What might appeal is the great location between Ambleside and Grasmere.

Poor, overpriced food. Weggieburger {the way the barman said it! } was horrible! Dark and dingy. And the Eastern European serving staff are shocking! Saw 1 "waitress" spill someone's drink over them and return with a dirty tea towel to clear it up. She brought out a cold meal and forgot the chips! hilarious! Why employ foreign staff who are of such poor quality? Would not ever go back!

Stayed previously and we are coming back 4th july for 3 nights, can;t wait YAY.

Always a pleasure to return to The Badger Bar when we're in the area. Great selection of real ales, brilliant and hearty food after a day on the fells. Great in winter when fires are roaring. There aren't many places like this left in the Lakes. It's a gem.

Lovely place, great staff. Had a excelent 2 night stay, evening meal was very good, breakfast OK. Room was nice and clean.

One of my favourite pubs in the area, the beer is always great and the food is very good value. There is also a 10% discount for CAMRA members.

Went for a mid walk pub lunch, food is very good, good selection of drinks and great character. Price was also very reasonable.

I had a wonderful stay while meandering through the lake district after a attending a medical conference. Unless things have changed, this was one of the rare pubs with a brew master who cask pulls in the pub. Locally raised beef and lamb were on the pub menu. You can watch the badgers at dusk as they come down for food and in the morning enjoy breakfast in a large sunny room looking out to a yard with multiple bird feeders that were in high usage when I was there. In fact, what prompted me to write this review, was that I hope to be back in the area next year and wanted to stay again. I have also enjoyed wearing my Badger Bar shirt back here in the states. I remember my time there fondly.

Just rung up to enquire about room availability for a last minute booking. The member of staff who answered the phone cut me off mid sentence and abruptly told me to ring back after 10.30. Well I'm sorry I can't ring back after 10.30 if thats your attitude as I'll be staying elsewhere. I'd have liked to send this complaint direct to the hotel themselves but as their website doesn't display any contact details its a bit difficult.