Granny Dowbekin's

Someone from this business manages this listing.

#2 of 8 Restaurants in Pooley Bridge££ - £££, British, Vegan options

+44 17684 86453+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

9:30 - 17:00

Mon

9:30 - 17:00

Tue

9:30 - 17:00

Wed

9:30 - 17:00

Thu

9:30 - 17:00

Fri

9:30 - 17:00

Sat

9:30 - 17:00

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

1,645 reviews

#2 of 8 Restaurants in Pooley Bridge

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

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PRICE RANGE

£3.00 – £50.00

CUISINES

British

Special Diets

Vegan options, Gluten free options

meals, features

Location and contact

Pooley Bridge, Penrith CA10 2NP England

+44 17684 86453

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Does this restaurant offer valet parking?

Yes

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About

Granny Dowbekin's is a fantastic English tearoom and tea garden in a spectacular setting overlooking the new Pooley Bridge. Breakfast, main meals and homemade cakes and scones are served all day. We always offer a selection of vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free options as part of the menu as well as smaller portions for children and those with smaller appetites. For our full menu and prices please have a look at our website. We welcome walkers, cyclists and well behaved dogs. We operate on a walk in basis, bookings can only be made by telephone during opening hours for Afternoon Teas, groups of 10 or more , or those with mobility issues. Granny Dowbekin's is licensed to serve alcohol from 10am when accompanied by food. Free wifi is available.

PRICE RANGE

£3.00 – £50.00

CUISINES

British

Special Diets

Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Drinks

FEATURES

Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Street Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Wine and Beer, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Dog Friendly, Non-smoking restaurants, Gift Cards Available

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4.5

1,645 reviews

Excellent

1,177

Very good

329

Average

Poor

Terrible

Yvonne W

Dunbar65 contributions

Best Breakfast Ever!

Jan 2020 • couples

Fabulous tea rooms with a great selection of food, including vegan options. I had the avocado with poached eggs on sourdough - simply delicious! Wonderful gardens to the rear with superb river views. Excellent value, the large cappuccino may seem pricey, but wait until you see the size of it! Staff really friendly and welcoming and accessible too!

Written 4 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Moyra Y

69 contributions

Great location

Sept 2020 • none

We were visiting the area and decided to have lunch in this restaurant. We sat on the terrace with a view of the bridge. Lots of building work going on there but it didn’t interfere with lunch. One huge club sandwich and a ploughman’s lunch plus pot of tea was very reasonably priced and very enjoyable. Would definitely visit this restaurant again if in the area. Lovely friendly staff and they were very hot on covid safety.

Written 27 September 2020

Sean Stroud

Wigton5 contributions

Great First Visit, Great Staff

May 2021 • couples

17/06 Was welcomed very well by a lovely blonde haired lady, sorry for not knowing your name, who also made our dog Skye very welcome. We choose to pick our own table away from the slightly busier side of the outdoor seating area, which was not a problem at all. We had our order taking in good time and food arrived in a good time considering how busy they were even when it was only 11am in the morning. The food came which was two full English everything was cooked to perfection, a special mention to the sausage curl and the sourdough toast with local farm butter. They even do food goody bags for dogs, which was great for the small fee that was charged. Atmosphere of the general business seems peaceful and good to see happy staff that with being a chef myself, know how much extra hard work has been put in these last couple of months. Will be back again, would highly recommend

Written 17 June 2021

Eran

17 contributions

Excellent

Aug 2020 • couples

We ordered a tea for one, slice of chocolate cake, slice of Victoria sponge and a mars bar Krispie. The tea was hot and fresh, we had 4 cups out of one pot. The cakes were amazing, very moist and tasty. The krispie was lovely too. The portion sizes were generous. The staff were very friendly and Polite. There is nothing I can fault about this place, it’s well worth a visit. They have also taken part in the 50% off scheme on weekdays which is a bonus!

Written 10 August 2020

Wendy R

Birmingham262 contributions

Cream Tea

Aug 2020 • couples

We visited pretty Pooley Bridge during our holiday in the Lakes and came across Granny Dowbekins quite by chance. What a little gem of a find. Spotlessly clean, tables socially distanced and track and trace in place. A lovely young lady showed us to our table. The lively lady who took our order had time to chat and ask us what we were doing with our day, then suggest places if interest. The cream tea was absolutely delicious and extremely good value for money. Definitely the place to visit for a tasty holiday treat.

Written 18 August 2020

Kimmyp

1 contribution

Our celebration breakfast

Dec 2019 • family

We had a beautiful breakfast here just after my fiancee proposed to me by the lakeside. After I said yes we went here for a celebratory breakfast. I had the avocado with eggs, and everyone else had the full breakfast very generous portion sizes with quality food produce. Extremely tasty. The kids also had the biggest hot chocolates I've ever seen filled with cream marshmallows maltesers and with a chocolate spoon. They where is chocolate heaven. Looking forward to visiting again. Just seen also on their fb page you do gift vouchers. We will definitely buying these for family gifts.

Written 11 January 2020

ColinHindle

What a lovely story. Congratulations! And thank you,

Written 11 January 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jayne J

Bainbridge21 contributions

Lovely friendly tearoom, dogs welcome too!

Jan 2020 • couples

My husband and I visited on a wet Monday lunchtime with our two dogs and were made to feel very welcome, we were served quickly and our food was delicious, my husband had chicken pie and chips and I had a fisherman’s salad with the most lovely bread roll. Our dogs loved their “doggie bag” full of treats, sausages, black pudding and ham, such a great idea. Also gave us lots of advice on the area. Thankyou

Written 12 January 2020

flower326

18 contributions

Very Disappointing

Apr 2021 • couples

For many years, Granny’s has been one of our favourite places to eat when visiting the lakes - I wrote a very positive review in 2019! However, the last two times we have visited, the food and service have been very poor. Stale bread on two meals and a large hair in a hot drink, all of which had to be sent back. Items of food substituted without being told in advance. What saddens me the most, is the way we were made to feel by the staff when mentioning these issues. The staff made us feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome. On our last visit, we had hoped to order cake after our food, however, the waitress came to the table to ask us to settle the bill there and then; not asking if we would like to order anything further - having visited granny’s upwards of 40 times, this has never happened before and we felt like we were being forced to leave. Very disappointing. Sadly, we won’t be visiting granny’s again.

Written 2 May 2021

Karen D

Hello flower326, thank you for visiting us again and for your review in 2019 and the one this weekend. One of the most pleasant experiences in life is going out for a meal, it is a pleasure to be served and have proper lovely food cooked for you and the dishes done. We try every day at Granny D's to make this happen, and I am proud of our hard working and dedicated team who accomplish this nearly all the time as I evidenced by our reviews which virtually without fail mention the happy helpful team that serve them, of course some times things go wrong, but I'm not really sure this is one of those times. I used to work with someone who was under a lot of stress and when he went out for dinner he would regularly be aggressive to the staff, projecting his own unhappiness in his life onto them, ruining the whole experience of going out. Our policy at Granny D's is to try to solve any issues on the spot so every customer leaves happy having had a good time. Now you came for breakfast on Saturday 1st May, ordering a Vegetarian breakfast, the kitchen team had sold out of the potato and spinach cakes and hadn't been able to make them, so substitiuted them for hash browns. Eunice served you and she said she forgot inform you when you ordered and that is our fault and responsibility; when the food arrived you brought this to the attention of a young member of team, it was her first day and didn't know as she was not on serving duty, but she informed Nicola the Front of House Manager who came to your table and explained about the substitution, you said "that's ok I love hash browns", giving no indication of the festering unhappiness you were obviously truly feeling. Eunice reports that she visited your table several times and also chatted to your lovely baby and at no time was any unhappiness projected from you. On your previous visit which was 4 or 5 days after we reopened on April 12th, you were sat on table 36, I recall that you said that the bread bun with your burgers was dry, we replaced the meals entirely and you ate everything, and I had a discussion with your husband or partner who said he really enjoyed the meal, and he didn't like to complain, I said I was pleased that he had because it gave us the chance to sort it out, and we appreciated the feedback. We had started with a new bread supplier, and after your feedback we conducted several experiments with the bread and decided to stop with that supplier as the brown rolls in particular were too dry and crumbly. After your meal Eunice (25 years in service in hospitality) came to take payment, and she was astonished that you were not expecting to have to pay for your meals having eaten and enjoyed them according to your husband or partner; especially in your words "having come all the way from Preston". Before Covid happened our system was that you found your own table in the garden then when you were ready you went to the till to order and pay for it before it came. Since Covid, you are greeted at the gate and taken to a sanitised table with a green ticket on it and given single use menus. Then we come to your table and take your order. Then either before or after your meal another team member will come to ask for payment, you should have been asked if you were you would like to keep the tab open or if you'd like to pay then. I'm not sure that this procedure was followed in this case, so I apologise that and the intention was not and never will be to make you feel unwelcome or uncomfortable. It saddens me what has been written in your review, at Granny D's we take all feedback on Trip Advisor incredibly seriously and constantly try to learn and improve what we do every day.

Written 4 May 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sushi_gal_84

22 contributions

Lovely spot for a tasty lunch, free cake and friendly staff

Feb 2020 • couples

We stopped here for lunch on our way to Another Place Hotel and it was exactly what we needed. Value for money, fast and friendly service and delicious comforting food. I had a chicken sandwich and chips (which came with delicious home made coleslaw and lots of salad) and my partner had poached eggs on toast with Avocado and beans. It was really tasty and the portions were very generous. We also got to choose a free slice of cake for taking our photo by the cafes sign in the nearby car park. It’s these sorts of little gestures that make all the difference. Thank you Granny Dowbekins Tea Rooms we will be returning next time we’re up this way 😀

Written 12 February 2020

Hannah C

Manchester5 contributions

Functional afternoon tea but nothing special

Jun 2021 • family

Took my mum for afternoon tea for her birthday. We've been to lots of different places for afternoon tea however this probably was the worst one. The sandwiches were nice but were thick rolls cut into quarters, not delicate sandwiches that you'd normally get. The were two bits of quiche and two bits of sausage roll. The sausage roll was tasty but the quiche was pea and asparagus which was pretty bland. I would have liked to have a few different options at this point. The cakes were fresh however it was just one big slab of chocolate cake and one big slab of lemon drizzle cake that we had to cut into two ourselves. They were a bit big for afternoon tea (again, I'd expect delicate small pieces). We got one big scone that we had to share (normally you'd get two small scones each everywhere else I've been, plain and fruit). The apricot shortbread was good but crumbly and the rocky road was good. All in all, everything apart of the quiche was nice, it just wasn't very refined, it felt like it was just cobbled together from stuff they already had in. I could have made a better job myself at home. I know it's not the ritz but I'd expect a bit better for the price. Not sure I'd go again

Written 7 June 2021

aymanelswaf

Cheshunt227 contributions

Lovely little tearoom.

Jan 2020 • none

Lovely, quaint cafe/ tearoom just five minutes away from the lake in Ullswater. We stopped here for a spot of lunch and had the club sandwich and a tuna sandwich with some chips, which was all lovely food, especially the club which was HUGE. We had visited here the day before and had a scone, which i must admit wasn't that great for a homemade scone i imagine, it was quite big but very crumbly and bland. The service was also relatively slow on both occassions. However it's quite buzzy, has a nice atmosphere and the main meals we had were delicious.

Written 7 January 2020

Emma Challis

Sherburn in Elmet57 contributions

Great place to eat!

May 2021 • none

Stopped here for something to eat before a long day of walking (around 2:30pm). I was pleased as a lover of afternoon tea that we could order without having to pre-book it (with the exception of Vegan and Gluten free which is fair enough). The afternoon tea was excellent value for money and of excellent quality. I personally wasn't a fan of the mixed pepper quiche but that didn't matter as still needed to takeaway some of the leftovers with us due to being so full! Their approach to the COVID restrictions was acceptable and all of the staff were working extremely hard on a warm Sunday afternoon. We even visited Monday morning to get some breakfast. The most important thing to note here was that despite the pouring rain - they were open and still doing table service (unlike their neighbour) which was a massive win for me. I don't particularly like takeaway food. We ordered a hot full english breakfast which could only be improved if a hash brown was included. The only negative was that our card was charged three times which they're not to blame for (the card machine was playing up and so the card transaction was attempted three times ). Which after having checked our bank statement and called them is now in the process of being resolved.

Written 4 May 2021

TrueOpini0n

12 contributions

WOW AMAZING FOOD.

Jul 2021 • couples

We ordered two club sandwiches initially, but the waitress asked us if had eaten there before as the sandwiches are normally big enough to share. So we ordered a club sNdwich to share with a side order of chips. OMG when the food came out it was massive and the two halves of the club sandwiches came on separate plates along with salad and coleslaw. The twice cooked chips were also amazing, so nice. We could not believe they only charged us £9.00 for the two plates of food for the club sandwiches. You will have to queue up for this restaurant, but it is definitely worth it, plus you get a view of the river. You definitely need to eat here you will not be disappointed, we will definitely come back here. Staff are also very friendly cannot do enough for you.

Written 16 July 2021

GreenEye2010

Darlington133 contributions

Al fresco lunch with friends in the Sunshine

Aug 2019 • none

Fantastic spot with great views. Super selection, we all had some sort of fresh made sandwiches and wraps with salads and Big FAT BROWN Chunky Chips :) Granny Dowbekin GingerBridges are a revelation ... had to buy more to take away too. all food was prepared fresh, served with a smile, efficient friendly staff who couldn't do enough for us, despite the fact they were heaving, very very busy. Can't wait to go back . HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Written 9 February 2020

HelenBarker

Tarvin107 contributions

Gem of a restaurant in Pooley Bridge

Aug 2020 • couples

The management of this restaurant had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure you felt safe whilst eating and we did! I had booked a table not knowing what the weather was like and on arrival changed our table from indoors to outdoors, a delightful terrace overlooking the river and able to watch the construction of the new bridge. Our order was taken quickly and the food arrived promptly. My avocado, tomato relish and poached eggs, which were so fresh were so tasty. We are both dairy free so was able to have a piece of lemon drizzle cake which was lemony and light! The staff were very informative, extremely polite, helpful and nothing was too much trouble. I would highly recommend eating here.

Written 11 August 2020

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