please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Still as bonkers as I remember it. Cellar bar no longer has bluebird, so we went back to the main bar. Great selection of ales. Went Bluebird for 3.30. Was superb. Then there was a public barring of a couple arguing. First time I have seen this happen for an age.
A very odd place.
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After a 90 minute bus ride from Carnforth we arrived in Ambleside and headed straight for the Queens Hotel for a drink.
Large and imposing hotel in the centre of town. The bar is in front of you as you enter and has 2 separate lounge's.
Long wooden bar with 8 pumps that had 7 different ales, the majority being Cumbrian ales. I went for a Cumbrian Legendary Ales Langdale @ 4.0%, a nice light beer to start the day.
Music playing fairly loudly, I think it was Black Sabbath!
In the front lounge area overlooking the main street is an original fireplace with extremely decorative tiles.
Lots of nick nacks on the shelves and a miss mash of pictures and advertising plaques.
A good place to stop for an ale as the choice is very good.
Another good tick for me.
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Visited on a sunny Friday afternoon in July. I entered via the front which is pretty much a hotel reception, then you work your way through to the bar. The bar area itself was pretty empty. To the rear there is a small courtyard beer garden which was pretty full though I just managed to get the last table, even though it was in the shade (as was pretty much the whole beer garden).
From the bank of hand pumps I went for a Windermere Pale at 3.5% and priced at £3.35. A lovely pint, very hoppy and very refreshing.
Bar service was friendly, I'd recommend a visit, plenty of decent ales to choose from.
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An old Lakeland legend... I've been visiting the Lakes pretty regularly for nearly 20 years, and usually find an excuse to pop into the Queen's Hotel for a couple of pints. I was there a couple of weeks ago, and sadly, it's not looking great.
Good news first... the beer is excellent. A good selection of Jennings, Hawkshead and one other (the ones who do Loweswater Gold, etc... always forget their name). All kept perfectly, although it's a shame they no longer do standard Jennings Bitter, which is very underrated.
Bad stuff... I'm not going to lecture a business on how to run their business, but seriously... on a lovely Saturday lunchtime in June, in the Lake District, when there are busloads of tourists and thirsty walkers everywhere... if you have three people in your entire lounge and bar area at 1pm, something is wrong.
Service was friendly, if a little "bored student". Music was loud. We all have different tastes, but when you're running a pub, you have to consider the appropriate ambience. This is a grand old Victorian marketplace hotel... Magic FM (or whatever) at above-conversation level really doesn't fit. I asked if they'd turn it down, as one of the nasty cheapo speakers was pointing right at my central nervous system. They did, infinitesimally, for a couple of songs.
The food was cheap. CHEAP. And plentiful. But that was it. "Roasted vegetables" were practically raw and clearly microwaved. The cottage pie was huge, but I'd rather have smaller portions, higher prices and FLAVOUR. Someone take this place over and restore it to its former glory.
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Can only talk about the bar and the beer, but we all enjoyed both. The beers were all in good nick and the guy behind the bar friendly. The only detractor - as it seems in most Lakeland pubs - is that all of the beers were pales and all around the 3.5-4.5% ABV mark - as I do like my mid-brown bitters and stronger darker beers. In a town where beer choice and good pubs are in short supply, this pub shines out in my humble opinion.
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A decent selection of cask ales and straightforward food that's very good value for money given the location. Worth a visit.
alexw - 21 Jan 2014 07:47 |
Friendly locals and staff - best selection of Cumbrian ales in town, 6 on when I visited. If you'd like to try other real ales in Ambleside the next best two hostelries are The Gilded Lily (4 Cumbrian ales and very pleasant environment) and The Unicorn (very well kept selection of Robinsons ales and traditional pub interior) - both well worth a visit as is the Queens.
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The beer choice in here is very good and the three ales I tried (Yates, Cumberland and Bluebird) were all in good condition. The food is basic pub grub, but the fish and chips I had on one visit was absolutely fine and the burger on another visit was actually very good. They also do 'light plates', smaller versions of burger and chips say, which are very good value and ideal if you want something to keep you going after a fell walk (or to save room for more of the ales!). It is not a 'great' pub,, it can't compete with the Golden Rule or Unicorn for a Lakes-feel, but it works well for a pint. The staff, contrary to some reviews, I found to be a good bunch.
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Rather cold bar area and in need of a little tlc during our mid January visit. Food was average and very plain.
Good selection of locale beers on offer, well kept. Tried a pint of Coniston Brewery Bluebird Bitter and a Yates offering and enjoyed both. As the below opinion, good for a pint but wouldn't be the place I spent an evening relaxing in.
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This pub does serve a decent array of local ales which i admit i have never found fault with but the pleasantries from the boss and his staff (enjoy your pint sir)etc comes over so monotously that you never feel there is any sincerity attached to it.bit like macdonalds.food is average and leaves you wanting more,don`t come here after a hard day on the fells,you will still be hungry afterwards given the portions of food they serve.i`ll give it a 7 for the standard of the beer 3 for the food
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Enjoyed the bluebird. They have a club downstaors (cellar bar) that also sells Bluebird. Is there anything better than listening to rappers sing "Riverside MoFo" at a high volume whilst drinking the greatest pint in the lakes? I think not. All it needed was people. And then at 11pm, the chefs from the chinese turned up.
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I find this is now my first port of call when in Ambleside because they have a good range of generally well-kept local beers which kick the s**t out of Robinsons or Theakstons. being a southerner i do get irritated by the 90% 'pints' I get served and the not always co-operative response to top-up requests but the QH is not alone in this criticism...
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Seemed a bit quiet in the evenings, but otherwise OK. Hawkshead Windermere Pale and Cumbrian Legendary Ales were excellent.
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Stayed here for our annual 'boys' walking weekend back in July. Fantastic beer selection as always - Windermere Pale 3.5% and Loweswater Gold 4.3% both top notch. We love staying here for the beer, probably the best selection of local ales in Ambleside. Why the other pubs in the area don't keep more local ales on tap escapes me. With so many local and decent micro breweries to choose from it's a no brainer.
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A hotel bar which is part sit-down restaurant at one end. It also has a downstairs bar which caters for sports and opens later at weekends. The barman told me that they had the best range of local beers, and that the beer itself was the best. Impossible for me to dispute that, and I opted for a few pints of Jennings which were very good. So good that I decided against changing the tipple and sampling some bluebird ale. Food was fine - and as will all lakeland pubs don't expect to pay cheap prices, not too expensive though.
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usually an oasis away from bland Robisnon beers. Friendly service
Not a bad place at all
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Called in during a recent visit. I do like this place for a hotel bar. Good beers on Scafel Blonde 4.3% good, but alas no exciting or different session beers on -4% that we could took into other than Yates or Bluebird. Like to try new beers. But yeah, a good bar in the middle of Ambleside.
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The plus points - always a range of good well kept beers in my opinion. Ermm..can't think of any others.
On the downside, its not particulary nice inside, seems to be always full of people waiting for tables, and the food looks average microwaved pub food at best.
All in all, worth going into if you fancy a nice local beer and aren't too fussy about anything else
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Just booked to stay here again on our forthing 'boys' weekend in July. The main draw here is the range of reasonably kept local real ale. We've eaten here before (breakfast only) and it's not the best. The rooms are also in need of a serious refurb. But for 9 blokes it's a good place to stay. We can arrive down in the bar early doors and get to work on the local ales. As a hotel bar it's ok too. It's not a 'proper' pub like the Golden Rule, but what the place lacks in pubiness it makes up for in beer. The Rule has beer from one brewer so whilst it's a good pub the beer is disappointing. All depends on what you're after. Like I said, it's good for us and we enjoy our annual pilgramage here! You can't beat walking followed by real ale (I just wish it was minus the hangover!).
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Well I liked the place. Great range of well kept beers, friendly and knowledgeable staff. Nice to sit at one of the tables near the big windows overlooking the main street.
I ate here twice (same meal both times) and enjoyed it. My wife enjoyed food first time but was pretty disappointed the second.
Definitely worth a visit for a decent pint or three! 7.5 out of 10.
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The powers that be, ie pub management, have seen fit to remove my scathing review of this establishment. This leads me to believe they have a guilty conscience. I maintain that it is a poorly run establishment with iffy standards, dodgy food, no chance of a coffee other than bog standard. The loos are cold and dirty and one family walekd out over the door quality if the obviously microwaved food on our last visit. Golden Rule is the only proper pub in Ambleside.
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Called in during a visit for New Year. Not their usual selection of beers, with only three on during one visit, but well kept all the same. No Ennerdale Blonde, which was disappointing. However, good hotel bar with a laid back atmosphere. If you want a real pub go to the Golden Rule.
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Had a good selection of real ales - Ennerdale Blonde & Darkest, Jennings Bitter, Yates's Bitter, Coniston Bluebird and Hawkshead Lakeland Gold. We enjoyed watching the camp barman's antics. He was extremely amusing. I had wondered how the pub got its name! But in all seriousness, he was doing a great job. Would visit again if in Ambleside.
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Stayed here again in July 09 and found there to be some good real ale on. The Ennerdale Blonde at 3.9% was delicious and as it's brewed in the heart of Ennerdale Valley using natural spring water it was a treat to try. The Yates was top notch as per usual. I have to say that the beer is kept really well. The rooms are pretty dated now and the food isn't great (although we only had breakfast here), but for a hotel bar it's pretty decent, it gets a good mix of people and it's on of the only places in Ambleside that serves local micro brewery guest beers (others such as The Golden Rule and Unicorn serving just Robinsons beers, which are ok if that's what you want). The late bar downstairs opens after closing in the main bar and has Yates on handpump.
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Had a meal and a pint there Thursday evening, the beer was okay but the food ruined a good day's walking the next day - the worst pub meal I've had in a long time, from freezer to frier to plate.
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I ate and drank here around 5 year ago, whilst on a hiking weekend in the Lakes. The beer and food were terrible then and the bar area was very scruffy. We decided to give it another go on Thursday night - the beer had improved, the tables were still rather scruffy. The food was appalling. The starter was wallowing in grease. My main course was terrible - just chips & frozen ribs - no salad or veg and frozen chips. Bit rubbish for �9.95. Definitely worth avoiding for the next 5 years.
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Always go in this place on my visits to Ambleside (alongside the Golden Rule and The Unicorn). In fact I stay here once a year on our 'boys' walking trip. Really good selection of real ale which is why I love it so much. Good atmospheric bar area given that it's a hotel and all in all a good place to go.
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Enjoyed a meal here; it's popularity spoke volumes. Struggled to get a table on a Friday evening. The food was to a good standard, varied menu and specials board. The Sticky toffee pudding and local ice cream was to die for!!!
There was an excellent selection of real ales to choose from and a good landlord who made recommendations. Would certainly frequent here again
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This is a hotel bar, not a traditional public house. It does however have the most varied range of locally brewed beers in Ambleside - six different breweries represented. Good food too. The cellar bar, open later in the evening also has a couple of handpumps. Worth a visit to sample the beers.
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Visited in afternoon. Decent food served all day, good beer, reasonable wine.
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Excellent beer range, Hawkshead Lakeland Gold was fantastic. My visit was soured by having to ask for the �10 my change should have contained. One of the locals kindly pointing out that he noticed how expensive my round was, smoothed things over.
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Took in some football in the basement bar mid-way through a long walk. Three real ales on in good nick and though packed the place was friendly and the service fast and pleasant. Not a classic Lakes pub of course, but for a sport watching venue not at all bad.
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Fairly large pub open to non-residents. The food was reasonable in terms of both quality and price. A good selection of local beers, including Coniston Bluebird.
Downstairs is a sprawling cellar bar that stays open late (by Ambleside standards at least) with music. There are also a couple of handpumps downstairs.
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