The Knowhere Guide

Eating and Drinking in Carlisle, Cumbria*

Carlisle, Cumbria Pubs, Cafes, Coffee Shops and Restaurants

Food

• Pizza Express, GOLDEN STAR!!, topstop(great for an end-of-evening kebab)
• CHUNGS IS BEST BOTCHERBY
• The Indian on Botchergate
• Gianni's itallian, absolutely gorgeous, also Franco's, (used to be Mammas), but watch out for the desparately sad waiter with the fake cappucino that he pretends to spill over you, it wasn't funny the first time...................
• Eden valley chinese takeaway and chippy is the dogs dangly bits
• Wongs on Denton Street - chip shop, Chinese and pizzas too!
• Macdonalds
• top stop , kebabs etc. good wepons in a fight
• Perkins chip shop (or whatever they call it now!)
• Ristorante Michelangelo is the best Italian Restaurant I have ever eaten in although it is very difficult to find. Head for the Station car-park, past the taxi-rank, & it is on your right opposite the railway arches. I thought I'd died & gone to Heaven when I tasted the Saltimbocca Alla Romana (Veal topped with Parma Ham in a Cream & Sage Sauce - definitely not low-cholestrol!!)
• Stanwix Tandoori for both eat-in an take-away. Casa Romana,Warwick Road (great before a movie next door). Le Gall.
• Pie and pea shop on Botchergate has been demolished.Along with the rest of that side if the street!
• Alan Chungs, Botcherby. What a marvelous Chinese Takeaway
• Leonardo's is a nice new restarant in Lonsdale Street just next door to Buskers (same managment). Very nicely done out, but with bouncers on the door this may be a little intimidating! Not the cheapest place in the city and not the best food, but it is good and the surroundings are very nice. Top Stop Pizza Shop on the crescent - just what you need after a good ngiht out after a ngiht of clubbing. Decent prices and good food. Can't beat Macdonalds if your on the pull! Sit by the window so you can eye up all the passing talent and also all the talent that walks in!
• Cecil's Treat on Cecil Street. Limited opening hours but cosy spot with good cuisine and caters well for vegetarians.
• The Dhaka Tandoori. About a mile and a half up London Rd. This Bangladeshi run curry house is one of the best in the local area. It has won various awards for best restaurant etc.
• The Jade Garden on Botchergate- If you want a sit dow Chinese meal, this is the place to come to. The food is forthcoming with great speed and quantity. If there are five or six of you, you still probably won't be able to finish the divine meal for four. (Even our Rugby team couldn't finish up- but you can take a doggy bag if you ask nicely). Peking Duck and Chicken with Cashew nuts are a must. Try the Chinese lager... some think it is quite nice, I do!
• The Grape Vine- Good place to have lunch out, go see what I mean.
• Zapotec- Carlisle's answer to Mexico... and a good job it makes of it too. Expensive and the food is very hot, but very nice. Ordering in Spanish is optional.
• Mamma's- Also good. Good food and drink. Excellent service - be careful... the waiters are practical jokers! Not expensive. Nice very italian atmosphere.
• Michaelangelos- Very nice indeed, excellent table service, very kind waiters and waitresses (and manager), food is outstanding (especially he foccacia - garlic bread/pizza without topping). Excellent house red wines. Quite expensive but it is worth it !! Romantics and couples are a commonality here. Very laid back Italian - food doesn't taste how a western europeans expects an Italian to taste like...it tastes like food they would serve in a good restaurant in Italy.
• Casa Romana- More expensive but still a good atmosphere and good food. Quite intensly Italian.
• Meal out- Carlisle has one of the highest numbers of restaurants (particularly nice Italian ones). Here's a sample: Gianni's Pizzaria- Very good atmosphere - singing abundant, nice food and reasonable prices. Intensely Italian.
• The Arches (quick) - very nice as well (down lane near covered market).
• Quick food (take out and sit in) at The French Deli Very nice (near. Town Hall)

Pubs

• The Turf Tavern - handily close to Trinity School - for the over 18 sixth formers obviously!
• THE AVENUE IF U R ARD ENUFF! ARRABY!
• The Linton Holme
• All the pubs in town are full of charvas. trying to be hard. all wearing the same fucking clothes...you know who you are.
• The Griffin is a groovy gaff for a quiet afternoon pint. Or the Turf...
• THE KINGS HEAD ROCKS!!! well its not as good now, but during uni holidays theres lots of great people in there!!!!
• The Howard is the place to start . . .
• Leonardos .The warsteiner lager is excellent
• Turf, pipins, white house, golden lion , Bar logo
• finnigans is the best..... its just quality!! great atmosphere.... they all need more pool tables however.... not the cellar bar though.... the pool table is incredibly low, could that be any connection with it being a gay bar......
• The King's Head is a dive but I like it. It used to have the best jukebox in town 'til new management came. It's still OK though.
• Gosling Bridge, Kingstown.
• Pubs to avoid - all on botchergate unless you want your head kicked in
• New bar where Mr Jingles was on the crescent - Ba Lo Go
• 'The Haywain' at Little Corby....ahh! that dominoe shuffle, those red velvet walls, and the hushed gossip of the breaking news stories of the 50's. Fantastic.
• New pub where the old Midland Bank used to be called The Griffin. Very nicely done out and is very popular. I went past about 10 pm on a Friday night and people were queing to get in it. Drinks reasonably priced - Yates has now met it's match! Yates is (or maybe was depending on how well the Griffin does!) the palce to be. Ok music but not a lot of chioce. Drinks very expensive. Usually the palce to go before Buskers. Other good pubs include Woodrow Wilsons, Finnignas, the White House and Chaplins. Pubs to stay clear of, are usually the ones down Botchergate (of course with the exception of Woodies!)
• Crown and Thistle - good pub if you want to avoid under age people
• The Boardroom Inn is a very friendly pub with good guest beers. It can get a little crowded sometimes but there is a pleasent lack of underagers and lager louts, unlike most of the rest of the pubs in Carlisle. Good for a quiet afternoon or Sunday pint. Football fans beware, the TV is tiny.
• The Lane End, a quaint little establishment nestled in the roling green hills outside of Carlise, great sannies served by the best barmaid Donna Mae!
• Yate's wine lodge, The White house, and the Hallowed Turf .
• 
  As well as having certain Tardis-like qualities, The Howard does, in fact, serve a remarkably good pint - probably the best in the centre of town. The Museum at Belle Vue is notable for the number of potential brass rubbings available in the lounge. It is rumoured that the Landlord keeps a pencil and paper pad behind the bar for the use of the locals (if they can't stand the excitement of quiz night).
• Why is the Howard Arms noted in the pub section? I know Carlisle isn't blessed with the greatest nightlife, but still. Special mention must be made of the Museum pub in Belle Vue, The BEST local anyone could have!
• The most overcrowded pub in Carlisle has got to be The Howard Arms. If you want to have a drink there make sure you take a straw because you won't be able to move your glass up to your mouth. If someone sneezes at one side of the bar then the shock wave will push someone near the door out on the street. The pub football team take to the pitch in a tight huddled group because the wide open spaces make them feel very nervous.

Cafes and Coffee Shops

• Cafe Solo
• ARE WE IN THE DAM!
• new Costa, mmmmmm, crap food though.......
• You can't beat Mr pickwick's in the Lanes
• The Loaf and Ladle hidden behind Devonshire Street does really nice soups, bread and home made puds. Tullie House is nice too.
• Le Gall in devionshire st .nice beer . Nice food
• binns
• Best scone/tea in town - Tullie House restaurant. Nice ambience at Le Gall (Spanish speaking too)
• The Arches, great for lunch and a cuppa tea!
• The cafe in House of Fraser is nice. I you sit by the window you have a lovely view of the city centre and you start to notice things that you never usually notice before.

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Credits

Last updated: 2007-11-05