10 Places to Eat With Kids in Cumbria (Honest Notes)

1. Low Sizergh Barn Tearoom

This is a working dairy farm just south of Kendal, and the trick is the timing. The cafe has gallery windows that look down on the milking parlour, and milking runs daily from 3.30pm to 5pm according to the farm's own site. So a late lunch or early tea comes with free entertainment, which is worth more than any crayon set.

There's also a free farm trail, half a mile to a pond, with twelve nature-themed boards, a willow tunnel, a stream and a bridge. Finish it and you get a sticker from the farm shop. My honest opinion: a sticker is a cheap bribe and it works.

The cafe is open 9am to 5pm daily and does a farmer's breakfast and made-from-scratch lunches. It's also close to the Lakes without being in the Lakes, so it dodges the worst of the Windermere traffic.

Good for

Ages 2 to 9, farm fans, a walk plus lunch in one stop

Parking

On site, see the farm's visitor information page for access details

Toilets/buggies

Check the site; the farm trail is a rougher path than the cafe area

Check first

Milking times (3.30pm to 5pm daily at the time of writing) and menu

2. Cafe Tullie, Tullie museum

My home turf, so I'll be blunt about the one problem first. Parts of the museum are shut for a big renovation (more on that in my Carlisle guide), but the cafe is very much open, and you don't need a museum ticket to eat there. Opening times on the official page are 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30am to 4pm on Sunday, with a Sunday roast from 11am to 3pm.

The bit that matters for parents: a kids' meal box for four pounds (sandwich, yoghurt, juice, biscuit, plus activities), and activity sheets and books. The refurbished cafe has wider spacing between tables for buggies, better high chairs, a children's activity corner and baby food warming, according to the museum's own announcement. There's a sun terrace onto a courtyard garden too.

If you're in the middle of Carlisle and hungry, this is the sensible choice. It sits between the castle and the cathedral, so it slots into a day out easily.

Good for

Under 8s, lunch in the city centre, wet days

Parking

The museum has no car park of its own; the official site points to Castle car park on Devonshire Walk (CA3 8AN)

Toilets/buggies

Wider table spacing and baby food warming, per the museum

Check first

Kids' box price and hours; the Border Galleries are closed for redevelopment

3. The Sun Inn

A Marston's pub in the village at the north end of Ullswater, and it's one of the few places I found that lists both a kids' play area and a children's menu on its own site. There's also a beer garden, baby changing, accessible parking, and dogs are welcome throughout the pub, not banished to a corner.

Food is served 12pm to 8pm every day (the pub is open Monday to Saturday 12pm to 11pm, Sunday 12pm to 10.30pm). It's a chain-pub menu, so expect the familiar stuff, but that is exactly what you want after a morning of paddling in the lake and shouting.

Good for

Families with a dog, post-lake lunch, ages 3 to 10

Parking

Car park with accessible bays at the pub

Toilets/buggies

Baby changing and accessible access throughout

Check first

Current kids' menu and offers on the Marston's app

4. Rheged Cafe

Rheged sits on the edge of the northern Lakes near Penrith, and it is a genuinely useful wet-day stop. The cafe seats about a hundred, does a kids' menu from 9am to 5pm (egg on toast, hot dogs made with Cumberland sausages, that sort of thing), and the official site says parking is free if you stay under five hours.

There's an indoor play area for under 137cm, with a separate zone for under fives. You have to book a one-hour session in advance, so don't just turn up expecting to walk in. The outdoor play area is permanently closed, which the site is upfront about, so ignore any old blog that says otherwise.

It's not cheap fun exactly, but it's the kind of place that saves a rainy Saturday. I'd use it as the first stop on the way into or out of the Lakes.

Good for

Rainy days, under 8s, a break from the motorway

Parking

Free under 5 hours per the official site; register your plate at the cafe or deli if staying longer

Toilets/buggies

Indoor centre, check the site for access

Check first

Book the indoor play slot in advance; cafe 9am to 5pm

5. The Cafe at Windermere Jetty Museum

The cafe looks out over Windermere, which will not stop your kids asking for chips but will at least make you feel better about the price. Lakeland Arts describes it as serving locally sourced Cumbrian food, with baby changing, a step-free entrance, accessible parking within 50 metres, and a picnic area.

The listed hours for October 2026 to March 2027 are Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm (4pm from November to March), with the kitchen closing at 3pm. That kitchen cut-off catches people out. Arrive at half past two and you might get soup, arrive at ten past three and you get cake if you're lucky.

Windermere is the busiest place in the county, and Bowness in particular gets rammed in the school holidays. This is a calmer option than the lakefront, though you'll still want to think about where you park.

Good for

Lunch with a view, boat-mad kids, step-free access

Parking

Accessible parking within 50m per the venue; general Bowness parking is busy

Toilets/buggies

Step-free entrance and baby changing

Check first

Kitchen closes at 3pm; winter opening is Tuesday to Sunday only

6. Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway station cafes

The Ratty runs a narrow gauge steam railway from the coast to the fells, and it has cafes at both ends: the 1876 Ravenglass Station Cafe on platform 1 and the 1876 Dalegarth Station Cafe at the Eskdale end. Both do light meals, snacks, ice cream and sweet treats, and the railway says there are outdoor play areas at both main stations at no extra cost.

The Dalegarth cafe is on the lower floor with level access from the car park and a ramp to the platform. It's open to the general public in the railway's operating season, which starts at the end of April.

The smart parent move is to eat at one end, ride the train, and eat something else at the other. The railway strongly recommends pre-booking train tickets because availability on the day is limited. Kids' menu details aren't listed on the pages I checked, so ring or check the menu before relying on it.

Good for

Train fans, ages 3 to 9, a full day out

Parking

Car parks at Ravenglass (CA18 1SW) and Dalegarth; check the railway's plan your visit page

Toilets/buggies

Level access at Dalegarth cafe; see the railway's facilities page for the rest

Check first

Operating season, train times and pre-booking

7. The Twa Dogs

A big Marston's pub on Penrith Road in Keswick with a dedicated kids' menu page on its website, sized for different ages, plus vegetarian and vegan dishes. Food is served 12pm to 8pm every day. Like all pub kitchens it can't guarantee anything is allergen-free, and the pub says so, which I appreciate.

The honest take is that this is a dependable chain pub rather than a destination. In a town where a table for four can be a fight on a wet August afternoon, dependable is quite a compliment. It runs weekly offers, which is worth a look before you order.

If you want something a bit more local and less pub-shaped, the next one down is your answer.

Good for

Fast reliable family lunches, wet days, groups

Parking

Check with the pub; Keswick town parking is notoriously tight

Toilets/buggies

Standard pub facilities, check the pub

Check first

Current kids' prices and offers on their site

8. Lakeland Pedlar Wholefood Cafe

A wholefood cafe in Hendersons Yard on Bell Close, tucked down a small lane off Keswick's main street. According to the restaurant guide Hardens it seats about 37, has highchairs and a children's menu, and has outdoor seating. It's open all day until 5pm, with a later opening to 9pm on Fridays.

It's small, so at peak times you may queue, and a double buggy plus a scooter plus a child who is done with life will make it feel smaller. But it's a good pick if the grown-ups want something that isn't pub food and the kids can cope with a few more vegetables than usual.

I couldn't load the cafe's own website in my checks, so confirm the menu and opening hours directly before you go.

Good for

Vegetarian and vegan families, a quieter lunch

Parking

Bell Close car park is close by, but check charges

Toilets/buggies

Small space, check ahead with a large buggy

Check first

Opening hours (Friday evening opening), the menu

9. The Manor Inn

The west coast doesn't get the crowds of the central Lakes, which generally makes it easier to eat out with children. The Manor Inn on Main Street in St Bees is a traditional pub that's used to walkers finishing (or starting) the Coast to Coast. Visit Lake District's listing says children are welcome, there's baby changing, dogs are accepted, and vegetarian and vegan options are available.

The listing also puts St Bees Priory about 0.22 miles away and the beach and red sandstone cliffs about half a mile, so it's an easy bite before or after the beach. The pub's own site wouldn't load for me (a certificate error), so check the current menu and whether there's a kids' section on their social media or by phone on 01946 820587.

Good for

Post-beach lunch, dog owners, quieter west coast trips

Parking

Village parking in St Bees; check locally

Toilets/buggies

Baby changing facilities per Visit Lake District

Check first

Kids' menu, food service times

10. Jennings Brewery

A brewery might look like a strange choice for a kids' list, but the reopened Jennings site in Cockermouth (open again since 2025 after closing in 2022) describes itself as family friendly, with step-free access, free parking, dogs welcome and a cafe with local street food vendors on selected days. It sits at the foot of Cockermouth Castle between the rivers Derwent and Cocker.

The catch is that the food depends on which vendors are in, so there's no standing kids' menu to point at. Think of it as a relaxed place to let a child run around outside while you get a pint and something fried, not a guaranteed lunch. Hours run longer in the evening than most cafes, from noon during the April to December season.

It's a decent add-on to a wander around Cockermouth's main street, and I'd treat the street food days as a bonus rather than a plan.

Good for

Older kids, mixed groups, families with dogs

Parking

Free parking per Visit Lake District

Toilets/buggies

Step-free access throughout

Check first

Which street food vendors are in, and opening hours (winter hours are shorter)