Zeffirellis, Ambleside, Lake District - Gluten-free, Vegetarian and Vegan's welcome!

I've saved the best of my Lake District reviews until last because I was just absolutely blown away by my experience at Zeffirellis in Ambleside. I would even go as far as saying this was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had - and that's including my pre-Coeliac days! Not only was the service first class and the food amazing but they really did seem clued up on my dietary requirements. 

This started right from the minute we set foot in the place. The lady showing us to our table had obviously checked the reservation list and noted that I was Coeliac (instant brownie point there from me simply for making the point she was aware I'm Coeliac). She showed me everything on the menu I could have and also said she would personally speak to the chef to remind him that I needed a gluten-free meal. Very good start!

Zeffirellis combines 3 of my favourite things - eating, cinema and music - it's a restaurant with its own cinema and also a jazz bar upstairs. Now there aren't many places where you can do all 3! This is probably my absolute perfect night out and there's no wonder I immediately felt at ease here. There's a wonderful atmosphere once inside. You get the feeling you are in a stylish, contemporary jazz bar with its atmospheric mood lighting, water feature and soft jazz music playing in the background, but you're actually in a restaurant. The decor really is impressive and adds to the experience.

We weren't initially aware that it is a vegetarian restaurant and despite neither of us being vegetarian we found the menu was varied and interesting and I can honestly say we didn't miss the meat. I went for the bean chilli with brown rice which was absolutely delicious - fresh ingredients, well presented, an ample portion size and I couldn't fault it at all. My husband went for the broccoli and blue cheese lasagne which he said tasted amazing. They also do gluten-free pizza. Gluten-free options are marked with a GF on the menu and there are also many vegan options to choose from.

I really wish we had known this at the time but Zeffirellis offer a cinema package - a film and 2-course meal for £18.75 - an absolute bargain if you ask me. Next time we visit we will be doing this for sure!

After our meal off we went upstairs to the jazz bar where we had a couple more drinks and enjoyed listening to the live jazz band to round the evening off nicely.

All in all this was a lovely restaurant - a real gem in the Lake District and when we return to this part of the world we will definitely be stopping by again.

I would definitely recommend booking - especially if you want to see a film too.

You can check out their website here