The Shakespeare Inn

Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor

Visit now

The Shakespeare Inn

78 Highgate, Kendal, LA9 4HE
01539724069
  • Monday11:00am - 11:00pm
  • Tuesday11:00am - 11:00pm
  • Wednesday11:00am - 11:00pm
  • Thursday11:00am - 11:00pm
  • Friday11:00am - 11:00pm
  • Saturday11:00am - 11:00pm
  • Sunday12:00pm - 11:00pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

The Shakespeare Inn
The Shakespeare Inn
Book now

In this refurbished traditional pub with strikingly pure and simple aesthetics, you’ll find cosy rooms and a welcoming bar and restaurant, for which the Shakespeare Inn is rightly famous, serving down-home yet artful cuisine in a warm, wood-floored, leather-chaired interior.

Drinks include the old stalwart Guinness Extra Cold, and for the lighter experience, Birra Moretti, plus rotating local brews. And whilst the setting is cosy, the food goes a long way beyond conventional pub fare. Starters include mackerel pate with horseradish sauce, lemon juice creme frâiche, and toasted ciabatta. There are also tiger prawn gambas, and fried squid. Of especial interest is the black pudding, apple, and chorizo salad, made with the finest local black pudding and caramelised apple.

On the mains you’ll find the famous Shakey Lamb, a generous shank of lamb on the bone with a mint and herb marinade, Whitby wholetail scampi with homemade chips, sizzling Cajun chicken grilled to perfection, and the astonishing all day Cumbrian breakfast: Cumberland link sausage, finest back bacon, fried egg and local black pudding, served with potato rosti, mushrooms, beans, tomato and eggy bread. There’s a mountain you’ll be glad to climb. There are also plenty of vegetarian options and desserts.

The Shakespeare Inn offers three double rooms, one family room and one twin room. You won’t be overcrowded, and the relatively small size of the hotel means you’ll be well attended by the friendly staff. Rooms come packaged with free parking, free Wi-Fi, Satellite TV, and tea and coffee facilities.

Located in the centre of Kendal near all major attractions, the Shakespeare makes a great base for a city-break with added walking and outdoors activities – you’ll be in driving and walking distance from Lake Windermere, and on the doorstep you’ll find Kendal’s array of food and retail highlights, such as the Castle and Kendal Museum.

What's on near The Shakespeare Inn

Bumps and Brushes
TourCumbria
Bumps and Brushes at Abbot Hall

Meet other expecting parents and connect with yourself artistically in Bumps and Brushes a relaxed artistic workshop at Abbot Hall.

Free entry
Saltaire Brewery - 58
Until
TourSaltaire
Saltaire Brewery Tour

The guided tour offers a behind-the-scenes look at the brewhouse and state-of-the-art packaging plant, giving visitors a full sense of what “real Yorkshire beer” means today.

From £15.00

Where to go near The Shakespeare Inn

Comida
Kendal and Sedbergh
Restaurant
Comida

Spanish inspired restaurant serves up Iberian classic dishes such as Spanish Omelette and Chorizo, plus many intriguing wines.

Fell Bar Brewery
Kendal and Sedbergh
Bar or Pub
Fell Bar Brewery

Fell Bar is an outlet for the Fell Brewery and a great independent venue in itself, with a broad range of connoisseur-level craft beers.

The Joshua Tree
Kendal and Sedbergh
Restaurant
The Joshua Tree

The Joshua Tree is a family-run, homely bistro and restaurant housed in a sixteenth century building, specialising in coffee and exquisite fish and meat dishes.

Cross Lane Projects, Kendal, Cumbria. Art gallery, artist studios and exhibition space
Kendal and Sedbergh
Gallery
Cross Lane Projects

Founded by artists Rebecca Scott and Mark Woods, Cross Lane Projects brings new contemporary art to Cumbria and is situated in a former Kendal Mint Cake factory in central Kendal.

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

Cloudwater Production One
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

Star Nhà Ease
Cinema in the North

July's cinema highlights include spotlights on international cinema, a new cult classic, plus a visit from one of our favourite directors.

Harry Baker
Literature Events in the North

From environmental to experimental, our poetry and prose picks from around the North are focused on the unusual and the fun.

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Helena Hauff
Music in the North

Shape-shifting bands, scorched-earth techno, and off-grid festivals. Our latest music picks catch the live scene at its most urgent, inventive and alive.