Fellini's & Zeffirellis, Compston Road
On a single stretch of Compston Road, Ambleside has somehow produced two of the most celebrated vegetarian restaurants in northern England, both run by the same family and both attached to independent cinema screens — a combination that feels entirely, perfectly Lake District. Zeffirellis is the original, Fellini's the more upscale sister, and together they have been feeding hungry walkers and cul
Zeffirellis
Zeffirellis is an open, jazzy space with exposed brick, warm lighting and a menu that rotates with the seasons — expect wood-fired pizzas, hearty pasta and a legendary Jazz Garden buffet brunch on weekends that is piled high with homemade breads, pastries, eggs and salads.
The attached two-screen cinema shows art-house and mainstream films nightly; the dinner-and-a-movie deal is genuinely one of the best-value evenings out in the Lake District.
Fellini's Next Door
Fellini's occupies a converted Methodist chapel fifty metres up the road and operates as a more formal bistro, with candlelit tables, an extensive wine list and a menu that treats vegetables with the same ambition a French kitchen gives to meat.
Dishes such as roasted celeriac with hazelnut cream or wild mushroom Wellington show real culinary confidence; booking ahead is essential on Friday and Saturday evenings year-round.
Practical Tips
Both restaurants are entirely vegetarian and largely vegan-adaptable, but neither feels preachy or ascetic — the portions are generous and the atmosphere convivial.
If you are visiting in summer, ask for a table near the window at Fellini's for evening light filtering through the chapel's tall arched glass; it is unexpectedly beautiful.
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