A great restaurant, not (quite) in the tourist trap of the old quarter. I had been recommended to eat here by my Couch Surfer host. I lingered outside thinking that it was a little too quiet of an afternoon. I even foolishly perched myself on a chair outside, when I saw a lady enter in. I followed and found the restaurant full of chattering clientele. Having accustomed myself to always eating with friends, it was strange to be a sole diner. I got by ordering in Spanish - I opted for fregola sarda a large bowl of specks of pasta with squid, cherry tomatoes, courgette and garlic. That was just a primi plato, I really can't imagine how on earth I would manage antipasti or a segundi!! The cost for the dish, 1/4 of wine and a big bottle of water was €18.

www.pescedoroalghero.it/ita/home.php
Via Catalogna, 12
+39 079 952 602
Google map: bit.ly/O6qKMq

* BecomingSevillana is our Been there local for Seville. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/seville-local-kim.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/BecomingSevillana.jsp
She also has her own blog: becomingsevillana.blogspot.com/

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An ingenious name for a granita bar. I had tested the Spanish variety, granizado, and was disappointed. When invited to try it in Alghero, I was dubious at first recalling an unquenched thirst and plastic-like flavour. There are places that serve up syrup-topped ice in Alghero, but this bar in particular prides itself on using fresh ingredients, which is clear in the flavour of these frosty treats. Affordable and refreshing in the heat of the summer.

Via Kennedy, 16
+39 2415 2332
Google map: bit.ly/SddbfO

* BecomingSevillana is our Been there local for Seville. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/seville-local-kim.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/BecomingSevillana.jsp
She also has her own blog: becomingsevillana.blogspot.com/

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For a lighter meal (on the pocket too) this establishment serves up foccacia - large sandwiches. I think I would have been a bit daunted to enter alone, as it was packed to the rafters. You had to make your order first and then queue to collect it. For just 2.50 you can bag a large square with a variety of fillings, but the Milese house special was sliced fresh tomatoes, a layer of tuna, some hard-boiled eggs chopped into pieces, a few anchovies, a layer of rocket salad, a layer of thinly sliced onions and, last but by no means least, a layer of pancetta. All of these layers are seasoned with a special sauce created by Signora Maria, which is top secret!

www.barmilese.it/
Via Garibaldi, 11
+39(0)79952 419
Google map: bit.ly/TcFNDB

* BecomingSevillana is our Been there local for Seville. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/seville-local-kim.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/BecomingSevillana.jsp
She also has her own blog: becomingsevillana.blogspot.com/

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Restaurant right on Mansourah Beach (2km north of Kelibia). Tables set into rocks in the sea. Delicious seafood, good wine selection, amazing views, friendly staff.

El-Mansourah Plage, Kelibia
+216 72 295169

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Restaurant right on Mansourah Beach (2km North of Kelibia). Tables set into rocks in the sea. Delicious seafood; good wine selection; amazing views; friendly staff.

El-Mansourah Plage, Kelibia
+216 72 295169

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If you're looking for a true Dutch feeling, Amsterdam can be tough - it does the bikes and canals to perfection, of course, but beyond that the tourist masses and the sheer mix of people from around the world (177 nationalities call Amsterdam home) can leave you wondering what being in real Holland actually feels like.
I would suggest hopping on a bike for a day trip (or even half a day - the pull of the evening's charms in Amsterdam may prove too strong) and heading down the Amstel river. Within minutes of leaving the center, along the road and cycling pathway known as the Amsteldijk, you'll suddenly yourself cycling along the high grasses and postcard-perfect banks of the Amstel. Halfway to the city of Oude Kerk, a very nice place in its own right, you will pass a huge windmill house, then a sculpture of Rembrandt, and then suddenly at the Kleine Kalfje (little calf.)
This very Dutch spot is only 20-30 minutes by bike from Amsterdam's Centraal Station and offers a feeling of really being in Holland. The restaurant itself is cozy and inviting, but the terrace that sits right on the water is the real gem. Boats slip past just meters away, and the glass surrounding this extended patio keeps you sheltered from the country's windy ways. Cyclists and joggers zip past on the other side, and it doesn't take more than a few sips of cappuccino, wine, or beer to imagine yourself moving here.

www.restaurantkleinkalfje.nl
Amsteldijk-Noord 355, 1083 AB Amsterdam
+31(0)20 644 53 38
Google map: bit.ly/TCVWjl

* Jeff is our Been there local for Amsterdam. You can read his profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/amsterdam-local-jeff-funnekotter.jsp and follow his tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/jefffunnekotter

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Historic pub with good home cooked food - their buttered chicken curry is to die for.

Lowside, Bowness-on-Windermere, Windermere LA23 3DH
+44(0)15394 43488
Google map: bit.ly/Oxfy6m

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The Black Bull Inn is located in the heart of Conniston. While this does mean it is on the main junction in the village (but what does 'busy' in the Lake District really mean?), you can happily watch the world, and their dog, go by in the sun-trap beer garden, get a bit more cosy in one of the many rooms inside, or grab a seat at the bar.
The Black Bull does good grub, but the reason you should stop off here is for the beers - as the Conniston Brewing Company brews next door (spy their hydrometers and tanks from the car park if you are a real real ale fan) and so they serve lots of their beers on tap or by the bottle.
We were luckily enough to stop for a pint the day after their Barley Wine had been crowned Champion Beer at the GBBF.

www.blackbullconiston.co.uk/
1 Yewdale Road, Coniston, Cumbria LA21 8DU, United Kingdom
+44(0)15394 41335
Google map: bit.ly/PQej3r

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Lovely tranquil setting with an idyllic garden facing the mountain of Melbreak. Off the main tourist track but still very busy in the early evening, although you can get away from the hustle and bustle in the cosy dining room. The food is freshly cooked mainly from local ingredients, from steak and ale pie (small portions available) to pork tenderloin and fillet steak. The pub has its own brewery, now based in Hawkshead, producing a range of very drinkable ales, including the long-established Melbreak Bitter, Langdale and Esthwaite Bitters and the award-winning Loweswater Gold. There are many walks surrounding the Buttermere Valley and the Honister Rambler bus service is very useful if you only want to walk in one direction. Less-crowded walks are possible in the Loweswater Fells and on Melbreak and the smaller Hen Comb, or even just along the shores of Loweswater or Crummock Water. Comfortable rooms each with their own individual characteristics and good views.

kirkstile.com
Cockermouth, Loweswater, Cumbria CA13 0RU
+44(0)1900 85219

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On a recent visit to Keswick, I discovered a delicious solution to the often difficult problem of dining out while traveling with children. I found a courtyard tucked behind a pub (Kings Arms), a sports bar (Casa's Bar) and a pizzeria (LB's Pizza House) that was perfect for family dining. With the courtyard setting, we could dine outdoors, catch a favorite sport on TV, and enjoy a mix of food and beverage from any or all of these three establishments. Our goal that evening was to watch the gold medal Women's football match of the summer Olympics, and the bar tender from Casa's accommodated us by finding the game on the television set near our table. Along with pints of ale and cider carried out from the bar for refreshment, we ate some of the best pizza I've ever had, a thin and crispy, spicy hot Diavolo that had been stonebaked in a wood fired oven (with margherita pizza for the kids, of course.) The meal was so delicious we ordered another pizza and had a second round of drinks to take us through the second half of the football match. My only regret at the end of the evening was that we were far too full to finish the feast with a sticky toffee pudding.

23 Main Street Keswick, Cumbria CA12 5BL
+44(0)800 840 1241
Google map: bit.ly/OIytx8

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This stylish and ambient looking bar and bistro has a 'happy two hours' each evening from 5-7pm. As Keswick is heaving at this time booking a night in advance is recommended. The decor is tasteful, modern, spacious and the food arrives freshly cooked carried by staff that look as though coming to work is a pleasure. My starter was a large plate of garlic mushrooms swimming in their own creamy sauce accompanied by freshly made bread and butter. At only £3 it brought a large smile to my face. There was a reasonable selection of main courses so my husband enjoyed the fish and chips (a mere £6) and I enthusiastically consumed the vegetable risotto with accompanying salad. The carefully selected vegetables were roasted to perfection and tasted divine(again only £6) There was a varied selection of beers and wines- including the locally produced 'Cockerhoop'- you will be if you eat here!

25 Station Street, Keswick
+44(0)17687 74080
Google map: bit.ly/Nw9lwG

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The Masons Arms is a what people hope for in a Lake District inn, it’s a quaint old building full of character with dining available in lots of nooks and crannies. They sell an excellent range of beers and offer a full menu with lots of traditional favourites alongside some more unusual options such as ale and cheddar rarebit. In good weather the great range of light bites make it the ideal place to stop for lunch; sit outside on the terrace with the birds singing and take in the fantastic views over the valley.

www.masonsarmsstrawberrybank.co.uk/
Strawberry Bank, Cartmell Fell, Grange over Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6NW
+44(0)15395 68486
Google map: bit.ly/SMfuFM

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The Brown Horse is situated in the heart of the Lake District, but slightly off the beaten track in an unspoilt area with great views over rolling fields. The inn has a welcoming rustic atmosphere with wooden beams, a flagged floor and a real open fire. Much of the delicious food is grown onsite or sourced locally, with regional specialties such as Cumberland sausage and Lakeland lamb on the menu. Wash your meal down with a pint of real ale; the pub brews its own and has a great selection on tap.

www.thebrownhorseinn.co.uk
Winster, Windermere, Cumbria LA23 3NR
+44(0)15394 43443
Google map: bit.ly/PrCVmX

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Guardian-reading canines (news-hounds?) should trot down to the Dog and Gun in Keswick. This old-fashioned and busy pub has an in-house menu for dogs which includes a mouth-watering range of treats and chews at reasonable prices (biscuits 5p) plus FREE DRINKS(non-alcoholic). Tell your human to try the real ales and the delicious homemade goulash. The portions are so large that dogs will get lots of tasty-bites. Slide your spare change into the cracks in the walls to support mountain rescue. A perfect ending to a day on the Fells.

2 Lake Road, Keswick, CA12 5BT
+44(0)17687 73463
Google map: bit.ly/MXyLBL

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The Sawrey Hotel on the road between Hawkshead and the car ferry across Windermere re-emerged from a makeover recently as the Cuckoo Brow Inn. Food is served every day from noon until 9pm and is excellent. They pride themselves on sourcing as much as possible from within a 20 mile radius - and with good local beers to boot. They genuinely welcome walkers, cyclists, wet dogs and noisy children - we often eat there with our muddy Springer after walks across the local fells without feeling like social lepers. In our view, best enjoyed when it's cold outside with a roaring fire blazing in the hearth in the centre of the bar - so July or August then.

www.cuckoobrow.co.uk/
Far Sawrey, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 0LK
+44(0)15394 43425
Google map: bit.ly/SNdCep

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This is a truly welcoming pub – we’ve visited in autumn when the open fires provided much needed warmth after a day on the fells. Our last visit was earlier this summer, when the splendid garden proved a sun trap (yes we were there on one of the few days the sun shone this summer.) The bar area is made up of three small, cosy rooms and there is a good choice of refreshment – in both food and drink.

www.themortalman.co.uk
Troutbeck, Cumbria, LA23 1PL
+44(0)15394 33193
Google map: bit.ly/NTVwYO

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Traditional country hotel offering the best of Cumbrian Hospitality. Excellent breakfast, good beer, comfortable accommodation and luxurious toiletries. We were made extremely welcome and the food was perfect.

www.the-royal-dockray.co.uk
Dockray, Matterdale, Penrith, CA11 0JY
+44(0)17684 82356
Google map: bit.ly/NTVIar

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If you like a middle-of-nowhere, cosy, traditional Lakeland pub with good food - this is it.
If you like a fell-side pub with comfy rooms and a view - this is it.
If you'd like to sip a local beer in the open air, overlooking the damson-laden Lyth Valley ... you've guessed it.

www.masonsarmsstrawberrybank.co.uk/
Strawberry Bank, Cartmel Fell, Grange over Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6NW
+44(0)15395 68486
Google map: bit.ly/RnvpZC

www.masonsarmsstrawberrybank.co.uk/

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Many visitors will have visited the Lake District without ever passing through, or stopping in, the lovely Lyth Valley. They're missing out on a treat, especially in spring when the many damson trees are in blossom. It's close to Kendal and yet off the usual routes, but the quality of the food at the Punch Bowl at Crosthwaite is, on its own, reason enough to visit. A traditional Lakes building with stylish and welcoming interiors, and an interesting menu with excellent food, it's one of my favourite places to eat - and was as good as ever on my visit last week.

www.the-punchbowl.co.uk/
Crosthwaite, Lyth Valley, Cumbria LA8 8HR
+44(0)15395 68237
Google map: bit.ly/U58kdR

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For those whose appetites don't stretch to a full meal, there can be no finer pub in Lakeland than the Golden Rule. Beautifully unchanged in decades, it is a haven for locals, walkers, tourists and anyone lucky enough to stumble across this hidden gem off the main street. Food is limited to excellent pork pies and scotch eggs and the ale is all from local breweries. Evening guests may find themselves participants in an impromptu singsong. A national treasure.

www.goldenrule-ambleside.co.uk/
Smithy Brow, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 9AS
+44(0)15394 32257
Google map: bit.ly/NVFjy0

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