Visit: 24 September 2025
Award: 2 AA Rosettes
Price: **
Website: https://thegilpin.co.uk/eat-and-drink/gilpinspice/
The Review:
Gilpin Spice restaurant at the Gilpin Hotel in the Lake District offers pan-Asian cuisine inspired by the Philippines, the Indian subcontinent, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, and China, including hand-made sushi, maki, nigiri, and sashimi, alongside small plates such as Pani Puri and larger plates such as local Herdwick lamp rump boti.
The restaurant is casual and lively with an open kitchen so guests to watch the chefs at work.
Prices are very reasonable. Small plates are available at between £7 and £12, while large plates at £16 to £20. Side dishes such as egg fried rice or sticky rice are available.
There is a wine list available, although the detail of the different wines available is woefully insufficient. Service was brisk and friendly.
We tried the tuna sashimi and fried chicken roll maki teriyaki. The sashimi was made with good quality, fresh fish and the maki was also very good. Our other small plate was an excellent, spicy fried cauliflower with gochujang and black sesame. This was a very successful dish, which I would definitely order again.
The large plate of Goan style tiger king prawns had a coconut sauce, chilli oil and crispy curry leaf. The prawns were good quality and the sauce very enjoyable. Our other large plate was the tomato pumpkin seed curry with grilled chicken thigh, masala, ginger, garlic and fried onions. This was another very successful dish that we very much enjoyed.
The side dish of egg fried rice with togarashi, and barrel-aged soy, had a slow cooked egg in the middle, with a soft yolk. This was memorable, and a perfect accompaniment. We also tried the sticky rice with coconut, lemongrass and jasmine rice which was very nice.
This is a very good restaurant that I will definitely revisit when I’m next at the Gilpin Hotel.
The Menus:
Sushi, sashimi and maki menu:
The Food:
The Restaurant:
Outside the restaurant:
Inside the restaurant:
The open kitchen:
Lounge area:
The entrance to the restaurant:
