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Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Organic
Beer/Wine
A traditional tea room that is vegetarian with vegan options. Serves tea and food. Open Tue-Sat 09:00-17:00.
31 Reviews
First Review by Mimi
Ampers_and
Points +64
Terrible service - Edit
I have been here a handful of times, each time the coffee and food has been good, nothing unbelievable, but reliable. I went recently with my wife, the cafe was not busy but we had to wait to be seated, then, despite other tables having food delivered, and an other having empty plates removed, we could not get either waitress to take our order. After 15 minutes of being ignored, we left.
Read morePros: Coffee is good
Cons: Service is awful
jayhay23
I go to Gillam's very regularly and the service is impeccable!
Read moreGuest
mockingbird
Points +3028
Only tried the shop - Edit
Popped here yesterday but the cafe was closed and only the shop adjoined to the cafe was open. There were a few vegan cakes so I tried the banana and date. Delicious.
Read moreGuest
wjm
Points +70
Charming! - Edit
Great selection of vegan options, very friendly service and wonderful atmosphere. Great shop next door.
Read moreGuest
LizzieMason
Points +82
Not a go to for me - Edit
As much as it pains me to knock this place, it's vegan offerings leave a lot to be desired. Perhaps it served the vegetarian and vegan community well in the past before plant based started to enter the mainstream, but now it's menu is a bit lacklustre and execution some vegan dishes I've had there have been poor. The building itself is lovely, and steeped in history, but it's not a go to for me. That said, if you're in town for a tea/coffee/hot chocolate it would do you nicely and it's always nice to support vegan and vegetarian businesses.
Read morePros: Ethos, Building/Ambience, Vegan hot chocolates are a highlight
Cons: Food menu could be improved
Guest
thatgirl_jeff
Points +23
Great find in the centre of town! - Edit
Found this place via this app, very pleased we did!
Read morePros: Great choices of food...thinking outside the box!, Service was fantastic , Great central location
Guest
MichaelHope
Points +448
Absolutely Fantastic - Edit
What an amazing place!! Cafe and deli/shop.Delicious fresh food, excellent variety of hot and cold dishes. All of the products are great quality with an emphasis on organic. Friendly attentive staff and a great garden. Dog friendly also. What isn’t there to like. Nothing. Worth the trip form anywhere in the lakes.
Read morePros: Delicious food, Great staff and location , Excellent products
Cons: No
Guest
Millie28
Points +13
Appalling - Edit
Gillam's does not deserve your custom. The owner has been extremely rude to me on at least 2 occasions, and I will not be going back. Although the young people working there have always been extremely pleasant, there is one older waitress who appears as glum as the owner, though if he was my boss, I would be equally down in the dumps. He has clearly never heard of the saying the customer is always right, and on one occasion, had an argument with a friend of mine because she wanted unsweetened soya milk in her tea (he could have walked through to his shop to get some, but instead, verbally attacked her in front of a tearoom full of customers).
Read moreDuring the last few years, there have been times when it has been warmer outside than in this tearoom (maybe it was the frostiness of the owner). He was also insisting on people wearing masks even if they were exempt, and when there was no government requirement for them to do so.
Instead of being able to look for a seat without a chaperone, you now have to stand behind a barrier (no doubt to be vetted by the owner) before you are let in and not given a seat of your choice.
Gilliam's website states that the tearooms offer the same quality and service that the Gilliam family is famous for, but in my experience, this could not be further from the truth. If the owner can afford to treat people in such an appalling manner, he is obviously charging any remaining customers he does have way too much money.
Cons: Owner, Owner, Owner
Guest
CarolinePaterson
Points +46
Great vegan options - Edit
A fully vegetarian cafe with many vegan options - hard to choose! I had a vegan hot chocolate (so good - would definitely recommend this!) and a vegan fruit scone with jam (couldn't tell the difference between vegan and non for this.
Read morePros: Excellent vegan choices, Great food, Friendly staff
Guest
bringbrogantea
Points +746
Delicious and quaint - Edit
Had BLT, Quiche and Rum hot chocolate - all absolutely stunning and I'd definitely come again next time Im in ulverston
Read morePros: Delicious, Many options, Good price
Guest
VikB
Points +26
So good we went back the next day - Edit
Lovely vegan food in the cafe, including excellent scones. I particularly recommended hot malted oat milk - not on the menu but they have malted coffee and I asked for it without the coffee... delish. The shop is great, too, lots of vegan treats and deli items. The cafe's not cheap but a lot of their ingredients are organic so happy to pay more for that.
Read morePros: V friendly staff, Nice vibe, lots of regular customers, Log fire
Cons: Not cheap
Guest
MattRooke
Points +451
Time for Tiffin - Edit
The vegan tiffin is fantastic. Available in the shop with vegan scones and cake. Some items contain eggs or dairy but clearly labelled.
Read moreNice cafe with good vegan meals.
The traditional grocery shop is a historic feature of Ulverston.
Pros: Tiffin!
Guest
thebatleys88
Points +80
As good as it sounds if not better! - Edit
Extensive tea menu, veggie cafe with lots of vegan choices.
Read moreWe had the creamy mushrooms on toasted sourdough, vegan tofu BLT, and tikka masala jackfruit burger. Our son had the kids mezze platter.
Lovely food and nice to have so many options.
The shop next door has tons of amazing vegan food too.
Updated from previous review on 2021-07-06
Pros: Lots of vegan options, Tasty food, Great kids menu
Cons: Service was a little slow if I had to be picky
Guest
kbunn2000
Points +64
yummo - Edit
Lovely vegan BLT and loads of vegan options. Plus delicious coffee that you can buy in the shop attached!
Read moreGuest
Veganolive1
Points +4672
Excellent Choice of Vegan Options & Covid 19 Procedures - Edit
I visited for lunch and the Covid 19 precautions in place were excellent, you had to wait to be greeted so your contact details could be taken and asked to sanitise your hands, before being shown to a table. I love the quaint tearooms, it has a lovely warm feel with lots of old furniture and memorabilia of times gone by and we were lucky to get a table, they were turning people away the whole time we were there.
Read moreThe menu has a huge selection of vegan options, accounting for 50% of the menu, which is wonderful and the allergen information was easy accessible on the menu itself. I chose jacket potato, houmous and roast vegetables, with smoky black bean stew off the specials board for hubby, with two pots of Earl Grey tea and oat milk. The food was delicious and good sized portions, with fresh salad and plenty tea with extra hot water for top ups. There was a massive selection of teas and coffees to purchase and I noticed lots of my favourite vegan wines on display.
I had to go and have a nosey in the shop accessible from the tearooms and I was like a kid in a sweet shop, there were so many products to buy. I loved Gillam's Tearooms, with its long history and yet still owned by the Gillam family, with Doug being the great great grandson of its founder John James Gillam. Highly recommended.
I visited for breakfast in October and had avocado on sourdough with a tofu bacon sandwich for my husband...As before it was delicious.
Pros: Vegan options, Vegan afternoon tea, Vegan cakes
Guest
Taylor100
Points +20
Excellent range of vegan options - Edit
Visited yesterday and was impressed with the choice of vegan snacks, main courses and cakes available. The staff were efficient and friendly and I will definitely be returning.
Read morenancy37d
just a wee thank u 4 all the information u have given
Read moreGuest
AllyGGG
Points +385
OK - Edit
This was the best place I could find locally, the nearby vegan cafe having recently closed. It's hard to tell if Gillam's is trying to be a shop, a tearoom or a restaurant. I had a cup of tea and a toastie with olive pate. It filled a gap. Don't sit near the door as there is a very noisy bell which goes BONG every time a customer enters or leaves ... or a child discovers a new game.
Read morePros: Polite, helpful staff., Central location
Cons: Uncomfortable, Cramped
Guest
zan_zan
Points +26
Jackfruit and milkshakes - Edit
Lots of vegan options at Gillam’s which is amazing as it tends to be a place where all my friends unite when we return home from uni. The vegan milkshake is great and soups are always amazing. Jackfruit sandwich is also good!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options
Guest
Tasha1993
Points +74
:) - Edit
Lovely cafe. Food is amazing :)
Read moreGuest
ruthyroo31
Points +83
Good old Gillams - Edit
We regularly visit Gillams and are never disappointed. Lots of yummy food with a great specials board. Evening meals (reservations only) are also a special treat. Great shop too with organic produce.
Read moreGuest
margenotbutter
Points +61
Great food and atmosphere - Edit
It’s a very small building but the staff were quick and friendly. There are lots of vegan options and these were marked on the specials board. Even the chocolate used in the spiced orange mocha was vegan so we were very happy with our meals (Vegan BLT, and vegan soup with houmous, olives and bread.)
Read moreGuest
Amberley-SianWalker
Points +56
Lovely food and great atmosphere - Edit
I’ve been here a few times when I visit Ulverston and it’s definitely a place to go for a nice lunch! The Tofu burger and Mezze board are very good and they have a great selection of teas and coffees to chose from! My only criticism is that I don’t find the seats particularly comfy so if you sit down for a while you might get a numb bum.
Read morePros: Great food, Good service, Nice location
Cons: Uncomfortable seats
Guest
AndyDennis
Points +197
superb - Edit
Excellent vegan burger, lovely outside area to eat if full inside. Tranquil and relaxing ambience. Very impressed I just wish it was near my home.
Read morePros: The food and drink and the staff
Cons: it's not in harrogate!
Guest
stephenwelleruk
Points +68
Decent food for a lunch - Edit
Dropped in to Gillam's Tea Room on a Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks ago, as I'd spotted it on HappyCow.net. Seemed to have a few nice options for lunch - soups, sandwiches and some larger meals.
Read moreEnjoyed the soup & sandwich I had, with a specialist coffee. No complaints, if perhaps not the most exciting things I've had. The staff were pleasant enough, but I was left quite a long time before any one came to take my order, and that happened to a couple of other people around me.
Pros: Decent food and choices
Cons: Rather slow service
Guest
polos09
Points +150
amazing vegan food - Edit
Great cafe - serving tasty vegan/veg food. Also lots of different teas on menu too. I had a vegan blt- with tofu and mayo - really tasty! Would definitely go back. Also had a shop attached selling great vegan groceries.
Read morePros: tasty vegan food, easy to find, can buy groceries at same time
Guest
SL17
Points +96
Great vegan options - Edit
Luckily I live fairly local to Gillams, so visit often! Cater really well for vegans, I usually opt for items off the specials board and it's always delicious. Love the tofu bacon sandwich if I pop for breakfast. Scones are also great with jam and some whipped soy cream. Lovely vegan-friendly hot choc with cream, and yummy booja booja milkshakes! Spoilt for choice :-) and the shop next to the cafe is a must visit too!
Read morePros: The lovely, helpful staff. The fantastic choice an
Cons: Id love more vegan cake options but Im just being
Guest
findingfay
Points +191
Ok lunch - Edit
I've been to Gillams a couple times before and gotten some good curries and stuff, but both times I always felt like I could make the same thing at home myself.
Read moreToday we went for lunch and I got avocado on toast, which sounds super simple but the sourdough bread was LOVELY and they put herbs and spices over the avocado. 7/10.
My mum got a tomato soup with a roll and she said the soup was a bit too sharp but the bread roll was delicious. 6/10
I then got a 'dark chocolate tiffin' as most of the other cakes had egg in. It was basically a block of dark chocolate and underneath a mix of biscuits and melted chocolate. It was yummy but extremely rich and dense. 6/10
The menu is okay for this place but almost everything comes with some sort of cheese, including on the special's board. It would be nice if they had more vegan options.
Pros: Cozy, Mediocre food
Cons: Can get busy, Not mind-blowing, Too much cheese with everything
Guest
craigmc
Points +34305
old world and organic - Edit
owned by Douglas Gillam following in his grandfathers footsteps with this fantastic tearoom.
Read moreinitially you would think it was aimed at high tea, but it's a hidden gem. the owner believes in great food, veggie & vegan, but also organic.
I had a sweet potato and pesto pie, with a side of vegan slaw and salad. I can away full but feeling good. not too full to sneak away with a vegan scone and a load of goodies from the shop. if you are staying in the area you would be wise to stop here as you could get a lot of tasty snack and groceries for your stay.
I'm looking forward to going back.
Douglas is vegan and off the wheat, so is very aware of an dietary requirement's. it's also the sort of place where they would make you food not on the menu if needed.
Pros: great vegan organic food , lovely staff, great interior and shop
Guest
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