Sun Inn

The story

Sun Inn in Kirkby Lonsdale: Modern British Cooking at a 17th-Century Inn

Sun Inn sits at 6 Market Street in Kirkby Lonsdale, where the kitchen serves British food and earned a 2026 Michelin Recommended listing. The inn dates to the 1600s and still keeps much of its original character, with a first floor that overhangs on huge limestone pillars.

Chef and cooking style

Head Chef Joe Robinson leads the kitchen. He trained in Michelin-awarded restaurants across the UK, from Edinburgh to Cornwall, and also worked in Sydney and France. The menus draw on meat, seafood, vegetables and dairy from producers in Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire. He also forages Morecambe Bay for sea herbs, and picks elderflower, wild garlic and mushrooms locally. The seasonal Christmas and New Year menus have included torched mackerel, pan-fried bream and aged rib of beef.

Rooms, history and the dining room

Oak beams, wooden floors and big log fires give the building its character. The restaurant chairs came from the 1906 ocean liner Mauretania. Guests can eat in the bar, the intimate restaurant or the dog-friendly restaurant area. The bar pours local ale and a crisp Sauvignon, and the inn has eleven boutique bedrooms.

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