11 Best Restaurants in Bath, Bath and the Cotswolds

Since the 1990s, this sleek modern space in the basement of the Queensberry Hotel has served top-notch English and Mediterranean dishes, finally being recognized with a Michelin star (the only one in town) in 2018. Head chef Chris Cleghorn creates a seductive, sophisticated selection of three-, five-, and seven-course tasting menus featuring delights such as smoked Devon eel with Isle of Wight tomatoes and tarragon; Cornish monkfish cooked over coal and served with leek and ginger; and raspberries accompanied by sheep curd and lemon verbena.

The Bath outpost of the growing Pig empire is a funky but chic restaurant with rooms in a converted country house in the Mendip Hills. It's all about the local and seasonal here (everything famously comes from within a 25-mile radius): kale, arugula, and other leaves and veggies are sourced from the Pig’s kitchen garden; apples, pears, and apricots come from its orchard; and pork, chicken, quail, and venison are provided by animals raised on the property. Salmon, pancetta, and bacon are smoked on-site. The results are exceptionally fresh and flavorsome dishes like loin of home-reared venison or “Kentucky-fried” wild rabbit. Dining alfresco in summer, when the wood-fired oven gets going, is a delight. The 29 comfortable and reasonably priced rooms are decorated with an elegant simplicity and have glorious views. It's located about 8 miles from Bath, off the A368. 

Just five minutes from the Holburne Museum, this wood-lined former rowing club house serves quality food in a picturesque riverside setting. The global menu ranges from roasted belly pork to freshly caught fish, and the set menus (for lunch and dinner; no à la carte options) are well priced for two or three courses. On warm summer nights, enjoy sitting on the veranda by candlelight (in winter, you can get tucked up with a throw) and enjoy food cooked to perfection. If you come during the day, you can also work up an appetite by taking out a skiff or canoe from the next-door boat station.

Sit in this casual, bustling café, part of a chain, and watch the comings and goings of the Bath square outside as you choose from the all-day menu. Impressive choices include everything from a full English breakfast to toasted sandwiches, and there's a wide range of teas, coffees, and smoothies. Another café is on Alfred Street. 

The enticing prix-fixe lunch menu and a wide-ranging à la carte dinner menu featuring French and European fare attract diners to this award-winning restaurant, which is renowned for its signature dishes like onglet (hanger) steak with tarragon and sea bass with clams and samphire. It's also a great place to stop for afternoon tea or coffee after a walk by nearby Pulteney Weir.

This sophisticated and popular restaurant on the corner of the Circus has an enticing, seasonally changing menu that covers everything from morning coffee to late-night dinners. The husband-and-wife team prioritize locally sourced ingredients, and wines come from old-world small growers. The colorful modern art on the walls always makes for a great conversation topic.

In this popular, casual Argyle Street eatery with white-painted stone walls, wood tables, and metal chairs, it's all about the steak. The mouthwatering meats all come from Aberdeen Angus and Hereford Cross cows on local area farms. Those who aren't fans of red meat will find other menu options, including homemade pastas and diverse cheese boards.

Step away from the center of town to sample the ingenious cuisine that Michelin-trained chef Gordon Jones conjures up in his open kitchen. There is no set menu, but you choose between seven and nine courses and every dish will be a surprise; choices might include smoked eel with maple syrup and purple potatoes, a crisp haggis, roasted turbot with giant raisins and caper dressing, and blackberry sorbet with marinated cucumber. You can also choose a wine flight to accompany the tasting menus. The location is unprepossessing and the decor plain, enlivened by a few antlers and vials of oil, but the service is friendly and unstuffy; if you want to talk with the chef about your food, he will willingly do so. Book well in advance; lunch is easier to reserve than dinner.

What is perhaps Bath's tiniest restaurant is also one of its tastiest. Order a glass of wine and a bowl of patatas fritas (chunks of fried potatoes, made in-house daily) while you browse the tapas menu, and then pick three to four dishes per person to share. The pulpo a la Gallega (octopus and spicy paprika) and boquerones (fresh anchovies in olive oil) are heavenly. Located on the first floor of a historic building in the city center, Ole Tapas has just half a dozen tables, so it's worth making a reservation in advance.

The 18th-century Pump Room, with views over the Roman baths, serves morning pastries and brunch, as well as afternoon tea (from noon until late afternoon), to music by a pianist or string trio who play every day. The stately setting is the selling point rather than the food, but do sample the the house-made cakes and pastries, including scrumptious scones.

Small and slightly twee, this longtime tourist magnet near Bath Abbey occupies the oldest house in Bath, dating from 1482. It's famous for the Sally Lunn bunn, a semisweet bread served here since 1680. You can choose from more than 30 sweet and savory toppings to accompany your bunn, or turn it into a meal with salmon or a steak. There are also economical lunch and early-evening menus. Daytime diners can view the small kitchen museum and shop in the cellar (30p for non-dining visitors).