Where to Eat in Bath: A Guide for Short-Let Guests

Curated Property Journal · Bath · Guest Guide

Where to Eat in Bath: A Guide for Short-Let Guests

Bath punches well above its size when it comes to food. A city of 90,000 with fine dining that rivals London, historic pubs that haven’t changed in centuries, and a specialty coffee scene that serious drinkers make detours for. Here is where to eat and drink during your stay.

Published 28 July 2026 · Curated Property, Bath · 7 min read

Quick Guide

• For the best restaurant in Bath, book Menu Gordon Jones weeks in advance — it is unlike anywhere else in the country
• The Olive Tree at The Queensberry Hotel is Bath’s most consistently excellent fine dining option
• Walcot Street and Milsom Street are the two neighbourhoods to explore for independent cafes and restaurants
• Colonna & Small’s is among the finest specialty coffee shops in England — do not miss it
• Most good restaurants in Bath require booking, especially at weekends and in peak season

Bath’s Food Scene: What to Expect

Bath has been feeding visitors well since the Romans discovered its hot springs. Today the city’s food scene is built on a foundation of high-quality local produce from the Somerset and Wiltshire countryside surrounding it, a density of independent restaurants and cafes that reflects its character as a UNESCO World Heritage city, and a consistent refusal to coast on reputation. The best places here are genuinely excellent by any standard.

The city is small and almost entirely walkable. From a Curated Property short-let in the centre, virtually every restaurant in this guide is within fifteen minutes on foot. That accessibility is part of what makes staying in Bath so pleasurable — you can move between a morning coffee on Walcot Street, lunch near the Roman Baths, an afternoon in a Georgian tearoom, and dinner in a candlelit basement without once needing a taxi.

“The best version of Bath food is intensely local: Somerset beef, Wiltshire honey, Bath Oliver biscuits, cider from farms thirty minutes away. Restaurants that lean into this — and there are several — are almost always worth booking.”

Fine Dining in Bath

Bath has two restaurants that regularly appear on national and international best-of lists, and a third that deserves more attention than it typically receives. All three require advance booking.

Fine Dining Menu Gordon Jones The most talked-about restaurant in Bath and one of the most distinctive in England. Chef Gordon Jones serves a daily-changing six-course tasting menu — you don’t choose, you trust. The result is consistently extraordinary: technically precise, playfully inventive, rooted in local and seasonal produce. Small room, no menu, no choice, no equals in Bath. Book six to eight weeks ahead. Wellsway, Bath BA2.

Fine Dining The Olive Tree The restaurant of The Queensberry Hotel, set in an elegant Georgian basement on Russell Street. Head chef Chris Cleghorn runs a polished modern British kitchen that draws heavily on West Country produce. The wine list is serious, the service assured, and the room — all warm stone and candlelight — is precisely what you come to Bath expecting. Book at least a week ahead for dinner. Russell Street, Bath BA1.

Fine Dining The Circus Restaurant Tucked into the terrace beside Bath’s famous Circus, this is a more relaxed proposition than the other two — but no less careful. The kitchen serves contemporary British food with strong seasonal emphasis. The room is warm and unshowy, the clientele a mix of locals and visitors who have been tipped off. Better value than its neighbours, equally good on produce. Brock Street, Bath BA1.

Fine Dining The Acorn Bath’s leading vegetarian restaurant — and one that impresses regardless of dietary preference. The kitchen applies fine dining technique to plant-based cooking without apology or compromise. Tasting menus and à la carte available. The wine list is thoughtfully matched and largely natural. A serious restaurant that happens not to serve meat. North Parade Passage, Bath BA1.

Booking Advice Menu Gordon Jones books out weeks in advance, particularly for Friday and Saturday dinners. Book the moment you confirm your travel dates. The Olive Tree and The Circus are more accessible but still require a reservation at weekends. The Acorn can sometimes accommodate walk-ins on weekday lunches.

Neighbourhood Restaurants and Casual Dining

Below the fine dining tier, Bath has a strong bench of neighbourhood restaurants and informal dining rooms that represent better value and — on the right night — equal pleasure. These are the places locals return to regularly.

Casual Dining Sotto Sotto A long-established Italian restaurant in a candlelit vaulted cellar on North Parade. The room — low ceilings, warm light, close tables — does exactly what a basement Italian restaurant should. The cooking is straightforward and honest: good pasta, confident secondi, a wine list weighted towards the Italian regions. Beloved by locals, reliably full. North Parade, Bath BA2.

Casual Dining The Corkage A wine bar and small plates restaurant that has become one of the most talked-about rooms in Bath. The list leans natural and biodynamic; the food — carefully sourced small plates that change with the seasons — is the right match for it. Compact, buzzy and frequently full. Walk-ins possible but a reservation is wise. Sussex Place, Bath BA2.

Casual Dining Gascoyne Place A brasserie and bar in a converted Georgian townhouse near the Assembly Rooms. The menu is broad — British brasserie classics with good sourcing — and the room accommodates larger groups comfortably. A reliable choice for a relaxed lunch or early dinner, particularly when you want something central and unpretentious. Gascoyne Place, Bath BA1.

Casual Dining The Scallop Shell Bath’s most celebrated fish and chip restaurant, and a strong argument that the form can be taken seriously. The fish is carefully sourced, the batter exemplary, and there is a proper sit-down restaurant alongside the takeaway counter. For visitors who want something specifically and unapologetically British, this is the answer. Monmouth Place, Bath BA1.

Walcot Street: Bath’s Independent Dining Strip

Walcot Street, running north-east from the city centre, is Bath’s most characterful street for independent food and drink. The antique shops and small galleries are interspersed with cafes, small restaurants and wine bars that serve the neighbourhood rather than the tourist circuit. It is quieter than the centre, less polished, and more interesting for it. Worth a morning or lunchtime wander on any visit.

The Best Pubs in Bath

Bath’s pub scene is among the best of any English city its size, partly because the Georgian architecture lends itself to exceptional pub rooms, and partly because the city has a long tradition of brewing and drinking. The following are the most worthwhile.

Historic Pub The Star Inn One of the most extraordinary pubs in England. The Star has been licensed since 1760 and looks it — four small rooms, wooden settles, no music, no food, no fruit machines. It serves Bass from a jug and Abbey Ales on handpump. CAMRA lists it as a National Inventory pub of historic interest. Visit for the room as much as the beer. The Vineyards, Bath BA1.

Historic Pub The Old Green Tree A tiny, three-room pub on Green Street that dates to the early 18th century and has barely changed since. Low ceilings, wood panelling, a rotating selection of real ales, and the kind of atmosphere that takes decades to accumulate. No food beyond bar snacks. The antidote to Bath’s more tourist-facing establishments. Green Street, Bath BA1.

Gastropub The Garrick’s Head The pub immediately beside the Theatre Royal, which has been standing since the 18th century. The Garrick’s Head serves good food alongside well-kept ales and a decent wine list. Busy on theatre nights; more relaxed at lunch. A natural choice before an evening at the Theatre Royal. St John’s Place, Bath BA1.

Gastropub The Chequers A well-regarded gastropub on Rivers Street, slightly removed from the main tourist circuit and better for it. The kitchen takes pub food seriously — local meat and seasonal produce, properly cooked — while the bar maintains the unpretentious feel of a neighbourhood local. A reliable dinner option without the formality of the fine dining rooms. Rivers Street, Bath BA1.

Breakfast, Brunch and Coffee

Bath does mornings particularly well. The following are the best options for starting the day, from serious specialty coffee to unhurried brunch.

Specialty Coffee Colonna & Small’s Arguably the finest specialty coffee shop in the West of England and one of the best in the country. Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood is a multiple UK Barista Champion, and the sourcing, roasting and extraction here reflects that commitment. The space is small and precise. If you care about coffee, this is non-negotiable. Chapel Row, Bath BA1.

Brunch Same Same But Different A popular all-day cafe and restaurant on Walcot Street that serves some of the best brunch in Bath. The menu draws from global influences — shakshuka, smashed avocado, rice bowls — alongside more classic cooked breakfasts. Busy on weekend mornings; arrive early or expect a queue. Walcot Street, Bath BA1.

Tearoom The Pump Room The grand Georgian dining room beside the Roman Baths, which has been serving morning coffee, afternoon tea and light lunches since 1795. The Pump Room is not the best value in Bath, but it is one of the most atmospheric rooms in the city. Stall Street, Bath BA1. Book ahead for afternoon tea.

Bakery & Coffee Thoughtful Bread Company A micro-bakery and cafe producing exceptional sourdough and pastries from a small premises near the city centre. The croissants and morning pastries are among the best in Bath; the coffee is taken as seriously as the bread. Arrive early — the best items sell out. Green Street, Bath BA1.

Practical Tips for Eating in Bath

Book Ahead

Bath is a popular destination and its best restaurants are not large. Menu Gordon Jones has only a handful of covers and books out weeks in advance for weekends. The Olive Tree and The Circus fill quickly on Friday and Saturday evenings. If you have a specific restaurant in mind, book before you travel — especially if visiting between May and September or over major holiday weekends.

Neighbourhoods Worth Knowing

Most of Bath’s best eating and drinking is concentrated in a compact area between the Roman Baths, the Assembly Rooms and Walcot Street. Milsom Street and its immediate surroundings contain a high density of good restaurants within a short walk of each other. The area around Kingsmead Square, slightly west of the centre, has a growing cluster of independent food businesses. For a more local experience, head to Larkhall or Widcombe — residential villages absorbed into the city that have their own neighbourhood pubs, bakeries and cafes.

What Bath Does Best

The city’s greatest strength is the quality of produce available to it. Somerset and Wiltshire between them produce exceptional dairy, meat, cider, honey and vegetables, and Bath’s best restaurants use this proximity well. Look for menus that name their suppliers or describe sourcing by county — these are usually the most worthwhile. Bath also has a particular tradition of afternoon tea, and while the Pump Room is the most famous venue for it, several hotels and tearooms do it equally well for lower prices.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best restaurant in Bath?

Menu Gordon Jones is widely regarded as Bath’s best restaurant and one of the most distinctive in England. Chef Gordon Jones serves a daily-changing six-course tasting menu on Wellsway — guests do not choose their dishes, which change every day based on seasonal produce. It is small, intimate, and books out weeks in advance. For a more classic fine dining experience, The Olive Tree at The Queensberry Hotel on Russell Street is Bath’s most consistently excellent second option.

Where should I eat breakfast or brunch in Bath?

Same Same But Different on Walcot Street is Bath’s most popular brunch spot, serving an internationally influenced all-day menu. For exceptional pastries and sourdough, Thoughtful Bread Company on Green Street is worth arriving early for. For coffee specifically, Colonna & Small’s on Chapel Row is one of the finest specialty coffee shops in the country. For a purely Bath experience, morning coffee in the Pump Room beside the Roman Baths is worth the premium.

What are the best pubs in Bath?

The Star Inn on The Vineyards is the most historically significant pub in Bath — a National Inventory pub dating to 1760 with four unaltered rooms and no food or music. The Old Green Tree on Green Street is similarly atmospheric: tiny, panelled and serving a good range of real ales. For food alongside your drink, The Chequers on Rivers Street is the most reliable gastropub in the city centre, and The Garrick’s Head beside the Theatre Royal is an excellent choice before an evening performance.

Where are the best vegetarian restaurants in Bath?

The Acorn on North Parade Passage is Bath’s most serious vegetarian restaurant, applying fine dining technique to plant-based cooking. It serves both tasting menus and à la carte and operates at a level that impresses regardless of dietary preference. Beyond The Acorn, most of Bath’s better restaurants offer strong vegetarian menus — Menu Gordon Jones’ tasting menus, The Corkage’s small plates, and Same Same But Different’s brunch menu all cater well for vegetarians and vegans.

Where should I eat near the Roman Baths in Bath?

The Pump Room, immediately adjacent to the Roman Baths on Stall Street, is the most atmospheric option for morning coffee or lunch nearby — a grand Georgian dining room that has been serving visitors since 1795. For something with better food at lower prices, the centre of Bath is compact enough that most of the restaurants in this guide are within ten to fifteen minutes’ walk of the Roman Baths.

Do I need to book restaurants in Bath in advance?

Yes, for the best restaurants — particularly at weekends and during the May to September peak season. Menu Gordon Jones should be booked six to eight weeks ahead for weekend dinners. The Olive Tree, The Circus and The Acorn should be reserved at least a week in advance for Friday and Saturday evenings. More casual options like The Corkage, Sotto Sotto and The Scallop Shell can sometimes accommodate walk-ins on weekdays but a reservation is always advisable.

Staying in Bath?

Curated Property manages exceptional short-let properties across Bath — Georgian townhouses and period apartments within walking distance of everything in this guide.

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