33 Best Restaurants in Bath and the Cotswolds, England

A ten-minute drive from Stow-on-the-Wold in Nether Westcote, this popular gastro-pub is as cozy and comforting as the name would suggest. The food here is exceptional, and the products are so local that the staff can usually point to the farm from where the meat was sourced. If you want to try as much as possible, opt for the six-course tasting menu (£80). Within the restaurant, a large bay window and terrace offer up views of the valley below, and attention to detail gives the pub some humorous touches such as the saddle-seated stools. If you decide that you are just too comfortable to move, there are four rooms to extend your stay in.

For over 30 years, this sleek 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 four-, six-, and nine-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 set-lunch menu (available Friday through Sunday) is a good value at £70. 

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 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.

Head chef Brett has introduced Spanish fine dining to the Cotswolds with this spot, rightly winning numerous awards for the food. The ingredients all come from local suppliers, and the seven-course tasting menu is an incredible value at £49. There's a vegan tapas menu as well. The ambience in this casually decorated café is warm and welcoming, and the staff are friendly and knowledgable.

Just five minutes from the Holburne Museum, this former rowing club house serves quality food in a picturesque setting. The global menu ranges from roasted belly pork to freshly caught fish, and the set menu is well priced at £25 for two 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.

At Boho Marché, Morocco meets the Mediterranean, with delicious platters featuring dishes such as marinated eggplant, jben cheese, and a zingy green slaw for lunch. In the evening, start with a cocktail and then order from the a la carte menu; the seared salmon carpaccio and slow-braised ox cheek with creamy mash and red wine jus are particularly good. On a nice day, you can eat outside on the terrace.

The enticing prix-fixe lunch menu attracts diners to this award-winning French restaurant, which is renowned for its signature dishes like onglet steak with tarragon and sea bass with clams and samphire. Chez Dominique is also a great place to stop for afternoon tea or coffee after a walk by nearby Pulteney Weir.

Originally built around 1550 as a farmhouse, this spot was soon converted to an inn. The restaurant serves food freshly prepared from locally sourced ingredients, including the classic Sudeley chicken marinated in garlic and simmered in cider. If you fancy trying a traditional Sunday lunch, this is also an excellent place to visit. Local legend has it that the inn is haunted by a 12-year-old girl whose footsteps can sometimes be heard running across the floorboards above the bar.

Close to St. James Church, this traditional tavern has low beams, a flagstone floor, and a small courtyard. The long menu includes daily specials, local ales, and enticing dishes like confit duck and deep-fried fish-and-chips. Freshly baked ciabatta sandwiches served at lunchtime are easy on the wallet. The service is swift and ideal for those in a rush. There are also six rooms where you can stay.

With views of the church of St. Mary's, this historic pub dating from 1554 offers a reassuringly traditional and charming milieu for food and refreshment. Light meals are available at lunchtime, teas in the afternoon, and for the evening meal you might start with deep-fried calamari and whitebait with caper sauce, then try the rump of lamb with minted mashed potato for your main course. The spotted dick (sponge with dried fruits) and custard makes a classic old-school end to the meal. The inn's grounds hold what is claimed to be the world's oldest bowling green. There are 11 well-furnished bedrooms upstairs.

Lee Gallimore was head chef at some of the Cotswold's most prestigious restaurants before opening his own property in Cheltenham. Here, Lee specializes in seafood sourced directly from fishermen in Devon and South Wales, and the shellfish platter for two to share is a feast. On Sundays, there's a traditional roast lunch menu, with the topside of Hereford beef and the free-range pork loin always looking particularly mouthwatering.

Located between Broadway and Moreton-in-Marsh, this laid-back Cotswold pub has its dishes of the day (all made with local seasonal ingredients) written on the chalkboard inside. Options might include a fillet of Loch Duart salmon with new potatoes or wild mushroom and celeriac pie. There's a pleasant garden for summer days and rooms should you wish to stay the night.

The relatively short, perfectly balanced menu at Le Champignon Sauvage showcases the contemporary French cooking of David Everitt-Matthias, who has run the restaurant with his wife, Helen, since 1987. The food is a favorite of the United Kingdom's most famous restaurant critics and includes delights such as chalk stream trout with oyster emulsion and miso glazed monkfish with barley broth and cockles. Fixed-price menus at lunchtime (£35 for 2 courses) help keep the cost down.

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 can choose between seven and nine courses and every dish will be a surprise; there might be 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 phials 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.

Chef and restaurateur Michael Alexiou bought Woolmarket House in 1986 and transformed it into this charming restaurant serving traditional Greek cuisine. The mezze and fresh seafood are particularly good, and there are seasonal daily specials on the blackboard. The atmosphere is laid-back and the service is friendly.

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 potato, made in-house daily) while you browse the 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 to make sure they'll have space.

Lured by the fresh ingredients and cool, unfussy surroundings, diners come here to enjoy the freshest of Cornish fish, Salcombe Bay crab, and Forest of Dean ham accompanied by unusual but delicious vegetables like borage, wild garlic, and sea cabbage. The accent is on fish, but you will also find hay-baked Cotswold lamb, vegetarian dishes, and plenty of local cheeses. The menu changes bi-monthly so it's always seasonal. and the set menu is £49 for 2 courses. The service is friendly and knowledgeable.

With a courtyard at the back and a patio at the front, this chic "restaurant with rooms" is perfect for a light lunch at midday or a full meal in the evening. Menus concentrate on Modern British dishes and change seasonally. The restaurant, in a former furniture factory belonging to local designer George Russell, is modern, airy, and stylish. The less expensive fixed-price menu (£28 for two courses) is just as tempting, and there's also an attached fish-and-chips shop. You can spend the night in the very sleek, boutique-style rooms upstairs.

Small and slightly twee, this 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).

A 15th-century inn just five minutes from Lacock Abbey, Sign of the Angel serves traditional food in a cozy and intimate setting. Some dishes, such as the roast loin of beef with Yorkshire pudding or the seasonal pie of the day are as traditional as the decor, but modern touches—orange butter sauce, for instance—adds an extra dimension. Enjoy the seasonal dish of the day for lunch or relax in the garden with a cream tea. When you creak open the heavy door and are greeted by the hearty fire in the huge chimney, you could be forgiven for thinking that you stepped back a few centuries. Upstairs are five beautifully rustic rooms in which to stay.

At this informal eatery in a 16th-century coaching inn, the farmhouse-style tables are filled with traditional dishes with locally sourced ingredients. The secluded garden is the perfect place to enjoy lunchtime baguettes or sandwiches in nice weather. There are also three individually furnished guest rooms upstairs.

This sophisticated and popular restaurant on the corner of the Circus has an enticing seasonal 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.

This 17th-century inn retains its historic past while serving fabulous modern food, real ales, and gin cocktails. Choose from a wide range of dishes including venison, steak, and seafood, or the varied selections on the daily specials board. Upstairs there are 28 rooms, including one where Charles II and Lady Fisher hid from Oliver Cromwell during the Civil War.

Delicious Indian dishes are the main draw, but the three magnificent glass domes of the large Georgian interior and the arresting South Asian murals mean that a meal at this award-winning restaurant becomes an event. Specialties of the house include mughlai chicken (flavored with egg, ginger, and garlic and fried in a sauce of yogurt, coconut, and poppy seeds) and salmon bhaja (panfried with Bengali spices and served with diced potatoes).

In this popular Argyle Street eatery with stripped-back white walls, 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 plenty of other options on the menu, including homemade pastas and diverse cheese boards.

Set in an opulent Regency building with a statement bar, the Ivy Brasserie serves first-class food with British and European specialties. In its heyday, the Rotunda building was a bathing pool with spa water on tap, and its domed roof and seating area have been exquisitely restored to house the smart restaurant. Racehorse murals line the walls in a nod to Cheltenham's equestrian heritage. Choose from dishes such as apple and Stilton salad, aromatic duck curry, or crab linguine. The Ivy also serves a classic afternoon tea. Reservations are advised, especially when there are race meetings and festivals.

A few minutes' drive from Bourton in the quiet hamlet of Cold Aston, the Plough occupies an old, restored 17th-century inn. Flagstones, original beams, a fireplace, a quiet bar area, and simple, classic pub fare done well make this an ideal retreat from the Bourton crowds in high season. Enjoy your pint in the sunshine, admiring the centuries-old tree opposite the pub. There are three quiet rooms for those wishing to prolong their stay.

Plain wooden tables and understated decor are the setting for the wholesome British dishes served in this traditional restaurant beautifully sited on the banks of the Windrush River with a large outdoor area. Sip a cocktail on the riverside terrace while you wait for your order. Desserts include vanilla panna cotta and sticky toffee pudding.

This mellow-stone gabled pub, located in the snug village of Leighterton just five miles west of Tetbury, likes to satisfy the crowds that assemble here with the best local fare in the area. Draw up a stool at the bar or take a seat at one of the many wooden tables to try the beer-braised short rib with champ mash or the vegan barley and cranberry pilaf. Finish with a calorific dessert. There's also a sheltered walled garden for summer dining.

Just steps from Market House and in the heart of village life, the Snooty Fox is a bustling inn and restaurant that makes the most of quality ingredients from local Cotswolds producers. Real ales and local ciders are served at the bar, and teas, coffees, and hot and cold meals are available all day. During winter, the roaring fire adds to the ambience, and there's a patio to use in summer. Twelve rooms are also available on site.