10 Best Restaurants
Bath is built around hot springs, honey-coloured stone and a remarkably walkable centre. The Roman Baths explain its ancient beginnings; the Royal Crescent and Circus reveal the Georgian city that followed. Walk across Pulteney Bridge to the Holburne Museum, then climb into the green hills for views over the rooftops. Contemporary restaurants, independent bookshops and thermal bathing give the city plenty of life beyond its architecture. Country hotels in Freshford, Colerne and Hunstrete offer a quieter base outside town.
Restaurant Hywel Jones by Lucknam Park
Colerne, United Kingdom
Dinner at Restaurant Hywel Jones belongs to the full country-house setting of Lucknam Park. The elegant room looks towards the surrounding landscape, while the kitchen combines British ingredients with precise classical technique and carefully made sauces. Seasonal tasting and shorter menus give diners different ways to experience the cooking. Make this an occasion in its own right, particularly if travelling from Bath, and discuss dietary requirements with the restaurant before confirming a reservation.
Country-house fine dining
Olive Tree
Bath, United Kingdom
Olive Tree sits beneath the Queensberry Hotel, in a surprisingly light and contemporary dining room. Chris Cleghorn’s cooking uses carefully judged combinations of flavour and texture, with desserts a particular strength in Michelin’s assessment. The setting is intimate enough for dinner to feel like the focus of the evening. Book ahead for a food-led visit to Bath, and check the current menu format and dietary arrangements directly rather than assuming every tasting menu can be adapted.
Inventive tasting menus
Menu Gordon Jones
Bath, United Kingdom
At Menu Gordon Jones, the open kitchen brings the chef’s work into the room. The small Wellsway restaurant offers a changing surprise menu with bold combinations and a playful streak, often served by Gordon himself. It is particularly suited to diners happy to surrender the usual choices and enjoy a personal style of hospitality. Check dietary suitability before booking: the format is intentionally focused, and the restaurant’s published restrictions matter more than a general promise of flexibility.
A personal surprise menu
wilks
Bath, United Kingdom
On Chelsea Road, wilks is a tiny restaurant with just six seats and a menu shaped around carefully chosen ingredients. Wild fish and shellfish are central to the offering, supported by classical French foundations and international touches. The small room makes this feel closer to dining with a private chef than a conventional restaurant service. Reserve well ahead and discuss dietary needs directly. The current Bath restaurant has its own identity, separate from its former Bristol location.
An exceptionally intimate meal
The Bath Priory restaurant
Bath, United Kingdom
The main restaurant at The Bath Priory pairs a garden outlook with a seasonal approach to British and European cooking. The kitchen works with carefully sourced produce, while the hotel’s terrace and grounds give dinner a setting beyond the dining room. It is an appealing choice for a quieter occasion away from the busiest central streets. Book the main restaurant specifically, since the hotel also offers the more informal Pantry and a separate afternoon-tea experience.
Garden-view dining
Montagu’s Mews
Bath, United Kingdom
Montagu’s Mews sits beyond the Royal Crescent Hotel’s gardens, in the former carriage houses associated with Elizabeth Montagu. Seasonal ingredients from the South West shape the menu, served in colourful interiors or on the garden-facing terrace when conditions permit. The setting makes it particularly rewarding for visitors who want to experience more than the Crescent’s famous façade. Choose the service that suits the occasion and check current arrangements for younger children at evening meals.
A meal behind the Crescent
Beckford Canteen
Bath, United Kingdom
A former Georgian greenhouse on Bartlett Street gives Beckford Canteen its light-filled dining room. White walls, a vaulted ceiling and a display of green plates provide a distinctive backdrop to seasonal cooking with European influences. The food puts good ingredients first, supported by attentive service. It is a strong choice for an unhurried lunch or an informal dinner with substance. Reserve a table for a planned visit rather than relying on the limited walk-in seats.
Seasonal cooking in an airy room
Upstairs at Landrace
Bath, United Kingdom
Above Landrace’s bakery on Walcot Street, this bright restaurant builds a daily menu around seasonal produce and Mediterranean influences. The bakery’s sourdough provides an obvious starting point, followed by dishes that favour generous flavour over elaborate presentation. It is well suited to travellers looking for a relaxed dining room with a clear connection to its ingredients. Book the upstairs restaurant specifically, since the bakery and other downstairs offerings have their own identity and service arrangements.
Bakery roots and bold flavours
Emberwood
Bath, United Kingdom
Emberwood gives the Francis Hotel a lively restaurant centred on cooking over natural flame. Seasonal British ingredients meet Mediterranean touches, with the open kitchen and counter seats bringing some of that activity into the room. The surrounding Georgian details keep the setting firmly connected to Bath. It works for an accessible special dinner without the structure of a long tasting menu. Review the current menu before booking, as fish, vegetables and larger sharing dishes change with supply.
Cooking over the hearth
Oak
Bath, United Kingdom
Oak makes vegetables the centre of the meal in a small restaurant on North Parade Passage. Its vegetarian and vegan dishes use produce from its own growing project as well as other suppliers, with small plates designed for sharing and a longer dinner option. The appeal is the imagination applied to texture and flavour, rather than a conventional meat-free substitute. Reserve ahead for the intimate room and discuss any dietary restrictions beyond vegetarian or vegan preferences directly.
Plant-led dining