Bath Restaurants and Dining

(Bath, North-East Somerset, England, UK)

Bath has been considered one of the best places for dining in the south-west of England for many years, but more recently the city has expanded its variety of cuisine and now has an enormous selection of restaurants, serving food from all over the world. These Bath eateries range from basic snack bars and coffee shops, to high-class restaurants and gourmet haunts.

Bath has some of the best cafés, coffee shops, bistros, pubs and restaurants in England and a world-class selection of restaurants, often with great views of the city. Many tourists and visitors to Bath find it hard to resist the elegant Pump Rooms, where you can have a light lunch and a sugary Bath bun, whilst listening to classical music played by a trio of musicians. Restaurants in the city are usually excellent value for money and most restaurants offer discounts on meals for both children and seniors dining out.

Breakfast

If you plan to eat breakfast outside of your hotel, then the city offers a variety of options in the central Bath area. One of the most popular places to eat breakfast is at the city's numerous coffee shops, which include popular brands like Starbucks, Caffe Nero and Costa Coffee. Most coffee shops in Bath open at around 07:30 and serve coffee, hot chocolate, teas and a wide choice of pastries. Other options include a number of central bars, which serve full-English breakfasts in their restaurant areas, including sausages, bacon and eggs, as well as other more continental choices.

Lunch

Lunch in Bath is one of the most popular meals of the day and many local restaurants, brasseries, cafés and bars attract people by reducing their prices during lunchtime. Lunch is generally taken between 11:30 to 14:30 and a typical lunchtime menu is identical to the evening dinner menu, but at around half of the price. Many restaurants in Bath also offer 'eat as much as you want' lunchtime specials at fixed prices, where Chinese, Thai, Italian and Mexican restaurants provide extensive, mouth-watering buffets, which offer excellent value for money. These are spread throughout the city centre, but are particularly concentrated at the top of the Podium Shopping Centre. Also, a number of cafés in the centre of Bath have seating areas on the wide pavements outside.

Fastfood Outlets

Bath offers numerous fast-food restaurants and outlets, and these provide a wide choice of food, which is ideal for picnics in the neighbouring park areas, river banks and central squares. These fast-food restaurants and outlets include McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC and a number of smaller, local shops. Bath is particularly well-known for its excellent fish and chips and there are several shops in the city centre, the best of which is situated in Kingsmead Square.

Other lunchtime snacks can be purchased from the city's countless bakeries, which provide a good selection of freshly made sandwiches, baguettes, salads, pasties, sausage rolls and cakes.

Dinner

Most local city restaurants generally open for dinner in Bath at around 18:00 and stay open until around 23:30 or later, although some eateries may open earlier or may actually be open throughout the day. There are so many brasseries and bistros to choose from that you are almost spoilt for choice. Bath restaurants range from fairly inexpensive bar food to the most luxurious food, in gourmet restaurants.

The city of Bath is too diverse to be known for one type of cuisine and there are many excellent restaurants situated throughout, specialising in the following cuisine:

• American-style - serving flame roast meats and gourmet burgers
• English - available in restaurants, bars and wine bars with no venue being more traditional than the city's famous Pump Room Restaurant
• French - many bistros and brasseries may be found in the central area of the city
• Indian - there are a large number of Indian restaurants in Bath, many of which have an excellent reputation
• Italian - amongst eateries serving this style of cuisine is Jamie's Italian in Milsom Place owned by Jamie Oliver
• Japanese - offering authentic Japanese menus overlooking traditional Japanese-style gardens
• Mexican - serving tasty, spicy Mexican dishes, including enchiladas, burritos and tacos
• Seafood - Bath's seafood restaurant has won a number of awards and is highly regarded in the area
• Thai and Asian - serving typical Thai curries, rice dishes and freshly prepared vegetable dishes, often large enough to share
• Vegetarian - there are some vegetarian restaurants in the city, such as Demuths in North Parade Passage (Off Abbey Green)