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MAC Bath - Dining & Drinking
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Anyone who can't find food or drink in Bath to suit their pocket, appetite, or style, either isn't trying or has received bad advice. Ranging from the pair of Michelin starred restaurants; Lettonie with two stars and accommodation on the Kelston Road, and the rather less formal single starred Moody Goose in Kingsmead Square, the choice runs all the way to a myriad of fast food joints. Schwartz Bros takeaway in Walcot Street features funky music and (Bath Chronicle survey) the best burgers in Bath; try their garlic & mayo.

Riverside View

With more eateries here than you can shake a baguette at, and the attractive River Avon winding through town, visitors and residents alike are amazed that it's almost impossible to eat or drink by the riverside other than at the small Riverside Café to the side of Pulteney Bridge. Vegetarian and licensed to serve alcohol, there are outside tables here with good views but no evening opening. If you can find your way to Forester Rd in Bathwick the unpretentious Bathwick Boatman serves straightforward food at reasonable prices. Set above the Victorian boathouse this is an ideal spot where you can watch inexperienced trippers try their hand on punts and skiffs while you dine safely ashore. Schemes to develop the riverside crop up as regularly as tourist buses but as the Sunday Times commented last year (with reference to Bath Rugby's plans to rebuild the riverbank stand to include a restaurant and bar), "In Bath it usually takes three years to get permission to erect a deck chair, so don't hold your breath."

Budget Meals

Lunch, as ever, is the time to find value for money at the top end of the market as many restaurant prices are cut to approaching half of the evening cost. However, so many restaurants around means that prices are invariably competitive, though Tilley's, just below the Abbey, keeps costs down and quality up by only serving starter portions and house wines. Most bars and pubs serve food too but for anyone who really appreciates their tipple Bath is unusually bountiful. Real ales abound, especially if you ignore the obvious gin palaces in the city centre. As those open plan, mirrored, monstrosities with dress codes, coloured lights and bouncers, are easy to find I'll point you in the direction of the real pubs, with real character, frequented by real people.

Drinking Establishments

Starting in the centre Bath's smallest pub, the cosy Coeur de Lyon (pictured above) is definitely worth a visit, as is its sister pub the Old Green Tree - a panelled hideaway near to the Post Office. Both serve imaginative beers and snacks but keep evenings food free. If you enjoy music whilst imbibing there's not a night in the week when free music isn't supplied somewhere. The best source of information on pub music is listed under 'Gigs' in the Bath Chronicle - up to a dozen pubs are featured on Saturday nights, and if quiet drinking is your scene this will indicate places to avoid. Top of anyone's list for atmosphere is sure to be the bohemian Walcot Street's Bell Inn where the music varies from jazz to funk and the customers are fairly varied too. And packed in, so if humanity isn't your scene, neither is this. Although it's basically a good class restaurant, the cosmopolitan Moon and Sixpence has a comfortable bar area, some seriously good wines by the glass, and what one of its aficionados describes as, "wall to wall crumpet". What on earth can he mean?

Where the Locals Go

Behind the Theatre Royal is the small but select Raincheck Bar which has its adherents among the cognoscenti of Bath, of whom I'm not one, but the regulars assure me that they are all terribly nice people. Serious real ale drinkers will welcome the good news is that Bath's best preserved, not to say pickled for posterity, pub - The Star, opposite the Paragon Crescent - has just been taken over by the boss of Abbey Ales. Alan Morgan, who started Bath's first brewery in 40 years, has bought the much-loved pub, which will now sell Abbey Ales as well as the Bass beer for which it was renowned. Late night drinkers are catered for by The Huntsman on Bog Island (don't ask) which somehow has wangled a late night licence until 2am every morning.

Venture Out

If this hasn't pointed you in the right direction then just take a few steps beyond the obvious city centre bars and you'll find a wealth of good pubs and good people. Try it. You'll probably like it and want to stay longer; like the rest of us.







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Bell


Good beer, good company and funky music
103 Walcot Street
Bath, North East Somerset BA1 5BW
United Kingdom
+44 1225 46 0426
If Walcot Street is Bath's bohemian centre, then The Bell is its heart and soul. Perhaps we could throw in eclectic and cosmopolitan there too. And, usually, crowded. Real ales flow freely, and there's music every night; live on Sunday (lunchtime), Monday, and Wednesday evenings. If you like loud and seriously good music, try this place for bands, such as Planet Groove, described in the monthly programme as - "Big Chunk a'funk from unca Jerry C-C and the crew - the bass is gravity, the drums are solid ground and the guitar, organ and guests give an atmosphere that we live to breathe." Almost the last bar billiards table in the world is here, plus an outside courtyard that gets seriously packed on summer evenings, a games room, chess and good company of all ages and inclinations.

Review © 2007, Wcities
 

 
Moody Goose


Gourmet restaurant offering traditional English cuisine
The Old Priory Hotel, Church Square
Midsomer Norton
Bath, North East Somerset BA3 2HX
United Kingdom
+44 01 76 141 6784
http://www.moody-goose.com
The Moody Goose is located at The Old Priory and was discovered by the Michelin Guide, which quite rightly awarded it the ultimate accolade in the form of a coveted star. Yet The Moody Goose remains one of the most unpretentious restaurants around. The food is described as traditional English cuisine, but there are definite leanings towards a French style, particularly with the rich sauces that accompany the main course. There is a separate vegetarian menu available on request.

Review © 2007, Wcities
Moody Goose photo by wcities
Photo: wcities
 

 
Moon and Sixpence


Svelte service
6a Broad Street
Bath, North East Somerset BA1 5LJ
United Kingdom
+44 1225 46 0962
http://www.moonandsixpence.co.uk
Smart and relaxed, with an outside covered patio and a few more tables out in the open in summer, this is tucked away under an arch off Broad Street just above the Postal Museum. Mostly used as a good class restaurant, though quite a few regulars use it as wine bar, this is a reliable, but not cheap, favourite with many. Cuisine is what might be termed contemporary European, and lunch is excellent value at £6.75 for two courses, desserts £3.50, with the evening set menu at around £20. Try not to be seated upstairs; it's on the way to the WC. Dress, although casual, is inevitably smart and mostly black, while the staff are usually svelte and sociable.

Review © 2007, Wcities
Moon and Sixpence photo by Al Davies
Photo: Al Davies
 

 
Star


Totally original and serving Abbey Ales
23 The Vineyards
Bath, North East Somerset BA1 5NA
United Kingdom
+44 1225 42 5072
http://www.star-inn-bath.co.uk
In an age when most pubs are open and plain, with walls and doors removed and exteriors tarted up, The Star has weathered the improvement storm inside and out. The labyrinth of connecting wood-lined rooms around the bar, where the dim light is filtered through leaded panels beneath a traditionally smoke-stained ceiling, is still in place, as is the tattoo parlour next door. Thankfully the "have a nice day, missing you already" style has not penetrated here yet but it can only be a matter of time. Hurry on down to this authentic rarity for a pint or two, and if you're really hungry they'll probably rustle up a packet of crisps too.

Review © 2007, Wcities
Star photo by Dave Stewart
Photo: Dave Stewart
 

 
Tilleys Bistro


Local favourite
3 North Parade Passage
Bath BA1 1NX
United Kingdom
+44 1225 48 4200
http://www.tilleysbistro.co.uk
Set almost in the shadow of the Abbey, Tilleys is in tourist trap territory but don't let that put you off. It's an established favourite with visitors and locals alike. Seating is available for 56 and most of it downstairs in the cellar, but there's no claustrophobic atmosphere here; it's casual, fun, but not downmarket bistro style. The basically French menu is unusual in that it offers 40 or so starter courses and desserts but no main courses. This allows diners to eat simply or indulge as required, and the food is invariably fresh and good quality. There's also a sensibly short wine list of 10 house wines at under £10 per bottle.

Review © 2007, Wcities
Tilleys Bistro photo by wcities
Photo: wcities
 

 
Other Schmapplets in this city related to "Bath - Dining & Drinking"
Bath
Bath - Historical Background
Bath - Neighborhood Guide
Bath - Where to Stay
Bath - Art & Entertainment

Other nearby cities:
Bristol (21 miles)
Cardiff (62 miles)
Southampton (85 miles)
Oxford (86 miles)
Birmingham (127 miles)
Brighton (165 miles)
London (165 miles)
Plymouth (169 miles)
Cambridge (186 miles)
Liverpool (228 miles)

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