Best Restaurants & Bars in Bath 2026
UNESCO World Heritage dining - 116 venues across 2 zones
Updated weekly
TLDR
Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage city with three demographic layers driving its food scene: Somerset locals who know the real gems, ex-Londoners who relocated post-2020 bringing metropolitan expectations, and University of Bath students fuelling the bar culture. We split Bath into two editorial zones: Crescent for Georgian elegance and fine dining around the Royal Crescent, Kingsmead and Milsom Street; Walcot for the eclectic mix around the Abbey Quarter, bohemian Walcot Street, and riverside Pulteney Bridge. Expect to pay £15-30 for mains in the Crescent side, slightly less around Walcot.
Choose an Area (2 Zones)
Crescent
102 venuesGeorgian grandeur, fine dining, independent restaurants
• Royal Crescent & The Circus
• Kingsmead independents
• Milsom Street dining
• Queen Square area
Walcot
14 venuesEclectic mix, student bars, riverside dining
• Abbey Quarter & Roman Baths
• Walcot Street bohemian quarter
• Pulteney Bridge riverside
• Southgate dining
Why Two Zones?
Bath is compact — you can walk end to end in 25 minutes. But the dining character shifts noticeably between the Georgian upper town and the abbey-side lower town. Rather than carving Bath into micro-neighbourhoods, we created two editorial zones that capture this divide.
Crescent covers the western/upper side: Royal Crescent, The Circus, Kingsmead, Milsom Street. More formal, more restaurant-weighted, attracting the ex-London crowd. Walcot covers the eastern/lower side: Abbey Quarter, Walcot Street, Bathwick, Pulteney Bridge. More varied, more bar-friendly, with student influence. Both have outstanding independents — the split helps you find the right vibe.
How We Rank Bath
Most restaurant guides are frozen in time. A place gets reviewed once, earns a badge, and rides that reputation for years. Meanwhile, the kitchen changes hands, quality drifts, and nobody updates the listing.
DOW works differently. We track 116 venues across 2 zones in Bath using live Google review data, recalculated weekly. Our Hot Score algorithm weighs four signals: how fast new reviews are arriving (velocity), how recent those reviews are (recency), whether ratings are climbing or falling (trend), and the baseline rating itself. A venue that coasted on a 4.8 from two years ago will rank below one that earned a 4.5 last month with genuine momentum.
Weekly Rankings
Every venue re-ranked each week. Positions shift based on real activity, not editorial opinion.
No Paid Placements
Rankings are algorithmic. Venues cannot pay to appear higher. The score is the score.
Text Reviews Only
Star-only reviews and short junk are filtered out. Only written reviews over 50 characters count toward velocity and recency.
FAQs
Is Bath good for independent restaurants?
Excellent. Bath punches well above its weight for a city of 90,000. The post-2020 influx of ex-Londoners raised expectations and attracted ambitious chefs. Kingsmead in particular has become a cluster of quality independents.
Where do students go out in Bath?
The Walcot zone has the student-friendly bars, particularly around Walcot Street and the lower town. Expect craft beer spots, cocktail bars, and late-night venues. The Crescent side is more restaurant-focused.
What is the best area for fine dining in Bath?
The Crescent zone. Milsom Street and the streets around Queen Square have Bath's most ambitious restaurants. Several have attracted chefs from London seeking a better quality of life without compromising on culinary standards.
How expensive is eating out in Bath?
Bath is comparable to Bristol prices, slightly below London. Expect £15-30 for mains at independents, £8-15 for lunch. Pints run £5-7. The Crescent side skews slightly more expensive than Walcot, where student competition keeps some prices in check.
Is Bath worth visiting just for the food?
Absolutely. Combine a day of Georgian architecture and the Roman Baths with an evening restaurant crawl through Kingsmead or Walcot Street. Bath Spa station is 90 minutes from London Paddington — easily doable as a day trip.