5 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. 

An artisan kitchen and coffeehouse, the Find is one of the best places in Cheltenham for afternoon tea. The Regency drawing room is an elegant spot, and the tea menu perfectly balances savory and sweet treats, incorporating British favorites, such as sausage rolls and coronation chicken sandwiches, with a contemporary twist. The fruit scones are fluffy, and you can add a glass or two of Champagne for the ultimate indulgence. There's also a tasty breakfast, brunch, and lunch menu if you are peckish earlier in the day.

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.