Frome Restaurant Guide

In a picturesque location on the Longleat Estate, this old rural pub with rooms is consistently well-rated. Wine is sourced by a sister business – The Beckford Bottle Shop in nearby Bath (about 30 minutes’ drive) – while meat and game from the estate help supply the kitchen. In April 2023, The Telegraph’s William Sitwell pronounced himself a fan, and enjoyed “a faultless lunch of amped-up pub classics”.

“Worth the trip to the pretty, hip rural Somerset village of Bruton for an occasion” – Merlin Labron-Johnson’s “incredible” venue enjoys a massive following out of all proportions to its tiny size; and is one of the most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll this year. There’s no menu at this “very farm-to-table oriented place” – for £120 per person (with a cheaper, cut-down lunch alternative) you put yourself in his hands and the “expertly prepared” results are “exquisite… bursting with flavour”. “Service is light but gracious and the atmosphere, in the small but beautifully decorated room, is lovely if lacking a bit of life…” but all that’s about to change since, in autumn 2023 he successfully completed an oversubscribed £125,000 kickstarter campaign to create ‘Osip 2.0’ in a new space. Details to follow.

This “excellent part of the Hauser & Wirth Somerset gallery, garden and cultural centre” was founded 10 years ago, as the opening gambit in the Swiss art dealership’s Artfarm hospitality wing, which now has venues from Scotland to Los Angeles, including The Groucho Club in London. Named after Dieter Roth, one of their stable of artists, it’s a “very attractive location”, with “efficient service, a generally laid-back, happy ambience and good, generous cooking”, using home-produced Durslade Farm ingredients.

This stunning converted chapel (with rooms, artisan bakery and wine shop) was long in the hands of Catherine Butler, but in summer 2022 slotted into the Stay Original Company’s roster of SW boutique hotels and pubs. “For a small town Bruton has plenty of places to enjoy good food” – and, albeit “less fancy than the others”, this remains a safe choice for “straightforward, well-cooked fare” (including “a lovely lunch after a walk round the wonderful Newt” country estate).

2023 Review: The “food and wine are always interesting” and are “still as good as ever” at engaging Anglo-Scottish chef Gordon Jones’s former sandwich shop on the southern edge of town. There’s “a single tasting menu available” (the only choice is whether to have 7 or 9 courses) and it comes as a complete surprise, with each dish introduced as it arrives at your table (and no vegetarian or other options).

2023 Review: A “quirky and interesting” local with a “good atmosphere” serving a “creative menu, with cooking of a consistent high standard”. It makes a “fantastic pub for Sunday lunch”, with “outstanding roasts”.

“Great for game if you are in Bath” – a “pleasant” and clubby hotel-restaurant that’s the brainchild of Mike Robinson, of London’s acclaimed Harwood Arms, and accordingly strong on venison et. al. The venue occupies several adjoining Georgian townhouses, and the victuals are “gusty” and “immensely satisfying”, as The Telegraph’s William Sitwell put it in a Nov 2022 review (also proclaiming that he would “rave about this joint well into the New Year”).

“Brilliant Vietnamese venue, owned by chef Noya who was taught to cook by her mum”. “Honest and fresh-flavoured dishes” are “prepared with flair” in this “vibrant”, “reasonably priced” townhouse restaurant, where the “consistently friendly and enthusiastic service contributes to a lovely experience” – “every time I go here, I come out with a smile!”

2022 Review: Taking afternoon tea in this “wonderful Georgian setting with a trio playing during the meal” – and the Roman baths next door – is to wallow in English history, with literary visitors from Jane Austen to Charles Dickens as your guides. The nibbles – “beetroot-cured smoked salmon with homemade blini”, perhaps – are a secondary consideration, “but well worth having!”.

2021 Review: The USP of this “very relaxed” yet “lively” Bath pizzeria is the ability to choose your dough as well as the topping on your pizza; not just regular and gluten-free, they also offer hemp, seaweed, black rice and turmeric bases, plus distinctly adventurous toppings (“who knew pistachios on a pizza could be so amazing?!”). A Bristol branch opened in March 2019.

“Very enjoyable French food in a convivial atmosphere” ensures the continued high success of Chris Tabbitt (ex-of London haunt Bibendum) and Sarah Olivier’s modern European, est. 2016 and named after their first child. It’s a “comfortable and not showy” sort of place with “casual” service, where no one doubts the “very proficient” cooking (“not cheap, but definitely felt good value for the overall meal”).

“If you like coffee, this is the place to go” – founder Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, three-times UK barista champion, has “unbeatable coffee knowledge” and his “friendly, engaged” staff also “really know their stuff”, which includes some “unusual” beans!

Limited but positive feedback this year on this well-established wine bar and bottle shop, whose distinguishing feature is a large, barn-like extension and terrace that really comes into its own during the warmer months.

The “gorgeous room” is the highlight of a visit to this popular outpost of the “ever-expanding chain”, whose interior design based on the famous London original in Theatreland trumps the “unremarkable” cuisine. Flexibility is much of the appeal – there’s a “good varied all day menu, plus options for brunch or afternoon tea”.

“Buzzy” and “very popular city centre spot” that excels for its “great food, friendly ambience and good value”. Chef-patron Rob Clayton opened it 12 years ago, after seven years as head chef at the Bath Priory Hotel. He has worked in top kitchens for 35 years, including a stint at Chez Nico in London.