Hinton Charterhouse, British, Traditional - Restaurant Guide

Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan was – as of mid 2025 – rumoured to be on the verge of buying a £1 billion stake in Richard Caring’s restaurant empire, of which this famous brasserie chain is the crown jewel. Presumably, he’s more interested in ‘rolling out’ the brand in The Gulf and beyond rather than dropping by for a Salmon Fishcake and ‘Ivy Chocolate Bombe’, but if he’d asked the opinion of our annual diners’ poll, we’re not sure that he’d sign on the dotted line. “How can a restaurant with this heritage produce such uninspired, tick-box food?” is a question merited by its poor ratings, ditto what explains the “very slow and disinterested service”? The answer may be that “you don’t come here for the food, obviously” but for the “gorgeous” interior design and “picturesque” locations that continue to underpin their appeal. Let’s hope for the Sheikh’s sake that the middle classes of the Arab World are as undiscerning as those from the UK!

This “wonderful newish restaurant” (a former bakery and sometime student nightclub) is “very popular with a sleek band of locals”, offering a “simple, decent menu”, along with a “wonderful atmosphere… relaxed, upbeat, urban”. Daily Mail critic Tom Parker Bowles enjoyed a “lunch of heartily refined cooking, confidently straightforward, with service to match” in his April 2025 review. Top Menu Tip – “their grilled pork chop is so good, it’s hard to consider anything else, though it’s also one of the rare restaurants in Bath to offer good fresh fish”.