Bath Dining and Entertainment

Bath Hotels

Dining in Bath

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.

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 its 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 Rugbys 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."
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 Tilleys, 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.

Starting in the centre Baths 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 theres 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 anyones list for atmosphere is sure to be the bohemian Walcot Streets 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 its 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?
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 Baths 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 Baths 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.
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.

Entertainment in Bath

Ever since a swineherd discovered that his pigs not only enjoyed rolling in the hot mud here but that it was actually beneficial, Bath has been the place to wallow. And it still is.
The Romans used it for R&R, although in their case it could have been called R&R&R - Rest, Relaxation and Religion, but in its Georgian reincarnation the town changed the third R from Religion to Revelry.
Gambling and louche behaviour are a little harder to find nowadays as the city fathers struggle to maintain the upper class image but, lets face it, this citys raison d'être is tourism and easy living.
In many ways its becoming a cross between those Spanish villages where theres a festival every week for whatever reason they can think of, and Prague, where every door leads to music of one form or another.

Music:
Whatever your taste - Classical, Jazz, Blues, Punk Rock or Funk - it'll be catered for here, and often for free. Bath has a surprising number of classical music groups and orchestras, and no week passes without several possible performances. As usual, the best place to track them down are in the Bath Chronicle listings guide where theres even a column just for classical gigs.
The biggest festival in town is the Bath International Music Festival, usually running from the last week in May to the first in June. This is truly an International Festival and runs concurrently with the Jazz Festival and Fringe Festival so its an eclectic mixture.
Unmissable though is the first night, which kicks off festivities with a free (modern music) concert in Victoria Park, just below the Royal Crescent. In the evening street lighting from the Circus to the Royal Crescent is normally turned off and the windows candle lit, while the climax comes with a stunning firework display over the Crescent. Baths biggest party night, and always memorable.

Theatre and Cinema:
For theatre buffs no trip to Bath would be complete without a visit to the Theatre Royal. As it was built in 1805 and recently been refurbished this Georgian Gem also qualifies as one of the sights of Bath, but the fare on offer stands on its own merit.
The programme changes weekly, with one off performances on Sunday by a wide variety of performers, but the play is the thing here and they are top class. The National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and (usually once each year) the Royal Ballet, are regular visitors and many plays close their pre-West End national tours here; and if they don't go down well in Bath they might not make it to London. Equally there are many post West End touring plays as well.
If this sounds pricey don't forget that fifty seats are sold at midday for £5 and if you call in just before the evening performance cut price seats and returns are normally for sale at half price. If a performance is sold out then standing only tickets are available (just turn up, they can't be reserved) for only £3 - leaning against the stalls rail is quite comfortable, theres a great view, and you'll be first to the bar in the interval.
Behind the Theatre Royal, but in the same building, is the intimate Ustinov Studio where more avant garde material is performed and theres also the amateur run Rondo Theatre at Larkhall. The Rondo programme is not quite so regular but the standard is high and the bar is next to the raked seating area so you can drink as you watch.
Touch wood, Bath still doesn't have a vast multi-screen cinema, just the three small cinemas - the ABC in Westgate Street, Robins next to the Theatre Royal, and the Little Theatre by the Cross and Hot Baths.
The 'Little' is worth a mention; built in 1935 it was used for drama courses as well as cinema and the owners also owned the renowned Everyman in London. It is the oldest private cinema in the country still in the hands of the original family; a fact which allows the slightly more fringe and foreign films to be shown. And theres a front of house manager who is not only over the age of nineteen, but he doesn't chew gum either and is quite happy to discuss the movies on offer with a modicum of insight. And its comfortable, with big seats and the latest sound system.

Sport:
To many people sport' in Bath means only one thing - Rugby. In the amateur days Bath were the undisputed champions of the country, but professionalism arrived after 1996 since when things ain't been quite what they used to be.
Nevertheless Rugby rules and the Rec (Recreation Ground - next to the river opposite Parade Gardens) is the most picturesque setting for any stadium in the country, if not the world. Entry prices may not be cheap (£15 - £25) but its free entry for second team games and the overlooking clubhouse bar is open to all so a pleasant evening can be had for the price of a pint.
While the rugby season runs from September to May the other crowd pulling sport in Bath, Horse racing (Flat) at Lansdown handily fills in by having a May to September season. All the top jockeys and trainers come to this scenic track and entry prices are lower, with children under 16 admitted free.
Before some die-hard football fan screams foul, I'd better mention Bath City Football at Twerton. Famous for losing rather than winning at one time, they currently seem to be heading for promotion out of the Doc Martens league. Although their ground holds 8,000 (the sort of crowd the rugby and racing generally attract) 800 would be considered a crush nowadays.

Otherwise:
Buskers abound on the streets around the Abbey and many are worth watching. At night the Club scene is comes to life with Cadillacs in Walcot Street being the most active. The various Walks - Ghost, Comedy, etc. can be fun but theres no better value than the free Mayors Walk starting from outside the Pump Room twice daily. And there's some Roman and Georgian stuff, but you've probably overdosed on that already.

Philip Horton