Best Restaurants on the Edge of the City

First in the series of Sal’s Spotlight features …

Bath is full of fabulous independent places to eat, so there’s no excuse to fall back on the same old familiar chains – a brief wander through the little streets of the city centre will give you plenty of places to choose from. But at the top edge of the city centre, past the Circus and the Crescent (which we’re sure you’ll have on your list to visit) are a few fabulous places, tucked away, that we really don’t want you to miss out on.

First up is the Rustico Bistro Italiano – just off Brock Street in the quaint pedestrianized St Margaret’s Buildings, this little yellow restaurant is easily missed during the day, but it’s well-worth seeking out for dinner. The menu is short, but everything on it is fabulous, taking inspiration from traditional Italian dishes and ingredients. On a warm summer evening, you can sit outside and watch the dusk fall as you enjoy your meal.

Next is The Chequers – hidden away among the houses on Rivers St, this cosy pub and restaurant is actually just minutes away from the city centre. To call it a gastropub would be an oversimplification, because the menu is thoughtful and creative, reworking traditional dishes with great attention to detail – Sunday lunch here is particularly recommended. The atmosphere is stylish but cosy, with reclaimed church pews, wooden parquet floors and a crackling fire, so it’s perfect for a bit of a special occasion as well.

A little further up the hill (but so worth it) you can find Culture & Cure on Landsdown Road, a brilliant twist on the tapas bar, with a menu starring gorgeous British ingredients, including plenty of local produce. There’s also an extensive drinks menu, featuring not just British beers and ciders, but also home-grown sparkling wines, gins, spirits and digestifs. This is a fabulous place to chill out after a long day’s sightseeing, and if you have a look at the Culture & Cure website first you could also catch one of their many events, from live jazz to tasting evenings.

Along Julian Road now, to find the Maya Takeaway – perfectly placed for you to pick up a pizza and then head down the road to the Royal Crescent for an evening picnic. It might look a bit like a standard takeaway joint but trust me, the pizzas here are fabulous, freshly made from scratch while you wait and lavished with delicious ingredients that wouldn’t look out of place on a good pizzeria menu. This is a real hidden gem.

And finally, a special mention for the Marlborough Tavern, which has one of Bath’s nicest beer gardens – a leafy courtyard surrounded on three sides by gardens and the Bath Approach golf course, there’s a lovely sense of air and light, making this the ideal place for a pint on a sunny evening. They also do plenty of foodie events, where you can enjoy special menus for a really good price, so it’s well worth checking out their website to see what’s going on.

A gentle stroll through the quieter residential streets to find one of these little beauties is a fabulous way to spend an evening, and to discover a bit more of Bath

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