This is the restaurant to book when you visit Bath
Handsome, literary Bath has too many restaurants to choose from – how do you pick one from the list?
There is one that epitomises the best of old world and new. Emberwood, which opened last year and has already won Best Restaurant at the Bath Life Awards, occupies the ground floor of the stately Francis Hotel in the centre of town.
On Queen Square a few minutes’ walk from Bath’s major attractions, the hotel also has a spa, and was recently refurbished to the cost of £15 million (the hotel opened in 1884 but underwent another comprehensive refurb in 2026).
The Emberwood restaurant is the main attraction to non-hotel guests. The venue celebrates modern British food and open-fire cooking. The kitchen is led by Executive Head Chef David Hazell, and the menu includes a sensational chicken and chips, Porthilly oysters and scallops roasted over coal.
Elsewhere there is beef shin and stout pie, Cornish cod, mussels, and – playing to current trends – a Wagyu bavette steak.
There’s also day boat fish that is sold by the gram and changes daily, and don’t scrimp on ordering the sensational lardo fries. Also the dessert trolley has become the talk of Bath with its seasonally changing cakes and tarts.
The restaurant isn’t afraid to eschew trends in general. Website material explains that the wine list has been updated with chilled reds because “we know, it’s all the talk at the moment.”
The design is opulent, with velvet banquettes and stone tabletops, with period details inspired by the Georgian era the hotel dates from. Grab one of the tables on the terrace or with views over Queen Square.
It reminds of Mayfair institution Scott’s, in that there is always a hum of energy and activity. Emberwood suits a long work lunch or indulgent cosy dinner. It is Bath’s newest highlight.
Go to emberwoodbath.com