The Cotswolds are having a well-deserved “moment”, and if you have done research on the Cotswolds, you understand just how spread out the area is. Our original favorite spot is Castle Combe, a tiny town with two pubs and one castle/hotel The Manor House- which we highly recommend. A quick 30 minute drive from The Manor House is the larger city of Bath- home to Roman spas and infamous for hen parties- but also host to one of our favorite bars in the UK: The Dark Horse. After our most recent trip we also highly recommend the town of Cheltenham, and shockingly Jeremy Clarkson’s pub/restaurant The Farmer’s Dog.
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Top Restaurants
The Farmer’s Dog
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 (10 if you love dogs) Food: 8.5/10 Wine: NA (all British)
Jermey Clarkson’s pub in the middle of the Cotswolds turned out to be worth waking up at 1AM California to book a reservation when it was released one month out (ex. June bookings open May 1st.) We thought this was going to be a touristy over-hyped pub and wow were we wrong. Some of the most memorable food of the year already. Seasonal, fresh produce and all British wines (which were also shockingly good). Order everything on the menu. Or, at least, order the meat pie.
Btw- We hate long drives for restaurants, and we would drive about 30-40 minutes to get here, no problem. We did go during off season, which is notably less busy. During summer be prepared to walk in a field to get there, and suffer more crowds. Aka reservations are key. Oh, and there are dogs everywhere.
Overall: Highly Consider
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 7.5/10 Wine: 6/10
Before you see the score and feel like there’s a chance you could get away with skipping this place, don’t (instead, make a reservation for the downstairs section). Here’s why: the fish and chips are amazing, airy, and crispy- possibly the best we’ve ever had. Plus, as much as we don’t want to admit it… we didn’t love the food in Bath. Scallop Shell is the best bet. And, somehow, despite not loving the food scene, we still loved Bath and we would go back in a heartbeat. The city is charming, the spas and bath waters do seem to have a healing charm, and (here’s the real reason) the bar scene is incredible.
Update: We did go back! And this is still one of the best restaurants, especially for lunch. We upped the food from 7 to 7.5 because we’re being nice.
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 6/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 8/10 Bar Program: NA
If we had one regret in Cheltenham, it was that we didn’t go here twice. That being said, we love Japanese food and Korean BBQ (despite the name this is heavier on the Korean angle). This casual spot gets busy, so do make a reservation, but more importantly you must order the kimchi & pork mandu dumplings. Have some fun and drink some soju, the owner will probably want to drink with you.
Overall: We Loved It
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Food: 8/10 Bar Program: 6/10
So this is one of those really unique experiences where we totally misjudged a place. We had a reservation. We requested counter seats by the chef. The day arrived and… we weren’t really feeling it. It might have been the neon signage outside, or the hen-party-welcoming cocktail bar at the front, but we got a little hesitant and even asked to see the wine list before we sat. Leaving would have been a huge mistake. One of the best meals in the Cotswolds. The head chef has an open kitchen in the back and loves it when people request counter seats in the reso. He’s friendly and wants to show off his great food (mostly made over open fire – seafood, steaks, freshly harvested veggies he found himself). Not one bad bite. This is a newer restaurant, we hope they keep it up!
Top Bars
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 10/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Bar Program: 9.5/10
There is no explanation for why we did not have this on our travel plans in the first place. Maybe the photos made it look too— well— dark. But being on the World’s Best Bars radar, we should have known better. Turns out, we found this place by wandering around the cobblestone roads, seeing a group of people being turned away by a bouncer outside of a seemingly unmarked door, and then asking what the deal was. Reservations are required, but we were able to make one for later that night, which turned out to be the right call. The Dark Horse is one of our favorite bars in the UK, and it would rival almost any bar in London. We went two nights in a row. Trust us, it’s worth a stop. Note: They do not take bar seat reservations unless you ask very nicely.
Update: We returned recently and now you can book 1 bar seat at a time online. We booked 2 reservations for 1 seat each and wrote in the notes we were together, they didn’t seem to mind. Also – bartender Fergus made the best lightly dirty martini we have ever had (also best martini period) so we upped the bar program from a 9 to a 9.5… making this possibly one of our highest rated bars in the world. If you go, please tell us what brand of olives they use in the dirty martinis, we beg you.
Overall: Highly Consider
Service: 9.5/10 Atmosphere: 10/10 Bar Program: 9.5/10
Located in The Manor House, this small and cozy bar is basically like having your own personal bartending staff in your living room (if your living room had an antique fireplace, oak paneling, leather-bound books, and plush seating). For history buffs: this is where Margaret Thatcher sat and wrote her memoirs. For cocktail buffs: they offer over 100 types of gin. For us: There is almost nothing wrong with this place unless, say, you hate gin and relaxing environments. If we built a house right now, we would have a room modeled after this. Also, this place can be fun, depending on the hotel’s guests. We had all the CFO’s of the UK’s top football teams stop by for a nightcap on their first night in, and many great stories were shared. It was one of our top nights ever. (They usually close when the last guest goes to bed.)
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 9/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Bar Program: 8/10
This is such a fun bar, located in a huge downstairs area beneath the No 131 hotel. It is separated into two bars – one for gin and one for rum. There are no actual seats at the counters (par for the course in the UK), but there are plenty of high tops around. This was a highlight of our Cotswolds trip, and to be honest made Cheltenham already cooler than it was. People were really nice and the vibes were great (leans 30/40s crowd).
Overall: Recommend
Not rating
Perfect place for a pint of Guinness, to catch F1 or soccer, and to meet genuinely friendly people.
More Restaurants & Bars...
Overall: Good choice
Service: 6/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Food: 7/10 Beverage Program: 6/10
It’s probably some of the best pizza in the Cotswolds (tied with Rossi in Broadway), so if you’re craving pizza this is the place to go.
Overall: Consider
Service: 6/10 Atmosphere: 5.5/10 Food: 7/10 Wine List: 7/10
This 6-year-running Michelin star restaurant is located inside The Manor House in Castle Combe, and if you are in Castle Combe you should 100% go. On the greater scale of worldwide Michelin restaurants, this would not make our top 20. Part of this is our fault (honestly, we spent quite a bit too long sampling the 100+ gins the hotel has to offer in their cozy bar just down the hall before we made our way to the meal). This is also partly because it’s similar to many other Michelin-starred joints: medallions of meat, cheese cart at the end, the whole shebang. The restaurant was mostly empty, and there was no music. However, there were very memorable dishes… everything with butter (the UK and Ireland have some of the best), so if you are a butter fan, this is certainly up your alley (seaweed butter on the fish dish, a beautifully buttered bread and pastry, etc.)
Overall: Wish we could still recommend
RECENT VISIT: Service: 6/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Food: 5.5/10 Beverage Program: 4/10
FIRST VISIT: Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Food: 9/10 Beverage Program: 4/10
OLD REVIEW: Maybe we are biased because Jess had the best dish of her life in this tiny pub in the middle of a very romantic and quaint town (it was the seasonal homity pie… think cheese and leeks and fresh garden peas in a perfectly buttery flaky crust.) This restaurant is part of The Manor House, located just down the cobblestone road and in the corner of town. Reservations are required (yes, for a pub, but it’s brilliant), and you’ll be surprised to find that the ambiance is much more up-and-coming-small-restaurant than that of your traditional pub. The wines are limited, but it’s the food that counts here.
Update: So sad to return and have the food not be as good, but it was a Monday/Tuesday during off-season, so it happens. We still recommend if you are literally in Castle Combe, but reluctantly.
Overall: Made our trip
Not rating
It’s not fair to rate this neighborhood pub because we happened to go on trivia & disco night, run by local Disco Dave, who is an absolute legend and was so much fun we will always remember Horse & Hound. Trivia night is only once a month on Thursdays (check out their facebook for the dates, though it was fortuitously incorrect the day we went). Everyone was nice. The nachos were even pretty good.
Overall: Highly recommend
Not rating
This food truck with shawarma is absolutely delicious, the owner was so kind, and it was even worth waiting in the near-snow to take these wraps back to our hotel. Really, really solid. (We did not love the food in Oxford, but we loved this).
Overall: Highly Consider
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 2/10 Food: 7/10
Delicious gyros and incredibly sweet service. Go to Dark Horse bar, then go here after. The first time we went here, it was our favorite shawarma of all time. It wasn’t the same on our last trip, but still a fun late night treat.
Overall: Best pick for Oxford
Not rating
For Oxford, this modern gastropub is probably pushing out the best food we had during our time there (with the exception of the burger, which we do not recommend). Honorable mention goes to the lees and ricotta appetizer, and the chicken liver dip. The fish dish of the day was also outstanding.
If you can’t tell by our reviews, we didn’t love the food in Oxford, but we did really enjoy our dinner here.
Overall: Worth A Visit
Not rating
When it comes to Bath, there are drinking holes down nearly every alley in the center of town. A favorite walk-in bar of ours is The Bath Distillery Gin Bar (formerly Canary Gin Bar), which offers unique gins in a slightly crowded bar with a slightly mature crowd. Weekends in Bath can be quite filled with Hen and Stag parties, and this place generally stays away from that.
Overall: Good choice
Service: NA Atmosphere: 5.5/10 Food: 7/10 Beverage Program: NA
This is a tiny little pizza joint off the main road of this equally tiny town. There is one guy- the owner- listening to music and making pizzas. There seems to be an honor system with the beer and water bottles. Don’t go if it’s out of your way, and don’t go if you’re in a rush, but this is a solid stop for a snack if you’re staying in town.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 5.5/10 Food: 6.5/10 Beverage Program: 6.5/10
It’s a little hard to give good ratings to an afternoon tea, because we are not big dessert people… and, as much as we try, we are not huge tea drinkers. That being said: The afternoon tea service at The Royal Crescent is very likely the best tea service in Bath. And the finger sandwiches were very good. We do wish the room was a little livelier and that the view was better (it’s just a back garden in the hotel), but we would still recommend doing this in Bath. It’s something interesting to do.
Overall: Recommend (but not for everyone)
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Outside The Manor House’s Castle Inn Pub, there is only one other pub in Castle Combe. It is called The White Hart and it is certainly worth the short walk to explore this cozy drinking hole. However, fair warning— the owners are a lovely married couple. They express their feelings very directly through their incredibly dry sense of humor. We liked it. It’s not for everyone. They pour chili on chips here and it’s delicious.
Update: The owners seemed happier than ever last visit! Maybe because it was slow season.
Hotels
If you are going to Bath, we recommend staying at The Gainsborough Hotel. It is in a central location, and the spa is one of the few locations to provide direct access to the infamous thermal “bath” waters. The spa is a reason to stay at the hotel- it offers a stunning pool and a variety of “treatment” rooms with red light therapy, shaved ice, saunas, steam rooms, and more. The bar is small but comfortable. The whole hotel kind of smells like the spa.
Update: We’ve stayed here twice. Not sure if we would again. The spa now charges a daily fee for guests as they try to move into a “private club” space. So it’s busier and less high end now. The bar also doesn’t open until 5pm. And they gave us extra room keys without checking our ID’s which is not ideal.
The Lygon Arms was a fine stay. It is a renovated carriage house, which you can tell because the ceilings are short and the stonework is nice everywhere. There was an issue with smells from the plumbing, but it is a really really old building so it happens. They didn’t have a true bar, more of a bartender and several seating areas for service. The pool was big and had kids hours. The gym and spa were also fine. This town gets surprisingly busy for being so quaint. Overall, it was nice.
This hotel was perfectly fine. The lounge bar was always really busy, but it was overall a good stop. If you are staying in Oxford (honestly it was kind of a bust for us food-wise), The Randolph is in a really central location.
Our first time in the Cotswolds, we stayed in the village of Castle Combe at the romantic castle hotel The Manor House. This memorable castle has all the ‘quaint-ness’ of a bed and breakfast mixed with the perks of a high-end hotel. The property feels a bit like stepping into a fairy tale. They offer a Michelin-starred restaurant, a nearby gastronomic-focused pub, golfing, tea, clay pigeon shooting, and a fully stocked (gin focused) bar that stays open “‘til the last guest goes to sleep.” This is one of the most memorable places we have ever stayed, we have sent family members there, and we highly recommend it.
The Vineyard is Napa vitner Peter Michael’s property in Newbury, a town in the Cotswolds. The nearby town was a little rough around the edges… and we left early, which probably says enough.
This hotel is way too much fun. Aside from being in a good part of town, they have one of the best bars in the Cotswolds (Gin & Juice). The front desk managers/check in were painfully slow (and literally just missing) at times, and we had a few mishaps when we first checked in… but honestly would totally go back.
The next time we go to the Cotswolds, we will likely just return to The Manor House… however, if you want more options: Hampshire’s Four Seasons is just outside of central London (we were scared away a bit by how kid-centric the property is). We’ve also heard good things about the Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire (which you can book through the Soho Friends option if you’re not a Soho House member).
The most famous hotel in Bath is The Royal Crescent, which we might consider more seriously next time (though we did like The Gainsborough).
Tourism & Travel Notes
On our first Cotswolds trip, we also stopped by Cardiff in Wales (about an hour drive from The Manor House). We stayed at The Parkgate Hotel, which was very business-y but seemed to be the best option in the downtown area. We didn’t stay long enough to merit a full post for Wales (another time), but we do have two great recommendations: Best Bar- The Dead Canary (Aka Here Be Dragons), Best Restaurant- Purple Poppadom (get an Uber because it’s not in the best area, but this family-owned Indian joint makes some of the best curries we’ve had).
It takes about 1.5 hours to train from Paddington Station in London to Bath. And it’s about a 30 minute drive from Bath to The Manor House in Castle Combe. We recommend spending time in both spots. Uber is available, and your hotel can arrange private transportation if you prefer.
Our first visit, we took this route:
Paddington (London) -> Cardiff -> Castle Combe -> Bath -> Paddington (London)
From London, we took a 2-hour train from Paddington Station to Cardiff (a five-minute walk from the city center). It only took about an hour to get to the Cotswolds from Cardiff— we hired a driver (Raj was great. He drives a roomy Mercedes V class. Here is his email: [email protected]). Then, we took another driver (this time through Nexus Transportation) for the 30-minute drive to Bath. We trained 1.5 hours back to London. The trains were comfortable & timely.
Notable Places Visited & Not Reviewed
Bath- Amarone: Randomly had some good wines but the food wasn’t memorable. The Chequers (Sunday Roast): Really tight quarters and the kid next to us had the stomach flu, so it wasn’t a great time.The Mint Room: Out of the way and average Indian food. Noya’s Kitchen: Uncomfortable seating, and limited drink and food menus that were different from online. Broadway – Moda: This was brand new when we visited and does offer high end local foods for the area. It would be worth going to if you are staying in town. Cheltenham – Bhoomi Indian Kitchen: Skip. Tivoli Pub’s Sunday Roast: It was alright. Upstairs at the Cheeseworks: Cute spot to read a book and eat some cheese, but just okay. Yoku: Skip. Newbury – We’d skip Newbury. Oxford – We would not recommend any of these (sorry) – Dishoom Permit Room, Covered Market, Sticks’n’sushi, & YORI.
favorite moments
