The couple's guide to Bath

For food-obsessed couples

Emberwood

Our British brasserie at The Francis Hotel is where we'd send any couple who takes their food seriously. Chef-driven, seasonal menus lean into British produce, heritage breeds, local vegetables at their peak, and cooking that respects ingredients rather than overcomplicating them. The space feels warm and lived-in, with an open fire for cooler evenings. The kind of neighbourhood restaurant every city needs, executed at a level most don't achieve.

Milk Bun Deli

Tucked on Milk Street, this deli-café has become a Bath institution for those in the know. Thick-cut milk bun sandwiches, fillings that change seasonally, and condiments made in-house. Weekends draw a crowd, for the hole in the wall sanwhich place, but it's worth the wait. The pantry shelves stock small-batch preserves, natural wines, and tinned fish from Spain and Portugal. Casual in the best sense, no reservations, no fuss, just genuinely good food on the go.

The café culture enthusiasts

Colonna Coffee

Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood has built a reputation far beyond Bath for his approach to coffee. This isn't third-wave posturing; it's simply exceptional coffee served in a bright, minimal space on Chapel Row. The flat white here is frequently cited as Britain's best, and we won't argue. They roast their own beans, which you can buy to take home. The kind of place that makes you rethink what coffee can be.

Good Day Cafe

Good Day sits just off the main high street with queues out the door regardless of the season. This is a bakery that's cracked the viral code, brownies, blondies, cookies that live up to the Instagram hype. Their to-go boxes have become one of Bath's most photographed items, which tells you everything about the quality. The perfect mid-afternoon stop for treats to take back to your room, or fuel for an evening walk along the river.

Culture craving couples...

A film at the Little Theatre Cinema

Hidden down a narrow passage off St. Michael's Place, the Little Theatre Cinema is everything a proper independent cinema should be. Curated programming leans arthouse and international, with retrospectives and cult classics at midnight. The bar serves natural wine and local beer.

They often host Q&As with filmmakers and themed weekends worth planning around. Check their schedule ahead.

Theatre Royal, for Austen and Bridgerton Devotees

The Theatre Royal has stood on Beaufort Square since 1805. Gilt boxes, red velvet, ornate plasterwork, the kind of theatre Jane Austen herself would have attended. For Bridgerton fans, this is the real-life Regency backdrop. Book a box if you can for your own private perch above the stalls. Pre-show drinks, interval ice cream, the full theatrical ritual. Unashamedly romantic.

Mr B's Emporium, a hidden bookshop

Mr B's on John Street is a proper independent bookshop with knowledgeable staff who actually read, hand-written recommendations, and a 'Reading Spa' upstairs where you can book an hour to sit and read undisturbed. Famous for their book subscription service and championing authors before they break through. The sort of place where you go in for one book and leave with four. For book-loving couples, non-negotiable.

Good quality and off-the-high-street brands.

Pockets Townhouse Bath

Pockets occupies a beautiful Georgian townhouse on Margaret's Buildings, and the space alone is worth visiting. The curation keeps people returning, contemporary brands with genuine design credibility, pieces that feel current without chasing trends.

Think COS, Sofie D'Hoore, Lemaire, Folk. Clothing that works in a capsule wardrobe, that you'll still be wearing five years from now. They also stock homeware, accessories, books and magazines. For couples who appreciate considered design, essential. And if you stay with us, then there's a little gesture of 'welcome to the city' from Paul at pockets and the team.

Lastly, settle in the evening for a wine-loving couple 

Green Street Wine Bar

Green Street opened quietly and has become the sort of place locals guard protectively. Natural wines dominate, low-intervention, small producers, bottles you won't find elsewhere in Bath. The food menu is designed to accompany: charcuterie, cheese, small plates that change regularly. It's intimate in scale, with limited seating that makes reservations essential on weekends. The staff are genuinely passionate about what they're pouring. Perfect for a Thursday evening when you don't want the full restaurant experience but still want something excellent.

Stay at The Francis Hotel

After exploring Bath together, you'll want somewhere that feels like a proper retreat. The Francis Hotel offers exactly that seven Georgian townhouses on Queen Square, recently refurbished with a design sensibility that respects the heritage while feeling entirely contemporary. Our rooms are generous, comfortable, and thoughtfully equipped. Breakfast is included, served in Emberwood. The snug opens from 6pm for residents, a quiet space to unwind with a drink and a book after the city's bustle.

For 2026, we're launching our wellness-through-heritage spa, drawing on Bath's ancient healing traditions with a modern approach. If you're not ready to book a full stay yet, consider a voucher, either for spa treatments or an overnight escape later in the year. It's the sort of gift that acknowledges you both deserve time away, together, in a city built for exactly that.

Bath has earned its reputation as one of the world's most romantic destinations. For couples in 2026, it offers something increasingly rare: a city where quality and thoughtfulness matter more than scale and spectacle. Worth visiting. Worth returning to.