King William
36 Thomas Street Bath Somerset BA1 5NN
The Times food critic Giles Coren reckons this place is worth the train journey from London, so you should have no qualms about ambling for a few minutes out of central Bath to get here. The King William is what you want a pub to look like: sitting on a corner on the busy London Road, it's a hidey-hole of dark woods, cosy decor, miscellaneous mirrors and drippy candles. But it's the the food that's the real draw – whether eaten in the bar, or the slightly more formal dining-room upstairs. Simple things are done well here: the bar menu includes excellent fish and chips, steamed Cornish mussels and pie of the day. The fancier restaurant fare is good too – it changes seasonally but a three-courser might start with roast artichoke or slow-roast beef skirt, move on to hake in shellfish broth, local lamb rump or roast belly pork with ginger beer braised pigs cheek, and finish with a tart lemon posset or rich chocolate pot. A lovely local find.
