The Botanist Bath

Beautiful venue in a stunning building, with a truly romantic and magical atmosphere. The huge tree in the middle of the bar creates a whimsical, almost fairy-tale vibe — we genuinely didn’t realise it wasn’t real until we looked closely! The décor is gorgeous and makes for a lovely dining setting, especially from the upstairs tables overlooking the main area. We both really enjoyed our mains — I had the steak and my partner had a burger, and both were cooked perfectly and full of flavour. Sadly, the drinks were a letdown. I ordered a mocktail that was very bitter and not enjoyable at all. Service was a bit hit and miss. Although staff were polite and apologised, they weren’t very attentive. The servers seemed quite young and were easily distracted, even though the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy when we arrived. We had to flag them down a few times, which interrupted the flow of what could have been a more relaxing experience. The table we were seated at had a lovely view, but I had to keep an eye out as people passed close by — it wasn’t a huge issue, just something to note. There were quite a few hen parties and large groups, so it’s great for celebrations, but maybe not ideal if you’re after a calm, intimate meal. The biggest downside was the toilet — a long walk away (around 3 minutes), and when I got there it was messy and not well-stocked. The hallway on the way had a noticeable fishy smell, and I was nearly knocked into by a server rushing past on the stairs. Summary: ✅ Gorgeous setting ✅ Delicious food ⛔️ Bitter drink ⛔️ Slow service 🚻 Long walk to messy toilets 👯‍♀️ Groups & hen parties common Would I go again? Yes, for the atmosphere and food — but I’d skip the mocktails. Would be prepared to give this beautiful place another go, hopefully just an off day.

Beautiful building and decoration. We visited on a Monday evening and it wasn’t busy. It took an age to get served at the bar! I was only one of two at the bar and there were 3-4 staff, but all just ignored me for over 10 minutes. We nearly walked out. I didn’t really like my cocktail, but can appreciate that it was a poor choice. I visited on Good Friday, where it was busy, but the service was the same. We booked a table, the maître d' was friendly and attentive but waited far too long to get served and just got ignored at the bar. The cocktails were delicious when we eventually got them.

We’ve always wanted to go to the ‘First Dates Restaurant’ and wasn’t disappointed! Lily our waitress was fantastic and so friendly! We had Prosecco on the house as we had recently got married and a ‘congratulations’ on our dessert board. The pork and chicken were delicious but the beef was a little chewy and deleted from the bill which was appreciated. The decor is stunning! The prices were good too. The toilets were clean but quite a trek :) It was a great end to our fabulous weekend in Bath.