Hidden Gem Curry Restaurants in Bath and Somerset

Bath: Not Just Cream Teas and Georgian Elegance

Nobody comes to Bath for the curry. They come for the Roman Baths, the Royal Crescent, Jane Austen's haunts, and perhaps a Sally Lunn bun. And yet, hidden among the honey-coloured limestone and independent boutiques, Bath has quietly assembled a curry scene that genuinely surprised us. It shouldn't have — this is a university city with a diverse population and a serious food culture — but it did. These restaurants deserve far more attention than they get.

The Eastern Eye

Let's start with a showstopper of a setting. The Eastern Eye occupies a former Georgian ballroom on Quiet Street, with soaring ceilings, ornate plasterwork, and a chandelier that would look at home in a period drama. The food matches the grandeur. Their Hyderabadi biryani is a proper layered affair — fragrant basmati sealed with dough, cracked open tableside with genuine theatre. The lamb rogan josh has depth and warmth without excessive heat, built on a slow-cooked onion base that must take hours. Mains range from £12 to £19, which feels fair given the setting and the quality on the plate.

Mantra on Walcot Street

Walcot Street is Bath's artsy, independent quarter — vintage shops, craft galleries, a weekend farmers' market — and Mantra fits right in. It's a small, modern space with an open kitchen and a menu that changes seasonally. When we visited in autumn, there was a stunning pumpkin and paneer curry spiced with fenugreek and black cardamom that tasted like nothing we'd had before. Chef-owner Priya Sharma sources vegetables from the local farm shops and it shows. You're looking at about £30 a head for three courses with a glass of wine, which for Bath is genuinely reasonable.

Rajpoot

If Mantra is the new guard, Rajpoot is the seasoned veteran. It's been feeding Bath since the mid-eighties, and the regulars here are fiercely loyal. The decor hasn't changed much — red tablecloths, brass fixtures, Mughal prints on the walls — but the cooking remains rock-solid. Their chicken jalfrezi has proper bite, the prawns are never overcooked, and the garlic naan is some of the best you'll find outside a major city. They do an early-bird prix fixe menu — starter, main, rice, and naan for £15.95 before 7pm — that is exceptional value.

Beyond Bath: Somerset Surprises

The Somerset countryside might seem an unlikely curry destination, but there are gems scattered across the county if you know where to look.

Spice Merchant, Frome

Frome has transformed in recent years from a sleepy market town into one of Somerset's most vibrant food destinations. Spice Merchant is part of that revival. Housed in a converted chapel with exposed stone walls and arched windows, it specialises in Keralan cooking — coconut-based curries, appam (lacy fermented rice pancakes), and a fish molee that uses locally caught trout instead of the traditional pomfret. Mains £10–£16.

The Curry Garden, Glastonbury

Yes, Glastonbury. The town famous for the festival, the tor, and its enthusiastic New Age community also has a surprisingly good curry house. The Curry Garden has been here for over fifteen years, quietly serving excellent Bangladeshi food to locals and the steady stream of visitors. Their vegetable thali is perfect for the town's large veggie population, and the lamb bhuna is thick, rich, and deeply satisfying after a day walking the Somerset Levels.

Taunton Spice, Taunton

Somerset's county town has several curry options, but Taunton Spice stands out for its South Indian menu alongside the usual North Indian classics. Their masala dosa — crispy, enormous, stuffed with spiced potato — is the kind of dish that makes you wonder why you ever order anything else. The weekend buffet lunch at £9.95 is a brilliant way to sample the range.

What Makes Bath's Curry Scene Different

Bath's curry restaurants operate in a peculiar market. The city is expensive, tourists expect quality, and locals are spoilt for choice across every cuisine. This means the restaurants that survive here tend to be genuinely good — there's no room for mediocrity when you're competing with Bath's wider food culture. Several have also leaned into the city's appetite for locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, creating a style of Indian cooking that feels distinctly West Country.

• Local sourcing: Many Bath curry restaurants now work directly with Somerset farms for their meat, dairy, and seasonal vegetables.
• Wine focus: Bath diners drink wine, and the better curry restaurants here have curated wine lists that pair beautifully with spiced food — think off-dry Rieslings and aromatic Gewürztraminers.
• Heritage settings: Several restaurants occupy stunning listed buildings, adding a layer of atmosphere you simply won't find in a standard high-street curry house.

Planning Your Visit

Bath is an easy day trip from London (ninety minutes by train from Paddington) or Bristol (fifteen minutes). We'd suggest combining a curry dinner with the city's other attractions — the Thermae Bath Spa for an afternoon soak, the independent shops on Walcot Street, or a wander through the Assembly Rooms.

For more elevated curry experiences, see our guide to the UK's best fine dining Indian restaurants. And if you're a restaurant owner in a smaller city wondering how to stand out, our piece on how independent curry houses can compete with chains is packed with practical advice.

Bath may never rival Birmingham or London for sheer volume of curry restaurants. But what it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in character, quality, and the kind of charm that only a World Heritage city can provide. Go for the architecture, stay for the lamb shank.