Any gourmet worth their salt knows the first place to discover the best restaurants in the South West is the Trencherman’s Guide. We’ve handpicked five restaurants from the guide offering excellent-value set menus
Bank and Lapin, Bristol
For fire-led and Gallic vibes
Sister restaurants Bank in Totterdown and Lapin at Wapping Wharf offer two distinct eating experiences: contemporary flame-cooked food (Bank) and classical French cooking (Lapin). Take your pick and settle in for a selection of seasonally leaning dishes.
At Lapin, you might encounter tomato and goat’s curd, followed by confit chicken leg with braised beans and aioli, and conclude with salted caramel and chocolate mousse. The wine list here is particularly impressive, with over 60 French bottles available by the glass.
At Bank, fire is treated more like seasoning than a method of cooking and is incorporated into every dish on the menu. You might be treated to a lick of flame via roasted plum with labneh, dukkah and bitter leaves, or in a dish of smoked pork belly with miso white beans and artichoke.
The deal
A curated prix fixe three-course set menu.
Limited daily availability.
First come, first served.
£29
Olive Tree, Bath
For a Michelin-star meal
This chic restaurant below Bath‘s boutique Queensberry Hotel needs little introduction: it has held a Michelin star for seven years under executive head chef Chris Cleghorn and achieved four AA rosettes.
Chris’s mission to ensure his exquisite dishes are accessible to all has seen the introduction of a lunchtime set menu of two dishes, which are served along with the restaurant’s customary ‘To Start’ bread and ‘To Finish’ treats.
The deal
Two set dishes, plus ‘To Start’, bread and ‘To Finish’.
Available Friday to Sunday lunchtimes.
£60
Saveur, Exmouth
For French-influenced fine dining
There’s no need to cross the Channel to experience Parisian bistro spirit when a seaside excursion to Exmouth reveals a délicieux dining encounter. The excellent menus celebrate all things local and seasonal and lean towards seafood thanks to the venue’s proximity to the sea.
Experience the bounty in dishes such as Asian cured salmon with avocado, citrus, ponzu dressing, sesame cracker and bonito flake, or fish of the day with smoky almond romesco sauce, mojo verde, saute potatoes and tenderstem. For those less inclined towards fish, the options are just as delicious and include confit duck and green peppercorn rillettes with pickles, apricot chutney and citrus and thyme brioche.
The deal
Lunchtime prix fixe menu.
Two courses £27.50 or three courses £32.50.
Da Costa, Bruton
For Italian soul in Somerset
Da Costa is part of Artfarm, a collective comprising unique destinations that draw together art, nature and community. The restaurant is inspired by co-founder Iwan Wirth’s maternal grandfather, who came from a small mountain village in northern Italy and later opened a restaurant heralded for its simple, honest fare.
A century later, Da Costa is carrying on his legacy. Head chef Robert Smart remains true to northern Italian recipes but gives them a Somerset spin through the use of freshly grown, seasonal ingredients from the restaurant’s walled garden and the surrounding countryside. In the lunch and dinner set menus, that exceptional produce is found in dishes such as rigatoni with Durslade Farm beef ragù and parmesan, and chilled tomato and strawberry soup with aged balsamic.
The deal
Lunchtime set menu: two courses £22 or three for £28, Wednesday to Friday, 12-3pm.
Dinner set menu: three courses £28, Wednesday to Friday, 5.30-6.45pm.
The Barrington Boar, Ilminster
For elegant eating in a characterful pub
In the friendly environment of this contemporary country pub, husband-and-wife team Alasdair Clifford and Victoria Collins serve refined comfort food – a modest description of cooking that’s nudged its way into the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs, received a mention in the Michelin Guide and been included in The Good Food Guide’s Best Local Restaurants list.
Alasdair’s menu of the day is comprised of dishes packed with ingredients sourced almost exclusively from farmers, foragers, brewers and cheesemongers within just a few miles of the pub.
The deal
Menu of the day available at lunchtime Wednesday to Saturday and at dinner Wednesday and Thursday.
Two courses £33 or three for £38.
Enjoyed our pick of five of the best set menus in the South West? Discover more exceptional restaurants in the Trencherman’s Guide, the definitive edit of the most authentic, creative and innovative dining experiences in the South West of England.
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