I know it's a restaurant chain, but The Botanist makes me smile. Every time we come here: 1) We eat REALLY well! (... and somehow wish we'd ordered more despite being pleasantly full) 2) We get lost going to the bathroom (... and get reprimanded by the staff) It's become our thing, really. I'll echo some of what I said in my previous review: The Botanist in Bath offers a beautiful, minimalist, plant-heavy, environment. We've always sat on the second-floor mezzanine underneath the incredibly high-vaulted ceiling. Because of this cavernous space, the acoustics can be a bit all-over-the-place especially when it's packed and they've got live music going! Any iteration of their menu offers many gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options. We particularly enjoy: + the Rhubarb & Sage Spritz (if you like gin and tonics, this isn't to be missed; it's slightly fruity [without being sweet] and herbaceous [without being herbal, if that makes sense]) + the Vegan Board: There's SO. MUCH. GOING. ON. HERE. Definitely something for everyone, but the stand-outs for us continue to be the incredibly satisfying Bang Bang Cauliflower (which have a crunchy exterior and pillowy soft inside), the Giant Couscous salad (which somehow feels so light in comparison to other things on the board), the Houmous (so creamy, so flavorful; you're going to have a hard time wanting to share this!), and the Crispy Mushrooms (which are fried in a light polenta coating and come with a truffle/mustard mayo dip; it's okay that you love the dip more than you love the mushrooms - you can order more of it!). ^ you can order all of these things individually too! + [if they have them] the Sweet Chili Fries: perfectly golden-fried and topped with a sticky sweet and spicy sauce, coriander, and spring onions? Moreish! Get some to share even if you think you've already ordered too much food. + the Banoffee Sundae: made with caramelized banana, plant-based vanilla ice cream, Biscoff chocolate sauce and cookie crumb, it's absolutely indulgent and a little phallic looking. It's a reliable spot for shareable food with friends in a beautiful atmosphere. What more could you want? read more

The Botanist - So many vegan eats! Crispy mushrooms, houmous, bang bang cauliflower, giant couscous, meatballs. - Bars Near Me - Bath, BAS

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For a UK chain, this restaurant has delightful charm with lots of plants and open airiness that live up to the name. The food was mostly good. The fish and chips and baked camembert were fantastic. The "chips" were well crisped and came out hot. The fish was delicate, flaky and tasty and the tartar sauce balanced and filled with herbs and pickles. The chicken katsu was dry and over cooked; it looks good but isn't worth it. The fried onion (think blooming onion if you're an American) was pretty good but nothing unique. The drink menu is extensive. They are well made and the bartenders can steer you towards what you'll probably enjoy most. I did think they tended to be a bit light on the alcohol, but hey, it's the UK! Overall enjoyable and would recommend - especially if I'm the hunt for good fish and chips or baked cheese! read more

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First off, sat 20 minutes before we had to get up and ask for a waiter. A girl finally shows and just says what can I get you, no sorry about that, no hello. We ordered a kabob, chicken schnitzel, sirloin steak, burrata, cocktails. Burrata shows up, still no water or drinks. We finish the app, still no water or cocktails. To be fair, the burrata was excellent and I figured they were just busy? (Maybe 14-15 tables and 3 waitresses) The food comes and let me just say it felt as if everything we ordered was made two hours ago and had been sitting under a heat lamp for the entire time. Chicken, bland as possibly can be. Kebab, decently flavored but as dry as chicken could possibly be. The steak...an abomination. Ordered medium, came back as shoe leather. This was the thing that really frustrated me...I pushed the steak meal to the absolute edge of the table immediately, hoping to signal to the waitress there might be an issue. She hurriedly walked past us several times, never asking how our food was or to see if we might need another drink. Would have loved another cocktail by the way. I ended up having them take the steak off my bill. As we sat around while our waitress disappeared again, I noticed another couple having to ask her whereabouts while they sat they a good 15 minutes with no greeting nor water. This place is a complete miss, maybe it's decent for cocktails, but avoid having dinner here. read more

Really lovely evening here. Had the calamari to start and bavette steak as a main course. Both delicious. I love the decor here, incredible domed ceiling too. read more

Lovely place in Bath, for a great lunch and spacious surroundings. Staff are very polite, attentive and super professional under the lunchtime rush. We had the famous hanging kebabs which were great as a treat. read more

The Botanist - Hanging kebabs!! - Bars Near Me - Bath, BAS

Aesthetically it's a lovely venue, yet it's cold inside with a disconcerting smell. We had Sunday lunch here and I can confidently say it's the worst we've experienced. The food was luke warm, we had six tiny potatoes between the 2 of us probably from a single potato. The Yorkshire puddings were oily, carrots overcooked, gravy awful. The taste of the whole meal was disgusting. In hindsight we should have complained immediately or walked out. My partners chicken was literally a chicken leg that looked like it had come straight out of a cheap supermarket packet. We weren't asked at any point if the meals were ok and the place wasn't busy so there was no excuse. We will not return to this venue nor recommend it. It's overhyped, I presume 'First Dates' bring their own Chef and team when filming. I don't know how any restaurant can get a simple meal so very wrong, it's shocking and I can understand why it wasn't busy yet a venue a short distance away is 1000 times better and always busy. read more

This restaurant has serious managerial level issues , which can be seen across all aspects of the evening unfortunately spent within their negligent care . The restaurant itself has a nice aesthetic but the dome structure of the upper seating area creates difficult acoustics . The servers showed a distinct lack of enthusiasm and awareness , and MADE NO EFFORT to cater for more delicate dietary requirements. Our drinks were half an hour late , the food came out late and cold, and the sides came an extra 10 minutes later . Please avoid read more

My problem with this place is that it is trying to be a trendy cocktail bar, but the (very young) bartenders only know the cocktails on the menu. If you ask them to mix something classic (Like a Mai Tai for example), you are given a long explanation that they aren't trained to mix those sorts of drinks (I don't need to know this). Despite the cocktail menu inviting patrons to ask at the bar if they don't see their favourite cocktail My advice is that if you are a grown-up, and would like a grown-up drink, go elsewhere. read more

This was our second trip for brunch. I had the bratwurst as part of the Octoberfest specialty menu. It was very good, tasty, filling and a great brunch choice. The staff were friendly, professional and have COVID rules followed and laid out a one way system, making the experience feel very comfortable. We did brunch during a busy time and drinks at 20 mins and food on the 30 mins make. Staff did apologise for the long wait, but understandable in the circumstances. Thank you for another wonderful afternoon. read more

The Botanist - The traditional bratwurst with probably seasoned chips. - Bars Near Me - Bath, BAS

Place looks lovey when you enter, but as you wait you realize that every plant is plastic and that the menu is crafted to appear healthy but in reality food came and was unappealing. The hanging skewer was bland, the salad nothing but iceberg lettuce... but they do have delicious olives read more