10 Best Restaurants In Gloucestershire
Locally sourced meals are on the cards while camping in this county – the best restaurants in Gloucestershire are scattered across the Cotswolds, the eastern edge of the Wye Valley and their equally rural surrounds.
And while there are plenty of countryside pubs serving tasty real ales and good food, you can also set off towards the sleek city eateries of Cheltenham and Gloucester, as well as in larger towns like Stroud and Cirencester.
So, whether you’re in the mood for contemporary British fine dining or Japanese street food, here are some of the best restaurants in Gloucestershire to please your palate.
The Woolpack Inn
Dine on scrumptious food while soaking up Slad Valley history at this 300-year-old pub straight out of author Laurie Lee’s memoirs, Cider with Rosie. The interior feels like it hasn’t been touched for centuries, with vintage framed portraits hanging above the bar and curios scattered on top of the old piano. Yet the food is modern – order dishes like the white peach, burrata and almonds or go for steamed mussels in cider. Laurie Lee would surely approve…
Three Choirs Vineyard Brasserie
Drink in the views over the vines – with a glass of wine grown on-site in hand – at this brasserie in the Cotswolds. The tapas-influenced food is best nibbled on next to the log-burner fireplace on cold days or by the huge windows facing the vineyard when the sun’s out. Daily wine tastings and tours are available at Three Choirs, one of England’s oldest wineries. In fact, the place is so renowned it’s made it onto this list of the top eight things to do in Gloucestershire.
Daylesford Organic Farm
The Trough, a renovated barn with a high ceiling and airy feel, received a Michelin Green Star in 2021 for serving up sustainable ingredients from the surrounding farm. Look forward to meals made with meat raised from grass pastured rare breeds, eggs from free-range chickens and cow’s milk cheeses. The Trough looks out onto a couple of courtyards, so it’s also a pretty place to eat before moving over to the farm’s Old Spot bar for botanical cocktails.
While you’re capering around the Cotswolds, don’t miss the fortifications of Sudeley, one of five Gloucestershire castles to visit.
The Abbot’s Table
Everything is homemade and locally sourced at The Abbot’s Table (there’s a theme here…). This laidback spot in Tewksbury is said to serve up the town’s finest Sunday lunch. If you visit during the rest of the week, you can look forward to fine dining meals with a European twist like fillet steak with foie gras amid the whitewashed walls and under the wood-beamed ceilings.
Browse the best campsites in the Cotswolds near these restaurants
Severn & Wye Smokery
You’ll be in fine company while eating at this smokery a 15-minute drive from Gloucester: its clients include Selfridges, Harrods and Harvey Nicholas. Fittingly, head chef Mark Stinchcombe serves up a seafood menu at the restaurant on the edge of the Forest of Dean. Sustainably minded folk might appreciate the fact that every time you eat here, the smokery releases three elver eels to the Tanks in Schools Scheme.
For a laidback meal, book a table at the Outdoor Kitchen instead and try seared crevettes with Asian slaw or crispy halibut fillet with katsu mayonnaise.
Hooker and Eight
No one loves Gloucester rugby more than Dan and Balzy, owners of Hooker & Eight. The city’s independent sit-down pizza place was born out of a conversation the duo had about why there wasn’t a decent place to eat before the match. If you’re in town for the game, head to the heart of Gloucester to savour a few slices baked on site amid your fellow rugby fans. There’s good news for veggies too: most of the pizzas can be veganised using freshly made pesto, almond ricotta and fake meats. You can order lactose and gluten-free options too.
Greek on the Docks
Gaze out at the Gloucester Docks from this restaurant on the water. While eating southern European classics like moussaka and souvlaki while overlooking boats, it almost feels like you’re abroad. The brainchild of Greek natives Georgios Karayiannis, Yiannis Karayiannis and Athina Kalaitzi, this authentic spot offers fantastic food with a warm and friendly service.
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Le Champignon Sauvage
This Michelin-starred eatery, run by husband and wife David and Helen Everitt-Matthias for more than 30 years, is one of Cheltenham’s best restaurants. Chef David handpicks British ingredients for his timeless French plates. The sleek and serene decor adds to Le Champignon Sauvage’s appeal and makes the place a winner for special occasions.
Purslane
If fresh fish caught from British waters floats your boat, head over to Purslane in Cheltenham. This small independent restaurant in the middle of the city accompanies its sustainably landed seafood with seasonal produce picked from Cotswolds farms. Caught by day-boat fishermen off the Cornish coast, the fish comes from ever so slightly further afield.
KIBOU
For Asian street food with a high-end twist book a table at one of the top restaurants in Cheltenham. KIBOU, a Japanese hot kitchen, specialises in sushi and ramen. The retro, Tokyo-inspired decor is eclectic: expect colorful manga murals, bright-pink cherry blossom bunting and neon-lit signs. As for the food, we highly recommend the sea bass with asparagus in a sweet miso sauce. Washed down with some sake, of course.
Chill out at our Cheltenham campsites
After all the indulgence, you’re going to want to head off on a wander in the countryside before returning to your campsite or glamping site in Gloucestershire. Find the best walks in Gloucestershire for an amble after a meal.