With two Michelin star restaurants in the county and an abundance of phenomenal fine dining restaurants with an array of accolades, Gloucestershire's foodies are spoilt for choice.
SoGlos rounds up some of the best fine dining restaurants in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds, promising heavenly flavours, the very best seasonal produce and exceptional service.
Cowley Manor Experimental in the Cotswolds
With its kitchen headed up by prodigious chef, Jackson Boxer, the restaurant at Cowley Manor Experimental features bold, inventive cooking that blends inspiration from France and the Mediterranean with the best produce the Cotswolds has to offer – including herbs, fruit and vegetables from its own kitchen garden.
Its wood-panelled dining room juxtaposes heritage features with modern design, much like its menu. The Michelin Guide recommends its fresh taglioni with Cornish lobster and pickled chilli, while its smoked honey and potato brioche with ampersand butter is a big hit with influencers.
As well as being a destination for fine dining, Cowley Manor Experimental also hosts everything from summer pool parties and barbecues to Mad Hatter afternoon teas, as well as garden tours with lunch on the terrace. To find out more, or to book a table, visit cowleymanorexperimental.com/restaurant.
Juliet in Stroud
Offering refined but unpretentious French-inspired cuisine in Stroud, Juliet is a firm favourite with local foodies and celebrities alike, and is garnering a real buzz outside of Gloucestershire's borders, too.
From the team behind popular pub The Woolpack in Slad, Juliet is rated by the Michelin Guide and received '10s across the board' when notoriously hard-to-please food writer, Giles Coren, paid it a visit.
Post in Newnham-on-Severn
This charming bistro in Newnham-on-Severn is fast-becoming a must-visit for Forest of Dean foodies and far beyond, both for its excellent cooking where homegrown produce takes centre stage, and its exceptionally good value.
Post's menu changes with the seasons, from crisp asparagus cigars with fonduta in spring, cockles and pancetta in summer, roast squash in autumn, to indulgent chicken, leek and mustard pie in winter – while its Sunday roasts include starters, sides and puddings based on 'what's especially delicious that week'.
Lumière in Cheltenham
Having been awarded the first brand-new Michelin Star in the county for more than a decade, as well as featuring in Harden's Top 100 Restaurant list, Lumière is one of Cheltenham's finest restaurants, offering an intimate and sophisticated environment, with a menu of artistically presented modern British cuisine that it describes as 'ingredient led, seasonally driven'.
The venue invites diners to sample its four, six and eight-course tasting menus, featuring dishes like Wye Valley asparagus with morel and wild garlic, Mount Grace Farm hoggett with ewe's curd and carrot, strawberries with duck egg and caramelised filo, and its playful 'Tequila Slammer' sorbet. An eight-course vegetarian menu is available but the restaurant isn't able to cater for vegans.
Sauce at The Painswick
Simple but sophisticated, Sauce at the swanky The Painswick hotel is somewhat of a foodie hidden gem in the Cotswolds, offering both an à la carte and a tasting menu.
Lauded for its Beef Wellington and Basque cheesecake, British produce is the star of the show – and there are options for vegetarian and vegan diners at the Painswick restaurant, too.
Prithvi in Cheltenham
Tucked away on Bath Road in Cheltenham, Prithvi is a unique fine dining Indian restaurant, which serves both modern and traditional cuisine in ultra stylish surroundings.
Promising a relaxed but memorable experience, the menu blends exquisite techniques and presentation with authentic Indian flavours, creating brightly coloured and delightfully deconstructed dishes that look as good as they taste. Tables are booked months in advance, so be sure to plan ahead for special occasions.
Wilder in Nailsworth
Located on Market Street in Nailsworth, Wilder is the brainchild of head chef Matthew Beardshall — who has worked with some of the UK's best chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing, and Angela Hartnett — and offers diners a unique gastronomic experience – with a surprise eight-course tasting menu each day.
Guests are asked to arrive at 7pm sharp, before settling in for a three-hour sitting where each dish is delivered by the chefs themselves. Enjoy it with an arrival drink and a matching wine or soft drink flight. Wilder can also accommodate dietary requests — just make sure to specify on booking.
Sam's Montpellier
Offering a casual version of fine dining in a quiet corner of Cheltenham, Sam's Montpellier splits its menu into Earth, Sea, Land and Heaven and recommends a selection of small plates to enjoy together.
Its vegetarian and vegan dishes are excellent, with its moreish pistachio parfait being a standout option even for meat eaters. Sam's is also known for its signature cocktails, which pair fantastically with the food.
Restaurant Journey in Cheltenham
Shrouded in mystery, with its location only revealed to booked diners 24 hours before their reservation, Restaurant Journey in Cheltenham is as much about the experience as it is the food.
Promising full immersion, the dining room features a large screen with visuals paired to the menu, which changes regularly and is inspired by the team's global travels. Its food is complex, quirky and utterly unforgettable.
The Slaughters Manor House in Lower Slaughter
The Slaughters Manor House is one of the finest 17th century country houses in the south of England, serving fine dining cuisine in its three AA rosette restaurant in Lower Slaughter.
Diners can enjoy dishes like chilled vichyssoise, roast guinea fowl with pea and broad bean orzo, crispy goat's cheese raviolo, and soufflé with lime curd ice cream and meringue, in its light and contemporary orangery. The Slaughters Manor House is also famed for its delectable Cotswold afternoon teas.
Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham
No list of Gloucestershire fine dining restaurants would be complete without its first Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham. One of the finest places to dine in the country, let alone the county, its French-leaning menu is technically exceptional, yet unpretentious, while its distinctive dining room boasts bright colours, comfortable chairs and generously sized tables.
Described by Jay Rayner as one of the best meals of his life, Le Champignon Sauvage is also praised by the Michelin inspectors, especially for its delightful desserts.
The Wild Rabbit in Kingham
Daylesford-owned establishment, The Wild Rabbit, is a stylish gastropub located in the Cotswold village of Kingham. Offering modern British menus which champion seasonal ingredients from local farms and artisan producers, the venue promises a relaxed atmosphere, a warm welcome and incredible food.
The constantly changing menu features organic fruit and vegetables alongside organic and free-range meats, with its tasting menu featuring everything from 'the humble potato' with Jersey Royal foam and Daylesford cheddar, braised pork cheek with apple and shallot, wild halibut with white asparagus and smoked eel with Daylesford butter, and Valrhona chocolate mousse with Daylesford whey caramel and milk ice cream – with the option to indulge in paired wines with each course, too.
Purslane in Cheltenham
Specialising in fresh seafood, Purslane is an independent restaurant in the heart of Cheltenham, just off the High Street, run by chef patron Gareth Fulford.
Using fresh and sustainably-caught fish and seafood from Cornwall and Scotland, Purslane’s menu changes seasonally, with a six-course tasting menu available during the day, and an eight-course menu available from 7pm. Expect dishes like Cornish lemon sole, St Austell mussels, Shropshire rose veal and Valrhona chocolate with Herefordshire cherries.
Lords of the Manor near Bourton-on-the-Water
Located in the affluent village of Upper Slaughter near Bourton-on-the-Water in the heart of the Cotswolds, Lords of the Manor Hotel is home to two indulgent dining spaces — The Atrium and The Dining Room.
Describing its kitchen as being 'at the heart of the experience', The Atrium boasts four AA Rosettes and offers a tasting menu with expertly paired wines, featuring the very best British produce from Cotswold lamb to Chalk Stream trout and Cornish crab, as well as a vegetarian and vegan tasting menu, too.
Yoku at No.131 in Cheltenham
A stylish sushi and Asian fine dining restaurant set within No.131 on the Promenade, with an uber-chic Tokyo-themed cocktail bar too, Yoku is one to book for a very special occasion.
Expect sumptuous Japanese interiors, artistic cocktails, and an eight-course tasting menu featuring delicacies like tuna tataki salad, hamachi carpaccio, seared Wagyu beef, red miso glazed Chilean sea bass and a flight of ice cream in matcha, dragon fruit, miso caramel and black sesame flavours. Yoku also offers a plant-based tasting menu ideal for vegetarian and vegan diners.
Mint Restaurant at Tewkesbury Park
Chef Anuj Thakur leads the team at Mint Restaurant at Tewkesbury Park, which offers a six-course tasting menu plus an optional matched wine flight.
Its inventive dishes blend regional produce with Asian-inspired flavours, like lobster and salmon raviolo with coconut and tamarind shellfish broth; red onion, spring onion, chive and leek bhaji with tamarind ketchup; butter chicken roulade with makhani sauce; Cotswold lamb rack with spiced keema croquette; and Valrhona white chocolate and rhubarb with lychee and rose sorbet.
The Nook on Five in Cheltenham
As Cheltenham's first rooftop restaurant, guests at The Nook on Five can enjoy drinks and dinner with incredible views across the Regency town and beyond.
Its five-course tasting menu, available on Fridays and Saturdays, is created by celebrity chef, John Burton-Race, and features dishes like hand-dived Orkney scallops with caviar and fennel, ballotine of duck liver with port and fig gel, and fillet of Herefordshire beef with bone marrow sauce and fondant potatoes.
