Best brunches in Bath, from Landrace Bakery to The Village in Larkhall

Everything in Bath is walkable, whether you’re powering up Gay Street to get eyes on The Circus or weaving back down through Union Passage to tick off the abbey and Roman Baths, which makes scheduling an early pitstop essential. Step forward the best brunches in Bath, the places to refuel, whether it’s a cider hangover you’re trying to cure or you’re on the hunt for a tiny bolthole that throws Somerset’s bounty into the spotlight, somewhere you can happily lose track of time for the morning. Expect your usual fare – stacks of plump pancakes, eggs aplenty – but also cheese scones made with the kind of buttery cheddar that only Somerset can claim and the city’s culinary piece de resistance: the sweet Bath bun, topped with blissfully cumbersome sugar crystals.

Landrace Bakery

First came the queues for the bakery in 2019 on arty Walcot Street, with heaving trays of sticky cinnamon buns and sourdough (made with grains from its mill at the Westcombe Dairy near Bruton) disappearing in a flash; then it was a table in the restaurant upstairs, which opened in 2021, that became the hottest ticket in town. And last year Landrace opened a café downstairs: the chicest spot for breakfast, with bistro chairs, café curtains and bar stools to perch on at the window armed with a bun filled with a bakers’ egg (a sort of fluffy omelette), Somerset bacon and rhubarb brown sauce – plus one of the smoothest flat whites in town, made with beans from nearby Roundhill Roastery.

Address: Landrace, 59 Walcot Street, Bath BA1 5BN
Website: landrace.co.uk

Green Bird Café

On a warm day, pretty Margaret’s Buildings does a good impression of somewhere much further flung, with tables spilling onto the street and gaggles of locals diving into ruby red Isle of Wight Tomatoes on local Bertinet bakery sourdough or scrambled eggs dripping with roasted chorizo. It’s walk-ins only, so dip into Patrick and Neri William’s curated homewares shop Berdoulat opposite while you wait for your table or pick up a novel from the second-hand and antique book shop Bath Old Books further along the street to read while you nurse your coffee back at the cafe. There’s a good line in gluten-free cakes here too (made by local set up The Wild Flour Cake Company) – perfect to pack in your pocket as you set off to tick off the sites, darting between the Royal Crescent in one direction, and The Circus in the other.

Address: The Green Bird Café, 11 Margaret’s Buildings, Bath BA1 2LP
Website: greenbirdcafe.co.uk

Cortado

In the throng of crowds heading towards Pulteney Bridge, it would be easy to breeze past Cortado without noticing it. But strike lucky and get a spot in this tiny set-up run by an Argentinian-British couple and you’ll find a menu worth settling in for. There are fluffy pancakes with an encyclopaedic choice of toppings, Turkish eggs or just a bacon bap if that’s what you’re in need of. And at whatever time of day you end up passing, don’t leave without loading up on their Argentinean empanadas for the road. This is a place that’s dedicated to putting this corner of the West Country in the spotlight: milk is from local Chew Valley Farm, meat from Larkhall Butchers, and the chai is from Bath-based Henny & Joe’s.