A short stroll from Bath’s auspicious Royal Crescent, this smart gastropub in a Georgian townhouse is a popular spot for locals and visitors in search of a pint of local ale or cider, quality wines and lively contemporary food. The Chequers’ Sunday lunches – served all day in the bar and upstairs dining room – are the stuff of local legend, and set-lunch menus during the week are good value at £12 for two courses. Come for dinner and you can expect more ambitious stuff along the lines of curried beetroot soup with a goats’ cheese bonbon, followed by Creedy Carver duck breast and confit leg with celeriac and mandarin salsa or pan-fried turbot with steamed mussels, purple potatoes, samphire, braised fennel, lemon and caper butter. Related to the nearby Marlborough Tavern and the Hare & Hounds at Lansdown.