Make sure you don’t get disappointed by any of your meals and enjoy our top picks of Bourton-on-the-Water restaurants that you need to add to your to-eat list.
Bourton-on-the-Water (dubbed the “Venice of the Cotswolds”) is arguably one of the most picturesque villages in the Cotswolds.
Unlike many other Cotswolds’ villages, Bourton-on-the-Water is full of activities for all, from beautiful hiking paths to a mind-boggling maze.
More importantly to some, it also has loads of great restaurants to scratch the foodie itch, especially for a village in the Cotswolds where there aren’t always a lot of options.
Good food is a crucial part of a getaway, but it can be so easy to accidentally miss the best places to eat.
After all, if you’ve never eaten there, how can you possibly know where you NEED to eat, and where you can skip?
That’s where this article can help! Check out our recommendations for Bourton-on-the-Water restaurants you can’t miss.
Top 7 Bourton-on-the-Water Restaurants
The Rose Tree was one of our favourite Bourton-on-the-Water restaurants.
This place is located right in front of the river, and also has an outdoor patio where you can eat outside and enjoy the riverside view in the warmer weather.
The camembert starter for 2 (I took this as a personal challenge) was straight out of a fairytale, and I was told the sirloin steak was glorious.
You know those meals where everything is fantastic? This was it.
To make sure that you can experience this gem, we recommend booking the restaurant in advance! Rightfully it is very popular with tourists and locals alike.
Located just across the bridge near the Motor Museum, the spot is so pretty that even just waiting in the queue outside this bakery was lovely.
The extent of the queues also allows you to spot the bakery from quite a way away – but having been there twice in less than 4 days, we can safely say that Bakery on the Water is definitely worth the wait.
If you need more convincing, Kyri says that the bacon sandwich was the best he ever had, and he has extensive experience in the subject. Brown bread doesn’t usually get the love it deserves because of the interior taste, but you might feel differently with the brown bread from the Bakery on the Water. It is the tastiest and softest brown bread you will ever have.
You do really have to try it for yourself.
Their sweet menu is on the sweeter side of our liking, but we cannot deny that they make some amazing pastries. The coffee was also very good!
We didn’t realise until too late, but they also have a back garden spot which is lovely to sit in.
Who would have thought that a restaurant name associated with kitchen rodents could prove to be so popular among the locals and tourists?
The Mousetrap Inn is the perfect place for those who love the pub atmosphere and a traditional British vibe but also partial to gourmet food.
Their starter game is especially strong – we’ve loved our many trips to Spain, but the spiced Padron peppers and especially ham hock croquettes may have outclassed most of the Spanish versions we’d had.
The Peanut brittle dessert was also veeery naugh-tasty I mean.
Art lovers can also enjoy and purchase all the arts on the walls.
4. The Den
If you are looking for a simple place for lunch that can elevate simple dishes like salad and sandwiches, look no further than The Den.
The Den is a slightly unassuming small restaurant, but the menu contradicts this completely.
They had so many options for vegan and vegetarians alike, offered hot and cold sandwiches, salads… and then there were the desserts. Melting brownies and beautiful cakes (we really recommend the St. Clements Drizzle) will have you wolfing down the main so you can get to dessert.
We really enjoyed everything we tried.
The only downside is that due to Covid’s restriction, there was no indoor seating and a couple of outdoor tables were right next to the road. You can always just grab something and go and have a picnic on the sides of the River Windrush though!
This place will hit the spot if you are looking for a quick breakfast/lunch spot at a reasonable price.
As the name suggests, it is situated right by the river and has plenty of indoor seating, so you will be able to seek refuge here when it’s raining. The view from the seating upstairs is also perfect, especially on a sunny day.
The menu is pretty extensive, you can find full English breakfast, soup, sandwiches, and more here.
It may not sound like anything special, but sometimes you just want something simple done very well, and the Riverside Café hits this spot brilliantly.
They also apparently do excellent tea and scones!
6. Smiths
Everything about Smiths implies a fantastic meal and experience.
The burger menu and add-ons will have you salivating, and the place is very popular.
As one of the few burger places in Bourton-on-the-Water, you can also tell Smiths takes pride in their #1 position on Tripadvisor.
From our experience, I think we were a bit unlucky as it didn’t fully live up to the hype.
The nacho starter was pretty great, but our order had a couple of things wrong. Also make sure to ask for your burger how you like it, as Kyri was surprised to find the default was “well-done”.
We’re willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, and we’re pretty sure that you can still have a really nice meal here if the other excellent reviews are anything to go by.
If you are looking for a spot to enjoy an afternoon snack, you might be able to find a few places that make delicious scones.
The scones here had caught our eye a few times. The ability to sit outside right near the River Windrush and just admire Bourton-on-the-Water also looked like peak English behaviour.
Naturally, the idea was appealing… we were in the Cotswolds after all.
The scones from The Cornish Bakery are enormous and almost a meal in themselves. They were also pretty soft.
The only thing is we were a little disappointed to find that the clotted cream and jam were prepackaged. Maybe that’s the norm, but we’d imagined fresh cream, maybe some strawberries, melt-in-your-mouth butter… So maybe our expectations were a little high.
All in all, this was a nice spot for a mid-morning or afternoon snack!
We hope some of these Bourton-on-the-Water restaurants made it onto your eat list!
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