Budō in Bath and North East Somerset

I recently celebrated my wife’s birthday at Budo Izakaya, and it was truly a fantastic experience! The food was exceptional—every dish was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The staff went above and beyond to make the night special, accommodating all our requests with genuine hospitality. The vibe felt like a true izakaya in Japan, lively and welcoming, creating the perfect atmosphere for a memorable evening. Highly recommend Budo Izakaya for anyone looking for an authentic Japanese dining experience!

Oh my Dave. So good. Good food. Good people. Good times.

Nice service, friendly staff. Feel like being an Izakaya. Food quite nice too. Yakitori is amazing. Sake nice too.

Protect this place! Great beers great food 🙇‍♂️

We had a lovely meal here on Saturday night. The food was very good. It’s a small menu but all well cooked! The decor is a little dark and dingy and a bigger table would help with all the small plates!

Food was excellent, the curry was delicious and the kimchi pancakes are amazing. The sakura sour was awesome! Very friendly staff, will definitely be back :)

As a fan of Japanese cuisine, I wanted to come here per the excellent reviews I saw but I now slightly regret this. Staff were welcoming when we got in, but had not made an effort to clean our very sticky table (they had a hour between lunch and dinner servings...a break to do something...) or the floor underneath the table (I didn't know a mushroom was under my shoe until midway -_-). My other half wasn't impressed. Oh, and the menus were a little sticky as well. Next, the food. My gosh it was small. And expensive! To be honest, 5 dishes were enough so I will give them credit for that as it wasn't a belly burster, but the tastes of them were fine. Nothing amazing. And our waitress was...fine? Average. And lastly, the receipt. A 12.5% service charge which made a meal jump up from £30~ to mid £40. I get it goes to the staff, but it seems a lot. A 5% service charge might be more reasonable. I understand the culture in America, but in the UK it seems silly.

The food was delicious, rich in flavors, and the texture was superb! Not just the food, but the staffs were amazing, good recommendations from them. Highly recommended if you want to have a taste of the Japanese culture!

Not many restaurants in a provincial city would serve a post theatre crowd so cheerfully at 10pm. Budo is a great space with a terrific team serving delicious food.

We visited this place by chance. We were visiting from London and had the idea of just having a drink and some nibbles. However we ended up staying here for dinner. The food was of such high quality and the drinks were great too. We have lived in Japan and England and clearly the chefs here have cooked in Japan. The meats are of high quality and taste authentic. The staff took good care of us and were helpful but not overbearing. This was definitely our favourite experience at an Izakaya outside of Japan and is well worth a visit for drinks and food!

Amazing, the food, cocktails, service, 10/10. Ordered about 15 dishes. We were literally like the mum and dad from spirited away that cant stop eating at the buffet and turn into pigs. 🤤 still thinking about it ngl

Came in on a whim as I keep walking past and it keeps grabbing my attention. I’m SO glad I went in! Some of the best food I’ve had in a long time, highly recommend if you’re visiting Bath! Can’t wait to come back again 🫶

Really great little place. Fantastic sake collection, good food, and the staff are lovely. Dimly lit during daylight hours, but that doesn't even matter when everything else is so enjoyable.

The best Japanese food I’ve had in a LONG time. Thank you Budō! ^_^

Very good Japanese cuisine. The dangos are excellent.

What a fabulous bar and restaurant ! The service was increase , the cocktails de lions and the food blew us all away ! We will definitely be returning to try more !

The food was excellent, the staff were friendly and laid back, the music and ambience was very good. We will be returning.

The place is small but cute with a large selection of Japanese alcoholic beverages. We didn’t have food this time but we still enjoyed ourselves.

Really enjoyed our first visit to Budo. The food was delicious and the service was very friendly. Also enjoyed sampling the wide range drinks available, the saki was particularly good. We'll be back again soon!

lovely atmosphere, amazing drinks made by joe! will be back soon :)

A novel, exciting and really enjoyable evening. Loved the sake!

Outstanding and unique. Well worth a visit. The salmon dish is amazing and the small plates mean you can try different things. Beautiful place and very chilled.

Amazing service and food. Real specialist and friendly, professional staff. Menu delicious. Offers a really unique experience.

Really, really good Japanese food. The kimchi pancakes are exceptional.

Lovely cosy feeling japanese feeling place. The person behind the bar was lovely and welcoming and he had fun showing us one of the bomb drinks where you hit the bar to make a shot fall into a drink that's balanced on chopsticks. The food was really tasty and well seasoned with a good balance of flavours and a good price for portion and quality. The decorations were a cool japanese style, would go again and again.

I visited Budō and can give the following feedback to give context to my 3 star review. Positive: Friendly service, good eclectic music, and excellent drinks - the draft beer and the sake were a real highlight and reasonably priced. Negative: the food looks reasonable value until you see the portion sizes. They are truly sub-tapas and so small as to be practically unshareable (and we are not big eaters). In this context, £9.50 for a single, solitary piece of mackerel (a famously inexpensive fish) is difficult to swallow. The hearts were tasty, but so so tiny, and the pork belly was just two tiny skewers that arrived 20 minutes after the rest of the food, and somewhat undercooked. I would definitely recommend providing normal meals that people can order without needing to get concerned about portion size.

Amazing place. Great aesthetic, the piped J-pop perfectly compliments the food, which although small portions, is stunning in flavour. The well stocked bar is also brilliant. A little corner of punk-Tokyo in the heart of Bath. Such a fun place!

Food was delicious, the flavours are varied and paired wonderfully. Highly recommend. We had the pork gyoza, sake mackerel, kimchi pancakes, and negima chicken skewers 😍

The food was astounding the service was quick and personable and the vibes were genuine. A place you should spend your money at!

One of our favorite places in Bath! We love their duck heart skewers, kimchi pancakes, and miso aubergine/eggplant. Make sure to get their cucumbers and pickled mushrooms to have with a cool beer.

Went in for lunch. 2 x starter, 2 x sort of main dishes and 2 x larger. For £60 which includes service at 12.5%. The lunch menu is very small and not much choice as they are trying to cater for all dietary requirements. Not many in which was surprising as it was a bath rugby home game day. In all very good value for a city venue

Had a lovely evening here, food was fantastic and very moreish! Especially the kimchi pancakes 🤤 Great drinks menu and lovely atmosphere. Beautifully decorated and the staff were knowledgeable about the menu, decor and drinks without being overbearing. Very reasonably priced and presentation was top notch.

Second to none Japanese food and the drinks menu is something else! Too much choice for one visit so will have to head back soon! The decor is amazing to walk about and admire. And the tunes were as good as everything else! I look forward to mooring in Bath in the future and hitting some Japanese whisky! (Drove into Bath this evening unfortunately) Thanks to the staff, nice vibes.

We had such a lovely night here! We sat at the chef's table downstairs which was a great opportunity to chat to the people making our food, and learn more about what was on offer. We never would have thought to try maruhatsu, or duck aorta, but it was delicious! The food was outstanding, the chef's were friendly and passionate about what they do, and the decoration is fantastic. We'll definitely be back.

Didn’t expect it to be busy at 5pm on a cold damp Thursday evening - and it wasn’t - but the staff were lovely (we sat at the chefs Table so easy to chat to them) and the food was delicious 👍 We will definitely be back!

Visited here with 3 friends for an early evening meal / drinks. Good points.... the food! We did a mix of skewers and small bites -12 plates between the 4 of us, with good range across chicken wings, monkfish, aubergine, salmon and others - portion sizes were perfect, each dish was tasty and well presented. Service was also spot on - we were served quickly, the team checked in on us at regular points and one of our group is coeliac and they paid a lot of attention to ensuring their needs / queries were met. Less good was where we were sat, but that's probably because I picked the wrong selection on the Resy App... but we were downstairs on a very short table opposite the toilet, it also lacked the "buzz" of the main space upstairs... not the best dining experience, but as I say... probably my fault as I selected the type of seating... on that note, it would be a good idea on the Resy booking system if you included more description of the type of seating. Anyway, will definitely be back to try again at some point.

The kimchi pancake is superb. Great veggie options.

As per other reviews this place really is a vibe. Great service, lovely sake, a procession of tasty dishes. Particularly enjoyed the duck hearts on skewers. I mean really fun, the kids loved it, the cocktails were banging. So yeah give it a go. Not stuff, very fun, reasonably priced food cooked in front of you (chefs table seating).

My favourite place to go locally!

Went for lunch on quiet rainy day so was difficult to judge proper vibe - bibimbap was delicious and so was kimchi-like starter. Liked the quirky decor - not sure how converted bus seats makes sense in a Japanese izakaya bar but I'm sure the staff could have explained if asked

Super Japanese vibe and the food is amazing. Big kudos of the designer for the place, sitting downstairs is like being transported there.

Always a fab evening, we have been many times. Delicious small plates to share. Great selection of beers and sake served by a friendly and knowledgeable team. Makes for a relaxing, enjoyable, sociable experience. Highly recommend.

Such a great vibe here, and the food is really yummy! Budō doesn’t break the bank but has a classy and aesthetic atmosphere. I’m excited to come back for cocktails

If you’re looking for an amazing place with character - this is the place for it. The staff is amazing and very attentive and welcoming. We went here for lunch and had a few bits. Everything was amazing - the cucumber, kimchi pancake, butternut squash and a salmon bowl! The drinks are also great! I would definitely come again!

Great little bar, great food and drinks and staff are super friendly and knowledgeable.

Really cute restaurant with really tasty food. Loved the sauces on everything, had a few things I've never had before that were amazing. Next time I'm in Bath, I'll come again.

Popped in for a drink with a friend. Rory our server was very informative, knowledgeable and clearly enthusiastic about the products they sell. Will no doubt be back soon!.

Such a great authentic bar! The Sake is soo good! 👌I can't wait to visit again!

The best Japanese place I have ever been to! The food I had here was insanely good! They also had these really cool Japanese sodas that you opened by pushing down on top of it to release a marble into the drink, which was basically the lid.

What a great place! They're friendly and knowledgeable and the sake is excellent. We only (!) had the three different sake flights, all of which were very drinkable and interesting, with a really surprising variety of flavours. I definitely want to go back with friends soon to try the food. For Japanese food in Bath, Robun on George Street is good but expensive and stuffy. The vibe at Budo is relaxed but obviously really passionate about what they do. It must be so hard to run an independent business in Bath, given what must be exorbitant rents, and they deserve your custom, if you're looking for good food and drink.

Delicious Japanese food, lovely atmosphere, great menu and incredible Sake! Next time, It is a 'must' to have a Japanese whiskey, thanks

Fantastic food and friendly service. Can recommend the plum beer, the kimchi pancakes, duck aorta skewers, and both the matcha yuzu and miso caramel tarts. Only downside is that some of seating is a little uncomfortable, and the decor in certain areas isn’t as nice as others (sit downstairs in the exposed stone wall area for the best surroundings). A fantastic place to grab a drink and some interesting food as a group, couple or solo! Budget around £40 - £50 per person for enough food, dessert and drinks for a full meal.

Lovely place - I'd say it's the most authentic Japanese place in Bath (although there isn't really much adequate competition in the city). The staff are super friendly & the drinks and food selection are good. I'm particularly keen on the edamame which is super authentic and delicious. The sake & whisky selection are great too. The only thing I find a tad odd is the big towel in the bathroom. It's merely not hygienic - I'd suggest the owner invest in a hand dryer or tissues.. This is not Japan after all and I'd prefer not to dry my hands in a towel used by hundreds of people daily.

Delicious Japanese food (beyond sushi). Delicious Japanese drinks. 100% recommend, I honestly can't imagine anyone who wouldn't love this.

Highly recommend: Gyoza - Pork and Coriander, Skewers - Pork Belly with Miso/Yuzu. Gyoza is truly delicious!!😋 It doesn't taste like something sold in an Asian supermarket, unlike other restaurants. Also, when you take a bite of the Pork Belly, there's a rich scent of yuzu, complemented by the perfect fusion of Miso flavors.

Only liked the drinks and music 🎶

We enjoyed the food (best was the salmon and pork skewer) and found everything we ate was tasty but for this price the portions are way too small. To the point that is borderline offensive. Spent 80£ for 2 with alcohol and then had to get a burger on the way home. Service and the overall ambience were exactly too the point, no complaints at all.

Excellent food, atmosphere, drinks. A refreshing change to the usual bath restaurants. You won’t regret it! Delicious!

Came here for a birthday dinner with some friends. The food, atmosphere and service are spectacular. Totally worth the price. We had Rory as a waiter and he gave top-tier service the whole night. Would definitely recommend

Oh wow! The food was fantastic, the rice beer was delicious and the service was wonderful, what a lovely team of people! The building is atmospheric & fascinating : in the renovation they had revealed sections of Georgian wallpaper and the Georgian stove. Wonderful evening!

What a lovely place! The staff were so helpful and friendly and went well over and above to make sure everyone was looked after. I’m Coeliac, which is often a nightmare when I go out to eat..not here! Highly recommend this fantastic little place.

Had a wonderful evening out with friends. Loved the downstairs decor. It had a great vibe. Delicious kimchi pancake and Sakura sour. Can't wait to go back.

Early days for this restaurant..minimal menu.

Incredible. Ate here last night after many months of wanting to check it out and it did’t disappoint. Every dish was banging, we had to order some twice as they were that good. Service also amazing, def new fave spot in town.

A quiet Sunday afternoon meal was special, mainly due to the delicious food. A friendly, relaxed atmosphere and an emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients. One of us followed a Plant-based diet and there was plenty of choice. A bar which serves great food, rather than a restaurant.

Absolute gem of a place. Incredible food, fantastic drinks list, great atmosphere, friendly staff. Can't wait to go back.

That was a great restaurant serving very delicious food from Japanese cuisine. We have tried almost all options in their menu and you would never be disappointed on any of them. The dessert, Matcha Yuzu Tart, is the one I liked most.

Delightful evening, charming staff and supurb authentic Japanese dishes - we'll be back for sure!!

Incredible atmosphere especially downstairs and the staff are so fast and attentive. We absolutely love coming here and will be back! The food is also out of this world and a fair price. As a local I can say place is a credit to Bath

This Japanese bar is a real jewel, beautifully decorated interior, great staff and of course excellent food & drink. The list of specialist sakes and beers is comprehensive, I was so busy enjoying my drinks I forgot to take any photos! The Izakaya small plates are authentic and very tasty. My personal favourites are the pickled mushrooms and kimchi pancakes, and I’ll be back for the miso crème caramel soon!

Lovely place! Great food and friendly service. Shall definitely be returning.

Thoroughly enjoyed my visit! Delicious food, friendly staff and great venue. We plan on returning time and time again. Can't recommend it enough!

Selfishly I don't want to review this place as I want to keep it to myself...but this one of the few restaurants in Bath that is actually doing great and unique food. Each small plate feels considered and simple at the same time. Tasty and not overly fussy. Be aware this is more like a bar where plates come out piecemeal so it's not a sit down family restaurant, but great if you want a chilled drink and food with friends over a few hours!

A unique, fun and memorable destination in Bath. Whether for a meal, snacks, or just drinks, this friendly bar is worth a visit. A huge range of interesting drinks including Japanese options not often available elsewhere. Delicious hot and cold food including vegetarian/vegan options. Take a look inside for the decor!

Loved the place , staff is friendly and helpful , great options on the menu , the atmosphere is amazing Personal favourite was the: Cozenshu Yuzushu ( if you like sweet and lemony flavours it’s for you) All the food was amazing, you can taste that they pay attention to the flavours The place has a true secret gem feeling to it

This is easily the most painfull review I have had to leave, the selfish side of me wants to give Budo a 1 star review just so I can keep it to my self, but that would. Be unfair to say the least!, So onto the Review unquestionably the most authentic Japanese food I have had outside of Japan. No questions asked easily the best Japanese food I have had in the UK. With some Quick maths it was roughly £95 to order one of every dish on the menu and about £125 to order every dish (specials included) when I got my bill I kind of felt like I was stealing from the place. In short food is unreal get your self there!

Fantastic drinks and atmosphere. Generally it's hard to find anywhere for a drink in Bath which isn't stuck up, but this place is just really relaxing with a great sake selection and good staff.

Wonderful food, drinks, atmosphere and service, I'm a huge fan of the pickled mushrooms & kimchi pancakes, and the specials are always interesting & delicious.

Awesome experience. When we arrived, they had no table avaliable, but still we got a nice place to wait and we ordered some drinks. Later we were able to order food, and it was amazing. Also, great staff, great service and generally a great place.

The atmosphere was good and the staff was super nice. I didnt like the food when I compare it to other Izakayas I have been to. The food seemed kind of simple. Also rice was overcooked. Another negative was very slow service. We waited long for drinks but also for food.

Oh my goodness this was fantastic! Good relaxed atmosphere, food was absolutely amazing- so fresh & delicious, would highly recommend. Great staff genuinely helpful for recommendations on drinks & food, definitely don’t miss out on this one, wish I lived in bath & could go more!

My favourite restaurant in Bath! I used to frequent Budo when they were above the Grapes. Quality, ambiance, and service at this new location is just as good, if not better! I recommend coming with 3-4 friends and ordering everything on the menu. Or come with your partner for a romantic night out!

Very nice place with many options. Service was super quick and staff were attentive. Decor is cool and vibey, you'll love this place. Give it a try.

Refreshing to see something a little different in Bath in form of an Izakaya bar. The small dishes are incredibly moreish. I personally recommend the skewers and grilled dishes, in particular the daeji bulgogi and the chicken hearts. They have an extensive sake menu and it’s nice to see a lot of their ingredients, such as their meat and seafood, are sourced locally. Service is friendly and attentive and the dining area is an intimate setting. It would also make a great place for a date night.

ren is a great chef (updated may 2022)

Amazing food and amazing service! Cosy room on top of the busy pub with unbelievable food and amazing service to go with it. Had both vegetarian and meat options all of which were so good, can’t wait to go back!

A truly wonderful place to drink some sake or shochu and let the evening drift away as you pair it with some absolutely amazing food! You could order anything on the menu and would not be disappointed. I simply can not praise the staff or the food highly enough! If you're looking for authentic Japanese food and an absolutely amazing atmosphere, then look no further!

Amazing little place serving a much-needed niche (non-sushi Japanese) in Bath. It's tucked away above the Grapes bar, so you have to go into the bar then find the stairs on the right hand side past the entrance. The menu is small but focused, so you may want to look at it beforehand to make sure everyone in your party can find something to eat. Over two visits we've probably tried 75% of the entire menu and have enjoyed every single thing we ordered. A few particular highlights were the miso-glazed aubergine and the Korean-inspired pork bulgogi. There's also a good saké selection and they're very willing to provide recommendations if you're new to the drink or just a bit overwhelmed. All in all, Budo Ba is a great find in the area and well worth going if you're looking for something a bit more interesting and different than the typical Bath restaurant scene.

Food was disgusting. Staff friendly

Amazing service and delicious food

Best Japanese meal I've had in ages!!

We came across this by accident, after we d eaten, but intend to return for food. We had Sake (plum) and it was lovely, very friendly staff

Great tasting food but very over priced & seems disorganised. I came here with my partner and we ordered 4 dishes (2/3 veg options for me) and (1 meat for him). Unfortunately although my meals came relatively quickly my partners didn't and I'd finished my food before his had even been made which completely defeated the object of going out and eating 'together'. The other major negative was the price. I paid £6 for half an aubergine and £6.50 for 4 very teeny butternut squash hash browns. The menu on the website which has dishes for around £4' is old and isn't the menu you get given in the restaurant - all dishes apart from the rice start at around £6's. I spent £15's (not including a drink and felt like I'd eaten a starter rather than a main and I'm not a big eater! The restaurant was also quite cold which meant I had to keep my coat on which wasn't great. It also has an air bnb above it so it feels a bit like a tourist trap...on the basis of the prices and the disorganisation I'd sadly never go back. The only positive was that the food was well cooked, well presented and tasted great.

They update the opening hours after we visited the place. When I got there it’s all dark and no one was there but on google maps it claimed that they were running.

A definite hidden gem in Bath serving great Japanese food in a chilled environment. The staff were lovely and offered many food and drink recommendations. Would definitely visit again. Try the shitake mushrooms, sea bream tartare, aubergine, pork bulgogi and yuzu tart.

Amazing authentic Japanese food in a lovely chilled out environment. Staff were very friendly and gave us some great menu recommendations. Will definitely be back!

Absolutely amazing experience. My partner and I were only in Bath for a night and decided to try out this izakaya place. We were not disappointed! Amazing experimental food on Thursday, lovely chef and others talking about food and sake, it was a great experience. Highly recommend!

Proper Authentic Japanese food. It was amazing! A Gem Everything was amazing You have to try the butternut squash!!

What a cute little find - think the only way to get through is to go through the pub. Attentive staff and great food. Will definitely visit again !

Absolutely wonderful meal, very inventive menu and loads to choose from. Brilliant Saki list too. The food was delicious and perfect for ordering things to share. I couldn't get over how inexpensive our meal was. A real jewel and well worth visiting.