The Raven, Bath

There were seven ales on in here, including a couple of house beers (Raven (£3.80) and Raven Gold (£3.70)), which I think are brewed by Blindman Brewery. A list of bottled beers from around the world was above the bar counter. Oversize lined glasses are used, so a full pint is guaranteed, and the Guv’nor made the point that he preferred to err on the side of generosity, which is a very rare (but welcome) attitude to say the least. The speciality of the house as far as food is concerned seems to be the selection of pies, at £9.20 a throw, which looked pretty good although not sampled by yours truly. Other food is also available of course. There are no tall tables/tall stools here, with just traditional metal-framed Britannia tables, upholstered settles and small stools as the furnishings. On the walls are some unusual yet attractive cartoons drawn or painted on wood panels, and at the back is a Bath stone fireplace – now disused with a settle in front of it. I saw another room upstairs advertised, but didn’t investigate it. But the best thing (perhaps after the superb ale selection) for me about this pub is that it was quiet – no music was being played and I didn’t see a TV (if there was one somewhere it wasn’t on). There were the sounds of people talking though, which I think is what pubs should be about.This is an excellent pub and well worth a visit if in Bath. It’s a GBG regular, and I’m not surprised that it’s been the local CAMRA branch’s pub of the year. Highly recommended.

Small back street pub, long room downstairs with the bar along the side. Not much to it & the beer was average.