Vintner, The

If you fancy eating and drinking in the place that is reputed to have served as William Shakespeare's off licence, The Vintner is that place. The fine timber-framed building has been little altered since it was built in the late-1400s and provides a handsome setting for the café/bar, a restaurant and private dining in our Banquet Room.

Handy for the Royal Shakespeare Theatres and open 7 days a week, the cuisine ranges from traditional English cooking through to Pan-European, and draws on fresh, local produce.

Visitors and locals mingle cheerfully, assisted by a wine list that will take you on a challenging journey round the globe (Shakespeare obviously knew a thing or two), all of which helps towards creating the high zing factor that rings around the ancient beams.

The Vintner has to be one of the busiest places in town! In 1490, the half-timbered building was completed and after some 500 years, it's still privately owned.

In 1600, John Smith traded here as a wine merchant and it's reputed that William Shakespeare came here to buy his wine. If the list which he was able to choose from then bears any resemblance to the one on offer to those who eat and drink here now, then Will certainly knew a thing or two!

Open 7 days a week, The Vintner offers a modern café/bar and a handsome, non-smoking restaurant. The Banquet Room, seating 20 for private parties, provides the ideal setting for a wedding breakfast, a reunion, that special birthday party or a meeting of the Board perhaps? The menu, from £25.95 per person, offers a delightful three course meal, with optional champagne on arrival.

In the a la carte restaurant, they serve breakfast from 10am daily, and offer their a la carte menu all day until 10pm, with weekly-changing specials to supplement the excellent choice available on the normal menu.

The extensive a la carte menu is for those with the time to savour English classic and pan-European cooking, often with fresh, local ingredients, against a relaxing and historic background.

Wine buffs will be pleased to know the list reads like a Grand Tour and house wine at £10.95 a bottle sets a good standard.

All of this is available from 10 till 10, seven days a week, two minutes stroll from the Royal Shakespeare Theatres and the River Avon, with parking close by. Little wonder The Vintner is the place to be.

For further information a visit to their Website comes highly recommended!