This vegetarian heaven will quickly convince you to give up meat, simply because this pub is too good to live without.

The Venue
The Porter is a bit of a Bath insitution. Prominently located on George Street, it flies its vegetarian flag with gay abandon. It's spread over two rather bright rooms that are furnished with the typical pub tables and chairs.

You have to walk downstairs into the cellar bar to discover The Porter’s real character. Here the walls are covered with brightly coloured painted figures, and there are two pool tables, many corners to sit and talk, game machines and a stage.

The People
During the day, The Porter is a stronghold of Bath's environmentally concious, slightly hippy community. It is a nice and rather friendly crowd that welcomes anybody. You usually find a middle-aged man here just to have a quiet pint.

Most of the people, though, are young. At night, The Porter is an almost mandatory stop on your way to The Moles club, which is almost downstairs. It gets busy and it attracts a varied crowd. They also host the regular Comedy Cavern, gigs and many other activities.

The Food
You will not find meat or fish anywhere here, but the beautiful thing it's all traditional pub grub. You can still buy pies and a Sunday roast, just with different ingredients and with a clear vegan label for the strict vegetarians.

You can start the day with a vegetarian breakfast (£5.25) and come back for lunch to sample one of their mains (£5.75). There's spinach lasagna, vegetable curry, chilli bean casserole and shepherd’s pie. And burgers are available as well, with a choice of vegetable or spicy bean patty (£5.75) and they come served with all the toppings and trimmings.

Hot pies (£5.75) are usually forbidden to vegetarians but at the Porter they are all vegan and the fillings include cream of mushroom, chestnut cassoulet and Mexican sweetcorn. Traditional Sunday roast (£6) and baked potatoes (£4.25) complete the lot.

The Drink
They serve a good selection of beers and wines and their speciality is cider. Choose between Stamford Press, Perry, Weston’s Organic or opt for a lager. Options include Grolsch, Tiger and San Miguel alongside Bellringer ale. Prices are fairly average for Bath, but you can get a bargain pint during the happy hour with Fosters, Bellringer and Woods and coke for £2.

They also offer a dozen wines, priced from £10 up to about £12 and the list explains which ones are vegetarian and which one are vegan. And in the cellar bar they even serve a few cocktails.

The Last Word
Vegetarian or not, visit The Porter. It's simply one of Bath's best pubs. And once you've tried their food and drink you'll surely agree.

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