8 ways to eat out on a budget in Somerset
Dining – or rather mostly lunching – at independent restaurants and for £30 per head or under (updated for 2026)
I suppose it’s just the making of a well-functioning economy, but no one seems to spend any money for the first six weeks or so of the year, every year.
Whether that’s because it’s too cold to go out, or because the general public have parted with all their cash during Christmas, either way it’s a fact restaurants are all too aware of.
And so exists the set menu lunch, one of the primary tools hospitality uses to put a little more wind in its sails throughout January and February.
Trouble is, the best deals always seem to be the hardest to find. Let that now be less the case, as I’ve come up with a list of good (either on authority or from my own judgement) independent restaurants in Somerset offering up remarkably budget-friendly options for eating out. If, in most cases, you don’t mind venturing out for lunch and if, in most cases, you don’t mind forgoing one of the traditional three courses.
Need it be said, extra spend is not expected but encouraged – particularly as you’re getting a good deal already, and particularly as local independent restaurants tend to operate on wafer-thin margins as it is.
Alfredo’s
“Italian food with a pinch of Somerset” is how they do things at Alfredo’s (comparisons with the pizza place of the same name in The Office may end here). Although their £18pp lunch menu has now snuck off the list of options — a true sign of the times — the good people of Somerton and beyond can still get a couple courses and a glass of wine without breaking into £30 territory.
alfredos.uk
28 Market Pl, Somerton TA11 7NB
Castle Farm
Two years ago I made the claim Castle Farm puts on the best Sunday roast in Somerset. I’d submit to you that that’s still true, and these days at the not at all pricely sum of £23 per head. Only trouble is if you want a table, then you probably should have booked it three months ago. Failing that, keep an eye out for cancellations.
castlefarmmidford.co.uk
Midford Rd, Bath, BA2 7PU
Below the paywall: The full, up-to-date guide on where to eat in Somerset for £30 or under