Finding Opium: The Hidden Bar Near Pulteney Bridge

There is no sign, no awning, no fuss. Here is how to find the unmarked door beneath Grove Street.

Opium is not hard to find, exactly. It is simply easy to walk past. There is no awning, no chalkboard, no host beckoning from a doorway. That is the point. The best-known secret in Bath keeps its secrecy on purpose, and the descent is part of the pleasure.

Start at Pulteney Bridge

Stand on Pulteney Bridge, that rare bridge lined with shops, and let it orient you. Opium sits a short walk away, beneath Grove Street. Come on foot: the lanes here are made for it, and the city is at its most cinematic in the minutes before you arrive.

“

Look for the door that does not want to be found. Then open it.

The unmarked door

When you reach the right door, you will know it by its reticence. A single light, perhaps. No menu in the window. Step through, take the stone stairs down, and the noise of the street falls away. Below, the vault waits: gold, candlelight, the watchful stag and a bar built for conspiracy.

If in doubt, send word ahead and we will guide you in. Half the regulars found us by accident. The other half were told by someone who swore them to secrecy.