The High Pavement

Where Palmer Street Tilts Toward Andalusia

Frome's St Catherine's Quarter has developed a particular identity among Somerset towns: independent, photogenic, and increasingly serious about food. Palmer Street sits at the upper edge of that quarter, and The High Pavement occupies a position on it that feels almost inevitable in retrospect. The dining room is dressed in colourful tiles and carpets, the kind of material choices that communicate a specific culinary tradition before a single dish arrives. On balmy evenings, the garden tables become the more compelling option, and in the right light, with the right glass, Frome's rooftops do a reasonable impression of a Sevillian courtyard.

This is not a Spanish restaurant in the broad, catch-all sense. The kitchen works the Moorish seam of Spanish culinary heritage specifically: the centuries-long thread that connects southern Spain to North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, expressed through spice combinations, souring agents, and techniques that predate the modern Iberian canon by several hundred years. That specificity matters in a country where "tapas" still often means padron peppers and patatas bravas. Among our full Frome restaurants guide, The High Pavement occupies a distinct position precisely because it commits to a culinary argument rather than hedging toward the generic.

The Sourcing Argument on the Plate

The cold dishes are where the Moorish influence is most plainly readable. Muhammara, the spicy red pepper and walnut dip with Syrian roots, arrives with flatbread and rewards slow eating. Boquerones cured in Moscatel vinegar, finished with thyme and orange zest, demonstrate the Moorish habit of layering acid and aromatic together rather than keeping them separate. Both dishes depend on the quality of their base ingredients: the pepper, the walnut, the anchovy, the vinegar. There is nowhere to hide in preparations this direct.

The hot dishes operate at a similar level of ingredient honesty. Pig's cheeks with celeriac purée and parsnip crisps use a cut that requires time and attention to become what it should be; there is no shortcut to properly braised cheek. Persian-style joojeh-spiced chicken, dressed in yoghurt and saffron, belongs to the same Moorish continuum that gave southern Spain its citrus groves and its spice trade. The charcoal grill threads smoke through the menu, and even a vegetable side, sprouting broccoli in romesco, carries its own structural argument about the relationship between fire and sauce.

This is the kind of cooking where the sourcing decisions are embedded in the dish logic. Moorish cuisine historically was built around what grew, what kept, and what traded across the Mediterranean basin. A kitchen working in that tradition today is, at least implicitly, making choices about provenance and seasonality with every menu iteration. The result at The High Pavement is food that feels considered rather than assembled.

The Sherry List as Editorial Position

The wine list covers modern Spanish vinous developments with evident interest, and that alone would place it ahead of most comparable rooms in Somerset. But the sherry selection is where the restaurant makes its clearest statement of intent. Running from peanutty manzanilla through to treacle-dark oloroso, it covers the full stylistic range of a category that remains chronically underexplored in British dining rooms despite decades of critical advocacy.

Sherry's depth, from the saline, bone-dry biologically aged styles to the oxidative richness of an aged oloroso, makes it a more versatile food wine than its reputation suggests. Manzanilla alongside boquerones is a pairing with genuine historical logic; fino or amontillado through the meat dishes; oloroso as a counterpoint to the pistachio tart flavoured with orange and cardamom. The kitchen and the drinks list are working toward the same set of flavours, which is what coherence in a restaurant actually means.

For those exploring Frome's bar scene or looking for guidance on regional wine, the sherry program here is worth noting as a reference point for how a small room can make a serious drinks argument without a large cellar. This is a markedly different offer from the destination-dining circuit: venues like Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, The Ledbury, or L'Enclume operate at price points and ambition levels that place them in an entirely separate category. The High Pavement is doing something structurally different: it is making a regional and cultural argument through an accessible price point and a format that rewards repeat visits.

Finishing Well

Dessert follows the same spice logic that runs through the savoury menu. Pistachio tart with orange and cardamom is not a concession to familiarity; it is a continuation of the same Moorish flavour grammar. A plate of Spanish cheeses offers an alternative for those who prefer to finish on the savoury side, and given the sherries available, that is not a difficult choice to make.

A takeaway menu operates Thursday through Saturday for those who want the kitchen's cooking in a different context. It is a practical extension of what the room does rather than a separate operation.

Planning Your Visit

The High Pavement is described as "fantastically popular" in editorial coverage of the area, which in a town the size of Frome means that turning up without a reservation on a weekend evening is a risk not worth taking. The St Catherine's Quarter location is walkable from Frome's town centre, and the venue sits in a part of town that rewards time spent: the quarter's independent character makes it a reasonable anchor for an afternoon that extends into dinner. Those building a longer stay should consult our full Frome hotels guide and our full Frome experiences guide for context on the wider offer.

The room's atmosphere, tile-lined, carpeted, garden-accessible, is informal enough for families in the early evening and concentrated enough for a proper dinner later on. The format is tapas, which means the table can be shared or solo without awkwardness. Among the broader Somerset and West Country dining circuit, including strong rooms at Gidleigh Park and further afield at Moor Hall or The Hand and Flowers, The High Pavement operates at a different register: lower price, higher frequency, a kitchen working one cultural tradition with consistency rather than chasing novelty.