Restaurants in Worcester

Across from the cathedral, the Pub at Ye Old Talbot Hotel, Friar Street (tel. 01905/235730; www.yeoldetalbot.tablesir.com), contains lots of Victorian nostalgia and old-fashioned wood paneling that has been darkened by generations of cigarette smoke and spilled beer. It offers predictable pub grub that's a bit better than expected, especially when it's accompanied with a pint of the house's half-dozen ales on tap. The restaurant on-site is called the Black Pear Bistro, where the decor is more modern than in the pub. Here you can order lamb's liver in a red-wine sauce or slow-cooked tender leg of duck on a bed of green lentils. Half a roast chicken is another favorite. It's served with seasonal vegetables and a tarragon mayonnaise. Main courses cost £6.95 to £10.

One of Worcester's most whimsical restaurant pubs is The Sauce Factory, London Rd. (tel. 01905/350159; www.thesaucefactory.co.uk), serving some of the finest market-fresh meats, including sirloin steaks, pork cutlets, and lamb chops. Main courses cost £12 to £18. The walls are decorated with posters advertising food flavorings, all the accessories of an old-fashioned kitchen, plus an enormous ceiling map of Britain in ceramic tiles. Open Tuesday to Saturday noon to 2:30pm and 5 to 9:30pm, Sunday noon to 4pm.