DA COSTA

For a first visit, that combination of critical approval and consistent guest rating tells you the kitchen is doing something right with Italian technique in a part of Somerset that already punches above its weight for serious dining.

The restaurant sits within the Hauser & Wirth arts complex at Durslade Farm on Dropping Lane, a conversion of farm buildings into a gallery, garden, hospitality space that brings a particular kind of deliberate, design-forward energy to everything on site. Walking in, you are immediately met with the smell of wood-fired cooking from an open kitchen that is itself the visual centrepiece of the room. Pots, pans, chairs hang from the ceiling. Wood furnishings dominate. The effect is a country kitchen taken seriously, warm and unpretentious in feel, but considered in every detail. It is the kind of room that relaxes you before the food arrives, at the £££ price point it should.

The noise level is worth knowing before you book. Wood surfaces and an open kitchen in a converted farm building mean sound travels. At capacity, DA COSTA is animated and lively rather than hushed. If you are after a quiet, intimate dinner, plan to arrive early or on a quieter midweek service. For groups or for the kind of meal where the energy of the room is part of the appeal, the atmosphere works strongly in its favour.

What the Kitchen Does Well

DA COSTA's menu is built around Italian technique with a focus on hand-cut pasta and wood-fired cooking. The Michelin Plate recognition, introduced in 2025, confirms the kitchen has reached a level of consistency that distinguishes it from casual Italian dining in the region. The bigoli with venison ragù, one confirmed dish from the record, is the kind of preparation that illustrates the kitchen's approach: hearty, grounded, with enough technical discipline to make the pasta itself a point of interest rather than just a vehicle for sauce.

Hand-cut pasta at this level requires both skill and daily attention. It is the sort of work that separates a kitchen with genuine Italian craft knowledge from one borrowing aesthetic cues. For first-time visitors, the pasta dishes are the clearest signal of what DA COSTA is trying to do and how well it is doing it. Wood-fired cooking adds a second layer of technique, the combination of the two anchors the menu in something more considered than the sum of its rural setting and casual register.

For Italian cooking with comparable technical seriousness in a UK context, you are looking at a short list. 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong and cenci in Kyoto occupy a different tier entirely, but they illustrate the lineage of craft Italian cooking that DA COSTA is drawing from. Within Somerset and the surrounding region, DA COSTA sits at the top of that Italian tradition by a meaningful margin.

How to Book and What to Expect

Booking difficulty is moderate. The Michelin Plate recognition will increase demand, the Hauser & Wirth complex draws visitors from London and beyond, so do not assume walk-in availability on weekends. Booking ahead by one to two weeks is advisable for dinner; a few days' notice may work for midweek lunch. The restaurant is at Durslade Farm, Dropping Lane, Bruton BA10 0NL, accessible by car, with parking on site at the farm complex.

The £££ price range positions DA COSTA above casual dining but below the tasting-menu end of Bruton's offering. For context, that puts it at a level where you should expect to spend meaningfully, but where the format is à la carte rather than a fixed multi-course commitment. For a first visit, that flexibility is useful: you can build your own meal around the pasta and wood-fired sections without committing to a full tasting format.

No dress code is listed in the record. The setting suggests smart-casual is appropriate and consistent with the gallery-adjacent crowd, but the room's warmth and informality mean this is not a place where you need to overthink it.

Is It Worth the Trip?

If you are visiting Bruton for the first time and want one dinner that represents the town's serious food credentials, DA COSTA earns a place on the shortlist. The 2025 Michelin Plate is recent recognition of a kitchen that has found its level, the combination of Italian technique, a well-considered room, the Hauser & Wirth setting gives the meal a context that is hard to replicate elsewhere in Somerset.

For those exploring the wider region, Bruton's dining scene sits in interesting company. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London, Waterside Inn in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, Moor Hall in Aughton, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, and Hand and Flowers in Marlow represent the benchmark for serious destination dining in the UK. DA COSTA is not at that tier yet, but the Michelin Plate is the kind of entry signal that warrants watching. For Italian specifically, it is already the most technically credentialled option in this part of the country.

See our full Bruton restaurants guide for the complete picture, check our Bruton hotels guide if you are planning an overnight stay. If budget is not the constraint and you want the most ambitious cooking in town, Osip is the answer.

Briar sits at ££ and offers a more accessible price point for casual contemporary dining, a good choice if you want something lower-commitment than a £££ Italian dinner.

At the Chapel and Matt's Kitchen are worth considering if you want a different register. DA COSTA is the right pick when Italian craft cooking and the Hauser & Wirth setting are what you are after.

How far ahead should I book DA COSTA?

• Book one to two weeks ahead for weekend dinner, especially since the 2025 Michelin Plate will drive increased interest. Midweek lunch may be possible with a few days' notice, but do not count on it in peak season when Bruton's gallery visitors are in town. Booking difficulty is rated moderate, it is not impossible last-minute, but it is not worth the risk if the meal is the point of your trip.

Is DA COSTA good for solo dining?

• Yes. The open kitchen counter setting and the informal, design-forward room make solo dining comfortable rather than conspicuous. At £££, the spend is manageable for a solo visit built around two or three courses. The animated atmosphere means you are not sitting in silence either, which is a practical advantage at a lively wood-fire kitchen. If you want a quieter solo experience, aim for a midweek service.

What should I order at DA COSTA?

• The hand-cut pasta is the clearest expression of what the kitchen does leading, the bigoli with venison ragù is the one confirmed dish in the record and is described as the epitome of the menu's hearty, technically grounded style. Build your order around pasta and the wood-fired section for the most representative meal. The Michelin Plate recognition points to consistent quality across the menu, so trust the kitchen's Italian instincts rather than defaulting to safe choices.

Is DA COSTA good for a special occasion?

• Yes, with one condition: if your priority is a hushed, formal celebration dinner, the lively atmosphere of the wood-fire kitchen room may not suit. For an occasion that benefits from a design-led setting, serious food credentials, a room with genuine energy, DA COSTA works well. The £££ price point signals a special meal without the full commitment of a tasting menu format. For the most formal special occasion option in Bruton, Osip at ££££ is the alternative to consider.