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Wales has developed a thriving restaurant scene over the last decade or so, and not just in major towns. Some truly outstanding food can be found in rural pubs and hotel restaurants. More and more restaurants are creating dishes using fresh local ingredients—Welsh lamb, Welsh Black beef, Welsh cheeses, and seafood from the Welsh coast—that show off the best of the region's cuisine.
On the beach at Oxwich, this stylish Michelin-starred eatery is considered one of the best in all of Wales. The beautifully presented dishes are made using excellent local ingredients, particularly seafood. Menus start at £94 for three courses. The solid wine list features some interesting additions from Wales, Macedonia, Croatia, Uruguay, Lebanon, and Armenia.
This contemporary hotel restaurant certainly lives up to its name (which is Welsh for "taste") as the dishes are some of the best you’ll find in Wales. Head chef Sam Owen and his team were awarded three AA Rosettes in 2022 for their creative use of local, seasonal produce, which could include the likes of crab caught in nearby Solva or lamb from a local farm. Despite the hotel’s spectacular coastal setting, there are unfortunately no views, but the food, cocktails, wine, and professional service more than make up for it. Reservations are recommended.
Wales has undergone something of a culinary renaissance in the last couple of decades and this fantastic center is a great place to explore why. Traditional cheeses, house-made ice creams, and other artisanal food products are for sale in the farm shop and deli; there's also a bakery, a butcher, a coffee bar, and a wineshop where you can pick up Welsh malt whisky. The Furnace restaurant serves breakfast and snacks, including pizzas, while the Hayloft Bar & Grill has plenty of local meat dishes on the menu for lunch and dinner. Bodnant is on A470, 12 miles north of Conwy.
Close to Harlech's mighty castle, this friendly "restaurant with rooms" is a wonderful find. Chef Glyn Roberts uses locally sourced ingredients from salmon to lamb to create imaginative, beautifully presented contemporary dishes with a Thai accent. The main house has three spacious, modern rooms and four more are in the annex, a 16th-century coaching inn. The aviation-themed bar (the inn's owner was previously a pilot) is well-stocked and has views over Yr Wyddfa (Mount Snowdon).
Well, this is unusual: a trendy restaurant in which all the food is prepared by prisoners; the idea behind The Clink (British slang for jail) is that those serving time for minor crimes are given the chance to turn their lives around by gaining experience as gourmet chefs. The restaurant (just outside the prison grounds) is a bright, modern space, and the Modern British food, made with local, seasonal produce, is genuinely delicious. Note that they don't serve alcohol.
This excellent "restaurant with rooms" is renowned for its creative use of local products and the rustic-chic vibe. Fruit and vegetables come from the Griffin's own organic kitchen garden, while meat is sourced from surrounding estates such as the Welsh Venison Centre. If you'd like, stay over in one of eight cozy, vintage-style bedrooms, complete with Welsh blankets and fresh flowers; dinner packages are also available. The inn is in Felin Fach, 5 miles northeast of Brecon.
Located right next to the beach, this unassuming restaurant is one of the best in south Wales. Pembrokeshire beef, Carmarthen ham, and locally caught lobster are the mainstays of the menu, served on the terrace in summer. The extensive wine list has a good selection of French wines, but be sure to try one of the house cocktails.
In a crenellated former park lodge a short walk west of the entrance to Cardiff Castle, this cozy tearoom is the place to go for superb cakes such as Victoria Sandwich or Lemon Drizzle. There's a good range of sandwiches and around 20 teas on the menu, but the splendid Afternoon Tea is the real draw here (reservations advised). The outdoor terrace overlooking Bute Park is a lovely spot when the weather is nice.
Flickering candles, open fireplaces, exposed stone walls, and top-notch locally sourced food are hallmarks of this restaurant and bar, which dates back to the 10th century. The menu contains a selection of Welsh-reared steaks and other meat dishes, but outstanding seafood is the real specialty—try the pan-fried sea bass or seafood linguini. The romantic setting is as much of a draw as the food. Check out the huge stone Flemish chimney.
Although Cardiff doesn't boast any Michelin-starred restaurants, there is a slew of fine-dining eateries and this is one of the best. Inspired by the wonderful produce from his native western Wales, head chef Tom Simmons creates exquisite French-influenced dishes like lamb cannon with black garlic and beef tartare with truffle. The stylish restaurant, which resembles a gentleman's club crossed with a brasserie, is located in the fashionable suburb of Pontcanna, a 10-minute drive from the city center.
Regarded as one of the best chefs in the United Kingdom, Shaun Hill has been at the helm of this rustic-chic restaurant 3 miles northeast of Abergavenny since 2008. The focus here is on local, seasonal produce with international influences; lunch is £42 for two courses. There are also a couple of cottages nearby if you want to stay the night.
This two-Michelin-star restaurant, housed in a Georgian mansion set among parkland, is one of the best eateries in Wales thanks to its wonderful dishes featuring the best local, and international, meat and fish. The only option offered by chef Gareth Ward is a tasting menu featuring a whopping 20 dishes—the whole experience takes four to five hours. There are just five tables and a bench for two next to the open kitchen as well as a table for four in the kitchen. There are also 10 elegant rooms if you would like to stay the night.
