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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.
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.
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.
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.
Housed in a redbrick building near the Principality Stadium, this rustic-chic restaurant specializes in Spanish grills and wine. Try a sirloin from a Spanish dairy cow and then round it off with a Catalan tart accompanied, of course, by some sherry. Sunday lunch follows the Spanish tradition of shared rice-based dishes. The group also owns a stylish boutique hotel, Parador 44, located above the restaurant as well as a tapas bar, Bar 44, around the corner on Westgate Street.
With its gorgeous view over Cardiff Bay, this undeniably romantic restaurant is a popular choice. The classic French bistro menu is jazzed up with international influences like tempura tiger prawns and classic mac-and-cheese, but it's the steaks, especially the Chateaubriand, that diners come here for. The extensive wine list has a decent selection of vino from around the globe.
Seasonal, local produce is what it's all about at this sustainable restaurant located in an attractive old stone building in the town center. The two-course set menu features beautifully crafted dishes like crab and potato samosa with Welsh kelp and local cheese with pickled walnuts. Advance notice is needed for diners with specific dietary requirements.
On the top floor of Cardiff and Vale College's City Centre Campus, this smart restaurant with panoramic views from the floor-to-ceiling windows is run by catering and hospitality students. The menus, which change with the seasons, are overseen by some of the top Welsh chefs working in the United Kingdom. The beautifully presented dishes are made with local produce; even the bread is baked here. The restaurant also offers cooking master classes and short courses.
Tucked down a lane off Wind Street, the town's main nightlife area, this cozy restaurant is consistently reliable for good food in the city center. The London Ritz--trained chef deftly turns out delicious dishes made with the best local ingredients. The two-course lunch menu is good value, and the fish courses are the most popular option. Book in advance and ask for a table upstairs as the downstairs "cave" can be a bit claustrophobic.
Named after the nickname for people born within Conwy's town walls, this sophisticated eating place above an old cinema is the place to go for fine dining. Chef Nick Rudge, who trained at Heston Blumenthal's the Fat Duck, only serves a nine-course seasonal tasting menu inspired by the produce and heritage of Wales. A lighter lunch is available for £55 on Friday and Saturday.
Vaulted ceilings and exposed brick walls provide a dramatic backdrop to this restaurant down the block from Cardiff Castle. Formerly a bank vault, today the Potted Pig turns out superb Welsh dishes. Starters like pork pâté with toast and pickles and a choice of delicious desserts keep diners happy. Servers are warm, attentive, and knowledgeable about the impressive wine list; you can also opt for one of the 30 gins.
