Wales on a plate: 10 of the best restaurants, hotels, pubs and food hubs
The King’s Head Inn, Llangennith, The Gower
The Gower peninsula is home to some of Wales’ most beautiful beaches, and the King’s Head makes an ideal base for Gower’s beautiful beaches, with hearty pre-walk breakfasts and evening feasts for refuelling. Dating to the 17th century, bedrooms– housed in adjoining modern buildings – come with all mod cons and are dog-friendly (add £10 per night). Somewhat surprisingly, the restaurant specialises in curries – Vietnamese and Thai as well as Indian, with a good range of gluten-free dishes, desserts, and vegan options.
Doubles from £135 B&B; kingsheadgower.co.uk
Inn at the Sticks, Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire
Dating back to 1806 and once a resting place for pilgrims heading to nearby St Davids, a major revamp saw the inn reopen in June 2023, with a new focus on locally sourced food. The inventive Welsh menus – featuring the likes of cockle popcorn and beef-brisket Wellington – led to the 2024 Good Food Guide naming it Best Local Restaurant for Wales. The five bedrooms are comfortable and unfussy, and the new deli offers goodies to take home, as well as charcuterie and cheese boards, with an excellent selection of wines.
Doubles from £120 B&B; innatthesticks.com
Forage at Penllyn Estate, Vale of Glamorgan
Tuck into succulent steaks, hearty roasts or oxtail hash, all sourced from the Penllyn Estate’s own farm, at Forage, which offers authentic farm-to-fork dining alongside good fish and veggie options. Forage, which also operates as a farm shop, is one part of the estate, which is also home to 24,000 free-ranging hens and rare-breed pigs that truffle freely in grass paddocks. The six Cowbridge Cabins are neat, crisp and comfortable and as welcoming to kids and dogs as couples.
Doubles from £80, room only; cowbridgecabins.co.uk
Bodnant Welsh Food, Conwy
Come to Bodnant to eat, shop, stay or cook. This family-owned foodie hub in the heart of the Conwy valley works with local farmers and producers to showcase the best of Welsh produce. Light lunches, Welsh roasted coffee and indulgent cakes are on offer at the Courtyard, while the Hayloft – with a lovely outdoor terrace – offers more elevated dishes. Bedrooms at the stone farmhouse are smart and cosy, with the chance to join cookery courses covering everything from one-pot cooking to Thai to tapas.
Doubles from £150 B&B; bodnant-welshfood.co.uk
Caws Cenarth, Carmarthenshire
Cheese-lovers should make a beeline for Caws Cenarth, the oldest producer of Welsh farmhouse caerffili, where a tradition of cheese-making carried through six generations has resulted in an exceptional range of hard, soft, blue and sheep’s cheeses. Visit on Mondays and Wednesdays between noon and 3pm to join “cheese-making observation hours”, and book the Dairy apartment to settle in with a feast of goodies from the shop.
Apartment from £125 a night; cawscenarth.co.uk
The Priory Hotel & Restaurant, Caerleon, Gwent
Bringing a Spanish flavour to historic Caerleon, the Priory reopened in January after a major upgrade to its restaurant, which now houses an open kitchen and state-of-the-art dry-ageing fridges for its locally sourced meats. The 27 rooms ooze country-house elegance without a hint of chintz; muted pastels, exposed wooden beams and crisp white linens. Each one is perfect to retire to after dipping into the extensive wine cellar and feasting on overnight pork belly or dry-aged venison barbacoa with hispi cabbage.
Doubles from £165, room only; thepriorycaerleon.co.uk
Home at Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan
Eight courses of exquisitely prepared, Michelin-starred dishes await at Home, where chef James Sommerin works alongside his daughter, Georgia, in the kitchen. Dishes are constantly changing, might include laverbread with cultured seaweed butter, liquid pea ravioli with crispy sage or honey, and chamomile custard with warm doughnuts. More good news is that there’s no longer a need to stagger out into the night after a superb dinner as Home now has a brand new apartment to retire to.
Apartment from £150 a night; homeatpenarth.co.uk
Narberth, Pembrokshire
Fast becoming Wales’ premier foodie hub, Narberth has a clutch of excellent eateries, including Green Michelin-star winner Annwn (annwnrestaurant.co.uk), where the 10-course tasting menu uses foraged ingredients, new street food venue Hwb (hwbnarberth.com) and Madtom (madtomnarberth.com), which focuses on local fish and seafood. Ultracomida, a Spanish-style deli, and treats from the Rock & Dough bakery will sustain a walk. Top Joe’s townhouse is a chic place to stay – with the best pizza in town.
Doubles from £115 B&B; topjoestownhouse.com
Llys Meddyg Hotel & Restaurant, Newport, Pembrokeshire
With a smokery, wood-fired kitchen and produce of the surrounding Pembrokeshire countryside to forage from, Llys Meddyg is the best kind of foodie break – one with roaring log fires, sofas to curl up in and e-bikes for exploring the area. In summer, the Secret Garden – complete with private outdoor pods with overhead heating – is a gorgeous spot for dinner, while the 15th-century cellar bar is the perfect place to hole up for days when the worst Welsh weather sweeps in.
Doubles from £125 B&B; llysmeddyg.com
Cardiff Central Market
A central market has existed in the Welsh capital since the 1700s and the current glass-roofed building is more than a century old. Pick up a pot of cockles at Ashton’s; nibble on warm, hand-griddled Welsh cakes at Bakestones; try Polish pierogi and even vegan bao at the marvellously named Bao Selecta; and browse the plenty of non-food stalls selling gifts and homewares. Stay at Parador 44, a slick boutique hotel with Spanish touches throughout, from Andalusian furnishings to classic tapas dishes in Asador 44, the neighbouring restaurant.
Doubles from £129 B&B; grupo44.co.uk.
