One restaurant in Wales has Two MICHELIN Stars
Ynyshir, Machynlleth, Powys
300 GBP • Creative
Promoted from One to Two MICHELIN Stars in the 2022 Guide, this destination restaurant has a pastoral setting on the edge of Snowdonia National Park. Chef-owner Gareth Ward treats guests – who are all seated at the same time – to around 30 or so intricate and imaginative dishes where Asian influences abound, whether that’s duck with hoisin sauce, or miso-cured black cod. The chefs bring the dishes to the table themselves and this personal approach helps to create an immersive dining experience.
Six restaurants in Wales have One MICHELIN Star
Home, Penarth, Cardiff
50 - 90 GBP • Modern Cuisine
‘Home’ means many different things to different people – but one constant is a feeling of comfort and care, which this intimate restaurant delivers in spades. A new entry into the Guide in 2022 with One MICHELIN Star, James Sommerin’s charming eatery is a friendly, family-run affair, and the experienced chef uses first-rate Welsh produce to create modern dishes with distinct flavours. Table-side theatrics add to the fun – just make sure you save room for some cheese from the trolley.
SY23, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion
95 - 110 GBP • Modern Cuisine
A new addition to the Guide in 2022 – and also winner of the ‘MICHELIN Opening of the Year Award’ – is this fun, contemporary restaurant part-owned by Ynyshir alumnus Nathan Davies. The moody blue colour scheme makes a visual statement, while the buzzy ground floor bar and vibrant soundtrack contribute to the lively atmosphere. European and Asian influences lead the way on the 10-course menu, with the charcoal grill used to good effect. The generously priced wines by the glass provide the opportunity to try something new.
Walnut Tree, Llanddewi Skirrid
40 - 60 GBP • Modern British
The Walnut Tree sits in rolling hills, two miles east of Abergavenny, and has been one of the country’s leading destination restaurants since the 1960s. Chef Shaun Hill has been behind the stoves here for over 20 years, cooking the sort of food he likes to eat himself, and the restaurant has held a Michelin Star since 2010. Top quality seasonal ingredients, including local beef and game, are used in balanced, perfectly judged dishes, whose apparent simplicity belies the expert craftmanship behind them.
Sosban & The Old Butchers, Menai Bridge
59 - 145 GBP • Modern Cuisine
Owner Stephen Stevens offers a 10-course culinary journey to a select number of guests at this relaxed, intimate restaurant in a rustic former butcher’s shop on the Isle of Anglesey. The surprise menu showcases locally sourced Welsh produce in original, boldly flavoured dishes, and the sublime combinations are expertly balanced, demonstrating Stephen’s innate understanding of cooking techniques. The pace of the service is spot on.
Beach House, Oxwich
70 - 95 GBP • Modern Cuisine
This charming restaurant has a beautiful, secluded setting right on the sands of Oxwich Bay, and chef and native Welshman Hywel Griffith champions produce from local farmers and fishermen on menus written in both English and Welsh. Assured, confident cooking has a Welsh heart and offers well-judged flavour contrasts, with the various components of each dish working together to put the spotlight on its main ingredient. Go for the 8-course tasting menu to fully experience Hywel’s talents.
The Whitebrook, Whitebrook
49 - 110 GBP • Creative British
Chef-owner Chris Harrod is inspired by his surroundings, and 90% of produce served at his remote destination restaurant comes from within 12 miles, with rare breed meats from down the road and sea vegetables from the Severn Estuary. The team also make use of foraged ingredients from local hedgerows, woodlands and the estuary, and grow herbs, fruit and vegetables in their kitchen garden. The refined, balanced dishes have a beautiful subtlety which lets these first-class ingredients shine through.
Two restaurants in Wales have a Bib Gourmand
Named after Bibendum – the Michelin Man – the Bib Gourmand award highlights restaurants offering good quality, good value cooking.
Hare & Hounds, Aberthin
35 - 41 GBP • Traditional British
The Hare & Hounds dates back over 300 years and is a locals’ pub at heart, with bags of character, from its buzzy bar to its solid stone walls and wood-burning stove. The chef aims to make this pub the most seasonal in Wales and the concise menu is led by produce from his 3-acre allotment, family farms and hunting and foraging trips. Expect generously sized, boldly flavoured plates of proper British cooking, with plenty of game, mushrooms and hedgerow berries.
Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias, Colwyn Bay
44 GBP • Modern British
This striking brasserie has a special location right on the promenade, a stone’s throw away from the sea, and features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Colwyn Bay. The eponymous owner is a proud Welshman who hails from Denbigh and his cooking is chock-full of Welsh produce. The vibe is friendly and laid-back, and locally caught fish and shellfish lead the way on the unfussy, great value menu, which offers something for everyone. The baked Alaska is a must-have!
Two restaurants in Wales have a MICHELIN Green Star
The MICHELIN Green Star highlights restaurants that are at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practices. In 2022, only 31 restaurants have been awarded this distinction in the whole of the UK and Ireland.
CHAPTERS, Hay-on-Wye
46 - 61 GBP • Creative British
A new addition to the Guide in 2022 is this personally run restaurant with a quirky vintage feel. Creative modern cooking comes with a strong sustainability ethos: much produce comes from their own garden, while wild foods are foraged and preserved. Menus are printed on recycled paper and composted after use, and crockery, art and furnishings are upcycled. The restaurant also supports local charities including ‘Feeding the Homeless Wales’.
Henry Robertson – Palé Hall, Llandderfel
70 - 90 GBP • Modern British
This elegant restaurant is set within Victorian mansion, the Palé Hall Hotel, with a lovely view of its garden. Menus reflect the seasons, and the local larder is very much to the fore in the dishes – including organic herbs, fruits and vegetables grown in their own walled garden. They have an on-site hydro-electric plant, which provides carbon-neutral energy to power the entire hotel, and also run an incentive scheme for innovative contributions to reduce their carbon footprint.
