42 Best Restaurants in Wales

In a converted mill on the River Dee, this pub and restaurant has an old waterwheel that turns behind the bar. Dine on the open-air deck or in the cozy dining room, sampling stylishly updated pub fare, such as grilled sea bass with potato and shallot terrine. There are light bites too, and dessert classics such as hot waffles with toffee sauce and bananas. Several of the ales are from Welsh microbreweries.

This pizzeria, a ten-minute drive west of the city center, serves arguably the best pies in town. The doughy delights, made with local produce, are cooked in a wood-fired oven; some have thin, crispy bases while others are deep-dish and filled with cheese.

Attached to the Holyhead Maritime Museum on Newry Beach, this bistro café offers the best view in town from its patio. Watch yachts, catamarans, and vintage sailboats crisscross the harbor while you wait for fish chowder, slow roasted pork belly, and lamb shank in minted red wine sauce, and marvel at the Victorian engineering skill required to build the breakwater, the United Kingdom's longest. Fresh ingredients from the bistro's own farm and local fishermen factor highly in the general praise, but it's the sunset seating Thursday through Saturday that is particularly coveted.

Up a small hill next to Ogmore Castle, The Pelican stands like a mirage. This friendly little pub is a welcome spot for lunch or a restorative pint after the long walk from Merthyr Mawr. Try the Welsh Farmer's Cheeseboard. 

A short drive from Nash Point is this historic pub, on the edge of the tiny clifftop village of Monknash. The food is delicious and unfussy; the menu changes regularly, but features tasty pub classics like burgers and fish-and-chips. Everything is served in a cozy dining room with a fireplace. There's a small but decent wine list, and an even better selection of real ales and ciders. It's popular with locals, so call ahead or be prepared to wait.

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.

In a seafront building in picture-postcard Porthdinllaen, this pub has what is undoubtedly one of the best locations in Wales. The lunches are honest and unpretentious: pies, sandwiches, or perhaps a plate of local mussels in garlic butter. Everything is delicious and reasonably priced. The atmosphere is friendly and slightly bohemian; this is the kind of place where they're pleasantly surprised you've managed to find it.

This coaching inn, built in 1636, is one of the best places to eat in Snowdonia. The food is traditional Welsh fare, beautifully prepared with local ingredients. Standouts include oven-baked Anglesey lobster with prawns and crayfish Thermidor, and Shepherd's Pie made with local organic lamb. Vegetarians are well cared for with such dishes as mushroom and pine nut Stroganoff. The inn also has simple, cozy bedrooms.

This lively, modern Spanish deli/vinoteca brings a splash of Mediterranean color to the Mid-Wales coastline. The menu is served tapas-style, with whatever is on offer from the deli that day, or you could just put together an upscale picnic basket. Whatever you decide, be sure to pull up a bar stool and savor some of the excellent Spanish wines. 

This family-run ice-cream parlor, café, and restaurant sits right on the seafront. Housemade pizza is a specialty, or you could just join the queue for the delicious fresh gelato. Every indoor and outdoor table has panoramic views of Swansea Bay. It's in Mumbles, a resort town southwest of Swansea.

This popular bistro in central Conwy combines traditional Welsh flavors with accents of the Mediterranean. In the rustic dining room, try the seafood and herb fritters to start followed by slow-roast shoulder of lamb with minted port wine jus and potato gratin.

This idyllic English countryside café, 21 km (13 miles) north of Holyhead, serves probably the best fresh cream scones with strawberries in Wales. The meat, fish, and potato pies impress as well, especially when followed by apple pie with custard, all homemade with fresh ingredients. For the full measure of Welshness, pop in mid-afternoon for traditional tea with scones. The nearby coastal path provides excellent motivation to work off the calories.