21 Best Restaurants in Wales

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.

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.

It might be in an uninspiring space in a city-center shopping mall, but this little restaurant, run by members of the Hare Krishna community, is the best place to go for good-value vegan food. From their traditional dishes of dahl and curry to falafel wraps and vegan burgers, there's something to please most tastes. Or you could just take a break from sightseeing with a chai or lassi accompanied by a delicious cake. The restaurant also hosts regular events including meditation sessions and spiritual talks. 

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 charming whitewashed inn serves elegant Welsh cuisine in a rustic dining room. Fish is a specialty, underlined with plenty of regional flavors like the salmon and leek fishcake, while the beef and lamb are locally sourced. The inn is about 1½ miles west of Raglan Castle. To get there from the castle, turn left out of the gates onto the one-way road, then backtrack towards Raglan, passing the castle again on your right. At the roundabout, take Clytha Road.

This charming little vegan bistro offers an interesting menu full of freshly cooked food. Expect copious Buddha bowls with a rainbow of vegetables as well as spicy dishes, wraps, and plenty of mouthwatering sweet treats. The coffee is pretty good, too. 

This trailer on the seafront in the attractive village of Mumbles, about 4 miles west of Swansea, serves up some of the best shellfish in the area. Order some crispy chili prawns or dressed crab and sit on a bench to take in the views of Swansea Bay. The only downside is that it's closed over the winter.

This fashionable, cozy café-bar with a social conscience has plenty of options for vegans and vegetarians. During the day, the menu features mainly soups, sandwiches, and salads while in the evening there are sourdough pizzas and sharing boards—all made with local produce where possible. A popular student hangout, Hoogah has a good range of local craft beers and some great cocktails. There's usually live music on Saturday night.

It's mostly oysters and mussels on the menu at this seafood and wine bar found in an Edwardian arcade opposite Cardiff Castle, but you'll also find lamb with seaweed in a bun and a handful of other inventive dishes for carnivores, all designed for sharing. Diners and drinkers sit almost elbow-to-elbow on reclaimed wooden tables, undoubtedly wondering which guest chef will be next to run a pop-up supper club at Cora's, a small restaurant upstairs. Alternatively, just pop in for one of their own-blend coffees and watch the world go by. 

This 17th-century coaching inn close to Hay's center is ideal for a lunch break after you're done ransacking the nearby bookshops. The restaurant's sophisticated cooking emphasizes local meats and produce—for example, the Welsh lamb rump with bean stew. There are also some interesting hot sandwiches available at lunchtime. You can even opt for an overnight stay in one of the country-style rooms.

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 cow pie with rich gravy and seasonal vegetables.

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.

This 19th-century chapel has been successfully converted into a café with four on-site bedrooms, complete with original features. It's a good spot for breakfast, and at lunchtime, you'll find sandwiches and salads on the menu. Book ahead for a delicious Afternoon Tea. The owners roast their own coffee beans and use local produce where possible. The café is 3 miles east of Llangollen.

Sheep's-milk ice cream, delicious cakes, and local produce mixed with international flavors are offered at this little café. Many customers come just for the coffee, especially the Lebanese variety.

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 Eryri (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. House-made 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.

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.