In the past decade, the Welsh food scene has exploded, with chefs celebrating local produce in creative, innovative ways. Here’s where to eat on your journey around the country’s coast
Words by Jenny Oldaker
1. For superb small plates – Yr Hen Printworks, Cardigan
Located in a 19th-century chapel that has seen various incarnations in its time – including as the printworks for local newspaper the Tivyside for 30 years – Yr Hen Printworks opened its doors in 2021. Since then, it has built a sterling reputation for its exceptional service and delectable small plates, including a Bib Gourmand designation for three consecutive years (the Michelin award reserved for exceptionally good food at moderate prices). The focus is firmly on the use of fresh ingredients from local suppliers, demonstrating the vast wealth of quality produce on offer around south Wales (yrhenprintworks.co.uk).
Stay at The Boathouse in nearby St Dogmaels, a romantic cottage for two overlooking the Teifi Estuary, costing around £586 per week (coastalcottages.co.uk).
2. For a meal with a view – Lan y Môr, Saundersfoot
It’s difficult to imagine a more picture-perfect location than that of Lan y Môr, which sits right beside the golden sands of Coppet Hall Beach with expansive views over Carmarthen Bay. Chef director Hywel Griffith and head chef Gerwyn Jones lead the kitchen team, celebrating Welsh produce in a curated menu that showcases local ingredients, including a selection of snacks and small plates, and hearty mains from land and sea. Wash it down with a Welsh craft beer or cider, or pick from the wine, which champions progressive and sustainable winemakers across the globe, including Pembrokeshire’s Velfrey Vineyard (lanymorsaundersfoot.co.uk).
Saundersfoot Seaside Stay is a seafront apartment that sleeps four, with prices starting at around £428 for seven nights’ stay (beachstays.co.uk).
3. For an immersive experience – Ynyshir, Machynlleth
With two Michelin stars to its name, Ynyshir makes for a unique gastronomic adventure. Set just south of the Dyfi Estuary in Ceredigion, it is helmed by chef and co-owner Gareth Ward. This destination dining experience takes the form of a tasting menu, featuring a multitude of creative, flavour-driven dishes, from A5 Wagyu to local shellfish and playful desserts. A curated soundtrack comes from a live DJ each night, adding an extra layer to this remarkable culinary journey. Book the ‘Backstage Pass’ or ‘Front Row Seat’ tables if you’d like to be ‘in the thick of all the action’, nearest the kitchen or music system. Rooms are available too – Dinner and a House Room costs £1,266 per couple. Dinner only is £468 per person (ynyshir.co.uk).
4. For laid-back luxury – Touring Club, Penarth
Inspired by (and named after) a hotel, bar and restaurant in Patagonia – a region of South America with a Welsh-speaking population – Touring Club is a relaxed, sophisticated venue focused on quality, local produce and an extensive list of wines, beers and cocktails. Firmly rooted in Wales’ tradition of hospitality, the place has become a gastronomic hub in this southern seaside town, and it’s easy to see its appeal. Owners Bryn Williams, Grant Maunder, Dylan Griffith and Rowan Hobbs have created a chic, sociable setting in which to enjoy the carefully prepared selection of uncomplicated but delicious bites which have gained the restaurant a well-deserved Bib Gourmand listing (thetouring.club).
Half a mile across town, Beachcliff offers accommodation, with Seaview rooms starting at around £90 per night (beachcliff.co.uk).
5. For innovative sharing plates – Dishes by Andrew Sheridan, Prestatyn
Housed in a former cloth shop on Prestatyn’s High Street, Andrew Sheridan’s Dishes is a mecca for innovative sharing plates that celebrate Welsh ingredients from both land and sea – from rich local mutton to succulent Menai oysters. The Michelin-listed restaurant only opened its doors in 2024 but has already garnered rave reviews for its creative flavours, top service and intimate yet buzzy atmosphere. Opt for the Chef’s Choice menu for a fantastically varied exploration of the restaurant’s incredible range (restaurantdishes.co.uk).
Situated less than a mile away from Dishes, The Nest is a Prestatyn-based self-catered cottage for two, complete with Finnish sauna, with prices starting at around £484 for seven nights’ stay (sykescottages.co.uk).
6. For a prime shoreline location – Beach House Restaurant, Gower
The Michelin-starred Beach House perches on the shoreline of Oxwich Bay, serving the finest food with the most spectacular sea views and an exquisitely styled interior. Led by celebrated Welsh chef Hywel Griffith and head chef James Freeman, the restaurant’s menus showcase Wales’ gloriously diverse produce in refined dishes that look just as beautiful as they taste. Seasonality is front and centre here, and menus mirror the culinary calendar, allowing natural ingredients to shine, whether it’s the tender Gower salt marsh lamb or the freshest Oxwich Bay lobster (beachhouseoxwich.co.uk).
Stay at the Oxwich Bay Hotel – the cosy en-suite Secret Garden Pods sleep two people and start at around £125 per night (oxwichbayhotel.co.uk).
7. For fine dining in a historic house – The Gunroom, Caernarfon
The restaurant at Plas Dinas country house – the former home of Lord Snowdon – is headed up by Daniel Ap Geraint, Wales’ regional winner of the BBC’s Great British Menu in 2025, who has earned both a Michelin listing and two AA rosettes for this elegant north Wales venue. The afternoon tea here is a highlight and the historic building is an atmospheric setting, but the main attraction is the fine dining experience at The Gunroom, which changes monthly. Its ‘hybrid taster menu’ features a starter, main and dessert interspersed with inventive chefs’ courses.
The rooms at Plas Dinas are individually styled and eminently comfortable, starting at around £199 per night for a Classic Room for two with breakfast (plasdinas.co.uk).
8. For Beachfront bistro seafood – Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias, Colwyn Bay
Whether you want to experience a top-notch afternoon tea, a breathtaking breakfast or book for full-on lunch or dinner, this seafront restaurant is one of north Wales’ favourite gastronomic haunts. It’s led by renowned Welsh chef Bryn Williams, who worked in some of London’s most prestigious restaurants before launching his own ventures. With a Bib Gourmand listing under its belt, his Porth Eirias bistro has become a magnet for foodies and (as one might expect from its location) has a particularly fine line in seafood – its fish pie may well be the best you ever taste (portheirias.com).
For a spectacular stay, opt for the National Trust-owned Bodysgallen Hall, just south of Llandudno. Its self-catering cottages sleep from two to four, starting from £295 per night, for a minimum of three nights (bodysgallen.com).
9. For a city stay – The Heathcock, Cardiff
Yet another proud holder of the Michelin Bib Gourmand honour, The Heathcock is a perfect place for excellent food in a wonderfully relaxed setting. It also has a cosy cocktail bar that’s an ideal place to bookend your dining experience (and also serves up cheese and charcuterie if you’re simply looking for a light bite). The restaurant menus change daily, dictated by the seasons, and feature the best produce from Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan – and The Heathcock’s own kitchen garden provides fruit and veg year-round.
The focus here is on good food with a nod to Welsh cooking, and it’s renowned as a welcoming venue for fine food in the Welsh capital. There are three exquisite bedrooms on site too, starting at around £91 per night for a weeknight stay (heathcockcardiff.com).
10. For Michelin dining in Menai – Sosban & The Old Butchers, Menai Bridge
Taking its name from the historic butcher’s shop in which it is housed, this restaurant has put Menai Bridge firmly on Wales’ gastronomic map. Boasting one Michelin star, it is an intimate space that offers a constantly changing surprise tasting menu, based on the best locally sourced ingredients available on the day. Stephen Stevens is at the helm, lauded for his incredible flavour combinations and original gastronomic creations, served from an open kitchen that allows a full immersion into the experience and enables Stephen to introduce each dish personally (sosbanandtheoldbutchers.com).
For a refined stay nearby, the lovely Chateau Rhianfa on the banks of the Menai Strait has rooms starting at around £120 per night including breakfast (chateaurhianfa.co.uk).
