We love a good pub in the UK, be it a traditional tavern with a logburning fire and sausage rolls on the counter or a snazzy gastropub serving up delectable local delicacies paired with refreshing craft ales.
To honour these beloved cornerstones of British culture, The Good Food Guide has created their first ever 100 Best Pubs list, showcasing what the publication’s writers and readers believe to be the best boozers from right across the UK.
Five pubs from Wales are included in the list, with one esteemed establishment featuring in the top ten.
Placing ninth in the top 100 list, the Inn At The Sticks, located in the village of Llansteffan in Carmarthenshire, is a grade II-listed pub that has been welcoming guests since 1809. Once a rest stop for pilgrims en route to the cathedral of St Davids, the pub today draws a steady flow of locals and tourists alike, who come seeking a taste of the divine selection of beers on tap or to sample the heavenly meals, elevated by the use of quality local ingredients.
A little further down the list is The Felin Fach Griffin, which holds the number 19 spot. Situated just north of the town of Brecon on the edge of the Brynnau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park, the pub is the model of a modern country inn, with exposed wooden beams and fireside sofas, a vast beer garden, and a sumptuous food menu crafted with ingredients from the area's well-known markets.
Other Welsh inclusions on the list appear in the form of the atmospheric Hare & Hounds in Aberthin, which is over 300 years old and also holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (awarded by the Michelin Guide to venues with exceptional cuisine at affordable prices), and The Bunch of Grapes, a staple of the Pontypridd community since 1851 that now boasts a microbrewery on site, producing a range of small-batch beers.
Representing the wealth of historic watering holes within the Welsh capital Cardiff, The Heathcock, located 20 minutes outside the city centre, also appears in the list, with the inn a popular dinnertime spot thanks to its inventive seasonal menu that can include anything from pies to slow cooked lamb shoulders to whole Welsh baked seabass.
Of course these five venues are just a fraction of the many magnificent pubs that can be found throughout Wales. We have pubs that are perfect spots to cosy up on a winter afternoon and community-run pubs alive with local spirit. There’s also a selection of taverns with intriguing histories and links to local folklore, such as the Y Talbot in Tregaron, where an elephant is claimed to be buried in the pub’s beer garden!