The Best Pubs Near Felin Fach Griffin, by the Record
-
Rank 1. The Bull's Head
Farm-to-fork British Pub
Six miles of single-track road separates this former drovers' inn from Hay-on-Wye, which tells you something about the kind of quiet it keeps. Flagstone floors, slate walls, and open fires set the tone for farm-to-fork pub cooking that runs on meat from the owners' regenerative farm and produce from the surrounding Black Mountains valley. Dogs are welcome in the bar, cabins sit on the grounds, and the Sunday roast is not negotiable.
-
Rank 2. Black Bear Inn
British Pub
A gastropub in the Gwent countryside where the menu changes every week, following whatever's coming in from local farms and suppliers. Josh and Hannah Byrne run the room while the kitchen turns out seasonal plates that lean into the landscape around them. The wine list favors small European producers working sustainably, which sounds earnest until you taste it. Good spot to land after a walk along the Usk.
-
Rank 3. Heathcock
Contemporary British Pub
A champagne and oyster bar tucked into a century-old Llandaff pub is a choice that takes confidence, and the Heathcock pulls it off without blinking. The menu changes twice daily, leans hard into nose-to-tail Welsh cooking, and shares a kitchen philosophy with sibling pub the Hare & Hounds in Aberthin. Sharing plates are the move here. The Michelin Guide awarded it a Bib Gourmand, and the kitchen garden out back keeps things seasonal whether you like it or not.
-
Rank 4. Hare & Hounds
Gastropub British Pub
The pub runs its own smallholding, kitchen garden, and bakery, so when the menu changes twice a day at this Welsh gastropub, it's because something was just harvested. Tom Watts-Jones trained at London's Anchor & Hope and brought that ethos to the Vale of Glamorgan, making everything from cultured butter to fresh pasta in-house. Sit in the bar, dining room, or garden for cooking that's unfussy but clearly serious about its ingredients.
-
Rank 5. Charlton Arms
British Pub
A gastropub sitting right on the River Teme, with terraces that make it nearly impossible to eat inside on a fine day. The menu moves comfortably between French and British without making a fuss about it, running from fish soup with rouille to battered haddock to sticky toffee pudding. Muddy walkers, well-behaved dogs, and people on date nights all seem equally at home here. It holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.