The Welsh restaurant named the best in Wales by the Good Food Guide
Nation.Cymru staff
The Good Food Guide has published its annual 100 Best Local Restaurants list and there is one Welsh eaterie which made a massive impression on the judges.
Six Welsh eateries made the prestigious 100 best local restaurants of 2006 list, but number five on the Good Food Guide’s list and it’s Welsh Winner is The Black Bear Inn located in Bettws Newydd, Monmouthshire.
The Good Food Guide writes: This year, our teams of inspectors, reviewers and the thousands of you who nominated, have gone above and beyond to find those special places – ranked for the first time from 1-100 – that are the beating heart of every community, venues where the welcome is as good as the food and the atmosphere feels effortlessly warm and friendly. From a traditional Italian in Lancashire and a bottle-shop-cum-restaurant in Cardiff to a tiny space in Mull that serves the best Scottish produce, these are the must-visit local restaurants for 2026.
Welsh winner The Black Bear Inn was described by the Good Food Guide as ‘Thrilling cooking in a remote, rural location’.
The Guide wrote: ‘Overall, to find this level of cooking in such an unassuming location was a real treat,’ is praise indeed for Josh and Hannah Byrne’s warmly welcoming rural dining pub, which is surrounded by rivers, mountains and fields.
‘Perched proudly by the side of the road – and seemingly a beacon in an area with not much else around – the Black Bear Inn has quickly built a reputation with diners who keep coming back because the food is precisely what they want to eat.
‘From what must be one of the smallest kitchens in Wales comes a menu heavily weighted towards delicious snacks (we got a little overexcited and ordered too many), but the trio of starters and mains is well worth investigating – perhaps Dexter beef tartare with fried bread and anchovy mayo or haddock and mussels in herb butter sauce.
‘The largely European wine list offers an astonishing range for a country pub, full of excitement, with interesting grape varieties all over the show, interspersed with some orange stuff and chilled reds. Check the blackboard for excellent by-the-glass selections.’
It’s a double celebration for The Black Bear Inn which was recently named the Best Gastropub in Wales by travel guide Time Out.
Time Out’s review of the The Black Bear Inn read: If it’s castles you’re into, this part of the UK has them by the bucketload, so factor a few historical stop-offs into your journey before winding your way down the snakelike country roads to your Welsh gastropub reward.
Welsh rarebit as an opening snack is a no-brainer, but the rest of the seasonally guided menu will be harder to choose from without FOMO. Will it be Wye lamb shoulder with confit potato, red wine sauce, kale and anchovy mayo or Cornish Octopus with rainbow chard and blood orange?
Fish and seafood are a big draw too, while the wine list has everything from Pet Nat to Cote Rotie with plenty of local cider if that’s your preferred bevvie.
Usk itself is a picture postcard Welsh town which is famous for being covered with flowers. It has won the Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘Wales In Bloom’ competition 37 years in a row.
It takes its name from the River Usk on which it sits, perfect if you enjoy a bit of salmon fishing.
(All images credit: The Black Bear Inn)
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