Excellent pub outside of Carephilly. It was exactly what we were looking for. We travelled to…read moreCardiff for a Karate tournament and were staying nearby. It was an excellent tasty dinner in an old Welsh pub. The staff was super staff and cheerful. There was a great selection for dinner. Our order was traditional meals with steak pies, fish and chips, and burgers. My wife had scallops and sea base, and my son had salmon. We then loaded up on the desserts. I had the chocolate brownie with cotted vanilla ice cream. We left a big tip. They earned it.

When I think of a pub, I would never associate classy, rustic, and countryside views with it…read more Maenllwyd Inn begs to differ in those aspects. The interior itself is cozy with a combination of stones and wood accents everywhere. I spied a beautiful patio where the scenery has no obstructions. We, however decided to stay indoors and got a nice corner round table by the window next to the fireplace. Adding to the homey feel, the gentleman who took care of us was jovial and friendly throughout our wonderful lunch here. I started with the STILTON and PEPPER MUSHROOMS on a brioche bread. I was swayed to try this granted that this is an English cheese produced only in the UK, similar to blue cheese in strong smell and taste. What a superb dish! The FISH and CHIPS was also the best I had on this trip. Perfectly crisp batter on the outside and a flaky moist white fish inside, every criteria they nailed. Even the chips were just the right thickness with not a single one of them soggy. A very fitting last meal in Wales that was pleasant and memorable.

This pub is on the egde of Caerphilly town, and is a Brains pub…read more If you like sport, this is a good place to watch it. Lots of TVs, special deals on beer / food on Welsh rugby match days, credit crunch specials, etc. Definitely a good place to watch Wales play if you dont want to go into Cardiff city centre.

lovely restaurant, food was absolutly amazing, i had a full mixed grill and my fiance had a chicken…read moresomething.... food was ready in about 15 minutes, staff were very very friendly and value for money was excellent. thank you so much, i will try your sunday lunch nest time because that looks very nice :)

A proper local pub- the welcoming kind, not the local people only kind. There's a real open fire,…read morethree different Welsh bitters on tap. When we were there for a wedding reception they'd put a buffet on which was excellent, much better than I might've expected to be honest. If you're there, make sure to have a chat with their pet parrot. She's in one of the back rooms and is usually happy to chat with customers. Because it lives in a pub it's been taught a wide selection of rude things to say, and it wolf whistles (usually at men), so maybe don't introduce her to the kids.

Bit out of the way not posh, but they do good meals in the restaurant section at reasonable rates,…read morejust good old cooking nothing special. They will hold function and have live music. Good friendly attmosphere very good large beer garden, heaters and lighting for smokers.. Pool tables, tellys big screen.

From the owner: We are a family run pub restaurant which is family friendly. We offer great value quality food,…read moreusing locally sourced ingredients wherever possible.

Bit of a rough and ready pub tho the beers not bad. quiet mid week lots of younguns weekend. Live…read moremusic sometimes. Gave an extra star because there is a rather nice sit down or take away chinese restaurant inside the actual pub!!!! What a bonus a pint while you wait.

The economics of a Crown Carvery are pretty simple- charge an amazingly low price (at the moment…read more£3.59) for a decent cut of meat and as many veg as you can fit on a plate. No frills, very little other choice. Charge quite a lot for drinks to balance it out. Make the food decent and tasty enough but nothing special. Watch as hundreds of people queue up every day for their bargain food. Job done. In the Upper Boat, there's not a lot of space and the way the bar and the carvery are arranged leads to a bit of an awkward queueing situation. Parking is sparse and awkward. Busy times are VERY busy times, though I've almost never seen it be anything other than busy, thanks to the draw of the £3.59 meal. Decent enough if you're hunting a bargain, but the price of the food is set against the queueing and overpriced drinks.

This carvery is cheap but not cheerful. Quality of food is poor. I would prefer to pay the extra…read moreand go to a better restaurant.

This is a great country pub, located on the mountain between Caerphilly and north Cardiff…read more I think its a free house - wide choice of trad beers. A good menu too - curry is a speciality. Popular at weekends with people out walking / cycling around Caerphilly mountain and the common. Close to the Travellers Rest, but is much better pub. Combine a visit to this place with a walk around the area and you'll have a good day out.

Visited this pub last week. Really could do with a sort out…read moreoutside. From car park you have to go over a little bridge which was overgrown and then walk around to the front, passing by an old picnic bench area, the smokers shed etc. Before finding the door in. On a brighter note the food was really good. But it is no wonder the place was empty when no one can find the way to the door. If I hadn't been there before I would have got in my car and driven somewhere else.

While I've had many good nights at the Pick and Shovel over the years, there's no denying that the…read morefood, definitely lets the pub down. When I first moved to the area, the food was awesome; great value for money, delicious and a decent portion size too. By the time I left three years later, the price had gone up, the quality had gone down and the portions had shrunk considerably. Prime example; after a long night of slaving away on uni coursework, my housemate and I ventured down to the Pick and Shovel for the mighty "hangover cure" fry up - the biggest breakfast on the menu. An hour and a half after ordering, it finally arrived, colder than the draught I was sitting in yet, somehow, overcooked. This would not be the last time I had to wait an annoyingly long time for a meal, only for it to turn out below my expectations. Once or twice, these kind of mistakes can be forgiven but when they become a regular occurrence it's no longer a mistake but just poor standards. Ah. Now that I've vented my anger at the shoddy food, on to the positives. If you're not sitting down for a meal, the pub is a great place to socialise, as everyone tends to know someone there at any given time. The drinks are well priced for the surrounding student area and promotions are held on various nights of the week. There is Sky Sports, making this an ideal venue to watch a big game and the pub is always packed with sports fans on big match occassions. Also, the music is usually top notch as the jukebox is a comprehensively stocked with more tracks than Simon Cowell's iPod. So if you're looking for a social pub to watch the latest Premier League game with a pint and some friendly banter, the Pick and Shovel is a good choice. If you're after some great tasting, quality food with excellent service, I'd probably look elsewhere.

Great little pub, popular with students and locals alike. Good range or drinks and promotions (try…read morethe bayside cooler cocktail if it's available - it looks like trafic lights!). Activities (other then eating and drinking) include darts, pool, music quiz, open mic nights and guitar hero competitions on the wii. The staff are really friendly and the food is pretty good too for the money.

Favourite pub in Caerphilly to visit. Staff are always friendly and always have a good chat with…read morethem when we're up Food is absolutely top-tier with a very large menu It's not overly loud and the music isn't over the top The bar doesn't have much of a wait time and cocktails aren't overly expensive

Love the friendly new management there a lovely couple and there staff are so friendly food is…read moreamazing too definitely worth the price also have amazing disabled access and easy access to the disabled toilet very clean pub