A proper pub with a fantastic atmosphere. Historic building with loads of character. Good range at…read morethe bar, friendly staff and excellent food.

This is a top notch little boozer! I say little but with the restaurant and in the summer, the…read morebeer garden, this 14th century welsh long house is surprisingly big. The lounge has a lovely calm feel about it and the bar is proper cozy. Winter is the best time to visit when the log fires are burning. A good range of beer, wines and spirit and bar snacks. The food is really good. The menu and daily specials board has a good choice and at the time of writing, the current chef puts a lot of effort into turning out quality food with a touch of flair. The staff are all very friendly and professional. All in, this is a good place.

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.

Having lived inn Bath for some 28 years I can confirm that you'll be hard pushed to find a pub in…read moreall of Somerset with a garden as good as the one at the Wheatsheaf. We walked out there with the dogs (which are welcome and the pub even provide treats and water) and had a lovely Sunday lunch on their terrace followed by a game of table tennis in the garden. It's not just the garden and the settings that make this place so wonderful, it's the service, the food, the home made honey and everything that goes with it. The worst thing about the Wheatsheaf is having to leave. Highly recommended.

No-one ever passes through Gwaelod-y-Garth. Unless you live there, you need to make a special…read morejourney. The Gwaelod Inn is worth that special journey. The village of Gwaelod-y-Garth lies midway between Cardiff and Pontypridd, a hamlet of fewer than 500 souls in the middle of nowhere, but within a 15-minute drive of half a milion people. Even many Cardiffians don't know of its existence. The village lies on the eastern slopes of the Garth Mountain, a 1,000-ft giant that guards the entrance to the Rhondda Valleys and that was made famous by the 1995 film The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain starring Hugh Grant. The Garth cradles the Inn lovingly in its bosom. (One of the pics will give you an idea of how the village lies.) The village began life in Elizabethan times as a source of iron ore, and was given a new lease of life in the 19thC when ore became wedded to coal. Many of the dwellings in Gwaelod are old miners' cottages. Such is the layout and context of this hillside village, that new houses are, thankfully, difficult to build. Owing to its monoply of village pub business, the Inn has always been a locals' meeting place. But until the present owners took it over, it languished sadly under a period of poor management. Now happily order has been restored. Barbara Evans and her partner Richie have carefully refurbished the Inn and converted the upstairs into a fine restaurant. Yet the flavour of a locals' local has not been lost. A good-sized room is dedicated to pub games with darts and pool prominent, and these games give way to live entertainment on a regular basis, with Soul, Blues and Jazz acts often appearing. The pub has fully embraced village life once more, holding events for children such as a Halloween Party, regular Charity Nights, and more usual events such as Quizzes. Apart from the Bar, there is an L-shaped Lounge which is really two rooms. The walls have been exposed back to the original stonework, and they are adorned with interesting old prints of the village, and antique bric-a-brac representative of old Welsh life. Log fires roar as soon as it gets cold, which is often. Drinkers can enjoy Hancocks HB, Otley Ale (brewed in Ponty!) and at least two other guest ales. There is a good choice of wine by the glass. Bar meals can be enjoyed downstairs, prepared by the same hand that graces the upstairs restaurant. The menus will always include local specialities: at the moment for example you will find Welsh Laverbread with Bacon, Roast Garth Mountain Lamb, and Vegetarian Glamorgan Sausages. Sunday Lunches are very popular and feature a choice of 7 dishes to start and 10 mains. The Home Boiled Ham with Parsley Sauce is a delight. What more to be said? Ten out of Ten.

If you're looking for a small country pub just a few miles outside Cardiff the Gwaelod Inn is the…read moreplace for you. I went there recently with my mum for lunch and had a great time. The lunch menu was varied and although not cheap the food was very good value. As it was lunchtime we both settled for just a main course, mum having the sea bass with braised fennel (£15) whilst I had the beer battered cod fillet at £9. For those of you who like beer this is a real ale pub and on warm summer evenings I imagine it would be an ideal place to sit outside drinking a pint!

You can just feel the ghosts of pirates in this seaside tavern. With its nooks and crannies, it's…read morejust perfect for an illicit rendevouz and talks of treasure over a glass of brandy and the crackling fire. This has got to be one of the oldest pubs in South Wales, it's medieval and dates from 1380. This is one of those places that reminds you how small we used to be - I'm only 5ft 7 and I stoop through the worn wooden doors. I havn't eaten here, but there is also a well respected restaurant upstairs offering a good selection of seafood dishes. Dishes include: Brixham Crab Cake with baby leaves and lemon butter sauce (£5.25); Plaice Goujons with paprika and a sweet red pepper tartar sauce (£4.95); Roasted Fillet of Hake with a chorizo and roasted red pepper risotto ith tomato, garlic and orange sauce for £13.95 For the vegetarians on the day I visited there was: Tomato Fondue, Wild Mushroom and Aubergine Bake, finished with garlic crumb and poached egg (£4.95) and Rosemary and Truffle Arancini Risotto with a tomato, red onion and spring onion salsa ( £4.95). The restaurant opening times are Monday to Saturday from 7pm to 9.30pm. They also offer bar meals between 12 and 2 pm Mondays to Saturdays and evening meals Monday to Friday from 6 to 8 pm.

One of my favorite pubs when I come home to Wales. I've been coming here for 40+ years. Great…read morebeers, lovely staff, exceedingly good food on a great menu, and a building that should last another half millennium plus. And a beautiful spot for a picture that will include a thatched roof and hanging baskets.

The Bush inn Llantwit Fardre…read more The bush inn in llantwit Fardre is a beer drinkers pub. But aren't all pubs beer drinkers pubs you ask? The answer is no as many are tied to breweries and can only sell the breweries own beer. of variable quality That's not to say that they are all bad. The Bush inn is exceptional in this area as they always have at least four real ales from various breweries on sale. They are of excellent quality as they have been investigated by members of the campaign for real ale CAMRA with a result that the pub has been in their publication 'good beer guide' for the past seven years There is also a darts board, an item rapidly disappearing from many pubs. In addition there is a pool table free of charges on Mondays. There is some social activity every night of the week Wednesdays is a quiz night and on Thursdays the very popular 'jam night' now in its 5th year where all musicians are welcome to come and 'have a go' More information is available on 'face book' The Bush Inn appreciation Society. The Bush inn is just like pubs used to be.

My family and I often stop at The White Hart in Llanddarog on our way to Pembrokeshire. It is a…read morebeautiful thatched pub with excellent pub food and their own brewed beers. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.

Firstly i will tell you that this is likely to be an expensive experience - but well worth the…read moremoney for a treat now and again. It is a beautiful Thatched Inn, built in 1371. It posseses open fireplaces, and a choice of cozy tables for 2 or 4, and long tables for larger parties in the back. HRH Prince Charles, Dylan Thomas have both visited here, to sample the beer still brewed on the premesis. The food is pricey, but what a meal you get for your money! A huge plateful that would be enough for two! the most reasonable is the Roast dinners, approx £10 a head. The walls and ceilings of the Inn are covered in memorobilia, from horse brasses to farming tolls, there is enough to occupy your mind while you wait for your meal. On your way to the loo you will encounter a full suit of armour, and in the back are fish tanks, and a talking parrot!

After a long walk (including pub stops) we stopped at the Three Horseshoes after following signs…read morefor another pub and ended up here. We sat in the pleasant beer garden for a drink. As time went on we decided that we would like to stay and have dinner here but indoors as it was getting cold. There were 14 of us and they managed to fit us into the restaurant area on the proviso we ordered quickly before the 6:30pm booking arrived and one table had to vacate by 8pm. The staff were great and we did not feel that we were being rushed even though some people had starters. A lot of us picked from the specials board and the food came out devine and the service was outstanding. The place was busy as it was the jazz/fringe festival weekend so the clientelle was of all ages (a bit annoying having babies/kids screaming thoughout the meal) including elderly who came in through the fire door for easy access. I would definitely recommend this place which is also dog friendly. This place is soo good that Seasick Steve was playing there that evening and eating his dinner in the pub part as we left.

Have frequented this pub many times and always enjoyed my visit. Friendly staff, a good choice of…read morereal ales and delicious food and good value for money. Live music at the weekend which is good. I always look forward to my visit to Fagins. Well worth visiting.

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.