Now I am a big fan of pubs and when at my home in Wales I always go down to the same place which I think many locals do because once you have been you will want to go again as it is absolutely lovely. If you want the same thing as me which is a great atmosphere and very good food and drink then you cannot do much better than the White Lion if you do find yourself in Mid Wales and here is why.
-
What is the White Lion?
The White Lion is a pub and I actually do think they have guest rooms there as well but I have never had the need to stay over so I am not sure what they are like or what the prices are like. Good food is served and nice drinks and the staff are great. It has a beer garden at the back which is handy when the weather gets better but inside the pub it is very spacious and the even better thing is that it is non smoking in there now which is fantastic.
-
Where can you find them?
Their address is as follows:
The White Lion,
Penterhyden Street,
Machynlleth,
Powys,
SY20 8DN
When you are in Machynlleth which is a little town then you will be able to find them easily as they are right by the clock tower which is Machynlleth's centre.
-
The Actual Inn:
From the outside it just looks like a cosy little pub. The building is white which is what you probably expected and the White Lion is displayed in huge black letters. There are a few tables outside but not many maybe ten people can sit there and then to the left of the inn you will see quite a small alley-way which is where you get to the car park. I know it looks small but we get the Jeep down there so it is ok.
The car park is quite big and you can see the beer garden from there which is large with a lot of tables there which is nice when the sun shines. There are two entrances inside. The first is at the back which will take you to the main bar and eating area passed where the pool table is. Then there is the front entrance which takes you directly into the bar.
The bar and eating areas are extremely clean and there are tables and chairs everywhere so you can always find somewhere to sit. The bar area is to the left which you can still eat in and the actual restaurant is to the right. You have to order at the bar when you have found a table and you will get a number and the staff will wait on you there. The decorations in the pub are quite neutral and there are many nice scenic paintings on the wall of local areas which can be bought on occasions.
-
Food and Drink:
Drinks are quite standard but they do have a good range. You can obviously buy soft drinks and alcoholic ones and I particularly like their flavoured coffees they do. The food is very nice indeed and I have to say (touch wood) that after eighteen years of going there quite a few times a year we have never had a bad meal. We always feel confident enough to take friends there as the food is that good.
The choices are quite good ranging from light meals and sandwiches to main meal such as steak and lasagne. My personal favourite is the chicken curry as you can have rice, chip and naan bread which is amazingly good. The meals are a very good size so you will not be going hungry when you have finished and we do have problems eating it all but we usually stuff ourselves as it all tastes so nice.
They do have starters and also desserts but they change quite a bit. When you walk in you can also see a specials board which is always different so you can usually find the more exotic meals there.
-
Prices:
The price of everything is quite standard with main meals being around £5 12 each and desserts being around £4. I can't remember about the starters as I don't often have them as I know how big the main courses are. The drinks are also reasonable at around £2 for a J2o and £3.50 for a glass of wine.
-
Staff:
The staff are wonderful here and the lady that owns the place is always there and quite often sits and has a chat with us about how busy it is and how we are doing. Everybody is friendly and considering they are all rushed off their feet they never fail to smile and always take care with your food and drinks so you are getting a good level of service at all times.
-
Location:
The location of this pub is brilliant as it is right in the centre of the town of Machynlleth so you will always be able to find parking if not at the pub at the large car park in town. Plus because it is in the centre if you go in the day you can always go shopping before or after. Plus it is nice sitting outside as you get the great scenery of all the hills around you.
-
Other:
The pub has a great pool table but only one so it is quite hard to get on there at times. Plus the small pool room has its own little access to the bar so you can still order drinks in there while you are playing. In this room there is also a darts board and you can hire out the darts from the bar to play.
-
Verdict:
This pub is great and I think read more
