There have been loads of famous faces popping up in Wales over the years, whether they are here for a holiday or working on a big-budget blockbuster or world-famous TV series and they haven't been shy about enjoying some Welsh hospitality while they are here.
We've put together a list of venues in Wales where Hollywood A-listers, UK sitcom favourites and foodie big-hitters have loved to stop and grab a bite over the years.
If you'd like to see some of those famous names who have visited Wales in the past year, click here.
Read more: The famous people you didn't know were Welsh
Mulberry, Saundersfoot
Willow and Star Wars actor, Warwick Davies couldn't get enough of the Sunday lunches as Saundersfoot restaurant, Mulberry, which he visited 'four or five times' according to chef, Akash Kumar, before the star returned with his family in tow to sample the menu at the harbourside restaurant.
The Cinnamon Tree, Cardiff
In the heart of Cardiff's trendiest suburb, Pontcanna, the long-established Indian restaurant has seen thousands of diners over the years enjoy their curry classics and specials like the murgh mirsch massala or peshwari jhinga.
In recent years Larry Lamb popped in (maybe for a bhuna?) while he was here filming the 2019 Gavin & Stacey special, and local acting lege, Mark Lewis Jones is a fan, too. Mark, one of Wales' busiest actors has been in Outlander, The Crown and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. We caught up with him a few years ago, and you can read about him, here.
Thomas by Tom Simmons
Run by the Pembrokeshire-born chef, and former MasterChef contestant, Thomas is one of the Welsh capital's top restaurants and has been mentioned by food guides galore, like Hardens, the Good Food Guide and the AA Guide, but Hollywood stars Lin-Manuel Miranda and Luis Guzman just saw it as a lovely neighbourhood restaurant when they were camped up in Cardiff a few years back.
The pair, known for Netflix's Wednesday, Carlito's Way (Guzman) and Hamilton, Moana, In the Heights and His Dark Materials (Miranda) shared a lunch at Thomas back in the summer of 2021. Luis was filming Havoc, with Tom Hardy, in Wales at the time, while Lin Manuel was making the third and final series of His Dark Materials.
Thomas has a menu influenced by French cuisine but made with the best Welsh produce. From Sunday lunches and steaks, to fancy twists on things like fish and chips, you won't be sorry if you dine in.
Ground, Cardiff
Lin Manuel was a fan of mooching around Pontcanna and was often spotted getting his morning coffee from coffee shop and bakery, Ground, which is just a stone's throw from Thomas, and also owned by the MasterChef contestant.
As well as stunning coffee, the cafe sells 'overnight bacon' (see above) which is one of the most delicious things you'll ever taste.
Rib & Oyster, Kilgetty
The modestly-sized Pembrokeshire restaurant was visited by Marco Pierre White back in September 2022. After tucking into scallops as a starter followed by fillet steak and a turbot and lobster thermidor, served with homemade chips, he said it was "the best meal" he had eaten in a long time.
The Kilgetty venue has around just 10 tables and is constantly booked up, so Marco was lucky! Opened by husband and wife team, Gavin and Lucie Davies, they wanted to expand their butchers and fishmongers business and serve the best local seafood and meat. And that's what they've done by the looks of it.
Marco's Cafe, Barry Island
Larry Lamb from Gavin and Stacey is a huge fan of Marco's cafe on the front at Barry Island, the town synonymous now with the BBC sitcom. The cafe has also appeared in the show as Stacey (Joanna Page) worked at the ice cream counter. Larry loved to sit and drink an espresso at the popular seafront spot and was back there recently with Pam (Alison Steadman) as they filmed their DNA Journey episode for ITV.
Foam, Milford Haven
It was a bonkers day for the staff at Foam in Milford back in the summer of 2021 as grime rapper Dizzy Rascal popped in to pick up some of the restaurant's homemade burgers.
Langlands Brasserie, Swansea
F1 stars David Coulthard, Martin Brundle , and Australian ex-driver Mark Webber all enjoyed a dinner out at Langland Brasserie in Mumbles, Swansea in 2021. They seemed more than happy to chat with fans who were in the restaurant at the same time as them.
More importantly, we hope they tried the restaurant's deep-fried cockles, a classic nibble often on offer and delicious. The rest of the menu
El Pescador, Swansea
Hugh Laurie and Will Poulter were spotted in Swansea in June 2021 when they were filming Britbox adaptation of 1934 Agatha Christie novel Why Didn't They Ask Evans?. They enjoyed a dinner at Spanish El Pescador which is in the Maritime Quarter and serves authentic Spanish food with a modern twist. Their menu is made up of daily catches, chef's specials and more.
GiGi Gao's, Swansea
The colourful Chinese restaurant on Swansea's waterfront was visited by lauded food critic Jay Rayner in 2022. Rayner said he entered a "candy-coloured, garlanded, ribboned, sequined and tasselled world" of as he describes it "all round bloody good things".He and his party "rampaged through the menu like toddlers let loose on a no-limits sweetie pick’n’mix" ordering dishes that turned out to be so delicious they reordered them. You can read more on Jay's GiGi's visit, here.
Codmother, Newborough
Radio presenter Sara Cox had a "glorious weekend" on Anglesey with her family in June 2021. The group visited local areas including Newborough and Menai Bridge.
She praised the Codmother in Newborough for giving her "possibly the best fish and chips [she's] ever had"
The Ivy, Cardiff
Back in the summer of 2021 the now new Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa shared a picture of him and his Sex Education cast members after a jolly night out in the Cardiff city centre restaurant, which specialises in classic British brasserie cuisine as well as cocktails and Instagrammable decor.
Gatwa visited The Ivy with fellow cast members Kedar Williams-Stirling (Jackson), Emma Mackey (Maeve), Chinenye Ezeudu (Vivienne), Asa Butterfield (Otis), Simone Ashley (Olivia) and Dua Saleh (Cal).
Read next:
Sex Education has started filming in Wales as Emma Mackay and Asa Butterfield spotted in the valleys
The Welsh locations that have featured in Hollywood films and how you can track them down
Full list of Disney+ Willow locations that show off just how beautiful Wales is
Fans react as Welsh actor joins line-up for new series of Doctor Who
The celebrities living quiet lives in Wales who you might catch having a pint down the pub
