Three Welsh restaurants have been named among the best in the UK in a prestigious guide based on diners' opinions. The 2023 edition of Harden’s Best UK Restaurants puts Ynyshir near Machynlleth as its top restaurant in Wales, ranking at 37th place in the UK.
This is a big drop from the top ten spot it secured in last year's guide, seventh place. Also in the Harden's top restaurants list are SY23 in Aberystwyth, which comes in at 54th place and The Whitebrook Restaurant with Rooms in Monmouthshire at 78th.
The Harden Guide is based on feedback from normal diners rather than a group of professional inspectors. Last year's Harden's Guide did not feature any city restaurants - we had our say on that, here - but for 2023, diners shone a light on the best places to eat in the Welsh capital.
Read more: The places where Wales' top chefs like to eat out
Recommended in the Guide are Asador 44, Bar 44, Matsudai Ramen, Cora (which has closed in its Pontcanna location, but will reopen this spring at another venue), Purple Poppadom, Heaney's, Thomas by Tom Simmons and Casanova. Read about Wales' 50 best restaurants, here.
A total of 30,000 reports are submitted from a survey of 3,000 diners for Harden's Guide. Restaurants at all price levels are listed: from street food vendors to the country’s most ambitious dining rooms, with 2,800 restaurants listed in total.
Speaking on Wales' top spot Ynyshir Harden's 2023 Guide said there was "nowhere quite like" Ynyshir and its mystique was heightened by being in the 'middle of nowhere' and the diners were impressed by 'mind bending flavours' created by 'a fantastic team performance' that provides 'pure theatre'.
SY23, Aberystwyth is new to the Harden's Top 100 from Ynyshir alumnus Nathan Davies. Harden's says: "With its 'chunky industrial decor and loud heavy metal, it has a totally different vibe' from typical rural restaurants.
“'The food is primarily cooked over coals' and its ten-course tasting menu delivers 'unusual flavours, beautifully presented' and realised 'to an exemplary standard'."
The Whitebrook Restaurant with Rooms, tucked away in the Wye Valley (78) completes the Welsh contingent. Fans of Chris and Kirsty Harrod’s “lovely” restaurant claim it is “Noma meets Wales” whose “idiosyncratic tasting menus built around local and locally foraged ingredients” have made it one of Wales’ most renowned culinary destinations, founded on its “unique” style of cooking.
Taking the top spot for the UK as a whole is the Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire. Scotland's world-famous restaurant hailed - 'a memory to be treasured' - shot to the top spot for its luxurious ingredients prepared with 'impeccable skill and creativity' and attentive staff who are 'knowledgeable in all respects'.
The Harden's Guide 2023 is out now.
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