With the announcement that Ynyshir has become the first ever Welsh restaurant to be awarded two Michelin stars , it's firmly cemented its reputation as the most acclaimed restaurant in Wales.
Read more: The 50 best restaurants in Wales in 2022
The two Michelin stars join Ynyshir’s five AA-rosettes , its top ranking in Wales in the Harden’s Guide and its title of best restaurant in Wales in the 2021 National Restaurant Awards .
Peacefully set on the Dyfi Estuary in a house which was once Queen Victoria’s hidden and that dates back to the 1750s, Ynyshir has been run by county Durham born chef Gareth Ward and his partner Amelia Eiríksson since 2013.
Inside the building’s four walls an altogether more full on experience awaits as 30 big flavoured meat and fish dishes and a live in house DJ are all part of a meal at Ynyshir.
What’s it like?
Many of Ynyshir’s dishes are cooked over fire and there’s three different experiences available - the pass bench in the heart of the kitchen, where you’ll have the chance to chat to Gareth throughout the meal; dinner in Ynyshir’s main restaurant; and the Ffwrnais counter where you’ll have a dedicated chef looking after you.
At Ynyshir there’s no distinction between front of house and back of house staff so the talented team will both cook and serve your meal.
If you opt for dinner in the restaurant then the meal is served to every table at the same time, with the experience starting at 5pm in Ynyshir’s bar.
Loud music is also part of the experience as Ynyshir has their own in-house DJ spinning vinyl and playing an eclectic soundtrack from AC/DC to David Bowie.
With an approach of “fun dine, not fine dine”, Ynyshir advises that it’s not a restaurant which is suitable for an evening of business chat or even an intimate first date.
If you’re worried about having to wear a shirt and tie then you can put your mind at ease as there’s no dress code whatsoever, “you can wear anything that you feel comfortable in!”
What’s on the menu?
Gareth Ward’s memorable cooking is driven by a mantra of "flavour-driven, fat-fuelled and meat-obsessed”. His food has a big focus on aged meat (Gareth dry ages his wagyu beef for 300 days in a Himalayan salt chamber), preserved local ingredients and massive Asian flavours, such as Thai green curry and Japanese katsu curry.
With 30 dishes made using luxury ingredients on the tasting menu, it’s understandable that most are just one or two mouthfuls. The menu doesn’t give much away either as dish descriptions are just a few words long.
Due to Ynyshir’s unique dining experience, the restaurant is unable to cater for any dietary requirements, dislikes or allergies and substitutions are not offered.
A series of fish dishes include shrimp with green curry, scampi and sweet chilli, prawn with wild garlic and chilli crab with deep fried bun. You’ll then move onto a series of duck, chicken, pork and Welsh lamb dishes before arriving at Ynyshir’s famous wagyu beef, known for its fat marbling.
The beef is served as a burger, as a rib with black bean sauce, and as a sirloin with ponzu dressing and oscietra caviar. The wagyu fat is even used to make fudge for one of Ynyshir’s desserts, which also include sticky toffee pudding with Tahitian vanilla, bramley apple with duck custard and tiramisu.
How much does it cost?
With 30 courses of luxury ingredients including wagyu beef, caviar and bluefin tuna, all of those awards, staffing costs, and such an opulent setting, it’s understandable that a meal at Ynyshir doesn’t come cheap.
Lunch or dinner costs £350 per person whilst dinner with a room costs from £495 per person.
Ynyshir has eight bedrooms, six are located in the main house whilst two additional garden rooms have direct access to the house's grounds.
If you’d prefer to be closer to nature then Ynyshir has three handcrafted tipis, which each sleep two people, located in their grounds. Each tipi is furnished with locally handmade welsh oak furniture, a log burner and private hot tub, and costs £550 for two nights.
If you want the latest food and drink news, reviews, events and interviews sent directly to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Food & Drink newsletter here
