The Best Sunday Roasts In Wales
Published 19 November 2024

It might be in the centre of Cardiff, but this glowy, atmospheric love letter to Spain is a world away from the streets outside. While its nearby sibling Bar 44 is all about tapas, the focus here is on the grill, fed by the hefty array of meats that can be seen dry-aging in a fridge set into one wall. The setting is suave but relaxed, with exposed brickwork offset by dark blue and coffee walls, and intimate spaces created by banquettes and cookbook-crammed shelves. There's an industrious buzz to the whole operation, helped along by a polished front of house team.

The menu highlights classic Spanish delicacies, but also makes a feature of ex-dairy beef, which provides a full, rich flavour and sustainability credentials. Alongside straight-talking grill options, there are thoughtfully crafted starters such as Duroc pork belly with miso mayo and cockle vinaigrette or plump, pearly scallops with crunchy jamón and warm, smoky XO sauce. Mains might bring a fall-apart, melting wodge of ox cheek set on beef rice plus a vivacious flourish of salsa verde. From the great-value set lunch, we relished a buttery piece of hake, cooked just-so and adorned with capers and shrimps, accompanied by a bowl of rustic skin-on fries.

Desserts range from ice creams and sorbets to grilled banana with goat's curd dulce de leche topped with baby meringues and crunchy, sesame sugar shards. Asador also does a splendid Spanish take on Sunday lunch: go for the ‘incredible’ slow-cooked shoulder of Welsh lamb with duck-fat roasties or dive into the mighty family-sized paella with authentic fire-cooked rice. The wine offering lives up to the promise of a visible walk-in cellar, with a broad Spanish mix spanning big names, small family producers and lesser-known grapes.

‘A must for a family day out,’ this enterprising set-up brings together a farm shop, restaurant, butchery and events space on Penllyn Estate. Not surprisingly, the daytime menu is tailored to all palates and preferences – although everything is dictated by produce from the Estate (much of it organic). Start the day with a full Welsh breakfast or spiced eggs Benedict, linger over coffee and cake, or drop by for a lunchtime fill-up (a home-smoked chicken club sandwich, Nepalese lamb with Asian slaw or beer-battered haddock). There are grills on Friday and Saturday evening, while Sunday is a showcase for juicy roast joints and the freshest home-grown vegetables. Pizzas and burgers ‘to go’, too.

One of a rising tide of restaurants that take the starchiness out of high-end dining, Heaneys delivers devastatingly clever, technically adept food in a relaxed, vibey setting. No standing to attention here – just a pacey procession of sublime taster-size dishes (although you can order two or three courses at lunch if you prefer). The interior is uncluttered and modern, with a white-tiled bar on the rear mezzanine and a light, airy, street-facing dining area sporting green banquettes and modernist wood furniture.

Tommy Heaney cooks like a man who’s learned the tune so perfectly he can now confidently riff on it. Expect plenty of imagination and interest built on a solid classical grounding: an opening dish simply billed as ‘cheese and onion’ was a crisp filo case with a fluffy, intense, cream cheese, onion, Parmesan and black olive filling after which ‘no quiche will ever be the same again’. A plump Carlingford oyster wore a veil of green herb oil, with fermented chilli and a dainty cucumber disc, while finely diced trout dressed with dashi, pickled mushrooms, soy and a twist of yuzu struck a perfect balance: smoky, citrussy, fresh and bright. 

After that, the delights just kept on coming: an on-point, crispy-skinned helping of John Dory was paired with an airy buttermilk sauce, cod roe mousse, purple sprouting broccoli and chive oil, while melting, unctuous BBQ lamb and lamb neck harmonised beautifully with seasonal wild garlic purée, purple sprouting broccoli purée, crisped chard and fennel pollen. Sweet treats were also dazzling – a much-elevated take on a Jaffa Cake featured chocolate mousse and a lip-smacking blood orange layer in a chocolate casing, while dainty morsels of mirabelle pâté de fruits, blueberry macarons and salted white-chocolate caramel fudge made a perfect finale.

Sunday lunch brings an upscale three-course take on the traditional roast with headliners ranging from BBQ Welsh lamb with confit shoulder and mint to confit pork belly with rillette and burnt apple, plus helpings of duck-fast roast potaoes and veg. A fairly substantial wine list covers Europe especially well, offering something for most tastes and pockets. Next door, the Uisce bar is a good spot for oysters, small plates and pre/post-prandial cocktails.

Part of Charles and Edmund Inkin’s 'Eat, Drink, Sleep' trilogy – which also includes the Gurnard’s Head and the Old Coastguard in Cornwall – this ever-popular pub with rooms is, in many ways, an archetypal dream of a country inn. It transports you to a half-imagined heyday of fireside sofas, knobbly brickwork, low beams and quarry tiled floors, with craft ales at the bar and fresh, home-cooked food buoyed up by produce from the kitchen garden.

For all its heritage vibes, the Griffin is also a slick, modern operation, with polished service and a properly cheffy kitchen (headed by Gwenann Davies). Her repertoire includes traditional ideas such as broccoli and Stilton soup or lamb rump with faggot, peas and red wine gravy alongside more contemporary dishes – perhaps a sticky glazed BBQ short rib with sweet, spiky kimchi, luscious sriracha mayo and fresh herbs, ahead of pearly, crisp-skinned hake with a crunchy, breadcrumbed crab and chorizo cake, set on an intense, velvety, red pepper purée.

Each dish is carefully considered, right through to dessert. A voluptuous white chocolate mousse with berry ice cream, fresh raspberries and crunchy, bittersweet honeycomb provided a satisfying end to our most recent visit. Sunday lunch is an ultra-traditional feast featuring meat from the lowland hills, greenery from the garden and plenty of homely touches. In addition to real ales, drinkers can pick from a fair-sized wine list that has been annotated with personality as well as knowledge; the numerous options by the glass are well worth considering. 

Our inspector loved the Sunday roast at Three Horseshoes Inn and we are now in the process of reviewing their day-to-day menu and operation. Watch for a fully rated review coming soon.

In the heart of the Brecon Beacons, this ‘solidly established’ country inn attracts visitors from far and wide with its ‘absolutely incredible’ Sunday lunch. You will eat and drink well here. Service is spot-on and the kitchen delivers a choice of roasts – topside of Welsh beef and leg of lamb figure prominently – accompanied by all the classic trimmings, served in separate bowls. ‘A perfect pub in every way – it should be on everyone’s bucket list.’