Food Guide UK Top 50 honour for Menai Bridge restaurant
ANORTH Wales restaurant has been named one of the UK’s best in the prestigious Good Food Guide 2020.
The Sosban & The Old Butcher’s on Anglesey ranked 45th in the annual Top 50 Restaurants, published by Waitrose & Partners.
The guide recognises restaurants and chefs who have shown exceptional talent and excellence in the field.
Placings were decided by a combination of judges’ scores, editor appraisal as well as the strength of reader feedback.
The Ynyshir in Machynlleth, Powys, was Wales’ top restaurant scoring nine out of a possible 10 and came 4th in the UK.
Michelin-starred Sosban & The Old Butcher’s, which was the only North Wales entry in the Top 50, managed to score seven out of a possible 10 and was categorised by judges as showing a “high level of ambition.”
It was also considered to feature “attention to the smallest detail” as well as offering customers “accurate and vibrant dishes”.
Located within a historical Butcher’s Shop in the heart of Menai Bridge, it offers a dining experience that “is a little different to most”.
Its owners, Stephen and Bethan Stevens, promise “a series of dishes using the best locally sourced produce available to us on the day providing a unique culinary journey not found anywhere else”.
Stephen said: “We’re delighted to be included in the Top 50 Good Food Guide 2020 showcasing the best North Wales has to offer.
“Being the only restaurant from the region to be included is testament to the quality of ingredients available, and support of our loyal customers and suppliers. We would also like to thank the Good Food Guide for making the journey and for the recognition.”
The restaurant, which runs from Thursday to Saturday, is the only new Welsh entry in the guide to place in the Top 50.
The Ynyshir’s chef patron Gareth Ward said he was ‘totally blown away’ with his restaurant’s fourth place.
“With all of the epic new restaurants coming through in this year, I actually expected to drop a place or two, so to move up one is unbelievable,” he said.
“Our goal for next year is to get 10/10 for our cooking score!”
Restaurant James Sommerin in Glamorgan and The Whitebrook in Monmouthshire - which placed 35th and 38th respectively – made up the remaining Welsh entries in the top 50.
The top place went to L’Enclume in Cumbria with restaurants from Cornwall and West London making up the Top 3.
The Good Food Guide also asked the public to nominate their favourite neighbourhood restaurants, with judges looking for “places that give a warm welcome and share a passion for local produce.”
This year’s Best Local Restaurant in Wales was awarded to The Warren in Carmarthen, which opened in 2016 following a funding campaign by the local community who raised £20,000 for the restaurant.