Harden's survey result
Summary
“Good quality in a remote location” is found at Mark & Sue Manson’s whitewashed bistro, full of mismatched wooden furniture, and tucked away in the Towy valley not far from the National Trust’s Botanic Garden of Wales. Even a reporter who thought the hearty local cooking “unadventurous and pricey” rated it as “very good” – maybe they missed the “snip” of a set lunch menu: at £34 per person it provides “a good choice for all three courses”.
Summary
“Still barely missing a beat on food, wine and service”, Mark & Sue Manson’s unpretentious bistro is “a welcome oasis in West Wales” that’s particularly “ideal for visits to the National Botanic Garden of Wales”, two miles off. The “seasonal menu with local ingredients” makes the most of the local Welsh larder and is “professionally presented and always delicious”.
Summary
Mark & Sue Manson’s “bistro-style restaurant uses very local fresh ingredients” to cook accomplished meals that have earned it consistently high ratings. It combines perfectly with a visit to Wales’s National Botanic Garden two miles away. Top Menu Tip – “try the sewin (Welsh sea trout) if available”.
Summary
Offering “fantastic food near the National Botanic Garden of Wales”, Mark & Sue Manson's rural pub/restaurant is nowadays “a favourite in the Llandeilo/Carmarthen area”. The menu makes the most of local meat and fish “without being precious” and fans say it frequently hits “sensational” heights.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Y Polyn?
Capel Dewi, Nantgaredig, SA32 7LH
Restaurant details
Y Polyn Restaurant Diner Reviews
"I went there with high expectations given the reviews. I think it’s very nice, the food is definitely above average and nicely presented, but I don’t believe this is fine dining. Everyone was delightfully friendly, service was efficient but definitely not what you would expect in fine dining. Overall my impression is it’s a very nice gastro-pub, but I do feel it’s over priced for the quality of food."
"We have eaten at Y Polyn once a year en route to west wales for many years and never been disappointed- it is the last bastion of good food in wales as you go west. But it was not so good this year - a fixed price menu with four choices - very good value but the food was not much better than ordinary - no fish soup which I was really looking forward to but that is their choice not mine - smoked haddock and potato gratin - tasty where the mouthfuls had enough bream sauce but too much potato - belly Porth and roast peppers - one piece v well cooked with crackling the other not so good and lacked a sauce"
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always | £44.00 | £54.00 |  |
|
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| Lunch | £34.00 | £40.00 | |
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| Drinks |
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|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £26.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
| Extras |
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|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 10.00% |
Capel Dewi, Nantgaredig, SA32 7LH
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6.30 pm‑9.00 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6.30 pm‑9.00 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm |
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