Clytha Arms in Monmouthshire

Comfortable with a good welcome.

Honestly the most atmospheric and wonderful place with good honest food. A must visit

I booked 2 rooms for an overnight stay last Friday evening. I was appalled by the standard of both bedrooms and after having paid, in my opinion the ridiculous amount of £230 for 2 small dirty rooms, we checked out just a few hours after arriving. Poor lighting in both rooms, our tv did not work, infact it wasn't even tuned in and more concerning our bathroom was absolutely filthy.....it didn't look as though it had been cleaned in months. Carpets throughout the pub were also stained and filthy. What a shame.....from the outside it looks such a lovely country pub but step inside the door and it's like stepping back in time. The place needs a complete overhaul and I strongly recommend avoiding at all costs.

Stopped at this charming pub on the way back home.

Lovely friendly country pub. Beautiful food, friendly service. Comfortable bar, lounge and restaurant areas. Definitely dog friendly. Didn't stay so can't comment on the accommodation arrangements.

The Clytha is our preferred place to drink, eat, meet up with likeminded friends. The food is always amazing, and such value for money....we can take our dog......usually chat to other patrons. Most comfortable, relaxed place to be.

Evening meal with 3 friends. Three meals were ok, but mine was very poor. Coupled with the poor service, I’m sorry to say I will not be eating here again. A lot of room for improvement.

Lunch out for a family birthday. We all ordered fish dishes, which were superb. I ordered tapas, gin and beetroot smoked salmon and calamari, both of which were absolutely delicious. Highly recommended.

Booked an overnight stop as we were heading into Cardiff for a concert. We called in for lunch and to sort out key collection. Very friendly welcome, great lunch outside in the garden. Room was fitted out with lots of towels, shampoos, tea, coffee and chocolates. Comfortable room. Excellant breakfast, some more friendly chat and very reasonably priced. Great find.

Stopped here for a drink during a hike from a nearby National Trust car park. The weather was good so we sat in the lovely garden. It's not often that you stumble across a pub that has a choice of 8 different hand-pulled ales!

Called in for a meal on a Friday lunch time. Very good fish meal and nice RealAle. Will definitely return.

We didn’t stay in the rooms but dropped by for a meal. Honestly this was very impressive – the staff were fantastic, and – although we didn’t have wine the wine list looked superb. The food was lovely and just the right side of interesting including options for vegetarians. To top it all for me, they even had weisse Beer on tap!

I was very impressed with the variety of choices on the menu, many not the traditional fare found in most other establishments. I had the fruit curry, having not seen or tried that before and really enjoyed it. Others in my party had a selection off the menu and the feedback was very favourable. It was a little more expensive than the run of the mill pubs serving food but the food was much better.

Fantastic little country pub with absolutely superb food.

Big enough to cope but small enough to care. Went here with a party of 17, all seated together on 2 long tables, Staff were excellent and very friendly and professional. Food was of top quality, I really enjoyed my time there.

We rolled into here for food at 6pm after a busy day exploring the nearby town of Abergavenny. We were hungry and had been chatting with a local who recommended eating here if we wanted quality food and a relaxed atmosphere. The grounds were gorgeous, the view breathtaking over farms and valleys. The inn is set off the road in large. Grassed and tree dotted grounds. Plenty of space for our 6 yr old to burn off the last bit of energy before food at 6:30. We opted for a tapas style feast. What a spread, so many different dishes, such delicious food. Freshly cooked. Served with a smile and it just kept coming :0) The food was delicious. The bar offers a wide range of local beers and ciders. The staff are warm and friendly as well as efficient and patient. During the wait for food, we played with some of the old fashioned games like bar skittles and draughts. Great fun! Whilst we were busy eating, the place slowly filled with dog lovers and their four legged friends. Very dog friendly with lots of water bowls and treats for them. All dogs that entered were extremely well behaved! A lovely welcome here, with fabulous food. Highly recommend a visit here.

One of the best traditional pubs still going. Absolutely brilliant

Amazing atmosphere! Staff were really friendly and talkative which is always nice. Most importantly the drinks were priced greatly! Definitely recommend!!

Love this pub and restaurant, would recommend to anyone.

This used to be considered the local for a Sunday lunch but the last few visits have gone downhill, and the most recent visit is the straw that broke the camels back. The staff are so unwelcoming and make it seem having a conversation with you is a chore to them. There was an issue behind closed doors with staffing issues, but weren’t told that. Just overheard customers telling their table there was an issue. I understand things do happen out of anyone’s control, but by bringing us a simple complimentary basket of bread as the wait for our orders continued to be delayed - that would have been expected. But here, that didn’t happen, just had the staff saying “yeah did tell you” The food was nice, which is the only main positive that can be taken from here, and of course the dogs are cute. Everything else was like going to those Karen Diners where the staff are deliberately rude, the staff here would fit in perfectly at the Karen Diner establishment. Disappointing to see how downhill ‘our local’ has gotten. Will travel further into local towns for better atmosphere.

We had a fantastic group lunch on Sunday, for 12 of us. We were given a lovely Private room, which was great with the kids. Gorgeous views and garden at the pub, which has a fantastic atmosphere - a proper pub! Not too gastro-pub, not too shabby- just right! Excellent food with unusual side dishes with the roasts, rather than the run-of-the-mill stuff. Wonderful fresh fish too. Great beer selection too 👍 Recommended!

Stop off on our Saturday meanderings. Beautiful setting and very friendly staff.

I have been here a couple of times this year and it was just ok. Today we had sunday lunch at 2.30 and it was pretty poor. In fairness thr food was alright, not great but no major issues. However the service was appalling: we booked for 2, had drinks first and then the staff seemed shirty we were sitting down so late. We had to ask for menus and wine menus. The main course was brought out before anyone cleared the table; delightful when half the table had seafood and so we were surrounded by shells as they tried to cram all the veg on. As they cleared the mains the waiter practically sat in my lap, straddled me as he cleared away! And we had to ask for the bill 3x. Its a shame as i have been here and its been pleasant and they have seemed like they care. Not entirely sure what has changed.

Beautiful tapas plates, lots of beer/ale choices, cosy pub and friendly staff and locals. Such a nice experience will be back for more delicious food

The best country pub in the World. 6 stars. A jewel of North Monmouthshire. Lovely owners, lovely staff, lovely customers. You can eat and drink like a King or Queen in rustic and beautiful unmodernised surroundings. I cannot fault this place, it is the best of the best. I have been to hundreds of country pubs and this one is the Outright Winner.

Nice place, lots of quirky stuff in the pub, that feels like it's been collected over many years. If there is something happening in the pub, then it can be pretty noisy. But it doesn't mean that it is a bad thing. Food was great! The only thing that disappointed was the desserts. So go for starter and main and you will have a great lunch/dinner!

We called in on the spur of the moment and were pleasantly surprised to be served so quickly as the Inn was very busy. Our food was served at different times, so my plate was cool by the time my husband's food arrived. However, the food was lovely and worth the wait. We will certainly return for a tapas lunch.

We have always had a warm welcome at the Clytha. They are welcoming to adults, kids and dogs. The food is always very nice and we live going. In the winter the fires are burning and in the summer we enjoy the beer garden. We have also found them helpful with gluten free diets and other requirements. We are local, and come now and again. They were absolutely fabulous over the pandemic - a great support- providing take away Sunday lunches and pints. Can’t fault them - highly recommend.

Awful place... This is our 'local' as we live a minute down the lane. If you don't frequent the place every night don't even bother. Turned away for drinks when the pub is busy and open on more than one occasion. Told off for using the beer garden as their dogs are in there and using the door to the beer garden as the owners are eating their dinner (no signage for either). Staff and owner are rude, intolerable and pretentious. It's passable to sit in the beer garden in the summer away from the atmosphere and we've tried with the place a few times now but can no longer justify giving them our money. Never again! Hopefully it will be taken over soon so we can enjoy the country side near the house we paid so much for! Disappointing, embarrassing and rude.

Hav bin going ther 4 year's l love it ther..

Fantastic short stay comfortable rooms, friendly hosts with a lovely supper and cooked breakfast the following morning. Thank you!

Just dropped in for a couple of pints after a walk, we missed it on our last visit to the area, great beers on tap, dogs all over the place but we love that. Classic country pub

Fabulous Sunday Lunch, friendly and helpful staff, atmospheric decor, wish we lived closer, would be a regular.

Great country pub with friendly staff. Food is freshly cooked and tasty. Will definitely go with tapas next time

Total gem. Got here Friday afternoon and it was a warm welcome and the sort of place you can chill and read a paper while enjoying a pint. Went for a lovely walk and came back for dinner. Now it’s a bustling local with a great crowd. Dinner was wonderful. So well cooked and felt looked after. Room was amazing. Spacious and a welcome change to the usual sterile rooms you get from the big chains. Breakfast was also awesome. Went out to the Black Mountains for the day and back for dinner. Again great food and a surprisingly good wine list. Like I say, this place is a hidden gem and I will definitely be using this as a base again for a weekend visit of the stunning Welsh countryside. Can’t recommend enough.

Simply outstanding service. We arrived at the wrong time and the staff tried everything to get us a table. Even Buster the dog relaxed and enjoyed the food

Good dog friendly pub/ restaurant We had an excellent meal and not over expensive.

I really enjoyed the Sunday lunch. The cider soup was a great tasty starter, i knew the rest would be good, and it was, I'll be back

We had a lovely lunch here on one of the hottest days of the year! Grounds are stunning, food was excellent and service good too! Booked a table but given the option to stay in or eat outside, tapas dishes are generous and tasty! Been here a few times and every time has been so good we keep going back! Thanks guys! See you again soon

We visited a couple of times for a drink before booking a meal whilst staying in the area Nice setting though outside seating could be improved Ordered a couple of the tapas as starter to share which were ok though the separate plates requested never arrived. Fish and chips and trout in a seafood sauce for mains The fish was ok but the chips simply awful worst I’ve seen like they’d been warmed up from day before really no excuse for such bad chips husband couldn’t eat them ! Sauce for the trout was disappointedly bland . Overall disappointing

Great pub, lovely ploughman's lunch, great welcome. Definitely recommended.

Went recently for food. The location was great and the pub itself was really cosy with a great outside seating area. We both had tapas starters which were hit and miss (the chorizo overpowered the prawn skewers). The mains looks nice but mine was only lukewarm and the corn frittas were cold. My partner has been countless times and have only positive experiences so I will put this down to personal taste and an off night. The most annoying thing however, was a member of the bar staff in her early to mid twenties who just looked like she wanted to be anywhere apart from there. No smile, going through the motions and not what I would expect from a country pub. I would go back but please..... this time can I have a friendly smile just once?

Lovely pint after a walk by the river. Very dog friendly

Friendly staff, amazing food, great pub

Amazing draght beer and service, worth the price :)

Another fabulous night at the Clytha arms,stayed in room 3 which is the larger one,very comfortable loads of character, plenty of coffee tea water and treats,great food in the restaurant top quality and cooked to perfection, the bar stocks just about anything you could want,there's also plenty of outside seating,love place to watch the sun set and enjoy a drink,thank you to all the staff who worked so hard to make our stay very enjoyable.

Well what can I say, went out for a drive to Abergavenny with the wife and on our way home felt a bit peckish so decided to stop here for lunch.(Big mistake). There was a wide selection on the menu but I thought I’ll have pie and chips (nobody can mess that up) another mistake, and the wife had faggots and chips. As we waited 40 minutes for a simple meal we kept ourselves entertained by try to catch the fly which was buzzing around the restaurant. When the meal finally arrived it was piping hot so I thought good sign, another mistake, the pie was in a dish so I had to cut around the edge to get it onto the plate, it contained chicken, ham and cider well the pastry was okay as was the chicken but the ham wasn’t chewable and the chips although hot seem to have been cooked a few times. Wife said the faggots were okay. So all in all the meals, half a lager and a tonic water £33-30, if the food had been up to scratch I wouldn’t have minded but personally I think this restaurant food is poor and overpriced. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone.

Quite possibly the worst Sunday lunch ever .. overcooked roast potatoes, tough meat , ratatouille, carrots in a random bean sauce , insipid gravy, only good thing was the cabbage! Cheesecake was gelatinous and awful! Service slow .. and a black Labrador sniffing around under the table whilst we were eating wasn’t great as I’m allergic to dogs… we kept putting it out and it kept returning! Tried overcharging us on the bill also.. never again!

Great pub good beers and friendly staff

Fantastic food in a lovely Pub! 7 of us went and every meal and bowl of Tapas served was Excellent. I had my first ever Goat Curry and it was simply perfection! Wonderfully spiced without being spicy with supebly tender and flavourful meat. I will be going again. Thank you!

Whereas the inside of this pub is nice and the food good the outside leaves a lot to be desired. Quite honestly if I arrived at the car park I'd turn around. The garden area is good but under the eaves of the pub where there are chairs and tables. It was filthy. The first thing they should do is wash all the floor tiles and make it tidy, I don't know if this was a one off or if its always this dirty. Come on Clytha up your game.

Been meaning to go here for a while ,lovely sunday lunch,wife and i both went for the beef lovely, vast range of beers ,the untapped is well good all in all a nice afternoon would recomend

Been here many times before but never reviewed. Sunday lunch here is absolutely brilliant. Meat is cooked to perfection, good variety of vegetables and lovely gravy. Only downside was it could’ve been warmer. We’ve had tapas here on previous occasions has also been very good and broad selection of dishes to choose from. There is also a main menu too that has plenty to choose from too. No matter what you come here for. It will not be a disappointment. The food is always fantastic and delicious Big beer garden with small play area for children, which is lovely to sit in if the weather is nice. Just a really nice pub not far away from Raglan.

Delicious Sunday lunch of a variety of orders including lamb, roast beef and fish, served promptly by friendly welcoming staff.

How can you get fish snd chips wrong you may ask? and at £18.50 for the pleasure? I've never been presented with such a soft rubbery excuse of fish "in beer batter' in my life, chips ok, oversized and a a bit tasteless too. Even if the cook didn't realise, surely the waiting staff should have been too embarrassed to bring it out. We were in a large gathering, only 1 meal was good. So disappointed as this is nice proper country pub with fire going etc.

Nice location, good range of beers and ales, 3 of us had a very nice sunday lunch here for a reasonable price. The staff were friendly and the bar area was cosy with a log fire. Really don't understand the complaining reviews on here, its a pub in Wales, not the Ritz.

The Clytha Arms is very local to us and never disappoints. A great, regularly changing selection of ales and ciders, lovely food, great atmosphere and lovely seating inside and out

Very disappointing. I ordered the stuffed ham with garlic potatoes. Just a sloppy mess. I suspect it's trading on its location as the only place to eat in the area

I think this pub is suffering, like many others in the hospitality game from lack of staff. The young lad serving behind the bar was very pleasant but lacking in experience, and service was very slow. We were eating outside in the garden which was very pleasant. One of our group had a dog. Pub is doggy friendly. We were 3 couples and not in a big hurry so no real problem with slow service. We ordered 3 starters - 2 calamares and an omelette from the tapas menu. The calamares were OK, but could have done with a few more minutes to crisp up maybe. My husband had faggots, peas and mash for main, which he declared absolutely delicious. There was one soup of the day, again a delicious and a very reasonable - seafood soup. One of our gang had a chicken dish with a corn fritter - lovely and 3 of us had the mussels in a cider sauce and chips. They were excellent. Just a bit of a wait between receiving the mussels, the finger bowls and the chips, but not a major problem. Best mussels I have had for a long while, perfectly cooked. All in all, a very enjoyable meal with friendly if slow service due to staffing levels. Would have had a 5 star review if service was quicker. Feel a bit mean because all hospitality are suffering with staffing levels at the moment. Complements to the chef for superbly cooked mussels, and faggots, peas and mash. Will happily return.

Food was ok. Husband had the mussels, I had the bream with mango salsa which wasn’t really a salsa but was very pleasant. The service was slow, we sat right by the kitchen, the language from one of the girls was appalling, they need to...

A very over priced place to eat My husband placed our order and after 30 minutes I went into see where the order was The gentleman behind the bar told me he hasn’t put my order into the kitchen - I was not happy I...

Have been there before and were disappointed with the service, but thought we’d try again. Called in for a drink and possibly a little food, but only crisps available. Appreciate that booking in advance for food is necessary in many places these days, but a...

Had an amazing Sunday lunch. We had the rabbit and cider pie . Plenty of fresh veg ..Dessert was wonderful also . Will recommend to friends and family . Definitely one to remember and revisit.

This is a lovely pub not far from Raglan that has the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere. It is surrounded by lovely countryside with walking trails. The menu is more adventurous than your average pub grub, and I enjoyed my hazelnut aubergine...

Happy with the welcome received from Sarah and Andrew, happy with the meals breakfast and dinner. Our room was clean and comfortable, all amenities were top notch. My husband and I are looking forward to going back Clytha Arms soon. Many thanks to all the...

Recommended and featured in the main section of the Good Pub Guide and in the 2022 Good Beer Guide. Other awards galore. Beautiful grounds and pub. Doggy friendly. Would score 5 for sure, but we left after a while as nobody around to serve whilst...

Close to a National Trust estate with good walks. We weren’t expecting good cooking combined with a very friendly welcome for a family team. Cooked with passion. Interesting wines and beers to compliment.

Tried all afternoon to book a table. No reply. Arrived at advertised opening time - 18.00. Told kitchen didn’t open until 18.30. Placed order at 18.20. Food arrived at 19.20. Soufflé flat. Mushrooms burned. No one cared. Staff did not care. Will not be back....

We popped in (booked) as we have so often driven past. I thought there was no atmosphere, no music and food was mixed. Loved the tapas mushroom. But the rest of meal was a bit lacking. Patatas bravado felt like quartered roast potatoes with a...

Busy there on the day we visited and there were too few staff in fairness. Food took a little while to arrive but it was tasty. We will give it another try in the future.

First time to dine out for a long time (Covid), thought Tapas and beer would be a fine way to socialize again, a quaint pub with living fire and atmosphere. Managed to locate 2 seats alongside the long window in the bar, however this proved...

Fabulous menu choice, fabulous food and lovely location. Food was piping hot and really tasty, service was great and all in all great value for money! Would highly recommend

Me and my partner regularly go out for a meal and have been to a huge amount of different places to try. I have to say this is the worst meal we have ever had. The bar tender told us to pick a table after...

3 of us, 2 vegetarians, had lunch. Great food, friendly staff, big portions. Only complaint was the bar was a bit cold. Go for the restaurant which had a lovely fire.

The place is dirty and the food was disgusting. fish with cabbage. The fish and chips where only fit for the compose heap. The pub should be inspected.

If you want a choice running from old style pub favourites such as pie, sausage and mash or faggots and peas through to more exclusive/inventive dishes such as Salmon in Filo with cockles or Steak with various sophisticated sauces, this is the place for you.

We stayed for one night and it was incredible. The staff were extremly friendly and helpful. We were upgraded to the 4 poster bedroom, which was amzing. I loved the character inside the whole place and the smell of the open fire! Sophie served us...

Surprised to see negative reviews for the Clytha Arms. My wife and I had a one-night stay recently and would definitely visit again. Sure, we had a 25 minute wait for dinner – but that’s what dinner conversation, and cocktails, are for. Food was well...

We stopped here on our way back to London, following a wonderful stay in the Brecon Beacons. Having put in our orders, we waited for our meal to arrive. After about 20 minutes, the bartender came to our table and told us that unfortunately the...

Stopped here on a fantastic walk over Clytha hill on our hiking holiday. Oldie worlde pub with lovely log fire. We only wanted lunch to keep us going, so ordered a couple of sandwiches. They were outstanding, in my husbands words ‘best sandwich I have...

We booked to eat outside, no one came to take our order so ordered at the bar, food took an hour and twenty minutes even having chased it up twice, when it started to arrive it was meal by meal........no cutlery, no condiments and the...

Having booked over a week ago and being a lovely sunny afternoon we settled down to take lunch on the lawn in front of the pub. We waited for over an hour and eventually the meal turned up. What a disappointment. I had fish and...

We had a lovely time at this pub. Based in a remote part of Wales was this lovely pub which had great views, great drinks, and a lovely setting. This was well needed through our three hour walk. The only thing that wasn’t good was...

Easy menu with accommodating staff that provides a great meal. A drink/snack is feasible too. Lovely area too!

Eight people had lunch outdoors on a lovely summers day. It's a great spot for this Extensive menu with sandwiches, tapas and full meals. Sandwiches were good. Home made bread, etc Tapas was OK. Tortilla was good. Didn't try the full meals. Pleasant staff. A...

Had a good selection of tapas which was well presented and tasted lovely. A very enjoyable evening and will be visiting again soon. The locals were very friendly too….

We live nearby so call in occasionally for a meal, it’s a great setting, the food can be excellent, and the building has lots of charm. Unfortunately the service can be patchy and we’ve had poor service more than once (long waits - pre pandemic...

Stopped off Friday for lunch . Had a gorgeous Plough mans . Fresh and tasty, and a lot of it . worth every penny ... lovely lady behind the bar and waiter very polite . All very nice . Lovely gardens lots of sun brollys...

Dropped in while on a walk. It is an attractive and very clean pub in gorgeous surroundings. Dog friendly too. However, the landlady seemed to take an instant dislike to me and was extremely snippy. When I ordered coffee, I was answered with a passive-aggressive...

I was here for two nights B&B. It's an ideal place to stay if you're planning a visit to the Abergavenny, Blaenavon, Raglan areas, or Monmouthshire in general. The staff were friendly and approachable - all those I came in contact with. The room was...

Such fantastic food Everything (including the brown sauce) is home made with top quality ingredients. Totally exceeded our expectations. Will definitely return when we are in the area. We stayed for 2 nights. Worth coming again just for the breakfast - freshly squeezed orange juice,...

Paid extra for the ‘large double’. Lovely room with everything we needed. Really good breakfast with local and fresh ingredients. Friendly and helpful staff. 10/10, thanks.

Gave 3 out of 5 because there was a wait for the food. Understand that due to Covid there is less staff to follow the rules. However, no staff came over to announce that there was a delay. Also, it would be beneficial to receive...

The Clytha has allways been a favourite country pub serving quality beers, ciders and food. So during Cov19 we thaught we'd try their Sunday take-away lunch. What a delight it was. Without a doubt one of the best meals served in 2020 and very good...

Tried to find a pub on way to Raglan Castkle - saw what looked like a pub and turned round and found Clytha Arms - apologies to owners if I need to go an optician but could not see a sign. Other than that very...

Food was average slightly overpriced considering what we were served. Large portion sizes. Staff friendly however once meal was served, service following that was slow and disappointing.

We found the clytha arms while on a walking holiday, when we walked in it looked amazing and full of character and old world charm. The ales are great and the food was so good and great value for money, this place is a must...

Went here for Christmas get together meal.We were a party of 19 and we had a great time. Lots of real ales and ciders available at the bar and good wine choice. Huge menu and the food we had was great. Service was good too.

Beautiful old pub. Great mix of squishy sofas, intimate tables for two and dining for larger parties. Lovely ambience and friendly staff. And the beer is excellent.

Visited for a family party. This gem of a pub is very rural and on the doorstep of the many fabulous locations nearby. Stayed in the 4 poster room which was huge and very comfortable. The full Welsh breakfast is a must. The pub is...