Rafters in Newport

Booked a midweek dinner with friends. The restaurant was really busy but well staffed. We had great service from Holly and Christopher on the bar. We all ate from the à la carte menu, however the £25.00 ‘25 year’ celebration set menu looked really great value. A lovely evening in a lovely setting, the ambiance was great.

We ate here this evening and unfortunately we were very dissatisfied. We ate from the 3 courses for £25 menu and our children from the children's menu . The starters were quite nice but then having to wait over an hour before our main courses arrived was unacceptable. We then went on to the deserts, which were again just average and they brought out the wrong dessert for our son . We told them not to worry about bringing another as our youngest was falling asleep by this point! We would not return here unfortunately. A shame because the venue is lovely.

Rafters provided us with an exquisite dining experience, food and drink was absolutely delicious. The chocolate bar dessert was decadent and beautifully presented (as was everything) The evening was enhanced by our server Morgan who was polite, attentive and friendly, nothing was too much trouble for him, what a credit to Rafters.

Went here for my boyfriend’s birthday. We were both extremely disappointed. We were put on a table by a fire exit even though there was lots of better tables around. We decided to have a set menu, but wanted to try another starters off the main menu but were told we weren’t allowed to purchase anything off the other menu. I’ve never in my life been told I can’t spend more money in a restaurant, it just didn’t make sence. I had pork belly starter, the poached egg was as hard as you can get. The pork was so tough I struggled to cut it. The black pudding was like charcoal and it had 0 flavour! Looked good though 🤷🏼‍♀️! My main was okay (chicken). My boyfriend’s fish was really poor, it tasted like the cheapest frozen fish you get from Aldi that had been fried to death, (a cheap quick dish you would make at home when you cba to cook). Lacked any flavour. Puddings, well I guess we’ll never know! It took them 2 hours to serve us 2 dishes at this point. We already knew what we wanted to order for desert when they gave us the menu we said this to the waiter but she rushed off before we finish our sentence. We were completely forgotten about so we then spent the next 30 minutes trying to wave down completely oblivious waiters. By the time they came over we were done and told them to leave it. You better make your drink last too because you have no chance of getting a second! All in all the management should be training their staff to a much higher level.

Seated around 8.30pm as per our booking, and our starter arrived at 9.25pm. Meal wasn't what I had ordered (wasn't even on our set menu) the waitress told us it would be removed from our bill, giving us the impression that we were no longer paying for three courses. Main arrived at 10.05pm. Figured at this rate, dessert would be around 10.45pm or worse so we decided to leave. We paid full price for three course set meal despite meal error, and being told otherwise by our waitress, and despite slow and innatentive service. It would have been lovely to have a water -refresh or offered a drink during our waiting. Many other tables appeared sat with no food, and the table next to us also had order errors. Appeared to be 4 waiters and 6 tables occupied in the restaurant. Our meals tasted lovely!

A special 80th birthday meal turned into something that was very mediocre and not what we were expecting from a 5* resort. Visited as a family of 10, we should have known really from the lack of customer service when we initially booked. We were told as we were a large group we’d have to pre order and would receive an email confirming booking in the next few days and to reply to that with our choices. No such email was received and we had to contact Rafters to check that our booking was confirmed. Once again we were told about pre ordering and the email was on its way. Yet again, no email.We arrived after spending a few hours at the much better main hotel. Firstly, whilst ordering drinks, no drinks menu was available on tables and so we had to ask for this. Very strange. 3 meals over the course of our 3 course meal were brought out incorrect resulting in one member of the family waiting an extra 5-10 minutes for their starter by which time the rest of us had finished. Mains were served and were luke warm. When we asked where our sides were the server had no idea and had to then go and check with the kitchen so this took even more time. Steaks were undercooked and had to be sent back resulting in even more waiting. We were told that the meal that was sent back would be “on the house” though on checking the bill on the way out, this was not the case. The only course that went relatively without a hitch was dessert. Service was shocking and I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant for its service whatsoever. Very slow and not attentive to your needs. Not once were we asked if we would like more drinks even when glasses on the table were empty. Plates left a while before being cleaned away. Servers seeming to have no idea when we told them that something was missing or someone had the wrong meal.I wouldn’t recommend Rafters at all. £500 later and we wish we’d have gone to Miller and Carter or the equivalent. Not the silver service and excellent quality food that you would expect from a 5* resort. We won’t be returning. Hugely disappointing.

Food was good, but really slow service and we were the only ones in there. Took an hour for 2 burgers to come and it took so long that we missed our spa treatments. Amazing place but too slow for us

Very impressed. Superb value for money for the Sunday lunch menu - great portion sizes but well cooked and tasty too. Will be back.

Had a few cocktails here and was very impressed. Not the biggest menu in the world but perfectly formed. Great staff too.

We took advantage of the three course lunch voucher promotion, for £39, through the Celtic Manor website. Lovely meal, supported by excellent service and wonderful views. Great value for money and well worth a visit. First class.

My wife and I had a voucher for lunch at Rafters and went today (weds 14th August). The food was excellent from the lunch menu. Staff were very helpful and friendly. Fabulous view of the golf course. Top marks all round.

I must admit I was a little worried about our dinner reservation at Rafters tonight having read some of the not great recent reviews!

Service - Served by young waitress who failed to give us the correct menus 3 times but everyone was friendly and happy to help.

For the price paid, we were disappointed with the meal this weekend.

Spent an overnight stay at the hotel at Golf on 2010 ryder cup Course which was fantastic however, Rafters is a deffinate NO-NO. Booked a table with girlfriend and another couple for 7:30pm on a Sunday, The restaurant was not full however they stuck us in the corner next to an open door where people were smoking outside - very unhygenic especially as we are all non-smokers.

Like the hotel, Rafters builds itself up to be something that it most definitely is not and therefore the disappointment is all the more. I have had better service in chain steak bars such as Beefeater and Toby.

After previously eating in Steak on Six, The Grill and The Olive Tree we were very disappointed with our meal here and would definately not return. The restaurant was only half full however our drinks took about 15 minutes to arrive and this was the only drink we had all meal despite being finished by the time we had our starters. The starters were good however the mains... £35 for steak diane at your table however this was cooked by the waiter not a chef. Although the steak was good the broccoli and potato accompaniment was almost raw, the ribeye was aneamic and poor quality and the 4th meal didn't turn up until 5 minutes after the rest! During this time the table next to us were served their food instead. It was difficult to get any service let alone more drinks and then we also had issues with the bill at the end of the meal. For a 5* hotel this restaurant really lets the side down and is very overpriced

We visited here for a birthday treat. Not our usual dining style but we were made to feel very welcome and needn't have worried about being uncomfortable. The food was lovely and views amazing. We ate from the mid week menu so the value was good too. Wouldn't hesitate to go back

As one of a party of four I was looking forward to the Sunday Lunch overlooking beautiful scenery but things didn't bode well when a lemonade and a lager shandy was ordered. When the drinks arrived both tasted unusual and it transpired it was not lemonade but soda water. The waitress quickly apologised and changed the drinks. Things deteriorated after that. The mushroom arancini starters arrived and I did not see or taste a mushroom in them. The main course of Topside beef arrived and consisted of a very rare, very fatty lump of beef perched on a minimal bed of vegetables. Despite the 'look' of the food I attempted to eat it but found the beef very difficult to cut and digest. I was quite jealous when I saw my sister find a carrot on her plate because my lunch did not contain one, only a teaspoon of red cabbage(which was nice) Regrettably at this point I should have voiced my dissatisfaction but unaccustomed to complaining and not wishing to spoil a special occasion , I kept quiet. The waitress came to collect our plates and asked if everything was alright with the meal. I said the beef was too rare and she replied that we could have requested it well done, this was not an option we were given. In my haste to leave I paid the bill promptly but only realised later that a service charge had been added. I have learnt my lesson and ...will complain in the future especially when you are paying £25 a head for Sunday lunch and I will never eat there again!

We visited for lunch with my sister & her husband. It was a first visit for them & they were very impressed. We all chose something off the 3 course lunch menu & everything was delicious. The staff were friendly & attentive & service was good. The atmosphere was relaxed with low music playing. We thoroughly enjoyed & will definitely come again & recommend to others. Thank you

6 of us went for family dinner . We called them in advance to let them know one of the guests needed gluten free food and they told us we should tell them when we there and they will sort it .

Excellent service , gorgeous views , food could not be faulted , steak diane cooked at your table was to die for.

Booked dinner here as part of an overnight stay at the Resort Hotel. Restaurant has quite a cosy feel despite being a large space. All the staff were friendly and attentive. Food was excellent.

Beautiful restaurant, pleasant, obliging staff so what could go wrong? A family get-together to celebrate a special birthday was spoilt by the mediocre food served. We chose from the Sunday lunch menu. Starters were ok although the duck terrine looked unappetising and tasteless. Most of the guests chose the roast beef. The beef was on the medium/rare side but was tough.. We waited for extra vegetables to arrive but were told that the veg was already on our plates. When we looked we found one carrot and one parsnip so we ordered more veg. The Yorkshire pudding was overdone and tasteless. One guest was brought the wrong order and had to wait half an hour for his meal to arrive by which time everyone else had finished. He was the only satisfied guest there and we all wished that we had chosen the fish as well. Meanwhile, one other guest had ordered the one vegetarian option on the menu, a mushroom risotto with cheese and poached egg. A rather grey looking dish arrived without the expected poached egg. When the waiter was asked where the egg was, he replied that it could take another form than was expected! In an effort to improve the situation, two glasses were brought for the two very dissatisfied guests. Unfortunately, one guest was driving and could not accept and was offered a non-alcoholic drink. By way of compensation, the cost of the vegetarian meal was deducted and 30% taken off the whole bill. Unfortunately 30% was then added on for the service charge!

We chose this venue because of location and special occasion. What a let down!! I ordered mushroom starter which was mainly egg and the roast beef dinner. I’ve never been for a Sunday roast where the veg consisted of one carrot!!! One carrot ?!? Awful. A very disappointing £30 wasted

Having eaten here previously I vowed to never go back as I nearly choked on a piece of cling film found in my food however a friend of mine wanted to go for a birthday meal here so it was not my decision on where we were eating. I had the curried haddock scotch egg to start. No curry flavour could be tasted and the mussels stated as an accompaniment on the menu didn’t exist. Salmon fillet for main that was over cooked, chips were nice and chunky. Menu was limited and friends ended up ordering the halloumi starter to have as a main with a side of chips. Blatantly explained to the waitress upon ordering they wanted the starter to come as it would but with the mains. Now either she misunderstood and wrote the order down wrong or the kitchen made the mistake but when their food came all they had on their plate was chips and 2 pieces of battered halloumi. All of the extras that were part of the starter were no where to be seen and it took numerous attempts to even received the peas from the waiter that dealt with the complaint. They were still charged for a starter and a side even though most of the starter was missing. Drinks were brought in a timely manner and water was topped up as needed.

We arrived at Celtic Manor today and ate dinner this evening at Rafters in the 2010 clubhouse

Slightly average experience to be honest

Having previously been to this restaurant due to the good food & service, this time it was a disappointment. The service was very poor & the restaurant was not busy. Plates were not removed from the table to allow our main courses to be presented. Portions were on the smaller side to that of previous but the food was good. Desserts were slow to arrive with the coffees arriving before them and then we had to wait for the cream/milk to arrive. All in all a disappointing lunch

I attended mid week on two occasions. On both occasions the food was very well presented and delicious but my goodness, the service was slow. All in all, the 3 course lunch experience took 3 hours.

Nice set 2/3 course lunch menu which was great quality food in a lovely setting with nice views over the golf course. Service was friendly - although food was very slow to come out. Having dined in all the Celtic Manor restaurants I felt this was the highest quality.

Visited last night, after negotiating a long drive through the golf course we finally found the place. Signs not illuminated at night. There were 11 in our party so we had a drink before waiting to be seated. Due to the number in our group all food was pre-ordered three days prior to our arrival. The meal was booked for 7.45pm, at 8pm after enquiring if we could be seated we were told to wait. At 805pm we were finally seated. No explanation as to why there was a delay. At 830pm I asked a waiter what was the delay in serving our starters. A young lad ran towards the kitchen then ran back but didn’t update us. Another waiter came over a few minutes later to say they’d be a couple of minutes. At 840pm our starters arrived, well minus mine, and another of our party, the birthday girl was served cold cauliflower soup. She was told the soup would take 5 minutes to be heated up. My curried haddock scotch egg arrived too. Why serve cold soup and why the delay in mine especially as we had preordered. When the soup came back to the table it was too hot to eat! Talk about from one extreme to the other!

This is a beautiful restaurant with stunning views of the golf course and over countryside. But make sure you leave plenty of time to get there once you’re inside Celtic Manor Resort!! It took 10 minutes (& an unexpected visit to the 10th tee) to find the TwentyTen Clubhouse.

A group of us were on a golfing weekend and opted for this restaurant at Celtic Manor. The service was very good and the food was near excellent. I went with their signature dish which was a Steak Diane fillet flambe cooked at the table. The quality of the meat was excellent though the portion was a bit small for such a high price. Moreover, they didn't time the flambe well with the other dishes from the table so it simmered in the pan for too long. It was quite far from the rare steak that I ordered and more like medium well. That said, the rest of our party thought their meals were outstanding.

Ate here with a largish group (15..ish) so all had ordered food choices beforehand. On the day the service was excellent with each course arriving at the same time for everybody, and the food was really good. The beef brisket was very tender and the goats cheese bruschetta was a good size and tasty.

Our visit to play the Twenty Ten course as a treat for my sons 18th birthday was everything we all expected from the golf staff to the condition of the course.

4 of us came here for a Golf & Spa treat for the weekend, the Golf was amazing, the girl's loved the Spa treatments but sadly the food & whole experience at Rafters was truly awful.

Ate here twice during a recent anniversary weekend, coupled with a golf competition. Both meals were lovely and the staff were delightfully attentive. One criticism, which didn't detract from the quality of the food, would be that there is insufficient knowledge of the menu amongst the wait staff, particularly where the dish name has a Welsh element. When I asked what the term Welsh rarebit 'pwll mawr' meant, not one member of staff could tell me. Why have it on there if nobody knows what it means? Fortunately, I already knew, but the lack of any understanding of Welsh was very saddening in a resort that puts itself out there as a Welsh flagship resort. Other than that, the place was excellent and the menu was imaginative. :-)

As a family of four (who were staying at the resort hotel) we ate here one night. Service and food were excellent especially the Steak Dianes cooked at the table! Only downside (and not the restaurants fault) was the extended wait for a minibus to return to the main hotel.

This is quite a gloomy restaurant, so much so that, in the evening, if you are not near a window you can barely read the menu. Don't be put off by this, though, as the food and the service are excellent. Jemima, our server, cooked a wonderful steak diane at our table. My starter of parmesan mussels with pickled cockles was a delight. Everything we tried was delicious. Definitely worth a visit.

I was able to first experience the wonder of The Rafters restaurant with work, and have since returned many times. The food quality and selection is great and there is plenty for vegetarians, which is something I can often struggle with at restaurants.

We were two couples that had played the 2010 course during the day and were staying overnight At Celtic Manor. A frequent shuttle transferred us from the main hotel to Rafters Restaurant. I has salmon to start and then chicken which was presented nicely and very tasty. My husband had mussels and penclawdd cockles to start and steak for main which was also delicious. The waiters were engaging and pleasant and the atmosphere relaxed. A point I would like to make is that the moderately priced white wine that we ordered in the club house was ok but could have been of a better standard ( including the spike bar, which we returned). We all had a lovely evening, thank you.

Visited here as a birthday treat and I have to say it was a great experience. We were driven down to Rafters from the Club house through the beautiful grounds to our chosen venue, which in itself was stunning. Lots of glass and a high roof allowed the huge, 270° views to shine. Service was efficient and courteous, our food was excellent throughout and we will certainly look forward to dining here again before too long.

If you haven't tried Rafters Retaurant during your stay at the Celtic Manor you haven't lived

We were delayed by traffic for our reservation by 30 minutes and the group was ignored by staff for 45 minutes after sitting for dinner. It was like being in the penalty box!. Food was average and service extremely slow

Arrived at 6.15 pm dinner was booked for 7.15 pm Sat on balcony for pre-dinner drinks view was stunning. Staff were very attentive service was good. Plenty of choice for meal we had 3 courses and each one was excellent we the ended our evening on the balcony which was perfect. Only one issue air conditioning needed in the restaurant as sun shining on glass made it very warm although doors were open but apart from that almost perfect. It is expensive but worth it.

Beautiful view of the golf course..Sunday Lunch was OK..Small portions..requested an additional bread roll with the starter which never came..waited over 25 minutes before the main course came and similarly 20 minutes for the dessert after finishing the main course, which was a bit too much of a wait really...A little overpriced as well I felt.

Visited this restaurant a couple of times during different stays and the food is consistently good and the atmosphere a little more restful that the Grill at the other clubhouse on the property. Staff attentive and helpful and transfer from the hotel very frequent and quickly arranged by the concierge. Selection of food and drink good so that a good evening is more or less guaranteed

Went with friends as we had eaten in every other Celtic Manor eatery, lovely meal in a beautiful setting. The service was excellent too. The steak on six is still my favourite but this comes a close second.

I was staying at the Celtic Manor and contacted reception at 10am to try and get a table at the Olive Tree that evening.

Lovely setting for the restaurant, and the views are stunning but the food was just average. Felt very underwhelmed given the amount spent. 3 course, and all were tasteless. We felt very rushed considering there were plenty of tables available. Had much better meals elsewhere for a fraction of the price.

“Husband and I were here for a conference and stayed over the extra night to enjoy the facility. We booked a Sunday Night Rollover , and upgraded for dinner at Rafters .. The setting is beautiful , but beware the sun going down as their are no blinds on the windows and the table next to me had to have their sunglasses on .. now the gripe I have is that when choosing this restaurant and discussing it with reservations, there was no mention that the a la carte menu shown on the website would not be the one you are given , and in fact the dinner menu was quite limited with the items ( like the steak and cheese and biscuits ) incurring a surcharge . We had a chicken terrine starter and husband had the salmon ( + surcharge ) , main was a steak and lamb shank for me , The lamb was beautiful cooked and fell off the bone and the mash was creamy , not a great fan of the barley jus it was sitting in . My pudding of doughnut ( 1 small cinnamon dough ball ) chocolate mouse and a rather bland Panna Cotta ( no wobble ) was ok but I have had better .. service was very good , but overall I have to say I was slightly underwhelmed..

It’s a great place good locations to eat and see the view, we arrived at 8pm which we booked not long before so they fitted us in well. When we arrived it was not busy but had to wait around for 15 minutes before anyone even said hello or welcome. After we were welcomed we were seated straight away, first impressions weren’t good but the service from the waitress was fantastic quick and happy to go through the menu along with the wine list. After we ordered we took in the surrounding and as for a good restaurant we were quiet shocked to see the cleanliness of the place was not what we expected, cobwebs hanging off windows lamp shades and light fittings would have thought being the type of restaurant it is cleanliness would be on the top of the list. So at that point we didn’t expect much but when the food arrived wow blown away ! The food was outstanding and hot and most importantly freshly made which is top quality ! From started to desert the food was well couldn’t fault it !!! Over all experience was good just wish them cobwebs weren’t directly above and next to us !

Had a lovely meal in Rafters mezzanine floor. The service by Alexandra was outstanding, works exceptionally hard, loves working at the restaurant, very sociable.

Just had lunch at Rafters and although the food was excellent the service was very poor bordering on plain rude and to be honest the venue needs some cleaning and refurbishment.

Wonderful meal but ate in the evening so missed the lovely views! It is more an adult environment so not many children and because of this it was very pleasant.

Dined here on the 3rd November 2017. This is a pleasant restaurant to eat and it is well staffed. Despite this, I had to chase up the service of the wine with the waiter as I think they had forgotten the order. The cheapest wine on sale is £24. The starter and main meal was ok but nothing special. The banana pudding was basically stodge on a plate and couldn't be finished. I have had better meals in other restaurants in the resort but this one is just average in my opinion.

We started with scallops and the charcuterie(with tasty pickled veg). Then I had the beef short rib, mash and greens and two of our party had Welsh filet steaks while the remaining junior member had the children's portion of fish & chips (which was large). All was of a high standard and the waiting staff were friendly and attentive. For puddings we had 1 apple strudel with blueberry compote that was judged wonderful, 1 crepe produced at the table(see the photo), a brownie for junior, and I had a deconstructed pavlova (perhaps I'm a reactionary but I prefer them the old-fashioned way+my meringue was singed!)

Played golf loads of times at this 2010 course. Had coffee, snacks prior to golfing but have never had a full-on meal here. First observation was how busy the restaurant was. This was a mid-week evening and the place was buzzing. Came with a couple of influential friends who obviously knew the staff/management. We were seen to in admirable style and cannot find fault with anything. Smiley lady serving kept us going with alcohol & water. The food was lovely, the majority had lovely soup a braised beef which just melted in your mouth. Not pretentious amounts but adequate. Desserts were such as apple strudel, exquisitely presented. A lovely enjoyable occasions.

Second visit to this restaurant for Sunday lunch, this time as gluten intolerance. Menu showed the items which had gluten...

We had lunch at the 2010 Ryder cup clubhouse, the food was exceptional with both of us being vegetarians it...

I think I have summed it up in the title. Lovely spacious restaurant with great views over the Usk valley....

After being seated, we asked to move next to a table by the window. We were told we couldn’t as the table was being readied for dinner.

Visited Rafters for lunch on Thursday with friends and sadly we were all disappointed.

The service was shocking. We asked for a jug of water. We were not offered a wine list nor asked if we wanted anything to drink. The soup was so thick it was inedible, the whitebait was overlooked and the pickled walnuts in my salad were the worst item of food ever tasted.

This restaurant is part of the Celtic Manor Resort complex and can be driven to (has its own car park) but can be reached by courtesy bus from the Celtic Manor main reception. It has a very open and calming feel about it, with a wrap around verandah overlooking the golf course. Menu was quite large and has the usual meat options et al, also offered seasonal vegetables. Cooked nicely. Fab evening

Lunched today at Rafters. Exquisite food with splendid service. Can recommend mackerel salad for starters and batter fried fish for mains. Wonderful surroundings with splendid views towards Usk valley.

This was our second visit to Rafters, and having had a wonderful meal the first time, chose to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary here. The greeting and service at the bar was good, but it did take a while to be shown to our table. The waitress took our orders, but showed no enthusiasm and was unfamiliar with the wine list. No bread was delivered to the table until we asked for it, and her attention to our table was non-existent. We had to ask for additional bottles of water and wine, and she left empty bottles and glasses on the table long after they had been finished. To be fair, the food was very good, but the service did disappoint for this type of restaurant. I did speak to the F&B manager on checking out, but felt that her attitude and attention to detail detracted from our celebration.

We visited with friends to celebrate my partner's birthday, and really enjoyed the food. The starters were superb, while the sirloin steak main was fantastic. I was a little disappointed there was no ribeye option, but the sirloin was very good.Desert was very enjoyable, and we then sat out on the terrace to watch the sun go down, followed by second desert (crêpes) which are prepared at your table.We don't often eat out at such expensive restaurants, but they do give you such brilliant memories, and we shall have to visit again sometime!Service was prompt and very friendly, and we couldn't have asked for more!

Midweek lunch with friends which was a first time visit for me, having attended evening events & afternoon tea.From a selection of Starters, I chose Breaded Whitebait with a thousand island dressing - the dressing being served in a dish which I appreciated rather than being smothered over the whitebait.Mains was Braised Flatrib of Welsh Beef, olive oil mash, spring onions with a small jug of beef jus. Beef fell apart when cut and tasted delicious.Opting for the Welsh Cheese Platter (a £4 supplement) I asked for two portions of blue stilton with a cheddar and not a brie which I disliked. Cheeses were served with crackers, celery and grapes which was a nice way to finish a thoroughly enjoyable lunch.I drank a Hazy View Chenin Blanc which was extremely good - prompting me to check for stockists.Our waitress, Alexandra, was both friendly and attentive.

We booked a table for 4 as a special occasion for a visiting friend. We asked for a window table when we booked however this was not passed on to the Restaurant and consequently all of those tables had been allocated. I ate at another of the Celtic Manor's Restaurants the previous week and wore tailored shorts and there was no problem, however when I turned up at Rafters with shorts I was refused entry. So be warned. I really appreciated the help given by the Supervisor Nick who found a solution to the problem and made us most welcome.We had Sunday lunch which was lovely and all four of us enjoyed the meal and thought it was good value. Despite being very busy the staff were great and we had a great time.

We came here as part of a Dinner, B&B deal and were certainly not disappointed. The quality of the service and food is amazing (Natalya our waitress was superb).But the gem of this place is the panoramic views across the valleys - it is simply spectacular and well worth the visit alone.The quality of the food is outstanding but I will warn you it is also very rich and filling!Thoroughly recommended!

Rafters is located a good distance away from the main hotel so it doesn't feel busy with hotel guests everywhere!! Parking is free and plenty of spaces to choose from which is a bonus and the drive through the golf course is picturesque. Ask for a window seat overlooking the golf course and you won't be disappointed with the views. We had the 3 course lunch menu and I loved my food, especially the duck, although my wife's pasta was bland and her dessert was also a little unimaginative! Service was slow at times but I wasn't in a rush!! Good value for the meal but the drinks were a little pricey!

Second visit and all I can say it's the best venue for food in the resort. Atmosphere, service and food is excellent. Would strongly recommend it

We had lunch booked for 9, plenty of space, lovely views as it was sunny outside, albeit a little windy today. Had a job to get through a 3 course lunch, all delicious and nicely served. Much easier to park at this venue than any of the others on the resort.

We were a party of 20 who visited for Sunday lunch.Very impressed with the location and the views over the Usk valley.I was even more impressed with the Staff who were all very friendly and helpfull.We were seated up stairs,and our waiter was first class nothing was to much trouble for him.Now the food was of a very High standard.There was not one complaint from any of us ,even the childrens menu was lovely. Lovely location. Lovely restaurant. Lovely Food. and excellent STAFF. what more do you want.

I have visited this restaurant twice, last October 2016 for my wedding anniversary and February 2017 for my birthday. The food was exquisite and the service so very friendly. My only minor complaint is that the service between courses was very slow, more so than I would've expected and we had to go to the bar to pay the bill instead of the waiter taking the payment from us.That said if you want to go somewhere really special then this is the place to go.

Another delicious meal at Rafters. Been for dinner and lunch before and always great service and brilliant food, not to mention stunning views!

Warm, busy with a lovely £15.95 for two course lunch menu - not forgetting the excellent views over the golf course and beautiful countryside. My main course in particular - braised beef, with cheesy mash, kale and broccoli was excellent. All eight of us throughly enjoyed our two or three course lunch beautifully served.

Was at Celtic Manor for a meeting and decided to stay for lunch. Having looked at the menus in reception chose Rafters. Concierge arranged transport (although I would suggest you drive as parking there is free and if you leave your car in the main car park the chances are you will have to pay at least £4.50). The restaurant is in the 2010 clubhouse a few minutes drive away with great views over the valley. The restaurant in the clubhouse it light, fresh and classy. It was only when we arrived that we were offered a lunch menu (rather than the a la carte shown in reception). This gave 2 courses for £15.95 or 3 courses for £19.95. We both chose a starter and main course. The highlight being the braised short rib which we both chose - fantastic. In for a penny.....dessert....I chose brownie - excellent. My wife chose Tiramisu - the weakest of all 6 dishes. The other desserts we saw being brought out looked lovely.Apparently, as we had 3 courses we were entitled to complimentary coffee - a nice way to end the meal.£40 for 2 three course meals with coffee and excellent service - great value. The only negative was £9 for a glass of rose wine which as an individual price seemed excessive but when absorbed within the bill still felt like overall good value for our lunch.

Highly recommend the lunch served until 4pm. Two three course meals and coffee for less than £40. Food was excellent which was supported by very fine service. Add to that the marvellous views surrounding the 2010 course and it is a wonderful experience. Well worth a visit.

The food is the main reason for going anywhere and at £19.95 for 3 courses it doesn't seem bad. But this is fish/chips, burger/chips meals you can get in any pub and usually two eat for £10 or something similar.Once you've added drinks and an £80 lunch for 4 became nearer £200.Would I eat there again, probably in a combined golf experience but not for an occasion, there is far better closer to home and at less - Marriot St.Pierre for instance.There was though nothing wrong with the meal just overpriced probably due to location and the Hotel/Ryder Cup connection

Beautiful location with lovely views. Celebrated Birthday meal with friends. Food was beautifully presented with lovely details. Good menu with lots of choice and staff were very attentive. I had the lamb which was gorgeous. The starter for two, to share is a also good.

GOODComplimentary DrinksEventually fabulous fillet steakNOT SO GOODNo verbal greeting on arrival by staffBooked table by window - told we had not booked window tableGiven table upstairs - my aunt is 79 yrs old, could not walk up approx 20 steps. There several tables that were not in use, I asked could we not have one of those (no answer). The one table was not occupied until about 2200pm, we were there at 1930pm, eventually put 2 tables togetherOrdered rose champagne, girl brought ordinary champagne, stopped her from opening itCorrect bottled frizzed and spilt over the floor, no serviette around the neck of the bottleRequested water when ordering drinks, glass came but it was some 20 minutes before the water came (after asking for the water again)Had to ask for a spoon for the Bearnaise sauceWanted to order Steak Diane but told many orders before,could not give time waitMy fillet steak and another party member, steaks were incorrectly cooked, especially my blue steak which was mediumPut empty bottle, upside down in wine cooler, expecting staff member to see it but after 20 minutes, I had to call over a staff member for another bottle of champagneWe had to refill our own glasses - why did no staff members refill our glasses?Use to have 30 cherries as a dessert but now only 10 cherriesCould go on but:-Staff seemed to be not fully trained (especially girl serving champagne), not attentive to customers needs (were in little groups talking to one another). This was the worst experience we have ever had, never going to return to Rafters - this is a PRESTIGIOUS AA Rosette restaurant (in description) well what happened? Unfortunately the staff do not come to the quality of food (eventually correct steak served)..

This is not an easy review to write, mainly because the Celtic Manor Resort and its various satellites is local to us and we visit regularly.OK, overall its pretty good. But then you would expect that for a 5 Star place.So the problem is , as with many other places we have visited, that there is no one big issue, rather a few or a lot of small ones which when added together become more than an annoyance.So the deal is that if you are a member of the Manor they are offering selected dates at any of their 6 or 7 restaurants where you get 50% off your food bill together with the normal members reduction on drinks.A good deal you might think, and on the face of it , yes it is.Rafters is the restaurant in the 2010 Clubhouse which hosted the Ryder Cup in 2010. The location is stunning with views to die for and a building to match. The food is of a good standard, the service is OK, the prices on the higher side of average.No grouses there then, until you start to add up the niggles.The bar was not ready to serve guests, or at least that's what it felt like.When we asked to be shown to our table we also had to ask to see the menu and wine list.We asked 3 times for further drinks at the table, and also had to ask for water.After quite a long wait to see a menu we waited even longer for our order to be taken.The starter course was nice but not great.We then waited 15 minutes for our main course, which was Steak Diane, flambe-ed at the table. When it did arrive it was the waitress who cooked it, and who was embarrassed to have to wait for the plates with the vegetables to arrive.It was farcical. Firstly I would have expected one of the chefs to be doing the cooking, not one of the waiting staff. Second the rest of the meal should have been ready when the steak was. Third, whilst it was tasty enough it was not cooked properly as I would have expected.I would have been far from pleased if I had had to pay full price.We will doubtless continue to frequent the Manor, because there have been odd incidences of fabulous food, beautifully cooked and professionally served.Unfortunately such occurances are far from the norm.The Celtic Manor has it all going for it, but continually lets itself down in some way or other.But we live in hope........................

...... had lunch at the Rafters 2010 Clubhouse with seven others for a 90th birthday meal and what a beautiful day to dine at a prestigious restaurant with lovely views of the course / countryside - unfortunately the weather and scenery were the only good points as the restaurant had absolutely no atmosphere, staff not as attentive as would have expected at the Celtic Manor and food was ok at best - not overly priced, but have paid a lot less for much better.Despite it being very quiet, food took forever to arrive and none of the diners that had steak were asked how they want it cooked (basic question at a restaurant?), burgers were standard and can't really comment on chips as there were only four to taste.So after such a poor meal you can only imagine our response when the automatic 10% tip was added -- I'm very much open to tipping service, but not today I'm afraid.I like eating at the Celtic Manor, but this experience may put me off from future visits as certainly felt let down by such a prestigious hotel -- Mr Matthews, your standards have dropped for sure.

The restaurant was very quiet on arrival, lacked atmosphere and was cold. We had the set lunch which is good value and the food was fine although nothing special. The young waiting staff were polite and attentive. But on being presented with the bill the 10% discretionary service charge had been added which had not happened the last time I visited. I prefer to tip individuals. Also, the dining area had dust on some surfaces and lampstands, and when we took coffee in the lounge area this seemed a bit grubby with drink dribbles down the side of leather furniture. Not what I expect for 5*.

We went to lunch at Rafters today and can honestly say it was one of the worst meals I have ever had. Firstly there is no atmosphere there and it took so long to be served. I had the burger for my main which was dreadful, it had a funny smell to it which completely ruined my meal, when I explained this to the waitress she took it away only to come back and tell me the chef said he had served a lot of these that day and I was the only one who complained but I could have a complimentary tea or coffee instead, not a bad deal seeing I didn't eat anything of my main course. I was very disappointed as the Celtic Manor is supposed to be 5 Star, I don't think I will be visiting again.

We had booked a table for nine people and were shown to a table set for eight - so not a brilliant start. Service was slow to begin with staff busy seating people even though the restaurant wasn't that busy. We had booked for 6.00pm as we had two children in the group.The food was very good - my husband had the Flambe Steak and it was melt-in-the-mouth - however, be aware that there are a maximum of two of this dish per table... so not great when there are seven adults in the party. I had the chicken breast fillet which included a bone (why, I don't know) and I prefer my meat boneless.I would go to the restaurant again but probably not with a group.

I booked this restaurant for my husband's 40th birthday. There were 13 in the party and when making the booking, I was told a set menu would be provided. Although the choices were quite limited, everyone was able to select a meal and the two children with us had a very good children's menu. The surroundings were beautiful and the staff were exceptional. They were on hand at all times. It was a quiet Wednesday evening but as we were a large party there was still a great atmosphere.Would definitely return.

Very disappointing.stayed at the hotel & visited Rafters for my wife birthday.Room was cold, with no atmosphere, staff seemed undertrained, not smart and unsure of themselves, other than the guy serving the steak Diane. Drinks arrived late, most of the way through the steak by the time the glass of wine arrived.We were told that there would be plenty of gluten free choice, But no deserts were suitable.This was in total contrast to Merlin's Bar. Great atmosphere, friendly, efficient, engaging and confident staff. We had desert here. Far better.

Lovely atmosphere and environment in restaurant. Friendly accommodating staff. However, food was not the standard I would have expected here. The roast beef was so tough it was hard to chew, (one had to be sent back and another option chosen), and the meal in general could only be described as warm, not hot. The gap between starter, and waiting for, main was almost 50 minutes, also for a coffee top-up!Had parked in car park by Celtic Manor hotel and waited for courtesy bus (in icy rain) which it states come round every 10 minutes, but didn't. Tried to ring phone number they give, but no-one answered. Ended up ringing reception who said they would inform concierge. Had to ring again after another 8 minutes!. Total wait nearly half an hour, which meant we were over half an hour late for our table booking. Not knowing where Rafters was, we were taken to the hotel where we were told we had to go to the Clubhouse, in bus. Didn't realise how far away it was. First though, the driver took us back to where we'd just come from to drop another couple off, then back again and on to the restaurant. Not an auspicious start. Celtic Manor has a friendly atmosphere, and is lovely to relax in, but we were not overly impressed with the food and wait.

Nice lunch with beautiful surroundings and pleasant staff. Would have liked veg cooked longer and more of with the beef rump,otherwise really enjoyed.

Lunch on a wet grey day in December. Tidy welcome and bar service, menu browsing courtesy of Wes whilst we enjoyed our drinks. Striking room, great views down the Usk valley, on a sunny day you can even dine outside on the terrace. Starter of antipasti OK, portion size a bit mean, served up with artisan breads and well put together, nice touch with the full blooded capers and olives. My main was a pan seared salmon served with a curly papperdella, cherry tomato salad. Really good, fresh pasta, salmon to perfection with a crisp skin;delicious. Couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio topped it off nicely, bill for all this was reasonable, my only observation is that they appear to include a service charge and then leave a space for an extra gratuity.

After taking the courtesy mini bus to restaurant from main hotel were greeted by very pleasant and helpful staff.The location of restaurant gives you stunning views of countryside.The meal was, as expected, excellent and portions were generous. Desserts were exceptionally good.After a relaxing lunch, the courtesy bus picked us up and took us back to hotel.All in all a great lunch, highly recommended.

Lovely restaurant with extremely attentive staff, top quality meal from a varied menu. Expensive meal but worth it! Even had a complimentary glass of champers to celebrate our wedding anniversary, unfortunately, it ended up in my lap as the poor waiter stumbled whilst bringing it to our table. Memorable, enjoyable evening ;-)

A lovely atmosphere in the restaurant due to the music, attentive staff and superb views. We parked at the Hotel and were taken by curtesy bus to the clubhouse as there is no parking available at the restaurant.The set lunch menu was quite nice but not wonderful with choices including fish and chips and pasta of the day. I had the prawn cocktail to start and the beer battered cod with pea puree and chunky chips. Nicely presented and a good portion size for the main meal. I was however, disappointed with the fact that the chips were not hand cut which in a restaurant this prestigious I would have expected. The pavlova dessert was very good and the staff very friendly.I was surprised that the service charge was not advertised as such on the menu. I always tip but find it disconcerting to find out that the set menu cost is not exactly as it would appear at first glance! So no additional tip was left as I felt a little bit conned.

My husband took me to lunch at Rafters restaurant at the Celtic Manor resort. We chose from the al a carte menu which gave you a very good selection for all three courses.The restaurant is situated in the extensive grounds of the Celtic Manor, the views were absolutely beautiful. The food was quite simply lovely, the portion sizes were just right, not too large but equally not sad nouveau cuisine sizes. We weren't rushed to eat, it was very calm and relaxed.

Mid week lunch for three, restaurant was quiet and we had a nice table near the window with a good view of the county side. Service was very good and the food also.

Excellent 3 course lunch. We were looked after by Nick who was very courteous and nothing was too much trouble for him. Overlooked the golf course and given plenty of time to choose our meals. Beef was excellent as was the mackerel fillet with beetroot risotto. Overall a very enjoyable meal in good surroundings. Would not hesitate in recommending Sunday lunch.