The Bell @ Skenfrith in Monmouthshire

Spent a night here for my Wife's birthday. Beautiful location with a real sense of 'getting away'. The Bell has a lovely, welcoming vibe and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Evening meal was fantastic and I thought portion sizes were great with every dish being on point. Would definitely recommend and will visit again, whether that be for another stay or just to visit the restaurant. Cracking pint of Butty Bach there too!

Lovely food, lovely room and lovely staff

We were staying in the area and were recommended by our host to try this place out. As it wasn’t far we thought we would go for a drink then book dinner that evening. Arrived at just before 12, a few people checking out and looked to be others that were leaving after a meeting, so went into the bar area, no staff… fire alarm sounded for a second, must have been testing it, fire doors closed, staff member in front of us agitated when opening the door in front of us! Still after more than 5 minutes no acknowledgment or effort to serve us, so we left!

1st time visit went, therefore evening Meal

What a magnificent restaurant. The food is very very special. Completely out of the way and worth finding it.

Brilliant food and service. Modern cuisine. Fresh ingredients!

Fantastic place to relax in the quiet Welsh valleys. Food was great, room very comfortable and well appointed.

It was a beautiful place very expensive Sunday lunch 30 pounds each staff were OK some very grumpy ... quite far out of the way

Stopped off here for a light lunch.. Such a sweet little pub that has been renovated to a very high standard inside and has the prettiest of patio gardens to sit outside.. Its so quite and full of beautifully maintained flower beds and pots.. The menu was quite limited and expensive for a quick stop off lunch it is deffinately more of a fine dining restaurant but im sure everyone could find something..we most certainly enjoyed our Charcuterie board beautifully presented and delicious.. Would deffinately return

Fabulous restaurant and setting, lovely dining room and helpful knowledgeable staff. Our food ( Halibut ) was excellent with some lovely choices on a very nice menu. The service was very professional. If you're looking for somewhere special or just a treat you can't go wrong here. Definitely recommend.

We didn’t stay at the hotel but went to the restaurant - I don’t recall eating a better steak dinner - locally sourced ingredients, friendly staff & even a hotel cat that came to say hello. Absolutely stunning venue.

Mid-week Celebration lunch. Excellent choice of food and drink for four octogenarians. Relaxed atmosphere. Attentive service. Spotless amenities. Not our first visit; hopefully not our last!

A lovely location to celebrate mother's day, the food was perfect and we were even treated to a little gift!

Wonderful Inn with excellent staff. Really enjoyed our stay for my birthday, great breakfast. We will genuinely return and have recommended the bell to our friends and family.

Just had a lovely Sunday lunch at the Bell. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Lovely ambience, cosy and food delicious

Superb pub with rooms. Visited in darkest February but received a very warm welcome. A lovely spot next to the river with an extremely comfortable (and spotless) room. The bed in particular was amazingly comfortable. Dinner was also excellent - great ingredients prepared with real care and attention. Very good wine list too!

Stopped for lunch on Valentines Day following a long damp walk. Loved the place, apart from a very rude initial waitress. Sarcastic comments, an eye roll to new visitors to both the pub and area, did not start well. Asking if there was a dog section and if food was being served as only 12 seemed a polite question. Shame as the food was fantastic 👌

What a jewel of a restaurant. Warm, welcoming with lovely staff and excellent food. The menu is small but something for (almost) everyone. We ordered blue cheese brûlée and soufflé for starters, lamb and pork mains, chocolate for pudding. What more could you want? Some amazing touches, particularly the hazelnut sauce with the lamb, delicious! Honestly, this restaurant is something a bit special. Thank you for a lovely meal.

A beautiful hotel & restaurant with excellent location . Amazing and delicious food . Staff were helpful and courteous . Parking made easy . In the vicinity you can go on a trip or to the Skenfrith castle . If someone likes a quiet and peaceful place, I definitely recommend it 🙂

Went in a large group for my grandad's 90th. Service was great, and they provided a space for the whole family, alongside some great food and wine.

just tried to book a table for 10 people for a birthday celebration and was told there is a 30 quid "surcharge" as they want to set up a special room for us. I told them where to stick it as we would have spent maybe 800-1000 quid on pre-dinner drinks, food, wine and maybe drinks later as well. Its not the 30 quid thats the problem, its the arrogant attitude that if you want to bring so many people to our restaurant then we will charge you extra and to hell with how much money 10 people will spend. So they lost out not only on this booking, but maybe 20 bookings over the year, as we as a family used to go there in other in smaller groups during the year. So beware. There are plenty of other good places to eat in the area, where they are far more appreciative of your custom. Totally disgraceful attitude and wont ever go back again under this management. We will tell our friends too, of course.

Unusual atmosphere inside a bit sterile. We went on a bank holiday Monday and it was pretty dead. Felt rushed ordering as perhaps understandably they were quiet, starter ok, main of Lamb was really nice we asked for some additional vegetables, the asparagus was kind of raw so we left it. It was ok overall I’m not sure I’d return

I always went to the Bell in Skenfrith since 1976. Always great pub food after a bike ride. Went there yesterday and it's now a gastro pub. We had dinner. I had braised lamb, duck fat roasts, seasonal veg, Julie had roasted Jerusalem artichokes in filo pastry and 4 cheese cauli bake. The dinner was excellent. Then came desert. I almost orgasmed. Pistachio and almond Genovese with a meringue, fresh blackberries and raspberries and a raspberry sorbet. I've never been to a Michelin place before but that desert was a sensation I'll never forget. I forgot what flavour was after I had Covid. Chef is a genius.

Excellent food and service Loved the food lovely atmosphere Good service Stayed in hotel lovely comfy room Breakfast buffet a bit disappointing

Exceptional Sunday lunch. Lovely setting by Skenfrith Castle, and a very comfortable place to eat. The staff were courteous and attentive, and our food perfect. Excellent menu choices, and we were all delighted with everything. We’ll be back before long I”m sure.

We came here for a family lunch and were very impressed by the quality of the food. The service was also attentive throughout the meal. My only criticism was that the bar area wasn't open as it would have been nice to have a couple of drinks before our meal.

Stunning rosy beef and pork followers by 2 x desert. Best sunday lunch served at a restaurant I’ve had so far. Portion sizes are perfect and plenty of gravy. 10 out of 10

Delightful afternoon at The Bell today. Delicious food (my husband and I shared the chicken liver parfait for starters, had the turbot main and shared the pannacotta for dessert) and exquisite wine, as always, thanks to Maria’s recommendations. We felt so looked after by Maria, Kat and Tom, thanks so much!

Called in as were visiting the castle with family and baby. We all had the beautiful Welsh meat burgers and salad after starters. We ate outside in the garden which was idyllic, when it started to mizzle on, staff quickly got us a parasol. We stayed for a leisurely pudding and drinks. We had not realized that they were just open for the restaurant and considering Covid, floods were very kind to us passing tourists. I will definitely be back to book a meal in the restaurant. Thank you to staff

Just happened to be passing here on a long drive home and decided to stop for lunch. At first, the prices on the menu seemed a little daunting, but we were happily seated in the sunny garden with our dog, and decided that the driving break and surroundings were worth spending a little more than usual. But let me tell you, the food is worth every penny. Outstanding quality, flavours, presentation - everything. Huge complements to the chef. It was a truly memorable meal and we will plan our next journey around another stop there. The service was excellent too. What a find!

Mynwife and I went for Sunday lunch in the garden with our dog. The staff were very friendly and helpful as well as the service being good. My wife had the raost beef and she liked it. I had the roast lamb it was also very nice but I was disappointed as I only had one slice of lamb as my wife had 2 slices of beef. The lemon posset and cheese board were both very good

Having a bit of a tour of the three castles we booked The Bell for our midway stop. Food was great and generous portions and staff were all amazing.

Rubbish food, bad service and one of the worst experiences in a pub for a long time.. won't be heading back there any time soon.. they weren't even that busy that you might excuse their rudeness and unhelpful attitude

We have been to The Bell before for a Sunday lunch but as we were visiting the area and wouldn’t be around for Sunday decided to go for a Saturday lunch instead. A couple of our party had starters but I just opted straight for...

Just the most lovely Christmas Day lunch - beautifully presented food, perfect Christmas roast dinner and delicious desserts. Thank you for looking after us so well - including the turkey treats for our dog - such a special first Christmas with our daughter thank you.

We visited The Bell to celebrate a 90th birthday. Warm, friendly welcome. Innovative menu sourced from local suppliers. Beautifully cooked food. Outstanding service. Absolutely faultless.

We visited in early October and loved our meal here. It was great to be able to take our two dogs with us. All four of us will be back.

Following a cancelled stay in 2020, due to The Bell flooding, we finally spent the night here in the superlative Heckham Peckham room. The pictures on the Bell website do not do this room justice - it is sumptuous (lathe, soft carpet,huge bed, sofa) and...

Stayed here (only 1 night unfortunately) on a weekend away. It is absolutely charming (decor), decadent (food) and Maria spoiled Dave the German shepherd with loads of attention and his 1st puppacino!!! We hope to go back sometime soon. Beautiful spot for nice country walks...

First meal out for a long time and we have no complaints, the starters, scallops and home smoked salmon were exceptional as were the desserts, the staff were absolutely lovely, welcoming, friendly and very accommodating. Lovely surroundings and all in all a complete success, we...

The Bell as ever was an absolute treat. Food, service, room and atmosphere was incredible. Thanks to Joe the chef who delivered the most impressive food and Maria who as always would do anything to ensure our stay was perfect. Thanks to all the other...

What a treat! We are absolutely delighted to have chosen the Bell for our birthday celebration. Everything was perfect from start to finish. Staff were all delightful and charming, and foremost extremely professional. Food was really exceptional- the halibut dish was outstanding; the Welsh fillet...

We went here for the first time today. The spicy carrot and parsnip soup was very nice with rustic (I assume homemade) bread. The consistency of the pearl las tart wasn’t to my taste, but the flavours were good. The burger was a bit too...

Called in for a bar snack whilst out for a bike ride.Was curtly told that they did not serve bar food which they used to do previously. I have also eaten there on special occasions before. It appears their recent renovation has not included any...

Thank for such an amazing stay. This newly renovated heaven is peaceful , relaxed and rejuvenating . Restaurant and wine selection superb . Magnificent Sunday lunch! Lovely friendly welcoming staff . So happy to have spent time here . What a fantastic place . Thank-you,...

What a place the food is excellent along with the service. I would highly recommend this restaurant But don’t take my word for it go and try it for yourself

We couldn’t fault the service, friendly and efficient. But then we were the only people in the restaurant for most of the time.Our meals of hake with a lemon sauce and burger were fine, nothing special though, pretty ordinary. Redeemed by the puddings which were both good.2 courses with 2 glasses of wine at £70 was just not worth it. Not even bread on the table or a mint with coffee.

Our first visit here although those we were with have been before and told us how nice it was. It really was. Great Sunday lunch had by all. I had the chicken liver parfait which was delicious. Beautifully seasoned with sprinkling of sea salt and salad and chutney. Followed by fabulous roast of pork with apple sauce, Yorkshire pudding (all their roasts do) and potatoes with a mixed veg dish and the most delicious cauliflower cheese I’ve had out in quite some time. I followed this with white chocolate and orange crème brûlée which was just lovely. A must if you are in the area. Such great food. The Bell is beautiful and the staff were great too.

Exceptionally tasty well cooked and presented food in a friendly relaxed environment. Good selection of wines and beers. Worth the drive through beautiful scenery to this very pretty village.

Having read some of the unkind reviews for this venue/staff although I don't normally write reviews but give verbal feedback instead, I thought this time I would. We came across this venue through their online website having done some research. We were planning a joint 70th/80th birthday party for a large group and this venue stood out amongst the crowd.We decided to do a bit of a mystery shop to test out the food and service. We didn't book but just turned up on a random Saturday lunchtime. FOOD - on our first visit, the staff were more than accommodating and we were given a table for lunch with no issues. Food was outstanding, the menu was varied and worth the price. The drinks were not that expensive but standard gastro pub prices if anything. We did this on 3 occasions before booking the party which included staying the weekend at the Bell. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner all on the premises.On all occasions dining at the Bell, we never booked, always given a table and never turned away. It is a very dog friendly pub but it doesn't infringe on your dining experience.ROOMS - The rooms were in great condition, clean, tidy with ample amenities. Staff were very welcoming, chatty, friendly and amenable as we were bringing our newborn baby to the Bell. We had a cot made up for our arrival and our baby slept comfortably with no issues. The shortbread biscuits were a fantastic addition to the room and a welcomed treat.THE PARTY - we held a large party with Maria and all staff on shift, made sure all arrangements previously arranged were in place. It felt informal yet very professional. The set menu chosen was fab and the wine chosen for the lunch was lovely.All event goers agreed that this was a fantastic venue and we'll definitely be back for a visit as it worth it.I must reiterate that the staff were extremely friendly, created a very warm atmosphere and were absolutely brilliant. Would absolutely recommend this venue - the staff, food, venue and wonderful grounds/walks.

Beware at £5 per pint, and that is their cheapest, The wine menu was extortionateGarden furniture needs burning next November 5th, apart from that situated in a beautiful part of the country with the Riverside views.It’s a shame the owners have capitalised on ripping off the tourism trade.

Lunchtime visit for average food, average drink selection and average service. The dessert looked nice, but as nobody came to take our order we gave up. Above average prices and a 10% service charge added to the bill.

We’ve been here a few times for a meal and tonight was stunning again. Lovely front of house staff, welcoming and friendly.If scallops are on the menu I look no further and I could not pass on having lamb for my main course. My partner had the chicken liver pate followed by the pork. We both had a gorgeous cheesecake for dessert. Cannot find any fault at all with this establishment - I guess the Manager was off tonight or on holiday, it would have been nice to see her again but the place still ran like clockwork. Oh and the friendly black cat cake to say hello briefly. If you’ve not been here, why?

My wife and myself were holidaying at Skenfrith the nearest restraunt was the Bell.It is a beautiful restraunt in an outstanding setting on the edge of the river. The outdoor gardens were delightful and well kept.Inside was laidout nicely with bar that allowed dogs and a separate restraunt section that also allowed dogs but keeping them well away from the main dinning area..We went there on two occasions while we were in the area and were not disappointed at all. The menu was update on both occasions.Staff were delightful, friendly and helpful ( a special thanks to Maria) who c.ouldn't do enough for us.The food was excellent and well prepare by the dedicated chef and his kitchen staff

Last minute decision to pop in for Sunday lunch.Food was gorgeous as usual.The roast pork was delicious, such a big portion! The vegetables were fresh and lightly cooked-just perfect and crunchy.We couldn’t have puddings as we were so full but they looked fabulous.All staff were really helpful and friendly.Service was excellent even thought the restaurant was full.Truly lovely experience

Walked the Three Castles Route starting and ending in Skenfrith on a Thursday. Our intention was to have a meal at The Bell on completion. We did not book as we were not sure how long it would take to complete the 20 mile circuit (well worth doing if you are feeling fit).

We visited Skenfrith Castle and called into the Bell restaurant. How pleasant nicely furnished. Wonderful fireplace and excellent service. Extremely good quality food although slightly expensive. Would recommend and will definitely go again when in the area

If I could give no stars for this place I would.

We stayed at The Bell for the weekend and had a lovely time. My wife had called ahead to advise them that I am a newly minted vegan and to check if they could cater for me. The manager, Maria, assured her that they could and they bent over backwards to accommodate me. We ate there both nights of our stay and they provided me with vegan versions of the meals on the menu. On the first night I had a beetroot risotto which had been prepared without the planned goat's cheese. The portion size was huge and there was rather too much beetroot but it was a very nice meal and a lovely gesture. On the second night I was give gnocchi which was superb, my only criticism being that once again they gave me loads! Being just across the border in Wales, my wife had the lamb which she said was excellent and cooked to her preference. On the second night we entertained friends and they all three had scallops which were devoured. For my meals including breakfast I was given vegan bread and vegetable spreads, with almond or soya milk for tea.

Went for a quiet stroll around skenfrith castle and down by the river on Sunday 28th July early evening, with some friends. Made a special journey after a large lunch at home. Thought we would go back to the Bell for a few drinks and a light snack. We were met with unpleasant looks and a less than warm welcome at the front bar of the restaurant.

Visited the Bell this week for dinner and was really impressed. On a balmy evening we elected to sit outside where there were seats for casual drinks by the river or more formal tables and chairs in the garden.

We have just moved to the area and dropped into the Bell for a meal on our way home. This was on a Wednesday just before 8 pm; the car park was half full with only a few people eating. We asked for a table for two and the waitress replied: "We cannot do anything". We asked what she meant and were told: "We have had a lot of people in and the chef has said we cannot do anything". No apology, just a clear message to go away.

Had an amazing peaceful 2 night stay at The Bell. Maria and her team were absolutely delightful. The room was really comfortable and clean. The restaurant food was exceptional. Freddie the cat was really friendly too! We will definitely return.

From the moment we arrived at The Bell we loved it. We had a warm welcome from the friendly and helpful staff and we loved the chilled out, relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.

First time at The Bell and what a lovely surprise!

Be warned. The staff at this place have had a courtesy bypass.

Stopped here for drinks when visiting the castle. So wished we had stayed the night as it looked gorgeous

Last minute decision to go somewhere for the weekend.

Granted it was 9.45pm on a Monday night so it was dead in there but after fishing with friends (one who had travelled over from the USA to fish the local area) popped in for a couple of pints. No friendly welcome from the staff just "we are closing in 15 minutes". Very frosty and obviously just wanted to close early and go home. It's a shame because it looked a nice pub.

My wife and I have just had a joint 70th Birthday celebration at the Bell with over 30 guests including small children. The food, service and organisation was excellent. Everyone was kind and helpful from beginning to end. A big thank you to Maria. We and two other couples stayed the night. Or room was lovely and comfortable. A good breakfast too with lots of freshly cooked menu choices. We’ve been to the Bell many times over the years and it’s back to it’s best. The beers are good too!

Stayed the night here recently and ate dinner in the restaurant. The staff were wonderful, so helpful and professional. The dinner was delicious, as was the breakfast. The local walks are beautiful and leaflets describing these can be purchased at the reception. Slept well, very peaceful, and such a comfortable room. Beautiful location for a hotel. Thanks to all at The Bell and especially Maria. Will return.

Lovely hotel and restaurant, stopped for morning coffee and cake delicious, dog friendly (even has a pooch parlour should they need a quick wash after walking along the river) staff very friendly, service great would definitely return maybe next time staying at the hotel

Lovely dinner on a Monday Perfectly cooked hake, major cheese board and washed down with local wine, really enjoyed the night and great service from the guys there Will return this week to try the lamb

A lovely location for this establishment. We stayed for drinks and lunch. Very friendly and helpful staff and a warm, cosy, smart interior. Good quality food and drink on offer at reasonable prices. A real delight, we will be back.

Excellent mid week lunch in a very nice aspect garden. Great food. Good overall service and great value.

The dog was allowed in,and we ordered a cider each.

As I stated in my review of the Hotel - we arrived at this establishment at around 11.30 AM and were told that they could not serve us as they were too busy as they had no cups and saucers. They stated in the reply that we were rude and aggressive this is absolutely not true...... why are you making up lies? They also state that we could have had other drinks served from the Bar - also not true - we were told to leave and not offered any drinks at all - This is despite the sign outside stating tea coffee refreshments and snacks served all day every day.

We were completing the circular walk on the river Monnow during which we planned to stop halfway at the Bell. When we arrived there were a number of free tables where we sat down, but were approached by the Barman to say that they could not serve us as they were too busy and they had run out of cups and saucers - Not good enough I am afraid - as a business you should serve your customers even in the most extreme circumstances. The attitude of all the staff was rude, offhand and unhelpful. Please remember Bell - people set off on the walk without taking food and drink planning to stop at your establishment for refreshment!!! You provide the leaflets for the circular walk, so need to service it properly.

The Bell at Skenfrith has won a host of accolades from Conde Nast, Good Hotel Guide 2019, The food award Wales and Sawdays.

Stopped here for coffee after visiting Skenfrith Castle. Nice friendly staff but the coffees were very expensive for the size - £3 for a tiny cup! Warm and cosy bar area. Clean toilets with a choice of thick paper towels or individual hand towels to dry your hands on.

Had a family lunchtime meal here last week. Really enjoyed the food and ambience, we had drinks by the log fire whilst ordering our food - this was great on such a cold grey day. We had a blue cheese and walnut salad starter, home made burger which was super, the steak with peppercorn sauce very good and an amazing gnocchi with cheese and mushroom sauce. A citrus tart and an amazing special chocolate “desert” (combination of rich terrine/homemade choc ice cream/biscuit) to follow. Both great, the chocolate particularly. Clearly an excellent chef here! The staff were really friendly and helpful. We went for walk around the castle afterwards and our son was delighted to realise he was on the set of a Dr Who episode he recognised! Hope to return soon.

Two minutes past twelve on cold windy winters day. After visiting the wonderful castle ruins and pretty church we were looking forward to a hot drink and then lunch if there was a table. The fire looked well set but unlit (Just for show?) and unwelcoming. The barwoman was equally or possibly even colder than the unlit fire. She told us the establishment did not serve coffee during the lunch period despite there being a coffee machine on the counter, ready to go, with milk in a jug in front of it. THERE WAS NOT ONE OTHER CLIENT IN THE PLACE AT THE TIME. We did not have time to enquire about lunch as she quickly disappeared after her inhospitable proclamation. We had no inclination to call her back. Went to the Clytha Arms instead and enjoyed a warm welcome and great lunch. Suggest you do too.

7 of us had a wonderful lunch here today. Our starters and main courses were all excellent but unfortunately we didn’t have room for dessert. We had been here for lunch a couple of weeks ago which was also very good. The service was also outstanding. Can’t recommend The Bell too highly

Beautiful village. The bell's decor really lovely. Staff friendly but, little things like: shorts served in the wrong glasses, clumsy clearing of tables and serving other main courses to another table before returning to us with veg resulted in us waiting a few mins with meat before veg arrived. Asked for hot milk with coffee which didn't happen. Not major things but for the price little things like these help justify the cost. One soup, 2 mains a beer, g&t; and coffee came £60. A service charge was added to this. I'm never mad fan of automatically putting a service charge on a bill as feel it should be left to customer's discretion. Lovely walk around the village afterwards. Understand why it's popular, but we probably won't return.

Arrived in time for a 12.30 lunch booking table of 8. Very disappointed with the overall service especially from the husband and wife team who I presume are the owners.

The food is of excellent quality using locally sourced ingredients. What was really interesting was the wine list which included wines grown in Monmouthshire which were surprisingly good.

Stayed for the weekend and had dinner , lunch and breakfast. All were delicious and plentiful. A real treat that shouldn't be missed if you are in the area. Great Hosts (Sarah & Richard) and charming staff.

Having read the Sunday Times supplement in October for pub restaurants off the beaten track, we decided to visit. This was on the basis that we could have an enjoyable day out, walking in the crisp Autumn air and the last of the Autumnal sunshine and colours. We have 2 small well behaved dogs and we needed acceptance for them too.

We had lunch here,and it was lovely. We had the fish and chips which were in our opinion the best ever. Well done to the chef for this. Very friendly staff and the young lad helping was really good.

Went to the bell for Sunday lunch, just two of us, have to say the car park was not that big and some stupid people had parked very badly so taking extra room, not the fault of the Bell owners.

My friends and I had heard good things about The Bell's Sunday lunch so we were keen to give it a go. We knew the meals were pricey (£17.95 for a main roast beef) but we thought surely the price would be justified in the quality of the food. Unfortunately we were all disappointed - the food was pretty mediocre. The roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding tasted stale, as if they were cooked hours ago. While the meat was very nice and tender, overall we all felt the food was a big let down. Our booking was at 2.30pm, so a bit after the main lunchtime service, but that's no excuse for serving hours old roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. I'm not paying £18 for that! We also felt the desserts were overpriced. So yes, all in all, our entire party (11 in total) left feeling rather disappointed. On a plus note - it's in a gorgeous location and the staff were very friendly and accommodating.

I have eaten at The Bell several times over the past few years and have found the food, waiting staff and surroundings excellent. I have sometimes found the management a little 'edgy'.

After reading a glowing review of this restaurant in the morning paper, we took a drive to Skenfrith for lunch. Beautiful setting and first class service. An excellent steak and chips was followed by a peanut butter iced parfait with a chocolate mousse and raspberries. Like a deconstructed Snickers bar! Absolutely fantastic.

After our brief visit to Skenfrith Castle (there is little to see, so 15 minutes should do it) we went for lunch at The Bell which is more or less just across the road. The dining room, adjacent to the bar with French windows leading out to a delightful garden, is light and airy and simply but tastefully furnished. The menu is not over-burdened with choice, but there is enough variety to suit most palates. The restaurant’s copy of the Daily Telegraph provided us with a cryptic crossword to do while we sipped our San Miguel lager. We both had beer-battered cod with triple-cooked chips. They were truly lovely, full of flavour with just the right degree of crispness. The tartare sauce may not have been prepared in-house, but it was fine. The smear of pea purée was a small disappointment; call me a pleb but I do like a measurable quantity of mushy peas. For dessert we shared one portion of dark chocolate terrine; the flavour was intense and the consistency deeply satisfying. It came with vanilla ice-cream. Our black coffees were accompanied by a very light shortbread biscuit. All of this was worth four stars. What pushed the rating up to the max. was the service. Jana, Hope and Zach were exceptionally good at their job and thoroughly deserved the tip which was automatically included in the total bill. Before we drove off we eyed up the idyllic outdoor seating area on the bank of the river (Monnow) next to a quaint stone bridge; another time and in finer weather we may well choose to sit there with our drinks.

First class service and meal. From the S1 Bentley parked outside to set the scene through the rhubarb and custard foxtail gin (how do you get custard in gin) it was perfect.

Second visit to the Bell in some years so when my daughter a local resident said that a group of us should go for lunch then We were happy to agree. My first Bell experience lead me to believe that the lunch time menu would be a good one. However the Bell had changed from fine dinning to a more bistro pub type location, and that's OK if the food was of any quality. Sadly the food served to our group of 7 was poor. Three of our group ordered the Berger - all three meals were dry and hardly edible. Two ordered the fish and chips- half a dozen chips and over battered and Overcooked fish. The only winner was the Fish platter which was goodish. We paid over £140 for a less than average meal experience, upsetting for my daughter and disappointing for the rest of us. The Bell is a nice place, and lovely location the staff are friendly and accommodating. Food wise not good, and certainly not value for money. Never again.

A wonderful evening. Great wine menu and a good choices on the menu. All courses were delicious. With a cost they provided a cake for a special occasion which was great. Lovely decor and super service. Highly recommend.

Visited here today and can only recommend highly. Lovely restaurant and fabulous food. I particularly loved the Per las Blue cheese brûlée served with pear, walnut and balsamic salad - an outstanding dish. Compliments to the Chef.

Brought one of their leaflets for a circular walk around the River Minnow- undertook a 6mile walk then sat down for a really wonderful pub meal. The staff were great- eventually pulling a great pint and serving a tasty meal. Sat out n the garden which had a great atmosphere. Bertie,the black schnauzer, was warmly welcomed with a couple of biscuits and a bowl of water- just what he needed after his walk. This pub deserves all it’s accolades and the great write ups in the newspapers. Do not walk past without going in and do make the effort to book because it is worth it.

A group of us (with dogs) have just returned from an excellent lunch at The Bell. The staff, management and chefs made sure we had excellent food wine and service in a space of our own. Thank you all - we had a great time.