The Black Lion in Carmarthenshire

It was a very disappointing meal...the fish dry tasteless and .y burger as dry as a bone as if it had been in a fridge for a week...no service to speak of ..seemed to be playing on her phone ...more expensive than the excellent forest further down the road....we thought we would give it another chance this time and it was very poor

Well worth a visit. Great food and hospitality as well as dog friendly.

A little gem, delicious Sundsy Roast

Lovely little pub with friendly staff. Fantastic piece of freshly made Victoria Sandwich, lattes and a pint. The garden was a perfect spot to enjoy a bit of winter sun. Very conveniently located for a pint after a walk!

We’ve recently moved to a village nearby. The Black Lion, Abergorlech is the nearest pub to us. We had dinner there last night and what a lovely experience. Thought it was quiet when we arrived, the fire was lit, pub was lovely and warm, we were first in. The pub is old (in a nice way) quaint and openly welcomes dogs with treats, warm floor blankets and water bowls. There are two local ales, the session draught was the better of the two. The food menu is on a chalkboard, with a couple of specials on a small table board. Straight to mains of nduja chicken (assured by owner it’s not too hot, and wasn’t) All the food is cooked to order and fresh, the time was filled with a complimentary offer of some freshly cooked bread, olive oil and stunning thick, rich and flavourful balsamic vinegar, it really was a pleasant surprise. Nduja chicken arrived, quite a large chicken breast on rice and green veggies. Very well cooked, moist and warm. Puds we’re all home made, we went for clotted cream rice pudding, with red berries and a very light sticky toffee pudding. Other locals and diners arrived during the evening and the atmosphere was really friendly and jovial, we made friends with a beautiful springer spaniel, but may be that was more about sitting next to the treats and the fire. Glad we have found a little local gem. The Abelgorlech Brechfa forest walks (for all abilities) are only a minute away, and though we didn’t go down to the river tonight, it’s just across the road at the bottom of the pub garden, can’t wait until summer! Thank you Lynne and Phil for a very enjoyable dinner and evening….

Great food and service. The pub is very old, and it has a great atmosphere.

What can I say it has always been great when I have visited and the food is GOOD.

Had Sunday lunch which was very tasty. The meat portion was generous and there were plenty of vegetables. Staff were very friendly and there are a good choice of locally brewed beers.

Absolute gem of a little pub. Cosy with a great atmosphere. Highly recomended.

We stopped in after a dog walk,warm welcome great pint of guiness ,had treats for the dogs ,the food was fantastic ,I had brisket ,and wife had the fish stew was all delicious and pudding was banging and a had a delicious Welsh whisky ,highly recommend ,Gareth and bee from.oxford

Really nice selection on tap, take card, lovely seating areas

A gem of a find of a local village pub. Very friendly Landlords and staff made us feel welcome from our arrival. Great atmosphere in the pub - cosy and modern traditional. A great array of Welsh beers, ciders and spirits along with locally sourced food. A top notch chef produced delightful starters, mains and desserts. I fully recommend the beef brisket and homemade meringue. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the Brechfa forest area.

Absolutely gorgeous lunch tomato and fennel seafood stew with garlic aioli and warm crusty bread. Heaven! Highly recommend.

The Black Lion is a traditional pub in the best kept village of Carmarthenshire. The owner & staff are very friendly and professional. The food is very tasteful, fresh and made of good quality local products. A great atmosphere inside in the pub. Nice driving with magnificent views to and from Llandeilo via the Towi Trail to Abergorlech.

Food was absolutely delicious lovely staff and owners very welcoming would highly recommend this place for an evening out

.Spicy slow cooked brisket was superb...and oddly went extremely well with the mac cheese etc. The cod with curried mussels from the specials boards also good and tasty. Starters prawn cocktail and olives were a good and a good size portion. We didn't have dessert so can't comment.

Lovely, welcoming, traditional pub, which is very dog friendly. Food is delicious and cooked fresh, with whole food ingredients. Selection of local beers available. It feels very warm and cosy inside, and the service was excellent.

Lovely little pub, didn't book for a Sunday lunch but they still managed to whip up a delicious beef baguette which was superb 👌

What a lovely little gem of a pub. Love the rustic decor and the fish stew was to die for! Kids and dog friendly too.

Quality sourced menu, reassuringly scratch cooking with whole foods. No processed or packaged food here. Lovely and friendly team, very inviting and dog friendly. Best pub around.

Didn't eat there so can't comment on the food but this is an idyllic little country pub with a very pretty beer garden just opposite and alongside the river.

Celebrating a birthday. Pleasant place, nice dining room, lovely staff. Food was good but not the best Sunday lunch I've had recently.

Superb Sunday lunch. Will definitely go again. All home made food. Staff lovely. Small village location. Dog friendly.

Nice friendly little pub. Guinness not the best though.

This pub is very friendly, and the food is absolutely delicious. Being coeliac, it can be a bit of a minefield eating out, but the people at the Black Lion could not have been more helpful and accommodating. They ensured my meal was gluten free. (Note to coeliacs: chips are gf 👍). I had the Brisket, and it was one of the best meals I’ve had for a long time. My husband had fish and chips, a standard and a good measure of a place - also excellent. They source local produce, here, and my husband had some excellent local beer and I had a very good local gin (guided by a very helpful bar staff). Everything about the place was lovely, from the garden across the road overlooking the river to the attention to detail inside the pub - bar area, toilets etc all tastefully decorated and presented. We can’t wait to go back.

Lovely lunch at the Black Lion. Great atmosphere and so friendly. So impressed by the homemade vegetarian burger which was delicious and nutritious. Really amazing to find such good vegetarian food in a country pub. Highly recommend!

This pub has it all. It offers the best food around in this area, the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. We go regularly and Lynne and Phil are wonderful hosts and the staff are lovely. A lovely, cosy family pub. Highly recommended.

Lovey Welsh pub in abergorlech very close the the NRW parking to access part of brechfa forest. We had cycled the common to common route that starts and ends in abergorlech. We sat in the beer garden by the river with our bikes for a few rehydration centric beers. We didn't get to sample the food due to our timings and that of the kitchen, but what we saw looked amazing. The staff and clientele were friendly and welcoming. Would definitely be back. Lovely pub and lovely area for outdoor activity.

Lovely country pub. Great pint of Worthy💪🏻. Didn't have food.

A warm welcome by bar staff today. Lovely beer garden right next to the river. Just one downside...for the hour that I sat in the beer garden, a dog from the pub's neighbour's garden barked non - stop. Not very relaxing. Apart from that, would recommend a visit. Plenty of parking opposite and numerous benches in the beer garden.

I've never been to a pub with such an awkward atmosphere. The only way we would've felt less welcome is if they'd just told us to get lost

Don't bother. Their customer services is non existent. The atmosphere was toxic. We obviously weren't welcome. We arrived at 4.45pm and food wasn't served until 5.30pm but we were happy to wait. But they either don't like non villagers (English visitors) or have something against dogs and babies. Who knows but they made us feel so unwelcome that we left as soon as we finished our drinks!

Lovely cosy pub with a great atmosphere. We popped in for lunch before a walk in the forest (just a short walk from the forest car park). We were welcomed along with our dog. Delicious food, a good selection all using local produce, and a choice of local ales.

We went there with a small group for Sunday lunch during March, the welcome from the landlord/owner was very welcoming and friendly. Both the food and drinks were all very good especially the food, with no exaggeration it had to be the best Sunday lunch we've had. Couldn't fault the place in anyway at all. Thanks for such a lovely time

Came for Sunday lunch with friends. Wow. Food was perfect in every detail, completely delicious and everyone agreed was the best pub Sunday lunch ever. Highly recommended

Pop in for some food after mountain biking was delicious and great warm atmosphere

Only call there after an evening of biking but welcoming and accommodating hosts

What a lovely country pub! Home made cake, a log burner, nice menu and right by lovely forestry walks. Go!

Very nice place to visit would recommend the landlady was very helpful and polite will visit again.

A lovely, rustic pub with excellent food and friendly welcoming atmosphere.

Lovely lunch today. Fabulous food and lovely beers. Great selection of gins too. Lovely choice of desserts with lots of calories.Can't wait to return.

We were looking for somewhere to have lunch on our way to West Wales and found this little gem. Firstly, so welcoming, we had our two dogs with us who can be very loud, no problem, just went in and settled them down after the noise subsided!! Food was excellent, my husband had the meat burger which was great and I had the best vegetarian burger I had ever had, Moroccan spiced burger, loved it. Homemade ice cream, yummy. It’s only a shame we haven’t got to time to revisit this week. Highly recommend Lynne Essex

Nice old school pub. Good welcome and good outdoor sitting by the river. Group of us arrived after a morning of green laning on motorcycles, we were pretty muddy but great welcome none the less. Had the Welsh rarebit, very nice…..maybe a tad bit pricey though. All in all recommend this place👍

We had Sunday lunch at this lovely pub. Wow. As a gluten free sufferer it was wonderful to have a cauliflower cheese cooked just for me and gf gravy. The food was outstanding. We were going to have pudding but we were just too full. So pleased this isn't too far from us and we can enjoy this lovely pub regularly Dogs also welcome and they have an idyllic pub garden overlooking the river.

Great food, superb selection of Welsh Whisky and Gin, and most important, the loveliest, friendliest staff you could imagine.

Nipped out for dinner and had lovely food here - lovely reception and a great chat before settling down to prawn cocktail to start and gorgeous homemade burger with chips for the main - loads of flavour and decent portions. Finished off with a rhubarb creme brule with a perfect crack. Would definitely recommend a visit!

Great food - very tasty. Lovely place. Will be back soon.

Brilliant place for food. Everything is home cooked. Service is fabulous and they have everything else a good pub has to offer in the way of beverages. Pretty location too to boot with upper and lower beer garden.

Went to the blacklist for an evening meal with my brothers to celebrate my 70th birthday . Great food and beer garden overlooking the River with great views

Our friends recommended it and booked a table for lunch. Beautiful pub and setting with seats across the road by the river. Could have stayed all day. The food was beautiful, we had 2 fish and chips, one pulled pork burrito and a Mexican veggie burger. Nice pint of Warrior ale as well. We will definitely come again.

Lovely country pub, beautiful beer garden. The food was geat and you could taste it was all top quality, all locally based to. The homemade chips were fab... The ice cream for afters was the best homemade ice iv tasted mint choc chip 😋. I definitely recommend.

Food was well presented and tasty. Quite quick too. Evan Evans Warrior beer was very nice. Dogs welcome. Nice beer garden across the road.

Absolutely beautiful family run Pub, Fantastic food and even better service such lovely people running it, Me, my wife and my 12yo blue merle collie who is blind and also his first time in a restaurant was made felt most welcome. Will certainly be returning when back in the area.

Was passing and thought it was a quaint pub advertising food from 12 midday. Staff not welcoming to strangers at all .asked about food and road the chef had gone home .whilst having a drink the chef appeared from the back. No offer of a meal .very rude and don't go there if u are wanting a meal .

What a fabulous find...host was lovely..food was amazing...2 mins walks from Abergorlech wood walk...

A hidden gem Had lunch on my first visit the veggie option was stunning. Friendly staff . Log fire old world charm . Stunning surroundings even in the rain Definatly be back.

Brilliant pub, lovely beer, food was outstanding and everyone was really friendly. Popped in with my two dogs after a local walk on the way home from a holiday further west. I'm really glad I did, had a vegetarian burger and it was fantastic, nice real ale from Tenby, and the dogs were really welcomed. Amazing.

It made a lovely change for us to go out for Sunday lunch and we weren’t disappointed. The pub was warm and welcoming and the food was really gorgeous. I am sure we will be going back again.

Really friendly with a fantastic menu. Cauliflower cheese soup was amazing

Excellent food, great atmosphere and a very enjoyable evening. We will be back!!

Delicious, locally sourced meals in a unique characterful pub. Would love to return.

Very good food, great atmosphere.

A gem from a previous time , i.e. a real pub :-)

Lovely cosy though slightly remote pub serving really nice local ales and excellent food. Well worth a minor detour to visit at Abergorlech. I guess it's a sign of a strained economic crisis, but this gem of a local pub is only open part of the week. Worth booking as it's not huge and only has a few tables. Good range of menu choice, based on fresh ingredients. We'll cooked, very tasty beef brisket. We hadn't chosen a starter, but we were given complimentary fresh bread and dipping oil/balsamic to keep us amused whilst waiting for our main. Even more impressed that one was a lovely gluten-free portion. Dog friendly too.

Very friendly great welsh beer dog freindly

We spent New Years Eve there. Such a lovely pub. Highly recommended

Lovely little hidden gem, friendly, good beer, food looked good, kids were welcomed

Had a meet up with 4 friends at this wonderful picturesque riverside pub, the staff and owners Phil and Lyn were great hosts , nothing was too much trouble ,the bar is lovely and cosy with a log burner making it such a really relaxing place to sit and chat, we had the 3 course sunday lunch which was incredible and for the quality and amount of home cooked fresh local food was very good value. Between us we sampled a few of the local beers and they were excellent , we then explored the different gins and then finished off with some excellent Penderyn whiskies. The last time i visited the pub was just after Phil and Lyn took it over , then it was just another tired country pub , i could see on this visit how much care they had put into turning the pub into an asset to the local community .The locals who popped in whilst we were there either to eat or just grab a pint ,you could tell the affection and high regard the owners were held in . Also if it is just coffee/tea etc and cake you'd like ,they have that covered too and a very large selection of local products for you to buy. Cant wait to visit in the week to sample the weekday menu . thankyou Carl

Popped in today with our two dogs, one is a reactive rottweiler but was made very welcome and did not feel uncomfortable at all. Lovely staff and food was brilliant and great value for money. Would definitely return.

Lovely pub, delightful hosts, splendid food and very fine beer. All in all, perfect.

Birthday Sunday lunch for 17 bigs and 6 smalls, lots of vegans and vegetarians all catered for in fabulous fashion. Food was tasty hot plenty of it.. Our hosts and their team were excellent a big thankyou from us all for a warm welcome and a great feast highly recommended ✨

Lovely little quaint pub in the sticks. Selling lots of Welsh produce

Beautiful setting, fantastic food and lovely service. Made my family feel really welcome and served great food for both adults and our 2 children. Highly recommend

Great food and atmosphere in a lovely little village

Best Garlic mushrooms on toast ever and very very tasty Warrior Welsh ale.

Friendly service with food to match. My dog evening got a treat and bowl of fresh water. The sticky toffee pudding was yummy.

After reading the reviews prior to holiday we just had to visit the black lion. What a lovely pub full of character and charm. The landlord was really friendly. The food was amazing the best roast dinner ever, I had the lamb and my husband had the beef with 5 different types of vegetables all cooked to perfection. People need to visit to keep these village pubs going.

Lovely little pub, good food and good service

Great pub in a fantastic setting, serving lovely food and great local beers and ciders. Friendly owners and staff. Walk in the forest first then 100 yards along the road for good food and a nice pint, couldn't ask for more.

Wonderful service. Happy landlord.

Few years on and still a great experience! Popped in for a birthday meal for my Mother with the family, lovely selection of meals, we all had something we liked, home cooked pub favourites to Chinese 5 Spice beef with rice. Really generous portions, 5* hygiene rating, great service and friendly staff, the puddings are fab as well! off road parking and a beer garden by the river Cothi.

Just stopped in passing for an ale, in the garden by the river. Wonderful! Bar has real old country style. We will be back for a meal - when we're back this way in a few months.

My husband and I ate here yesterday. This is a lovely cosy pub, very welcoming. The menu is varied and not too big, so you are reassured that every thing is cooked fresh. All the ingredients are locally sourced. We had the slow cooked Brisket with Asian slaw which was delicious, the brisket melted in your mouth. Afterwards we had a glass of wine in the beer garden overlooking a river, it was idyllic, can highly recommend this place. Can’t wait to return and sample the other dishes.

Very friendly and welcoming and the food was fabulous thank you.

Beautiful food in a delightful pub.

Good food and friendly attentive service

Had lunch here yesterday after a lovely forest walk. Absolutely beautiful surroundings and the food and drink were brilliant, and very friendly and helpful staff. Will definitely be back. Diolch yn fawr

So friendly and a great spot for a generous Sunday roast.

Such a lovely pub. Food absolutely delicious!! I had the mushrooms on toast. Good baby changing facilities too. Friendly service. Would definitely recommend

Amazing food (the burgers were AMAZING), beautiful garden to sit in with parasols at each table for shade (it was a heatwave), really friendly people as well. Would 100% recommend.

Food is lovely. People who own the house are very nice and friendly 👌

Smashing burger and ale, thank you!

We had a great Sunday lunch yesterday! I had the lamb and it was delicious. The staff were very helpful and made us feel welcome.

Went with 10 people and felt there were not enough vegetables to go round and the lamb was dry. The roast potatoes were hard and to top it all off there was not enough puddings for everyone. The table was booked a week ago so would of thought there would be enough food for everyone so not impressed.

3 nicer 40 am gwrw. Derbyniol a hygyrch! i fyny'r cymru.

Great food. We tried the lamb cutlets. , pork and the chicken all great. Generous portions. We didn't have room for puddding.

We chanced on this while travelling through Abergorlech. What a great find even though busy Sunday they made room for us were really friendly. The Sunday lunch was beautiful great ingredients and put together really well. Service was swift and the atmosphere was lovely ….. might go out of my way again really soon

Came on holiday and found a wonderful river side walk just up the road is this pub. Good choice of beers and an excellent burgers!

Really nice locally produced cider, Ales and lager

Called by chance, enjoyed a couple of pints of trad beer. My other half chose a coffee which was very tasty. We chatted to Lynne the owner and were made very welcome. She told us about the village and surrounding area.we then decided to stay for supper(dinner). We were treated to some delicious bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I chose pan fried cod and my partner had the duck. Both were served without undue delay and we agreed the dishes were exceedingly good. Very well cooked, tasty and piping hot. We each had a sweet, a trifle and rhubarb with whiskey ,ice cream etc. Excellent fare. We will return next time we are in the area. The Black Lion has free parking ,a beer garden, lunch menu and is open from 12 noon. Dinner service starts at 5.30pm. The pub welcomes, cyclists, walkers etc and is dog friendly.