The Castle Inn, Caldicot in Monmouthshire

Excellent food. Lovely service.

1st visit for the four of us adults & a 1 year old. Food was lovely so I will give 2 stars but £16.95 for a Sunday lunch main only in comparison with nearby places we found overpriced. (Old Barn Inn offers 3 courses for £20.95). We asked if they had a children’s menu, they do not. They said they can do a smaller portion of Sunday lunch for £6.95 but then changed the price to £8, we brought our own food for our 1 year old just in case so decided to stick with that as we felt they were not keen on doing children’s food so I wouldn’t say this place is family friendly. They had a Sunday lunch menu on the table, we were not informed they only did Sunday lunch with no other options when booking. We finished our drinks & not once did any staff member ask if we would like another. We finished our mains, they cleared our table & we weren’t approached again so no desert menu offered or asked if we wanted the bill. We sat there a while but no sign of anyone approaching so we decided to go to the bar, asked to pay for our meals & we left. Sadly disappointed & will not be returning.

Great place with a fantastic history

Food was lovely however the service needs improving. Food ordered which didn't come, an issue with a drink for which no accountability was taken and we were asked to leave our table 15 minutes before our email advised we had to. When I broached this with the waitress, she was extremely rude and dismissive and unwilling to listen.

Good menu, friendly staff and nice country pub atmosphere.

Excellent food and friendly staff

Excellent mixed grill all cooked to perfection with great quality meat, I think it was probably the best mixed grill I've ever had.

Tasty food, pet friendly, nice atmosphere, you've got to love it!

Lovely old fashioned inn right next to Caldicot castle. The food here was amazing quality all served at the same time. It's got a lovely atmosphere with gentle music in the background. The staff are extremely helpful and friendly faultless service too. Will definitely be going here again as the quality price and atmosphere is great

Met up with our cousin for lunch. Young man greeted us and was so helpful and friendly. Nothing was too much trouble, we were thoroughly spoiled. Food was delicious, well presented and piping hot. Reasonably priced too ! Fresh water available for the dogs too. Lovely ambience in the building and facilities were spotless. Thoroughly enjoyed our time there and would recommend to anyone.

If you want cold food and wait over an hour for it, then go here. They give you lumpy gravy too. The young guy serving was so apologetic, it wasn't his fault. One of our ladies was a vegetarian but they had hardly any choice for her. I understand waiting if the place was busy, it wasn't. The only thing that was any good was the dryer in the ladies toilet.

Had the chefs curry - tasty. Good service and pleasant atmosphere. Staying at the BNB across the road, so ideal - 10m to get home

Met up with friends, for lunch, friendly and efficient service and the food was great

Lovely venue ,historic building and really well run

I need to say at the start …. I’m not easy to please! I don’t often find a pub that serves really good, hot and tasty food. But today was a red letter day. I had beef Sunday roast and it was everything it should be. I couldn’t fault it. Well don’t to the chef kitchen and waiting staff. All very very good.

Enjoyed an evening here food was basic and good....highly recommended

Super, super delicious! Nice host and friendly service! Thanks!! :)

Popped out with a friend for lunch. Lovely, especially the chips 😋 also the young man serving was very charming ☺️ will be coming back!

Really lovely food and a nice atmosphere, spotlessly clean and well worth a visit

popped in for drinks and new barmen's first couple if days. nice drink in lovely pub. wipp definitely have food next time

I booked a table for 16 some time ago and we had pre-ordered our meals. Everything today was fantastic and everyone of the 16 were amazed at the quality of their dishes. Staff were just top notch.

Quick service and delicious food, although chalkboard selection looked appetising decided on the burger options. Ideally located at the entrance to Caldicot Castle.

Was nice for a pint. Sat outside in their offset area. Was a very pleasant experience with music being piped outside.

Easy to book online. Table was ready on arrival. Sunday lunches were superb and arrived promptly.

Nice to see some different things on the menu. Friendly staff but the portions were about too big forme

This is my go-to pub in Caldicot and is under new management since my last review. They have done a lot to the pub cosmetically and extended the beer garden! They also have a great frequently updated menu. There is a great walking route I take down the coastal path, then past the actual castle, and lands me at the pub every time. Overall there is a great selection of food and drinks and a variety of theme nights too. Dog friendly and have a cozy log fire and blankets in the winter months. Always friendly and if you need something specific, they're always happy for you to ask!

Very tasty Sunday roast, friendly staff

I came in with friends for a beer after walking in the area. They were served ok, but I was ignored by staff who served people who came in after me. I did say it was not right, but they still ignored me. The manager only apologised for me not being served quick enough. That missed the point that I was treated like I was invisible. Never again will I waste any money on this place.

Great place for food,very helpful, lovely atmosphere

We had a lovely lunch on a Friday all the staff we very welcoming and polite.the food was delicious being mushroom and brie wellington. Would highly recommend a visit.

I popped over to the Castle Inn whilst staying in a nearby B&B and enjoyed it very much. I tried the chef's homemade curry, which contained pieces of chicken and a naan bread on the side. It was very nice. For dessert I went for the raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake with ice cream, which was lovely. The pub itself was really nice in a great location in Caldicot and I found the staff very friendly and helpful. Would certainly return if I'm in the area again.

Amazing food but slow service from the wait staff considering how many were in. We went for Sunday lunch and I had to ask for our order to be taken as no one came back to us

first visit here and was very impressed, the barman Alex was amazing, very attentive and super helpful and friendly! Thanks for making our visit a positive one

Nice place on a sunny evening. The food was fine, simple pub grub done well, we enjoyed gammon and Hunters chicken followed by raspberry cheesecake and ice cream served by helpful staff.

Lovely little place. Decent food across all courses, good portion sizes and a nice buzz about the place.

If you are thinking of going to The Castle Inn, Caldicot, for a special occasion, please read this first: I called into the Castle Inn, in person, to book a table for a special family celebration. I have to follow a special diet and there was nothing suitable on the menu so the chef came out and offered a specific meal. He said to tell the person, recording the booking, to make a note of this - which he did. I then explained that there's just one type of wine that my family like, and he said that's fine as they sell it there. One of the main reasons that I had chosen this venue is that there's a car park which is necessary when going out with my elderly disabled parents. I left my phone number, as requested, so that they could contact me if necessary. On the day of the celebration, it was a huge shock to see that there was a band playing in the car park which had which had been completely cordoned off to enable this. We had to struggle to find parking in a nearby street, which was much further away. No-one had told me about this or we'd have gone somewhere else. Inside the pub we were seated at a scruffy, old table in the bar (not in the dining area), where we had ripped upholstery and a chair that was so ripped and uncomfortable we had to search for an alternative and swap them over. Then, I was amazed when our server said there was no record of the booking so, therefore, no record of my special dietary requirements and definitely no pre-ordered meal. She said I'd have to make do with something from the menu which, of course, I couldn't. At this stage I insisted on speaking to the manager but I had to go to the bar to speak to him - no-one came over, and by this time I was really stressed and upset that the lovely celebration I'd planned was going badly wrong. I hadn't even had chance to speak to my family as I was so busy trying to sort things out. At the bar I was surrounded by other customers and felt very embarrased to be having to discuss the problems infront of everyone especially as, by this time, I was getting frustrated and fraught. It was no use being told 'not to get stressed ' - that didn't help me at all. It then got even worse when I had to try to prove who I spoke to, when I made the booking, and to describe him. He was trying to work out who it was so that he could contact him to ask what had happened. He thought it was someone who wasn't there at the time. Clearly, my word wasn't good enough. I spent ages trying to persuade him that I hadn't made it up. Eventually he did actually find the booking and there was all the information recorded, exactly as I had described. He did, then, agree to honour the meal that had been prearranged. So, why not just do this in the first place as the ingredients must have already been there? The bottle of wine we wanted wasn't available as they had sold out of this the night before. He then offered a free round of drinks - which I accepted. It didn't get any better. We were sitting by the entrance and the loud music meant that we couldn't hear each other speaking. And, the volume caused one of the group to have a headache so we left as soon as we'd finished eating. Although a round of free drinks (ie. 4 individual, modest drinks) was a nice gesture, the event was completely ruined.

Had an excellent Sunday roast here! Really impressed with the high standard of food, just what we were looking for after a long hike.

Great friendly service, good prices for the area considered it's location and lovely old style interior. We were visiting the castle and stopped off for a bite to eat on the way home, the service was excellent, very attentive. We shared a meal and had an alcoholic and non alcoholic drink, the food was enough for a lunch time, and altogether well priced. One small improvement was that it could of done with a sweep and clean up outside, it's one of my bug bears rubbish.

Very disappointed, I previously rated this as 5 star, but today, 01/06/24, I ordered 2 bowls of chips from table 36, after 45 minutes I had to chase our order which was obviously forgotten about, when they eventually arrived I asked for salt and vinegar and even then the waitress forgot and we had to ask twice, get your act together its only 2 bowls (£8) of chips if it was a 3 course meal we would still be waiting into early hours of Sunday 😔

Very disappointed, I previously rated this as 5 star, but today, 01/06/24, I ordered 2 bowls of chips from table 36, afterv45 minutes I had to chase our order which was obviously forgotten about, when they eventually arrived I asked for salt and vinegar and even then the waitress forgot and we had to ask twice, get your act together its only 2 bowls of chips if it was a 3 course meal we would still be waiting into early hours of Sunday 😔

Nice staff and good prices. Would like to see more variety of drinks.

Not bad. Had a lovely evening with food and drinks. The food is not 5- star worthy but it was good and tasty. I had the hunters chicken which was hot and tasted good.

Safe, great queuing arrangements, lovely outdoor seating, nice pint Change of management, but so far seems pretty good. Still a little expensive, but a really good pint Lovely outside area

Staff need a lesson in how to smile.Great Sunday lunch average meal on Wednesday evening.

Visited on a sunny Saturday afternoon and the beer garden was buzzing and lots of people inside having meals. Great atmosphere. Drinks are expensive for the area. Service wasnt good - slow and they all assumed someone else would serve me (felt awkward)

Great pub! Good food and drink, friendly service!

Booked a table and ordered drinks, only to be ignored for 15 minutes then told we would have to wait another 20 to order. We would never have bought drinks if we had been told at the start. Really bad service. There didn't seem to be anyone in charge, just a load of kids serving and dealing with disgruntled customers.

Lovely food, very good service and a great atmosphere. Will definitely be returning.

Finally got to visit The Castle Inn and it won't be my last! We had Sunday roast and it was delicious, I had the four meat option and left very full and very satisfied. Definitely somewhere I will continue bringing guests for meals in the future. Looking forward to trying the regular menu as well and making use of the new great outdoor seating area they have constructed.

Had a lovely Saturday evening here, staff were polite, locals were friendly, slightly limited menu, but what they do, they do well. Food & drinks sensibly priced too, far cheaper than the prices we are used to in Bristol!

(Updated Review as last one was 2 years old) Excellent food! They don't have an extensive menu but the focus is on quality, every dish we ordered was the best we could expect. Thumbs up! We went with a dog, which is always a plus. The only missing star is due to slow service, no welcome when coming in, and took a long time even to bring the menu. Overall, it was a lovely evening. I will come back for sure.

Had a fabulous meal at the Castle Inn with our daughter and son-in-law. The food was excellent and catered well for my wife, who is coeliac. Dog-friendly as well! Nice and quiet on a Friday lunchtime. Would definitely recommend!

What a relaunch, hardly recognised the old pub. Menu looks tasty and great beverages. Sat in the new beer garden with my friends and family

Visited on a busy Easter Sunday. We hadn't booked, but the friendly staff managed to fit us in. We both had the Sunday roast. The food came really quick, was pipping hot and a good healthy portion size. Possibly one of the best Sunday roasts I've had (and there have been a few). Staff were really friendly and accommodating. The pub itself was clean and parking was easy. Will definitely be back soon. Highly recommended

A very busy pub serving lovely food. We went early in the evening for a meal and it was already busy with people having food. It has a nice little garden with a play area. So it's definitely child friendly, we also saw a lot of dogs, so it's obviously dog friendly too. They have an interesting menu with a nice mixture of dishes, our party had the shwarma chicken, belly pork, steak, a burger and hunters chicken all of which arrived together and beautifully cooked. Would thoroughly recommend and look forward to being able to make a return visit.

Seating we booked not available, stuck in corner. Sorry no carling, sorry no ribs , sorry no cod just hake, sorry no sweet potato chips ,not even a mixed grill on the menu, every pub you go to does mixed grill or so I thought so I settled for the belly pork strips and normal chips, the strip’s equated to one piece of belly pork cut into 3 pieces with chips £14 , how can they justify this. Wife had lasagna on which she commented was very good. Thought we would give this pub a try again as previous owners provided quality food not conveyer belt food and service.

Lovely little pub, really friendly and accommodating staff. Sunday roast was really good! Will definitely be back

We love this local. The pub is cosy, with a log burner in winter and an outdoors deck in summer. The menu has a good variety of things. Service is quick and very accommodating. They are amazing with kids and they put on some great events for all the family. All around win!

In the top 2 or 3 Sunday lunches I have ever experienced ( and I am 70) - can not fault any aspect - menu, service and food quality and setting. Keep on doing more of the same - congratulations

Probably best Sunday Lunch I have ever had - all our group agreed. The service and food were absolutely perfect, also dog friendly and a great setting and good parking. I come from Bath where we have a lot of food options amd we are in truth a bit fussy - but this was true quality

Visited for a meal with one other family (eight of us in total) whilst staying nearby. Had to push table back an hour at last minute and they very accommodating. A warm welcome was received even though it was a busy Friday night. lovely pub food with a couple of specials on offer. Good value. Would recommend and happily visit again!

We popped in yesterday after a morning of walking in the area. Nicely greeted, great service and really good food. We will be back!

So glad this pub has been saved having been closed for so long! Incredible refurbishment, both inside and out. Food is delicious and usually served quite quickly. Appreciated the half term offer of children eat free with an adult meal! I’d love for initiatives like this to continue. I know plans for a new children’s play area are underway with fundraising events which will only increase the appeal to us! Thank you!

Very good lunch, pulled pork and beef rib-eye in a Korean sauce with peppers peppers. Good portions, quick and efficient service so this a pub I would recommend near Caldicot Castle so you can walk up a good appetite or walk off the meal afterwards. Not a factor to affect my rating but the phone number on this page was invalid and the website took me to a gambling page when I tried to find out what was on the menu before going to Caldicot.

Food was tasty and there was plenty of it. The staff were attentive without be bothersome. The only small cloud was they only had one ale on tap, on the plus side the one they had was well kept.

Great place. Matt and the team are the best. Relaxing place to catch up with friends . Always a warm welcome.

Nice little pub next to Caldicots famous castle.Gets quite busy here in summer,as they have outside seating and an area for kids to play.We havent eaten here yet but the menu looks good and varied with vegetarian options.

Stopped off on a recent visit and wasn't disappointed

Absolutely brilliant wee place. Friendly staff and good food.

We were expecting great things. We'd had an excellent Sunday lunch at the Castle in November for around £25 a head and so were expecting something special for our £85 per head Christmas dinner. Sadly we were disappointed. The Christmas dinner was not as good as our November Sunday lunch had been. We had to stand waiting a long time to be seated for the 2.30pm second sitting in the crowded pub. My Dad is 88 and I was on crutches with a broken ankle. When we were finally shown to our table, there were no table cloths on the bare pub tables. White paper table cloths would have been nice, with possibly a candle or two? There was a plastic tinsel table runner on the otherwise bare and sticky pub tables, and probably the cheapest Christmas crackers that could possibly have been found. There were very scant Christmas decorations in the dining area under rather bright lights. We were offered a small plate of very small canapes between us and a small glass of prosecco was included with the meal. The 'Lobster' starter was mostly just prawns in a Mary Rose sauce on a piece of lettuce with a little dry bread and no butter, although I'm told the mushroom soup was quite nice. We then had to wait well over an hour for our main course. When it arrived the turkey was well cooked and there was enough of it, but the 'trimmings' were sadly lacking. There was only one small platter of vegetables between the four of us, so we had half a very small carrot each and two tiny sprouts with about a teaspoon of cabbage. There was a Yorkshire pudding and a couple of rather under cooked roast potatoes and some cauliflower cheese and only one pig-in-blanket each. And that was it. There was no stuffing, no parsnips, no bread sauce and we had to ask for some cranberry sause which was eventually provided. Really very poor. The main course was followed by two tiny slices of Christmas pudding in a white sauce and a couple of chocolates each with a cup of coffee. Having paid £340 for the four of us we were then charged another £57 for a bottle of Prosecco with our dinner and the four drinks we had while waiting, bringing the total for the four of us to £397. We expected to pay perhaps three or even four times the price of a good Sunday lunch for a Christmas day Christmas dinner, and this would have been fair had some effort gone into it. But this had all the symptoms of cost-cutting. It was frankly mean. Nearly £400 for the four of us for this rather poor Christmas dinner meant we came away feeling cheated. We won't be going again.

I haven visited The Castle Inn to eat a few times since it has been under the new ownership and really enjoyed all my visits. Sunday Lunch: The Sunday lunch is really nice here, good value and portion sizes are good. On 1 visit I was told by the waiter when asking for more gravy that I was only allowed 1 extra boat, which I thought was a little odd, however I was not told that on other visits. Main Menu: The main menu is good with a choice for meat and non-meat eaters. I have eaten here at both lunch time and evening time. I would say that for lunch there is not a separate menu, so there are not really lighter options, I went for a starter instead, but a smaller/lighter lunch menu would have been welcome. Food on all occasions has been lovely, well cooked and tasty. Christmas Fayre Menu: Myself and my friends booked this for December, however as we booked by September we had a free bottle of wine for the table which was a nice touch. £5 deposit and you had to pre-order. Food was all lovely, they did not have any Sauvignon Blanc wine available which is an oversight as I would say it is the most popular. Overall: Lovely pub that serves good food! I would recommend a visit.

Absolutely wonderful place to come for a roast. We didn't book on a busy Sunday and they still made room to seat us. Dogs are welcome and friendly. We were on a strict time limit and they catered for that.

Second time visiting this month and disappointing to say the least. Early Dec, we had a Xmas meal with friends. It was absolutely freezing in there, to the extent we had to sit in our coats to eat. Have since been told the boiler had broken down, but we weren’t told at the time, which would have been nice to wear something warmer! The food was ok, but offset by the experience. Second time today on Boxing day, after taking dog for a walk. The variety of drinks was limited with the drinks fridge behind bar empty. Asked for flavoured cider, was given the option of 1 Rekordilig or an alcohol free Old Mout. As never tried the Old Mout before, I opted for this one. After paying, I thought the total to be very expensive for 1x draught cider & 1x alcohol free. I checked the advertised prices and noted I’d been charged the same as the alcohol containing one. So checked with bar maid, where she said it was right!! Whilst this pub has always been the most expensive in Caldicot, in Wales, prices are set per % of alcohol, so clearly the landlord is overcharging customers in this respect. Having checked the differences between the 2, the alcohol free should be cheaper. This establishment has the potential to be a great pub, given its location and indeed it was with previous owners. But sadly not so far with the newer current management.

We had a Christmas meal here. Food was really lovely, I mean it was delicious. Couldn't ask for nicer staff too! Big downsides for us- They had ran out of vodka and Malibu by 7.30, and we were squashed in a corner which meant the table next to us had to shove passed our seats to get passed (we were there for 2-3 hours so it was getting really annoying) and the servers really struggled to get the food to the table, even leant over another table. If we didnt have to move our chairs in or get up each time someone wanted to get up I would have given 5 stars because the food was fantastic. We collectively decided that we will not be having our annual meal there again due to the seating issue (and vodka/Malibu shortage).

Beautifully decorated for Christmas with excellent service, a fantastic range of drinks available and great family atmosphere. Our table for 10 all recieved meals/drinks in a timely manor with what must be fresh and good quality ingredients as the taste was sublime! Highly recommended and we will all be returning. Thank you to the team for such a memorable experience.

So yesterday I visited 2 local restaurants - one for lunch and one for dinner and I must say Castle Inn, Caldicot absolutely won hands down as my favourite. It was very busy but the atmosphere was so christmassy, happy and the food was delicious! It even managed to impress my husband, and that takes some doing! All the staff were super friendly and worked their socks off! The young man who served us was fantastic and nothing was too much bother. Didn't catch his name but had a coca cola jumper. Would 100% recommend if you're looking for somewhere to eat over Christmas, this is the place to be!

Sunday lunch could of been a little hotter roast potato tasted like the had been reheated

Great food and reasonably priced beer. Great service. Really nicely decorated. Lovely friendly staff. Look forward to them opening the Golden Lion in Magor.

The place to go for your Sunday roast!!!! The food was absolutely beautiful. Now, I like a good roast dinner, but this roast dinner was just superb!! The sticky toffee pudding was lovely too, although for the price, I would prefer a larger portion. I will be back time and time again, that's for sure. Delicious 😋

We went for Sunday lunch today. I had the lamb which was lovely and there was a lot of it. My husband had the beef. The veg were varied and the service was very attentive. Will definately be going back soon.

Popped in for a pint and a snack this evening, lovely atmosphere and it was nice to see the locals out on a Thursday, I had chicken wings and chips, they were crispy, hot and came with loads of salad, the Chef swapped the chipotle mayo for hot sauce for me, these wings were so big I couldn’t eat them all so had a box to take them home absolutely delicious! Hubz had the chicken burger! 3 pieces of lightly battered chicken breast a bun and chips the meal was huge! To use his words ‘ That was phenomenal but I’m rammed’ he had to have a lie down!!! Service was amazing, attentive without being intrusive! Would highly recommend a visit! You won’t be disappointed!

Great place to stop of for lunch

Found this purely by chance as we fancied a walk around the castle grounds on Saturday. We had the dirty fries and some cheesy garlic bread for lunch and it was so good. Just after we had finished the apple pie that had just come out of the oven appeared on the bar, apparently it would have been rude not to try it. We will definitely be back and would recommend to anyone in the area.

Wow! What a find. We visited the castle during half term and decided to stop off here for lunch. Great food, all home cooked - I had chicken in ho-sin sauce - delicious! served by lovely staff who were so thoughtful and efficient. Can recommend this and will definitely return

Un bel pub con ottima carne e una zuppa che scalda bene chi ha preso tanta pioggia.

Nice Pub situated just outside the grounds of Caldicot Castle, and you might have guessed that in the name. Ideally, walk in and around the Castle and its grounds followed up by a beer or two and a meal in the Inn.

By far the nicest, most fresh food I’ve ever been served in a pub. Can’t fault the service and all the staff are lovely:)

Thought we’d try it on a Friday night at 5.45pm Good service from Lauren Drinks arrived Starters arrived with 10 minutes Good size portions Mains arrived really great tasty food plenty of it served Friendly staff Not over crowded Loved the new seating under gazebo outside Definitely returning with family or friends

Absolute brilliant experience the staff are especially wonderful

Visited today on the hop after going for a walk around Caldicot castle! Nice choice of food on the menu. I opted for the hunters chicken and my husband had the gammon! Both were absolutely delicious, my only complaint is that the fries came already salted! We didn’t have a dessert as there was only a choice of 4 and the one I wanted was sold out.. The young lady who served us was very friendly and attentive! I would definitely recommend this little gem if your in the area!

Scenic location with hidden gems on the door step. Refreshing pint of beer after a walk along the coast path back to the car park at Caldicot Castle.

Visited the castle pub for my mums birthday. Was a shambles from start to finish. 15 meals ordered - 14 turned up and no sides for any meals ordered. 8 people ordered hunters chicken … all were undercooked. Boss very rude when approached and I was called a liar on my first review even though only 3 meals paid for out of the 15 ordered. I would not recommend coming here at all. The waitresses were lovely and we could not fault them at all.

Very disappointed. This is one of my locals, and I would like to be able to support my local pub. Today’s Sunday lunch was overdone and cold. No sauces were offered with the roast. I asked for mint sauce and redcurrant jelly with my £15...

Great food. Friendly staff. Nice walks nearby at the castle grounds.

Excellent food and service, and love the seating area so much better than the car park

Had lunch before visiting the Castle. Amazing food, the chef’s specials GREAT! Pork belly with garlic mash potatoes & lamb Madras. Great service! Strongly recommend.

Imaginative but reasonably priced pub food

Delicious food (especially the dirty fries!) and ample options for vegetarians.

Very nice and kind staff, the food was great, I would recommend

Lovely welcoming pub with lovely attentive staff. Food was excellent too- generous portion sizes and reasonably priced. Fish in beer batter was lovely and my husband enjoyed his chicken kebab (he gave 10/10!). Would definitely visit again!