The Horse & Jockey in Torfaen

I recently celebrated my mum’s 70th birthday with a lunch here, and it was absolutely perfect from start to finish. The staff went above and beyond to make the day memorable, offering warm, attentive service that made us feel truly welcome and special. They were so accommodating, even with our requests to make the occasion unique. The food was simply outstanding – each dish was delicious, beautifully presented, and clearly crafted with care. Our whole group was impressed with the flavors and quality of the food . The atmosphere added to the day, with a cozy yet elegant setting that made it feel like the ideal place for a special celebration. It was relaxed and comfortable, with just the right touch of sophistication. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience and would highly recommend it for anyone celebrating a special occasion or simply looking to enjoy an exceptional meal. Thank you for making my mum’s 70th birthday so unforgettable!

Great little pub that serves traditional food and drink, lovely Sunday Lunch with lots of trimmings. We went for a family birthday meal. Someone in the kitchen is really on the ball, as the food we had was brilliant! We even ordered the vegetarian option and it came with veggie gravy, a good little touch from the kitchen. We had plenty of veg to share between us all. The beef dinner was lovely, the meat was delicious and the veg and gravy was a great addition. I do, reluctantly, have to comment on the front of house staff though. They're very polite and friendly people, but the young gentleman who served us didn't seem with it at all, listing bottled lagers when I asked him about bottled ciders, giving me a glass with no ice, little things. The big things came when we ordered food, namely that we used our cutlery for our starters and they weren't replaced before getting our mains, once again forgivable, but what I can't forgive is that we sat down at 1pm, had our mains at 2:15pm and after we finished the meals and the plates were taken away, we were given dessert menus. We couldn't wait to order a dessert each, roughly about £6 each, and there were 6 of us. Sadly, by 3:15pm, we were still waiting for someone to come back to take the order. By that point, we decided that we should just pay the bill and leave. We bought a birthday cake from Tesco and had dessert in the house instead. Sadly, what would have taken them 30 seconds cost them about £35 on our bill. Just a little more organisation would have meant this restaurant would have been great rather than just good enough. We'll definitely be back though as the kitchen staff make a cracking Sunday lunch!

Give one star book in advance for my wife birthday totally poor service ask for drinks to be sent over forgot to bring over came out with poor excuse after waiting over a hour for food saying the printer wasn't working the couple infront us had no problem and the other three people had no problem either ask to speak to manager bar tender went to speak to someone because he was a while talking to someone and then came out with another poor excuse the manger not here no attempt to fix the problem when booking online they take card details if you dont turn up I'm sure you take the money if we didn't turn so do it work the same way if your meal doesn't turn up poor service Reading up on past view the issue seems to happen a few time and management dont seem to reply to bad reviews absolute shocking

We have been to the Horse and Jockey many times over the past 45 years and have always enjoyed the venue. However, I ordered a slow cooked Pork Belly and did not enjoy the meal. The Pork Belly needed quite a bit more cooking, it was very fatty. The Pork Belly skin crackling was inedible, mainly because the chef had poured the apple sauce over the crackling making it very soft and chewy. If the sauce had not been pored over it, the crackling may have been edible. My Wife’s es meal was very nice, but I think the chef just needs to sharpen up his Pork belly skills.

We are spoilt to have the horse and jockey on our doorstep. I booked a table for ten for my wife’s birthday tonight. We was met by a wonderful young lady called Alice. Down to earth with a lovely character about her. The food we ordered varied from Steaks, Burgers, COD and chips, chicken Rossetti Every single meal was absolute incredible And the deserts was nice portions. Everyone really enjoyed the food and drinks and Alice made it all that much better. Overall bill was very reasonable for the ten of us including the drinks. Get your asses in there it’s banging Thanks Alice and team see you soon Jamie

Lovely pub , lovely location lovely food . Don't need to say any more

Firsty we reserved a table we ordered food 3 other couples came after us they were served there meals we asked to speak to a manager was told no manager there but a bar staff member said he was next best a young guy clearly has not experienced dealing with the public , we asked why we hadn't had are food his reply was there was a error with the wi-fi sending the request through. If will didn't ask we would've still be waiting surely the staff (2 young guys one was new in the role )could see we were waiting for food whilst other people were having food. When we reserved a table there was £20 deposit to be taken incase we didn't turn up , maybe we should have deposit back for no food . Would not recommend this pub poor service. The manager only replies to positive feedback not the negative to learn how to improve the service.

Pretty decent food and relatively fast service. Took a while to come but it was quite busy.

Wow wow wow. Took my family for Sunday lunch yesterday. It was amazing food. The staff are so pleasant and helpful . It's a big must to go there . Honestly try it and you will go back . We will . Thanks to everyone who works there

Another lovely meal today!!! Definitely becoming a new favourite for our family! Staff are lovely, Alice today was great, The fire lit inside today was a nice touch too! Highly recommend 👌

Can't believe how perfect this place is not long reopened after major renovation and wow its stunning not only is the pub itself superbly decorated and refitted but the food is also superb. Well priced and well presented. And staff are really friendly helpful and attentive. Such a huge step above anything else in the area. Bravo. At last a place you can really relax in fine surroundings.

We had family visiting from Austalia and was looking for somewhere a bit special to take them for a meal last night. We settled on the Horse and Jockey and was thoroughly impressed from start to finish! Even though it was raining the appearance of the pub from the outside was very inviting and the thatch roof was unique. The inside was just as delightful, warm and welcoming. There was only one young lady working, Alice, and she was absolutely wonderful. I can't praise her enough! She was polite, welcoming, friendly and attentive. Nothing was too much trouble and she is an absolute credit to the pub. The food and desserts were presented beautifully. The steak was very tasty and cooked to perfection and the homemade onion rings were huge! Our Australian family commented on how fast and friendly the service was and how good the food was. The best they had so far while visiting the UK! We will definitely be returning soon to try more dishes from the menu, the choice was a difficult one with so many mouth watering meals to choose from. Thank you for a wonderful evening!

Lovely meal we had passing by. Would recommend. Food was great.

Really dissapointed after our visit today. Garlic mushrooms came out barely warm. We had a highchair for my 9month old son that was not fit for purpose and therefore unsafe, the clips to secure the straps where missing so could not strap him in safely, i asked for another one to be told there wasnt one, no further offer for any help on the matter. So we all had to try and eat passing him around, settled for him being sat in the booth type seats between to people but was a task to keep him secure and safe. Really upset about this point in particular. While trying my best to fasten him into the highchair a boiling hot bowl of cauliflower cheese was placed right in front of him! Which of course he went straight for! The mains where again barely warm, stuffing ball on the chicken dinner was like a rock, completely inedible along with a parsnip. Asked for more gravy (not much on plate which i know is standard. None voluntarily brought out) we were given one small boat between 7 people, so had to ration it around. I appreciate the waiting staff are young and may not have been there long so may not think on there feet or be more accomodating. And one of the issues above wouldnt of really been much of a problem but all tied in together left us all quite annoyed and disapointed. We've been here previously a well over a year ago on several occasions and we were always very pleased. Unfortunately i cannot say we will be returning after this visit.

Lovely service tonight Food was perfect and quick service We was party of 10 and all the meals was perfect Can’t fault it

Food is lovely and service from Alice is always great she is an asset to you!

Real nice place, just had sunday lunch and it was excellent.

We were served today by the lovely Alice, my friend and myself called in after shopping, my friend had the steak and ale pie, and I had the stroganoff which were both equally lovely, and then we had desserts...lemon meringue pie and trillionaire cheesecake yummy. A very pleasant experience. Thanks Alice ❤️

Nice Sunday lunch. Popped in when passing through 😁

Just leaving the Horse and Jockey after a beautiful meal. I had lasagna my partner had the katsu curry. Alice the waitress was happy to change rice for triple cooked chunky chips and was so lovely and helpful.All round it was a fab couple of hours out in a beautiful setting. 5 stars from us both. I had Sunday lunch outside in their fab beer garden a few weeks ago and that was stunning also....

Great pub and food, excellent atmosphere

Called in on the off chance after a shopping trip. Young man behind the bar was very friendly, didn't want a massive meal, but ordered from main menu. Homemade steak and air pie, very good, wife ordered the belly pork option served with apple sauce and black pudding. Superb meal, wife was delighted, very spacious outside seating area. Overall a very pleasant experience. Will return soon without a doubt

Nice place. Went for food 3 of us. I had belly pork it was OK.

We've been here a couple of times at busy times and the service and food has always been lovely. Great area to sit outside as well.

Sunday lunch with a side dish of veg gravy with meat bits in the atmosphere and the service was fabulous we will be back very soon.

Food came out at different times even though it was ordered together. Chicken burger was under cooked and pink, steak was extremely fatty. The young girl behind the bar was extremely rude, talking badly about her colleague to customers. I asked for a hug of hot water to warm up a baby’s bottle and I was given cold water in a small appetiser bowl. When I asked again I was given a bowl for dogs water and a small amount of hot water.

I gave a review 12 months ago that was 5 star across the board. What a difference a year makes it was awful. It took 30 mins for condiments 14 mins later when i approached the barmaid and asked where our food was after nearly an hour she said they had been having issues with the network and the kitchen hadn't received our order....at what point did the barmaid think 🤔 they haven't had their food yet id better look into it. When the food came it was average to say the least but after all that they didn't once come and see if everything was ok with the food. If this place wants to stay open please get new staff from top to bottom. Avoid this place and save your money.

Waited for nearly an hour for meals then they brought the wrong food - ordered salmon salad but got salmon with potatoes, wilted broccoli and peas. Server was not interested when told not what was ordered. My fish and overdone chips not very hot. Seemed both meals had been standing for some time before being served. Later we were both quite unwell which continued until next morning. Phoned to complain but no response. Shame because seemed good atmosphere and outdoor space.

I came over last night night for my son-in-law birthday I had the cod and chips it was absolutely beautiful best fish I have had great service and the band was great 👍 definitely will b come back

If I could I would rate this place a zero, which is a shame as we have previously dinned here and never had an issue. On this occasion we thought it would be nice to bring some family here as they were over from Ireland. We ordered our food only to have to wait over an hour, we had to go up to inquire where our food was. The waitress said they were just plating it up and would be out soon only to bring out two dishes and we had to wait another ten minutes for the others, to them forgetting one plate of food, which was for my autistic son. If the hour long wait wasn't long enough, them forgetting his food really triggered him sending him to breakdown into an emotional overload in the restaurant. By the time the food came for him everyone else had long finished theirs. My partner had the steak which wasn't left to rest, so his plate was swimming with the juices. Would not be coming back.

Expensive but absolutely worth every penny, I had Pizza and it was the best I ever had.

The establishment offers a charming ambiance and delectable pub fare. The staff demonstrates exceptional hospitality, and the outdoor seating area provides a delightful atmosphere.

I've been here a few times to eat. It's a lovely pub and great food. Staff very welcoming. Warm and cosy feel to the place. Recommend you going there

I hope this was a one off for the pub, but we had an awful experience. We waited 3 hours for our food! The beef stroganoff was made with chicken and we were not told beforehand! Then a drag act came on and starting swearing and shouting which then emptied the pub in 10 minutes. We also left without having desserts as our kids were learning new words!

My wife & myself visit at least once a month. Food is always superb & staff & service always excellent...❤️

Good food and atmosphere. A little pricy food wise (vegetables charge) and service was a bit slow. My advise is to check how many portions you need and order accordingly.

Great place to sit outside or eat in very popular need to book for meals nice for a glass of wine nice views pretty flowers

Popped.in for a meal at 6pm on a bank holiday. Staff were rushed off their feet yet still friendly and helpful. Few things missing off the plate but wwas lovely and look forward to returning when the staff are more relaxed.

Beautiful food and service. Reasonably priced as well. Calming atmosphere. Brilliant staff!

So happy they brought this pub back to life. Paid a visit last Sat for lunch. Plenty of seating available I side and out. Maybe a few more umbrellas as a sun shade would be helpful. Food was nice. Good portion sizes . All round great experience would def return x 👌

Had meal of gammon steak very poor quality no thicker than a bacon rasher really and overcooked ,should have complained and sent it back not cheap £14-75

looking forward to go there again loved it

Don't go if in a. Ordered 2 sandwiches and 2 salads. A couple with chips. No mention of a long wait when ordered. After an hour waiting patiently asked how long it was going to take. Manager said we should have been told there would be a delay. YES we should have been told but weren't. Assured it would just be 5mins. Waited another 15mins as gave up as we had gone in for lunch and it was fast becoming dinner time. Assured the food is great. Sadly the service wasn't..

Me and my girlfriend visited yesterday after a recommendation from her father and will 100% return Best burger I’ve had in a very long time and struggled to finish it portion sizing was great on this occasion we ordered starters and then both had burgers next time we’d probably skip the starters because of how filling the mains are. The only reason for a four star review over five was that I believed the drink prices was a little over priced for what I’m used to paying elsewhere and locally but overall a great meal, clean, good atmosphere and will definitely recommend to friends and family

Lovely Sunday lunch had the Bill £ 7 for a glass of wine 3 glasses of wine 2 soft drinks cost more than the two main meals ,I have been recommending the food to friends but they need to look at the pricing of drinks very very disappointing

sunday lunch today.Service was quite slow.had to ask for dessert menu's and also ask for more drinks.. Sunday lunch did not have much taste..usually a lovely lunch and service but did not have that today..very disappointing.

👍 Had a Sunday lunch booking for 8 adults, we did have to wait a wee while for our orders to arrive at the table but the pub was really busy, so we expected to have to wait. The waitresses and bar staff were lovely, both the service and the food were excellent. A really beautiful Sunday roast, no complaints from anyone. Very, very good value for money. And the biscoffi cheesecake afterwards.... 🤤 sublime!! We would return for sure, definitely worth a visit, make sure to book if you want to eat, though. 👍👍

Great pub with amazing food. All of the dishes we ordered were really good. There was a bit of a wait to get the food. Plenty of seating outside and inside. Ample parking space available. Prices are reasonable for the quality of the food.

No real problems, but a bit pricey service friendly enough.

Amazing food and atmosphere. Will definitely be returning

Awesome music venue. Good food. Nice pint. What's more to say, go take a look one weekend, parking a plenty.....

Very good selection of food and drinks. Clean and welcoming with attentive, helpful staff. Nice food and very well kept and presented drinks. Although tasty, I found the triple cooked chips a bit soggy. All good though a little pricey

Lovely service and good music - a nice pub

BEST apple crumble !!! Our servers, Alice and Jamie, were very nice and helpful. The beef stroganoff came with both chips and rice which was a bit odd, but the crumbed brie bites were delish !!

Thank you for allowing me to have my milestone 50th party with you today the service was excellent and the food was delicious as always. Thank you to Tom for helping me organise it and thank you to the lovely girls who looked after us. Highly recommend this pub to everyone it’s amazing 🤩

Just been here to have some lunch but the service was disgraceful. There were four of us and we ordered 4 light meals - 2 soups, a jacket potato and a sandwich. The soups came out fairly quickly but it was assumed that these were starters as the potato and Sandwich didn't arrive. After waiting a good 45 mins we asked where our other lunches were and as they said that they were waiting for soups to finish before sending out other two lunches, which we could not fathom out the thinking behind this, so we requested a refund as time was against us. The two who had soups had finished theirs so we just wanted to leave the premises by then. This is all obviously poor management as the young girl behind bar should have told the kitchen there was four of us - no training for the staff who apparently had only been working there for a week and she was left without management available. There was only her and a 15 year old assisting as a waitress at front of house. Apparently, when we asked for a refund and was told there was no manager, the young bar attendant had said that the manager was upstairs - she tried to call them but there was no answer! Once again, an example of poor management. She did manage to sort out a refund for us in the end and clearly she was under a lot of pressure being left to run the bar pretty much alone so we would not blame her for all this. The managment need to get their act together and actually Manage staff! What made the whole experience even more annoying was being told that the only tables available to us as we had our dog with us, was the tables directly in front of the bar that all were high level tables with chairs that you had to climb up to. Really not a good choice for dog owners as, once you sit on the higher chair, you cannot attend to you dog if required very easily. No common sense used when organising appropriate seating for customers by the management. There were standard tables to the left of the bar that could have quite easily been suitable for dog owners - same flooring etc. so not sure why these were not available to us. Apparently the soups were tasty but really no conciliation for the whole sad experience we had today!

had hunters chicken nice ping ping food (microwave) beef stroganoff not bad but we were both expecting chips NOT potato wedges that were barely warm.also very confusing with bill where it shows vat seperate.we dont recomend and wont be returning

Lovely mothers day meal will be returning

Good pub food nice pint of Becks

Lovely place for a drink, snack or a meal. Very clean, nice outside area to sit. Nice big gammon 😋

Away with work, excellent food, good service & a nice beer selection 👍🏼👌🏼

Impromptu stop in The Horse and Jockey tonight. Food was amazing and could not fault the amazing friendly welcome and service by Tom and Sam. Look forward to our next visit

A great meal with great service from Erika and Ema. This place is always friendly and welcoming, and the food is of excellent gastro pub quality. We use it regularly, and will definitely be back again

The online booking process was good with a reminder the day before. Good choice of beer and food menu. Service and food was good.

Attentive staff, excellent food, great atmosphere , I'll be back

It's fun and busy. Very busy at times. Good food and drinks. And the staff were all brilliant.

Food was excellent and service excellent.decorated well and very pretty ambience lovely . Although the apple crumble and custard dessert was tasty but a tiny portion was served not worth the 5.50 charged. Custard was served in a milk pot no where near enough very stingy portion. I had more milk served for my tea.

Took a party of four for an evening meal, 2x belly pork and 2x burgers. Bill came to circa £110. The ambience was awful. The pub was freezing cold, first time I have had to eat a meal in a zipped up puffer jacket and bobble hat. The food was pretty awful and definitely not worth the money, followed within a few hours with my partner falling very ill will vomiting and stomach cramps. Do yourself a favour and take your custom elsewhere there are much better alternatives to be found locally.

I got to be honest stunning building but will never go there again when there in a first date service was terrible she her meal forgot mine then she had a hair in her food I got my own business it was not professional never again

This was our first visit to the Horse & Jockey since moving to the area. When we arrived it was very busy, but we were seated pretty quickly and the staff were chatty and had a great sense of humour despite being rushed off their feet. The meal was fantastic - we both had the same main course of slow roasted pork belly, with black pudding, red cabbage and mashed potatoes. Huge portions! It was good to have a choice of alcohol-free ciders (I was driving) and my husband was spoilt for choice with plenty of beers and ciders to choose from. There was also live music (two guys from the band The Now) who did a great set of rock covers. We'll definitely be back soon.

Took my elderly relatives here for lunch. Food really excellent. Good beer. And when they saw my one cousin using a stick, they changed our table to a more accessible one without my saying anything. Really good experience and well worth the 5 stars

Wow what a plate full of food Absolutely loved it

Came over to Wales to help a friend in need. They suggested we come here for lunch as the food is very good, and it's a nice venue. Totally agree! As you walk in its clean, tidy, well laid out and feels homely. We were taken to our table and started to peruse the menu. Had been told the fish and chips was delicious, but more on that in a mo. We looked at the menu, veggie / vegan section at the back - thank you. The specials board had halloumi fries so couldn't resist... Him indoors had the same and our friend had the calamari. Me and the Mr went for a brie and mushroom burger, ended up being halloumi but not an issue. Our friend went for the aforementioned fish and chips. Starters arrived and the only slight issue was barbecue sauce instead of sweet chilli - very quickly rectified. Our plates were whisked away, and after enough time to chew the fat and put the world to rights our mains arrived. The fish and chips did indeed look magnificent - I pinched a small piece of the end and concur that it was light and crispy batter with very nicely cooked fish. Our burgers were lovely, but instead of brie they contained more halloumi! Not an issue for me, but the Mr was a bit annoyed. It tasted fantastic, though, and the chips were just gorgeous. I believe this establishment has only been open for a few years. I would love to go back soon, and hope that it is there for a long time to come! Only taken a star off the food as some of ours was a bit wrong. Aside from that it was indeed excellent.

Great service, fantastic food and very reasonable prices, will definitely go back when we are in the area again. Would recommend this to anyone.

Always great food and customer service, me and the girlfriend really enjoy eating here.

Great food and a really good pub. Service a bit hit and miss at times but overall quite good. Would definitely go back.

First time at the Horse and jockey. Went with Family to celebrate my retirement. The building was nice enough but it was a little cold inside. My daughter was putting out some happy retirement table confetti but was quickly asked to stop and pick it up. We pre ordered and the food came quickly, three of us had the Rump steak which was a little fatty which spoilt it but the meat part was cooked well enough. Had to ask for the pudding menu after waiting a while the selection was not huge but again was nice enough. The staff were nice enough but not that attentive. Will probably go back but will steer clear of the steak.

Superb food and service, amazing music, highly recommend. Staff cannot do enough to help

extremely poor service! tried to book a table for a small weeding breakfast all we wanted was 11 people to sit together on a single table surrounded by chairs, communication was aweful after speaking to multiple people and getting different responses we was assured that what we wanted was obtainable "it will all be sorted and we dont have to worry about a thing" the day before the wedding we was told via their fb messaging service (not even a phone call) that our requirement's were unable to be met obviously not a problem if we knew this the time we booked which was a month in advance, my main concern is the sheer unprofessionalism of the staff/affiliates of the pub who were being abusive yes abusive to family members via a post that was put up on a personal fb page extremely poor aweful experience for all involved.

Popped in for drinks no time for food. Thatchers Blood Orsnge Cider average drink at best . Service was okay the pint was served and very little if not no conversation with the server. Sometimes the odd few words do go a long way.

Prior to this visit the last time I was there was many years ago but I will return soon.

One of the best meals we've had. This is a gem on the Welsh countryside next to the gorgeous field of sunflowers. Staff was super friendly too.

Superb service, the staff are extremely courteous and friendly, Ray had been there 2 weeks and was excellent 👌👍 food is very good, steak next time would order rare, as the medium rare was more medium-well but was excellent none the less.

Nice food , nice location, easy to get too , not too pricey either

Had a lovely lunch, will go again soon.

Friendly staff accommodated our friend's celebration meal. Nice atmosphere, good baby change facilities and good food!

Wonderful place clean toilets good food

Great dining area and a bit livelier at the bar. Good food and really good service

Good food, nice people, average price, great location

I order a rump steak which came with triple cooked chips, tomatoes, mushroom, crispy onion rings and a salad. All fantastic! Services was perfect and a nice atmosphere. Great value for money!

What an awesome night with James William's, shame about the rain but it didn't stop him or anyone from dancing etc. Everyone was wet through but who cared........awesome night hope theres going to be many more thanks everyone........

Really enjoyed the singer tonight

Gorgeous thatched pub with modern interior and expansive beer garden! Lovely selection of ciders and great atmosphere

The experience was ok. The cider wasn't very nice, the outdoor food was good but limited and pizza was a but pricey. Enjoyed listening to the singer though in the garden.

Best Sunday lunch I've had for a long time

Very busy place, atmosphere was packed but not to noisy, the service from staff was nice and the food wasnt to bad either.

Booked for a special birthday. Pre ordered our food days before. Taken to our table at 6pm food wasn't ready until 7.20pm starters. Mains came out at 8pm food expectations were high but when it came it was not great. Lasagna was plastered in cheese not much meat. The chips were cold not the delicious sounding specially cooked ones in the menu and the salad wasn't the best. Waited for desert. apple crumble was a big doughy mess really. Honestly probably lacking because they had a big function out in the garden too.

We booked a table for a Friday night, the pub was very lively. As a group of 4 we ordered starters and mains. The food was beautifully cooked. The steaks for the mains were some of the best we have had. Only one of us had a dessert which was lovely. The thing that let the evening down was when we came to pay the manager repeatedly questioned our bill saying didn't you have more than one dessert. We found this very rude and was a very sour end to the meal. I would return here as the food was great but the service needs working on

Food was gorgeous and the service was excellent. Was busy the day we went.

What a great vibe, lovely place, plenty of seating in and out. Offering indoor menu, outdoor menu and a BBQ running. Entertainment certain times. Great staff. Food from indoor menu stunning.