The Open Hearth in Torfaen

Brilliant family meal for four and a six year old. We all had the beef dinner. And drinks. The food was hot plentiful and well presented. The staff although very busy were attentive and prompt and above all frendly. We were in the downstairs room which I initially thought oh dear was in fact warm, light and inviting. The sevice did not suffer from being down stairs.

Great little pub on the canal, very friendly staff. Would recommend a visit!

Great real ales, food was very good and service fine.

To be fair, all the negative reviews showing here are incomprehensible. If you can barely type and have nausea and stomach pains it could be too much drink, not the food. Lovely food btw.

99% of the time the food and service are amazing and you can't fault them because they're always serving. My son has always loved the garden and play equipment. Child and dog friendly.

Lovely food. Service and staff were awesome but we ate downstairs and if was cold in the room. Great service and value.

Decent menu options and food has always been really good.

Little pub by a canal with quite a good selection. Very clearly labeled gluten-free options.

Really enjoyed ourselves. Fabulous food & service. Lovely walk along the canal. Definitely coming back! 5*+

Gorgeous Sunday roast today, so much flavour and lovely variety of vegetables. Can't wait to visit again 👌😋. Also lovely service from the staff 😊

Fantastic pub situated right on the canal. Been coming here regularly for over a year now and have had a great time every visit, spring summer autumn and winter. It can get busy inside though so wrap up warm for colder weather but I've usually been able to grab a table not too long after Staff are fantastic and welcoming and very friendly PS. Didn't order food from here yet so didn't rate the food

Nice place to stop when cycling along the Brecon and Monmouthshire canal

Fell upon this gem. Sat on the canal edge with benches outside and leading to a lovely walk along the canal this is a pretty pub. Bet it’s beautiful in the summer. We visited in autumn and it was a cosy place. We had traditional Sunday roast. Shame all the extra trimmings had sold out but the lunch was really tasty and filling. Staff very polite and helpful. Dog friendly in the bar area and there are tables and chairs with a fire in the bar area to eat. We will go back again soon!

Lovely friendly pub. Dogs welcome too.

Staff and management excellent good service and atmosphere.

Absolutely wonderful little find right besides the canal. Very tradional quiet pub to sit and enjoy food. Staff were friendly and helpful and made us very welcome. I had the chicken tikka naan with onion bhajee, chips and salad, my husband had the homemade chicken curry, chips and salad. We also had sticky toffee pudding and apple crumble for desert. The food was gorgeous and the portion sizes were massive, I failed to eat all of my main. Would definitely recommend a visit, we will be going back.

Friendly pub for punters and their 4 legged friends. Located next to the canal it has plenty of charm. Access may be an issue for those with limited mobility as there were steps up from the car park to the entrance

This is a beautiful pub situated on a canal it's like been in a TV show. So pleased we found this gem early in our holiday it serves delicious food and the scenery an added bonus. Even better they let fur babies in too.

Lovely canal side pub with an extensive menu. Sitting outside in summer kids can make use of some play equipment. Grab a bench by the canal for a peaceful place to while away an afternoon. Everyone in the group enjoyed their food, portions were good and food was tasty. Burger was excellent.

Best Sunday dinner you can ask for fair play. You will not be disappointed. Did not book a table. Went for a walk up the canal with the dog. Stopped there for Sunday lunch. And water there for the 🐕. Service A1 thankyou.

Best Sunday dinner you can ask for fair play. You will not be disappointed. Did not book a table. Went for a walk up the canal with the dog. Stopped there for Sunday lunch. And water there for the 🐕. Service A1 thankyou.

Lovely location..food not bad either. ... But..the service was awful. We were rudely spoken to by this one waitress..even the family next to us commented on her rudeness..(all because we forgot to grab our cutlery when we ordered) if you want families to come back then please be nice or get a job in Karen's diner 👍

Nice local pub along the canal, friendly helpful staff, reasonable prices, food looked nice.

Absolutely fantastic location. If the weather is nice then this is well worth visiting. The food is really good for pub food. I think the menu is too big. I had the New York burger and it was really good. Dogs are welcome. If you order food, don't forget to pick up cutlery. There is a children's play area and tons of outside seating

Had the chicken tikka on flat bread with onion bajis and chips No tikka on the chicken just solid lumps of uneadable chicken. Cold flat Bread sagerated in that cheap mint yogurt you get in the pound shop, bought in tasteless baji crushed up, pathetic attempt of salad on the side(from a packet) they have attempted to make the chips look good with some of the skins on them but they were rubbish £18

Only stopped in briefly as wanted a nice spot for a quick pint and found the Open Hearth on Google maps. Lovely location on the canal, good service and food looked good. Only given 4 stars as not tried the food yet, but it's certainly on my to do list to go back again.

First visit here ..will definitely return sat outside weather was beautiful.. lovely friendly welcome .nothing was to much trouble for staff & meal was beautiful & good portion.. highly recommend 😍

Great pub right next to the canal lined with beaches.

Great pub with food on bank of canal.

The worst steaki have ever had,i hd violent stomach painsand barely made it hometo my toiletwhen i had violent diarhea,i will nwve go there again.myi am still feeling queasyover a week later

We didn't eat so unable to comment on food, had a lovely pint of cider and being a boater signed the boaters book, always welcoming staff.

A Nice meal on the canal. Beautiful.

A gorgeous walk along the canal in the sun, wandered in here for the first time and it won't be the last! The homemade burgers are awesome! Great menu, great service, didn't wait long. Had an American double and mrs had the Lamb and goats cheese. Massive stacks, full of flavour and skin-on chips were perfect. Will be back again soon!

Can't comment on Food never eaten there,a lovely pub,fantastic location (on a canal)very efficient and friendly staff,working their socks off,on a lovely sunny Bank Holiday weekend ,K

Nice to find a good pub doing good food , good price and superb service - food arrived promptly by friendly staff - well done “open hearth “ - will definitely be back

Nice pub accessed from the canal path. Good choice of meals

Good size meals and very much enjoyed. Very friendly staff and lovely outdoor seating area next to the canal

Ordered a very simple roast beef & horseradish sauce baguette in a Sunday and was delightedly surprised when it was served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings & gravy.

We arrived by canal boat on the recommendation of a few fellow boaters. A short walk from our berth seemed ideal, a nice meal and a few drinks in a canal side pub. What’s not to like. The barmaid was a very young girl and new to the job, but we all have to start somewhere. Polite and well mannered, she did her best. Unfortunately she poured our drinks in the other bar, so we couldn’t see what we were getting. Pour the drinks in front of the customer. Perhaps whoever is training her should know better. We went through to the dining area which was very busy. A good sign we thought. We ordered a ‘New Yorker’ burger and a’Cajun Spicy’ burger. We were so hungry after an enjoyable sail on the ‘Mon & Brec’. Sadly the same can’t be said about the food. Both burgers arrived promptly within 5 minutes. To promptly in my opinion. As a chef I’ve worked in kitchens where the head chef has ordered that the burgers are all pre cooked and then just reheated to save time during busy periods. Both our burgers were dry and overcooked. The plates were far too small for the amount of food that was served. The knives and forks were cheap and nasty. Why not treat yourselves to some decent crockery and cutlery. We had 2 ‘sapphire and tonics, 2 large glasses of house white wine and 2 burgers. £55. Wouldn’t have minded if we had an outstanding evening. Thankfully we won’t be back.

Food is very good here. Sunday roast is a must. Already booked for next week What a beautiful place. Right next to the canal so a must to go on a sunny summer evening. Staff friendly and chatty. A place to definitely go to.

Stunning meal, beautiful pub and dog friendly on the stunning Monmouthshire Brecon canal. Shame about the rain on the bank holiday.

A must visit. Food, People and service, ALL 5 star. We all had a Sunday roast. A lucky find.

Excellent friendly service. Lovely situation at canal side. Good food and beer.

Love stopping at this place for a drink when I walk down the canals. Will have to come back for a meal. I hear they are great.

Great place,food stunning,setting is on the Mon brecon canal which is great.. can be busy in the summer and Sundays but well worth it

Pre booked table for 4 adults and a toddler. Table was ready and with a high chair. Friendly staff. Service v.good and all 4 meals big portions, homemade & Delicious .

Lovely Canal side pub,should imagine it's the place to go initially the Summer months Good selection of Beers.

We got married yesterday and stopped by here after the ceremony a little past lunch time. I looked up local restaurants and the menu here was more interesting than a few other options, so we decided to give it a try. We both got the lamb and goat cheese burgers with sweet onion chutney. Both of us thought the burgers were delicious and very filling. The chips were perfectly cooked and honestly, really hit the spot. We shared a few starters with our guests and the duck bon-bons stole the show. Then my husband and I shared a lemon meringue sundae and it was delightful. All in all we will happily be coming back around spring/summer. But the staff were wonderful and the wine we had with our meal was quite good. Thank you for the staff at The Open Hearth for making our day that much more special! Don't hesitate to stop by and give it a try as well. The restaurant inside is a bit small but has plenty of seating outside and plenty of parking. We highly recommend it!

Met friends for lunch, beautiful position alongside the canal. Could not fault the food. Excellent. Atmosphere and staff brilliant. Definitely recommend

A popular "Local" with tidy ales and good food. Friendly staff and a Chef that can work miracles when busy.

Booked here for my big birthday meal with the family . There were 12 of us and a dog .Nothing was too much trouble. We were looked after by such friendly staff. The food was amazing and lots of it. Even our little pooch was looked after with his doggie ice cream and water. When we are back in the area visiting we will be back to sit and enjoy a drink by the canal.

Quite busy. Convenient and in a pleasant location, however. Good selection of ales🙂

Absolutely beautiful meals as always.

Choose this pub as dog friendly, arrived and told where we could sit with one end being warmer than the other, we choose the warm end but I still kept my coat on while there, it was cold. Friendly barmaid. I had a spinach and mushroom lasagne, very few mushrooms mainly spinach sauce and pasta , chips were tasty. Husband had stroganoff which he said had a strange taste.

One of the best burgers I've eaten in ages.

Excellent service as always, bar staff can’t do enough. Best prices and food. Highly recommended.

Solid Welsh Pub Director on canal. Went there with the extended family (12 people) good service, good food real ales. Difficult to find, steep/ narrow road but good parking Looks as if it would be really nice inter summer with seating directly in front of pub with views of canal Dogs welcome in bar area with free treats

On route to pontypool basin and walking back with our little mutley We stopped for one drink at this lovely great pub on the canal on boxing day walk With a lovely atmosphere outside with other families walking etc Dog friendly to inside and out.

Good to see a premium beer on tap [abbots] at a good price £4.10 .Went this Fri 22 Dec, no abbots ,tried Atlantic not good.

Highly recommend a visit excellent food friendly staff and value for money nothing to much trouble for the staff will be returning

Lovely meal, the biggest plate of meat I've ever seen!! Loads of veg,and plenty of extra gravy. I took home half of my meat, stuffing, pigs in blankets and potatoes. My husband was in his element, Christmas came early!!😋😋😋

Myself and my partner visited when we were looking for some good pub grub, local with Gluten free options. I'm used to things being left off the plate when asking for Gluten free but here they made me peppercorn sauce to go with my steak which was stunning. Loads of Gluten free options to chose from. We've been back with the kids since and they are really fussy and ate all their meals. Their desserts are also great with Gluten free and child friendly options accommodated. They even had 2 choices of Gluten free beer! Which never happens. Great service, really friendly, right next to the canal. Perfect.

Christmas family meal today at The Open Hearth. First time visiting for food. Been many a time for drinks. Always such a friendly place. Couldn't resist booking after seeing some of the food coming out of that kitchen. Family of 15 for our Christmas Dinner. What value for money. 3 course Christmas Dinner £29.95 All food came out together. Plates were hot and full. Provided with extra gravy as requested no extra charge. I couldn't eat all mine so asked for a takeaway box...wanted to leave room for my dessert. Staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Already asked about booking for next year. Will definitely be back to try something else on the menu very soon. Highly recommended!

It was on a recommendation that we booked for a meal. ( birthday). We arrived at 1215, the pub was cold. We were told there were 2 tables next door, pick one. !. We chose the lunchtime SPECIAL, Steak +Ale pie, chips and seasonal veg. The meal arrived, the plate was cold, The seasonal veg was PEAS+CARROTS. The pie had steak which consulted of meat + gravy. There was a big piece of gristle and fat. The pie 's pastry wasn't completely cooked through. As the plate and pub was cold the meal became cold very quickly. This SPECIAL cost us £15 each, a complete RIP off.. Our local pub offers a HOT Sunday lunch with lots of different veg for £9.95. A bag of carrots, + frozen peas cost very little, so to offer this as an SPECIAL with cheap veg and chips was an insulting. The photos on the pubs website is misleading, he aware.

Expensive festive pub lunch at £26.95 for two courses, £29.95 for 3. Some friends had only the one main course and yet were charged £26.95 until we challenged that and were then charged £16.95. The waitress announced to everyone quite loudly that for the Xmas Curry there was no "half and half" - a Welsh way of serving where it is half chips half rice. And yet they were cooking chips for others in the pub. Our meal began at 1.18 telling waitress we were ready. However, we were still waiting for the table to be completly cleared and for our desserts to arrive at 3.40 as some of us had to leave, so had to ask. They brought the desserts but didnt clear the tables. No coffee or mince pies offered. My main meal was served on a smaller plate than most others, hence the food was piled high and falling off the plate. Not at all appetizing and whereas I normally finish my meal - I didn't in this case. Service poor, not a quality meal and certainly not value for money at all. This pub is not in an expensive area of the South Wales Valleys and we were local to Pontypool. Not a good experience at all.

A much better place with the new owners. A few of us have been coming here quite regularly, staff are friendly, food is absolutely spot on and reasonable prices. Highly recommended!

Here for a warm up, whilst walking along the canal. Cheers

Absolutely stunning meal and fab service

Absolutely stunning food with home made chips and big portions. Big selection of meals and dessert so something for everyone I love it here! Best lasagne I’ve had! Love the fact they do whippy ice cream too so sundaes are full of ice cream and not whipped cream.

Had a Xmas dinner with friends Absolutely amazing , couldn’t fault it Hot , plenty of choice and even had extra gravy brought to the table

На вечірній прогулянці вздовж каналу потрапили у цей паб на пиво та сидр)Хороша та затишна атмосфера)

A wonderfully cosy, Country pub. We live within walking distance and it's never disappointed us.

Came for Sunday lunch. Checked prices on website as was not the same on the menu. Veg was ha4d not enough of the veg either. Meat over cooked. Gravy like water and had no flavour. £13 for adults and £9 for a child's dinner that's even for a child under 3 years of age. No one checked on us once we had our food. Atmosphere in the pub and staff were really poor. Will not be returning for food again. Was not worth the money at all.

Manged to get a table without booking. Service was good, and overall, the good was 4 out of 5.

Stopped here after a stroll up the cancel, kids had cooked dinner and I had the Chicken & stuffing baguette that comes with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Cant fault the food, was delicious, portion size was great and service fine. Top notch, and we will be back.

Was staying in Pontypool and found this by chance via a Google search for restaurants. It was dark and rainy when we arrived but this little gem of a simple river/canal side pub cheered us up with a warm welcome, good service and great, freshly prepared food. A bit of a mission to find in the dark but thank you Google maps and the pub is highly recommended 👍

Nice location on the canal. Needs a face lift. The toilets in particular are in desperate need of refreshment

Amazing food and staff.. Gemma, our waitress was so friendly and helpful. As always, well done, chef x

What a find! Great pub, great people & dogs 🐕. There was a right mix & the dogs provided a fair amount of entertainment. Highly recommended.

Stopped whilst on the canal walk, great spot and reasonable prices.

Excellent place with fantastic staff, so friendly. Food is superb highly recommended

18 year anniversary dinner, picked at random, food was delicious and service was really good. Friendly staff, lovely atmosphere.

Large portions, tasty food. Great location.

Excellent food lovely company with my lovely cousins .Young man serving us was very very nice .

Lovely pub, with great cask ales. Lovely outside area right on the canal. Good food, good selection of drinks and friendly staff.

Quaint canalside pub with outside picnic tables! Friendly service from bar staff. Only had drinks so can't comment on food!

The food is absolutely delicious, service is great and the staff are lovely

The perfect place for a break, something to drink and/or eat when out and about along the beautiful canal path. I will be back soon to try out the food and write a more in-depth review!

Had high hopes based on previous reviews but these were unfortunately not met. We each had the Sunday roast (beef, lamb and chicken) and it was definitely quantity over quality. No one from our table could honestly rate the food, it was edible but nothing more. We each tried the desserts too, these were slightly better but the Whippy ice cream was watery and flavourless. The staff were nice but the facilities such as rest rooms are dated and shabby. Probably fine if you’re dropping in for a drink as you’re walking along the canal but definitely wouldn’t consider it a restaurant.

I had my Sunday lunch from there today for the first time it was beautiful so delicious the meat,vegetables,potatoes and everything else was spot on, I can't weight until next Sunday yum., yum,yum

Lovely warm welcome a great pit stop on my morning walk with a lovely snack for lunch 😋

Very nice pub, in a lovely location on the canal. Dog friendly, pleasant staff. Sunday lunch was tasty, and plenty of it, but unfortunately the beef was slightly tough. Late in the day, which might explain it?

Lovely pub with reasonable prices, right on the canal.

It’s a pub that’s very friendly and also serves good food.

First visit, great canal side location, good food and drinks

Excellent Sunday lunches evening menus are also great Service is fantastic the staff are brilliant Highly recommend

Very very nice family pub food brilliant

Really nice atmosphere in this pub, on a nice day it’s lovely to sit outside on the canal and they sometimes have live bands. Tonight, 9 of us came for a meal and a few drinks, opened a tab straight away, no problem being seated and was a chilled atmosphere. staff were so helpful and friendly, couldn’t be more helpful if they tried. Food was great and came quite quickly considering there was 9 of us! Wasn’t too expensive either, very happy!

Fantastic meal and friendly staff.

We had the most gorgeous meal. Probably one of the most tastiest meal I've had in a long time. Will definitely be back for more.