The Star Inn in Powys

Lovely pub, great choice of beers and spirits. Friendly staff, good food. Large beer garden right by the canal. Dog friendly.

I was doing the Usk Valley Walk and staying in the village for the night. I had booked a meal two weeks prior by phone at the other pub in the village, which turned out to be closed!! Having no transport this could have been disastrous but luckily the Star was open and I was given a very warm welcome by the staff. I chose the vegetable tagine which was delicious, accompanied by a pint of local ale, plus a chocolate pudding. Both homemade and very tasty, well done the Star! Everybody in there was also very friendly, and there was a roaring fire on a dark miserable night.

Lovely pub, very comfortable, friendly staff

We had a delicious meal in the pub as a family and also really enjoyed the excellent beer selection. When we realised we would struggle to get a taxi back to our accommodation we were so grateful for the kindness of the staff who gave us a lift back to Bwlch. Thank you so much!

We had a late lunch at the Star Inn today. First visit and we will be back. Nice family run pub with home cooked food and friendly service.

Amazing pub! Lovely staff and excellent food

Lush pub, lovely people, and great service, location was awesome. Only slight issue was food arrived in takeaway tubs rather than plates and choices were limited. Otherwise lovely place and well worth a visit.

Great local pub. Good atmosphere and freindly staff. We enjoyed a meal in the beer garden which has a few steps down to the river. Good choice of food, arrived promptly and tasted nice.

Not sure what to say. We were disappointed on a few levels. The younger members of staff were pretty decent but there was an older lady working behind the bar who was a bit of a scowler. We had food which was decent pub grub and the bar was fairly stocked with decent beverages. It was just a bit 'tacky'. We'd been a few times in the past and something had changed?! Couldn't put my finger on it. Used to recommend, wouldn't now.

We waited over an hour for food, even though no warning was given at time of ordering that there was a long wait. Especially frustrating as we were ordering a meal for a two year old. Food that arrived was very average, expected better when paying £18 for Fish & Chips. Staff seemed very inexperienced and not equipped for a very busy pub.

Lovely pub. A joy to be there. Staff were very welcoming. Nice beer and wine selection and food was good too. Really enjoyed it..

I am literally writing this review from the beer garden of the Star Inn after our family have just enjoyed a stunning meal, washed down with fantastic drinks in a idyllic settling. My son had the BBQ pork ribs, which although he is only 12 stated it was the best 'meat' he has ever eaten. Myself and the wife had rare roast beef baguette with fries, the beef was so rare and melted in the mouth, simply delicious. I am drinking a boxed local cider, black mountain which is delicious, might stop at two though as have a narrowboat to sail to Brecon in the morning! This place is so good we will be coming back on the return journey!

Called in yesterday and enjoyed a lovely pint of Scrumpy Cider the barman was very friendly and the place itself full of character. I sat outside in the beach beer garden. I recommend a visit 👍

Only had drinks but service was good, beer was good and the garden was lovely.

The menu had several GF choices, and most could be modified. They were very accommodating - I had the sea bass which was delicious.

Stayed in the village in June for walking and visited this pub for a meal. The food in here is fine with average prices . The beer is good and there is a reasonable amount of seating . The rear beer garden is near the canal and overall this is a good place to visit .

Great pub, excellent beer garden right next to the canal, great welcome, dog friendly & good selection of drinks. Didn’t have a meal ourselves but everything that came out looked great!!!

One of the best beer gardens EVER!

Good traditional pub with a friendly atmosphere and a good selection of pale ales at a reasonable price. Outdoor beer garden is picturesque in a nice setting and plenty of seats. I was rather peckish after a four hour drive and was torn between the safe bet of fish and chips, albeit overpriced at £18, or the bbq baby back ribs. Feeling brave I decided to spin the wheel and go all in with the ribs after being reassured by the bar maids recommendation. I took a seat in the garden imaging a tender, juicy, slow cooked rack of melt in the mouth marinated ribs. The disappointment was palpable when they landed on the table. They looked like a cremated rack of ribs belonging to a hare or large rabbit and were absolutely dry as a bone. Fortunately the pale ale stopped my mouth from drying up completely. The bbq element was neither a glaze nor a marinade and was literally a squirt of bbq sauce that had been applied more as an afterthought. The ribs had clearly been oven cooked for far too long and were bone dry, not tender and difficult to prize off the bone. Sadly I was that hungry I ploughed on in the face of adversity and it really hampered my evening. The sticky toffee pudding was respectable and slightly redeemed things for me. All in all, good for a pint but food is far below par and is overpriced. Please see photo attached of the aftermath.

Delightful canal side pub garden with good atmosphere

Excellent garden on a sunny afternoon to enjoy a cold tipple by the canal

Had Sunday lunch with my partner and toddler lovely place and staff are very nice

Lovely little pub with great food and nice big beer garden.

Good beers and good choice of food

Had fish & chips last night in the Star, fantastic haddock so fresh wonderful and real chips, cheaper than the chippy

Popped in while on Canal Boat. Excellent food and friendly service. One of the better pubs along the canal and highly recommended

Great food in a lovely Village pub, beer garden was very nice too.

Superb, proper old fashioned pub .

We visited this wonderful pub today for lunch. The menu is varied and the food produced is delicious. This is an unspoilt family run and owned gem full of atmosphere in a super location. Highly recommend

What a find! Excellent service! Very friendly staff. Food was delicious. Highly recommend the ribs and burger! We were starving and the portions were big! Perfect after a day walking and travelling.

The Star is an iconic canal side pub serving good food and a range of real ales. There is a top beer garden abounded by a brook. Great place for a lazy lunch

A fantastic afternoon spent in this very friendly and really old pub. Staff very obliging and will definitely be visiting again very soon.

Great little pub on the canal with a super beer garden. We got there just after 3pm and our friends arrived st quarter past 3 but they were still happy to fo us food even though the kitchen had officially closed. 3 tasty fish and chips and 1 plate of tender lamb chops with wine n a couple of pints of Night Jar beer. What's not to like. Will definitely return.

Very friendly staff, quick service and tasty good value food.

Staying local so decided to try this place. The menu said ‘scampi and chips’. It was as actually frozen scampi and oven chips, just awful. Staff friendly enough though.

We went here for dinner and drinks and were made to feel so welcome by the lovely family-run team. Gorgeous, home-cooked, super tasty food. Tradicional pub atmosphere complete with roaring fire. Dog friendly. Peaceful village. Beautiful surroundings. Would 100% recommend.

I wanted to like it but the food and the place itself weren't up to scratch tbh. Service was friendly and warm. But the food was nothing special and the place itself was very cold. Steak and chips came with no salad or vegetables.

A brilliant village pub, friendly bar staff and great beer (Nightjar especially). A small menu but good food and hearty portions. We spent the afternoon/evening in the pub watching the rugby and people couldn't have been nicer.

We called into The Star Inn on 17.02.2024 whilst staying in a cottage opposite and, I have to say, we received one of the warmest welcomes from the landlady and other locals in the pub than we have ever received in any pub we've been in previously; they were so welcoming . We had booked a table earlier in the day to guarantee a place given it was a Saturday evening but, given the time of year, we needn't have worried as there was plenty of room. The menu is all listed on a 'specials' board near the bar with a choice of about 8 or 9 dishes and we were a little spoilt for choice but settled on a beef chilli, the pork ribs and the lamb chops and all came with a choice of rice, chips, mash, salad and/or veg. When it arrived the food was piping hot and very tasty indeed. The landlady checked that we were all happy and everything was to our liking which it most certainly was We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, eating in front of a lovely warm log burning fire in a very cosy, traditional pub; we really couldn't fault anything, just a pity that, given the time of year, opening hours/days were limited so we couldn't return for more meals during our time here but we certainly enjoyed this visit and would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this establishment. Thank you

Amazing food and friendly welcoming staff, set in a lovely location with 2 fires, would definitely recommend after a long hike, will be back for sure!!!

I went with my son and his girlfriend for lunch. Lovely setting delicious food and excellent table service in the beer garden. I would definitely recommend this pub.

Nice pub, good beer, bit tight on parking. Didnt get to eat here. Plenty of rooms and big tables.

We were able to secure a table for 11 at relatively short notice which was brilliant as we were coming from a canal boat which we'd moored at the top of the bank beside the pub and so options were limited! We were so pleased with the service and the meal - in fact the next day we had mutiny on board as our 11 year old was desperate for more of their chicken wings! So we ended up back there for lunch on the way back down the canal. What better recommendation can there be than going twice in a row?! We would definitely be back if we lived more locally.

Absolutely appalling service. Stood at the bar 3 minutes waiting to be served whilst they unpacked boxes. Said hello to us. Locals walked in they went straight Iver to them chatted and then took their order.l!! Rude just so rude. Went back to the the white heart. Lovely bar staff and very welcoming. Will never step foot in the Star again made us feel very unwelcome.

Was on narrowboat holiday so visited twice, once for lunchtime drinks on Tues in a lovely sunny beer garden and then as it seemed so nice we planned the return trip so we could eat evening meal here on the Weds. Absolutely brilliant pub, food was great, beers good and staff were lovely. Dog friendly with a roaring fire in the bar- smashing!! I would say do double check the opening hours - the website was saying they were closed Mon-Weds at the time we went, but as we drove the boat past we saw they were open!! I think Facebook would have been a better place for me to check. Also do book as they were pretty busy, and don't always do food. But great visit, would go back for sure

Stayed as a group of friends in Talybont for the weekend, the Star was literally across the street. We met here on a Friday afternoon all craving scampi & chips & we were not disappointed! We immediately booked for the next evening. Wonderful pub with an impressive beer garden next to canal & fantastic, friendly hard working staff. God only knows what the locals thought when we walked in, we can be a bit loud but coming from Mid Wales too, we know our way around a lovely local pub! We had a cracking time & as usual were the last to leave on the Saturday night- we were made to feel so very welcome by everyone & the girls even brought my cardigan over to me after we’d left (thank you)!! we were sorry to leave & are already looking forward to coming back next Spring. We wish the staff at the Star a prosperous winter - the fire will be lush in the coming months. The food cooked by Del is ace btw, especially the fish / scampi & chips ! All in all, a cracking place!! Thank you for your hospitality & for putting up with us, from the Llani girls xx

The Star is a traditional country pub used by locals holiday makers and canal users alike. It's a refreshing change from the open plan chain pub. The welcome was good and everyone very helpful. But you are going to have to plan a head even in late September they are busy for food in the evening book to avoid disappointment. The only other negative thing to say is the menu while good is often not the same as the Web site suggests and there are frequent changes to the specials board not of course unexpected. Now the best bits, parking is in the street outside and the entrance is flat. If the weather is nice there is a good beer garden overlooking the river and the canal runs at the back very nice for a walk. The food was very nice the cheese burger was large on a fresh bun with crisp salad and plenty of fries. The vegetable tagine was tasty indeed. It's not posh but it's good pub nosh.

Was on the canal so came here for food. Lovely pub managed to get a table and they let us have our dogs with us. Food is basic but plentiful and tasted great. Staff were friendly and helpful

Compliments to the chef. Second Saturday in a row having dinner here. Both times couldn't fault the food. Tonight had the lamb steak, asked for medium rare and it was cooked to perfection. Melted in the mouth. Highly recommend this place. Also great atmosphere. Give it a try, well worth it

Stopped over for a meal while travelling on the canal, lovely meal and staff were very friendly. Even let us take our dogs in to sit at dinner with us - which was a bonus for us

Went for a drink in the beer garden on Sunday and saw the meals being offered especially the pies which looked amazing and the specials board which had two vegetarian options on there. We decided to return on Tuesday night and booked a table. When we arrived the specials had been replaced with two meat options and they told us they had no pies. We had a baby with us 14 months old who is not a meat eater so asked for the children's menu... Nothing for a vegetarian so asked if they could do Childs portion of vegetarian tagine and was told no.. We asked what they could offer. Their answer a cheese baguette... Really for a 14 month old??? We decided to drink up and go home. Very disappointed and very limited menu compared to the viewing on Sunday

Lovely beer garden beside canal, and river . Staff very friendly and helpful . Great beer and cider . Plentiful portions of pub grub at reasonable prices - trying on their veggie options though was better the first night we went when a special was imaginative veggie option , 2nd time no veggie specials . Delicious puddings . All in all relaxed , easy going pub with hard working staff . Thankyou

Popped in on our bike ride. Waited at the bar to be ignored more than 4 times. Finally got served and ordered drinks with food. Order took over 40 minutes to come. When I asked the waitress ( politely) how long the food would be. She was very rude and reminded us that we were fortunate to be served as it’s so busy. Yet 2 members of staff sat on a bench in the pub garden chatting to their friends .

My Dad and I stayed locally for the weekend camping and we ate and drank at this pub for most of our stay! The food was really good, home cooked food - big portions and good value for money. The staff were so friendly and really made us feel at home, which was super appreciated! We would definitely recommend the beer garden as well, it was quite big and the atmosphere was very relaxing. We will be back!

We were travelling for a week as a family on the nearby canal and looking forward to food on a Sunday night. Tried The White Hart and were told that we wouldn't get food anywhere locally at 8 pm . So we thought we would have a quick drink at The Star. Despite the fact that the kitchen there was indeed about to close staff couldn’t have been more helpful and sorted us out a table and served up some fab food washed down with some equally fab beer. Would definitely go back and highly recommend.

Reserved a table this afternoon for a family meal after a show in Brecon. Friendly welcome, Absolutely delicious meal that was fresh, tasty. Beef Madras wow!! The meat was so tender. My danger and mum loved the chicken burgers. Can’t recommend enough.

Beautiful afternoon, fabulous company and an excellent lunch…what more do you want? The pub was busy when we arrived and the garden area almost full. A party of 6 we sat in the garden, ordered a varied food choice from burgers, to scampi, to lasagne...

A small village pub with a large beer garden which overlooks the river and canal. Drink prices are really good. The sunshine was an added bonus when we visited. Friendly crew. Thanks.

Booked for Friday May 27th evening. Pub was busy with a nice atmosphere. Great friendly welcome. Bar and serving staff were all very pleasant. Very impressed with the food. Ordered burgers. They were homemade and absolutely excellent. Absolute gem of a pub. Highly recommended.

The food is amazing! So fresh and delicious! Love coming to the star! Owners are fabulous! Lovely in the summer as rear garden is massive! Also dog friendly!

(Posting as Bex Dumble together with Martyn, and Dotty the Wirehaired Dachshund). We stayed at Talybont farm Sept 21 and came here for drinks and evening meals. We received a warm and friendly welcome on each visit. Good selection of ales and the food was...

Don't judge a book by its cover ! Wonderful staff and genuinely the best fish and chips I've every had! Thank you¡

Great atmosphere, food and staff. Had a lovely meal and beers at this pub. I think the bar lady is amazing. Even when busy she is very attentive, friendly and orga ised even under pressure. Look forward to coming back.

had dinner twice inside, having walked down from great local YHA, nice menu, good range of drinks and ales on draft and keg. nice big garden, next to river and canal. Burger and chips very good, liver pastry pie, sausage and chips. did not try...

We were on holiday in a cottage nearby. The Starr Inn was our go to place for a drink after a day out or a long walk. Bar staff & locals made us feel very welcome. We booked & had our evening meal here on...

We have visited after the Easter week. We were so much looking forward to sitting in the garden by the canal with our children and a dog, having a cold drink and home cooked food after being send away from all dinneries in the area...

After reading the excellent reviews of The Star, we were really looking forward to a meal here. However, the best I can say about the whole experience is that everything was adequate. The first disappointment was that although there was a good selection of draft...

After a lovely walk along canal we decided to call into The Star for lunch. Been to Talybont many times but never eaten anywhere. What a lovely, friendly place it is. Decided to have the bacon baguette with chips and salad and were not disappointed....

I bet this pub gets a lot of customers from the White Hart down the road as it's exactly what we did! Tried there rude rude staff and so went down the hill and enjoyed a wonderful time in this pub. Thank you!

Great food, all fresh and plentiful. Dog friendly. Will definitely be back with the children and dog. Kept table for us even though we were late. Even got a book from the swap book shelf

It's been a while since we've been able to visit but fish and chips was excellent. Draft ales good too and friendly welcome.

On a recent canal boat trip we visited this pub which has a nice traditional feel to it. The food was a bit limited and whilst the steak and kidney pie was good the curry only ok . Several beers were on offer and again...

Really friendly welcome from the staff. Limited menu but don’t be out off. We ordered the star burger and the Celtic cod and chips. Both cooked to perfect and very very tasty. All washed down with some delicious local cider. Highly recommend.

Cycled from Brecon to Talybont and saw a wonderful and lively beer garden and couldn’t resist A lovely bar meal was provided within 30 mins and with lovely young cheery staff Thoroughly enjoyed The food was scampi and chips plus a chicken burger - proper...

The atmosphere was really friendly, staff very welcoming. Really nice traditional pub. Lovely big beer garden right by the river and canal. Good menu that changed daily, food very tasty and good value. Dog made very welcome too!

We visited tonight after reading the reviews on here. I did try to phone ahead but my 3 attempts were to no avail. The menu is very limited and apparently there was a staff shortage, which is fine and not a problem. However, waiting well...

The pub was offering a very limited menu when we visited due to these difficult times. However what we had was home made and tasty. Great pub.

Wonderful welcome, fitted me in even though they were very busy and booked up. Best Fish and Chips I have had anywhere, honestly, that I can remember (and I've had lots as I spend over 200 nights a year away at work!). I'm really glad...

A limited menu at the moment but that’s understandable. No starters though which was a little surprising. However, the main courses we had were fine and nicely cooked. Good value for money.

We were cycling along the tow path and looked down on the lovely beer garden and decided to head down for a few pints. Once we figured out to take our bikes in through the bar area we settled down to sample a few local...

Years ago this had a very good name for food, alas not now in my opinion. Went for a light lunch with friends, doesn't do soup, sandwiches panini's or baguettes so you have to make a choice from a limited chalked up menu.my wife and...

Stopped here for dinner. We ate in the garden and felt very safe with the whole experience. The food was delicious, fresh and well cooked despite being busy because of the football. Friendly staff, very enjoyable and highly recommended.

Only the garden was open due to covid. Had a great time as the sun was shining and food and service was great. The girls looking after the table service we're polite friendly and very efficient, a credit to the pub in these difficult times.

Lovely people running this pub. Felt very safe here. Very well organised and was taken to a table close to the river which is a lovely sound in the sun. Highly recommend to anyone in the area.

Hauled up here on our canal trip, fairly late in the day and found the kitchen basically closed. Disappointing, so had a couple of local brews which were more than palatable and wandered over the road to the White Stag for dinner. Pity, our preferred...

This is in a perfect location for canal boats and you can moor up more or less outside. We booked a table for 3 of us at 7.30 on a Friday night. When we arrived we were immediately hit with a long list of instructions...

Great place for a drink in the beer garden but particularly impressed with the levels of COVID precautions being enforced here compared to other places we have been. Very pleasant spot to sit out and let life walk by.

Good Covid precautions. Wonderful fish and chips and beer. Good spacious garden. Great outing. Thanks

Nice old pub and beer garden next to the river. Friendly staff. Service was slow but they tried their best.

after a nasty experience at said other pub we popped in here for a couple-the staff were very pleasant and attentive-not pushy,good covid precautions -very good service

My Family of 4 ate here last night whilst on our boating holiday. Whilst the pub is in the perfect location to moor up on the canal and walk for 2 minutes to get there, the food was disappointing and pricey for what we had...

We ate here while on a short break in Talybont on Usk and were not disappointed. Our table was fully sanitised before we sat down and social distancing strictly adhered to. Some tables had screens between them for additional safety. As they are in the...

We were 4 adults and 4 children. We were seated outside next to the river in a perfect setting. The staff we very professional and meals were perfect. Kids meals generous portions. We all had a fab time, even with the required COVID restrictions followed...

No sign of sanitising. Staff not wearing any protection, no masks, no visors and no gloves. 25 minutes to get served, 10 minutes for drinks to come and 7 minutes to drink and get out. Won’t bother again

Went there to eat on two successive evenings. Such great staff, ( family members, and it shows ). Good social distancing. In these difficult times, limited menu, but OK . Beers good. Was wild camping and walking, and met two guys doing the same ....

On a short break to Brecon we ate at The Star mainly because of reviews and the fact they had a garden under the then Welsh covid rules. We booked a week before via messenger and on arrival the staff were great, advising us of...

Fantastic canal side inn and restaurant with great food, good beer and very welcoming and friendly staff. Outside seating for social distancing and good adherance to covid safety rules. We went back again it was so good!

I booked a few tables at the star for my birthday yesterday! The staff went above and beyond to make my day extra special. The weather wasn’t that great first thing, so the owners had surprised me with decorations and a gazebo (social distance was...

During covid times the staff and pub owners were very welcoming. After our long walk all we wanted was a nice cool drink and some pub grub. “Pub grub” (was definitely better) and the drinks were like being pissed on by an angel, amazing. we...

Covid times are tough, I get it. Our visit was unplanned, so grateful you got us a table and it was only for a couple of drinks, we did mention that to make sure your normal booking schedule wouldn't be disrupted. Anyway, at the table...