The Walnut Tree Inn in Monmouthshire

Beautiful ambience and gorgeous food

The Walnut Tree hardly needs another 5 star review, as it is famous for its fine dining, but here goes anyway. As former Abergavenny residents ourselves, we dined here with relatives who have been coming to the Walnut Tree since the 1970s. Despite the many changes it has been through over the years, the Walnut Tree continues to offer exquisite dining in a relaxed and welcoming restaurant with friendly and efficient service, just as it always has. Our meals were - as you'd expect - delicious, beautifully prepared and presented, reminding us that although the Walnut Tree is undoubtedly expensive by local standards, sometimes you really do get what you pay for.

Excellent restaurant - top quality service with fantastic food. Beautiful setting, good wine options. The duck deserves a special mention - 4 course lunch set menu is great value as well.

The restaurant offered a blend of good food and service. Unfortunately, bread and butter served here should not be served in a high standard restaurant. Despite that, my partner and I enjoyed superb starters. The main course showcased perfectly cooked fish and filet, although my fish was overly salty. Dessert, unfortunately, fell short of expectations. Overall, while it's worth a try if you're in the area, it didn't meet our expectations for a Michelin-starred experience. I wouldn't advise traveling long distances specifically for this dining experience.

What a top class restaurant! (We didn't stay at the hotel so this review pertains only to the restaurant). We had a delicious 5-star meal at The Walnut Tree. Presentation and taste couldn't have been better along with staff that were delightful. The friendly and professional atmosphere that the team provided lifted the experience even further.

Always the outstanding dining experience I know.

Fantastic food! Unbelievable stuff. Staff very pleasant. Baked vanilla cheesecake with honey ice cream was to die for.

Lovely little Michelin star restaurant tucked away just outside Abergavenny. Stunning food and excellent service.

Fabulous food and charming service in an iconic restaurant from one of the country’s most storied and historically important chefs. Thank you for making my birthday special.

The food and service was outstanding, couldn't fault a thing.

A lovely birthday meal for my wife. Well worth the hours drive from Herefordshire for this fine dining haven! The cheese Soufflé starter and the beef dishes were amazing! Only slight disappointment was I had emailed and rang ahead of our booking to ask for a special birthday treat - said not a problem but it failed to materialise. We’ll be back though the experience and restaurant staff were superb!

Went for birthday treat lunch..⁰ Can't fault anything . AMAZING

Delicious food and excellent service but, the dining room is stuck in the 1970's. It's such a strange experience, like going to a Berni Inn and not a very kitsch one! Even the paintings on the walls are disconcerting.

The food and attention to detail is outstanding. Thoroughly recommend.

Came here for lunch on the 8/02/2024 with my two employers from The Pen Y Cae Inn. Being a first time experience for me to have the opportunity to try a Michelin Star Restaurant this one certainly doesn't disappoint. The experience as a whole in terms of the food, beverages and service was fantastic and second to none. We had all three courses I had Cheese Soufflé 🧀 with black truffle to start it was delicious, but delightful with a slight kick of mustard perfect enough for me. Followed by for the main meal I had the Pork Chop served with baked beans that on a whole for me was the best dish of the day one in which I recommend. Last but not least for dessert I had Chocolate Torte delicious, delightful but incredibly rich which was good enough for me as a lover of dark chocolate etc. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who's passing the area I'm certainly going to come back to this restaurant again in the future. Service with smiles all round well done to everyone who works at The Walnut Tree.

Food and service always very good; We can walk to it so location is ideal

It has got a Michelin star for a good reason, but unlike some other establishments, you don't leave still hungry. Fantastic meal with great service.

Outstanding service and food; thank you.

Beautiful dishes of food and wine.

Excellent meal. Food was first rate and the service matched it, what a team they have all were very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend

We visited this evening had a 3 course meal. Service was very professional, food was one word outstanding! Definitely worth their Michelin star! Highly recommend and will definitely be back

Lovely 3 course meal, would return

We celebrated a couple of birthdays a last month. A very warm welcome and friendly staff. The entire team were extremely attentive and helpful with drink selections and all had a great sense of humor.

Had dinner here. What a treat. Great unpretentious place with the MOST friendly staff possible. I started with the Cornish fish stew which I still dream about to this day. Main was Mallard which was delicious and desert was cheesecake (best I've ever had). HEARTY portions and as I was driving was very happy to see a great mocktail menu. I will definitely be returning.

Outstanding food in a beautiful part of Wales. Staff were really friendly and helpful.

We didn't stay rather we just had dinner in the restaurant. The food was fabulous and I would highly recommend it. We were lucky in our reservation as I guess there had been a cancellation, but we were traveling back to South Wales from Birmingham and wanted to stop off en route. We had heard about The Walnut Tree previously so as there was an opening for the evening, we decided this would be a great stopping off point. Each course was fabulous, and for a Michelin restaurant, you was (in our humble opinion) reasonable, but that's not to say cheap. The location of the restaurant is a little out of the way, but if you are staying here, I'm sure it would be great. Tbh, whilst we had read about the restaurant previously we were unaware of its Michelin star until the following day. It was clear that this was a great restaurant though. Highly recommended.

We had an excellent, quality meal,in a relaxed setting. Well worth the journey from Pembrokeshire.

One of the best meals I’ve ever had; a real highlight of our trip to Wales. Wait staff were all excellent & the food was exquisite

There can always be a sense of disappointment if you go to a restaurant that is supposed to be good and has been recommended, and then it doesn’t live up to your expectations, but this was most definitely NOT the case with the Walnut Tree. The food, drinks, wine and service were absolutely exquisite; we really were very impressed. The only thing that would make a small but significant difference in the restaurant, would be to have tablecloths on the tables - it would really add that final touch. We also stayed at the Angel Hotel, which was lovely with an absolutely fantastic breakfast! Highly recommend both places (for a special trip, of course!)

Out of the way, but what an excellent experience the evening was. Everything about the evening was perfect

Didn’t stay at the hotel but had a wonderful dinner. Cocktails (including mocktails) were lovely. Amuse bouche and starters delicious. The white Sardinian wine (with starters) was excellent as was the half bottle of Chianti (with our mains). Thoroughly enjoyed the main courses (although chilli oil on the carrots was not noted on the menu and a little spicy for our liking, and kale was rather too salty - and I usually love salt). Only issue with desserts was which ones to have from the extensive choice available! Great dessert wines, coffee and petit fours to round off the fantastic feast - throughout which we’d enjoyed fabulous service, too. Will be back when next in this part of Wales, for sure!

We live 14 miles away so haven't stayed, We eat there every now and then, and think it's outstanding, I have had much less delicious Michelin starred meals, I suspect the setting isn't grand enough for 2*s, but the food is lovely. I'm a wheelchair user and they are always helpful in getting me seated,

I totally agree with the last reviewer. Food was good but personally I didn’t think this was at the usual level of a Michelin star restaurant. Nothing wrong as such, but lacking the innovation and overall execution expected of a Michelin star restaurant. I felt that I could prepare similar food at home. For example, the fillet of beef came with what was basically half a jacket potato, it wasn’t anything special. Usually in Michelin star restaurants I wonder how they created the dish and I want to eat everything. Didn’t feel like that here. Wine was good though and service was good too.

The food was tasty but compared with other fine dining establishments I have been too I didn't think it was exceptional and it seemed quite expensive. The wine seemed very good and was not overly expensive. Service was very good.

Great food and lovely staff went as a special treat and it was great! Thank you

I recently visited The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny, with a lot of expectations built up from its reputation and past reviews. I must admit, the restaurant lived up to its name in terms of food quality. Each dish served was nicely prepared and had a delightful taste, worthy of potential attention from the Michelin guide. The kitchen staff are doing an excellent job and have my commendations. Furthermore, the younger staff members were amiable and inviting. They provided attentive service, ensuring that our dining experience was pleasant. Their polite and respectful attitude was greatly appreciated, proving that they are truly an asset to the restaurant. Regrettably, however, not all experiences at The Walnut Tree were as pleasing. A senior staff member named Pauline displayed an off-putting demeanor which considerably diminished our dining experience. Pauline's dismissive attitude was hard to comprehend, and it created an unwelcoming atmosphere. Surprisingly, this issue has been mentioned in numerous reviews dating back to 2012, yet it seems no action has been taken to address this problem. Pauline, who according to these reviews has been with The Walnut Tree for 50 years, seemed to treat regular customers differently. This bias is concerning and left us feeling like lesser valued customers. Unfortunately, it seems the restaurant has not been responsive to these past complaints, and as of my recent visit in 2023, the situation remains unchanged. In conclusion, The Walnut Tree offers high-quality food and mostly excellent service, but is held back by a staff member's poor attitude. I am hopeful that my review might serve as a catalyst for change. It is important to remember that a restaurant is as good as its staff, and having experience does not give anyone the right to be disrespectful to guests. This might be an opportunity for Pauline to learn from her younger colleagues and help maintain the stellar reputation of The Walnut Tree. The restaurant has so much potential, and I hope they take heed of this and make a positive change.

Beautiful and historical restaurant but the food was hit and miss the mahi mahi curry starter was fantastic but the main course of duck was quite bland I expected more from a Michilen starred establishment in all honest. The desert was pretty forgettable too. All in all there’s better value for money elsewhere in Abergavenny

First Michelin starred restaurant experience and it was lovely! My boyfriend wasn't a huge fan of the lambchop dish; he felt the chops were a little small and said some of the beans were too firm but I thoroughly enjoyed the pork dish. We both agree that the John Dory and dessert were wonderful. We also felt the prices were extremely fair.

Fabulous 👌 food and staff were amazing

Wonderful food, very attentive staff,

Where's Gordon Ramsay's evidence of presence?

Amazing meal by Shaun Hill with great service from the young waiting staff in a quiet atmosphere. We have been lucky enough to eat at numerous Michelin starred restaurants and whilst this didn't compare on experience the food offering was good and the service great. The menu is a bit chefy but I think there's enough choice for all palettes. We stayed elsewhere for our own preference so I cannot comment on the rooms.

Beautiful dining with delicious produce - the asparagus was incredible and the setting in the country side peaceful and cozy.

First ever Michelin-starred restaurant on my first ever trip to Wales. It did not disappoint. I've never experienced white-glove service before, and from the beginning to end of the meal the service was top notch. And the pricing was incredibly reasonable. After the complimentary amuse bouche, we started with the john dory. I cannot get over the incredible depth of flavor that was in the dashi broth. Hands down it was my favorite part of the meal. My lady got the pork dish for her main course and I had the rack of lamb. She thoroughly enjoyed every bit of her dish and I was a big fan of mine as well. For dessert, we ended with the poached pear, which was quite delectable. All in all, it lived up to its expectation and set the bar for all subsequent Michelin-star meals I hope to have.

Top place. The whole time was a great experience, staff were welcoming, attentive and professional, and the food was sublime.

A little difficult to find but fully justifies its Michelin starred rating. A special dining experience!

Had a lovely evening with my husband. The staff were brilliant and the food outstanding. Will definitely go back.

First visit here and had a stunning lunch time meal. Some of the best food we have ever tasted in a restaurant. Parking can be difficult here when it's busy but that's a minor issue. Would return in a heartbeat!

Excellent service, fine dining at its best. We have wanted to visit for sometime. The holy grail for any food lover. Perfectly executed dishes elegant flavours & cooked to perfection. We had the Red mullet , Sea bass & lemon sole. Sweet breads wow melt in the mouth. Heaven on a plate. We will be back soon. Thank you to Shaun and your wonderful team. First class.

Table booked for 18.30, arrived just after 18.00, a very warm friendly welcome by the guys behind the bar. Service was brilliant all staff smiling and friendly, food was incredible, so tasty, hot and ample amounts... well worth my 5 star review.

Been going to Walnut tree for 40 years food is generally excellent but on this occasion was not up to standard Both starters were poor goose was meagre in size and dal was no where to be seen on other Main course one was missing mussels clams and cider and mushroom sauce bland at best Other contained items of beef cheek and cauliflower not ordered First time we have been disappointed at this restaurant Shaun is a fantastic chef so comes as a great surprise to us

We visited on new years eve and had a lovely evening. Service was great very attentive. The menu is classic fine dining executed perfectly. Everything was beautifully cooked and presented. We can't wait to visit again in the future.

Good restaurant , not sure if worthy of a Michelin Star though ! The food was really good, the service was attentive, even if a bit pretentious (what's with the white gloves !?) . Atmosphere of restaurant a bit lacking what with gas fire in the fireplace , uncomfortable Bistrot style seating , and air conditioner units heating that gives constant draft of warm air over tables. What was really weird was how fast service was , for what's supposed to be a gastronomic expérience, we were done in 90min tops, with aperitif, amuse bouche and 3 courses !? Normally I really just complain about slow service, but here it felt too fast for what's supposed to be an evening filling dinner experience.

Really great service, quick and polite

Nothing about our visit was good, except one starter. The menu doesn't describe the meal very well. I ordered sole. I had to ask what it came with and was told it came with mashed potato, broccoli and smoked asparagus. The smoked. Asparagus must have been in the green sauce and the mash. Everything tasted like smoky bacon crisps. Even the broccoli had anchovies on it. It was all horrible. Worse meal I have ever had. Couldn't eat hardly any of it. My daughter had pork loin, which was served with baked beans, black pudding and sausage. It was ok but too salty. She ate about half of it. She ordered pate for starter, which was like stuffing. That was ok and she ate about half of that. The only good part of the whole meal was my starter which was monkfish in watercress sauce. The decor is uninviting and the staff not particularly friendly or helpful.

Stars well-deserved. Enjoyed spiced partridge and chestnut soup, followed by mallard duck with morels, kale and Jerusalem artichoke (both roasted and purée). Fabulous food, faultless service. Worth every penny.

Delicious meal. Wonderful options from starters, mains to desserts. Thoroughly enjoyed.

We came here for my birthday this evening. Lovely food, attentive and friendly staff and, a good selection on the menu. We have been to a number of Michelin star restaurants and, although this is more relaxed and traditional than most, we still enjoyed both the food and experience. Lovely place to eat.

Posh , expensive and worth it . Hester and I eat ourselves to the point of bursting - smashing.

Delightful place to eat. Lovely staff. The only slight disappointment was my wife's dessert which was a fig chocolate frangipane. Too much going on.

For over 30 years The Walnut Tree has been deemed (by me, anyway) one of the beacons of Welsh culinary excellence. Tonight, celebrating our wedding anniversary, we actually ate here, for the first time. And despite its many accolades, we were disappointed; a meal that 10 years ago might have been considered really good, didn't crack it. Food has moved on and there are many restaurants in Wales to prove it. Sorry guys, but time to recalibrate. The service, however, is beyond reproach.

This was one of the worst 'Michelin' experiences we have ever had. We even asked if we booked the wrong place, but apparently it does have 1 Star. The food was on par with a normal gastro pub (at best) and lacked flavor on every count. The carrots were watery, the fish was over cooked, the 'crab salsa' had you hunting for crab amidst the likely tinned sweet corn, the curry sauce on the pork was like a soup out of a jar, it was just really really bad. I think the starter ham hock was one of the worst, where the jelly was tasteless (such a shame as you can do so much with a jelly), and was served nearly frozen. The "snack" offered when we sat down came capsized and rolled on the plate. On the upside, the wine/bar manager was nice and we had a lovely server with a big smile. But for 190£ .... not again. We have reached out to the Michelin guide as this must have been an error on the website.

Outstanding lunch with excellent service. Food quite delicious .

Mixed feelings about this place. On entering, the older woman at the bar couldn't have looked less happy to see us if she tried and really didn't give a good first impression with her unwelcoming and icy cold demeanour. I see others have commented in their reviews about this so we're not alone. Trying to put this bad first impression aside we were shown to our seats and the rest of the staff were very friendly. It's a place where you have about four or five different people serving you which always seems a bit chaotic and inconsistent. It does lead to errors with being asked if we wanted to order drinks from someone when we'd already ordered from someone else. The staff were a bit too attentive at the start with not giving enough time to look at the drinks menu to decide. The food itself was wonderfully flavoursome and high quality. It's more traditional in style then contemporary. A side order of potatoes was missed though which at this pricing and level was poor with mains going cold whilst waiting. The decor inside is likewise more traditional than contemporary but could do with a bit of a refresh as it's currently got the mediocre pub decor vibe which seems at odds with the higher quality of the food. I'm not sure I would be rushing to go back but we enjoyed the food on our visit.

Brilliant food fantastic staff great chef

Best visit yet. Incredible food in a relaxed atmosphere

This iconic restaurant continues to serve food that is rich, tasty and beautifully presented. Service was excellent and the experience was great. We were looked after very well and the team always had a smile!

Great meal with fantastic service

I attended as a birthday treat for my fiance, and left with mixed feelings after the experience. The staff were generally attentive, and went so far as to even put a birthday candle in her dessert! The dessert was a standout from the rest of the meal generally. We were greeted by an older woman who I can only describe as having treated us like she didn't feel we belonged. She neglected to offer us a seat, or a drinks menu, unlike other tables. Overall it's a shame that particular staff members treatment of guests has the potential to overshadow their experience.

My fiancé and I were celebrating a birthday here for lunch and were looking forward to it for weeks. We left a bit let down with the lunch set menu, but maybe had too high of hopes for it. I definitely wouldn't describe all of the staff as welcoming, in particular the person who 'greeted' us was especially cold and pretentious. The staff as a team though were very attentive and that was exceptional, which is why we've settled on a 3-star rating. The desserts were the creative highlight of an otherwise lackluster lunch. Having gone to other Michelin star restaurants, our experience here was surprising and we don't intend to make the trip out there again. Given our treatment by a particular staff member, I'm sure we won't be missed.

We all enjoyed a fabulous lunch celebrating my sister's birthday. Thank you.

Love delivering there, staff are so friendly

Superb service and food. Special experience.

Delicious food in a relaxed, informal setting. Had the lunch menu which was beautifully cooked and efficiently served. Deserts were sublime. Not cheap but very much worth a visit if you want to spoil yourself.

Has never disappointed. Fabulous dining experience. Very special place Indeed.

Very confusing visit. The muffins were actually tear and share bread. The sweetbreads were neither sweet nor bread… and John Dory is not a person! 🤯 The food was fantastic, the staff were very attentive and friendly. We overall had a very enjoyable experience and hope to visit again soon!

Lovely rural restaurant in fantastic surroundings. Great atmosphere with attentive staff. Delicious food, however rather pricey.

Our lunch was excellent. Rating it 4 (4.5 if I could) stars simply because I prefer a more contemporary look and feel.

Sublime food. Top class service.

Great service and fantastic food

MONUMENTAL LET DOWN & DISAPPOINTMENT! In October 2021 I booked (which was subsequently confirmed) to take my husband to The Walnut Tree for his 60th birthday in April 2022. It was to be our first stop of a foodie tour of Wales. He has been wanting to try Shaun Hill's food for quite some time, so we booked and planned it well in advance and thought what better place to kick start our trip than The Walnut Tree (on his actual birthday!) We were starting to get rather excited and with only two weeks to go we received a phone call and email from Etienne the restaurant manager informing us that our booking had been cancelled because they do not open on a Tuesday! Why on earth did they accept the booking and take over 5 months to inform us that they would not be open on that day? Etienne's attitude was dismissive and tried to blame various Covid issues and lack of staffing. He also admitted that they had not been opening on a Tuesday for quite some time but failed to let us know, I quote "because I had only just seen it in the booking diary"! Poor, disappointing and disrespectful customer service and left with such short notice to find an alternative venue for a special birthday meal. Thanks Walnut Tree!!

Taken here by friends for a birthday surprise. What a lovely surprise! The staff were super, attentive and service with a smile. The food second to none, plenty of choice. I can't comment on the price as I didn't pay but it was definitely value for money whatever the price, I loved it and will be returning. One tip you must try a champagne cocktail! I have included a picture of their one table outside if you prefer to eat in a peaceful environment, you can check the food online.

Lovely place, a nice relaxed environment The food certianly speaks for itself.

Outstanding food.. It just lacked atmosphere and a welcoming front of house..

Excellent food and service, even better than previously. Superb accommodation.

Absolutely beautiful food, delicious cocktails, great wine and fantastic service.

Perfect. Lovely, friendly service throughout, substantial drinks menu and beautiful food. The Opera cake is honestly the best dessert I have had.

Very fine dining for a special birthday treat!

Fantastic food as one would expect from a Michelin star, but served in a very relaxed and welcoming manner.

This was my 3rd visit to the Walnut Tree. Everything was very good. But, for the price, I wanted to be completely blown away, and wasn't on this occasion.

Best food I've ever eaten, simple as that.

Service brilliant, could not fault, food very nice but think could be very much better. Having said that, we had the set lunch menu.

We were looking forward to this meal out to end our holiday. Sadly, I ended up with food poisoning. More disappointingly was how the restaurant handled it when we phoned. Dismissive and unapologetic. We have been very fortunate to eat out a lot and we’ve been to many restaurants worldwide. The price of the food does not match what is served, the decor (which is more akin to a mediocre pub) or the service. There are some great restaurants and pubs in Wales, please give this one a miss and enjoy a meal out somewhere else.

I’ve wanted to eat here for some time, so to celebrate the end of lockdown we had dinner here with friends. The food was amazing. Summer salad with quails eggs followed by pork fillet. An amazing wine list and very good service. Easy to see why the Walnut Tree enjoys its reputation. Highly recommended.

Fantastic lunch (again...second of this year) at what must be one of the best dining venues in the UK. Coped brilliantly with the nonsensical government restrictions to deliver a faultless set lunch accompanied by some great drinks and relaxed, professional service.

Some of the best food we have every had, hands down. We went as a "Meant to be Wedding day" meal and we were not disappointed with the food or the service, Everyone was lovely and helpful and again the food was to die for. We had 3 courses and each one as good as the last. We did the typical couple thing of trying each others dish and all 5 dishes were brilliant (Desert was the same, as neither of us could resist the sound of the Chocolate and Praline Paris-Brest) The Micheline Star is well deserved!! Sorry we didn't get any photos to share with you it didn't last long enough for me to pull my phone out. Now stop thinking about making a reservation and go do it.

Been coming here for past 11 years and felt on our last 2 visits it had lost its mojo, but our visit on the 3rd December certainly impressed and we had an excellent evening. Staff provided tip top service, the cocktails were fab and the wine list provided lots of choice. We thought the Alsace was a perfect match for the John Dory (the stand out dish of the evening) and the sweetbreads and soufflé for starters great. Pork main didn’t mention black pudding accompaniment. Only criticism was the cheese, as had a better selection previously and served too cold. Yes more expensive than other restaurants in the area but haven’t been out much this year!

Had a wonderful pre Christmas meal at this restaurant last night. The food was superb and the staff were very friendly and professional. Will definitely return and would highly recommend.

I had lunch here in November 2020, and really enjoyed every aspect of my meal. I ate from the set lunch menu, so my starter was pig’s head cromesqui with celeriac remoulade, which was gorgeous. (Cromesqui turned out to be like a fish-finger, only pork, so a pig finger). And the main course was hake with potato & olive cake, which was just as nice. All the food displayed a real attention to detail, and was very impressive. Finally, the staff were all taking the Covid virus seriously, and wore their masks throughout. I will definitely be going back next time I'm near Abergavenny.

We travelled the length of Wales to visit the Walnut Tree, for a belated Christmas present. Little did we know when we made the booking that this was to be the last night before a second Covid-19 Welsh lockdown. As a Michelin star restaurant with an excellent reputation, it was no surprise to find the restaurant full when we arrived, and it obviously also has a loyal local following - the two ladies on the table next to us could walk home!The ambience was comfortable and warm but never stuffy. Full Covid precautions were in place. The food was absolutely delicious. My wife stated that the tandoori monkfish was not only the best starter she’d ever had, but close to being the single best course she had ever tasted. High praise indeed! My double cheese souffle was likewise sublime. We both chose the fillet steak for our main course which was wonderfully tender and the puree heavenly! My blackberry and apple vol-au-vent was the choice of the desserts and an Irish coffee completed a wonderful meal. We will return!