Ynyshir

Ynyshir sits in 14 acres of wild meadow between the hills of Artist Valley and the Dyfi Estuary, near Machynlleth. Gareth Ward has cooked here since 2013, and with his partner Amelia Eiriksson he turned the former Ynyshir Hall hotel into a restaurant with rooms. In 2022 it became the first restaurant in Wales to hold two Michelin stars, and it holds two in the 2026 Guide.

Dinner runs to around 30 servings over roughly five hours, with a strong Japanese influence: sashimi, A5 Wagyu and cooking over live fire. The house is painted matt black, the dining room is dressed with regional sheepskins and handmade crockery, and music plays throughout the evening, disco ball included. The kitchen makes no substitutions for dietary requirements, which is worth knowing before the invitations go out.

Exclusive hire takes the full dining experience for up to 16 guests, with drinks in the bar and lounge beforehand and a night in the house. A second night can add a barbecue under the stretch tent for 50 to 80. Weddings take the restaurant, bar, lounge and grounds for 36 guests by day and 50 in the evening, with the house's vinyl DJ as an option, and for up to 100 a marquee goes up in front of the restaurant on a dry-hire basis. Small helicopters can land in the grounds by arrangement.