The Best Places to eat in Swansea Bay

Thanks to our recent staycation to South Wales, we have compiled a list of the best places to eat in Swansea Bay Area. Swansea Bay is described as being a city by the sea and rural seaside retreat in one-holiday destination, it is an area of outstanding natural beauty and its no wonder its multi-awarded as the best beach in Britain. When it comes to eateries, people of Swansea don’t shy away from sharing some of their best foods on offer.

Thanks to Visit Swansea Bay, we had an opportunity to eat at various locations and have been able to put together this list of the best places to eat in Swansea Bay Area and we highly recommend them. I am a sucker for good restaurant recommendations we prior to our trip we checked some of these places and they are highly rated. Thanks to this Welsh Staycation, I am not able to recommend eateries beyond Oxford and London.

The Best Places to eat in Swansea Bay

Our visit to Swansea has organised thanks to Visit Swansea Bay tourism board who put together an impressive itinerary which included the eateries mentioned in this post. I think aside from the food the thing I found memorable are the locations and the staff. We had an incredible time at each of these locations and I have also rated each and explained my reason for the rating.

Verdi’s Cafe and Ice Parlour in Mumbles

Verdi’s cafe is a family-owned business situated in the fishing village of Mumbles near the pier offering incredible views of the Swansea Bay. We were guests of this popular cafe and ice cream parlour which is known for its authentic Italian foods and quality is unparalleled. The cafe offers both indoor and outdoor seating and we opted for indoor seating as the weather was slightly colder.

Visiting during the COVID pandemic has meant, new health measures have had to be implemented from table service only and always wearing your mask unless you are eating or drinking. Sanitisers are placed all over the cafe and ordering food can either been done on your phone and for those who are unable, the staff will come to you. Preferred mode of payment is via card but need to inform the staff if this is not possible for you.

Because the cafe is known for authentic Italian dishes and quality, I opted for the king prawn pasta, which was a beautifully done dish but the presentation could have been better. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the prawns were an absolute delight, I highly recommend this dish. My date for the trip chose the Caprina pizza which was large in size for one person but was absolutely delicious.

We found the service was pretty quick even though there were a lot of patrons visiting when we arrived. It seems the cafe is popular with the locals and the staff were friendly and gave suggestions for those unsure of what items to choose. Because the cafe is also an ice cream parlour, we also ordered some of the best ice cream sundaes we have ever had.

In terms of rating the cafe, I would give it 4/5 because the presentation could do with some improvements plus the teapot set was stained otherwise we enjoyed the food and the atmosphere/ambience was absolutely perfect.

Bay Bistro Gower in Rhossili

The Bay Bistro is another family-run cafe started by Sue & Paul back in 2015, the cafe not only serves foods but also has a small gallery selling beautiful handmade crafts, gifts, homewares and consumables inspired by the sea. Perched up high onto of the bay, the cafe offers some of the best views of Rhossili and is only a few minutes walk from the National Trust site.

visiting during COVID times meant that they have had to limit the number of people who can be inside the cafe at the same time. Lucky for most, there is outdoor sitting as well with the beach as your backdrop. You are asked to leave your details for track & trace purposes and its only table service available and no queuing at the till.

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The bistro has a nice light menu but some filling meals are on offer too and during our visit, we opted for the buddha bowl and a Nari Goreng dish both of which we found to be absolutely delicious. We ordered some hot drinks too which I am pleased to say they had a lovely selection on offer. The buddha bowl is vegan and I found it to be absolutely delicious even though I enjoy meat more.

During our visit, we thought the service was great in most part but slow in others because of an influx of people who wanted somewhere to relax and eat. COVID is not making things easier but it was good to see the bistro busy, being so popular with the tourists and the foods being absolutely divine. In terms of rating the bistro, I would give it 4/5 as the food was great, the atmosphere was amazing but there were some delays with a few large orders for other patrons.

Langland Brassiere near Mumbles

Langland Brassiere is an award-winning beach-front restaurant tucked around the corner from Mumbles offering the best beach views in the UK. The restaurant is renowned for its great food, for its use of local produce and for offering a great dining experience. We were lunch guests of Langland Brassiere and I must proclaim, we had the best time ever. From the moment we arrived until the time we left, we were blown away by the food, the staff and the service that we and other patrons received.

Whenever I think of the best places to eat in Swansea Bay, Langland Brassiere quickly comes to mind, the decor of the restaurant truly blew me away. Thanks to our collaboration with Visit Swansea Bay, the restaurant reserved two tables for us, one inside and one outside. We opted to sit inside because the decor was truly impressive, whilst the views outside were perfect, we wanted to experience dining inside the brassiere. And I am truly glad we did because it was a hot day and the brassiere is well ventilated.

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Due to COVID, Langland Brassiere has put certain measures in place, from wearing a mask when walking around the restaurant to put privacy/separation screens between tables. All the staff are required to wear masks throughout, there is a one-way system in operation to avoid people coming into contact too much. Hand sanitisers are available around the restaurant and the toilets as well. As we were visiting for lunch, we decided that we would choose from the specials menu. Langland Brassiere offers three types of menus, regular standing menu, specials menu and set-menu.

As I mentioned, we opted for the specials menu as we loved what we saw on the specials menu more. I opted for the sea bass and Caroline went for the duck breast, I do not regret my decision. Both meals were firstly nicely displayed, I have a thing about the presentation, the food was perfectly cooked and the freshness of it was evident. We found our foods to be absolutely delicious, my mouth waters every single time I recall this experience and highly recommend a visit. In terms of rating, I am giving Langland Brassiere a 5/5 as everything was perfect from service, ambience to food presentation and deliciousness.

King Arthur Hotel in Reynoldston

When we agreed to explore the Swansea Bay in Wales, a few of our friends recommended visiting King Arthur Hotel once knows as the Rising Sun because of how the front of the building catches the early morning sun. The building was built in the 18th century and still maintains some of its original features but has since been upgraded and added onto. The King Arthur Hotel is an award-winning wedding venue and eating lunch in the venue it was easy to see why.

King Arthur Hotel is a traditional country inn located in Reynoldston with an onsite pub and restaurant. Your visit to Swansea Bay is not complete without a visit to this incredible hotel and we now understand why our friends recommended this place to us. Today the hotel, pub and restaurant are owned by the O’Driscoll who took over in 1991 at that time it needed a lot of work. Today it’s one of the most beautiful accommodations and hotels in Swansea Bay Area.

We had dinner at the hotel, upon our arrival we were seated within 5 minutes – per covid rules you need to wear masks when walking around even to the toilet. There are sanitisers around the restaurant, you can order food via the app but table service is also available. Our first impressions of the hotel/restaurant was surpassed only by the friendly start and the buzzing atmosphere from the locals and tourists alike.

For our dinner at King Arthur Hotel, we both wanted to fish so we chose the salmon and sea bass options which were both nicely done, the fillet sea bass had a different take on it compared to traditional ones I have tried in other places but I did like this better. We tried a few local ciders which were again different from the use in England but loved them too. In terms of rating, it’s a 5/5, because everything was perfect from food, the atmosphere/ambience and the service.

Kings Head Inn in Llangennith

Situated 15 miles from Swansea, Kings Head inn is a beautiful hotel in Llangennith housed in a 17th-century building. Kings Head inn is both a hotel and a pub/restaurant where we enjoyed both breakfast and dinner. The beautiful inn sits opposite the largest church in the Gower Peninsula and is minutes from Llangennith beach. The sands of the Llangennith beach stress as far as Rhossili bay which is almost 4-miles way

When we arrived at Kings Head Inn, we were able to find parking pretty quickly which is onsite, there is special parking for hotel guests and for pub patrons its separate. Checking in was swift, the keys are kept in a key holder by your room and you are provided with a code to access the keycard. Due to covid, only one person is allowed at reception at one time and masks are mandatory per movement guidelines.

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When it came to breakfast ordering, due to COVID we were asked to complete a form in our rooms and hand it over to reception or the bar. Whilst the options were limited, Kings Head inn was offering more than other hotels throughout the pandemic. For dinner, you need to reserve a table and booking food can be done on the app or table service only, queuing at the bar is not allowed and masks are mandatory unless eating or drinking.

Even though the food options for breakfast we limited, we enjoyed our breakfast every morning. When it came to dinner, we enjoyed the variety of both food and drinks available. We found the dinner to be absolutely delicious and truly well done, thinking about it now makes me quite hungry. The service from start to finish was on point, the staff were friendly and welcoming. What we enjoyed the most is just how popular the pub is with the locals and the inn with tourists. In terms of rating, I would say 4/5 because some breakfast had to be prepared in advance due to COVID it was cold otherwise it was fine.

We had such an amazing time sharing with you the best places to eat in Swansea Bay and its a shame that the area is currently (Oct-2020) under local quarantine. But once they are out, I would highly recommend a visit to this incredible part of South Wales. Have you ever been to Swansea Bay or live close by? What would you recommend for our next visit?

Disclosure: As guests of Visit Swansea Bay Tourism Board, we were guests of all the eateries mentioned in this post but as always, all opinions shared and images are my own.