Where to Eat in Hay-on-Wye

The Travel Pages recommends where to eat in Hay-on-Wye, for a special occasion, great Spanish tapas, or a tasty takeaway pizza.

You’re spoiled for choice on where to eat in Hay-on-Wye, especially if you’re staying right in the town centre. Our b&b, The Firs, couldn’t have had a better location. It was behind the Hay Cinema Bookshop, and no more than a five- or ten-minute walk to all the places we wanted to try.

We were there to celebrate Donna’s birthday so asked the lovely and helpful owner of The Firs, Sally, where was the best place to eat, so I could book a table. Without hesitation she recommended the Old Black Lion, and we’re so glad she did. Shortly after we made our booking, they were awarded two AA Rosettes for their cooking.

Where to Eat in Hay-on-Wye

The Old Black Lion

The Old Black Lion is a Grade II 17th-century inn on Lion Street, and the pub gets its name from the fact that it was once the Lions Gate, one of the entrances to Hay-on-Wye Castle. It’s said that Oliver Cromwell stayed here while his Roundhead troops were besieging the castle. You can stay in The Cromwell Suite, if you want the best room in the place!

We were there for the food, though, but first a word on how helpful the staff were. When I booked our table by email, I explained that I was planning a surprise for my wife. Two good friends were going to join us, without her knowing, and we colluded on how best to make it a surprise.

They also changed the time of the booking when they told me a live jazz trio was playing that night, so we’d have more time to enjoy the music. And in a nice touch they told me that we would have the table for the entire night, so not to worry about being finished by a certain time. On the night itself, the bar staff were in on the surprise and kept us apart from our friends, who had already arrived. They even arranged for the jazz band (excellent musicians, every Friday night) to play ‘Happy Birthday’.

Food at the Old Black Lion

Thankfully the food lived up to the standards of everything else. All I can say is that all four of us ate three courses each, mostly different choices, and every single one was declared a winner.

We definitely recommend the deep-fried whitebait with chilli mayo and lime from the starters, while my pan-roasted Welsh lamb rump was mouth-watering and came with the best dauphinoise potatoes I’ve ever had. From the tempting choice of desserts, the lemon tart was declared the winner, but only just. It was as good as any of us had ever eaten in France.

When we finished eating we moved over to an empty table closer to the band, and finished our wine. Other diners did the same, and we all stayed till the band ended at 10.30pm prompt, so as not to disturb the residents in the rooms above. And ten minutes later we were back in our own room at The Firs, delighted at a wonderful birthday dinner.

Tomatitos Tapas Bar and Restaurant

On our first night in Hay, we fancied trying Tomatitos after reading very positive reviews on TripAdvisor and elsewhere. This one was only a five-minute walk away. They don’t take bookings, so we had to take pot luck that a Thursday night wouldn’t be too busy. Boy were we wrong! The place was packed, and clearly operates as much as a pub and restaurant for locals as it does for visitors.

Despite the fact that they were clearly rushed off their feet, a pleasant guy took our names and suggested we enjoy a drink in the beer garden at the back, and he would come and find us when a table was available. And he did.

The upstairs seating area was buzzing, with a big group at one table obviously celebrating something. The waitress suggested we take a photo of the blackboard with the day’s choice of tapas on it, so we could study it more easily at our table. Two or three plates are usually enough for most people, she told us. She was right about that!

We ordered three plates each, and were stuffed by the end of the night. Perhaps ordering the larger plate of patatas bravas was a mistake. They were very more-ish, though, and we did end up fighting for the last one. The tortillas were as good as anything we’ve had in Spain, while a dish offering minced black pudding in a pastry was to die for. The dips that came with the dishes were brilliant too, especially the aioli, and the Rioja was reasonably priced.

It was so good we went back on our last night in Hay, mainly so we could have the tortillas again. But this time a smaller plate of patatas bravas was enough, and there were some new tapas to try. And again, as with the Old Black Lion, the staff was exceptional and clearly well-trained in how to look after people.

Origin Pizza

We had even less distance to walk for our third eating place in Hay. Origin Pizza is a pop-up pizza place, and thankfully they popped up in the car park of the Hay Cinema Bookshop on the one night out of four that it rained. One minute away from The Firs. Perfect! And perfect pizza too. Sally at the Firs said it was fine to eat the pizza in their breakfast room, and she even cleared a table for us.

We went and got a bottle of wine from the local SPAR (four-minute walk) and enjoyed that while the pizzas cooked in the wood-fired oven. The place was amazingly popular, and we didn’t mind the 40-minute wait. We both opted for the Napoletana – San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella, anchovies, capers, and olives. It satisfied in the way that only really good pizza can.

The Electric Café

Finally we recommend the café in The Old Electric Shop. This is a quirky combination of a store selling both new and vintage items, and a café. We only popped in for a slice of cake and a coffee after a lovely walk along the River Wye, but our friends had had lunch there before leaving Hay and said it was remarkably good. They had the Lahmacun, which is a loaded Turkish harissa and date flatbread with cumin roasted carrots, fresh mint, pomegranate and salad leaves.

Our indulgence was a slice of chocolate brownie, and a slice of carrot cake. Both were perfection. The café claims to serve the best coffee in Hay, and we wouldn’t argue with that. My cup of hot chocolate was also amazingly rich and tasty. We could have eaten more, but wanted to leave room for that tortilla at Tomatitos. Hay may be known for its bookshops and literary festival, but it’s the excellent food that will take us back there.