The Black Bear Inn has long been a part of life in Bettws Newydd, a teeny-tiny hamlet in Monmouthshire. Three hundred years long to be exact, but Josh Byrne and his wife Hannah have been at the helm since 2018.
The white-washed exteriors, log-burning stoves and charming wooden beams are to be expected, though red leather banquettes and the eccentric artwork are more Parisian bistro than village pub.
The drinks offering does the job: a thoughtful wine list, local beers and ciders on tap, and seaweed gin from Ceredigion, but food is the reason to come. It's a balance of rustic, Welsh-inspired dishes — gooey Welsh Rarebit, slow cooked Dexter beef— and small plates more akin to those served in deepest east London. But nothing beats Josh’s deep-fried potato skins served with whipped cod’s roe.
Lush enough to make you believe in God, it’s lucky, then, that Bettws Newydd translates to “new prayer house”.
Clytha Road, Bettws Newydd, Usk NP15 1JN, theblackbearinn.co.uk
