The Hats and Barrels, Solva, opens to rave reviews

The Hats and Barrels in Solva is owned by the Blakiston family that run the successful Royal Oak in Fishguard, Sloop in Solva and Farmer’s, Bishops and the Old Cross in St Davids.

Formerly a café the pub has had a complete revamp, taking about 18 months, before opening.

Located between the Ship Inn and Solva Pottery at 13 Main Street the Hats and Barrells boasts a large beer garden running down to the river, a light filled bar and mouthwatering menu.

Staples of the food offer include prime Welsh beef burgers, mussels in a cider sauce, fish curry and harissa lamb flat bread.

The pub is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11am until 11pm and has been praised for its food offer and atmosphere, with four and five star reviews on TripAdvisor and great feedback on its Facebook page.

Reviews on TripAdvisor praised the pub’s revamp: “It has been beautifully done, there’s a lovely feel to it,” read one.

“The attention to detail is very impressive,” said another.

"Everything from the beer garden, to the bar, to the open kitchen has really been thought of and everything is tastefully decorated.”

The food also gets rave reviews: “Excellent meal, not as expensive as expected and very good quality,” says one reviewer.

“Amazing food full of flavour and beautifully presented. Thought it would be more expensive than it was for the quality of the food,” says another.

A third adds: “The food was faultless. The menu is extensive and very interesting.”

The Hats and Barrels opened its doors at the end of June.

A post on Facebook added that the pub’s first week had been ‘amazing’ and thanked everybody who had visited so far.

“All went really well [with the opening],” the Hats and Barrels Colette told the Western Telegraph.

“We have been getting some lovely feedback. It’s a relief to finally have our doors open and people visiting.”