Places to eat in Ross-on-Wye

Let’s start with the cream of the crop. No 3 Restaurant is the best place to eat in Ross-on-Wye. It’s a beautiful bistro on Gloucester Road, right in the heart of the town centre. Every now and then you come across these restaurants where everything seems effortless; the food, the service, the atmosphere is all just pitch perfect. Everything on the menu is exquisite, the wine list is absolutely fantastic, and if you just want to call in for a drink the cocktails are marvellous, too. To avoid disappointment, make sure you book a table well in advance. Other than that, all we can say is enjoy some of the best eating in the area.

Having waxed lyrical about No 3, it’s worth reiterating there are plenty of other great restaurants here in Ross-on-Wye. For an authentic taste of Italy, make your way to Avellino on the High Street. It’s an exquisite Italian on the corner of the market square. You can expect some truly delicious eating. As is the case with only the best Italians, the food is simple, fresh and flavoursome, with an expansive wine list and knowledgable staff able to tailor a recommendation based on your meal choice. Again, you’ll likely need to book a table in advance, but it’s well worth it.

Heading up your gastropub options is The Moody Cow. It’s a bit out in the countryside in the village of Upton Bishop. However, it’s barely more than a five-minute drive from our Ross-on-Wye hotel, and worth every second as you’ll struggle to find rustic pub grub as good as this, frankly, anywhere. Every dish is cooked from scratch using fresh local produce. Some even come from The Moody Cow’s garden, and you can’t get more local than that. It’s been listed in the Michelin guide for the past four years running and earns rave reviews from everyone we send its way. It’s dog-friendly, children-friendly, and on Sundays serves one of the best roasts we’ve ever eaten.

Another great gastropub option is The Man of Ross at the far end of the High Street. The pub commemorates John Kyrle, a famed philanthropist from Ross-on-Wye who was immortalised in the writings of both Alexander Pope and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The inn’s restaurant is famous in its own right for its fantastic seafood specials, which you can wash down with an excellent lineup of real ales. The food is big on flavour, huge in portion, and absolutely gargantuan if you’re brave enough to order the fish platter.

We’ll round things off with a couple of honourable mentions. First up is Cafe Zam Zam. You’ll find it on the High Street serving up the best curries in town. It’s a tiny Indian restaurant that’s big on flavour and backs it up with excellent service to boot. A word to the wise, it doesn’t have a license, so you’ll have to bring your own alcohol. Most visitors see this as a good thing as it keeps costs down and you can sip on more of what you fancy.

Last of all is Yaks & Yetis, a Nepalese restaurant on Broad Street owned by ex-Gurkha soldiers. If you’ve never tried food from this corner of the world, fear not, the Nepalese, Thai and Tibetan menu is absolutely delicious. The staff are the friendliest around, and are always more than happy to talk through your options, and give you their recommendations.

Staying on Broad Street, Caffe Eleganza serves arguably the best coffee in town, as well as a wonderful array of breakfast and lunch options. Pots and Pieces overlooks The Market House on the High Street and stands out as a lovely tea room with table service and a window lined with some wonderful homemade cakes. Mandy Moo’s is a friendly little cafe on Cantilupe Road where dogs are more than welcome, the food’s good value, and the service comes with a smile.

Truffles Delicatessen is an absolutely wonderful option when the weather’s kind and you can sit in the sun trap of a secret courtyard to the rear. The deli itself stocks a marvellous selection of produce including salami, cheese, homemade cakes, quiches, and pastries, as well as made-to-order sandwiches, soup and salad options. It’s a haven of great eating that smells like a foodie’s idea of paradise.

And how could we forget everyone’s favourite chippy, Audrey’s Fish Bar. It’s a proper hidden gem, away from the town centre, on Walford Road. If you’re partial to a perfectly battered piece of fish, and the crispiest, crunchiest, not-at-all-greasy chips going then you need to come here. There’s no seating, so it’s probably best if you’re driving, but it’s certainly worth the trip.