7 Most Romantic Restaurants in the Marches

Table for two? Discover the most romantic restaurants in the Marches for a Valentine's Day date or any occasion. If you're looking to impress with fine dining, unique tasting menus, enchanting views, intimate cosy settings, we've got you covered with our guide to perfect date night destinations.  

1. DOCKET NO.33, Whitchurch

Situated in the sleepy market town of Whitchurch, Shropshire, Docket No 33 offers a Tasting Menu by Stuart Collins that focuses on the best local and seasonal produce.
Stuart and Frances opened Docket No.33 in August 2017 with a goal to create a space where people can enjoy great food and service in a relaxed environment. They found Shropshire the perfect location, due to being surrounded by local growers, producers and distillers.   

On Trip Advisor, Denise L give a 5 star review, writing that she was inspired to visit Docket after seeing Stuart Collins’ cookery demo at Ludlow Food Festival.

“Had seen Stuart doing a cookery demonstration at Ludlow Food Festival, so decided to make a point of visiting his restaurant, and was not disappointed at all. The 10 course taster menu was really well thought out and seasonal; with a good variety of flavours and textures, and the wine pairings were very well matched.
“The servers had a really good sense of humour and were very efficient and friendly, and it was a nice touch for Stuart to come out and talk to us too. Will be recommending to friends that they visit, and will definitely be returning myself.”

docketrestaurant.com

2. YNYSHIR RESTAURANT AND ROOMS, Eglwys Fach, Machynlleth

Head to this fine dining haven in rural Wales for a truly unforgettable experience.

Gareth Ward is chef patron of Ynyshir, Wales’ most highly awarded restaurant. And has been awarded two Michelin stars.
Gareth Ward serves alternative British tasting menus showcasing the very best of Welsh and British ingredients. Expect to taste dishes following the seasons, such as Welsh Waygu Beef and Anglesey Onions, locally foraged sea herbs from the estuary and greens from the woodland floor and gardens. 

Visit Wales: “A Michelin-starred dining experience like no other. We serve up a 30 course experience, paired with vinyl beats and a mix of Japanese flair and nostalgic twists with every bite a reflection of Chef Owner Gareth Ward’s love for food.”

For an extra special experience book a Front Row Seat Ticket - the highly sought after front row table in the restaurant for parties of two only.
ynyshir.co.uk

3. NATIVE RESTAURANT & ROOMS, Netherwood Estate, Pensons Farm, Tenbury Wells

“Always Eat Native.”

A farm to table restaurant with rooms, located on the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border. Offering hyper seasonal/sustainable, modern British, fine dining. Enjoy prix fixe and a la Carte menus of creative British cuisine from Chef Ivan Tisdall-Downes in a cosy dining room with exposed brick.

Try A Taste of the Season Tasting Menu, an immersive dining experience designed to give you a true taste of what is flourishing in the fields, forests and gardens in and around Native and its surrounding counties. Available for lunch and dinner Wednesday to Saturday (5 or 10 courses with wine pairing).
nativerestaurant.co.uk

4. OLD DOWNTON LODGE, Ludlow 

This upscale lodge just four miles from the medieval market town of Ludlow offers couples pure escapism in a luxury 5 star setting, with delicious dining. The restaurant offers a small A La Carte Menu as well as a Tasting Menu. Evening meals and full English breakfasts are served in the grand and elegantly furnished dining room which was originally The Granary to Old Downton Farm. Built around the time of the Norman Conquest, it has the feel of a grand Medieval hall.
olddowntonlodge.com

5. THE WALNUT TREE INN, Abergavenny

“A beautiful place to relax, unwind and eat amazing food!”

Lunch or dine at this iconic Michelin-starred restaurant set in the rolling Welsh hills near Abergavenny, close to the English border. The Walnut Tree has held a Michelin Star since 2010 with legendary  chef Shaun Hill (formerly of the much-missed The Merchant House in Ludlow). His simple, contemporary food is rooted in culinary tradition and celebrates seasonal ingredients. Sample stunning A La Carte dishes such as bourride of seabass, brill, gurnard and mussels or fillet of beef with ox cheek, pommes anna and roast garlic. 

The Walnut Tree is open Wednesdays through to Saturdays.
thewalnuttreeinn.com

6. THE WHITEBROOK, Monmouth

Destination dining at its best, The Whitebrook is a unique culinary experience for nature lovers - a restaurant with rooms tucked away on the side of a woodland in the Wye Valley. Bedrooms follow the theme of bringing nature inside.

The award-winning restaurant holds a Michelin Star, a Michelin Green Star, 4 AA Rosettes and is regularly included in the Top 50 list of restaurants in the UK.
Ingredients are sourced from Wye Valley and their own kitchen garden, and are used in botanically based dishes with natural flavours.
One of their signature dishes is Middle White suckling pig and Hereford raspberries with garden herb sorbet is a fitting end to dinner. There’s also a particularly creative vegetarian menu.
thewhitebrook.co.uk

7. WILD SHROPSHIRE, Whitchurch

“Sustainable Gastronomy in North Shropshire.”

If you fancy a fine dining experience with a side of fun, Wild Shropshire is the perfect gastronomic destination. Keen forager and Experimental Chef James Sherwin’s restaurant is the epitome of field-to-fork dining with terroir-based and microseasonal British food. 

Part of the excitement in this culinary walk on the wild side is that there is no menu to peruse in advance; instead restaurant patrons are given a blind tasting menu with “many small courses, the dishes distilled down to their essence.” A sneak peak at a sample menu offers up enticing dishes such as Wackley Brook chicken wing, waygu garum, birch syrup;
Celeriac, combo, wild chamomile; Hogget loin, lettuce, chicken skin, butter

Dinner starts at 7pm, and take approximately three hours. Service is relaxed, informal and fun.
wildshropshire.net


The Welsh Marches region is a foodie region with so many fantastic culinary destinations from fine dining to low key eats, it would be impossible to cover them all in one article. We have included seven notable restaurants, but there are many more to discover!
visitshropshire.com
visitwales.com
visitherefordshire.com 

Main photo credit: Docket No.33