Anchor Inn, Chepstow

This place has been well described below and it is still a fairly stunning pub in fantastic surroundings. We visited after a bank holiday weekend (possibly the hottest Easter since time began) and you could tell they had been busy. There was only one beer on and no cider left at all! The beer was Tribute which was fine. There was a reversed Otter clip. We ate here and the food was excellent. I would happily call again.

Located in a great spot adjacent to some open fields and overlooking the abbey, the original part of the building looks to be quite old but has been extensively extended on to the side as well as a large conservatory on the front, meaning that the original part of the building is now only a small part of the total. Although located near the banks of the river, this is unfortunately not visible from the pub, and there is no riverside beer garden. Service at the bar was very slow with just one person serving and a long queue of punters waiting. Internally, the main bar area, whilst in the original part of the pub, looks to have been recently renovated and is very contemporary in style and comes as something of a shock after the traditional exterior appearance. Admittedly many traditional elements such as flagstone style tiles on the floor, some exposed stonework on the walls and black beams on the ceiling were present and correct, but these all looked brand new and somewhat lacking in any genuine character. An old mill stone was an interesting and prominent feature in the middle of the pub, whilst the seating was a mixture of wooden pews and tall tables and chairs. The large extension to the side looked to be more geared up for use as a restaurant and this had large folding doors that spilled out on to the patio area. Although still very contemporary, the décor here was at least quite elegant with large natural wooden beams on the ceiling and duck egg blue wood panelling on the walls. A stone chimney breast and wood burning stove were off to one side. The cosiest part of the pub was undoubtedly the snug at the rear, with it’s flagstone floor, exposed stone walls and old beams on the ceiling. A large beer barrel had been pressed in to use as a table and a few fishing rods were mounted up above a blocked off fireplace. Beers on tap were Otter Amber and Wye Valley HPA, whilst a third pump appeared unused. Ciders meanwhile were Mortimer’s Orchard English berry, Stowford Press and Rosie’s Pig.