'Sunday roasts are very popular,' traditional pub offers warm welcome and great food
THIS WEEK the traditional pub, the Little Crown Inn in Pontypool, has been chosen as the Argus' pub of the week.
The Little Crown Inn is a traditional pub with a fascinating history.
It is located on the site of an old mining office on Elled Road, which functioned as the office from around the 1830s to the 1920s.
"It's got quite a historical aspect to it," said Saul Salway, the owner.
Mr Salway estimated that it has been a public house since around the 1940s.
Mr Salway and his family took over the pub in November 2022 and since then have been renovating different parts of the building.
The pub has also been running a bed & breakfast for the around 10 years, which is highly rated on TripAdvisor and Booking.com.
The Little Crown Inn has a loyal customer base and focuses on being family friendly, serving traditional food.
The menu has traditional British food and almost everything is prepared on site by the chefs, Kieron Bowden and Gavin Lee.
(Image: Tristan Rees) A 'broken pot' chocolate dessert made at the pub by the chefs
They are trying out some new cuisines such as French and Italian. For the next few months, they are bringing nine new additions to the menu each fortnight - three starters, three mains and three desserts.
As well as being prepared and cooked on site, most of the food is locally sourced too.
The pub serves local craft beer from Tudor Brewery, as well as gins and spirits and a wine.
The pub stands out because of its mining theme - a tribute to its history. The corridor leading to the bathrooms is decorated in a mining theme, with the walls, lanterns and artwork depicting a coal mine.
(Image: Tristan Rees) Mining theme in the corridor of the Little Crown Inn.
The pub is child and dog friendly and has a large outdoor area for kids as well as a games room with a pool table and darts.
It can be booked out for events and can cater for people via a buffet or meals.
"Sunday roasts are very popular. The Sundays are bookable, we are at capacity every week," said Mr Salway.
The pub is so popular at Christmas that a Christmas day meal is booked a year in advance. They already have 180 Christmas bookings.
"Last year we made over 1,500 Christmas dinners in December," said Mr Salway.
As well as offering the traditional menu items, Mr Salway said they are trying some new things and are flexible to what their loyal customer base wants to have.
Mr Salway, also owns the 'Catch 22' fish and chip shop in Abergavenny, had been working in retail for 40 years before Covid, which was when he moved into hospitality.
He said having the three aspects to the Little Crown Inn - the pub, the food and the B&B - has helped the businesses thrive.
The pub has an open mic on the first Sunday of every month. This summer, they are hosting a music campaign for six weeks, using the outdoor area to give bands and artists an opportunity to play outside.
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