The story
The Heathcock is a pub and hotel that has been at the heart of the Llandaff community for over a century. It remains a genuine local watering hole, serving great ales, interesting wines, and homemade seasonal drinks alongside a daily changing menu. The atmosphere is relaxed and informal—the kind of place where you can stop in after a long walk with your dog or gather the whole table for a celebration.
The kitchen, led by Head Chef Tom Woodhams, focuses on British contemporary cuisine that celebrates the best of Welsh produce. The team draws heavily on ingredients from the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff, taking advantage of some of the most productive soil in the UK for meat, vegetables, and game. A kitchen garden supplies homegrown fruit and vegetables, and everything is made from scratch, including sourdough bread, cultured butter, and fresh pasta.
The menu changes daily and is served in both the bar and the dining room. Sharing dishes are a central part of the experience, with options like pies, slow-cooked lamb shoulders, or whole Welsh baked seabass designed for the table. For a deeper dive, an 8-course tasting menu is offered on Friday and Saturday evenings, alongside a daily tasting menu at £50 per head. A sample menu from January 2026 included roast duck breast with fennel, steamed halibut with sea lettuce, and apple tarte tatin.
The Heathcock’s commitment to quality, seasonal cooking at a fair price was recognised with a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2025. The restaurant describes its approach as “not pretentious fine dining; it’s just about good food.”
Recognition
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good quality, good value cooking
From bar to beer garden, the Heathcock majors in laid-back sophistication: expect simple white walls, reclaimed furniture, a decent selection of beers, and warm, efficient service. Here, informality never equates to idleness, and the same is true of the food, which – for all its rustic edges – is intelligent and considered. A big, chunky sourdough doorstep, say, quilted with the cheesiest, beeriest Welsh rarebit you could wish for, a bottle of Worcesterhire sauce on the side. Or grilled Wye asparagus teasingly dressed in grated Welsh black truffle and breadcrumbs then laid on a swirl of wild garlic purée. Native ingredients are trumpeted: a clutch of fluffy ricotta dumplings luxuriate in a heritage tomato sauce, with chunks of fresh tomato tasting of the summer sun thrown in for good measure. Game makes frequent appearances, as do native fish and seafood: smoked eel might be breadcrumbed, deep-fried and served with horseradish, rhubarb and chard on sourdough toast, while native mussels go Welsh with a leek and cider sauce. This is a small-plates menu, so expect to try at least three dishes each – and be sure to order dessert: a flawless, cloud-like rhubarb soufflé was a ‘sparkling highlight’ for one diner, while a perfectly crisp and syrupy pear tarte tatin delighted another. A good spread of European wines includes plenty by the glass. A recent addition is a Champagne and oyster bar upstairs.
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