The Bear

We were browsing around Usk in early January, got hungry, and decided to try this place for the first time. The atmosphere was lovely, and both the service and staff were excellent. I’m from Cambridgeshire, but I’ll definitely come back when I’m visiting. The Sunday lunch was delicious. My only small gripe was that the plates could have been warmer.

We paid decent money for rooms described as grade 1, so the stay felt like a rip-off. I remember the standard being much better, which made this especially disappointing. Part of our family was in the main hotel and the rest of us were across the road in a converted little house, which was awful. The beds were like marshmallows, and the hotel wasn’t even full. Breakfast was a Fawlty Towers affair: no menu or choices, no fruit or yoghurt, just a breakfast plate and loads of toast, apparently to make up for the lack of anything else. We even had to ask for juice. I emailed “management” last year to complain and got no reply. I heard the person running it had previously run a car showroom, a kids’ play park, or maybe a go-kart park. Whatever their background, their guest service was appalling.

We stopped in Usk looking for somewhere to eat, and the place caught our eye right away. Inside, it felt warm, friendly and inviting. The food lived up to that first impression: amazing steak, delicious homemade onion rings, and both meals were great quality. I can’t fault anything.

I hope the new owners and management can make the place more appealing to Usk residents and visitors. I really like the changes so far. We came back for Friday dinner and were impressed by the fresh vegetables, the flavours and the quality of the fish. All good.